Singapore, Day 5 - I, Zoological Gardens

While at the Tanglin Mall, I had noticed a Deli France and went there for breakfast the next morning. Finally, good strong coffee! I also had a chocolate croissant.

Then I took a taxi to the Singapore Zoological Gardens and bought a green batik printed umbrella since I was not sure I would be back to my hotel before that day’s monsoon. The zoo was very nice as one can get very close to the animals. Blue vultures and pea hens wandered free on the paths. There were lots of little primates loose in the trees, such as cotton headed tamarins.

I watched a very funny snake show. As I recall, volunteers were gathered from the audience and had non-venomous snakes piled onto them, and of course there was a plant from the audience who freaked out and fell into the pool, it was really humorous. Hey, I was lonely. There was also an elephant show. Later in the day, they were moving the elephants back to their enclosure and went right by me. That was interesting. I don’t get to be around such big animals much.

I took pictures of flat cat on the meerkat and tiger signs; time to send him home now. I like the meerkats best. They were definitely the cutest. This colony is especially successful, so there are just tons of them. Actually, the sheer number is a bit scary. “But I just want one, Mommy, really, just one to pet.”

I also liked the kookaburras, cobras, leopards, white tigers, red mongooses. The tiger looked into my camera flash and I got his eye shine.

There were also ominous looking black spitting cobras displayed behind Plexiglas, thank god, and ‘friendly’ seeming honey bears (Malaysian sun bears).

I also enjoyed the butterfly and snake enclosure, where those animals are loose. A butterfly could come and land on you. Of course that makes them really difficult to photograph; you just about have to shoo them away to get a picture. One landed on my toe, but flew off before I could snap the photo. The snakes are all in the trees and hard to spot at first. But then you can see all of them and they are everywhere. So, the only camera angle is shooting up.

There was a very touristy set up to have one’s picture taken with an orangutan for S$16, but I passed on that. He would even help you eat your lunch. Gross.