DAY THIRTY

The first full day in Singapore had one plan, and one plan only - Universal Studios. Now I realise ( oh do I just, Mr MacDonald ha ha) that there is only one real Universal Studios in the world, which is obviously in Florida - but I've always wanted to go, and Singapore's is a start -a taster one might say. With Jen working, it was a perfect way to start sniffing out Singapore's best activities.
The trusty old MRT transported us to Vivomall, which is a gigantic shopping centre on the harbour. It connects people to Sentosa, which is an island which homes Universal Studios and 6 other attractions, such as aquariums, water parks, island adventure playgrounds etc etc. There is also an abundance of restaurants, bars, shops and smaller attractions. The opposite side of the island has beaches, zip lining, indoor sky diving...the list goes on. There are so many activities to do...most at a price. Singapore is quite pricy for the tourist - one go at the Zip lining attraction will cost 45 dollars Singaporean ( 25 quid).
So that we had the opportunity to maximise our enjoyment , we paid 40 quid extra for an unlimited studios pass, so we could skip the queues...up there with one of the smartest decisions I've made I think! Each ride was limited to a couple if minutes wait, rather than 45 minutes to an hour. Firstly, we visited Madagascar, which had the characters walking around, a few novelty attractions, and a ride, which wasn't bad, but more aimed at kids. It's not one that can be described as a hair raiser, but a nice, happy ride nether-less.
Onwards to Far Far Away, with first stop being Shrek's house. We both love The Shrek movies, so this was good for the comedy value.
Onto the enchanted castle, and the Shrek 4d adventure, which, if anyone gets the chance to go to, is fantastic. The 3d graphics are superb, plus seats that roll about, fluffy spiders at your feet, water spray and flame.
The Shrek roller coaster, albeit quite tame compared to the monsters you can get at Alton Towers and in the U.S.A, was still good enough to encourage the dateline to start drip feeding into the capillaries.
Next stop...Jurassic Park's 'The Lost World'. Here you see real ( errrmm) dinosaurs, the big Jurrasic Park Gates, apparently real dinosaur burgers ( expensive meat at 15 dollars a pop), raptor rides, a ride called The Flying Canopy ( brilliant, very similar to Air at Alton Towers, but lasts about 30 seconds. You are strapped in with your legs dangling, then thrown about the rainforest - if it was a bit longer it would be sensational!!) There is also the river rapids ride, which you float down a long river in a circular raft, with the riders being soaked by waterfalls, drops of the rapids, squirting dinosaurs ( from the mouths....) and a huge final drop. Very,very cool!
The Egyptian section was the highlight, as it homes the Revenge of the Mummy ride. The majority of the ride is either in full darkness or flashes of light, and is incredibly riveting. Definitely one for the adrenaline seeker. The rest of this section is designed for children, but quite entertaining. At one point, there was two Universal Studio actors dressed as ( I may get this wrong, sorry if so) anubis's ( men/ dogs), who were snarling at people and swishing their spears. One small Chinese kid took an intense liking to this behaviour and pulled out a Bruce Lee One Inch Punch to one of the man /dogs ball sack. Didn't do much snarling after that, and mini Bruce Lee was incredibly happy with his actions - maybe this enabled him to pass his latest belt in Kung Fu.
Unfortunately,the signature ride, the jewel in the Universal Studio crown, Battlestar Galactica-the ride, was shut down a few months ago due to stress fractures in the steel work, so we missed out on what was potentially to be a very decent ride.
We met up with Optimus Prime and Bumblebee, who were very nice, but maybe a little quiet. Transformers the ride was incredible - a 4d ride on a roller coaster. It did my eyes no favours, as anyone else that finds 3d a bit tough on the eyes will know what I mean.
From there, there was the Steven Speilberg special effects studio, New York Street and the Sesame Street 3d adventure. Some fella dressed up as Charlie Chaplin creeped up behind me and kicked me in the ass and waddled away. I don't he expected me to start running at him, because I think he may of needed a nappy. He was okay when he realised that I was laughing, and gave him a little hug to slow the heart rate down a little!
The rides were then given a multiple visits, just to ensure we received our money's worth!
The evening was spent at a ' Hawkers Market', which is similar to street food in Vietnam, but in much cleaner and organised surroundings. The Singaporean government are extremely motivated in creating rules and regulations, and most definitely ensure they are policed. This applies to the Hawker Markets, where any food booth must not charge above certain prices, and cannot attempt to scam patrons, otherwise they have their licences revoked. Brilliant!
A few beverages on the marina followed to end a pretty excellent first full day.