F1 season just passed Singapore a couple of weeks ago. Mine kick started with me winning the invitations to the Ferrari Party @ Maritime Experiential Museum & Aquarium (MEMA). I was the first few to experience the museum and also catch a glimpse of the F1 racersFernando AlonsoandFelipe Massa.
All dressed up.
Of course I had my hubby with me on that wonderful night. We got to capture photos of the gorgeous race girls, posed with the life-sized model of Ferrari race cars and most of all, toured the Museum before they open their doors on the 15th October.
We arrived on ground level and spotted Universal Studios and MEMA is on the other end, near the Candylicious store. We crossed the little bridge and see what greeted us!
After some refreshment and nuts, we decided to tour the museum...
MEMA is about experiencing the Silk Route, making history interactive, not just textbooks, photos and words. Stepping into the Museum is like embarking on an adventure. Let me introduce them one by one to you.
The Mighty Bao Chuan
Standing right in the middle of the museum is the full sized replica of the bow of Admiral Zheng He's treasure ship (Bao Chuan) to greet the guests. Learn about Admiral Zheng He's voyages from China to the Western Ocean and his mighty fleet during the 15th Century.
Guests can sit right before the bow to watch an introductory animated video of his journeys before heading off deeper into the museum.
This is what they visualized the back of Bao Chuan would look like... Reminded me simply too much of Noah's Ark.
Souk Gallery
Here, vistors will be able to learn about some of the goods that mariners like Zheng He traded and collected along the Maritime Silk Route, including ceramics, musical instruments, arts and crafts, fabrics and jewelry. The Gallery was very informative and we got to learn how cultures were shared and what each country was specialty was. Along the way, we had very friendly staff to explain every details to us....
First stop, Quan Zhou. We saw some of the items sailors used in China. Food and opera was the entertainment then.
Then, we stepped into Qui Nhon (Vietnam)
Then a interactive trading game at Palenmbang
Coins displayed at the Malacca shows the Chinese influence there....
At Galle, one would learn about the great travellers and their travels: Faxian, Marco Polo, Ibn Battuta and Zheng He
I stood right next to Zheng He that night.
Of course there has got to be a snake charmer at Calicut, India!
Spices anyone?
Fragrance lamps hang right above our heads at Hormuz.
Persian shoes remind me of Sex And The City 2. On the right shows the weaving machine that's used to create Persian Carpets.
Last stop. Know where we are at?
Right! Malindi, Africa.
The Jewel of Muscat
The Jewel of Muscat, is a replica of a 9th Century Arab dhow. Be awed and learn about its reconstruction and its historic voyage from Oman to Singapore.
It is a gift from the Sultanate of Oman to the Government and People of the Republic of Singapore. It has sailed in sea for 68 days, covering 3580 nautical miles to Singapore and is now housed permanently at MEMA.
Totally built using 9th century Arab shipbuilding methods without using nails or screws, but with Coconut Fibers, the dhow stands 18 meters long and 6 meters wide. The main sails were handmade from canvas linen and secondary sails made of palm leaves.
See the little bucket on the bottom right? That's where the sailors poop!
We crossed this barricade and we were brought into another world.
Typhoon Theatre
Experience the wrath of the sea in the Typhoon Theatre, a 360 degree multimedia theatre that takes visitor on a perilous voyage on board a 9th century Chinese junk. Laden with cargo, the ship runs into a storm. The sea roars, the skies darkens and the ship rolls, pitches, turns and finally sinks. At the end, the ship's passengers find themselves in the depths of the ocean, up close with the shipwreck. Totally a 4D experience ride...
That's where we are going....
A little preshow introduction....
A 180 degrees view of the screen.
One satisfied museum visitor!
Curious to know what happens on the floor below. But guess can only know when the museum is officially opened.
Then, there was this other attraction that we didn't get to experience that day. But I guess when the museum is opened on 15th Oct, visitors can hop right on...
Historic Ships
Look out for the five life-size replicas of Historic Ships berthed at the Museum's Harbors where visitors can go on board to experience how life on deck was like. Consisting of a Chinese junk, an Indian dhow, a Javanese jong, an Indonesian borobudur, and a South China Seas trading vessel, these ships bring to life the experience of ancient seafaring ways by allowing visitors on board, further enhancing the 'maritime' experience.
So, that's my tour of MEMA. Stay tuned for my part 2 post where I got to see the Ferrari drivers and take upclose and personal photos with them.
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