Singapore Icons

As a tourist, the first things I want to see in a place are the icons of the place. For Singapore, it would be the Merlion and the Esplanade Theaters.

Singapore Merlion - The merlion is a statue with the head of a lion and the body of a fish. Its name comes from a portmanteau of mermaid and lion. The merlion was designed by Fraser Brunner for the Singapore Tourism Board in 1964 and was used as its logo up to 1997. The Merlion continues to be its trademark symbol.

Other merlion replicas can be found in Sentosa (the version is much taller and bigger). There is also one small merlion just behind the original merlion.

Esplanade Theaters -  is a waterside building located on six hectares of waterfront land alongside Marina Bay near the mouth of the Singapore River, purpose-built to be the centre for performing arts for the island nation of Singapore. Taking its name from the nearby Esplanade, It contains a 1,600 seat concert hall and a 2,000 seat theatre for the performing arts.

The unique architectural design has been said to have an appearance similar to either a durian (a tropical fruit) or the eyes of a fly. Many Singaporeans casually refer to the Esplanade as "The Durian".