Singapore Attractions - Singapore and Malaysia - page 152

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SEEING THE SIGHTS
The most notable attractions that you get free with your Sentosa admission are the Ani-
mal and Bird Encounters, a range of displays featuring r eptiles, macaques, parr ots, and
birds of prey that runs from noon to 5:30pm at the amphitheater at Palawan Beach; the
Nature Trail that star ts from the bottom of the M erlion statue and the Dragon Trail
Nature Walk, a 1.5km (1-mile) str oll through secondary rainforest to see dragon sculp-
tures and local flora and fauna; and the beaches.
Sentosa has three beaches. At Siloso Beach, deck chairs, beach umbrellas, and a vari-
ety of watersports equipment like pedal boats, aqua bikes, fun bugs, canoes, surfboards,
and banana boats ar e available for hir e at nominal charges. This is wher e the beautiful
young things hang out and play beach v olleyball. B icycles ar e also av ailable for hir e.
Shower and changing facilities, food kiosks, and snack bars ar e at rest stations. Palawan
Beach has a greater assortment of beachside bars and r estaurants, while Tanjong Beach
is the quietest and most laid back of the thr ee.
Most attractions on S entosa charge separate entrance fees; they include the Songs of
the Sea laser fountain sho w (S$8/US$5.35/£3.60 per person for 3 and o ver), Sentosa
Luge & S kyride (S$10/US$6.70/£4.50 per ride; daily 10am-9:30pm), Sentosa 4D
Magix motion cinema (adults S$18/US$12/£8.10, children S$11/US$7.35/£4.95; daily
10am-9pm), and the TigerSky Tower (adults S$12/US$8.05/£5.40, childr en S$8/
US$5.35/£3.60; daily 9am-9pm). The best attractions, in my opinion, ar e as follows:
Fort Siloso Fort Siloso guarded Keppel Harbour from invasion in the 1880s. It's one
of three forts built on Sentosa, and it later became a military camp in World War II. The
buildings hav e been outfitted to r esemble a barracks, kitchen, laundr y, and militar y
offices as they looked back in the da . In places, you can explore the underground tunnels
and ammunition holds, but they 're not as extensiv e as y ou would hope they 'd be. The
Surrender Chambers lead you through authentic footage, photos, maps, and recordings
of survivors to chronologically tell the stor y of the Pacific theater activity of World War
II and how the Japanese conquered Singapore. The grand finale is a wax museum depict-
ing, first, a scene of the B ritish surrender and, last, another of the J apanese surrender.
& 65/6275-0388. Adults S$8 (US$5.35/£3.60), children S$5 (US$3.35/£2.25). Daily 10am-6pm.
Images of Singapore Images of Singapore is a highlight of a visit to S entosa.
“Pioneers of S ingapore” is an exhibit of beautifully constr ucted life-size dioramas that
place figures like Sultan Hussein, Sir Stamford Raffles, Tan Tock Seng, and Naraina Pil-
lai, to name just a few, in the context of Singapore's timeline and note their contributions
to its dev elopment. Also inter esting ar e the dioramas depicting scenes fr om the daily
routines of the different cultures as they lived during colonial times. It's a great stroll that
brings history to life and giv es a good intr oduction to the cultural influences that con-
tinue to shape modern Singapore
The ne west addition, Festivals of S ingapore, is another life-siz e diorama exhibit
depicting a few of the major festiv als and traditions of the Chinese, M alay, Indian, and
Peranakan cultures in Singapore.
& 65/6275-0388. Adults S$10 (US$6.70/£4.50), children S$7 (US$4.70/£3.15). Daily 9am-7pm.
Underwater World Kids Underwater World is without a doubt one of the most-
visited attractions on S entosa. Everybody comes for the tunnel: 83m (272 ft.) of trans-
parent acr ylic tube thr ough which y ou glide on a conv eyor belt, gaping at shar ks,
stingrays, eels, and other creatures of the sea drifting by, above and on both sides. If you're
lucky, you might see the scuba div er who hops in several times a day and feeds them b y

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