Singapore Zoo

Wrote this a little a little while ago and never posted it but, went to the zoo today and thought it was an apposite time to post it. Nothing's changed, it's still great value and entertainment!

Situated at the heart of the Central Catchment Area in the north of the Island, Singapore Zoo is one of the larger jewels in the country’s richly encrusted crown. Popular with locals and tourists alike, the zoo lays claim to an extensive collection of animals (over 2500 at last count) and numerous attractions. There is more than enough to keep a family occupied for a day and still want to come back for more. The Zoo sprawls over 28 hectares, a big space in a small country. This means that even when the car park is busy there is still space inside to call your own. The Zoo opens out in front of you as you explore the many pathways that lead from the entrance through the primeval feeling tropical plants. Exhibits nestle in amongst the green, lush plants and flowers that adorn the zoo making it a much more natural experience than some other old concrete relics.

There are several big draws when it comes to the animals themselves, chief among them the orang-utans. The ‘free-ranging’ buffoonery (the collective noun for the group), live in a very large enclosure which allows them to roam through the trees above your heads, the young orang-utans being gently chided by the patriarch of the group. For something really special, get there early to experience breakfast with these “men of the forest” (advance bookings are recommended). Other animals get their meal times throughout the day so you will always be guaranteed to be able to watch the inhabitants enjoy their food, whether it is the Water Monitor Lizards, Lions or Chimpanzees. You can even feed some of them yourself although I wouldn’t recommend volunteering to feed the King Cobra!

Arriving early is advisable, especially with younger children. You get to enjoy the coolest part of the day and there’s still plenty of shade for the little ones. It is also the quietest time of the day, Singaporeans are not renowned for getting up and out too early! The whole Zoo is stroller and wheelchair friendly (wheelchairs can be obtained at the entrance at no extra cost), with all attractions being accessible via ramps. If you get fed up with pushing a stroller, why not opt for one of the electric scooters that are available to hire? You can even put the kids to work by pulling one of the wagons available to rent. Mind you, it's hot work when the sun comes out (I can fully testify to that!)

  In addition to these modes of transport you can also catch the tram (Adults S$5, Children S$3), which runs regularly throughout the day and covers a large amount of the park with unlimited hop-on hop-off stops all day. Another, more serene, way of getting about is to take the boat ride (Adults S$6, Children S$3.50) across the reservoir.

Singapore Zoo prides itself on being a learning zoo and as such has many extra exhibits to help young and old learn a little bit more about what they are seeing in front of them. In addition to this are the shows that go on through the day and are free to attend. These include Elephants at Work and Play, The Rain Forest Fights Back and Splash Safari which is held in the impressive Shaw Foundation Amphitheatre.

Kids can run wild but, be warned, if they reach the water park before you do then you’ll be there half the day! Fortunately this is no bad thing as the water park is a step up from the usual wet plays. It boasts slides, tubes, fountains and huge buckets of water periodically emptying over gleeful children’s (and occasionally adult’s) heads. If this sounds a little risky then fear not, as with most things in Singapore, safety was at the forefront during the design. The kids play until they are tired out at which point you can relax for lunch at one of the five restaurants and fast food outlets on offer. Unlike some tourist attractions the price of the food is very reasonable and tastes good too ranging from Asian to Western cuisine.

There are many ways to get to the zoo via public transport, however, due it’s location I would recommend taking a taxi ride there. Although I wouldn’t always recommend this as the mode of transport to use in Singapore it does save you time to enjoy the rest of the day and is not that expensive. This is especially true if you are travelling with children.

DO remember to bring your sunscreen, sunglasses, rain poncho and swimwear (including the adults, you’ll regret it if you don’t, one way or the other!).

DON’T expect to cover the whole zoo in a day. You will likely exhaust yourself in this very humid atmosphere and not end up enjoying it as much as if you relax and just take it easy.

Loveerly....

Early morning swim with the kids on a bright, sunny blue day. No need for the factor 50 with a cooling shadow cast by the complex towers.
Yesterday D took to swimming on his own in the pool. Quite a step forwards. Today he's decided he can jump in on his own. Now obviously his sister wants to as well. Not quite as convincing! Lovely morning. Then back for breakfast after working up a suitable appetite.
Spent most of yesterday at Singapore Zoo. Our first major excursion since we arrived. A bright, sunnny, humid (goes without saying) day greeted us as walked up to the MRT at Buona Vista. D absolutely loves travelling on the trains which makes the journey a breeze. Took about 45 minutes to get to our stop amid much amusement for other passengers having D repeatedly say hello and telling them how much he likes his new home. I'm guessing the novelty of seeing Western kids about probably won't wear off while we're here. And the kids love the attention!
The zoo itself was lovely and pretty busy. I think we're going to get a season ticket which means we can pop along any time without feeling like we've got to say and see everything at once. Lots of flora and fauna that we hadn't seen before. Something else I'd never seen before was entire Japanese families riding round the zoo on mobility scooters. Not even getting off to look at the exhibits. Maybe they had the right idea (although it was a bit weird), because after only a few hours you could feel the humidity tugging at you, so rather than slog it out with two young kids we decided to come back home. Taxi time. Good plan. It took only about 20 minutes for $14 which, when you're a bit frazzled, is a bargain!
Then sleeps for mum & D while Zoe and I played the afternoon away. I don't know where she gets the energy!

Saturday shopping

Hmmm, my blog entry for yesterday seems to have turned up on the blog today. Nevermind!
Went out last night to buy a laptop so that we might actually get to Skype some people. Jollied down to City Hall on the MRT to check out the electronics scene down there. Must've got there at around 1930 and had a little look around but decided that, if I was going to do business, then some food was in order. Aside from the fact that whatever I ordered in the food hall had the guys behind the kiosk killing themselves with laughter (I think they thought it was going to blow my head off. They ended up more amused that I left the cucumber (I just can't stand it!)), the food was actually very nice (and yes, little spicy).
So, by 2015 I was ready to do business. Shame no one else was. All the outlets closed up while I was being laughed at! I did find one open however and realising that one of T's colleagues had satisfactorily bought one there a few days ago I dived in. 45 minutes later I had successfully purchased a laptop, leads, printer, more leads and some software to redeem at Sim City. Well, to be honest most of the stuff was thrown in or done at cost. Not a lot of haggling, just a lot of asking how cheap they could  do it. Not the most intense experience but quite a friendly one, ending with one of the salesman asking my advice on mobile phones (I just bought an HTC Desire, leave the maps at home and look like you know where you're going!). Now all we have to do is get the flippin router online!
Off to the zoo tomorrow.