Visit to Singapore

Day 1 - Jan 9th, 2010

We visited the Sentosa. We started from the train ride across the sea via a train ride from the Vivo City rail.

First we visited the Merlion. Merlion is the symbol of Singapore combining the regality of a lion and the wonders of sea. It has the head of a lion and the rail of a mermain – hence named Marlion. There is a manufactured myth woven around it. So the place we visited is a huge Merlion statue. We reach its mouth and the head to get a view of the whole city.

Next we took the luge and sky rides. Luge ride is a small cart like vehicle that just has brakes. We go across a lot of criss crossing track – and it feels more like go-carting, except this vehicle has no fuel or engine needs. Sky ride is a rope-ay trip across the island. It is fun. For (newly?) married couple it is a nice time to get close to each other and take a few snaps.

We then took the Tiger Sky ride. This is a huge 50 m tower with a circular glass-covered lift. The lift takes you to the top and rotates slowly during the ascent and descent to give a panoramic view of the whole place. Quite a nice ride that sort of show-cases how beautiful the Sentosa Island looks and the greenary of the island.

We then had pizza and onion rings for lunch.

Next stop was some stunning 4-D movies. Although we had to wait a lot, these movies were worth the wait. The first movie was a spoof of the Pirates of the Carribean. In this 4-D movie bees attack you, bats spit at you and water keeps splashing at you in 3-D as part of plot; and in 4-D your seats tilt, get bumped and spray water at you. So whenever someone falls in water, you get sprayed! Feels like you're the one who really shot the whole move.

The next 4-D movie was the 'Extreme Log Ride'. You undertake a journey of a log, as it is cut down and transported to a mill. However, it is not as lame as it sounds. This particular log goes through a contraption of water ducts and pathways that would be put the best roller-coaster to shame! We were left with a hoarse throat after all the 'whoooos' that we'd been shouting.

The final stop was towards the Siloso Point. There was supposed to be a dolphin show but we just missed it by a whisker. The last show was at 5:30 pm. Due to map confusing us, we reached and 5:37 pm. And we were locked out :-( However, we proceeded towards the Sentosa point.Sentosa point itself is a very small islet – about the size of a two or three stadiums. This islet is connected to Sentosa island by a ropeway. Significantly, this is the southermost point on the continental Asia. At this place, the scenary is stunning – the vista of the setting sun, the tinkling of the harbored ships and the sensuos curves of coconut trees jutting out into the ocean made it a refreshing sight and a photographers' paradise. After shooting lots of photos, we made it back the Sentosa park.

The final destination was the “Songs of the Sea” show. Its a story. Its a story of how a boy sings his song and wakes up the power in fire, the spark in light, the liveliness of water and ends up waking a cursed pricness from her sleep. The only twist is that this story is told as a  musical combined with water fountain and laser show on the water fountain and controlled fires and fire-crackers. To say that it was an incredible sight itself is an understatement. I must say that Singapore should have a law that says that any visitor who has not visited the Songs of the Sea should be rejected his immigration check and made to return back!

And then, we return home. So that was our first day in Singapore.

Day 2 - Jan 10th, 2010

On Day 2, the number of individual places we visited was less, just 2 in fact. We visited the Jurong Bird Park and the Night Safari.

From home, we first went to the Jurong Bird Park. This is a collection of thousands of birds spanning multiple geographies and temperature zones. Birds ranging from equitorial zones to the arctic zone are protected, bred and displayed in this park.

First thing in the park was our mandatory 'hello' to the penguins. There was a whole bunch of king penguins and the Robbin Williams type (from Happy Feet) penguins ambling about in the enclosure. Being specially protected, the enclosure for penguins is closed and sealed. Temperature must be sub-zero as we saw snow on the ground and the penguins seemed to be having a good time.

Next was the photo-op. Right near the entrance is a bunch of some amazingly colorful parrots, parakeets and cokatoos. You stand in-front of them, hold a pair of birds in one hand, you spouse in the other and then smile for the cameras :-) The park itself has photographers who take a snap and instantaneously, the photo gets downloaded onto a PC nearby. The operator there using Kodak Editing software corrects the photo and presents you 3 options. You pick one and the format of photo – whether it is a photo for a frame – or a photo for glass ball filled with shiny stuff. So, we picked the shiny globe as our momemto and the visit to the park is preserved as a wonderful show-piece for us.

Falmingos were the next birds on our route. The Bird Park guys call the flamingos as the super-model of birds. They could easily give a run to any of our top super-models for their long slender legs and graceful walk!

Then came the pelicans. We were hammered with the info that 'the beak of pelicans is so large that it can hold upto 13 litres of water'. There are 8 different varieties of pelicans, and one – the Chilean pelican is the only one not in the park. We saw the pelicans being fed – and man they gobble up fish like crazy.

From the pelicans it was time to watch the bird feeding show. Here the park guys feed the birds and while they are eating, show you the different types of birds and explain their characteristics. It is a wonderful mode of teaching for children – they get to see the actual birds in their fully radiant colors while learning about them. You even get to feed the birds for only S$ 3!

Then it was time to see the 'Birds and Buddies' show. Here, the birds proved that they weren't just bird brains. They showed that they have a lot of intelligence and can do some cool stuff! There was a basketball match between two parrots (our team parrot won!); flew threw the hoops; collected money from audience and then returned it and finally a parrot sang 'Happy Birthday to you!'. Simply amazing.

Then it was time to go back to the penguins to watch them being fed. These guys are more crazy for  fish than pelicans. When the person in charge carried a bucket of fish, the penguins would walk like kids behind an adult who is distributing chocolates – tugging at him, crowding around him, beseeching him and finally stealing from him :-) When the fish deluded them and landed in the water, penguins seemed to take the plunge and swim like it was an F1 race. And they are fast!

The final show in the park was the Birds of Prey show. It was time to see the action of some of the fastest and sharpest birds – the eagles, vultures and the kites. One of the task for kites was to catch pieces of meat that were shot from a catalpult and these kites would just grab it off! The other task was to steal meat from the presenter's plate while he tried to not allow the birds to take away his meat. No matter how hard the presenter tried, within three passes one of kite would steal away the meat. They're simply too swift.

And then we bid aidue to the bird park.

Next destination was the Night Safari.

At Night Safari, a whole artifical forest cover has been created. It is a reserve to house some of the most endangered species as well as to provide an opportunity for people to see this animals in as natural environment as possible. The park opens only at 7pm. So, no point in going here before 6:30.

At 7 pm, there is a tribal dance show. These guys are amazing – they throw flames, shoot darts and fool audience to their heart's desire. And the audience just love them for it. In our show, they made fooled a lady to believe she could shoot darts (when she hadn't shot any dart at all) and fooled a guy to believe he could swallow flame. We then took a huge walk around the park. Its called a tiger trail and goes around the enclosure for various animals. There's a lot of animals to see as well – the hyneas, foxes, wolves, etc. The highlight though was the flying squirrel. It can shame any trapeeze artist by miles. We saw a squirrel jump off from a height of about 20 m to a tree of about 4 m and a distance of about 5 m. And it executed this jump in the blink of the eye. Its eyesight must have been fantabulous to first spot the right spot for landing and jumping with precise speed and thrust to exactly land on this spot. An awesome sight indeed.

After the trail walk, we went to see the night show. It is a show where some small animals do stunts – like otters showing you how to recycle (throw cans and bottles in appropriate bins) etc. Wouldn't say that it is the greatest show but worth a watch. The only issue I had – the presenter screams and that's quite painful to listen after such a weary day.

Finally, we took the tram ride. The electric tram goes round the safari and once more you a lot more animals. After about 40 minutes you're back and ready to hog a lot of dinner. There's an Indian tandoor place serving a nice buffet or biryani. We had biryani and naan. Then we came back home and crashed into bed. Thus ended our day two at Singapore.

Day 3 – Jan 11th 2009

The third day in Singapore was a bit more relaxed. We took time to eat and get ready, starting on trip by only at 2 pm.

We took the MRT/LRT trains and reached Clarke Quay. This place, for those who have visited UK is very similar to the City of Westminster and the walk along Thames. Clarke Quay is beside the river Singapore. The river, the wide bridges, the amphitheatre and the parliament house that looks like St. Paul’s’ Cathedral is very reminiscent of the land of the queen.

Going further is the Asia Civilization Museum (ACM). Since we didn’t know much about it, we decided to take a chance and visit it. It was a bit of mistake! The museum is well organized and maintained. But, it is not a place to be, if you are planning to walk a lot. The multiple galleries depicting the history of China, India, South-East Asia, Singapore and tribal arts is quite taxing on the legs. By the time we completed the museum, it took us about an hour and tired out my wife completely. At S$ 15 the tickets too aren’t that cheap. So, unless you’re interested in history and culture, my suggestion is – give it a skip. Take pictures of the building from outside but, don’t go in.

We then walked across the bridge to see the Merlion. This Merlion is different from the one we visited on day 1 at Sentosa. The Merlion here is smaller. It has a fountain in its mouth and the water drains into the River Singapore. Located just beside some really tall buildings and the 5 star hotel, it looks quite photogenic and tourists throng here for the exact same reason.

We then had a coffee at the under-the-bridge Starbucks and passed through the food joints. You get lots and lots of varieties of cuisines ranging from Malaysian, Singaporean to Indian, Chinese, and even Lebenese. Unfortunately we weren’t hungry at all – and had to forgo the food. Warning: For veggies who are queasy around non-veg, this place may look a bit gross. You can see live fresh-water crabs and lobsters in tanks and grilled duck with the recognizable beaks and bodies. So, be careful!

There is a boat ride around the river just like London. However, I did not find it as interesting. There is not much of history around the river and the guide is actually a recorded voice. In London, it is a live guide who makes the experience so very lively by his jokes and pranks. And there is enough history, treachery, blood, art and architecture to explain on an hour long trip. Here, the ride lasts about 30 minutes, most of which is spent in-between the guide’s pauses. My suggestion: If you are on a short budget, give the boat ride too a miss. Instead, just walk around and you can cover the whole path in just about an hour.

The tall buildings are quite majestic and sight and look quite amazing when lit. Unfortunately by the end of boat ride, we were all way too tired to stand and had to return back before the lights went on. So, we’re planning a trip again tomorrow.. so watch out for more…

On our way back home, we visited a small shopping mall at Fajah. Here we had a traditional Singaporean snack – the Kaaya. It tastes like toasted bread and butter. It has this traditional spread that is a bit sweet and salty applied on break – and it tasted quite good.

Day 4 - Jan 12th

Day 4 was a bit more relaxed. We had a lazy breakfast, an early lunch and a small cat-nap before starting on our tour. I also had a lot of stuff to study for the sake of my MBA seminar and this time-off came in handy.

First we visited the China Town. This is the area in Singapore where early Chinese, mainly the workers at the docks used to stay. The area used to be teeming with Chinese labourers, coupled with authentic food joints, shops – in effect making it replica of China itself. Even though the residents are now more integrated into the society, the area still retains its authentic Chinese charm. The shops are all very colourful, selling wares ranging from small miniature statues to T-Shirts, electronic items and a lot of knick-knacks for the upcoming Chinese New Year. Within the Little China is a Mariamman temple. Its gopuram was confused for a pagoda and thus, a lane called Pagoda Street exists but, no real Pagoda is present at all.

The next place we visited is the Suntec City / Citilink Mall. This is a massive underground mall, housing thousands of shops as well as a huge fountain that was once considered the biggest fountain on earth. Called the Fountain of Wealth, this fountain is designed based on Hindu tradition. There is an enclosure which is supposed to be in the form of a mandala. Within it, the fountain operates. Within the mandala, there is a small fountain. Belief has it that if you wish for something while going-round the fountain twice, the wish comes true. So, we too took a shot, made a wish and did our three pradakshina. At 7 pm in the evening, this fountain turns really colourful and interesting. There is a laser show on the fountain. Starting with some color display, it progresses to laser pattern show and concludes with people’s message appearing on the fountain. It is nice to see but, no as great as the ‘Songs of the Sea’ show that I described in Day 1.

Lastly, we went into the City Link Mall and had a nice sumptuous Indian dinner at Pangot, located on the top floor of the underground mall. The food was truly Indian in taste and after the dinner, we came back home.

Within the mall, there are a lot of places to eat – if you are a non-vegetarian and crave sea-food. For veggies like us though it is a bit tough. At most places, there is the distinct smell of sea-food that sort of makes you uneasy and lose out on any appetite for eating. And so, finally you are left with at eating in an Indian joint!

Day 5 - Jan 13th

This is the last my last full day in Singapore. So, it felt like we had to complete visiting all palces on this one day!

So, we started late :-) We started at around 2 pm and reached Marina Bay station. We were planning to visit the Marina Barrage. This is a fresh water reservoir, completed as recently as the year 2007. It is one of the first water reservoir right in the heart of any city. And it is an engineering marvel. This barrage, at a size of 1/6th of whole of Singaopore has been planned to store water for fulfilling the requirements till about 2030. It was built across the sea and water was gradually drained out so that the saltiness was removed.

The barrage operates to keep the water level constant despite the high and low tides. During a low tide, the 8-10 gates are closed so that water does not flow out to the sea when the sea water level is lower than the water level in the barrage. During a high tide, when the water level in the sea is higher than the water in the barrage, the same gates keep the salt water out. In case of heavy rains during the tides, different mechanisms are in place to ensure the water level stays constant and no flooding occurs.

Until a year or two, this place was barred for tourists and general visitors. Later on, the minister of environment decided that the best way to educate and encourage people to be more 'green' opened up the barrage for public and for water sports. There is an exhibition of sustainable energy, the history of the Singapore river, the construction of the barrage and finally a model that explains the working of the barrage.

Oh yes, we walked like stupid people all the way from the Marina Bay station to Marina Barrage. This distance is easily about 3-5 kms. So, please take a bus right outside station – or take a cab, if you can find one. But, don't ever plan to walk. It is not worth it. Luckily for us, there were no rains during our walk. However, the moment we entered the barrage, it started to rain!

Next, we took a train ride to – surprise surpise.. Little India :-) Of course, we weren't missing India so much. However, we just wanted to buy a few electronic items and the best shop around is the Mustfa Centre. So, we reached Little India. As per the name, this place is like India – chaotic, noisy and festive – with decoration for Pongal on all the roads.

After all the walk on Marina Barrage, we were hngry. So, we had to make a mandatory visit to Saravanaa Bavan. Yes, there is one in Singapore too. These guys should have some sort of loyalty programme. People who have eaten in more than one country at Saravanaa Bavan get 10% off :-) And I'd qualify (India, UK and Singapore hehehehe).

We then entered the 'Alice in Wonderland' type of a hole of Mustafa. It is a 7 storey complex with a building that spans across three cross-roads and could fill up a cricket ground or more. So it is BIG. And the best part is people inside actually know their way around and the place where products are displayed. We were thoroughly confused on where to get mobiles – and a lady selling herbal medicine on basement 2 told us that it would be available at floor 1, front, right side. Amazing!

We bought a Nokia 6630 for Vinaya and a Nokia 5130 XpressMusci for Vinaya's brother. And then, a neat little 1 TB external USB drive for myself :-) And I was 30 K lesser on my bank account. This place is injurious to health. The products displayed are so enticing that you'd don't really think about it and when the final bill arrives, it is a shocker.

We then ate at a neary Ananda Bhavan returant. I had a 'Plain Masala Thosai'. I was not in a mood to eat 'Medu Vadai'. And then, we had butter-milk and started back for home. My last long trip in Singapore came to an end. Tomorrow, I am off to Malaysia.

Day 6 – Singapore to Malaysia

So my trip to Singapore is done. And for the first time in my life, I have to leave my wife behind and travel alone to a new country. Its not for long – just for two days. I know. But, still there is that strange feeling of holloness in stomach that I can't get rid off.

On the last day in Singapore, we've not planned any trips. I am just at home, coping the images and figuring out a method to use the new external hard drive. Time just does not seem to move. I've done the copy, the recopy, packing, weighing and re-packing. Finally, I get bored have lunch and head out to the airport. I'm left my wife behind. I was planning to take a walk with her to catch the taxi. But fate had other plans. I get a taxi right after we get out of the elevator! The drive takes is astonishingly fast and I am in airport in just 25 minutes. As everything in Singapore, the budget terminal is very clean. With nothing to do, I take out the Micheal Crichton book, “Pirate Latitudes” and finish more than half the book before the boarding call is announced.

The flight takes off. I turn a page or two. I start filling out the immigration form for Malaysia and the pilot announces that the plane is ready for landing! The flight journey from Singapore to Malaysia is hardly 30 minutes. The taxiing on the runways, the pre-flight checks and the post-landing delays all add up to an hour. It must be the shortest flight that I've ever made!

Within the airport, there are taxi counters. I just took them. The taxi driver does not know English or Tamil. And I don't know Malay. So, I tell him the address. He tells me his understanding of the address. We go. He takes me straight to a University. I feel happy. At least someone still thinks I am quite young :-)

Rest of the story of Malaysia in the next blog :-)

Informed on IT

-Akshay Ranganath

The other day, we (wife and myself) were travelling from Bangalore to Mysore by train. It was a typical weekend morning journey - train overflowing, children bawling and grown-ups yawning. However, there was this one uncle who was way too excited to do any of the above. And so he was chatting away with a (poor??) co-passenger.

So, this uncle's son was in training at Infosys, Mysore. He had got placed at Infy and been called for training at the 'five-star' office at Mysore. He'd invited his parents to visit him since his training was about to end.

However, the funny thing was the way uncle was discussing about IT. The co-passenger (CP), it turned out was a non-IT types and so, the conversation was quite interesting...

Uncle: These IT people no - they have no sense of time. My son was telling me that once training is over, he will be working any time.
CP: uh-oh
Uncle: My son is in some project it seems. All to do with retailers.
CP: I don't understand. What do IT people do with kirana stores?
Uncle: No. no. Not Indian kirana stores - it is the big foreign shops.
...

I could hardly suppress a laugh.

But, it was quite a touching scene. Regardless of the inaccuracy of project description in the IT services industry, what stood in my mind is the image of a proud father getting down with a small worn-out suitcase to meet his successful son who would earn more salary in a month at start than the father during his retirement.

Truly IT has changed us all.

Tales from Travel

Sorry folks – been a really long time since I wrote anything. Call it laziness, or call it the effects of marriage.. But, now, I hope to get back to my business and update regularly..

After I joined my new organization, I’ve started to take a cab drop home. It is one of those moments when you get to hear some real tit-bits of unexpected human emotions and occasionally a few juicy gossip. But, I never imagined that a cab driver would open my eyes in terms of what it means to be ALIVE and wonderful it is to be kind. Here’s the story..

Mumbai Mess
I generally used to get a regular cab driver. That day, he was a different person. He looked quite nervous and out of place. I told him about my address and he seemed a bit confused. I sat down and he mumbled in hindi. I asked him if he knew Kannada. He barely knew it. He told me he was from Bijapur and knew Marathi well, comfortable in Hindi and barely manageable Kannada. When I told him that I had lived in Pune and could understand Marathi, his face split into a big smile. For three days, he told me, he was struggling in Bangalore since he could hardly talk. And he talked all the way home.

“I used to work in Mumbai, “ he started. “I used to be driver for this business man’s taxi. He owned a Skoda and I was the driver. One day, these goons in an auto stopped my car and tried to kidnap the child in my car. His father was some inspector, I learnt later. I tried to stop them and got stabbed. They stabbed me twice – once on my hand and once on my back.”

He was lost in silence for a moment.

“I don’t know how I survived sir. It was night and I was left on the road. But, somehow I am alive.”

“Mumbai is a bad place sir. There are areas where you don’t go. And at others, there are people whom you don’t want to make angry. I had done just that. The goondas had seen me. They knew my cab. They started to follow me sir. If they caught me alone, they would finish what they’d started. They wanted no witnesses. I had no choice and so I left the town, sir.”

Then he looked around the road and the people and said, “People here are so nice, sir. Bangalore is so safe. It is a very nice city, sir”

And then, we reached home. I kept wondering, “And we here in Bangalore crib about the traffic jams!”

Slumdogs

Today again, the same driver dropped me. He was chattery and chirpy. “My marriage is fixed, sir!” he quipped. After the congratulations, we started about how costly the whole marriage business. Then he said about his home-town – Bijapur.

“It is so nice in Bangalore. It rains and there is water. In Bijapur, there are no rains. Sir, we have 300 acres of land and nothing to do. We own 3 tractors and a jeep. My father says, I just drive the jeep and earn money. But, after seeing life in Mumbai and Bijapur, I don’t want to go back..”

Suddenly, he changed the whole topic. “Mumbai is so full of beggars,” he said. “There were two boys near my house. One was just 5 and the other was 7 year old. I could not see them struggle, sir. So, I gave them Rs 10 and asked them to get soap. I let them in and let them take a bath.”

“It was nearing the rainy season, sir. In Mumbai, it pours. It rains from May till Ganapati festival. I didn’t know where these two boys would live.”

“I asked them if they would come with me to Bijapur. I told them they would have to work on the farm and live in our house. They agreed.”

“My brother, when he saw them asked, ‘And who will pay for them?’ So, I send money every month, sir. My family gives them food. For clothes and their living, I send them money at the first of every month”

And we reached home.

I was amazed. Here we are – all IT types. Ensconced in warm, cozy 2 BHK flats with 24-hour backup generators, we never give a thought about how great it is to have a shelter. And despite the 50K, 60K or whatever salary, we can’t find money to fund any charity. And here is this stab-wound survivor, driving a cab, saving for his wife and yet sending money that supports two boys. It simply is incredible. The last thing the driver said before I got down seemed so true.
“Sir, I just do whatever I can to be kind. And God always sees this. I am alive today because I saved those two boys. God saw me that day and let me live..”

Travelling insights: The Dharwad Saga (aka Old Uncle & Interrogation)

Someone has said that, “The traveler sees what he sees, the tourist sees what he has come to see.” Being a traveller by heart, I had nothing specific planned to see. And so, I let myself be swept in by the very journey itself.

And so last Friday, my better half and I set out on an adventure to Dharwad. All adventures in India happen in the second class coaches of the largest employer in the world, The (great) Indian Railways. The sheer sight of train, a station that is clean or a train that arrives on time (ie within an hour of its scheduled time) are things that brings joy and an occasional tear of happiness to the eyes. But, what is most exciting is the people you meet and the moments of life that is shared together – somehow people connect so well that a few hours spent becomes a part of a lifetime.

Ok – enough of philosophy. That was to make you guys a bit sleepy :-) Nothing of this sort happened on this travel though. What did happen was something quite amusing.

My wife and I reached the station early (must say, the train had been there parked for us even before we'd reached..) We got into our bogie and settled down on seats that were vacant. Reservation of seats is a concept that is for popus idiots. In India, you book seats and only while sleeping it has any relevance.

The moment we sat down, the old uncle in front of us suddenly came to life. The fact that he could manage to doze despite the noise of the (tail-less) grand children – that was an amazing feat of concentration. Anyways, there we are surrounded by 10,000 Watts of screaming and screeching with the old uncle who is barely beyond totally deaf interrogating us..

Uncle: Hmm.. So where are you going?
Us: Dharwad, uncle
Uncle: What?
Us: Dharwad
Uncle: WHAT?
Uncle's daughter: Dharwad (in a 10,500 Watts tone)
Uncle: Oh.. That's good. Nice place.
Us Silly grin
Uncle: So where do you work?
Me: Cognizant.
Uncle: What?
Me: (loudly) Cognizant, CTS.. (actually I’d just resigned from CTS.. but there was no way I could explain all of this)
Uncle: What?
Uncle’s daughter: IT.. IT
Uncle: Oh, ok. My daughter too – not this one, the second one is in IT. She works in Wipro. Had been to US, UK, Hong Kong and Singapore. You been to US?
Me: Hmm.. No uncle..
Uncle: We live in …. What about you?
Me: We live near …
Uncle: Our area – it is a good area. So you both are brothers and sisters?
Us: (totally shocked and unable to respond.)
Uncle’s daughter: (thoroughly red in face) Appa, they are husband and wife. (Turning to us) Appa wants to know everything!

And so, the journey went on. Uncle managed to extract all information from us – where each of us studied, worked, where our parents worked and live. I guess any marketing agent would kill to have field surveys done like this. After all, we just trust old uncles so much that we never even hesitate to tell them all the personal details that we’d not even tell our colleagues!

One thing though.. No matter where my wife and I go, people seem to mistake us for some sort of relatives or brother and sister. And this is a big pain in the backside!