Initially, we were to accompany daddy on a business trip late last year but since that didn't materialize, we rescheduled it to this year taking the school holidays into consideration now that I'm full time schooling.
The folks at JetStar was kind enough to issue vouchers valid up to a year for rescheduling. With the travel covered, we were lucky enough to secure a deluxe room at Swissotel the Stamford during the Raya holidays. Strategically located with an SMRT station right below, we couldn't have asked for a better place to stay.
Where do you head right after you arrive late in the afternoon? A fantastic lunch at Serangoon Road's Komala Vilas followed with shopping.
It was nice to find a shop with my name on it, moreover a jewellery store. This was a sign to make some purchases so we did come back on the 3rd day and got ourselves some fine pieces of jewellery. ;-)
After a delayed check-in and a quick late afternoon nap, we geared up for the ultimate Singapore experience, The Night Safari, world's first night-time wildlife park. The SAEX Tour group picked us up at the hotel entrance and had tickets to the park on sale in the bus, could you ask for more!
Being a long holiday season, the crowd was massive. The park management was so good, I can only say it was chaotic in an orderly manner. We had a good dinner at Bongo Burgers while waiting close to 45 minutes for the tram ride.
We were not allowed to take photos with the flash on and the ride was in pitch dark accompanied by live commentary. While zooming by, we managed this shot at the tiger enclosure. That yellow speck on the left is our night dweller roaming freely in the wild. It was the best 40 minutes wildlife experience for me.
After a wonderful ride, we did get to see this giraffe up close in all its splendor.
This shot was taken from our room balcony at the 40th floor. We had a
beautiful view of Singapore and its night skyline going up to the New
Asia Bar on the 71st storey of our hotel.
The next morning, SAEX bus came back at 10 to take us to the Jurong Bird Park. So much to see and experience hence we stayed till late afternoon before we were done here.
From the majestic penguins ....
To dancing Flamingos ....
And this took our breath away. The little fellow can sing in 3 different languages, speak with crispy clear pronunciation and probably better than I am in Mandarin.
The evening was spent at the Bugis Village which incidentally included another trip back to Serangoon Road. Grandpa loves the place so much for we need not worry about getting vegetarian food for the abundance selection made available.
Like any tourist from around the world, the major pull in Serangoon is the Mustafa Center where you can get from anything to everything. Some costing more and some pretty cheap.
The 3rd day, we took the SMRT train to the Marina Bay area. Mega project featuring the 3 cascading hotel towers topped with the fantastic sky park. We didn't go in but spent the time walking about the surrounding.
The day was spent checking out the Casino Entrance (we couldn't get in for not being appropriately dressed), the luxury shopping and the waterfront area. The gloomy sky was perfect for a cool stroll outside.
This shot was taken from the other end on daddy's new toy equipped with the 300mm Sigma zoom lens which he bought the night we visited the Bugis Village, taking a diverted tech stop to the Sim Lin Square.
The art and science museum was a splendid work of ... what else ... Art.
This is the Rain Oculus with an hourly
cascade of international artist Ned Kahn’s 22-meter diameter acrylic
bowl set on a 90-ton steel structure that releases more than 22,000
liters of water per minute, from two storeys above. We were practically glued till the last drop.
And where were we for dinner ... no prizes for guessing. The Sri Veeramakaliamman Temple build in 1881 and in the midst of setting up a kiosk for devotees to get their Archanai tickets, via a temple member card. Now that's technology used in a brilliant way. The next day before the afternoon flight we lazed in the room looking at all the pictures we took.
With my afternoon sleep pattern and Grandpa's limited mobility we still enjoyed so much and made the best out of this short 4 days trip. We all had good fun and daddy was seen brimming with a broad smile despite the lavish expense on this holiday. A good list of what we missed was drawn and we vowed to be back for the unfinished business.
With the right equipment and an eye for detail, these roadside and drain plants stands on par with the cherished ones.
