Chub and Merlions
(The Merlion on the shore: Singapore)
So it’s the equivalent of posing in front of the leaning tower of Pisa and pretending to push it over, but it’s still always going to be funny, isn’t it? This was the day that Ying, his sister and I went to Sentosa, but we made a stop here first as this is the original Merlion, symbol of Singapore. Now a history lesson; Singapore is actually quite new, it became independent in the 1960s and the name means ‘lion city’. Therefore when choosing a mascot or emblem for the new country, the lion was a must. I’m not really clear on the ‘mer’ part of the concept but since Singapore is an island and relies on a massive harbour, it makes some sense to me, however random the animal itself appears.
On the little resort island of Sentosa there is a Merlion of crazy proportions containing a shop at its base (selling general Merlion ephemera) and a staircase and viewing platform. Unfortunately there was no time to wait until nightfall and experience his LED studded body and the lasers shooting from his eyes. To be honest, the excitement would have surely been too much for me, as well as the fact that on this day I felt rather out of sorts. The sun and fun were taking their toll by this time and I think I was suffering a touch of heatstroke. I would also like to mention at this juncture that Ying and I are now suffering plump belly syndrome, in which the stomach swells with too much Singaporean cuisine. Our trousers have become a bit too tight and we will have to take up some form of rigorous regime to shed the extra chub.
