Universal Studios and Gardens by the Bay

Yesterday in Singapore we spent the day at Universal Studios. The place was like Disneyland but better with all sorts of themed streets and rides based on various movies. We bought express tickets which allowed us to jump the queue, which was well worth it. John and Elizabeth's favourite ride was a roller coaster ride in the dark based on The Mummy movie, where we found the Book of the Living to banish the mummy and save the world. I liked The Transformers ride that made it feel like we were battling transformers. There was a Jurassic Park ride where dinosaurs started running wild while we floated and splashed along a river; I was soaked both times we rode it on the final plunge down the rapids. Catheleen was smart and wore a rain poncho, avoiding the deluge. There were also two incredible roller coasters based on the Battle Star Galactica television series where we needed to empty our pockets before riding, since it flipped and turned us upside down and inside out. This ride was crazy and turned my stomach, so I only rode it once.

We also saw a Water World performance in the afternoon that blew us away, based on the movie I didn't like when it came out. It was set in a post-apocalyptic world where the ice caps had melted and the survivors lived on floating villages in search of the mythical 'last piece of land'. The show took place on a water set where a battle ensued between the invaders of the floating village and the inhabitants, all fighting over knowledge of the location of the land. The battles were amazing, with boats, jet skis and even a prop plane which dropped onto the set. In the final scene the bad guy was actually lit on fire and dropped two or three stories into the water. The audience was sprayed throughout by the action, and the kids, who sat in front, were pretty wet by the end. Catheleen and I sat further back to avoid the spray but I still received a good soaking. If you ever have a chance to visit Universal Studios, I highly recommend it. It was truly a memorable experience.

Today we visited Gardens by the Bay, which is a park built on reclaimed land. At the park we visited a couple of glass dome conservatories. One was called Cloud Forest and showcased a 140 foot mountain inside the dome under cool moist conditions with a waterfall. It was intended to show off a mountainous tropical region with multiple levels full of plants and flowers. After the walk to the site in the heat, it was a nice refreshing oasis as we walked our way down the walkways from the top of the mountain to the bottom.

The other conservatory was called Flower Dome, which showed off a more arid environment with trees and plants from different regions. The dome offered stunning views of the waterfront and skyline, including the Marina Bay Sands resort,. This results is three towers with a boat-like structure on top spanning all three buildings - I kid you not, you have to see it to believe it.

Final stop at the park were structures that looked like massive trees. They were topped with solar panels and also used to heat and cool water used in the park as part of a sustainable environmental design. We went up the trees and walked between them on walkways. John and I left before dark while Catheleen and Elizabeth stayed to enjoy the night-time views.

It was a great day in Singapore. Here's John on the walkway connecting the trees, with the Marina Bay Sands resort in the background.