Ok, so I wanted to go to Singapore--not for any huge reason, just to go there. Maybe I was looking forward to using the phrase "It's like Singapore 2010 all over again!"
The most important thing to do in Singapore is to take a picture of the Merlion statue. Best to get it out of the way.
We accidentally showed up on independence day, though I hear they have fireworks every weekend. The extremely hideous and massive building is a resort/ mall with the world's largest indoor swimming pool perched on top.
Another thing to do in Singapore is wander around all the ethnic neighborhoods. But we didn't do it. We spent about 1o minutes in Little India, but there wasn't much to see except some nice temples, colorful architecture, and then rows of produce and jewelry stores. Not having the stomach for Indian food or room to hold our umbrella, we turned back.
One thing we did have the stomach for is Chili Crab, famous in Singapore. It wasn't too spicy, and the crabs are enormous--I'd hate to run into one in an alley. Definitely lived up to the hype.
Surprisingly, Frog Porridge also lived up to the hype. Yes, it tastes like chicken, but the consistency is more like a meaty fruit. It was in a yummy sauce and served over congee. One drawback was eating around the creepy frog bones and network of black veins.
The laws in Singapore are legion, but they are very specific. In this underground passageway were every kind of Do Not sign, including skateboarding, but they said nothing about breakdancing or freestyle cycling. Jenny swiped some kids bike and tooled around with it. Love this girl.
Ok, I mostly lied. I went to Singapore for the birds. It is quite complicated to get to the parks by trains and bus, so we simply took a cab all the way. If only all Jungles had such easy access.
This is it. The jungle is quite beautiful, with extremely diverse plant-life. The absolutely best thing were the Flying Lizards that gracefully and quite literally FLEW on red, semicircular "wings" onto a treetrunk. Once they land, they are tree-colored, skinny and completely basic, but I was lucky to see two winging it. There are also foot long monitors that crash through the brush like a 10 foot monitor when flushed--not a place for the weak of heart.
The next best thing was the monkeys. Not that they do anything particularly interesting, it is just neat that they are here.
The HSBC Skytop Walk, the main reason I chose my route, was closed on mondays. But the Jelutong Tower was pretty neat. It is a comfortable perch that pokes through the canopy.
It is a really neat place to be, especially all to myself. There is no better vantage point (on a Monday) to see all the birds in the canopy that you otherwise can't see. Except there were hardly any birds.
Except for a few, like these gorgeous Blue Throated Bee-Eaters, taken through my scope. I had only 30 species this whole trip. Apparently I came on the off season--there are no endemic species in Singapore and most of its birds are borrowed during the Migration seasons. But what I found was generally awesome.
The only other thing to do in Singapore is go Malling. It is totally unavoidable. You often have to go through a mall just to cross the street. In some places the only place to find food is in some mall's food court, though at least these are often ethnic foodie stops. My limit for malls is half an hour. We malled for 3 days. And emptied our wallets. Next time, Singapore via Malaysia.
The most important thing to do in Singapore is to take a picture of the Merlion statue. Best to get it out of the way.
We accidentally showed up on independence day, though I hear they have fireworks every weekend. The extremely hideous and massive building is a resort/ mall with the world's largest indoor swimming pool perched on top.
Another thing to do in Singapore is wander around all the ethnic neighborhoods. But we didn't do it. We spent about 1o minutes in Little India, but there wasn't much to see except some nice temples, colorful architecture, and then rows of produce and jewelry stores. Not having the stomach for Indian food or room to hold our umbrella, we turned back.
One thing we did have the stomach for is Chili Crab, famous in Singapore. It wasn't too spicy, and the crabs are enormous--I'd hate to run into one in an alley. Definitely lived up to the hype.
Surprisingly, Frog Porridge also lived up to the hype. Yes, it tastes like chicken, but the consistency is more like a meaty fruit. It was in a yummy sauce and served over congee. One drawback was eating around the creepy frog bones and network of black veins.
The laws in Singapore are legion, but they are very specific. In this underground passageway were every kind of Do Not sign, including skateboarding, but they said nothing about breakdancing or freestyle cycling. Jenny swiped some kids bike and tooled around with it. Love this girl.
Ok, I mostly lied. I went to Singapore for the birds. It is quite complicated to get to the parks by trains and bus, so we simply took a cab all the way. If only all Jungles had such easy access.
This is it. The jungle is quite beautiful, with extremely diverse plant-life. The absolutely best thing were the Flying Lizards that gracefully and quite literally FLEW on red, semicircular "wings" onto a treetrunk. Once they land, they are tree-colored, skinny and completely basic, but I was lucky to see two winging it. There are also foot long monitors that crash through the brush like a 10 foot monitor when flushed--not a place for the weak of heart.
The next best thing was the monkeys. Not that they do anything particularly interesting, it is just neat that they are here.
The HSBC Skytop Walk, the main reason I chose my route, was closed on mondays. But the Jelutong Tower was pretty neat. It is a comfortable perch that pokes through the canopy.
It is a really neat place to be, especially all to myself. There is no better vantage point (on a Monday) to see all the birds in the canopy that you otherwise can't see. Except there were hardly any birds.
Except for a few, like these gorgeous Blue Throated Bee-Eaters, taken through my scope. I had only 30 species this whole trip. Apparently I came on the off season--there are no endemic species in Singapore and most of its birds are borrowed during the Migration seasons. But what I found was generally awesome.
The only other thing to do in Singapore is go Malling. It is totally unavoidable. You often have to go through a mall just to cross the street. In some places the only place to find food is in some mall's food court, though at least these are often ethnic foodie stops. My limit for malls is half an hour. We malled for 3 days. And emptied our wallets. Next time, Singapore via Malaysia.
