Face to Face with Merlion

The Merlion, as the national symbol of Singapore, is the most visible tourist attraction. Who goes to Singapore without a picture with the Merlion statue in Merlion park?

The first time hubby went to Singapore – we weren’t married yet – he already got this plate as a souvenir:

Of course, it prominently displays the Merlion. While watching the fireworks in the Marina Bay area last week, Firstborn got an interesting lecture from his Dad regarding the legend of the Merlion. Singapore’s original name was Singapura to mean as a lion city. Prince Nila Utama gave this name to warn others about this dangerous island because he thought he saw a lion. Mer, on the other hand, means sea and refers to Singapore as formerly a fishing village. Thus, the Merlion.

This was the backdrop of that interesting lecture of a father to his son:

An imposing but grand Merlion awed us in Sentosa Island. This is the home of the biggest Merlion statue.

You can just imagine how many tourists pose for souvenir photos at the foot of this statue. No wonder my Dad told me not to leave Singapore without going to Sentosa Island.

We cannot leave Singapore without adding to our travel collection. As we cannot buy a souvenir plate anymore, we decided to buy these:

Still a Merlion!