25 to 28 July 2015
On the 25th of July 2015, we were up with the lark to get airborne to Johor Bahru. After a delectable breakfast, some leisurely play and a good reading of books at the airport bookstore, we scampered to the departure gate. Not long after, we were heading down to the comfy plane. After everyone was on board, the plane slowly moved tortoise-speed up the runway. Then there was an abrupt pause. After that the engine made loud revving noises. We shook to the escalating speed of the plane as it gradually zoomed up. We were fully airborne. The oil plantations, the vehicles, the pedestrians, they all looked like little ants. An air steward brought us some light refreshments. The rest of the ride was calm and peaceful until we had a colossal jolt. I thought it was turbulence, until an announcement mentioned that we were landing. Soon, we touched down at Johor Bahru airport and my father picked us up to the Renaissance Hotel.
The next morning, feeling fresh and rejuvenated, we sprinted to the hotel restaurant for a hearty, energy-packed breakfast. After that, we drove to the first crossing that connected Johor Bahru to Singapore Island. Next came a long round searching for the Flower Dome and the Cloud Forest, which marks the location of the Gardens By The Bay. There were glass domes nearly everywhere, but none of them were the Flower Dome or the Cloud Forest. Hope was little until we found one large dome and one small dome, both tiled with glass panels of windows to make them look like a greenhouse. It was the Flower Dome and the Cloud Forest! Soon, we were heading into the car park. Even in the car park, it was lush greenery with large plantation of plants in large pots. While my mother was buying our tickets, I sat on benches which happened to be wood-carved crocodile benches. My father took a photo with me posing with a giant termite mound made out of wood and with termites carved out of a silver metal that possibly was pewter. We decided to start our tour with the outdoor garden. First, we went to the Dragonfly Lake. Near its banks lay lots of water weeds that dragonflies love (no wonder it’s called the “Dragonfly Lake”). Then, I found a pathway that had a stepped fountain where water trickled down the steps. I thought to myself: could this be a “secret” pathway that will lead us to another garden? So, I asked my parents if we could go in. They agreed, and soon we were ascending up the “waterfall”. The “secret passage” actually led to the Chinese garden. It looked more like a Chinese palace garden. There were lots of reeds and Chinese palace-style gateways, and next to all of this lay a petite lake with stepping stones. There were also lots of lizards, including geckos. We took a photo of us on the other side of the lake. Then, we sat down at a nearby bench to drink some water under the serene shade of a shaded pagoda. There were Chinese portraits on the walls delicately painted by renowned Chinese artists.
After that, we continued on to the Malay garden. On the way, we stopped at a high canopy stand to take photos. It was breezy and exhilarating, sounded like one of the most thrilling moments I had experienced. In less than five minutes we were at the Malay Garden. The geniuses who built this garden really know how to preserve the heritage of the country and add it into the garden - there were “kampong” shelters strewn everywhere in this creatively-built part of garden. There was even a “kampong house”! I can’t remember very much about the Indian Garden.
We went up a marvellously tall bridge to have a view of the Marina Bay Sands and the Singapore Flyer, a well-known Ferris wheel. We also took pictures of a very high and long walkway, known as the OCBC Skyway that connects two Supertrees at the Supertree Grove. Then we got off and onto another bridge that led us to the Colonial Garden. There were lots of animal sculptures and a few canopies with vines and creepers growing on the ceiling. According to my father, there were bees lurking in wait for a victim to sting on the ceiling too, so we didn’t dare to go inside any of the canopies. Outside lay a marvellous sight that nearly left me pondering. A humongous baby was lying on a white bed of flowers, which looked like eternal vigil. I was extremely curious on how the sculpture got into such position. Did a super-strong person push the whole item down? Definitely not. That ponderous sight led us to the World of Plants, located on the top of a high hill. After the climb up the staircase, we entered a botanical grove where trees, flowers, bulbs, shoots, stems, reeds and barks of different specimens grew. My mother took a photo of a pangolin made out of living foliage.
Later, we were at a part of the garden where there were colossal jars making the sound of rainforest. I felt a bit uneasy looking at all those worms preserved inside those jars. We also saw some interesting cacti and other desert plants. After spending more than an hour walking under the hot sun, we went back to the area where the crocodile bench and the termite mound were. Time for us to visit the Flower Dome. When we first stepped in, the view was breath-taking. The sight of blooming flowers being displayed next to each other made visitors take lots of pictures.
A door that led us to an air-conditioned paradise of worldwide plants nearly blew our heads away. We saw olive plant, honeysuckles and even the famous Brachychiton water-storing tree. For us, the Garden by the Bay was very educational as we learnt about different species of plant and shared facts about them. There was an Australian garden, a South American garden, a South African garden, a European garden and an American garden in the Flower Dome. It was magical! I never know that the plant world has so many secrets to discover. One could easily spend hours inside this dome but we were feeling peckish. So, we exited the Flower Dome and into a gift shop that was filled with souvenirs, paintings and even wellness products. We didn’t buy anything as the products cost an arm and a leg. So, we raced out of the gift shop and feasted on buns that my mother bought earlier the day.
After a hearty lunch, we headed to the Cloud Forest. It was freezing cold when we stepped into the huge conservatory. Above my head stood a magnificently colossal waterfall that stretched from the highest level of the forest tower, which is covered in mostly moss, with plants on top. It was almost like the Venezuelan Angel Falls! The labelling was still excellent there and we managed to feast our eyes on more intriguing plants like the Japanese Laurel and the conifers.
As we approached the Lost World, we saw a Malaysian forest landscape entirely made out of Lego bricks. Could not believe my eyes, Rafflesia and Pitcher Plant made out of Lego bricks! Next, we were taken into a lift up to a high botanical avenue where gorgeous flowers, dangling creepers, swinging lianas and bushy shrubs grew to their tallest, to their oldest, to their fullest. I caught a view of a pitcher plant, and also saw an unusual plant which is quite fascinating. It was so eye-intriguing that my eyes nearly popped out of my head. It was mostly pitcher plants at that altitude {really surprising} and soon we were at the end of the track.
The next morning, we were feeling peckish after our leisurely eight-hour “relaxation”. We, as normal, scampered to the breakfast area and wiped clean our meal. Packed with the needed energy for the trip, we entered the lift and got to the car park. Once again, we drove to the Singapore immigration, only to be greeted by a shocking surprise. A flotilla of other drivers who had the same idea to go to Singapore were gathered in the hundreds, resulting in an extremely bad congestion at the causeway.
After two hours on the road, we finally arrived at the Singapore Zoo. The moment we entered the zoo, I felt like I was walking into an urban forest. The place was well shaded with trees and plants. The first animal that we saw at the zoo was the Proboscis Monkey. It was supposed to have a short, oval-shaped nose but those at the Singapore Zoo had noses that looked a bit broad. Next, we went to see the Asian small-clawed otters. Some were happily doing a morning relaxation and having a merry time basking in the sun on a rock while others were frolicking about in the pond below. The otters, to me, felt joyous. But I didn’t know how they were feeling really because I am not an otter myself.
After two hours on the road, we finally arrived at the Singapore Zoo. The moment we entered the zoo, I felt like I was walking into an urban forest. The place was well shaded with trees and plants. The first animal that we saw at the zoo was the Proboscis Monkey. It was supposed to have a short, oval-shaped nose but those at the Singapore Zoo had noses that looked a bit broad. Next, we went to see the Asian small-clawed otters. Some were happily doing a morning relaxation and having a merry time basking in the sun on a rock while others were frolicking about in the pond below. The otters, to me, felt joyous. But I didn’t know how they were feeling really because I am not an otter myself.
Then it was the White Tigers that I always long to see. They didn’t seem active as they were relaxing on their rocks, looking at us. They didn’t move much. But they were extremely intriguing, with numerous posters and banners hung outside their enclosure. One poster said that the tigers were fairly new to the zoo, so they might not be used to big crowds of visitors. It was a beauty to see a real White Tiger in action.
After that, we went to the Pygmy Hippo enclosure. At the entrance of the enclosure, we saw a few other creatures that shared their habitat with the Pygmy Hippo. It included the humongous Crocodile Gar. Coming up was the icky and muddy Red River Hogs. They were joyously bathing themselves in fresh mud and resting and rolling until they were more like Brown Mud Hogs than Red River Hogs. The pygmy hippopotamus is a smaller hippo that originates from West Africa.
After that, we went to the Pygmy Hippo enclosure. At the entrance of the enclosure, we saw a few other creatures that shared their habitat with the Pygmy Hippo. It included the humongous Crocodile Gar. Coming up was the icky and muddy Red River Hogs. They were joyously bathing themselves in fresh mud and resting and rolling until they were more like Brown Mud Hogs than Red River Hogs. The pygmy hippopotamus is a smaller hippo that originates from West Africa.
After that was a visit to feast our eyes on the four adorable koalas, Chan, Paddle, Pelita and Idalia. This was the first time I saw a koala in action - they were happily munching eucalyptus leaves contentedly. There were signs and banners about koalas everywhere and also a television premiering a documentary on the koalas. The koalas were so pampered as they were placed in an air-conditioned enclosure.
Next, we went to see the Hamadryas Baboons from the Great Rift Valley of Ethiopia. There was an infestation of them - I think there was about 11 or 12. Their bright red bottoms looked as if they had fell from a rock monolith and landed heavily bum-first. But really, it was nature’s idea.
After that were the Douc Langurs. The name was actually French, but I forgot what the English translation was. Douc Langurs is closely related to the proboscis monkey. The enclosure was filled with monkey-business clutter. There was a little shed with a meal stand and connected to the shed was a thin, metallic bridge which was actually a wire. The next attraction was the Colobus Monkeys. The enclosure was near the Arapaima River. Not long after, a crowd of tourists came by. It was feeding time. The zookeepers fed the Crested Macaques and Colobus Monkeys with bananas and other fruits.
The Crested Macaques didn’t quite eat anything but the Colobus Monkeys savoured their meal as soon as it was thrown to them. As soon as the noise of the tourists cleared, we were off.
After that we saw the Red Howler Monkeys. I tried to take a photo of them stealthily, because I knew that if they noticed me they might let out a deafening howl. But then I changed my mind. So we thought of going to the African Penguin enclosure instead. Not knowing where we were meant to head for, we asked a lady serving at the Shaw Foundation Amphitheatre convenience store. Following her directions, we headed west exploring sights of animals on the way.
First stop were the Sumatran Orangutans. Orangutan meant “man of the forest” in Malay and no prizes for those who guessed that the red haired primate looked like a native forest tribesman. There was one humongous hairy orangutan who knuckle- walked across the stone slab. Not far from the Orangutan enclosure was the Frozen Tundra where the wolverines, the polar bear and the raccoon dogs resided. The carnivorous wolverines were hibernating snug and cosy in their beds of straw. And so were the raccoon dogs. The polar bear’s dens were marked with a note reading “If you don’t see me here, I might be having a snooze in my den. I’ll be out during the feeding time”. True enough, he was sleeping on an iceberg in his enclosure. There was an artificial igloo which children could climb into to experience the life of Eskimo.
Then it was the confusingly- designed zebras, which were relatives to the horse. They weren’t doing much apart from swinging their tails and contentedly munching grass. Not far from them were the African animal sprinters - the cheetahs. They were sitting near to a covered canopy that was full of African clutter. After the cheetahs were the warthogs. Their habitat was crammed with brown mud where the warthogs were sunbathing in. They looked so dirty that possibly they had to eat muddy food for every feeding time {Yuck!}.
Next to come were the lions. They were new arrivals so they were resting at the back of the enclosure. The closest we got to them was in a small canopy with a big glass frame. After that we explored the Fragile Forest. Firstly, we went through some chains and a small entrance to catch the view of different amphibians. Then we went down a pathway where there were lots of unusual plants and some birds. The first attraction was an unusual bird that looked like a little guineafowl or peacock. I hadn’t the foggiest what this intriguing specimen was named. I found it extremely ponderous and interesting at the same time. Next were the ring-tailed lemurs. They were on stands connected to a little bridge and another stand. They were not too busily messing about so it cost us no stress to take a snap.
After that were the Flying Foxes, or fruit bats as the whole enclosure was strewn with orange skins, uneaten leftovers of watermelon, banana peels and the oh-so-annoying butterflies, which interrupted my view every time I tried to take a glimpse of the bat.
Last in line was the hideously slow sloth. It shared its habitat and of course its food with a few other butterflies. There were some vegetables laid in a little bowl in front of the sloth but the sloth just hung on to its bar and drifted off into slumber land. After the Fragile Forest, we were in a room full of creepy crawlies kept in tanks such as the Giant Hair Tarantula and the Madagascan Giant Cockroach. Not long after, we were out of the Fragile Forest and to the Giant Tortoise enclosure. The extremely slow shelled amphibian thumped across the sand in slow motion. It lived with a horned lizard resting on top of a rock. Near to it lived the only living “dragon”, the Komodo Dragon.
Not too long after, we arrived at the African Penguin enclosure. There were lone ones, nesting couples, males picking sticks for nests. It looked so natural that the penguins just thought they might build a nest or two in their habitat. Next to the covered part lay a medium sized paddling pool where the penguins could happily frolick and swim in. After that, we had lunch under the Garden Pavilion. We revisited the Frozen Tundra and a few other enclosures before returning to the hotel.
Written by Koh Chee Yuan
After that were the Flying Foxes, or fruit bats as the whole enclosure was strewn with orange skins, uneaten leftovers of watermelon, banana peels and the oh-so-annoying butterflies, which interrupted my view every time I tried to take a glimpse of the bat.
Last in line was the hideously slow sloth. It shared its habitat and of course its food with a few other butterflies. There were some vegetables laid in a little bowl in front of the sloth but the sloth just hung on to its bar and drifted off into slumber land. After the Fragile Forest, we were in a room full of creepy crawlies kept in tanks such as the Giant Hair Tarantula and the Madagascan Giant Cockroach. Not long after, we were out of the Fragile Forest and to the Giant Tortoise enclosure. The extremely slow shelled amphibian thumped across the sand in slow motion. It lived with a horned lizard resting on top of a rock. Near to it lived the only living “dragon”, the Komodo Dragon.
Not too long after, we arrived at the African Penguin enclosure. There were lone ones, nesting couples, males picking sticks for nests. It looked so natural that the penguins just thought they might build a nest or two in their habitat. Next to the covered part lay a medium sized paddling pool where the penguins could happily frolick and swim in. After that, we had lunch under the Garden Pavilion. We revisited the Frozen Tundra and a few other enclosures before returning to the hotel.
Written by Koh Chee Yuan
