May 11, 2022 – Singapore (Author: J)
Our third full day in Singapore began much like the prior two. We were up early – though not as early as the day before – and headed down to breakfast around 7:30. We were greeted by name and seated quickly. Adjusting to the time zone meant that our appetites were not what they had been. P and I ate just buffet items, while D ordered a main dish and ate very little from the buffet.
The weather was looking a little ominous this morning, so we went back to the room after breakfast to wait out the storm. Around 8:30, the weather map showed that the rain was starting to clear, so we decided to take a gamble and call a Grab to our destination.
After some nail-biting moments in rush hour traffic, our driver dropped us safely at Bukit Timah Nature Reserve. The hope was that we might see some more monkeys, but in the wild this time. Although it was still drizzling, the reserve was packed with locals walking and jogging. We started with a short hike to a quarry, where we enjoyed some nice views, but saw no monkeys (other than the ones on the sign reminding hikers not to feed the monkeys). Then we did a longer hike on one of the trails – longer being a relative term, because we didn’t get too far between the heat and our difficulty reading the trail maps.
We spent about 90 minutes total hiking various trails and looking for wildlife. Other than a few lizards and what was either a ground squirrel or some type of shrew, we came up empty. But being outdoors in nature is always a nice experience with or without wildlife sightings.
After a rest break to cool off, we headed out of the reserve towards our lunch destination: the hawker center at Beauty World, which was a short 10-minute walk from the reserve. Given my failure to locate an adequate meal the night before, I was a little frightened that we were in for another miss. Fortunately, when we arrived at the 4th floor of the mall where the hawker stands are located, Guan Yin Vegetarian was open for business. Guan Yin serves vegetarian versions of traditional rice and noodle dishes. The owner told us that he had two choices available that day; I ordered one of each despite not knowing what either dish was.
When our order arrived, we had one dry noodle dish with broad noodles and various types of seitan, veggies and tofu and one noodle soup with thin noodles and assorted seitan, veggies and tofu. Although both had similar looking brown sauce, the differences in seasoning and noodle types gave them different flavors. Everyone was happy with this meal. (P says it was his favorite of the trip). It was filling, tasty, and only around $10 total. The two dishes were more than enough to feed all three of us; we actually wound up with leftovers. My only complaint was that I was not able to add chili paste to my food since I was sharing with two people who are anti-spice.
After lunch, we stopped to buy some kueh lapis (colorful rice flower and coconut treats) at a table set up just outside the hawker center. Then D needed a minute to admire a painting of a cat at an art shop before we left the mall. There was a short wait for our Grab, but we still arrived back at the Fullerton by early afternoon, just in time for our traditional afternoon activities of ice cream and swimming.
I mixed things up a little this afternoon by taking a solo walk to visit Merlion Park while the boys got started on their swim. I started out walking in the wrong direction, which gave me an opportunity to take some pictures of Boat Quay. Then I retraced my steps and made my way to the park for some merlion selfies. When I got back to the room, D and P were still at the pool, so I grabbed my book and joined them for another afternoon of relaxing jackhammering sounds.
After our swim, P asked if we could return to Gardens by the Bay to see the Cloud Forest Dome. I agreed and decided we would make an evening of it. We once again took the metro to the gardens and then walked to Satay by the Bay. It was a longer walk than I expected, and we arrived hot and sweaty.
Satay by the Bay really seems to be hurting due to the reduced number of tourists. Very few stalls were open, which was just as well because there were very few humans around to purchase any food. We ordered food from a Turkish/Indian stall and a coconut and some juices from the drink stall. The food was just above okay in quality, but it was convenient and got the job done.
After dinner, we had our first big wildlife sighting of the day – a monitor lizard wandering near the exit to the hawker center. Then we walked to the Cloud Forest Dome and bought our tickets. My frugal minded side didn’t love this plan because it costs more to buy individual tickets to each dome on separate days; had we seen both domes on the same day, we would have saved about $25 by purchasing combo ticket for each of us. In the end, though, I was glad that we splurged.
Unlike the Flower Dome two days earlier, the Cloud Forest Dome was crowded with people. It was impossible to walk in certain areas of the dome without stepping into people’s selfies. I didn’t even try to get the classic Instagram shot standing in front of the giant waterfall. It was enough to admire it in person.
Because I am afraid of heights (and had a panic attack boarding a skyride on our last vacation), I was a little nervous about the sky walkways. For whatever reason, though, my no worries attitude from the flight continued and I was able to not only do the walkways without panicking, but also enjoy the views.
After enjoying the Cloud Forest Dome, we decided to get a treat before the Garden Rhapsody light show. We stopped at Shake Shack and ordered three shakes to go. Although its an American chain, I have never visited a Shake Shack before and nothing about our experience in Singapore made me want to visit a second location. Our shakes were watery (about the consistency of skim milk) and not the least bit indulgent. Because they were pricey, I dutifully carried mine around for a while, but I only drank about ¼ of it.
From Shake Shack, we headed to the Supertree Grove to get a good spot for the light show. (Note that this was entirely unnecessary; we just had nothing else to do and needed a place to sit). We passed the hour before the show lying on our backs looking up at people on the OCBC Skywalk. As it began to get dark, we noticed that someone on the Skywalk was holding a glowing red stick. P was sure it was a lightsaber and began creating new Star Wars characters to fit the setting. He started with more erudite choices like “Grovey Wan Kenobi,” and “Grove-gu,” but it wasn’t long before the names devolved into “Grove Grove Grove Grove,” which is, of course, a play on Luke Skywalker.
Eventually the OCBC Skywalk Sith disappeared and the light show started. Laying up on my back watching the trees light up on yet another evening of perfect Singapore weather, I felt very lucky indeed. D was thinking similar thoughts, although his came with an added layer of guilt because he was thinking of his father, who always vowed to travel when he retired, but passed away a few weeks short of retirement. In a way, I owe my FIL a thank you for this trip because his death reminded D that our adventuring time is finite. Suddenly, vetoes of certain destinations began converting into “why nots,” and we have been able to have wonderful experiences in a number of countries. Our magical evening at Gardens by the Bay is definitely near the top of that list of experiences.
Travel Monkeys 