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Health & Fitness

Three Must Visit Places in Singapore

Walk through shark infested waters. Make a living building sculptures from LEGOS. Stroll through experimental gardens.

Michael: Walk through shark infested waters. Make a living building sculptures from LEGOS. Stroll through experimental gardens.

The above is just three of the new ventures Graciela and I discovered in Singapore this year.

Graciela: Sentosa Island is a place I have always enjoyed. It is an island that houses MGM Studio amusement park as well as other places of entertainment. We saw Julio Iglesias in concert at their convention center.

This year they opened what is described as the world's largest aquarium. The S.E.A. aquarium has one huge tank displaying the creatures of the open ocean. The tank is so big that you wonder not only how it holds all the water, but the impact sea life has on our planet. There are smaller (though still very large)areas showing specific water regions on the planet. Each exhibits the habitat of that area. Included are the Persian Gulf, Red Sea, East Africa and South China Sea. In addition housed are special exhibits of unique creatures like giant crabs, jelly fish and stick fish. My favorites were the large tanks with many brightly colored fish.

Michael: Near the end they have a tunnel that runs through a glass tank. Inside you are surrounded by sharks swimming to your sides and above you. The experience shows very well in this web page photo about the aquarium.

But more than just fish the visitor goes through a museum explaining the history of sea trade in Asia. Also included is a unique movie that is very realistic. The screen surrounds you but the special effects make you think you are there with the men on a ship rocking on the ocean and taking in the large waves that break over the bow.

Graciela:  Expect to spend at least three hours viewing all the sights. They also have a restaurant where you can get everything from a snack to a meal. The $25 admission fee is well worth the money.

Michael:  In the Marina Bay area of the city the ArtScience Museum puts on two or more unique displays annually. Last year we saw a fantastic presentation of items recovered from the Titanic. We also experienced the work of Andy Warhol. This year featured the first ever mummy exhibit in Asia as well as the pieces of New York artist Nathan Sawaya.

Graciela:  Sawaya took a fondness for playing with LEGOS and turned it into a well paying artistic hobby that in 2004 allowed him to quit his job as a lawyer. His LEGO sculptures appear in over 20 museums worldwide.

Michael:  The very well displayed and lit exhibit at the ArtScience Museum features 52 of his sculptures. It captivates the visitor and makes you think about getting artistic with LEGOS yourself.

The museum has different admissions depending upon what you wish to view. For the best experience expect to shuck out $25 per person.

Graciela:  Readers have probably figured out from past writings that Michael and I enjoy viewing gardens. Imagine our pleasant surprise to find 40 showcase grade gardens in one area. Over 80 individuals and companies contributed to the design which draws over 600,000 visitors a year and has won many awards.

Michael:  Hort Park is also an experimental garden area. Previously we wrote about Gardens by The Bay. Hort Park is the birth and testing place for those gardens. They have four green houses open to the public where they perform their experiments. There is also a butterfly house. Like many of the gardens in Singapore admission is free.

Graciela:  The mission of the area is listed as to energize the community to be passionate about horticulture and community gardening. But we noticed that it is also a popular area for wedding photos. With the choice of so many different types of gardens photographers can choose from a wide variety of settings.

Michael:  When visiting Singapore we recommend that the aquarium, museum and gardens be added to your list of places to enjoy.

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