Friday 31 July 2015

Frugal Friday #10 - Maritime gallery

It's our 10th Frugal Friday post. And yes, it's looking like our final till the motivation comes on again. We will defnitely continue our hunt interestingly. 

This series isn't exactly demanding, but we do have other agendas for accomplishment too. I hope the its has in a way or another been informative to you and your family. If you've noticed, I had really wanted this series to run indoor, just so we can escape the tormenting heat from the outdoor. Great for the sun allergic people like me. 

Our 10th journey brought us to the Maritime gallery, which was officially opened in 2012. We know Singapore is a very busy port for its strategic location and here's where we learned how it transformed into one of the World's leading International Maritime Centres.

All set to sail
We were welcomed by a little crafty gift at its reception before we began our maritime journey. In the first area we entered, an overview video of the maritime industry was supposed to be shown, but it seemed to be on medical leave that day. There was no video for viewing. 

We walked through exhibits and interactive displays of how the Maritime brings us our daily necessities like rice, oil and medical supplies. Learned about our strategic position along the global trade routes. I like how thoughtful the place is by stationing stools at the higher levelled displays for little kids to access.

Interactive connectivity table

We cruised through the milestones in Singapore's transformation from a simple fishing village into a major port and International Maritime Centre. Along the way, Jare was very attracted by the various ship models. And one that he could remember vividly was the cruise liner, which he knew he had much experience of fun on it during vacation. This boy somehow recollect fun memories more quickly than academic memories. 

Much memories in a cruise liner

We learned how Singapore stays at the forefront of technological innovations to be a major hub port in the world in midst of buzzing with activities around the clock. We read that at any one time, there are some one thousand ships in port, with one entering or leaving every minute. It was a good chance to know what keeps the world's busiest port running. 

The Ship bridge Simulator attracted Js to get into the role of a ship captain. With help from the man, they got their hands on to steer the different types of vessels in our port waters. It was like the real thing and interestingly fun. There's so much technologies used to manage traffic in this busiest port.

Ship Bridge Simulator

The gallery is a great place to introduce insights about the Maritime industry, a great place for students who are in midst of choosing this career path. The various roles in the industry were explicitly exhibited. Js were a little too young to comprehend the heavy taxed information, but I'm glad it wasn't exactly a redundant trip too.

There were simple terms which we've picked out for Js to comprehend. We talked about the parts of a ship, the anchor, hull, the bow which refers to the front part of the ship and beam being a term referred to the width of the ship. At least we've some new knowledge for takeaway.

We continued our water journey and entered the lookout area which I thought was really cool. All of us had a go on its binoculars. This excited Jazz as she saw how magnified the afar ships were.

Lookout area

The final part was most definitely the kids' highlight, where they had some free play at its specially designed 'Fun at Sea' children's corner. It wasn't at all crowded during the time of our visit and that sweetened their playtime. The kids helped themselves to the provided duplo and interactive digital games, and Jazz worked on the craft given to her upon entering the gallery. We sat, stoned and vegetated till they had to close at 5:30pm. I love it that we sat and watched them play with no rush. Just how perfect that makes a Sunday.

'Fun at sea' children's corner


And I thought that was a good way to end our day. Not till, we read about its outdoor playground on its rooftop. I knew we had to take a look. The view was breathtaking! We enjoyed the breeze and admired the horizon while the kids played. The only sign we knew we had to go was when our rumbling tummies signaled us to go. It was calling us for dinner!

What made it even reluctant for us to move was the appearance of a rainbow! It was just to hard to go. We tarried a little longer.


Zoomed out for the rainbow!

Nature is always therapeutic to the soul. We had a great time indoor and outdoor. Oh, it can get pretty cold in there, bring a cardigan along.

After which, we settled dinner at Santa Fe, a restaurant in a stationary ship just by the pier. It serves Mexican American food. Not too bad and kid's meal portion was huge. However, it wasn't too long that we could stay in there, I got sea sick! A very interesting dining experience in Singapore though.

Dinner on board!

I guess, a little of indulgence after a series of frugal Friday is quite guilt free. Have a great weekend ahead!


Singapore Maritime Gallery
Address: 31 Marina Coastal Drive, Marina South Pier, Singapore 018988.
Operating hours: 9am to 5:30pm (Closed on Mondays, except for public holidays)
Tel: 6325 5707
Nearest MRT: Marina South Pier, exit B 
FREE admission


This is part 10 of the Frugal Friday series:
Frugal Friday #1 - SAM
Frugal Friday #2 - SPM
Frugal Friday #3 - Reflections at Bukit Chandu  
Frugal Friday #4 - National Museum
Frugal Friday #5 - Paranakan Museum
Frugal Friday #6 - ACM
Location: Koh Sek Lim Road
Nearest MRT Stations : Tanah Merah (Exit A)
Bus Services available : 12, 24, 31 & 38 - See more at: http://www.pub.gov.sg/water/newater/contactus/Pages/default.aspx#sthash.bNklGxHD.dpuf
Location: Koh Sek Lim Road
Nearest MRT Stations : Tanah Merah (Exit A)
Bus Services available : 12, 24, 31 & 38 - See more at: http://www.pub.gov.sg/water/newater/contactus/Pages/default.aspx#sthash.bNklGxHD.dpuf
Frugal Friday #7 - Army Museum
Frugal Friday #8 - Singapore Discovery Centre 
Frugal Friday #9 - NEWater Visitor Centre


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