Strung out on a midnight tram

[austin_dern]

The cable car ride between Sentosa Island (a resort and amusement island, with a fort) and Mount Faber (highest point in Singapore, which isn't that high) caught a technical glitch yesterday, slowing it down so the ordinarily seven-minute ride took about a half hour. Riders weren't too inconvenienced; most enjoyed the extra time above Keppel Harbour, and besides there was a cruise ship with a live band underneath.

Naturally I missed it; while I did get to the island, I took my cable-car ride just before the problem. I enjoyed watching the Christmas-lights around the car ahead of me blinking, travelling into the night sky and the lightning. I only got to Fort Siloso, the beach, Rasa Sentosa inn, Volcanoland, the Sky Tower, and the Giant Merlion. I'll have to go back for Underwater World, Dolphin Lagoon, and the Maritime Museum. More on Sentosa anon, particularly Volcanoland --

Which was odd. If I may borrow the ``Uncanny Valley'' idea (suspicious as I am about catchy-named explanations of human behavior) -- it seems a successful goofy project has to be outlandish enough. If it's not intensely silly enough, you get as in Volcanoland an audience simply stunned. Eighteen people looked about asking asking, ``What was that?'' If the show were less goofy it'd be fine; if it were more goofy we'd have giggled along; as it was we were left baffled. How campy do you have to be for it to catch? I'll describe the oddness in detail later if I don't forget.

Trivia: Sentosa Island means ``island of peace and tranquility.'' This must be regarded as a step up from the island's pre-1972 name, ``Pulau Blakang Mati,'' which means, ``island of death to those left behind.'' Source: Street Names of Singapore, Dunlop Street.

Currently Reading: Polywater, Felix Franks.

Comments

sorry to hear about the delay.. ;P

[c-eagle.livejournal.com]

(2nd paragraph)... that's a lot of sights ya still managed to see tho!.. 8> nice.....

Re: sorry to hear about the delay.. ;P

[austin-dern.livejournal.com]

Oh, I wasn't delayed any. But it was good, if exhausting, fun and yes, there were a lot of sights to see. It's a tourist-attraction island, now anyway; it used to be home to three fortresses designed to keep Singapore secure.

if I ever get to asia again

[c-eagle.livejournal.com]

I may have to check it all out :>

Re: if I ever get to asia again

[austin-dern.livejournal.com]

I didn't realize you'd been in Asia before; when was that? Heck, it's hard to believe it's been three years since porsupah flew through here ...

wowsers.... well, let's see....

[c-eagle.livejournal.com]

*wings to beakchin and muses...*
Mostly back in the 1970s when I was a fledgeling... Japan and Hong Kong. *flap flap*

Re: wowsers.... well, let's see....

[austin-dern.livejournal.com]

Oh, that is a long time ago. When I was a cub in the 1970s we never went anymore more exotic than Washington, D.C. -- which was really enough, come to think of it.

[bunny-hugger.livejournal.com]

Have you been to Adventure Asia Park (http://www.rcdb.com/locationdetail1080.htm)? I ask because the Roller Coaster Database currently has one roller coaster listed there, but they note that they are unsure whether it is still there since AAP's web site no longer mentions it. Keeping the RCDB up to date is, of course, very imporant to us coaster geeks.

[austin-dern.livejournal.com]

Hm. I haven't been there, and looking through the Sentosa Island features map I don't see the park or the Asian Village it's supposed to be in. However, the map is phenomenally badly organized; the legend for example isn't ordered alphabetically or numerically. I'd have to provisionally say it's closed, though, since I don't think I'd overlook a roller coaster, but I've overlooked more obvious things in the past.