So the Titanic is here in Singapore. Yes, that Titanic, the one that was made famous in that biggest blockbuster movie of all time. But no, I don’t mean the entire ship, as those are still at the bottom of the ocean, but some of its rescued relics and some amazing replicas of the inside of the ship and its poignant history written on the walls with pictures – all housed in a museum that is here in Southeast Asia for the first time. Maya, Gay and I went to see it a couple of weeks ago and it was the best museum I have ever been into. I’m not really a huge fan of museums, but this one really got to me.
Okay, to be honest, I wasn’t really wowed by all those artifacts (sorry!) but I loved how they replicated the ship – that majestic staircase entering the ballroom was amazing; I could totally imagine myself as Rose sashaying down the stairs to meet Jack in a resplendent suit. I also loved the part that looked like the ship’s deck and you could look up at the dark sky shot through with stars and below to the gently lapping waves. They even replicated the engine room including the sounds. It was really awesome.
But what got to me most were the stories. I could barely keep my tears at bay while reading them. They wrote stories about the people who died on that ship. There was Captain Edward Smith, who told his wife and daughter that this would be his last sailing – and it was indeed, though not in the way he thought it would be. Then there was Ida, owner of Macy’s, who was asked to board a lifeboat but refused, saying, “I will not be separated from my husband. As we have lived, so will we die, together.” And there was the staggering data – that only 710 out of 2,223 passengers survived on that boat, and that out of all classes, only the first class passengers had more people who survived than died. Money really does matter.
Photography was not allowed inside, unfortunately, and I was scared I would get caned if I broke the rules (hello, this is Singapore), so I only got these couple of photos outside.
But the museum will be in Singapore until April 2012 so you still have time to catch it. Don’t dare miss it.
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