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

Singapore : Gardens by the bay

somebody from Johor recommend to visit Garden by the bay at night...  thus, following advices from the expert,  i went there  at night..

although my plan to arrive in  the evening spoiled, visiting the huge garden & viewing the dazzling myriad of lights @ festive of light worth my  trip!  still, there's limitation : it's too huge till i dont have enough time to explore it in just one night! i missed the malay /chinese/ few more gardens(Heritage garden),  OCBC Skyway, no lilies visible at the pond & the beautiful garden was overshadowed by the light! i-city isnt comparable to Gardens by the Bay.. Aside from offering awesome architecture with colourful lighting &  great background (  ferris wheel  similar to eye of KL(once upon a time), egg-shaped dome, tower of lights(supertrees),tulip & twin building @ Marina Bay hotel connected with 'sampan' architecture), Gardens by the bay also provide ample bench for retreat, under the awesome supertrees.  if you are exhausted after exploring spacious garden, just chill & relax ,listen to the soothing music.. coincidentally, there's garden wedding during my trip, thus i'm not sure if they played  music  every night..  i walk passed the balloon at the lake, climb the bridge and  went further to Marina Bay hotel, then  descend to Supertrees & Flower Dome areas..  next time, i promise to come early to enjoy the  gardens' breathtaking view!  for more info, visit gardensbythebay.com.sg.. 

my final word :  : : Enchanting  Garden :

the bridge

hotel

zoom in for greater view

:

Singapore: travel guide

 Food : the cost resemble food in Malaysia,  except in Singapore dollars! convert your currency according to the respective price (example: SGD 4= 4 x 2.50 = RM 10 - actually the conversion rate is lower but  when i use money changer to change my money, the cheapest i got was RM 2.50..)
                          
 transportation :
->easiest way was land directly at Changi Airport or if you prefer cheaper way, use bus... from Johor, the fare was in RM but your return trip will cost the same amount  in Singapore dollars!

 -> by bus : either bus 160 or 170 or maybe Causeway Link from JB  to CIQ JB, CIQ Woodlands & MRT Kranji...
To go directly to Sentosa Island or Universal Studio Singapore,
1) use Odyssey bus from Tune Hotel Danga Bay , two way ticket = RM 25, www.odysseynow.com.my  or 2) maybe TS8,  one way ticket to USS/Sentosa RM 5 & return ticket at SGD 5... check it out at www.transtar.travel/crossborder... board at Kotaraya Terminal...  or
3) maybe, use either 160/170/Causeway Link from Larkin to MRT Kranji, use MRT to Vivo City & from there, board Sentosa Express(SGD 3.50 per entry but free for return trip) ..   i am not sure if the no change policy apply to all bus from singapore but most bus dont give you change & you need to spare exact value for the bus ticket            

 

 general comment : singapore is a clean city with strict regulations & safe place( no 'ragut' case @ snatch thief unless you sleep @ tidur mati! if you dont like to restrict yourself with a schedule ( hiring tourist guide)  make sure you know where you want to go or in simple word, plan your trip because from my experience, it's hard to visit a place without knowing my target place...
my conversation with an uncle from Woodlands (he went to market@JB to save money) lead me to Merlion Park (alight at MRT Raffles place) & Mustaffa Centre(alight at Farrer Park).. actually, lion statue is my to-visit list since a trip to Singapore isnt complete without seeing merlion statue...

other tips : bring along water container for toiletries purpose.. you'll grateful for this tips if you visit Singapore...

conclusion:
with their MRT , i feel like i'm in KL, except the service was 50 times more efficient... EZlink card that i bought can be used to pay fare (MRT, Singapore bus(160/170) ) & shop at 7 eleven ! if you think SGD 12 minus SGD 5 non-refundable card price is expensive, buy ticket via machine. you'll get SGD 1 refund after you return the card.

hello kitty land, Johor Bahru

the previous day , we failed to see Hello Kitty Land.. thus, again, google be my saviour! iskandarproject.com/visithellokittyland.html gave us clear direction on how to go there..
 upon arriving, we went to the ticket counter but it was already 12noon& the queue was quite long.. that means, it was useless to pay RM50 entrance fee for a visit at Hello Kitty Land just for few hours..

The Hello Kitty statue at Red Bow Cafe across the ticket counter, Hello Kitty table/chairs & payment counter were too cute to resist, so we spend our times taking photograph instead..

as merchandise shop situated just beside the cafe,  we head to the world of  toys &  sight-seeing all the cute stuffs -  original Hello Kitty/Barney/i-dunno-what's-the-name-of-that-green-frog, myMelody items ie pen, toys, t-shirt, stationeries including bags, mini lamp/mirror and many more.. after that, we tried to search for Lat' place, however we encounter the harbour that house cruises,big ships & offer park-like feeling with its unique benches&trees..... there's also a gallery , exhibit cruise for sale outside... i was halfway to Level 1 when the staffs told me that it was their break time.. that means i missed their exhibition... devastated, i went back & noticed that Lat's place will open on December... we went home shortly afterwards because  we are going to Singapore to enjoy their night scenery... but i really enjoy my short trip to Hello Kitty Land!

night@Danga Bay

earlier, i was impressed with beautiful park @ danga bay while browsing places of interest @ jb, so i asked my cousin to leave me & my siblings there... his response  was "i leave you there in the evening, after 5 minutes, you will call me back to fetch you - nothing to see nowadays, most area at danga bay were demolished to give way to new constructions (apartment, condo, hotels etc)..better you go with me at night"..

so, i had to go to danga bay at night .. the places were happening with the-usual-stuffs-that-we-found-at-an-expo(rides & games!),  to browse the area,  either hire bicycle or tram or just walk.. since the tram looks attractive, we decide to ride at RM5 per ride... it was the most  simple way to wander around in the danga bay area  if you are too lazy to walk around the bay area.. there were also ships at the bay...restaurants  & stalls offer dining by the beach experience...