Singapore Botanic Garden

The Singapore Botanic Gardens  Malay: Taman Botanik Singapura or Kebun Botani Singapura) is a 74-hectare(183-acre) botanical garden in Singapore. It is half the size of the Royal Botanic Gardens in Kew or around one-fifth the size of Central Park in New York. It is the only botanic garden in the world that opens from 5 a.m. to 12 midnight every single day of the year, and does not charge an admission fee, except for the National Orchid Garden. The garden is bordered by Holland Road and Napier Road to the south, Cluny Road to the east, Tyersall Avenue and Cluny Park Road to the west and Bukit Timah Road to the North. The linear distance between the northern and southern ends is around 2.5 km (1.5 miles).

Opening Hours
Singapore Botanic Gardens

Opening hours:	5 am to 12 midnight daily
Admission Fee:	Free

National Orchid Garden Opening hours: 8.30 am to 7 pm daily (last ticket sale at 6pm). Admission Fee: Adults $5.00 Students $1.00 Senior Citizens(60 years and Above) $1.00 Children (below 12 years) Free Jacob Ballas Children's Garden Opening hours:   8.00am - 7.00pm (last admission at 6.30pm) The Children's Garden is closed on Mondays (except when it falls on a designated public holiday) Admission Fee: Free The Children's Garden is open to children up to 12 years old. All children have to be accompanied by an adult. Library of Botany and Horticulture Opening hours: Mondays to Fridays Saturdays & Sundays Public Holidays 9.00am - 5.00pm 9.00am - 1.00pm Closed Getting Here By Foot: Entrance to the Gardens is easy through the Gardens' major entrances: Tanglin Gate, Burkill Gate, Nassim Gate and Cluny Park Gate, and through the Bukit Timah Entrance. By Car: Car Parking Facilities are available at the Singapore Botanic Gardens' Visitor Centre, Bukit Timah Car Park at Bukit Timah Core, Botany Centre, Jacob Ballas Children's Garden and Public Parking along Tyersall Avenue. Car Park Charges By Bus: Get to the Gardens by Public Bus via Holland Road or Bukit Timah Road. Via Holland Road SBS Transit 7, 105, 123, 174 SMRT 75, 77, 106 Via Bukit Timah Road SBS Transit 48, 66, 151, 153, 154, 156, 170 SMRT 67, 171 By Taxi: There is a Taxi Drop-Off and Pick-Up point at the Visitor Centre along Cluny Road. By Coach: a) Coach Drop-off Point is located at the Singapore Botanic Gardens' Visitor Centre, the Ginger Garden Coach Drop-off Point and Jacob Ballas Children's Garden. b) Coach Parking is available at the Singapore Botanic Gardens' Visitor Centre, Tyersall Avenue Public Coach Park and Jacob Ballas Children's Garden.

Merlion Statue in Singapura

The Merlion (Malay: Singa-Laut) is a mythical creature with the head of a lion and the body of a fish, used as a mascot of Singapore. Its name combines "mer" meaning the sea and "lion". The fish body represents Singapore's origin as a fishing village when it was called Temasek, which means "sea town" in Javanese. The lion head represents Singapore's original name — Singapura — meaning "lion city" or "kota singa".
The symbol was designed by Fraser Brunner, a member of the Souvenir Committee and curator of the Van Kleef Aquarium, for the logo of the Singapore Tourism Board (STB) in use from 26 March 1964 to 1997and has been its trademarked symbol since 20 July 1966. Although the STB changed their logo in 1997, the STB Act continues to protect the Merlion symbol. Approval must be received from STB before it can be used. The Merlion appears frequently on STB-approved souvenirs.
The merlion— a mythical creature with the body of a fish and the head of a lion— occurs in a number of different artistic traditions. Lions with fishtails can be found on Indian murals at Ajanta and Mathura, and on Etruscan coins of the Hellenistic period. Merlions, or ‘heraldic sea- lions’, are an established element of Western heraldry, and have been used on the coat of arms of the cities of Portsmouth and Great Yarmouth in the United Kingdom; the City of Manila; and the East India Company.
These five Merlions in Singapore are the only ones recognized by the STB:

• The 8.6-metre-tall original statue at Merlion Park
• The two-metre-tall cub statue standing behind the original statue
• The 37-metre-tall gigantic replica — with Mouth Gallery Viewing Deck on the ninth storey, another viewing gallery on its head and The Merlion Shop — at Sentosa Island
• The three-metre-tall glazed polymarble statue at Tourism Court (near Grange Road) completed in 1995
• The three-metre-tall polymarble statue placed on Mount Faber's Faber Point

In addition a recognized Merlion statue is found at the Merlion Restaurant in Cupertino in California, USA.

Original statue

On 15 September 1972, then-Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew officiated the installation ceremony of the Merlion statue. The original Merlion statue used to stand at the mouth of the Singapore River, at the tip of the current The Fullerton Waterboat House Garden with Anderson Bridge as its background. The Merlion is a male.
It was conceptualised by the vice-chancellor of the University of Singapore (now known as National University of Singapore) then, Kwan Sai Kheong. Made from November 1971 to August 1972 by the late Singapore sculptor, Mr Lim Nang Seng,it measures 8.6 metres high and weighs 70 tons Its body is made of cement, skin from porcelain plates and eyes from small red teacups. The project cost about S$165,000

Relocation of original statue

 

The completion of the Esplanade Bridge, in 1997, blocked the views of the Merlion from the Marina Bay waterfront.By then, the original Merlion location was also no longer the entrance of Singapore River. So, in 2002, the statue and its cub were relocated 120 metres to the current Merlion Park that fronts Marina Bay where it stands on a newly reclaimed promontory in front of The Fullerton Hotel.
Another solution considered—to raise the Merlion on a pedestal at its original location—was deemed unsuitable as the view would still be blocked by the bridge. Other possible relocation sites considered included Nicoll Highway Extension Bridge, Esplanade Park, Esplanade - Theatres on the Bay, a promontory at Marina Centre (near where Singapore Flyer is located now), a promontory site at Bayfront (near the tip of Marina Bay Sands integrated resort) and Kim Seng Park. However, all were either unsuitable or not technically feasible.
The unprecedented feat of relocation began on April 23, 2002, and finished on April 25. A carefully engineered journey required one barge, two DEMAG AC1600S cranes of 500 tonnes lifting capacity, plus a team of 20 engineers and workers on site. The entire statue was hoisted onto the barge, which then sailed to the new installation site at the current Merlion Park, near the mouth of Singapore River. During the voyage, the statue had to be hoisted from the barge, over the Esplanade Bridge and then back onto the barge, as it was too tall to pass underneath.
Exactly 30 years after it was officially launched, then-Senior Minister Lee Kuan Yew returned on 15 September 2002 to ceremonially welcome the Merlion again — this time in its new home. A viewing deck now stretches over the Singapore River, allowing visitors to pose for a photograph with a front or side view of the Merlion, including a new city skyline backdrop in the picture. The sculpture was aligned to face East, a direction advised to be most auspicious Relocated, the statue once more spouted water from its mouth, having stopped in its old location since 1998 due to a water pump malfunction. The Merlion now has a new two-unit water pump system with units working alternatively, so a partner is always on standby. The relocation and new site (four times larger than the original) cost S$7.5 million

 Maintenance of original statue

From 5 June till 10 July 2006, the Merlion at Merlion Park underwent maintenance. The last one was right after its relocation. Dirt and stains were removed using high-pressure water streams, and various wear and tear of the statue was mended.
During that period, visitors were greeted with illustrated hoardings and canvases covering the safety nets and scaffolding. The illustrations were designed by Miel, an award-winning senior artist at The Straits Times. The illustration on the canvases made them look like shower curtains, with the Merlion sticking its head out with the shadow of its tail behind the curtain. The illustration on the hoardings showed the Merlion scrubbing himself with a brush and showering using a Merlion shower head spouting water. The Merlion said "EXCUSE while i take a shower …" in a speech bubble.
The Merlion on Sentosa was designed and sculpted by an Australian Artist called James Martin. It is made of Glass Reinforced Cement (GRC) over a steel armature that is attached to the centre

Other Merlion statues

Due to the influence of overseas Singaporeans, Singapore investors and friends of the country, variations of the Merlion statue can be found in Japan, China and the United States of America

Merlion damage by lightning

On Saturday, February 28, 2009 at about 4.26 pm the Merlion in the Merlion Park was struck by lightning. A breaking news from 938LIVE local radio showed an image with fragments from the Merlion's head on the ground.
Examination of the damage was done quickly with wooden scaffolding set up on Sunday, March 1, 2009 for workers to take a closer look at the hole. The incident happened as a result of the lack of lightning protection on the Merlion itself.

As mascots and performance characters

• For the inaugural Singapore 2010 Summer Youth Olympics, a pair of mascots, Lyo and Merly, were introduced. Merly is a "Merlion-ess cub" based on the Merlion. Her hair is inspired by the lion top half while her fish half is represented in light-blue scales on her body. Unlike the actual merlion, she has hands and legs instead of a tailfin.
• The Merlion appeared in the Magical Sentosa show awakening at the last scene and shining a laser beam.(Similar to the storyline of the Songs of the Sea show.)

In parlance

• Singaporeans often substitute the term "Merlion" in lieu of vomiting, in reference of the constant gushing of water from the Merlion's mouth. It is now used by Singaporean medical staff as slang for a patient who has intractable vomiting.

In restaurants

• The critically acclaimed Singapore Merlion restaurant in Coolangatta, Queensland, (known colloquially by residents as "John's") is named after the Merlion.

sculpture

• A small Merlion, complete with a plaque giving information about the original statues, forms part of the decoration in the "Mystic East" area of British theme park Chessington World of Adventures.
• The Merlion was featured– or, depending on point of view, not featured– during the 2005 Venice Biennale in the controversial work "Mike" by artist Lim Tzay Chuen. He had proposed taking the sculpture in the Merlion Park to the Singapore Pavilion at the exhibition. but was refused by the authorities

 

Singapore Zoo and its Night Safari

Night Safari

The World's First
Date opened	May 26, 1994
Location	Singapore
Land area	40 hectares[1]
Coordinates	1.403778°N 103.787283°E
Number of animals	1,040[1]
Number of species	120[1]
Major exhibits	59
Website	http://www.nightsafari.com.sg/

The Night Safari is the world's first nocturnal zoo and is one of the most popular tourist attractions in Singapore.

The concept of a nocturnal park in Singapore was mooted in the 1980s by the former executive chairman of the Singapore Zoo, Dr Ong Swee Law. Constructed at a cost of S$63 million, the Night Safari was officially opened on 26 May 1994 and occupies 40 hectares (0.4 km²) of secondary rainforest adjacent to the Singapore Zoo and Upper Seletar Reservoir.

The Night Safari currently houses a total of 1,040 animals of 120 species, of which 29% arethreatened species. The zoo is managed by Wildlife Reserves Singapore, and about 1.1 million visitors visit the safari per year. The Night Safari received its 11 millionth visitor on 29 May 2007.

Unlike traditional nocturnal houses, which reverse the day-night cycle of animals so they will be active by day, the Night Safari is an entire open-air zoo set in a humid tropical forest that is only open at night. It is divided into eight geographical zones, which can be explored either on foot via three walking trails, or by tram.

The animals of the Night Safari, ranging from Indian rhinoceros to tarsiers, are made visible bylighting that resembles moonlight. Although it is brighter than full moonlight by a few orders of magnitude, it is dim enough not to disturb nocturnal and crepuscular animals' behaviour. London based lighting designer Simon Corder created the lighting for Night Safari.

Exhibits in the safari come from South America and other parts of Asia. The naturalistic enclosures simulate the animals' native habitat. Animals are separated from visitors with natural barriers, rather than caged, similar to the Singapore Zoo's open concept. Instead of vertical prison-like cages, cattle grids were laid all over the park to prevent hoofed animals from moving one habitat to another. These are grille-like metal sheets with gaps wide enough for animals' legs to go through. Moats were designed to look like streams and rivers to enable fishing cats and servals to be put on show in open areas, and hot wires were designed to look liketwigs to keep animals away from the boundaries of their enclosures.

Cultural performances are a regular feature at the safari, and include tribal dances, blowpipe demonstrations and fire eating displays.Creatures of the Night Show is a performance presented by the animals in the Night Safari.

There are a number of food and beverage outlets in the Night Safari which include Ulu Ulu Safari Restaurant, Bongo Burgers, and Ben & Jerry's Scoop Shop. Visitors can also experience dining on the move with the Cocktail Safari Express and Gourmet Safari Express.

The Tourist Island of Sentosa Singapore

There's something for everyone at Asia's Favourite Playground! Our world-class attractions are easily accessible and well-connected for endless fun!

Imbiah Lookout

11 attractions, 1 location. Situated near Mount Imbiah on Sentosa, Imbiah Lookout is the latest cluster of new and exciting attractions that will appeal to all. Adventure-seeker, nature lover or history buff, there's always something fun and exhilarating for you!

Beaches

Take your beachfront lifestyle to new heights with Sentosa's beach attractions! Ride roaring waves, master different watersports, be mesmerized by fireworks, lights and water displays, get up-close with friendly animals, or simply stroll along in search of solitude. You'll find it all on Sentosa's 3.2km stretch of sandy white shores.

Siloso Point

At Siloso Point, you can literally walk through historical forts and dive into incredible underwater experiences. Siloso Point is home to many edutainment attractions that promise to impart knowledge in a fun and engaging way!

Resorts World Sentosa

Resorts World™ Sentosa offers a whole new world of truly rewarding experiences. Worlds apart from anything you’ve ever known yet familiarly Asian at heart, Resorts World Sentosa is the ideal resort destination where everyone can come together for moving experiences and lasting memories.

Initially a fishing village named Palau Blakang Mati, today known as Sentosa Island in Singapore is this scenic and picturesque Island destination is the hub of tourist, beach lovers and adventure seekers. Sentosa Island is one of the top notch attractions of Singapore tourism with multi faceted attractions teeming with lively and entertaining activities all the year round. It is an ideal gateway for leisure as well as fun-filled water sport activities that makes Sentosa Island the most sought after tourist destinations in Singapore.
Sentosa is must visited as unevenly said no tour to Singapore is considered to be completed without a visit to this Island. Teeming with host of tourist attractions, this Island accounts the maximum number of visitors from across the globe. The sun kissed beaches of Sentosa is home to some of the most interesting tourism attractions that include the listed below.

• Merlion Statue
• Underwater World
• Songs of the Sea
• Dolphin Lagoon
• Mount Faber Cable Car s
• Tiger Sky Tower
• Butterfly Park
• Insect Kingdom
• Sentosa 4D Magix
• Fort Siloso
• Cineblast

How to Reach Sentosa Island
Sentosa Island can be reach through three options by bus, ferry and cable car. But most of the tourists opt for Cable Car as it is one of the most rewarding experiences.

Reaching Sentosa by Cable Car is half a fun as tourists can enjoy the stunning view of the scintillating surrounding, towering building and the island from such a great height.

Lets go to Vacation Singapore

Singapore is an island city-state located at the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula. It located between Malaysian state of Johor at south and Indonesia’s Riau Islands at north. Although Singapore is small country, but it has unique tourism object for your holiday.

Singapore has various cultural. Most of them reflects its colonial history and Chinese, Malay, Indian and Arab ethnicities. It is also environmentally friendly, and maintains natural and heritage conservation programs.

It is generally easier for tourists to understand when speaking to the local population of the country because English is one of its numerous official languages in there. Transport in Singapore exhaustively covers most, if not all public venues in Singapore, which increases convenience for tourists. This includes the well-known Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) system.

Tourism Attraction in Singapore

The Orchard Road District
This is the place where you can “shopping till drop”. This is the the center of tourism in Singapore. It dominated by multi-story shopping centres and hotels. It perfect place for shopping vacation.

Singapore Zoo and its Night Safari
You can explore Asian, African and American habitats at night without any visible barriers between guests and the wild animals. The Singapore Zoo has embraced the ‘open zoo’ concept whereby animals are kept in enclosures, separated from visitors by hidden dry or wet moats, instead of caging the animals.

Jurong Bird Park
Jurong Bird Park is zoological garden centred around birds, which is dedicated towards exposing the public to as much species and varieties of birds from around the world as possible, including a flock of one thousand flamingos.

The Tourist Island of Sentosa
Located in the south of Singapore, this Island attracts more than 5 million visitors a year. It consists of about 20-30 landmarks, such as Fort Siloso, which was built as a fortress to defend against the Japanese during World War II. Guns from the World War II era can be seen at Fort Siloso, from a mini-sized to a 16 pound (7 kg) gun.

Tiger Sky Tower
Visitors to view the whole of Sentosa, as well as the Sentosa Luge through Tiger Sky Tower , a small one- or two-person sled on which one sleighs supine and feet-first. Steering is done by shifting the weight or pulling straps attached to the sled’s runners.

You can visit many other interesting place in Singapore besides above. Happy Traveling!

SULTAN MOSQUE SINGAPORE

The Sultan Mosque one of the most prominent mosques in Singapore is situated in the district of Kampong Glam in the Rocher Planning area, near the North Bridge road and Muscat Street. The domes and the prayer room are the two distinctive features of the Sultan Mosque's building. The MUIS or the Majlis Ulema Islam Singapore owns the Sultan Mosque. The Sultan Mosque was officially declared a national monument on 14th March, 1975


HISTORY OF SULTAN MOSQUE

When Singapore was ceded to the British in 1819, Temenggong Abdul Rahman, the island's chief, and Sultan Hussain Shah of Johore, under whose jurisdiction Singapore fell, acquired small fortunes in exchange for their power. Sir Stamford Raffles also granted the Temenggong and the Sultan an annual stipend and the use of Kampong Glam for their residence.

The area around Kampong Glam was also allocated for Malays and other Muslims. Hussain built a palace there and brought his family and a complete entourage from the Riau islands. Many of the Sultan's and Temenggong's followers came to Kampong Glam from the Riau Islands, Malacca and Sumatra.

Sultan Hussain then decided to build a mosque befitting his status. He constructed a mosque next to his palace from 1824 to 1826 with funds solicited from the East India Company. With a two-tieredpyramidal roof, it was of a typical design. The original building was replaced with a new mosque.

The management of the mosque was headed by Alauddin Shah, the Sultan's grandson, until 1879, when he passed the torch in to five community leaders. In 1914, the lease was extended by the government for a further 999 years and a new board of trustees was appointed, with two representatives from each faction of the Muslim community.

By the early 1900s, Singapore had become a centre for Islamic commerce, culture and art. Sultan Mosque soon became too small for this burgeoning community. In 1924, the year of the mosque'scentenary, the trustees approved a plan to erect a new mosque. The old mosque had by then also fallen into a state of disrepair.

Architect Denis Santry of Swan and Maclaren adopted a Saracenic style, incorporating minarets and balustrades. The mosque was completed after four years in 1928.

Architecture of the Sultan Mosque Architects Maclaren and Denis Santry of Swan followed the Saracenic style of architecture by integrating balustrades and minarets. The construction work of the mosque was over by 1928. The mosque did not undergo any major renovation since it's construction. In the 1960s there were some repair works in the central hall and in 1993 an annex was added.

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Sultan Mosque has stayed essentially unchanged since it was built, with only repairs carried out to the main hall in the 1960s and an annex added in 1993. It was gazetted as a national monument on 14 March 1975.

Today the mosque is owned by Majlis Ugama Islam Singapura (MUIS)