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Jul 30, 2008

Travel to Singapore (Part I).

It was one of the most interesting and sizzling experiences of my life. A group consisting of me and my friends had assembled outside the departure lounge of Anna International Airport in the wee hours of a Friday, don't remember the exact date though........ visited long back.......

We boarded the Jet Airways flight and reached Singapore in about three and a half hours. It was evening there when we reached. Everything there was so neat and clean.
A snap of the Changi Airport (Singapore Airport):


We then checked in to Hotel Carlton in the central business district. The man in the photo is me.


A view from my hotel room:


Blast from the past! (A brief history of Singapore)
  • 14th century: Singapore raises to prominence under the rule of king Parameshwara of the Srivijayan province.

  • 19th century: It came under British colonial rule. It then grew as major trade centre in southeast Asia.

  • 1963: Merger with the federation of Malaya to form Malaysia.

  • 1965: Differences between the ruling parties one hailing from Malaysia and other from Singapore leads to separation and finally, independence of Singapore.

Some prominent buildings in Singapore:

We visited some buildings of prominence, the next morning.
  • The old parliament building: This is the oldest government building ever in Singapore.
This has been converted into an art museum.

  • The old Supreme court building:


We walked down upto the Singapore river. A few snaps......

Singapore river:



There were many skyscrapers around the river. See this.........


One more view of the river.......


The Malion or what is the real representation of Singapore. In fact the name Singapore is derived from the sanskrit word Singa and pura respectively meaning, lion and place. So the entire word would mean "The country of Malion".

The great emblem- Malion:



We took rest, then went to Orchard road which was 10-15 minutes from Carlton. The very thought of Orchard road still reminds me of Ajmal Khan road in New Delhi and T Nagar in Chennai, both famous for shops and malls.

So, here you are, The Orchard Road.... from dusk to dawn .....






You can reach Orchard road by MRT train (the network of local but world-class electric trains of Singapore), the nearest station being Somerset.


That's it for this post. I have lots of photos to upload and info and experiences to share. So, keep visiting and sharing your comments.





Singapore.

Coming up is a post about my experiences while traveling to Singapore....... I will also upload many photos in it. Please do check out from time to time.

Jul 10, 2008

New world heritage site in India !

Yet another feather in the cap of Indian tourism. The 104 year old Kalka-Shimla mountain railway has been declared world heritage site by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).

Before this there are three railway sites which have got the recognition. They are Mettupalayam Ooty Nilgris Mountain railway in Tamil Nadu in south India, Darjeeling Himalayan railway in West Bengal in East India and Bombay VT (Victoria Terminus) in Maharashtra in West India.

The common feature of any of the places covered by these four sites is the natural beauty. To add to the enjoyment, the trains pass though the nature very slowly giving you ample time to relish, relax and unwind.

Long live India ! Long live tourism !