Asia's first Legoland opens in Malaysia
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Legoland Malaysia opens its doors to the public today, Sept 15, 2012. -- ST PHOTO: CAROLINE CHIA
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Visitors arrive for a media preview of Legoland Malaysia at Nusajaya in the southern state of Johor on Sept 14, 2012. -- PHOTO: REUTERS
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Guests are seen in front of the entrance to Legoland Malaysia during a preview in Nusajaya, Johor, southern Malaysia, on Saturday, Sept 1, 2012. -- PHOTO: AP
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Visitors wait in line to board the Observation Tower at Legoland Malaysia, on its opening day. -- ST PHOTO: CAROLINE CHIA
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Mr Siegfried Boerst (in blue shirt), General Manager of Legoland Malaysia, welcomes visitors to the theme park on the first day of its opening, Sept 15, 2012. -- ST PHOTO: CAROLINE CHIA
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Mr Siegfried Boerst, General Manager of Legoland Malaysia, greets visitors at the theme park with high-fives before the opening. -- ST PHOTO: CAROLINE CHIA
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Visitors taking photos of Buddy, a Lego character, who was at Legoland Malaysia, on the first day of its operations. -- ST PHOTO: CAROLINE CHIA
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Visitors pull themselves up with a rope at the Kid Power Towers attraction at Legoland Malaysia. -- ST PHOTO: CAROLINE CHIA
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Visitors steer their boats at the Boating School attraction at Legoland Malaysia, on its opening day. -- ST PHOTO: CAROLINE CHIA
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Legoland Malaysia opens its doors to the public today, Sept 15, 2012. -- ST PHOTO: CAROLINE CHIA
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Malaysian students ride on the 'Lego Technic' roller coaster ahead of the opening of Malaysia's Legoland park in Johor Bahru on Sept 14, 2012. -- PHOTO: AFP
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Reporter Nicholas Yong takes a break beside a man made of Lego in Legoland Malaysia, on Sept 14, 2012. ST PHOTO: KEVIN LIM
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Malaysian school children display their admission tickets ahead of the opening of Malaysia's Legoland park in Johor Bahru on Sept 14, 2012. -- AFP
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Visitors look on as a bus makes its way along Singapore's Boat Quay in the Miniland section of Legoland Malaysia, on Sept 14, 2012. -- ST PHOTO: KEVIN LIM
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School children brave the Project X, the fastest ride in Legoland Malaysia, on Sept 14, 2012. -- ST PHOTO: KEVIN LIM
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Miniature landmarks such as the Merlion and One Fullerton are featured in MiniLand, Legoland Malaysia, on Sept 14, 2012. -- ST PHOTO: KEVIN LIM
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Legoland in Malaysia -- MY PHOTO: GWENDOLYN NG
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Visitors pull themselves up with a rope at the Kid Power Towers attraction at Legoland Malaysia. -- ST PHOTO: CAROLINE CHIA
Legoland Malaysia opens its doors to the public today, Sept 15, 2012. -- ST PHOTO: CAROLINE CHIA
Visitors arrive for a media preview of Legoland Malaysia at Nusajaya in the southern state of Johor on Sept 14, 2012. -- PHOTO: REUTERS
Guests are seen in front of the entrance to Legoland Malaysia during a preview in Nusajaya, Johor, southern Malaysia, on Saturday, Sept 1, 2012. -- PHOTO: AP
Visitors wait in line to board the Observation Tower at Legoland Malaysia, on its opening day. -- ST PHOTO: CAROLINE CHIA
Mr Siegfried Boerst (in blue shirt), General Manager of Legoland Malaysia, welcomes visitors to the theme park on the first day of its opening, Sept 15, 2012. -- ST PHOTO: CAROLINE CHIA
Mr Siegfried Boerst, General Manager of Legoland Malaysia, greets visitors at the theme park with high-fives before the opening. -- ST PHOTO: CAROLINE CHIA
Visitors taking photos of Buddy, a Lego character, who was at Legoland Malaysia, on the first day of its operations. -- ST PHOTO: CAROLINE CHIA
Visitors pull themselves up with a rope at the Kid Power Towers attraction at Legoland Malaysia. -- ST PHOTO: CAROLINE CHIA
Visitors steer their boats at the Boating School attraction at Legoland Malaysia, on its opening day. -- ST PHOTO: CAROLINE CHIA
Legoland Malaysia opens its doors to the public today, Sept 15, 2012. -- ST PHOTO: CAROLINE CHIA
Malaysian students ride on the 'Lego Technic' roller coaster ahead of the opening of Malaysia's Legoland park in Johor Bahru on Sept 14, 2012. -- PHOTO: AFP
Reporter Nicholas Yong takes a break beside a man made of Lego in Legoland Malaysia, on Sept 14, 2012. ST PHOTO: KEVIN LIM
Malaysian school children display their admission tickets ahead of the opening of Malaysia's Legoland park in Johor Bahru on Sept 14, 2012. -- AFP
Visitors look on as a bus makes its way along Singapore's Boat Quay in the Miniland section of Legoland Malaysia, on Sept 14, 2012. -- ST PHOTO: KEVIN LIM
School children brave the Project X, the fastest ride in Legoland Malaysia, on Sept 14, 2012. -- ST PHOTO: KEVIN LIM
Miniature landmarks such as the Merlion and One Fullerton are featured in MiniLand, Legoland Malaysia, on Sept 14, 2012. -- ST PHOTO: KEVIN LIM
Legoland in Malaysia -- MY PHOTO: GWENDOLYN NG
Visitors pull themselves up with a rope at the Kid Power Towers attraction at Legoland Malaysia. -- ST PHOTO: CAROLINE CHIA
JOHOR BAHRU, Malaysia (AFP) - Asia's first Legoland theme park opened to packed crowds on Saturday in southern Malaysia, with its cluster of attractions expected to transform the sleepy region into a thriving tourist hub.
An eager crowd of 10,000 people visited the 76-acre theme park in Johor state - across a narrow waterway from Singapore - which features a variety of rides and thousands of Lego models made out of the popular toy bricks.
The visitors were greeted by costumed characters as confetti and balloons were launched into the air amid a special performance by a marching brass band from Denmark.
Back in 2011 earthmovers had flattened a vast expanse of oil palm-covered hills to make way for the 31-hectare theme park, one of the main attractions of a new city and economic zone called Iskandar Malaysia.
