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Day 20 (September 29, 2015)   Singapore: Sentosa

Before       Our last day on this travel is for Singapore and , specifically, for Sentosa Island, where we'll see the beaches and the aquarium.    At afternoon we can go to some missing place or coming back where we liked most.

After    As yesterday we could rest we leave the hotel early this morning and can be in VivoCity shopping mall, where the Harbour Front metro station is delivering us. We must go up some floors to get the ticket desk for Sentosa access.    We pay 4 SGD for each sky train ticket, which will take us to and through the island as we can use it unlimited times today.    This sky train only has three more stops in the island to add to this first one, so we can see how we’re going across the sea to Sentosa Island. We’ll leave at the last one, where the beaches are.    At this early time the beaches are completely empty and we can admire the landscape artificially built in this part of Singapore.    After a walk we come back to the sky train for the next stop, as our plan is visiting all of them. This one is Imbiah and address to a square with the colossal Merlion which view already amazed me when passed by here in our way to the beaches.    The Merlion is a mythological animal, half lion half fish, which can be seen in different spots around the city, but here is represented by a huge sculpture which is a touristic attraction by itself.    The attraction is actually two lookouts: one in the mouth and another i the top of the head. Tickets are 12 SGD and they try hard to make it worth the money as it includes an ice cream, a gift from the shop and one token which we should use later inside.    Just after the entrance we walk through a dark pass way with an exhibition about mythological monsters which ends in the entrance to a small cinema where we can see a computer-animated short film about the myth of the Merlion and Singapore city foundation. Then we get into one room with golden sculptures where we can use our tokens to get a souvenir in return.    The next is to use the elevator to reach the top of the monument. First we have the lookout in the mouth and then there are some stairs to go to the very top, where a sort of terrace is set for having 360º views. The views are astonishing even with the fog that we’re having today.    This elevator is peculiar as the walls are really screens which are using animations to make you feel as you were going up from the bottom of the sea to the sky, or the same way down when coming back to the ground level.    The last skytrain stop before leaving the island is Waterfront and is in a square where the amusing parks and resorts are grouped. Here is the Universal Studios but, as we’ve already been in the one in L.A. we’ve chosen another place to visit here: SEA Aquarium.    I learnt the “SEA” in the name is not about the sea itself as I thought, but an acronym for South East Asia. We pay 32 SGD for each ticket.    There is an exhibition about navigation in display which we go across in our way to the Aquarium entrance, which welcomes us with the popular glass tunnel, which is full of sharks    This aquarium is bigger than what I thought. I’ve seen pictures of the huge and amazing screen they have here but, until reaching it, we’re getting hall after hall with beautiful displays with samples of the underwater live on these tropical part of the globe.    The main screen is amazing indeed. It’s that big that there is not enough room as per taking a picture showing it in a piece. There are all types of sharks on it: Hammerhead, sawfishes, etc… even we can see mantarays in there!      When we leave the Aquarium is only for making our last sky train trip back to the city.    Once back in VivoCity shopping mall it’s about 1:30 PM and time for lunching, so we go to the top floor looking for a restaurant. What we find there is a sort of big dining room with wooden tables surrounded by small food places. We take the offer in the first one to eat pasta.    We choose Chinatown station to link with the line for our hotel just to have the chance of a walk on this iconic neighborhood. We find a big shopping mall and the streets taken by a swarm of stalls, so this entire part of the city is a market. It may be because today is the Mid-Autumn Festival, which is a Chinese Festival.    We go back to our hotel for some resting. Singapore metro is immaculate and the stations have walls cutting any access to the railways. It’s through the doors set on this wall that we can get into the train where they open, once the driver has make the ones in the train to match with those.    It’s around 7 PM when we go out again for a special night. At the moment we get the Gardens by the Bay we meet the lights of the Chinese Festival adding more magic to the beautiful smart trees that are in light here every night. We go to there.    The area is crowded and things are liven up by the music coming from a stage and the illuminated sculptures as amazing and complex paper lanterns on display here and there, making a fantastic environment.    The bad side of this comes when we’re told there is a 40 minutes line to go up to the Skyway, the platform making a pass way around the top of these artificial trees. We want to enjoy the views up there, so we take the tickets anyway by 8 SGD each.    We find out now the people seated around the area are actually part of the long line, which we join by standing at the beginning. A few minutes later we’re already seated and moving slowly while looking around and up. There is a moment the music from the stage stops and we can watch a light & sound show where the lights in the trees try to follow the music.    When we have to leave the seating is because we’re close to the elevator in the base of one of these trees. There is a limited number of people that can be in the Skyway and we can only go up as the ones already there are leaving.    The time calculation is exact and after 40 minutes since we got the tickets we’re up in the Skyway platform making our walk slowly in order to enjoy the views and the magical environment with the tree tops. .    The walk is short and ends in the elevator in the last tree. This is for going down. We can still enjoying the festival and the wonderful lantern sculptures for a while after that.    It’s past 9 PM when we start our way back to the hotel as a closure for a fantastic last night of this travel.