Day Trip with Pink Dolphin Pictures

There is an island just across from Singapore called Sentosa. It's a fairly small island, but they are building it up into a tourist resort and recreational area. We'd been wanting to see it, so we just took the day off and went. There is a huge mall called Vivo City. Not only is it a mall, but this is where you check-in and board if you are going on one of the huge cruise ships that come through here touring South East Asia. It is so funny to see people traisping through the mall to get upstairs to the second floor trailing their suitcases behind them! There is also a place from the mall to catch one of the various boats that offer a lunch, tea or dinner cruise around. There is also a mono-rail that runs across the channel to Sentosa Island. We took the mono-rail over.

You buy a one day ticket for $3 each. That's good for all day to gain access to the mono-rail, the Sentosa bus system and the tram system - this is how you get around the island - unless you care to walk alot and sweat alot. And we all know how Debbie feels about the sweating thing. There are beaches with pristine white sand - which they ship in from the other side of the Indonesian Islands, but people mostly still do not swim because the ships are just right out there and keep the water too churned up. Lots of little snack places, restaurants, several hotels, a big park, an aquarium and a dolphin lagoon.

We went first to the aquarium. It's a pretty good place with a bunch of different tanks to look at - beautiful coral and tropical fish - gorgeous colors. There is a tank where you can put your hand in and all these cute little fish will swim over and the kids can touch them. There's also a big tank where you can do the same thing with sting-rays. They felt kind of like velvet. Then you go downstairs and enter this plexiglass tunnel. You just stand on the people mover, it moves you through the tunnel - people don't bump into each other as much when they're watching. The aquarium is all around you - both sides and over head. It is so interesting. We saw some incredible fish - many of which come out of the waters of South east Asia. They will not let you use a flash inside, so most of those pictures do not come out. Next time I go, I'll try my tripod, although I'm not sure how that's going to work - fish are moving and the people mover is moving! Very cool place and we really enjoyed it!

Then on to the Dolphin Lagoon. Big place, chairs all around the lagoon, dolphin show. The differences in this one and others we have seen - these chairs are just plastic lawn chairs you pick up yourself and put them down anywhere you want. No bleacher type seats. You are actually walking and sitting on the sand. Very low maintenance. Awnings up almost down to the water for shade. They let you have drinks and ice cream and - Basil was so excited - beer. It was so different from anything we've ever been to like this. The "show arena" was actually an inlet from the sea, nothing finished like a pool, just sand - not the shipped in kind - and salt water. They have these barricades to keep the dolphins in, but they said even if they get a break in the net, the dolphins never leave the area.

Oh and did I happen to mention ---- the dolphins are PINK. That's right pink. I had never seen a pink dolphin. They start out as grey, then as they get older and mature, they turn pink. They are beautiful. They performed their tricks, then they will let people come in the water one or two at a time to pet them. Abby - you're going to get to do that! They also have a "get in the water and interact with them" program, but Abby - you have to be 6 yrs old to do that.

Here's some pictures of them and I'm going to attempt to also put a little video clip on here, too. We'll see how that little manuever turns out - Shari hasn't walked me through this part yet, so I'm winging it here!

This was after the program when you could purchase an extra ticket and stand in line to pet the dolphin. This one is a male about 7 years old they said. Notice the grey splotches on his head and from the middle of his fin back he is still alot grey. That's because he's still young. They are no longer considered "young" dolphins any more when they are around 14 yrs old. When they had him swim on his back and you could see his underside - it's almost all pink. They start turning pink at their snout and the color change works its way all the way to its tail.
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He's got his mouth open waiting for a treat from his trainer!+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
This picture Basil could not resist snapping. We were watching this unfold. This woman was there in her burqa (pronounced burk - ah) with her six children. Beautiful, expensive - you can tell by the blue embroidery on it. When her youngest wanted to go in the water to pet the dolphin, but was afraid, this lady started to go in the water - burqa and all. One of the female trainers stopped her and helped the little girl. The male trainers were just going to let her go in! The lady would also only talk to the female trainers. The little girl finally did go in, with the trainer's help, and pet the dolphin. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Video of the pink dolphin - hope this works!