It was now Day 3 of our Singapore holiday. Today, we decided to visit Universal Studios. That meant heading back to Sentosa Island yet again. We have been to a couple of Universal Studios around the word ... but can never seem to get bored of it. So, we followed yesterday's sequence of events, which was taking a underground train to VivoCity mall and then Sentosa Express to Universal Studios. We got down at Waterfront Station. You can purchase the the entry ticket to Universal Studios online or at the venue. We decided to purchase it online as we didn't know what the situation would be like there. No one wants to waste time standing in a line. Oh, and we even got an Universal Express Pass. With this pass, you have a separate line for all the attractions. That means you finish everything quickly. Note that, this pass gives you access to all the attractions just once. However, if you get an Universal Unlimited Express Pass,you can access the attractions any number of times. Its entirely upto you. We wanted to try out everything once and leave Sentosa Island. Universal Studios has a little something for everyone. It doesn't matter if you're a chicken like me or a brave-heart like Mr. D ... you can still have fun. Hats of to Mr D and my cousins for accompanying me on some of the kiddy rides. Some of my favourite shows were Lights Camera Action! and Waterworld. Check out the show timings in advance so that you don't miss out on them. Some of the rides that we enjoyed were - Battlestar Galactica, Accelerator, Revenge of the Mummy, Treasure Hunters and Canopy Flyer, King Julien's Beach Part Go Round. We left Universal Studios around 5pm for our next stop - Bugis Street. Bugis Street is Singapore's budget shopping heaven filled with a scores of shops all crammed under one roof. There's everything from clothing to handbags, accessories to souvenirs, makeup etc. They do not have trial rooms ... so you've to just analyze a dress and see if it fits you. If you are not as skinny as most of the Singaporeans ... there are chances that you might not find an outfit ( I had a bit of trouble finding something for myself ). Bugis Street also has are a number of eateries. Bubble tea fans will love it here! Do not miss out on the Chocolate Origin Lava cake at Bugis Junction.
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After were done with all the activities in Imbiah Lookout, we took the Sentosa Express and headed towards the Waterfront Station. To access some of the popular attractions like Universal Studios or S.E.A Aquarium, this is your stop. However, our intention was not to visit any of these places. I, being our group's "tour guide" had something totally different in mind. We have been to Universal Studios in almost every country in the world and I didn't intend on going to one again. Instead, I chose to go to the Trick Eye Museum ... a place not many have heard of. We grabbed lunch at one of the nearby restaurants and were well on our way. The Trick Eye Museum is known for its popular artworks. Just so you know, these are no ordinary works of art ... like the ones you stare at in a museum. They are 2D images that can give you an optical illusion of a 3D image. Next to each work of art, is an instruction sheet on where to stand and how to pose. I know this may sound a wee bit confusing, but just have a look and see what we got upto here. We spent nearly 3 hours here! After taking all those crazy pictures, we took the Sentosa Express yet again and headed back to Sentosa Station. Then, we caught the underground train to go to our next stop which was Gardens By the Bay. In case you are using the metro, the closest stop would be the Bayfront MRT Station. Once we got out of the station, the first thing we saw was the Marina Bay Sands hotel. A building that I had seen only in pictures and which wasnt there during my last visit. It looked so much more bigger and taller in reality. What followed was a bunch of ridiculous pictures! We then visited the gardens. Gardens by the bay is a plant lover's paradise. We walked and walked through rows of beautiful plants until we saw these gigantic trees (Supertree Groove). I was captivated by the unique design of these trees. By then, it was almost evening. Our intention was to visit two more places in the garden before the sun set - Flower Dome and Cloudforest Dome. While the entrance to the gardens by the bay is free, you have to pay a fee to visit the other attractions within this area. The Flower Dome, as the name suggests is a Dome shaped indoor area filled with varieties of flowers from all over the world. This area is temperature controlled ... so you get a feel how these flowers grow in its natural habitat. It was so beautiful. I couldn't help but admire all the colourful flowers around me, especially the flower sculptures. We were so engrossed in this flower paradise that by the time we reached the Cloud Forest Dome it was already dark. Nevertheless it looked beautiful. The first thing we saw when we entered was this tall waterfall. It took us some time to gain the courage to get to the other side of the waterfall as it was so damn cold. Unlike the Flower Dome, the Cloud Forest Dome is filled with mist. Here, they've created an environment to show how plants grow in mountainous regions. Hence the mist and the cool temperature. They have two walkways to get to the top so you get a feel of walking on a mountain, and as you come down you can admire the beauty from the top. There's an elevator for those who do not prefer to walk. After we finished visiting both these domes, we were back in the gardens. And now that it looked more beautiful then ever. At night, the Supertrees are transformed into a beautiful display of light and sound. There's a walkway connecting all the trees, where you have an option of walking among the trees. However, we didn't try it out. After enjoying this spectacular show we left for dinner.
P.S. I visited Singapore before I started this blog. The pictures may be blurry. On the 2nd day of our Singapore holiday, we decided to visit Sentosa Island. I remember going to Sentosa Island years ago with my parents but I couldn't remember much, except that we took a cable car to reach there. Things had changed 14 years later. We now had 3 options to reach Sentosa Island : by foot using the Sentosa Boardwalk, by cable car or by the Sentosa Express Tram. We opted to use the tram. This is probably the cheapest and most convenient option. All you have to do is head to VivoCity mall and catch the tram from there. The tram stops at 3 stations in Sentosa Island, besides the one that you're starting from. What you intend on doing there is entirely upto you. To get an idea on the kind of activities Sentosa Island has to offer, click here. We got off at the Imbiah Station ... when it starting pouring. None of us had any umbrellas or raincoats on us so we had to buy one from a shop nearby. There are a number of attractions in the Imbiah area. Nature, adventure, art .... there's something for everyone. We had 3 places in mind - Sentosa Merlion, Butterfly Park & Insect Kingdom and Skyline Luge. The first thing we visited was the Merlion. Unlike those happy, sunny day photos that you usually see in front of this giant Merlion ... ours was grey and covered in raincoats. Booo... thanks to the rain. But atleast we smiled! We then moved over to the Skyline Luge. If you prefer something unique with a bit of a thrill, the Luge is a must. Basically, you sit on this tiny car and explore two trails - Dragon Trail and Jungle Trail. We chose to explore both because we wanted to try the Skyride as well. Once you complete the first trail, you use the Skyride to get back to the starting point. While you're on the Skyride, you get a beautiful view of Sentosa. When your reach the starting point, you proceed with the second trail. This was so much fun. My aunt didn't want to try this out and we forced her too. And she loved it. Don't miss out on the Luge unless you have a really serious medical issue. Click here to know more. Finally, we headed to the Butterfly Park & Insect Kingdom. Here, we got to see and interact with beautiful parrots and other creatures too. Sorry guys, no pictures of creepy crawlies here. What we did next in Sentosa Island will be shared in the next post.
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