Merlion is the symbolic of Singapore. A must go place when you visit Singapore.

Merlion Park, a landmark of Singapore, is a major tourist attraction at One Fullerton, Singapore, near the Central Business District (CBD). Two structures of the Merlion are located at the park. The original merlion structure measures 8.6 metres tall, whilst a Merlion cub located near the original statue measures 2 metres tall.

On 28 February 2009, between 4 pm and 5 pm, the Merlion statue was struck by lightning. Staff in the vicinity said they heard an explosion followed by a loud thud when broken pieces fell to the ground. Repairs were completed in March that year, although the Merlion itself resumed spouting water on 18 March 2009.

The Merlion statue has undergone restoration in 2006 and 2012 to repair cracks and clean stains.

You can go to Merlion's park via MRT and drop off at Raffles Place MRT station. From there, there'll be signage directing you to the park.

You'll pass by Fullerton Hotel when walking to the Merlion's park. The hotel is situated along the river overseeing Clarke Quay and Boat Quay.

A destination of historical significance, the beautiful architecture and international reputation for service excellence allow The Fullerton Hotel Singapore to offer guests a genuine window into a genteel and elegant past. 

A historic post office building transformed into a luxurious five-star hotel, The Fullerton Hotel is the embodiment of elegance and comfort. Each of the 400 rooms and suites has been exquisitely designed by world-renowned architects Hirsch Bedner & Associates and furnished to provide guests the ultimate in opulence. The Fullerton Hotel is proud of its established reputation as a historic landmark offering contemporary luxury that speaks of ageless history while offering the latest in modern comfort to business and leisure travelers.

Interesting facts about Marina Bay Sands:

1. Marina Bay Sands is an integrated resort fronting Marina Bay in Singapore. Developed by Las Vegas Sands (LVS), it is the world's second most expensive building, at US$ 5.5 billion, including the cost of the prime land.

2. Las Vegas Sands declared the undertaking as "one of the world's most challenging construction projects and certainly the most expensive stand-alone integrated resort property ever built".

3. Moshe Safdie was approached to lead the design on this massive project, ultimately taking inspiration from the form of card decks for the unique appearance of the three hotel towers. Other key structures of the property include the 200,000-square-foot (19,000 m2) ArtScience Museum, The Shoppes, Expo and Convention center and the casino. During the resort's planning and construction phases, feng shui consultants, the late Master Chong Swan Lek and Master Louisa Ong-Lee were consulted in regards to divination.

4. On 27 April 2010, Marina Bay Sands had the first of a planned 3 to 4 phase openings. The casino, parts of the conference hall, a segment of the Shoppes, 963 hotel rooms, and the event plaza were opened at the auspicious time of 3:18 p.m as part of the "preview opening".

5.  The hotel towers are also subject to settlement in the earth over time, hence custom jack legs were built and installed to allow for future adjustment at more than 500 points beneath the pool system. This jacking system is important primarily to ensure the infinity edge of the pool continues to function properly.

6. To help the Skypark withstand the natural motion of the towers caused by wind, engineers designed and constructed four movement joints beneath the main pools, each possessing a unique range of motion. The total range of motion is 500 millimetres (19.68 inches). 

7. With close to 800,000 square feet of retail and restaurant space, The Shoppes at Marina Bay Sands is Singapore's first large-scale luxury shopping mall in the Central Business District with boutiques such as Ralph Lauren, Chanel, Cartier and Prada. Other luxury stores include Salon by Surrender, Gucci, Hermès, Emporio Armani, Chopard, REDValentino, Dior, Dunhill, Vertu, Miu Miu, Saint Laurent Paris, Salvatore Ferragamo, Montblanc, Blancpain, and an Hermès Watch Boutique. Also housed within the Shoppes are the five of the six Celebrity Chef Restaurants – Cut (by Wolfgang Puck), Waku Ghin (by Tetsuya Wakuda), Pizzeria and Osteria Mozza (by Mario Batali), Guy Savoy (by Guy Savoy), and DB Bistro Moderne (by Daniel Boulud).

No, I don't really understand some of the technical terms but basically it can withstand strong wind and the building moves or adapt according to the earth movement? Cool? Wait till you see the building yourself. You'll go aaahhh, oohhhh, wowwww.

These are the options to go to Marina:

Mass Rapid Transit (MRT): Marina Bay MRT Station, Promenade MRT Station, and Bayfront MRT Station.

Public bus: Services 97/97e, 106, 133, 502/502A, 518/518A, NR1 (Available on Fridays, Saturdays and eve of Public Holidays), and NR6 (Available on Fridays, Saturdays and eve of Public Holidays).

Water taxi: They can be taken from Grand Copthorne Water Front, Raffles Landing Side, Boat Quay, River Side Point and Robertson Quay to Marina Bay Sands. Ticket ranges from S$4 to S$16.

Marina Bay Sands is actually a walking distance from Merlion Park. It's situated just across the park. So you can actually stop at Raffles Place (you will see Merlion park before Marina Bay) or choose to stop right at Marina Bay underground MRT station. The place is free to enter by anyone. Those who has soft heart for luxury brands, please be careful.

The ArtScience Museum is also situated at Marina Bay. I do not know how to appreciate art, so me and Juan skipped the visit. But the architecture of the museum is super cool.




This is the view opposite of Merlion Park. Just walk across this bridge and you'll see Esplanade and Marina Bay Sands.

This is our first oversea trip together and definitely not the last one. Singapore is a stepping stone for me and Juan. A motivation for both of us to travel even more often.

This trip has been planned since September itself. I only planned the itinerary as well as the plane ticket. Our mode of transportation throughout our stay is by MRT and bus. All itinerary was planned 2 months before our departure because I wanted to put our 6 days to good use.

As this is Juan first ever trip to Singapore, I did some research on where to bring him. We spent 6 days with accommodation courtesy of my aunt's place. We saved quite a lot. But if you're a backpacker, fret not, because there are plenty backpacker hostels that you can rent with affordable price. Singapore is an expensive city although some things are cheaper there like electronic gadgets. So be watchful on what you spend and know your budget.

Public transport in Singapore is very efficient that you do not have to worry if you miss a bus or the need to rent a car. You just need to purchase an EZ link card (like Touch and Go card) where all buses and MRT station uses this, You can even use it to shop for food or pay for your grocery or entry fee to certain theme park theme park (e.g Sentosa Island entry fee). You can top up at any 7 Eleven. The price for a new EZ link card is S$12 and can be purchased at any passenger service counter situated at any bus interchange hub or MRT stations.

You can also borrow from friends or family members if they have one because this card is transferable and each card can last up to 5 years.

Travelers who doesn't want to bring a lot of cash but plan to use their debit card, make sure you call your bank to inform them that you'll be using your card in another country. Inform them the dates  so that they'll make the card available to use. Bear in mind that there'll be extra charges when you withdraw your cash in a foreign country. For Maybank card holders, no extra charge if you withdraw from Maybank itself. You can check where Singapore Maybank branches are located via Google. Maximum withdrawal will be RM5,000 per day and maximum charge transaction is RM800 per day. Be careful when using credit card due to the conversion rate. They might be extra charges for using the card abroad. Best is to check with your bank.

For your convenience, you can also purchase a prepaid cellphone card bundled with data. It's as low as S$8.00 and add on with $S7.00 data worth of 1GB that could last you up to 7 days. There are a few network providers like Starhub, M1 and Singtel. I used Singtel during my stay there.

Our flight was scheduled at 9.45am on 25th December with 1 hour transit in KLIA 2. We arrived in Changi around 12.45pm, took the MRT from Changi towards Jurong East, then took a bus and dropped off at Boon Lay Place. We took Malindo Air for PEN-KL (RM340) and Jetstar (S$190) for SIN-PEN. Jetstar usually offers affordable and cheaper plane tickets compare to other airlines. If there is a need to transit on the flight that you purchase, it is advisable to get at least 2 hours of transit time so that you don't have to rush or chances of missing your connecting flight. In my case, my transit flight was on Malindo.

Best time to visit Singapore is during Christmas. Year end is also the time for Big Singapore Year end sale. You could see Christmas decorations hanging on trees and streets of Orchard. It was fun, colorful and exciting to see. Christmas is a big celebration in Singapore with year end sales around, you'll be spoil with choices. I went crazy, seriously.