Bikes and Beasts

Our bike group outside of Buddha Tooth Relic Temple
(gotta like a place whose name exactly represents what it is)

A word on booking our excursions for Singapore - I've never had as much trouble as I do here. The only reason I can think of is that tourism is actually a side industry here, since it's such a business locale, and people only lead tours as a part time job.  For example, when I try to book our food tour for Sunday, they ask if we could do it on Tuesday. When I say we can't do it then, they offer Friday. Apparently the guide isn't available on the weekend?!  I won't even get into the details of the three weeks of emails and international phone calls to arrange our private tour at the Night Safari.
 

Steve and Sebastian

This morning we finally meet up with our friend and his oldest son to take a Historical Bike Tour with Let's Go Bike Singapore. The bike riding is nice, but I wish we had learned a little more history. It's hot and humid, but not as bad as Cambodia.
 

restaurants and bars along the waterfront

Speaker's Corner and the Park Hotel behind us

One of our stops is at the Speakers Corner (it's actually a rectangle, not just a corner), the only place in Singapore where protests, rallies and public speeches can be held.  In case you're curious, there's a police station right beside it.  Nothing is happening when we're there, though.  Behind us is one of the cool features of Singapore architecture - balconies built into the buildings with lots of greenery.  It helps break up the sterile structures.

Pay no attention to the people walking along the edges of the room!

As we ride through Chinatown we take a short break at the Buddha Tooth Relic Temple and Museum.  It was built in 2007, and houses a museum, theater, tea house and religious ceremonies.   There are monks and prayers taking place while we're there, but they pay no attention to the tourists (there's a path to follow along the edge of the room).  On the third floor the left canine tooth of Buddha is on display (taken from his pyre in India), but we didn't have a chance to make it up there to see it.  

The walls are lined with hundreds of Buddha statues, about a foot high, similar to what we've seen in other temples (except in Japan).  Each one has Buddha in a different position, with it's own meaning.  Surrounding each Buddha are hundreds of smaller Buddhas (they're all in the same position). 

Buddhas everywhere!

He looks like he wants to give a blessing.

Are you a good demon or a bad demon?

Beautiful work!

On our way out, the wall beside one of the giant Buddhas (six feet tall) catches my eye.  I go up for a closer look, and yes, it's all silk embroidery.  Someone spent a lot of time on these panels!

No rain today...the road's still wet from yesterday's soaking!

We continue our tour down to Marina Bay Sands and the Bay waterfront.  As usual on these trips, our guide knows where to position us so we can have some nice photos.

panoramic shot

Looking up at the Marina Bay Sands this time.

"durian" buildings (actually two theaters) and downtown

The merlion statue "peeing" and the financial district...not a selfie.

All this biking is making me thirsty!

I can't resist taking a picture of the Raffles Hotel, where the Singapore Sling drink was invented!  Unfortunately, the bar is under renovation, so we can't try one there.  Hey, we actually haven't had one in Singapore yet!  We'll have to fix that...





We bike through Kampong Glam, the neighborhood that includes Arab St.  There are cute little boutiques and shops in the area (more than just fabric stores) - we might have to go back for another shopping trip. 

Kandahar Street and the Sultan Mosque in the background

We end our trip at Boat Quay, so we walk over to have lunch at one of the restaurants by the river.  I would not recommend it - we sit outside in the shade with fans overhead, but it's still hot. The food is just okay and incredibly overpriced. 

We have a couple of hours to recover before our next event, a visit to the Night Safari, a zoo focusing on nocturnal animals.  It's not until we arrive there that I confirm that it's a separate facility from the Singapore Zoo, though they are beside each other. The Premium Tour is definitely the way conduct your visit.  Information about the tour is on their website, but you can only book it through email.  The three weeks of frustration trying to reserve it turns out to be worth it.

It appears to be a holiday in India, so there are many Indian tourists - the Night Safari is at high capacity and sells out several entry times for the park. With our tour we're able to skip all the lines and waiting times. That alone makes it beneficial, but the private guides make it a rewarding experience.
 

Solving all the world's problems over dinner.

We meet up with our friend Sebastian and his family (including all four kids) and start our tour with dinner at one of the park's restaurants.  Next we're escorted to our front row seats for the Creatures of the Night show.  It's a cute show for kids - not too many scary animals and they walk into the audience with some of them (and allow pictures at the end of the show with a couple of animals).  

The gang waiting for the show to start!

Otters can help recycle!

 

Albino raccoons like to dig in the trash, just like regular ones.

"Tell me this will be over soon!"

At one point they ask for adult volunteers, and Steve immediately raises his hand.  He goes back stage...and returns helping to hold a giant boa constrictor.  He is not very enthusiastic about carrying a snake. 

"Why did I raise my hand??"

Then we have our buggy tour. Normally people ride trams with recorded information throughout the park.  We're on our own private large golf cart and our guide, Assad, shares interesting facts with us (there isn't a question we ask that he can't answer). We're on our own schedule so we're able to spend extra time at some of the more interesting animals.  Assad also leads us on two of the four walking trails.  In addition to our guide we have one of the zookeepers, Linda, accompany us for a bit and she's full of information to share.  We feel like VIPs during the entire visit. 

Bats eat mosquitoes...therefore I like bats.

Unfortunately, because of the low light level, we don't have very many pictures of the animals (it is the Night Safari, after all).  


When our visit ends around 11:00pm we have no problems getting an Uber ride back to our hotel (there are taxis available, too). 

Taking selfies while waiting for the Creatures of the Night show to start.

It Never Rains All Day in Singapore at This Time of Year....Really

Are you sure about that rain statement??

The next morning we try to sleep in a bit since we're still tired from our late arrival and yesterday's busy day. We get going later in the morning to visit the renown Singapore Botanic Gardens. It's free, except for the orchid section -  it's $5 to enter, but well worth it. 

It's over $1000 USD for eating or drinking!  No wonder it's so clean.

We hop on the MRT and enjoy the uncrowded ride to one of the Garden entrances.  They are really serious here - in Japan, people generally don't eat or drink on the subway, but it's not a rule.  It is in Singapore, with prominent signs not only telling you what NOT to do, but also the cost of the accompanying fines.  No fine for carrying a durian (the smelly fruit we finally tried in Thailand) but people would probably throw you off the subway if you have it.

Color coded to help you find your seat!

I guess they're trying to be nice (or they haven't figured out how to fine an entire car of people), but the seats for handicapped, elderly, etc have little characters encouraging you, like this one, "Stand Up Stacey."  When we use the MRT we're always able to find a seat, but we don't travel during rush hours.

Once we arrive at the station (appropriately named Botanic Garden) it's easy to follow the signs to the entrance.  There are multiple gates into the Garden, but this one is most convenient for the subway.  There's an employee there waiting to distribute paper maps, and he also recommends a general pathway to follow so you see everything, along with directions on catching public transportation from the other side of the Garden (about 1.6 miles from our entrance).

They even make the walls pretty with flower vines.

tropical plant selfie

The Botanic Gardens were established in the 1820's and is the only tropical garden listed on the UNESCO World Heritage Site (only three gardens are included on the list).  We stroll around some of the specialty areas, like the Healing Garden (plants and herbs used for medicinal purposes) and the Fragrant Garden (self explanatory, but better to visit at dusk - they aren't very fragrant when we're there).  It's very hot and humid and we're already halfway through the water we brought with us.

I love these little waterfalls at the base of the plants/trees!

After we've been there for about an hour it starts to rain just as we reach one of the visitor center pavilions. Perfect timing! We browse the gift shop then find a bench in the covered area to wait. It's good to rest our feet!  While sitting I edit some of my photos and Steve is working, while also texting his friend who now lives in Singapore.  He mentions to Steve that the downpour will end soon (because at this time of year it's only quick thunderstorms).

See the downpour behind us?

After about 30 minutes of torrential showers we decide to eat lunch, and enjoy pizza (Steve) and a Singapore specialty, laska (Sheila).  Laksa is a spicy noodle soup with shrimp and various veggies.  It's good, but not great - I'm sure every business/family has their own recipe (like ramen in Japan or gumbo in Louisiana).

Steve doing his Japan pose behind the waterfall.

It's slowing to a sprinkle, so we decide to use our umbrellas and continue to walk around.  (It's been coming down now for over an hour.  The Garden is practically empty of visitors.)  We're able to visit the rainforest section while it's actually raining - very authentic.  We walk over to the Ginger Garden and enjoy the waterfall that's been created as part of the landscape.  There's even a "cave" you can enter behind it.  On a hot day it's probably a nice cool spot, but with the storm the temperature has cooled down to the 70s.  I'd rather have the precipitation than the heat and humidity we were in earlier!

Can Steve do this in our backyard?

pretty birds of paradise

My favorite ground cover plants - but I could never find the sign with its name.

Next we enter the Orchid Garden, which is just breathtaking.

See the raindrops on the petals?

orchid selfie

There are large pathways lined with tropical trees, plants and of course, orchids!  Because of the continuous drizzle and deluges (it alternates, but never completely stops) we practically have the whole place to ourselves.  We enjoy strolling through the different sections and practicing our photography skills.

It's like Spanish moss.

We find the Mist House, which has an array of different hybrids in unique displays.

I love these plants!  The ruffled leaves are beautiful.

The sign says this is a picture taking spot...so we do!

There's a couple of frangipani flowers out.

It never does stop raining!  Luckily, we're prepared with umbrellas and ponchos...because we need both!  After six hours of wandering in the monsoon (Are you sure it's not the season?), we decide we've seen enough.  My feet squish with every step!  As we depart, we stroll through the frangipani, bonsai (a taste of home) and the formal sundial garden on the way out.  I'm a little disappointed about the sundial garden - I thought it would have flowers that would bloom at certain times of the day, but it's a formal garden with a sundial in it.  I have fun seeing all the flowers and plants that have been mentioned in the books I've been reading recently (with settings in Singapore).

I feel like we're back in Japan!

my favorite type of bonsai

We brave figuring out the bus system to get back to the hotel. I only make a little mistake, tapping my card in the wrong spot when I get on. It's a lot easier than Japan - it's all in English.  Once we return to the hotel and dry off we're ready to relax.  We schedule some massages and take advantage of the free snacks and drinks in the executive lounge of the Conrad. It's an early morning tomorrow!