The little red dot. The Queen Victoria’s gangway was especially crowded this morning with the frantic evacuation of excited passengers eager to set foot on land.
It wasn’t that we had been at sea for that long, but the promises that lay waiting once we had made it past the Singaporean immigration officials, were just too good to pass up.
Emerging blinking into the blinding light and slammed by the intense tropical heat after the cooling embrace of the ship’s air-conditioning, we were released into the waiting arms of Singapore or 'the little red dot' as the locals call it – owing to the little red dot that always indicates its position on a world map.
The Singaporeans take their precious land of only 750 square kilometres seriously. Having expanded their landmass by over 25% over the last 200 years through the process of land reclamation, woe betide anyone that doesn’t give the country its due regard.
It is as hot as Hades here and so today most of the departing passengers will be planning their day slipping from one air-conditioned venue to another. Singapore has much to offer, not only the resort islands of Sentosa – a mere air-conditioned cable car ride away, but also the delights of the multitude of commercial precincts, both gastronomical and shopping, in addition to the various temples, zoos, gardens and cooling parks that dot this island. However, its newest growing attraction is actually its airport.
The Singaporean Government wants to make the transport hub an attraction in its own right. Housing a multitude of hotels and the usual airport features, Changi also boasts, amongst other things, a couple of waterfalls, one of which is the largest indoor waterfall in the world.
Set within the airport’s newest building, the jewel is the ‘Vortex'. Free-falling 37,850 litres of water a minute 40 metres from a stunning convex glass dome on the ceiling to the basement floor below, the sound, although deafening, is strangely hypnotic and if it wasn’t spectacular enough during the day, the night Sound and Light show gives it a whole new perspective. Attracting 300,000 visitors each day and not just those who are bound for the international flights which land and depart every eight seconds here, but tourists to view the delights of the concourse and waterfall in its own right, for this is just one of the centre pieces for the $1.7 billion jewel in Chiangi’s crown.
Additionally, within the jewel is an interactive butterfly garden and art gallery, a walking net where you can walk supported 25 metres off the floor, over the bed of a forest, a mirror maze where your body shape is finally changed into that one that you have dreamed of all these years, a hedge maze whose branches and mechanical flower stems move in and out of view as you pass, a reality experience with dinosaurs, static and moving art projects and the latest attraction, 'The Wonderfall'.
At 14m high and 17m wide, the ‘Wonderfall' straddles the entrance to the new departure hall of T2. Actually an LED wall made up of 892 tiles that are seamlessly joined together and which create the majestic effect of a falling cascade, it is so realistic that you can almost feel the spray on your face as you pass beneath into the departure hall. The water falling over large boulders at your side, the stream of water disappearing into the nether regions underneath the floor.
The only clue that the effect is not real, is the hard screen between you and the water as you peer closely wondering if it is in fact a glass window overlooking an actual waterfall or it is just a projection.
The wonders of the new airport are too numerous to knock off in a day’s outing. It is a surreal experience. Mix into that Singapore’s other attractions including the alien-like structures at the Garden at Marina Bay and there is no way you could not but marvel at the ingenuity of the Singaporean mindset. It makes a flight delay or even a day’s outing from your ship a pleasurable sideline.
The MRT is Singapore's rapid rail system and reaches every corner of the island that the tourist would want to go, including from the airport to the sea port. Fast, seamless and costing between NZ$2 and NZ$3 per journey, it should be the envy of every Aucklander. Singapore may have a reputation as a shopping and bargain destination, but if you haven't done it already, add Changi airport to your bucket list. (ROSS THORBY)
