White balls of wishes swim with the multitudes of lights reflecting and twinkling across Singapore’s Marina Bay. Screaming neon lights and cool blues dot the skyline as boats lazily glide by along the calm bay waters; this is the Singapore I have pictured in my mind’s eye.

Rushing through tides of cars, our taxi careened through the right-hand driven roads of Singapore, our destination, the legendary view of the Marina Bay. But the evening was already past its prime for nightscapes, the electric color of the blue hour had passed a few hours before.

The bay was actually the first place we visited coming from the airport, but we wanted to see it in its full evening splendor; the buildings all lit up, the bay alive with the colors of the night.

Our taxi dropped us near One Fullerton and our jaw promptly dropped as we gazed upon the three-towered Marina Bay Sands. A light show was in progress and lasers beautifully beamed greens and blues across the darkened sky. I have not seen a more dramatic use of lights in such a massive scale.

The lasers danced and skimmed across the waters, it glided and flew above the heavens. Like tranced cobras in a jug, the lights followed a musical score recorded by a 140-piece orchestra specifically made just for the show. It lasts for fifteen spectacular minutes and is shown everyday between 8PM to 9:30PM.

We must’ve arrived at 9:28PM though. We only caught the tail end of the show and it was over much too soon to our utter devastation. But no matter, Singapore’s Marina Bay is much too beautiful to cry over spilled milk on.

The gigantic white Merlion soon caught our attention. The landmark is a creation of sculptor Lim Nang Seng and stands at 28 feet tall and endlessly shoots a shower of water from its mouth. The head represents the mythic Singaporean lion while its feet represent the country’s roots as a fishing village.

The swirling lights of the Helix Bridge on the far horizon tugged at my soul and my feet promptly went along; crossing the 850-feet long Esplanade Bridge and descending towards the beautiful dome of the Theatres on the Bay. The lighted circle of the Singaporean Flyer can be seen on the far horizon as we traversed the bridge.

Pausing for a breather, we enjoyed the panoramic view of the Marina Bay’s exquisite skyline. The hovering ship over the Marina Bay Sands, the weird lotus-like ArtScience Museum, the Merlion surrounded by a symphony of modern skyscrapers and the long graceful platform of the Esplanade Bridge.

Snapping from my reverie, we moved on and I can see the helical swirls of the Helix Bridge coming closer. Passing the white sail-like structures of the Outdoor Theatre and into a hawkers’ lane, we tried to find some chendol to cool us down but failed to do so.

Finally, the twisting metal of the Helix Bridge came into view, inviting us to cross it and explore the other side of the Marina further. Blue lights swirled over the metal frames crazily circling over the whole curving bridge, the dark waters below perfectly reflecting its grandeur.

I stepped on the bridge and its lights promptly went out. It apparently closes at exactly 12 midnight, a Cinderella on the run. Oh well, I hope the Mayans are wrong and the world isn’t going to end in a few day’s time. I promptly took out my notes and ticked another place to check out the next time I visit Singapore.

Marina Bay
Address: Marina Bay, Singapore
Open Hours: Open 24 Hours

GPS Coordinates: 1.286805,103.8542
View Location on Google Maps: Click Here

THIS SINGAPORE TRIP IS MADE POSSIBLE BY:
AIRASIA PHILIPPINES – NOW FLYING DIRECTLY TO SINGAPORE
HOTEL AND TRAVEL PACKAGE BY AIRASIAGO
SINGAPORE TOURISM BOARD

       THREE DAYS IN SINGAPORE TRIP ITINERARY & SUMMARY
       MANILA – CLARK – SINGAPORE | PERANAKAN LUNCH AT BLUE GINGER RESTAURANT | THE FLOWER DOME AT GARDENS BY THE BAY
       ABOVE AND BELOW GARDENS BY THE BAY’S CLOUD FOREST | FLYING HIGH AT THE SINGAPORE FLYER
       A NOCTURNAL RIDE AT THE NIGHT SAFARI | NIGHTS AT THE ROYAL PLAZA ON SCOTTS HOTEL
       AN ENCOUNTER WITH THE RIVER SAFARI’S GIANT PANDAS | LUNCH AT SENTOSA’S TASTES OF ASIA
       AN EVENING WALK AT THE ORCHARD ROAD | ELECTRIC NIGHTS AT THE MARINA BAY | HAWKERS HUNT FOR A FREEZING BOWL OF CHENDOL
       STARBUCKS GLOBAL ICON CITY MUG PLUS A FEW MORE | SINGAPORE – CLARK