Singapore Sojourn - The Merlion Story

My aha moment came when I was researching Singapore attractions. Merlion was a must-visit, they said. Merlion.......now what could it be? I deciphered the word and there it was....mer and lion. (Ain't i clever!)  
A creature with the head of a lion and body of a fish. Pretty much like a mermaid which has an upper body of a maiden and tail of a fish. Incidentally, as Merlion is the icon of Singapore, Mermaid is an icon of Copenhagen. I wonder if there are any more varieties of mers? 

Now that the mystery behind Merlion was solved, there seemed another logical connection. The word Singapore seemed to be made up of "singh" (lion) and "pur" (city). Trust Brits to anglicise "pur" as "pore" (Jaipur - Jaipore). Singapur literally means a city of lions. Here comes the story behind the name. Once upon a time, there was a Javanese prince. When he landed on this island, he spotted a strange creature and was told that it was a lion. So he named the city as Singapura.
However, in ancient times, this city was called Temasek (sea town). 

The symbol of Merlion was designed by one Mr. Brunner, for the logo of Singapore tourism board. It commemorated both the names - lion ( from Singapura) and the sea ( from Temasek). Since then, Merlion has become an icon of Singapore. 

When we first visited the Merlion Park at One Fullerton, it was late in night. By the time we were ready to shoot our customary Patel shot, the Merlion just dried up. Yes sir! He declared himself to be tired and stopped gurgling water. Imagine a tourist with his mouth agape, standing at a perfect angle, all ready for his next FB cover picture, when the lion calls it a day. We never knew that the Merlion too retired at nights. Anyway, without the water, the shots would have been incomplete and our whole Singapore experience would have been questioned. So we decided to make it on another day. By the way, someone please tell the Singapore tourism board that they need to do a better job with the pipe in Merlion's mouth. It's unaesthetic and plain unSingaporean. And while they are at it, a good scrub in the front wouldn't be amiss.

The next time we made it to the Merlion was on the 9th day of our 9 day trip. We had gone to watch a 6D show at the Flyer and then decided to walk till the Merlion. It was a hot day and by the time we reached Esplanade, we got so exhausted  that D suggested to shoot pictures from there itself and be done with it. I gave in to practicality and took a few snaps. But then, the Merlion was too small and we were too big. So like a true tourist, I decided not to be lazy and earn my 'been there, done that" moment by walking till the Merlion. 

The place was crowded and we had to wait for our turn to take shots. I never thought I would fall in the trap of posing for the "drinking from the Merlion" shot but when a tourist, do as tourists do and so I did try to give it a shot. D can't be trusted with such shots and the proof lies in the pudding. There goes water right behind me!

In his defence, it was mind-bogglingly hot, a toddler was to be constantly monitored and a stream of tourists had to be contended with.

Merlion stops spouting water between 11 pm and  6:30 am. We saw the Merlion both in night and in daytime. Both have their charms but I am glad we went again during daytime because my night photography is not upto the mark. 

I chanced upon this fun-manual on the internet.

I think I have tried the second pose.

Well, again I didn't do a great job in supporting the leaning tower but I did try :) Also, the picture is from the pre-digital era where we did not have the luxury to take as many shots as we fancied. (Note for my Mom and didi: I found this picture within 30 seconds after I commenced my search. Hence proved, my house is not that cluttered!).

Referring to the manual, I have been in the 1st and 7th situations too, but never tried those poses. Will definitely refer to this guide if I visit any of the above attractions now! 

For the record, there are four other official statues of Merlion in Singapore. The original one comes with a cub, facing the other side in the park. The third is at Mt. Faber. 

The fourth at Sentosa.

This is not a horizontal one. Try as I might, I am not able to post this picture upright! So there:) 

And the fifth is near the tourism board office.

So whenever you reach the shores of this interesting country, choose the Merlion you want to hang out with. My vote goes to the one at One Fullerton.