Four Days in Singapore: All Around Town

My time in Singapore was also jam-packed with activity.  When I arrived on Thursday evening, Uncle Pong, Aunt Choon and I went to the Night Safari, this awesome night zoo unique to Singapore. It's ingenious, really.  In the evening hours, not only is it more pleasant to walk around tropical Singapore, it's also when the animals are up and about.  There were no instances of going to see an animal only to find in MIA.  There's a tram ride you can take around the park and we did that first. It takes you surprisingly close to the animals- some just inches from the trams!  In most places there were no visible fences either.  With animals like the lions, we could see a moat-type separation and hidden electric fencing, but I'm certain there were other spots where we were literally driving through deer pen type areas! We saw so many cool things up and about and walking around or eating.  We also saw a Creatures of the Night Show that was both entertaining and informative and featured wrapping a giant snake around a member of the audience. Good thing it was not me! 

We also took a walk through the footpaths of the Night Safari and saw more things up close that way.  Unfortunately, there was no flash photography, and it was night, so the pictures are crap and I really just quit taking them and just enjoyed soaking it all in.  I had been told that Night Safari was a must see and it definitely lived up to the expectations! 

No way you'd catch me doing this in real life!

Posing with the giraffe men on our way out of the park :)

On Friday Aunt Choon had to work, so Uncle Pong and I did a bunch of tourist stuff on our own.  We walked all around Little India, including the market, which I loved, and a stop at a Hindu temple- my first.  Walking around there felt a little like Burma in spots, only much cleaner.  It had a similar architectural style and guys-standing-around-chilling-in-shop-doorways kind of feel. 

Live crabs at the market

Building in Little India

After lunch we went to see a visiting Exhibit on the Titanic, which was fantastic!  It was incredibly informative but also a cool experience. We did the guided audio tour which helped a lot too.  One thing they did really well is as you were learning about First Class life on board, you walked down a short hallway recreated to look exactly like a First Class hall on ship.  Then they did a real size recreation of a First Class cabin.  They did the same thing further on when you learned about Third Class. They also wove a lot of personal stories throughout the exhibit.  In one spot they recreated a walk on the Promenade deck at night!  My other favorite part is when they got to the time in the story when they hit the iceberg. As you walked into that room, you could see what looked like a big plastic white "iceberg" across the room. I saw people touching it, and as I got closer I realized it was real ice!  They also lowered the temperature so you could really feel how cold the air was that night.  Very well done exhibit. 

Me outside the Titanic exhibit, with a famous Singaporean building behind me, Marina Bay Sands?

After Titanic we went to the Singapore Flyer. It's like the London Eye, only taller. I regretted not going on the Eye when I was in London, so I wanted to go on the Flyer.  I love stuff high in the air, and I love views!  It was cool to see the enormity of the city, and to have Uncle Pong be able to point out so many places and unique features to the city.  I could sit in that capsule and ride around in circles all day long :)

The view one direction just as we were at the top.

Our Saturday plans got rearranged a little bit when we woke up to rain, but the day worked out perfectly. We had time to wander around the famous Raffles Hotel while we waited for Dim Sum to open.  Raffles was something small I wanted to see, but wasn't planning on having the chance since I didn't know if it was worth a special trip. But since we were in the area with time to kill, we got to stop in! 

One of the many beautiful courtyards at Raffles.  Wedding anyone?

After Dim Sum we wandered around Chinatown- the market, the shopping, the cheesy Chinese souvenirs, the tourists, the food, and the plentiful red lanterns.  It was a fun place and reminded me that I still haven't been to Bangkok's Chinatown! 

Really loved seeing these guys out playing (and watching) Chinese checkers.

Saturday afternoon also called for one of my favorite activities: The Saturday Afternoon Nap.  I was worn out from all the fun!  My snooze gave me just the energy I needed to attack the crab dinner that night. 

Sunday morning I had the privilege of going to church with everyone (well, at least with those who could get themselves out of bed in time :) and really loved being able to worship along side Uncle Pong and Aunt Choon.  My time and conversations with them in the days prior had been such an encouragement to my faith and so it was really meaningful to be able to be in church together.  After church we had lunch and then it was time to head to the airport!  The days flew by and we fit a lot in, but also left lots to explore for the next visits. 

Overall, as you can tell, I had a most excellent weekend.  This week, it's back to work, but not for long- we have Friday and Monday off this coming Easter weekend :)