Singapore : Mustaffa Centre

we were running out of times& we still dont have time to shop. i still own few hundred dollars in my hand & the picture of Singapore currencies & Ezlink card earlier were the amount of money left after Singapore trip.  i mean, it wasnt a good idea to shop souvenirs at USS for friends & most of the places that we go  before dont offer goods with great bargain, so we went to Mustaffa Centre. We were in hurry, so we alight at Farrer Park, walk,  just enter & bought the things  we want & left. People say Mustaffa Centre sold all-in-one roof but we dont have much time to explore.it looked like Mydin Malaysia to us.

Singapore : Merlion Park

a trip to Singapore without greeting & saying hello to Merlion (mermaid with lion head)  is just incomplete, so i cant bear to bid farewell to Singapore without meeting merlion. My partners were still tired from our USS adventure, so they were quite reluctant to go, but being me,  i told them that by hook or by crook, i' m going  to Merlion Park.. because i insist on going alone, they decided to follow my plan.. we left our 'hotel' at 10am after breakfast. The CIQ was okay, no long queue & this was a smooth  journey, so we arrived quite early. met an uncle from Woodlands & an auntie with her grandaughter who recommended us to visit Merlion Park & Mustaffa Centre. that kind uncle waited for us  to show the right bus before we parted our ways. He went to JB just to go to 'pasar' actually, telling us that with Singapore currency, he bought tonnes of daily necessities at cheaper prices.. Ahh, talking about saving cost...

Our MRT ride took times since we have to change train(red line, yellow line, yada yada)... it was public holiday in Singapore & the locals occupied the MRT! once arrived at Raffles place, we walked along the riverside & encountered an ice cream stall, so we bought the ice cream at SGD 1.20  each. price actually differ by location, the one across the bridge cost us SGD 1 & the one at Esplanade park cost SGD 1.50. Can choose the durian-durian flavour, sweet corn, read beans & so on, it was basically 'ais krim potong' tucked inside bread & unlike Malaysia, the ice cream portion was big! 1 on my way to Merlion Park & 1 on my way back made me full!

since there were no signboard, we walked further, passed by human statues until we reached a junction. Seeing the Esplanade @ the famous durian building, we headed towards Esplanade. The hotel that we see earlier looks stunning with its 'sampan' connector. Got a clear picture of the buildings at that road.  Then we walked downstairs to Esplanade Park &  Merlion Park.  on the road, the Merlion Park was hidden from our sight, so we were lucky to arrive at Merlion Park, a place where 2 merlion located, one with waters coming from its mouth. It was a calm park, although there were lots of visitors,  i feel at peace there. the breeze was soothing & the view from the park was great.

outside Universal Studio Singapore

time constraint but i dont want to miss out what's in store outside USS. so, rush to the lake (dunno if it's pool). Then, went to Hard Rock Cafe & Candylicious & passed few more shops before we head to Sentosa Express.

Although the queue were long, we waited for less than 20 minutes. Efficient service, so, no time for photography / 'gedik' session. Alight at Vivo City, then went downstairs to take MRT. Too tired to hang out at Vivo City. Narrow escape @ nearly being "pendatang tanpa izin" because we arrived late.

Universal Studio Singapore : Part III

                     MADAGASCAR

It still rained when we arrive Madagascar, so Madagascar: A Crate Adventure is a no-no for us. Plus, we dont have raincoats! & My partner refuse King Julien Party Beach Round (this ride is suitable for kids, but there were few adults, probably accompanying their kids. The cartoons background looks appealing for photography purpose but we have few more zones to go).


 Instead of wandering aimlessly, we choose to go to the Penguins Merchantile (souvenir shop) - immerse ourselves in the cuteness of Madagascar characters. 

the ride that we miss!

My review : cuteness overdose starting from the entrance to the souvenirs!

food court - raining cats & dogs at the moment

                  HOLLYWOOD & NEW YORK

Due to the difficulty of locating surau (prayers' room), i havent prayed yet when we reached Hollywood. So, we just passed the street & went to surau.

New York

on the way to 'surau' - between Sci-Fi City & Ancient Egypt. It's advisable to pray earlier, the prayer's room is relatively small, i had to queue for ablution since it can cater only one person at a time. Not comfortable praying in a congested room

Considering that it was already late, we lose hope to play.

Walking around until we noticed few persons enter the the Light, Camera & Action by Steven Spielberg signboard. We followed them & were lucky to get the Universal Express spot. A step by step demonstration on film making. Excerpt from USS website :

"Be blown away by incredible special effects as an empty soundstage becomes the setting for a Category 5 major hurricane about to hit New York City. As you stand in a boathouse by the harbor, watch how a calm day suddenly turns stormy.

Brace yourself as hurricane-force winds sweep in from the sea and drive a cargo ship and debris towards the boathouse you’re in. Calm soon returns and the damaged boathouse restores itself, all thanks to movie magic."

snapped this in hurry

only human blessed with sixth sense can detect what's in this photo  =) 

Finished at 7 something. So, that marked the end of our rides & shows in USS. Since the crowd is still big, we continue walking around. 

 

Universal Studio Singapore : Part II

The Lost World

Mainly jalan-jalan here. Saw the cute leaves at Amber Rock Climb. No raincoat means no Jurassic Park Rapid Adventure & Waterworld. Dino-Soarin for children & Dinosaurs cant beat my love towards Far Far Away castle. Translated, no Canopy Flyer ride. So, Feast your eyes with the photos!

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                                                     Next

                                       Far Far Away

In love with its splendid design - resemble castle in cartoon/movies. No time to be Alice in Wonderland because the call for Donkey Live Show in 5 minutes time!

Charmed by Fairy Godmother - in the entrance

Donkey Live Show - pic taken before she said that fine of XX Dollars will be imposed if caught taking photos. i'm not a fan of musical show, so i think it's rather boring.

Call it our luck, once the Donkey Live Show finished,  Shrek 4D Adventure is calling! We grab the opportunity & queue straight away!

waiting area - antique building

waiting for the next show -Shrek 4D adventure - Best! cute  3cartoons hang on  in the box above & then, wear ogre vision ray (didnt remember its name, but it's a spectacle that enable you to view the story from your seat). the adventure is so surreal, yet the water splash & the enemy coming near to you is real. Moving together with Shrek to save the kidnapped Fiona through forest or across the ocean is also undeniably real. i think that must have something to do with the seat!

Passed the souvenir shop at the exit. Browse around (picture below) & hunt for cute souvenir but to no avail, so we left empty handed.

Drinks - in potion form!

fairy godmother magic potion spin - kid's zone

It rained when we left the shops. Thinking that rain may dampen our plan to ride outdoor activities, we head to Madagascar. Wrong decision indeed - should screen for any indoor opportunities, so that we wont miss adventure. & that means we miss Enchanted Airways roller coaster!

Universal Studio Singapore : Part I

finally, we reach the peak of adventure!  USS was the X-factor that drive me to enter Singapore.. & if you follow my previous post, i dont mind not entering Legoland & Hello Kitty Land to save the adventure for the best, USS!. Moreover, i can go to JB anytime, no Custom & Immigration, thus there's still tomorrow =)

   first thing first, taking  trademark photo with USS globe is a must! then, i queue at the ticket counter to redeem gift& food voucher but a staff there told me to proceed instead, thus no voucher & no raincoat (i asked few people later, they too, was clueless about the voucher)... or maybe, no voucher at all nowadays? err, before that, i booked the ticket online via http://www.rwsentosa.com/language/en-US/Attractions/UniversalStudiosSingapore/Tickets. Truth to be revealed, i aim for the maybank card promo. nonetheless, i failed to grab the bargain, thus i bought it at normal price. Dont realize that the booking valid for 6 month from the booking date, or else i'll book earlier! & when i asked if Deepavali is peak day, the staff told me that not every public  holiday is a peak day..

So, skip the long essay, let's go directly to USS! There are 7 zones, namely:

1) Hollywood

2) Sci- Fi City

3) Ancient Egypt

4) Lost World

5) Far Far Away

6) Madagascar

7) New York

visit http://www.rwsentosa.com/language/en-US/Attractions/UniversalStudiosSingapore for more details.

 I grabbed the map at the entrance, scanned for the rides/live shows & decided to go to Sci-Fi City first to ride the famous adrenaline pumping Battlestar Galactica & guess what, i opt for CYCLON, the thrillest adventure! having ride roller coaster at Genting, the feeling is the same. the teenagers beside me scream & shout when we were twisted, turned & dropped at an intense speed but not me.

                             SCI-FI CITY

We were greeted by Alien character clad in colourful strip & tall aliens in black! but sorry, our photos are private & confidential =)

reading the map. that red-blue complicated thingy with the size of giant as the background is actually the ride. no spectacles allowed, so, left it in the provided box shortly before your ride.

 

the entrance is clear, i thought it's a smooth ride. who knows, i had to queue inside for one hour! & i'm alone since my partner in crime look after our properties.

pic taking when my partner in crime bored. cant deny that it's boring to wait, without knowing when the familiar face will burst in front of you. no phone/belongings allowed in the waiting area

 

ACCELERATOR 

my 2nd ride.. being a temporary kid -  decided to try this because the waiting time is short.  it spin, spin and spin.

missed the Transformers 4D ride. Actually, the robots outside looked complicated & i have 6 more zones to explore. so, goodbye Transformers. it's a pleasure to know you.. hehe

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Next

Ancient Egypt

Entrance to Ancient Egypt from Sci Fi City

Spotted a sexy character & seeing the crowd waiting for their turn, we decide ignore her

her real face

 

Decide to try this ride. I heard that single rider lane is faster, so we take turn to enter

picture taken while waiting for the other one to finish the ride

the exit -love Revenge of The Mummy - elements packed ride : burning fire, coffin, water  &  high speed reverse in total darkness is thrilling

While waiting, i decide to browse around.caught Army of Anubis character in action - tall & fierce - not in the mood to take photo

  Find out that the track for Treasure Hunters is boring. So, we abandon this & off we go for another adventure