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We were at Mount Faber Park, enjoying the cool evening
breeze and the scenic view when my father suggested that
we go for a cable car ride to Sentosa. "It will be an
experience for the girls," Dad claimed as my mother
raised her eyebrows, questioning the wisdom of his
decision. "Please, Mum, may we?" I pleaded. I had never taken the
cable car before and was really looking forward to it.
Mum finally relented although she had insisted that it
was too late in the evening to visit the island and my
sister had to go to nursery school by nine the next
morning.
At the ticketing booth, Dad met his friend who happened
to be the station master. His friend told us that there
are eighty-one colorful cable cars in that station and
they cover a scenic 3.5 kilometers journey from Mount
Faber to
Sentosa in thirty leisurely minutes. The cabin doors
open and close automatically and each cabin can
accommodate four to six passengers. The station master
also told us to remain seated in the cabin and not to
touch the doors. We couldn't wait to get into one!
The cable car moved smoothly. As we descended from Mount
Faber, we could see the lush greenery in the evening
light. Looking ahead, Dad pointed out several majestic
colonial style bungalows with red-tiled roofs. He
explained that these were left by the British who once
ruled Singapore. They are a rare sight in Singapore
these days because of the scarcity of land. 90% of our
population live in Housing Board flats sold at
subsidized rates by the government. As we moved on, we
could see the green quay cranes of the Port of
Singapore's container terminal on Pulau Brani, one of
Singapore's many offshore islands. We also had a
bird's-eye view of Keppel Shipyard which has the oldest
dry dock in Singapore. The dock is 140 years old.
Suddenly , the cable car stopped. My sister panicked.
"Why? What's happening?" she asked anxiously. Dad
reassured her that it was only temporary and the cars
would move soon. A few minutes passed. I became uneasy
too. Could there be something wrong with the cable car?
I had read about the accident that had once happened.
Oh, no! What if the cable snaps? What if ? I held Mum's
hand tightly. Dad had his arms around my sister. He
looked composed. "Don't worry, it should get moving
soon. Probably, some technical problem." Then we felt a
jerk, the cable car started to move again. We heaved a
sigh of relief.
Those moments of anxiety failed to dampen my spirits. As
we approached Cable Car Towers, en-route to Sentosa,
several passengers alighted. My sister ran out of the
cabin. Neither my father's coaxing nor my mother's anger
could get her to come back. I had no choice but to
alight too. What a pity! She should be left at home till
she is older to appreciate the experience of a cable car
ride. |
