Singapore city has progressed tremendously since the last time I visited it in 2004. Once again the Singaporeans came up with brilliant ideas to attract tourists to come to this small country. The idea is manifested by the opening of Marina Bay, an integrated business, shopping and entertainment area. The present Marina Bay used to be a fishing village and swampy coastline at the mouth of the Singapore River. Motivated by the envisioning of the rich potential growth around the CBD (Central Business Development), in 1970s the local government decided to reclaim the 360 hectares-land near the CBD (the present Marina Bay) to be transformed into a vibrant round clock. During the reclamation process, Telok Ayer Basin was removed and the Singapore River no longer flew to the sea but to the bay instead. Marina Bay is blocked off from the sea by the Marina Barrage. Located near Central area in the southern part of Singapore, Marina Bay is a bay that aims to promote the 3 premises of Explore, Exchange and Entertain. It has become the leading business, leisure and entertainment destination in Southeast Asia. Marina Bay is seen as a vibrant environmentally-friendly place where people live, work, and play. Tourists can encounter many attractions within this one area such as the beautiful waterfront promenade, the resplendent Marina Bay Sands Hotel, the magnificent Art Science Museum, the iconic Merlion statue, the unique Esplanade Theatres and the latest Garden by the Bay.
We had an appointment with our cousin to meet at Marina Bay. That was my first time going there for it is a new attraction in Singapore. From China Town, where we stayed, my husband and I took MRT and stopped at Marina Bay station. We were a bit disappointed for the sky looked gloomy and we knew it was going to rain soon. However, we took our quick steps to explore the area and were very excited to see the view and take photos.
My husband and I were crossing the street to go to Marina Bay. The sky was gloomy and the weather was windy.
Marina Bay Waterfront Promenade
The Marina Bay waterfront promenade is a continuous route or loop that links the financial center buildings, arts buildings and historical places, and creates a seamless necklace of attractions. Just within the last two centuries, the area has excessively grown into a bustling financial center and a thriving entertainment destination. It is predicted to be the extension of the city center and a new downtown with a signature skyline that will boost the Singapore’s position as the leading financial and business center in Asia. An international design team led by Australian architects, the Cox Group, together with other local architects made the design of the promenade, which was selected through design consultancy in 2004. The promenade is a two-tier promenade that consists of two parts. The first part is the granite-paved-upper-level promenade and the second one is lower-level timber boardwalk. The upper level is usually used by visitors to stroll, do sports, and play, while the lower level is reached by those who want to get closer to the water. The water is unbelievably clean and no single mosquito is found here. Amazing. Thanks to the wise city development by the government. The Marina Bay waterfront promenade is indeed a respite for the locals and tourists who seek new ambience of a city’s life. It is a perfect place for leisure, entertainment, and food. Visitors can expect an experiential stroll of 3.5 km around the bay. At night, you can watch the attractive night lighting at the promenade.
The Marina Bay waterfront promenade. This place reminds me of Hong Kong’s Victoria Harbor and its promenade. The two city really looks similar. 
The view of Marina Bay with the gloomy sky as its background. This was the last photo taken before we had to hide because of the rain. 
My husband and I at the Marina Bay promenade. We asked for someone’s help to take our photo. Sigh, the bad thing about traveling only two of us is we could hardly take pictures together. 
The granite-paved-upper level promenade. Look at the steel roofs. They are very usable for shelter during rainy season.
Marina Bay Sands Hotel
Singapore made giant strides to achieve its goal to be the leading business and leisure center in Southeast Asia through the construction of the world’s most costly-constructed hotel called Marina Bay Sands. The hotel is part of the mega SGD 5.5 billion resort project that offers visitors almost everything beyond hotel and casino, which will make it the Southeast Asia’s next top leisure destination. As the biggest hotel in Singapore, the hotel is actually made up of three separate 55 storey hotels that have 2,560 luxury rooms and suites, and 18 different room types. Perching at 200 meters in the sky on top of the three hotels is the famous 340 meter-long Sand SkyPark that offers visitors a breathtaking 360-degree view of the Singapore city. The park is longer than Eiffel tower if it is stretched when laid down. Sprawling over an area of 12,400 square meters, the park can host up to 3900 people. Special attractions in the park include the observatory deck, landscaped gardens, upscale restaurants such as The Sky 58 and KU DÉ TA, and most important of all the 150-meter infinity-edged swimming pool. The observation deck which opened its door to public in June 2010 is one of the largest of its kind in the world. Visitors who wish to see the unforgettable view of the Singapore city are protected by a clear glass windscreen and safety railing. Just like a heaven on earth, the sky terrace is decorated with lush greeneries and beautiful parks, which is a home to over 250 and 600 species of trees and plantations. Considering its size, the swimming pool is the world’s largest outdoor pool at that height. People who swim in this pool look like they would float off the building at any moment. But don’t get too excited first because the pool is only open for those who stay in the hotel and it is a luxurious facility the hotel provides for its guests. If you are not the hotel guest, you must pay SGD 20 to enter the SkyPark. However, there is alternative if you want to beat the admission fee to the park and swim in the pool; that is by making reservation at KU DÉ TA, the SkyPark’s restaurant and bar with the lunch from SGD 50 and dinner SGD 100 without drinks. The SkyPark is open daily from 10:00-22:00. Admission is S$20 for adults, S$14 for children under 12, and S$17 for senior citizens. Visitors can purchase the tickets from the Box Office at Basement 1. Actually the goal of the SkyPark is to attract visitors to the hotel as most people are attracted to the park rather than the hotel.
Designed by the visionary architect, Moshe Safdie, the hotel is a jaw-dropping engineering wonder. The hotel consists of three separate hotels with the 7000-tons steel superstructure of the sky terrace on their top. The SkyPark looks like a ship dropped from the sky and landed on the hotels. With the existence of this SkyPark, Singapore will rank among the world’s greatest skylines and tourism destinations. Unfortunately, at that time we did not enter the SkyPark or the hotel due to the expensive budgets. 
The view of the Marina Bay Sands Hotel at night. 
The view of the hotel from the Gardens by the Bay 
This is a romantic place for courting couples to relax and enjoy the night view
Art Science museum
Looking from the outside, the art science museum does not really look like a museum for it has unusual structure. We just saw the museum from afar for we did not have much time to explore the inner part. I believe there must be an admission fee to go there. In fact, the admission fee is SGD 30 for adults and SGD 17 for children aged 2 – 12. It is open daily from 10 am to 10 pm. You can purchase the tickets at the museum or online. Located within the Marina Bay Sands area, which is owned by the US Las Vegas Sands company, and designed by the famous Israeli-born architect Moshe Safdie, the museum resembles a blooming lotus flower sitting on a small reflecting pool or an open hand with ten fingers anchored a round base in the middle that symbolize the welcoming hand of Singapore to the world. The elegant design of the museum supports Singapore’s vision to have ultra-modern architecture attractions. It is claimed to be the first building in Singapore constructed from glass-fiber reinforced polymer, which is light yet strong material. Featuring 21 gallery spaces in an area of 6,000 square meters, the museum integrates art, science, media, technology, design and architecture which supports its purpose. Officially opened on February 19, 2011, the museum has three permanent galleries that show the relationship between curiosity, inspiration and expression.
The Singaporeans must be proud of the Art Science Museum for it is the first world’s art science museum and the largest private museum in Singapore. The museum comprises of two parts, the first part is the base that is embedded in the earth with the lily pond in the center and the second part is the lotus-shaped building with ten petals of different height which draw the sunlight into the building to illuminate the inside galleries. Each petal or finger rises to the sky and is crowned by a skylight for illuminating the displays. The museum has dish-like roof that allows rainwater to be channeled down as far as 35 meters through the center of the structure to the reflecting pond at the lowest level of the museum. The rainwater is recycled for the use of the bathrooms inside the building as part of Singapore’s Green Mark program. Two-thirds of the gallery is found at the basement while the rest in a series of spaces found within the “flower-like” structure, which rises to 60 meters at its highest point. There are four exhibitions inside the museum including "Travelling the Silk Road," "Shipwrecked: Tang Treasures and Monsoon Winds," "Genghis Khan: The Exhibition" and "ArtScience: A Journey Through Creativity". The museum has a tagline which says “Embark on journeys through curiosity, inspiration and expression.”
The complex of Marina Bay is extremely large that it could be very tiring to explore the whole area on foot. So, we just took the picture of the Art Science Museum (the building in white that looks like a blooming lotus) from a distance. 
The Art Science museum stands elegantly in the midst of darkness. Supported with lights, the museum looks magnificent.
Merlion Miniature Statue
At first I thought this statue is the original Merlion Statue, but I was wrong. It is called the Merlion Cub, which is the two-meters miniature of the original statue. Merlion is a mythical creature with the head of lion and the body of fish, which is the symbol of Singapore. All visitors to Singapore must take photo with this iconic statue; otherwise, their journey is incomplete. Based on the Melayu history record, in the 15th century, the Srivijaya king, Sang Nila Utama spotted a lion in the island. Since then, he named the island Singapura meaning the Lion City. The lion head resembles the lion that the King saw, while the fish body symbolizes the ancient Temasek or “sea town”, which was the early name of Singapore. 
This statue draws people from all over the world to take photos here. There were many tourists mainly from China and Korea flocking around this statue. 
My husband and I in front of the Merlion Cub.
Esplanade – Theatres on the Bay
The Esplanade is a waterside building along the Marina Bay at the mouth of Singapore River. Originally a famous local architecture team, DP Architects in collaboration with Michael Wilford & Partners (England) started the construction of this art center building. The whole construction took the cost of about SGD 600 millions, which is fully provided by Singapore Pools and the Singapore Totalisator Board. The purpose of this building is to promote art and culture throughout all levels of society and of all genres including dance, drama, visual arts, while mainly focusing on Asian cultures. Patterned after the Sydney Opera House, the construction of the building started in 1998 and finished in October 2000. Two years after its completion, it was inaugurated by the Singapore Symphony Orchestra on 11 October 2002 and officially opened on October 12, 2002. Spread over an area of six hectares with 300 meters long, the Esplanade is one of the largest art centers in the world. In order to maintain cool temperature despite the tropical climate, this twin-domes building is equipped with more than 7,000 sun-protecting aluminums and double glazing coverings that make it look like a durian. No wonder the locals nickname it “the durians”.
Visitors who stroll around Marina Bay will be surprised to see a unique architecture that looks like a pair of massive durians from afar. The twin domes of the building cladding of aluminum and metallic sunshades strongly resemble durian, a spiky tropical fruit with prickly skin that is notorious for its strange odor. I am not sure whether you are familiar with this fruit, but for Asian people especially the Singaporeans, durian is a delicious fruit despite some bad comments about it. Durian has spiky and hard shells and you have to use big strength to open it to get the yellow flesh inside. Accidentally or on purpose, the Esplanade’s structure resembles this tropical fruit. Just a glance and you will know why the Singaporeans refer to these theaters as “the durians”. 
The two main features of the Esplanade are the Concert Hall with 1,600 seats and a four-level Theater with the capacity of about 2,000 seats for all genres of performing arts. Besides these two rooms, there are also Recital Hall, “Black-box” Theatre, 3-level retail mall and an outdoor theater. The outdoor theater could accommodate up to 450 seated and 600 standing people. The Esplanade hosts world-class performances and has a wide range of various professional support services and facilities. The admission to the building is free unless there are special concerts. It is open daily from 10 am to 8 pm. 
My husband and I in front of the Esplanade 
We went inside the theatres but we did not explore the whole site for we were very tired of walking 
The view of the Esplanade and the Esplanade Bridge at night. What a fantastic lighting it is!!!
The Esplanade bridge is a 250-meters long bridge at the mouth of the Singapore River that connects the Esplanade on the northern part and the Merlion Park on the southern. The construction of the bridge began in 1994 and finished in March 1997. The main contractor was Obayashi Corporation. Because the bridge blocked off the views of the original Merlion statue from the Marina Bay waterfront, the Merlion statue had to be moved from the back to the front of the bridge. 
Gardens by the Bay
On the next evening, we visited Gardens by the Bay as our cousin asked us to meet there. Gardens by the Bay perhaps is the latest and newest attraction in Marina Bay. Occupying an area of 101 hectares, the gardens are made up of Bay South Garden, Bay East Garden, and Bay Central Garden. The three gardens are interconnected with a series of pedestrian bridges. The largest of the three gardens is the Bay South, which is home to over a quarter of a million rare plants. Here you can find the impressive futuristic supertrees. The artificial trees are made of stainless pillars intertwined with over 200 species of plants and flowers. Those trees do not only function as decoration but also to collect rainwater and generate solar power for conserving the park. These gigantic trees glow at night and you can enjoy the light and music show which is held twice every night at 19.45 and 20.45. Besides the supertrees, other attractions are the skyway that connect the supertrees and the two over-sized seashell-shaped greenhouses or the conservatories. The gardens are open daily with the outdoor gardens from 5am – 2 am and the conservatories and skyway from 9am – 9pm. The admission to the gardens is free but if you want to enjoy the experience of walking on the skyway or observing the conservatories, additional fees are needed with the skyway for SGD 5 and the two domed conservatories for SGD 20/12 adult/child. The best spot to view the gardens is from the top of Marina Bay Sands.
The futuristic supertrees that glow in the dark
The skyway connects the supertrees and visitors can walk on it but with a fee of course
The light and music show!!! What an amazing view!!!
We just observed the Singapore Flyer from afar at night for we were not too interested to ride it. Modeled on the London Eye, it is a 165 meter-tall observation wheel, which is 30 meters taller than the famous London Eye. Its gigantic size makes it the largest observation wheel in the world. The flyer has 28 capsules and each capsule can seat up to 28 passengers to enjoy the panoramic view of the Singapore city within 30 minutes-wheels rotation with charge of SGD 29.50/20.65 for adult/child. That means you have to share your seats with other passengers in that one capsule unless you want to pay an extra SGD 1,000 for a private ride.
Seeing the continuous progress and vast development of Singapore, I think the country will soon become one of the top tourist destinations in Asia. Visiting Marina Bay is indeed a unique experience to my husband and me. We really enjoyed spending our time there. After two-days exploration of Marina Bay, we continued our journey to Universal Studios.
Sources:
Personal experience and additional information from other online articles
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