My Mum’s Visit to Marina Bay

Well after visiting Lau Pa Sat, I took my mum around a tour of Marina Bay, taking in the sights and sounds of the Fullerton and Merlion and the amazing backdrop around Marina Bay.

The Merlion was originally located in front of the Singapore River, just across the Elizabeth Walk, just 120 meters from its current location. The area is also called the Merlion Park soon became a popular tourist attraction, and become one of the famous places in the big cities of the world. Prime Minister of Singapore at the time, Mr. Lee Kuan Yew, inaugurated the installation ceremony of the Merlion on 15 September 1972.

The name “Singapore”  actually means “lion” (lion) “city” (pura) in Sanskrit, and also symbolise the beginning of Singapore simple, namely as a fishing village.

We previously visited Singapore as a family in early 2000’s, where we visited the old location of the Merlion 120 metres away.  But in 2002, there was a project to move the Merlion as it was in the way of the reclaimed land and redevelopment project of the new Fullerton hotel. Today, the Merlion this world famous icon is now located at her new home, next to One Fullerton.

There were a couple of recent stories affecting the Merlion.

• Firstly, between 4th April and 5th May 2011, the Merlion was converted into a hotel-room with the sculpture concealed behind a temporary four-walls.
• Lightening also damaged the Merlion statue in February 2008.  Luckily, the limited damage caused by the lighening storm was repaired to make her look pristine once again 🙂

All in all, I’m glad my mum was able to visit the Merlion again.  I also took the opportunity to take a few photos of the surrounding backdrops around Marina Bay for my mum, and will post these on her facebook account 🙂  Aren’t I a nice son?  Ha!