May 10, 2022: Singapore (Author: J)
Possibly the World’s Best Zoo
We were up early again on our second full day in Singapore, although we all did a better job of sleeping to a time that technically counted as morning. We made reservations online for breakfast in the hotel restaurant (which we had been told was necessary, but didn’t actually seem to be), got ready for our visit to the zoo, and arrived in the lobby a little before 7. We were greeted by the hosts at the restaurant, who remembered us from the day before and chatted with us about out trip until the restaurant opened at 7.
The breakfast buffet choices were similar to the prior day, with some variations (e.g. different muffin flavors, different dim sum); the selection of menu was the same from day to day. After eating a ridiculous amount of food, we realized that we were ahead of schedule, so we went back to the room to apply bug spray and sunscreen before calling a Grab to the zoo.
Because the Singapore Zoo is still doing timed admission (as of June 9, 2022), we pre-purchased our zoo tickets before leaving for Singapore. In keeping with advice from the TripAdvisor forums, the plan was to enjoy the park before the heat got too oppressive. Fortunately, I was able to secure an arrival time of 8:30 a.m., which is the zoo’s opening time.
We enjoyed the Grab ride to the zoo, which took us through areas of Singapore that we had not yet had a chance to see. As we got close to the zoo, P was hopeful that we might see some macaques; all we saw were signs warning drivers to watch for monkeys.
The Grab dropped us in a designated drop off area in the parking lot. From the lot, there is a well-marked path to the various zoos: the regular zoo (Mandai), River Adventure, and the Night Safari. We were headed to Mandai, often described as one of the best in the world.
While I haven’t seen every zoo in the world, Mandai is certainly one of the best zoos I have ever visited. We particularly enjoyed the Fragile Forest exhibit, which has a greenhouse area where you can see animals like mouse deer, flying foxes, and saki monkeys with no barrier between you and the animals. It was a really unique zoo experience to be able to literally reach out and touch the animals (although we definitely did not because petting zoo animals is a no no). The zoo also has varied primate species including lemurs, orangutans, and many species of monkeys – all of them in large enclosures where they seemed to have the ability to decide whether they wanted to be indoors or out. P was in monkey heaven.
We enjoyed exploring the zoo for a few hours and then had lunch at Ah Meng, one of the zoo restaurants. I was surprised at how enjoyable this meal was. We had another Indian thali set, a plant based rendang, and – most importantly – some cold drinks. Even though it was an overcast day, the heat was really taking its toll and rehydration was crucial.
After lunch, we hopped on the zoo tram to take in more of the zoo’s exhibits. By 2 p.m., we were exhausted and decided to head back to the hotel. Even with a solid 5 hours at the zoo, we did not see everything there was to see. I really can’t imagine trying to see all 3 zoo parks in the same day, although I suppose you could combine Mandai or the River Adventure with and the Night Safari if you have lots of stamina and don’t mind being super sweaty.
We called another Grab to head back to the Fullerton where we repeated our afternoon ritual of ice cream, rest and swimming. Our friends with the jackhammers were still hard at work ensuring we had an appropriate soundtrack for our swim.
Possibly the World’s Worst Singapore Walking Tour
P and I had chatted at the zoo and decided to head to Little India for dinner. When we announced our plans to D, he made a face that made it clear he was not excited. Thus, I made the ill-fated decision to head to Chinatown for dinner instead. Although I could not figure out if any of the vegetarian stalls in the hawker centers there were open, I figured we would be able to find at least a few options in the non-veg stalls.
We took the metro to Chinatown and started walking in the direction of Maxwell Hawker Center. It was still oppressively hot and, despite the interesting surroundings, it would be a stretch to describe the walk as pleasant. When we arrived at the hawker center, it was clear that my dinner plans were going to be a bust. Many stalls were closed and those that were open had meat, meat and more meat. I was hungry enough that I decided to once again ignore the risk of shrimp paste and order from the rojak stand. I got in line but, while I was waiting, I saw a roach skuttle up the side of the stand. That was one animal ingredient too many for me. We left Maxwell hungry and headed for a vegetarian restaurant that I found on Google Maps. But when we arrived there, we learned that it was operating on a reduced schedule due to the pandemic.
By this point, we were getting cranky, but we had no choice but to continue our journey. Google Maps showed another vegetarian restaurant in the area, so we headed there. The address was for an office building, which likely had a hawker center inside. We couldn’t figure out how to get in, so we decided to give up and call a Grab back to the hotel. After waiting 10 minutes for our ride, we received a message from the driver telling us he had arrived. I messaged back that I didn’t see his car, which prompted him to cancel the ride. I tried calling another Grab, but none were available. And so, grouchy, hungry, and covered in sweat, we continued our walk. We realized at this point that we could choose between a 20-minute walk back to the Fullerton or a 15-minute walk to the nearest metro stop. We decided to walk the extra 5 minutes.
The walk took us past temples, sidewalk cafes, and interesting pedestrian malls. “This is kind of a nice walk,” D remarked as we whined and grumbled our way back to the Fullerton. And it was, but I was in no state to appreciate it.
We arrived back at the hotel with empty bellies and no plan on how to fill them. In the end, the solution was takeout pizza. It did not quite save the evening, but at least we didn’t go to bed hungry.
Travel Monkeys 