Now....everybody we ever talked to about going to Singapore said "you must go see the Night Safari!!" Every tour-book, every website just raved about how this was the must-see attraction. My overall reaction: "Meh!"
First of all...it's a bit of a haul by bus to get out to the zoo. When you arrive, the first thing you notice is the crowds. We were given about four-hours by our bus-driver to see the place...but once you see the crowd that arrives at the same time (the "show" starts after dark...thus the "Night Safari"!) - you begin to wonder it you'll make it back to the bus in time...and - more importantly - is this all going to be worth it.
Then....(although we are not proud of ourselves) - we ended up doing a very "Indian" thing just after we arrived. We cut in line! Ahhh - the useful things you learn from other cultures!! There was a pretty wild "fire dance" being performed by these incredible Singaporean male dancers...but - since there was no place to sit, we went into the gift store. It so happens that there was a huge line already formed to see the "Creatures of the Night" show...and the gift store was near the front of this line. When the line began to move, we simply sauntered right into it and got prime seats for the show. Now - some people might think that "prime seats" are right in the front. Not for us....we decided that sitting in the very top/back row was more what we wanted...that way we wouldn't be crushed when the show ended and the people stampeded toward the lines for the Night Safari trams.
The show was cute...nothing spectacular....although the raccoon that knew how to recycle plastic and aluminum was pretty cool. On cue, when the show let out - we walked as fast as we could out to the line for the tram. For my friends in Southern California or for anybody who has ever been to Disneyland - the line looked an awful lot like the old lines for the Matterhorn Bobsleds on the Fantasyland side of the mountain!! The only thing that was missing was the yodelers singing in the background! Back and forth, back and forth. After about ten full switchbacks, we both looked at each other and said that we hoped the wait would be worth it.
It was then that I spoke the words which were to become the catch-phrase for our visit to the zoo. I said that "there better be a tiger in a top-hat and a cane dancing the ol' soft-shoe" at the front of this line for this to be worth the wait!! Se the photo above for Amy's rendition of what that scene would have been like! BTW, there was no dancing tiger...but the tram ride was restful and the animals were definitely visible in all of their "open" enclosures. It was nice. Not the best thing I've ever seen...but - yeah - I guess it was worth the wait!
After the tram let us off - we realized that the last thing we had eaten was the chicken pho at the mall! We found a place to sit down and ordered two beers and two glasses of wine (I think it was over $100.00!!) - and we ordered one burger to split (I think it was over $30.00 with fries!)...by the time we finished eating, it was time to go back to the gift store and buy a few souvenirs...and then make our way back to the bus.
The coolest thing was that the bus took us right around the corner from the St. Regis hotel. The Astor bar was still open for business...so we had a few cocktails before calling it a night. I had stopped trying to compute how much we were spending on food and beverages...it didn't really matter by then. Overall it was a very good day! Below are links to our Facebook Photo Albums from our day in Singapore and the Night Safari! Enjoy!
Next edition: The Harry Potter Experience and the Marina Bay Sands!!
The Night Safari at the Singapore Zoo
More Singapore Sights...
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