"Lion City"

 For this year's summer vacation, we decided to visit Singapore. Singapore's name is itself derived from 'Singa Pura' (which means "Lion City"). We didn't arrive at this decision to go to Singapore right away, though. My dad and mom went back and forth constantly between going to Baku, Azerbaijan, or Singapore and Malaysia (Malaysia was included in our plan of going to Singapore). We decided the only way to arrive at a decision was to weigh out the pros and cons of each place. 

So we came to the following conclusion: Singapore - is hot but not very expensive; Baku - is pleasant but expensive 

Keeping this in mind, we decided on Singapore. We were also mindful of the fact that because it would be hot, we would not keep the itinerary very hectic, with a maximum of two activities planned for the day so we wouldn't get very tired. 

Our flight was booked for the 15th of April. It was a four-hour flight that I found very exhausting as I couldn't sleep at all. We reached our destination in the wee hours of the morning. Later, I managed to get some sleep but my entire sleep cycle went for a toss. This was because I'd developed a habit of waking up at 11am in the morning when I was at home. Hence I found it difficult to wake up at 8am in the morning. 

DAY 1

Our plan for the first day was to visit the Singapore Zoo. We saw a variety of animals, including otters, peacocks, lions, tigers, etc., among others but Mum and Dad didn't find anything particularly interesting there. To add to it, my mum got exhausted at the end of the outing and wanted to get back to the hotel. 

DAY 2

I was looking forward to the next day, though, because we went to Universal Studios! Sounds amazing, I know. But I kind of felt that I shouldn't have visited this place at 16 years old. I should've done so when I was a kid. Because then, I would've gone crazy seeing all the rides and characters and thought they were real. It kind of ruined all the fun to know that everything was fake. To be honest, I don't even watch most of the movies made by Universal Studios. So I didn't get all excited about seeing things like Sesame Street, Shrek, Puss in Boots, etc. 

We also booked tickets for a show called 'Waterworld'. It was like a play, which was so movie-like. Another unique thing I must tell you about is "Lights, Camera Action!". It's basically a place where you get a real-life experience of the behind-the-scenes of a movie. It's truly fascinating to see the extent of the imagination of any director.

DAY 3

On day 3, we visited Marina Bay Sands, Gardens by the Bay, and also the Supertree Grove. 

I honestly don't remember what we did in Marina Bay Sands for some reason, but I can tell you that it looks beautiful in the evening, with all the lights everywhere. In short, it's basically a landmark in Singapore. 

Marina Bay Sands

Next, we went to Gardens by the Bay. It's the most enrapturing garden you'll ever lay your eyes on! It consisted of different species of flowers and plants that I'd never even seen or heard of. They even had AC in the garden, which elevated the whole experience altogether and saved us from the humidity and heat.

Gardens by the Bay

While exploring The Bay, we were led into the light and sound show, performed in the Supertree Grove. It was lovely to see, but also a bit of a disappointment. Our attention was captured when it was announced that the trees would "come alive", but it was not so, really. Basically, the trees were lit up and turned on and off by the beats of popular music in the background. I strongly felt that Singapore could've done a much better job than that. 

Super Tree Grove

I must've missed out on some details, but all in all, that was our trip to Singapore. One more thing that made my trip somewhat not good was that I kept annoying my mum and dad, and just kept getting mouthfuls from them (*sigh*).  I'd rate this trip a 6/10. I guess I shouldn't keep criticizing Singapore so much though, because we spent like 3 lakhs on this. 

Anyway, stay tuned for the next blog! 

CHEERS!