Singapore Weekend..... Sentosa Island and Vivo City

Went to Singapore this weekend with my sister, cousin and a very good friend. We stayed at the Marriot Hotel on Orchard Street. This was my opportunity to go on tours with my camera again...

My first stop.... Sentosa Island...

The largest Merlion replica is found in Sentosa.  The Merlion (half lion - half fish statue) is 37 meters high and has 320 scales sculptured from glass- reinforced concrete. What I heard is that at night the scales will glow in different colors. You can take a trip to the top floor and be rewarded with a panoramic view of  Sentosa and Singapore's southern shores.

Images Singapore..
here you will experience the colorful culture and vibrant heritage of Singapore, retold in life-size images and special effects.

On our way to the Butterfly farm I saw a snake charmer. I wanted to have a photo with the albino snake but he was charging too much for just a photo.

The Butterfly Park and Insect Kingdom....

Visiting the Butterfly Park and Insect Kingdom is quite interesting.. You will come up close and personal to see  more than 1500 live butterflies in the lush green surroundings in the outdoor sanctuary.

There were also birds in the garden.....

The exhibits found inside the garden.....

These are the  national butterflies of the world, beetles of Singapore and South East Asia. In the garden you can see parrots which you can have a photo taken with them.

Here are some photos of what I saw inside the garden.

Took the Sky Tower ride ....
It is Singapore's tallest public viewing tower... it gives you the 360 degree view of the island. Also known as the Carlsberg Tower has a seating capacity of 72 persons in its air-conditioned and enclosed cabin. It stands at 135 meters above sea level.

We took the tram ride to see other sites in the island. We passed the Dolphin Lagoon and the Underwater  World. We were hesitant to visit these places because the weather started to change and it looked like it was going to rain. So we took the monorail back to the city.

The admission to this butterfly farm is $10 dollars for adults and $6 dollars for children.

Spent the afternoon in Vivo City.

According to my friend it is now the biggest mall in Singapore. It is a good place to unwind on a weekday when there are not so many people there. It is situated at the Harbor Front next to the Keppel Harbor. Here are some photos I took...

Photos taken on the SKY PARK..
It is located on the roof deck of Vivo City. Here you can get a panoramic view of the harbor front and Sentosa Island.

One of the restaurants I liked was the Food Republic......found on the 3rd floor.

And this is what they serve...

 If you are planning to visit Singapore .. try not to miss out on Vivo City.

diary of an adventure to Eastern Europe.. Part 22.. The Kremlin, Cathedral of Christ the Savior, The Underground Metro and Moscow by night..... MOSCOW, Russia

next stop.... The Kremlin...

Before entering the Kremlin.. our tour guide warned us about a few things:

* we ALWAYS have to stay in the pavement where all the tourists are supposed to walk. If we go astray and step out of the yellow line... you will hear a whistle from the KGB guards.. ( that is the first warning)-- which means you have to step back into the line.... If you did not hear the whistle.... the second warning will be a gunshot fired into the air... and the last would be... the KGB guards will approach you and arrest you. While we waited in line to enter the grounds of the Kremlin... we heard a gunshot fired into the air... the tour guide said... " someone did not follow the rules! "

* We cannot bring any camera larger than the small "point-and-shoot" camera. The tour guide was worried for me since I had a professional camera with me. He asked me what was the size of my lens... I wondered why.. He told me .. they will ONLY allow professional cameras with lens not more than 70mm... that meant... NO CLOSE UPS.. NO TELEFOTO lens... I told him I was going to use my fisheye camera and it was only 10mm. He then asked me to try to " hide " my camera as we approach the KGB guards. So, I decided to remove the lens of my camera and placed it inside my pocket and the body of the camera I placed it inside my jacket. When I approached the scanner... ( we all had to pass thru a scanner just like those used when you enter the airports )... the KGB guards looked at me .... and.... let me pass thru... PHEW!!!! Everyone in the group made a sigh of relief. I did not want to leave my camera in the bus. I was set on taking photos inside the KREMLIN...

* We had to leave all our backpacks in the bus, and no large handbags too.... the only thing that the KGB guards will allow was a small bag... the size of a purse.... Even our tour guide had to leave his shoulder bag in the bus.

* We cannot take photos of the KGB guards. That is a big NO NO!!!! Our guide said that these guards are not allowed to have themselves taken even for souvenir photos.

So..... those were the rules given to us .... in case you still want to see the KREMLIN... you must abide with all these rules...

Here are the photos I was able to take inside the KREMLIN...

The State Kremlin Palace..

This modern glass and concrete structure was completed in 1961. We were not able to go any closer than 100 feet away. This is where the president holds office.

The Czar Cannon and Bell....Both are the largest of their kind in the world. The 40-ton cannon was built during the reign of Ivan the Terrible in the 15th century. The Bell weighs 200 tons.

There were 5 cathedrals inside the Kremlin... namely The Assumption, The Archangel, The Church of the  Deposition of the Robe, The Annunciation and the 12 Apostles Cathedral.

The Cathedral of the Assumption..

The Cathedral of the Assumption is the oldest and the most important church of the Kremlin. Its massive limestone walls and perfectly proportioned five gilt domes endow the cathedral with serenity and sets the tone for the Kremlin's magnificent Cathedral Square.

The Annunciation Cathedral...

This  cathedral was built in the 14th century.

The 12 Apostles Cathedral .. This church was dedicated to Philip the Apostle.

The Annunciation Cathedral and the Church of the Deposition of the Robe.

After the Kremlin we went to the UNDERGROUND METRO ( Subway )...

The Moscow Metro is one of the largest and most grandly built metro systems in the world. It was meant to be a showcase of the Soviet Union's achievement for both the Russians themselves and the tourists.

Waiting for our train to arrive..

                                

Group souvenir photo aboard the Metro...

                                

                               

                               

                                                 

The stations are uniquely designed with decorative elements like mosaics, statues and marble floors. walls and staircases.

                              

next stop..... The Cathedral of Christ the Savior..

This cathedral may be the largest Orthodox Church in the world. The building is magnificent, but not as old as it looks. It was rebuilt in 2000 after the original church was demolished by Stalin.

After dinner we had another tour .... to see MOSCOW by night.... Our destination was the Red Square and the tallest sculpture in the world ...

This sculpture of Peter the Great on the Moskva river is the tallest and grandest ( some people say its ugly ) in the world. It stands 300 feet tall and was created by a Russian artist Tsereteli. This statue has created a lot of controversy in Moscow.

Night shots of the Red Square....

We went home past midnight and this was the last part of our tour to the Scandinavian countries... tomorrow we will be catching our flight back to the Philippines... I took one more shot... from the balcony of my room....

 Hope you all enjoyed my diary of my adventure to the Scandinavian countries.... till my next trip.....

GOOD NIGHT ALL!!