Detour – Singapore 04 (Part 3)

The Singapore Night Safari is not close to civilisation. There is no MRT leading directly to it, or even close to it. I would have to get off at Ang Moh Kioh and take a public from there. I asked the hotel receptionist and a few other hotel people, and got differing opinions as to how much a taxi would cost from Albert Court Hotel, ranging from SGD15 to SGD25. Truth be told, I was quite knackered and couldn’t really bear the thought of leaving two hours earlier to take the MRT. So I relaxed at the hotel until six in the evening (I was due to be there at 7pm). Unfortunately, I hadn’t reckoned with the fact that it was six in the evening on a Saturday before Deepavali. As I stood outside the hotel waiting for a cab, I began to wonder whether I ought to call the Night Safari people to tell them I would be late. I eventually managed to get a taxi. It cost SGD12, and I reached there in about fifteen minutes, surprisingly. 

It was twilight when I reached the Night Safari, and the place was quite busy and bustling. I was ushered in with great courtesy (because I was “press”), and had a great buffet dinner (cheers, STB!). I ate leisurely, I wanted to catch the show, which was on every hour (or so). I made the eight o’clock show without having to rush (although some kiasu/kan cheong types – sorry, I don’t know the English translation for this – rushed by me). The show was in a little sunken ampitheatre some distance from the restaurant. I had to pass by the tram stop through a long covered path (left pic below). Within minutes of my arrival, the seats were all taken (right pic below). Some members of the audience were really fickle, changing seats every two minutes or so. If one goes to enough shows, one would know never to sit in the first few rows, unless one is keen on participating.

After a few minutes, the PA came on and it was announced that the show would start soon, and would the audience kindly refrain from using flash photography, since that would disturb the creatures. Aside from this, there were huge signs practically everywhere warning people that flash photography was not allowed in any parts of the animal sanctuaries. There was a little lull, and a few animals ran out on stage, sniffing here and there. Needless to say, in the spirit of being true tourists, there was a round flashes, followed by another round etc. Two sloths (at least, I think they were sloths) went along a rope hanging over the audience to a little hive-like nest (where I assume were some goodies). Some of the members of the audience wanted to stroke and touch and cuddle those furry creatures but were warned not to.   

I enjoyed the show much more than I expected to. The young instructors were bright and enthusiastic (left pic), and the animals were mostly adorable. The part of the show which I didn’t enjoy was the guy with the missing “pet”. Obviously a planted member of the audience, he apparently lost a python (and made shrill ruckus while he was at it). Some members of the audience were taken in by the (obvious) part of the show, and were screaming and panicking at the thought of a ten foot snake “hiding” somewhere. Yes… In any case, I did enjoy the show though. I think the highlight were the little rodents recycling plastic, glass and paper. The Night Safari constantly reminded us of the need to recycle and to take care of our environment, but the message was always subtle, and never preachy.

After the show, I decided to take a tram to see what’s what. Unfortunately, I had hopped on a Japanese-only tram. Apparently, the Japanese had requested for a specific number of trams, and the Night Safari had obliged. Later on, I realised that the Japanese trams were all mostly a third full, while every single seat was taken on the English-language trams. Feeling slightly disappointed with having been ejected from the tram, I decided to walk along the trails instead. I found myself on the Fishing Cat Trail. Unfortunately, it was too dark for me to take that many good photos. The one on right above is an Indian crocodile (a creature I have a strange fascination with). I can’t for the life of me remember what the creature on the left (below) is, although I think it’s some kind of mouse-deer. I also got a good picture of this leopard (right pic) and this giraffe (pic above).

I won’t give too much away, but the Night Safari is definitely worth a visit. For me, the highlights were the bat sanctuary and the flying squirrel sanctuary. The bats were huge, and inside the sanctuary, I was constantly aware that the bat might just fly down and perch on my head (or something), and these weren’t the tiny bats sitting in my guava tree. These bats were as long as my forearm, if not longer. Unfortunately, I didn’t get to see any of the flying squirrels, although the bunch of girls hastily walking through the sanctuary, and screaming at every slight movement was amusement enough. Other highlights include the Forest Giant trail, where I got to see hippopotami, tapirs (practically right on the tram path) and this giraffe (pic above). There was also a scenic lake along the Forest Giant Path (pic further below). Pity no Loch Ness Monster popped its head out…

Loki picked me up on his motorbike after I was done at the Night safari, and took us to Pasir Ris, on the east of Singapore. I have to say, whizzing around on a bike in the middle of the night in Singapore is good fun. Loki likened Pasir Ris to Redang, although I think he and I both are of the opinion that things might look very different in the daytime. There were food stalls along the beach, with nice comfortable tables and chairs (left pic below). The pineapple fried rice was good, and we had Heineken (as to the choice of beverage, ask Loki). The atmosphere was really quite nice, with the sea breeze and the sound of the waves. We moved on to a little club on the beach, playing some really cheesy pop songs (which I enjoyed for the most part). It’s true, along Pasir Panjang on Redang, you get a lot of these little clubs blasting music and charging horrendous prices for canned drinks.

I slept in late the next morning. Although I was due to be on Sentosa Island at 10 am, I decided to have a real holiday and just lounge around, even after I woke up. I finally got to the Harbour Front MRT after lunch. I bought myself a sherbet, and got a cab to Mount Faber, where I could catch the cable car to Sentosa Island. Mount Faber itself was pretty scenic (pics below), and the cable car station had a pretty café on top, with a fish pond (pic further below).

I was alone on the cable car to Sentosa. I liked the way there were so many languages to choose from for commentary on the side panel. Likewise, most notices in Singapore are in four languages: English, Mandarin, Malay and Tamil. So instead of promoting just one (or two) languages, one gets exposure to the languages of all the three major ethnic groups, and English. Anyway, the ride in the cable car initially was scary, I think I would have been more comfortable if I weren’t hanging from something (but rather supported up by something). There were some old colonial houses down Mount Faber, and an aerial view of the Benjamin Sheer bridge (left and right pics respectively below). I was fortunate enough to even go over a Star Cruise ship, which was huge (pic further below). I can’t stress how gigantic the ship was! The two pictures below the Star Cruise ship are views of the harbour and of Sentosa Island from the cable care (left and right respectively).

When I reached Sentosa, I decided to continue on in my relaxed holiday mode, so I bought an iced coffee and sat at the café at the cable car station, enjoying the view and my book. After about half an hour, I decided to go up the Carlsberg rotating tower. This was a space-ship like vessel, which rotated up a tower, and down again. It was good experience, although I don’t recommend it too highly, since you get a good view on the cable car coming in already. The experience of going up spiral-like was nothing too exciting either. The picture below was taken from the tower, of the Sentosa Merlion (apparently the Merlion’s origin was from Sentosa).

After this, I took a bus down to Fort Siloso. I had begun sweating like crazy. I find Singapore much more humid than Kuala Lumpur, probably because it’s an island. Unfortunately, Singaporeans look immaculate practically all the time. I would like to know how they do this with the humidity level they experience. Fort Siloso, Singapore’s only preserved coastal fort, was quite a good experience (although those plastic mannequins were either cheesy or creepy, depending on one’s perception). The little documentary on the fort was especially interesting, and I loved the catacombs and tunnels all around the hill on which Fort Siloso is perched (pic further below). I thought of how great the space would be for art display and performances. There was also a great shaky bridge, which I gamely crossed over. The lady behind me got her high heels caught inbetween the wooden planks. I’m glad I didn’t laugh…

By the time I was done with Fort Siloso (the tower, right pic), I was thoroughly soaked in perspiration. It was an incredibly scorching afternoon, and I was feeling quite self-conscious and miserable. But, before I went back to the hotel, I felt compelled to visit one of the biggest highlights of Sentosa Island, the Underwater World. Personally, I wasn’t particularly impressed. It could be that I had just been to the Night Safari the night before, which is so much bigger and more impressive. It also could be that underwater creatures, unless mammals, don’t particularly excite me. In any case, the Underwater World is basically a tunnel with clear material through which one can experience the sea creatures as up close and personal (aside from actually diving into the water).   

Unfortunately, my camera batteries were dying, and I only got these two puny pictures, which reveal nothing (because I couldn’t use any of those special functions due to my weak batteries). The highlights for me were the manta ray swimming over the tunnel, and also the lonely dugong all on its own.

After Sentosa, it was more rest at the hotel, followed by dinner at Esmirada at Chijmes. I had a voucher for this restaurant too, and I generally have had good times at Chijmes. Unfortunately, this time around, Loki and I weren’t served too well by the restaurant (although tables of white diners were being fawned over – it’s also telling that only expat websites seem to mention this restaurant at all). In any case, the paella was terrible, the service a load of bollocks (mind my British), and the whole experience truly a waste of time and money. Don’t go there unless you’re a white expat, that’s my suggestion.   

Loki and I felt obliged to visit Burger King afterwards, followed by dessert at a local cafe chain at Raffles City. The place was like a watered down version of American Chillies. The food was alright though (far better than Esmirada, far cheaper, and with much better service). Loki was set for an appointment for the following morning, so after a short while, he went back to rest, while I got back to the hotel, effectively ending the last night of my stay in Singapore.