Singapore: April 6 - 15

Wednesday, April 12 2006 : Sentosa Island

Zoo day! After entering in all the data into the budget last night Brian began to feel a little better. Apparently lots of purchases don’t necessarily equate to lots of dollars spent! The clouds were threatening this morning as we gobbled down yet another huge buffet breakfast. The sun snuck out just enough though for all of us to grab some pool time for a couple of hours.

Shortly after noon, we packed up our bag and the kids and it was time to head off. We opted to save some $ and explore the subway system a little further. Our destination was the Singapore Zoo and its companion park, the Night Safari. We had heard incredible things about both so we were just hoping they lived up to their hype. The weather was really getting hot and humid as we headed out, so the subway was a refreshing break. After 2 changes (really, really easy ones) and 35 minutes, we got off at the closest interchange for the zoo. The plan was to catch a cheap cab ride from here and head directly to the zoo. Or at least that was Brian’s plan. Apparently once the others saw the KFC and the Golden Arches Brian’s plan was thrown out the window. The argument was that lunch outside the zoo would be considerably cheaper than lunch inside the zoo. Brian’s argument that no lunch is cheaper than either option just didn’t fly and the others just laughed at Brian’s abstaining from lunch on general principles.

After a very cheap cab ride (they are very cheap here in Singapore), we managed to arrive at the zoo shortly before 2:00. It was hotter and more humid than ever, and we were dripping by the time we purchased our tickets for the two parks. Getting the two park pass turned out to be considerably cheaper. Despite the heat we also opted out of the heavily recommended tram rides which cost a great deal.

Singapore zoo may not have been the largest zoo we ever visited but it would certainly rank as one of the most beautiful. There was more greenery here than we have ever seen in a zoo before and the exhibits were for the most part very large. They also had very different (Asian centric) animals from what we were used to seeing with a big focus on reptiles (more kinds of crocodiles and caimans than you can imagine) and primates. They boast the largest primate collection of any zoo and we believed it. Most were the Asian apes such as Orangutans and Gibbons etc. but there were also large troops of chimps and baboons. Some of what we had learned in our travels must have caught on, because for the most part we didn’t require the signage anymore to tell us what we were looking at. We already recognized many of the species.

The zoo was deceptively large and it really took us a good 3+ hours to cover it all. We were one of the last groups out as it closed at 6:00. We were totally sweat covered and water was just pouring down our faces but it had been a wonderful afternoon and we would recommend a visit to the Singapore Zoo as one of the highlights of the city.

Exiting the zoo we began our search for a place to grab a quick bite of dinner. The night safari place located only a hundred yards down the road didn’t open until 7:30. The Night Safari boasts being the only zoo of its kind. It is outfitted with very low wattage lights and a bunch of zoo staff to help ensure the visitors don’t get too lost on the darkened footpaths. Sierra was delighted when it turned out that the cheapest place to chow down was KFC. While she stocked up on popcorn chicken (AGAIN!!!!), Deb and Brian couldn’t face fried food and opted for some salads. After dinner we headed over to the other park and caught the “pre-opening” show which featured a bunch of blow gun touting, fire eating dancers. It was a big hit with the kids because of all the fire stunts. Even Deb and Brian had to agree it was pretty impressive watching as 12 foot long flames burst from these guys’ mouths. The time was quickly killed and it was almost time to enter the zoo when Brian noticed the stream of people already going in. Turns out the 7:30 number is really just what they advertise. Given the zoo’s popularity they try to avoid stampedes in the dark to they start letting people into the area as early as 7:00.

This was a truly wonderful experience. The darkened paths and low lighting didn’t interfere too much with the nocturnal behaviors of the animals. While we couldn’t see the colors as clearly as we could in the day time, we certainly saw a lot more activity from animals not usually seen. In the Calgary Zoo we have an animal called a Binturong (like a large lazy raccoon that never moves). Here there were several of them all very, very active. One traversed a rope above our heads while we were watching the show. We managed to catch a “creatures of the night show” which was fun and worth the time but for the most part we opted to wander around the different loops on foot. We certainly didn’t feel like we missed anything by opting out of the tram rides.

Our favorite section was certainly the Leopard Trail. As well as the large cats, this loop contained several huge enclosures that we wandered through. These contained Singapore’s famous giant flying squirrels and giant fruit bats. The key word here is “Giant”. They certainly were (can you say Canada Goose size?) and we got very close to both of them. The number and types of cats were also very cool. We had never seen the Clouded Leopard before so it was especially neat. We all really loved the zoo, especially Sierra whose super keen eyes somehow allowed her to spot virtually all the animals before anybody else. The only negative thing was the humidity. As the sun went down, the temperature dropped a couple of degrees. Unfortunately the humidity climbed up from 97% in the afternoon to something much higher.

After a couple more hours, we managed to snag a cab and enjoyed the air conditioning for our 30 minute ride back to the hotel. It was a full and fun day.

Thursday, April 13, 2006: Sentosa Island, Singapore

After getting in late the night before and then grabbing some late night showers everybody enjoyed the opportunity to sleep in. For Brian that meant 7:00. Everybody else revolted when he tried to get us up at 7:30 and we managed a record setting 8:30 am. The morning was largely spent doing homework. Essays and math for Brennan, while Sierra put in several hours on her multi-media project on China. The objective was to get this report done so that we could burn the CD and get it off to her school mates back home.

Shortly after noon we grabbed a taxi back towards the airport. Our destination was the Changi Prison Museum and Chapel. This free museum talks about the famous World War II prison camp where the Japanese interned British, Australian, Malay and Chinese prisoners of war and civilians. This was supposed to be one of the worst prisons during the war in the pacific, and has been made famous by several written accounts including King Rat by James Clavell. The museum was very explicit focusing on first hand accounts of the conditions and the treatment. It was an excellent museum and well worth the cab fare to see it.

Leaving the museum, we caught a cab out to the Seafood Center. This is a group of beach fronted restaurants located half way between the airport and the city and we were looking for an early dinner. The restaurants here were famous for the local island specialty of “Black Pepper Crab”. This is an incredibly messy crab dish that is truly delicious. Sierra opted for a beef and rice dish while Brennan selected the tried and true sweet and sour pork dish. Debbie and I opted for Sichuan Prawns, Pepper Crab and oh yeah…. the world famous jelly fish appetizer.

Sierra wasn’t too sure about the jelly fish but Brennan sure gobbled them down. We had the prawns spiced up with a little extra zing and it was sure worthwhile. With the crab we had to give up on any pretense of staying clean. The only way to do it was to roll up our sleeves and get mucky with it! Governed in goo and black pepper we managed to lean back 20 minutes later and smile. This is what Singapore was all about!

It was still early and there weren’t a lot of cabs around but eventually we got lucky. It was a quiet evening as we sat back digesting crab and prawns. A little more post-dinner homework and planning for Australia and it was time for bed.

Friday, April 14, 2006: Sentosa Island, Singapore

This was our last full day in Singapore so we spent it trying to do all our last minute things we had to get done before Australia. This meant a lot of internet time doing last minute hotel and car bookings in the hard to book places. The kids also managed to get their homework projects wrapped up. Sierra’s China project video turned out really great so all we have to do now is mail it off.

Towards the middle of the afternoon we were pretty much planned and booked out. Deb and Brian decided to head out back into town and check out Chinatown one last time and see if they could find some last minute purchases with Easter just around the corner. After hunting around for a while Debbie finally found the object of her desire… a “Swenson’s Ice Cream Parlor”. Forget the kids who were sitting back in the hotel playing games and watching movies, it was time to chow down on some hamburgers and ice cream! After putting away what looked like a huge lunch (Brian held back as a sign of solidarity with the kids who were missing out), Debbie was ready to hit the road again. (Now for the truth, Brian suggested I get ice cream just to bug the kids and then he didn’t have any of the food when it was offered.) We finally found the second object of her desire (Easter Candy) in a small shop closer to the harbour front.

Time to go back and rub it into the kids as to what they missed out on! Teach them to stay back. (Brian’s thoughts……)

Saturday, April 15, 2006: Sentosa Island, Singapore

Our last partial day in Singapore started at 6:00 am with Brian pounding away on the computer trying to get the journaling caught up. Our objective was to try and get our Singapore materials up on the website before we leave. We managed to get our Canadian taxes finalized and sent off last night and had arranged for a late afternoon check out. The morning has been spent packing and repacking. After 9 days, things had managed to get a bit spread out. By now however we are getting pretty good at packing things up. We have a mid evening flight out but have to check out of the hotel by 3:00. That gives us a fair bit of time at the airport. Fortunately the airport here is much better equipped than was the one in Manila. With wireless internet and everything we don’t doubt that the time should pass pretty quickly.

Deb also took a couple of hours to visit the very interesting historical site of Fort Siloso. It was built by the British in the late 1800’s and then played a prominent role in the short lived defense of Singapore in WWII. Well worth a trip if you are interested in modern history.

Singapore has been just what the doctor ordered after such a long time in Asia. It certainly gave us a chance to recharge our batteries and catch up on planning for what feels like the last leg of this wonderful trip. We are on to Australia tonight and we are all looking forward to our visit to the land down under with its wallabies and red wine! See ya Singapore! It’s been great. G’day Australia! ( NEXT PAGE )