A boy's-eye view of Singapore

HARRY SMALL, aged 9 years going on 10, writes about his trip to Singapore, with a bit of help from his Dad, Vernon Small.

I think the best part of our trip to Singapore might have been the flight there. It was my first international trip on a jumbo jet and it left early in the afternoon so I could play the computer games on Krisworld, the Singapore Airlines in-flight entertainment system.

It has a computer screen in the back of the seat in front of you, so you can choose what you want to watch, or listen to, or in my case play.

Dad watched a couple of movies and said it was better than being stuck with one on a big screen you had already seen, or didn't want to see.

At times it seized up or the plane's computer couldn't handle all the people logged on. But I played Super Mario most of the way - about eight hours out of the 10-hour trip. I'd never get away with that at home because I only get an hour a day on the computer.

The good thing is Dad knows I at least won't get bored, so he might take me to Europe some time. In fact I didn't even look down at Australia as we flew over.

On the way back we left in the evening so I only got a couple of hours on the games because I had to sleep, but it was hard in a chair.

Singapore was great too. It felt rich, crowded and hot! But otherwise it wasn't too different from home.

The hotel had a big swimming pool and I had about four swims a day to cool off, mostly with Rupert, the other boy on the trip. Swimming after dark was best when it was still really hot and you couldn't get sunburned.

The hotel had a talking lift, but it didn't seem very bright because it stated the obvious, like doors closing.

We had our own minibus to drive around in so we got to see heaps.

The cable-car ride to Sentosa was the first big thing, and I really liked Underwater World and feeding the koi fish at the Asian Village. There were thousands and they crowded around and ate right out of your hand.

I had read a lot about Fantasy Island and its 13 fun-filled rides and waterslides, but I was a bit disappointed because I only had one ride, on the Eye of the Storm, which was a really dull, slow river ride on inner tubes. The rest of them looked too risky and none of the adults seemed to want to go on them.

We had two great meals that day - prawns for lunch ( I tasted the shark fin soup but it was a bit yuk) and an Indonesian meal by the river, watching laser-light displays on the high-rises.

The day of animals and birds started at Jurong, with breakfast with the singing birds. Apparently no one thought we would want to hear them, because they had music playing over the loudspeaker.

Our guide Louis had that turned down and said he was going to mention it to them, so it might be better if you go.

We saw two shows - the hawks and birds of prey were the best. One undid shoelaces, but there were birds that rode bikes and one that told your fortune, as well as a huge penguin display, the second biggest in the world.

We even saw a kiwi (bird!). They've got the world's highest manmade waterfall, which seemed a bit odd. Like, why bother?

The zoo was OK and I saw elephants for the first time, and rhinos. But it was so hot we had a tram ride instead of walking and then some KFC (because I was getting a bit hungry for some familiar food). You could cuddle a monkey if you paid.

Night Safari was cool too, but I think Dad liked it more than me.

The best thing on land for me was the Science Centre. It had so many neat computer experiments and displays you could try I haven't got space to list them, but you could spend hours there - better than anything like it in New Zealand. They even had a model of Einstein going up and down on a rope with e=mc squared written on him.

Weird.

We did some other cool stuff, too - a ride on the underground called the MRT, and a chance to sit in the flight simulators at Singapore Airlines' training facility.

In Chinatown we had a tea-appreciation ceremony, which was seriously strange. It was boring at the time, but now I know my parents break all the rules and I can really have them on about it.

On the last day we bought a new computer game at the Funan Centre, which is a huge tower full of computer shops. I got Tiberian Sun, but we can't get it to run on our computer. We e-mailed the shop and they sent two pages of suggestions, which is pretty good service, I reckon.

Singapore is great fun if you get to go to all the kids' places, although the driving around gets a bit tiring. But the people were really kind to us kids and the fruit was absolutely delicious.

I'd love to go back, mainly to play on Krisworld again!

CASENOTES

GETTING THERE: Singapore Airlines flies direct to Singapore daily from Auckland with B747-400s, and codeshare twice-weekly on Air New Zealand's B767 services. From Christchurch, Singapore Airlines codeshares on Air New Zealand's daily B767 services to Singapore and also runs thrice-weekly Airbus A340s. If you are keen on being entertained with Krisworld ask your travel agent whether your flight is a Singapore Airlines one.

COSTS: A four-night package, including return economy flights on Singapore Airlines and twinshare accommodation in a three-star hotel, is about $1249 a person (but look out for specials). A four-night package staying at the five-star Meritus Negara is $1599, including breakfast.

HOTEL CONTACT: Meritus Negara Hotel, ph (0065) 737-0811, fax (0065) 737-9075. Rooms from S$280 a single, S$380 a double, to S$2800 for the top suite. Children under-12 sharing with an adult are free.

WHEN TO TRAVEL: Mid-winter, which coincides with the month-long, Singapore-wide sale. If you are travelling with a family, January would be a good time, when Singaporean students are back at school and the attractions are not so crowded.

ATTRACTIONS: Jurong Birdpark: ph (0065) 265 0022. Admission S$12 adult, S$5 child under-12. Monorail rides S$3. Best show: "The world of hawks" at 10 am daily, weather permitting. Sentosa Island: Admission: S$5 an adult and S$3 a child. Cable Car, ph (0065) 270 8855. Operates 8.30 am to 9 pm. Cost S$6.90 for an adult, S$3.90 a child. Ferry trip takes four minutes and costs S$2.30 return. Asian Village: Entry free, fun rides S$2 a ride. Night Safari: ph (0065) 269 3411. Open 7.30 pm to midnight. Admission S$15.45 adults, S$10.30 children. Tram rides S$5. Science Centre: ph (0065) 425 2500. Costs S$3 adult, S$1.50 child (closed Monday).

* Harry Small did cool stuff with the help of Singapore Airlines and the Singapore Tourism Board.