Sunday, 25 August 2013

Trip to the Singapore Zoo


After spending six years moving from Taipei to Tokyo and then to Hong Kong, we finally returned home to Singapore in December 2012.  It was a wonderful experience for us living overseas with the kids in tow.  Relocating back home is much easier than moving to a foreign country.  Thanks to my parents and in-law's help, the kids settled down quite well. 
 
Unbeknownst to them, mummy had a little bit more stress to handle. Besides providing for their daily needs, I had to juggle between packing and unpacking, settling of house matters, school matters, etc. while papa was still working in Hong Kong for another six months.  Now that he has returned, I have finally gotten to a more manageable routine. 
 
So it's time to bring the kids out to explore Singapore!  And also set aside some time to blog, of course!
 
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This week we made a trip to the Singapore Zoo.  We decided to wait for all the attractions to be ready before going to the River Safari.  The zoo hasn't lost its charm though and it's wonderful to be back here again since our last visit when Jonathan was six months old.
 

Flamingoes in the background
 
First stop was the Treetops Trail followed by Tiger Trek to see the White Tiger.  Justin wanted to see the Frozen Tundra exhibit.  En route we spotted a flock of pink flamingoes sun bathing.


Frozen Tundra Exhibit
 
 
We saw Inuka, the locally born polar bear, at the Frozen Tundra.  Inuka was out of the ice-cold cave and having a dip in the pool before lazing in the sun.  There was also an igloo where children crawled in and out of.  The kids took a picture with the icebergs.  Jonathan looks as if he is freezing but tough little sister seems really strong in the 'cold'! 
 

 
Picture taken from the raised platform
 


Feeding carrots to the giraffes
 
 

The three kids had a chance to feed the giraffes two carrots each.  The giraffes had long black tongues - the longest tongues in the animal kingdom.  I am glad that they were very gentle with the kids and no excessive slurping occurred.  We walked around the Wild Africa section and saw the rhinoceros, zebras, African lion and meerkats.
 
 
 Tram Ride
 
 
After that we hopped on to the tram for a ride around the zoo before stopping at Ah Meng restaurant for early lunch. 
 
 
Cute painted elephant sculptors at the Boat Dock
 
 
With full stomachs, we were ready for our next destination - Kidzworld.  This was undoubtedly the kids' favourite place to be. There is a wet play area for kids and adults so bring an extra set of clothes to change.
 
Goats and pony
 
 
The kids headed for the Rainforest Challenge.  Cheryl was happy to maneuver between the poles on the balancing logs while the boys tried out the pulley-raft crossing challenge.
 
Cheryl having fun with
the log climbing obstacle
 
 
Justin happily tugging away
 
 
Spot Cheryl with papa
 
 
A challenge where team work matters. The aim is to tug the rope to get the raft from one end of the lake to the other.  It might sound easy but it isn't according to papa.  He was flexing his muscles hard to help pull six children and himself across the other side of the lake.
 
 
Happy Visitors
 
 
Funny pose
 
 
It was an enjoyable day with the kids.  We spent more than an hour at Kidzworld and the boys still wanted to play more.  Another time, perhaps.
 
 
Zoo Staff with Mr Chimpanzee waving 'goodbye'