Around South East Asia: Part Seven

In which I explored the Sentosa Island

11.12.2022: Tour Day 5, City 2

Today, I woke up to the sound of the room door closing. My roommate had already got ready and had gone for breakfast. Well, I knew how wet the washroom would be. Never mind. I got ready and had breakfast at 8:15am. The breakfast consisted of fruit salad, muffins, croissants, juices, potato pattice, noodles, cake slices, cheese, etc. We left the hotel around 9am and it was raining on and off. We reached the cable car ground station at 9:30am.

Sentosa

The name Sentosa translates to "peace and tranquility" in Malay, which was in turn derived from the Sanskrit term Santosha, meaning "contentment, satisfaction". Sentosa Island, formerly Pulau Blakang Mati, is an island located off the southern coast of Singapore's main island, separated by a channel of water, the Keppel Harbour, and is adjacent to Pulau Brani, a smaller island wedged between Sentosa and the main island. The Singapore Cable Car is a gondola lift providing an aerial link from Mount Faber (Faber Peak Singapore) on the main island of Singapore to the resort island of Sentosa across the Keppel Harbour. The monocable detachable-grip gondola lift system has three stations, namely Mount Faber Station at the peak of Mount Faber, the HarbourFront Station (former Jardine Steps Station) at HarbourFront and the Sentosa Station at Imbiah, Sentosa.

The view was not clear since the cable car had received the drizzles. We could see the port and a huge ship embarked to it. We also saw some sharks in artificial ponds. At 10am we reached the destination and had a washroom break. We passed through a souvenirs shop, on our way to the SkyHelix.

SkyHelix

SkyHelix Sentosa got its name from its vertical helix-like structure! Take flight on the highest open-air panoramic ride! Sit in an open-air gondola that gently rotates as it ascends to a height of 79 meters above sea level. Let your hair down, dangle your feet in the air and enjoy the uplifting experience with a cool drink in hand. Be mesmerized by the breathtaking 360° views stretching from Sentosa to the Keppel Bay area and the Southern Islands. It is even illuminated at night for picture-perfect moments on camera! We were not lucky enough for this experience since the ride was closed due to rains. But there was still hope. We went ahead to the next attraction.

Madame Tussauds Singapore

We on-board the “Spirit of Singapore”, Madame Tussauds first ever boat ride to celebrate local iconic sights, the culture and festivals, etc. 

We entered the Wax Museum at 10:20am, the staff provided umbrella covers at the entrance. Having done the Wax Museum in London, this was a little low for me and with less sections. There was a Behind the Scenes section in which the history and how the statues are maintained is explained. 

There was a wallpaper with all the iconic landmarks of Singapore. 

There was a bollywood section with IIFA Awards, it included actors and actresses. People got busy taking selfies with their favorites. There was a Sci-fi section, section for singers, sports players, cherry blossom section with two k-stars, Hollywood section, etc. Then we queued up for the 4D Marvel Show at 11am. 

Experience wind-chilling, water-soaking and face-flinching special effects as you get closer than ever before to Captain Marvel, Thor, Black Panther, Rocket, Spider-Man, Ant-Man and the Wasp as they battle Loki in a bid to save the world.

We were back to the SkyHelix but it was still not open. We patiently waited for it in the Starbucks, munching on the homemade Indian snacks and an icecream. With disappointed faces, we got into the cable car and descended at the HarbourFront station. We had lunch in PastaMania at the City Square Mall. 

The lunch included soup, garlic bread, pasta and choco banana brownie. Since this was the local lunch, pasta was bland in taste. Many did not like it so they were served pizza later. I remember mixing chili flakes, salt, pepper and finally finishing the pasta. Post that we explored the mall and were back to city center for the iconic sights of Singapore. More on this in my next post.

Read next: Around South East Asia: Part Eight