Two days in Singapore

Two days in Singapore using the call of the Emirates as obligatory stop after a trip of two weeks in Malaysia
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Pan Pacific Hotel. Marina Square

At 15.15 the flight No 7 Malaysia Airlines takes off to Kuala Lumpur (KUL) where he lands after exactly one hour. From here, a quick connection with board flight No. 613 to Singapore, where land after 55 minutes and 317 Km. Back in town and begins another adventure! The airport is very nice and efficient. After they withdrew the bags reach and organize the orderly queue for taxis. Few minutes and we are on the fast highway that leads into the center.
Our accommodation is booked for three nights at Pan Pacific Hotel *****, through an offering of Expedia. The entrance hall is stratospheric, with a high wall only forty floors and three elevators that rise shiny interior and fall! Since arriving, however, 'only' up to the nineteenth floor, to reach our room n ° 2419, the twenty-fourth floor, we must use others which are even more dizzying with the outside of the glass. These are the plans from the twentieth to rise and after a few seconds of thrilling ascent rocket to the glittering lights of the city becomes blinding! The room is beautiful and luxurious, with a large balcony with panoramic breathtaking view of the sky line of the skyscrapers of Singapore. One of the most unique things also is that the hotel is of triangular shape, and interior corridors overlooking the structure unequivocally recalls the legendary 'Indastria' carton of Conan!
Excited by the wonder that already is a tourist attraction, fast bags and leave on foot walking around Marina Square, just opposite the Pan Pacific. We need to take a twisted route to avoid crossing the street directly, passing over bridges and pedestrian areas. It 's all very orderly and cement, especially in a clean manner. There is no ground for a single piece of paper, a cigarette, an object similar to garbage. Credit goes to the well-known strict prohibitions that apply in this city-state which are the symbol, between which no one can eat on the street and not even chew chewing gum.
The mall seems so immense as desolate: everything is closed and not leave us too content with a dinner from Burger King for just $ 17 in three.

Chinatown. Little India. Orchard Road. Night Safari.

We admire from the balcony of our room the beautiful sky-line of Singapore early in the morning. The day is uncertain: some sunshine and heavy clouds in the background. Descend to the tour desk on the first floor to ask directions and a friendly guy and prepared produces a myriad of information on how and what to visit in the city. It recognizes that we are Italian and tells of his experience in the West: The classic trip that is organized around here, where on a day visit for two capitals in one and two weeks seems to have seen the whole of Europe! Night Safari the book for $ 45 a head, including transfer from and entry ticket. Then we go to breakfast (as is not included in the price of the room) in the'7 Eleven 'in front of the Pan Pacific.
A taxi takes us in a few minutes to Chinatown, where we start to wander through the market. There are many more. Fundamentally a part of the district is dedicated to food and the other in the industry, souvenir etc. Finally here and I buy two excellent Ste backpacks trekking medium size, in place of our hand luggage: they were looking for throughout the journey and end in this stand offers you an all ladies and two for $ 50. We spend a little time for shopping and take the metro (very efficient and clean) to Little India. Here we observe a fast Hindu temple and walk aimlessly scan the other market. In one of these try to change their euros into dollars and local we risk a big cheat! The exchange rate € / $ is written in barely a white ticket and is 1.57. But yesterday at the airport when the rate was 2.00!? Back to demand explanations, and wondering vaguely apologize, we repay the money at a rate just (in reality to what we told ourselves, that is exactly 2.00). In another place I would have expected such a trivial cheating, but in a city like Singapore, which looks like this perfettina ... sinceramente no!
However, after observing a piece of Singapore Eastern Europe, now we turn to Western luxury hotels and shopping centers. It can not fail then a visit to the famous Orchard Road, which we reach with a run of just $ 6 taxi. Speaking with the taxi driver we discover that he too was in Europe and Italy, with the usual holiday tour of a couple of weeks. It seems that here are pretty wealthy. The city was still offers jobs for all, is efficient, orderly and modern. We thought of finding a population a little 'cold and detached, but to our surprise the people of Singapore are very warm and expansive. Orchard Road is to Singapore what the Strip is to Las Vegas. E 'via a huge and very long, with at its heart a large pedestrian zone that divides the green intensely trafficked roadways. It 'impossible to visit all in a few hours, so we be content to remain in the area of' Le Meridien hotel '. We find a small Italian restaurant called 'Da Vinci's', where to stop for lunch and spend $ 60 in three eating well. We continue into another shopping mall in the case of five floors (probably one of the smallest, we are all colossal) and buy the version of Lump umpair great. We can not remain without a mascot after losing the little umpair Lump inexplicably in hotel room in Kuala Lumpur! I am a bit disappointed by the prices of technology products such as televisions, computers, phones, cameras ... Popular belief is that cost much less here, do not deviate at all from those same European models and performance. Shopping centers follow one another but in the end seem a bit all the same, so desist from our shopping and return to the Pan Pacific taking another taxi.
Are 16.30 and Ste dives into semi-circular pool of our hotel, while I still admire impressed lifts outside who continue to quietly get on and off without a moment's pause. At 18:10 we are in the entrance hall. Is taken to the Night Safari a small bus, which is then changed into a normal bus to the point of collection of the hotel. While we are on the road a girl explains how to move inside the park. This tourist attraction is very popular here in Singapore. This is an area adjacent to the zoo where you can observe the animals during their nocturnal activities. At the entrance we find a tremendous crowd and a long tail. Dozens of bus stop and at the same time, because the guide does not follow us in the park, we need to store goods which is our means to find the exit ... It seems that these days is particularly congested because of holidays. After an interminable wait, we get trouble with the train that goes through the park making it the scenic ride. The animals are so many buildings but just lit the sides of the train. Are free but in any event spaces. We hear the voice of the driver via the speaker, that appointment on the way the various species and their habits. Can not do as planned or take photos, given the almost total darkness. We are truly a little disappointed: Maybe for a tourist who has no other leads or opportunities of young children is an interesting experience, but for those coming from the true jungle of Taman Negara Langkawi and everything seems so fake and a little depressing ... The tour lasts one mezz'oretta. The rest of the time we spend walking in the marked walking trails, where at least you can see everything with more calm. Before you leave stop in to refresh tables, and staged a nice show with tribal dances and fireworks. Finally emerge back into the square where the bus is parked, and we return to the Pan Pacific, which is 23.00 o'clock.

Sentosa Island. Suntec City Mall

We follow the signs to exit the Pan Pacific in the direction of Suntec City. E 'is one of the biggest shopping malls in the city and is adjacent to our hotel, which is reached by a short covered walkway. After several endless corridors are a Sturbucks, where we sit for breakfast. Then take a look at the impressive fountain, among the biggest in the world, built under the street level of a large roundabout. Now it's off, you must return to the schedule to watch the musical show.
Leave the Suntec and we take a taxi to Mount Faber, spending $ 7. From there the cable car a suggestive (the ticket is $ 13) to Sentosa Island, which crosses the sea with only one stopover. Piove but the journey is equally spectacular, with a unique view of the harbor and marketable across the city. The containers are thousands of small and appear colored bricks lego one above the other.
We arrive at the station to Sentosa where we begin a long walk. Here's all very organized and well-appointed, by the many signs with the signs, means of transport, and lush flower gardens. A series of bridges and footbridges leading to the Merlion, a huge statue in the shape of a lion with the tail of the mermaid, with $ 8 to enter for the visit. An elevator rises up above the opening of the cavernous mouth, which is observed by the sky-line of skyscrapers. With step is reached then the top air on the head of the statue, where a 360 ° on Sentosa and Singapore is great. Finally, once you get off at the base, we can see a funny cartoon comics legend about the birth of Singapore and the symbol of the Merlion.
We continue on a colorful and vivid trail where water jets are chasing with rhythmic splashing from a statue to another. The mosaic architecture of pianelle remember probably that of Gaudi in Barcelona.
It is time for lunch and take advantage of a combined ticket to eat at Subway with a pizza on the menu over the entrance to the Butterfly included. The visit is beautiful and interesting. There are incredible number of butterflies of all types and species, immersed in a lush sub-tropical garden. Following a small indoor museum full of information and exhibits on insects, where a man wants to experience the exhilaration of a scorpion walking on the palm of the hand.
At we see a unique attraction that seems much fun down a stretch of the island in a machine similar to a go-kart and then go back to using a chair lift. But we have little time and continue to the next bus stop. Here are two lines only tourist and free, very frequent, making the island tour stopping in the main points. We go up on the blue line and then change the red line to get to the Dolphin Lagoon. Admission is $ 20 and includes the aquarium (in reality we do not care but it is not possible to separate tickets). We are just in time for the performance of 15.30. Since the last we arrived at the crowd attending, the beach of the lagoon, with a wonderful show of pink dolphins. It 'a very rare species, which takes its sweet pink to the lack of any substance that lacks the original gray color. Worth seeing! With a premium of $ 13 per couple also allow you to touch one and get a photo. Without thinking twice about following the row for the meeting with the magnificent mammal. We are told to stay calm, do not make noise or sudden gestures, and slowly stroke the dolphin on the back of the back not to knock her sensitivity. The beautiful photo is done! At even buy the magnets and key rings that are supplied ready-made with the same picture in miniature.
Walk briefly at the waterfront and adjacent to the beach, this well-organized and very busy. Then take the red line to the Underwater world. The visit of the aquarium gives a little disappointing. The only interesting part is the underwater tunnel, where two shark fin fight the bite and frantically turning on themselves, while the diver swimming in the tank if the svigna to avoid problems. Carino also the embryo of a small shark to 7 weeks.
Let Sentosa at sunset and return to the Pan Pacific in taxi with a race of $ 9. Immediately reach the Suntec City for the spectacle of the Fountain of Wealth of 19.45. The crowd gathers in a circle around the huge pylons while the music becomes more robust. The real peculiarity of this show is the play of light created effects similar to three-dimensional holograms, very beautiful and colorful. In the end even the scrolls written virtual sms sent by people!
To conclude their stay in Singapore to dinner "Waraku japanese restaurant, which is located at the corner of Marina Square in front of the Pan Pacific. Dinner is good but not as good as that of Japan in Kuala Lumpur.
Let's go back to the room and placed his bags, waiting for midnight, when we descend to the check-out and call a taxi to the airport.

Singapore - Dubai

The journey continues to DUBAI on this site or on my personal correlates of all the photos and also available in PDF:

www.ivanweb.net