Singapore Vacay Day 2: A Night in Safari

Day 2: To Singapore and Night Safari

Our flight was at 8:00 am, so we went to the check-in counter at 5:30. The Airphil check-in people weren’t there yet, so we had to wait for them to arrive. (Didn't they say to check-in three hours before an international flight?)


Meanwhile a few pics in the Mactan-Cebu International Airport:

After paying a tax of P1,600 each plus a terminal fee of P750, we went to this resto next to the waiting lounge. My eyes got bigger when I saw the exorbitant prices on the menu. The four slices of ham and cheese sandwich the Daughter and I shared was Php450! And this ham and egg and rice meal? Php250! But the kids were hungry so we reluctantly gave in.

Airport Lesson: Don't go to an airport joint where the Pinoy servers greet you in Japanese! (Moshi! Moshi!)

The 3 ½ hours flight to Singapore was generally calm. We finally arrived at Changi Airport.
 

 

Coming from a third world airport, of course we had to have pictures taken at the Travellator!

 

Changi Airport was a sight to behold.

My heart beat faster when I saw the shopping possibilities at their airport.                            (mind control: must..not..go..yet!)

For the game addicts, Changi gives you some things to tinker with as soon as you arrive.

Welcome to Singapore!!! Clean, sleek, modern everywhere you turn.

After eating at McDonald's in the airport, we took the train going to our hotel. We had to transfer trains three times, but it was just a breeze. We arrived at the hotel at about 2:30 pm.

Now let me talk about the hotels in Singapore.  Like any other big cities in the world, Singapore lodging can be very expensive. Thank God for the internet, it is now possible to search for a hotel to suit your budget and needs. Most hotels don’t allow more than two people in a room, so it was a problem for us because we were an odd number five. Some hotels are less expensive, but the walk from its doorstep to the means of transportation is a gruelling 20 minutes. Some of the locations are not suitable for children (rated R, kasi ang lugar daw!). Finally, we found the Strand Hotel in Bencoolen St., a stone’s throw away from a train station where we would be alighting from the airport. Across it was a fast food restaurant, Kopitiam, and 7-11. It could accommodate all the five of us in one room, with 2 queen sized beds and one single bed. The toilet and bath are separated, so it’s ideal for a group of people. They had free breakfast for the five of us—poached eggs, 2 chicken hotdogs, 2 pieces hash browns, and some beans. Plus, we could also get from their buffet table—toasted bread, noodles, and beverages. At a price of S$280 a night (Php9,500+), I think there was nothing we could ask for. (Okay, maybe more smiles from the staff would make it perfect?)

(Fresh from the oven: The Hubby complained to the hotel today (April 28) because when he checked his credit card bill online, he was surprised that they charged us twice for our stay! When he emailed the Strand, they admitted they made a mistake and said they would cancel the billing at once. Naku, be very careful when you use your credit cards in hotels!)

A view from our second floor window.

We let the kids rest for a while, while the Hubby and I walked around to familiarize ourselves with the area.

The buildings have interesting architecture.

The bus stops were ultra clean…

...and so were the buses (and the train stations—listen up MRT!).

Traffic was orderly and efficient.

Speaking of efficiency, on the Night Safari website, it said that the Singapore Attraction Express to the Night Safari  bus would pass by this bus stop (Princep St.) at 6:20 pm. We walked toward the bus stop at 5:45 pm, for the Hubby was anxious that we might miss the bus. (Btw, he’s always anxious about the time, which can be a little bit stressful;-)) Lo and behold, the bus arrived at exactly 6:20. (Holy guacamole, how do they do that?) So off to Night Safari, as scheduled!

 The Night Safari is one of Singapore’s most famous visitor attractions for young and old alike because it is the world’s first wildlife park for nocturnal animals. The park can be explored either by walking their three trails or by riding a tram. The 40-hectare park boasts of over 1,000 animals, which a lot of them are threatened species.

The park opens at 7:30 p.m. so the buses arrive just in time. Entrance fee to the park for adults is S$32 (~Php 1,088) and for children 3-12 years old, the fee is at S$21 (~Php714).  

It was good that we were able to ride the SAE bus because they also issued the entrance tickets on the bus, so we didn’t need to get in a long line upon arrival. Oh, the bus fare was $S8/person (~Php272) back and forth.

Upon entering the park, we saw some men in tribal costumes doing some fire-eating and acrobatics. Sus, andaming ganyan sa perya ng Pilipinas, so we opted to ignore the show altogether. Later, we discovered that they were from the Thumbuakar Tribe of Borneo. Tama, hindi nga tayo nagkakalayo ng mga ninuno;-)

There were so many people that night (I didn’t know why—was it because it was a Good Friday? E, ala namang Good Friday sa Singapore a!)

When we entered, we saw a lot of people queuing up for the tram ride. So to save on time, we started walking through the Leopard Trail. (As it was already dark, the pictures were not as clear.) The animals were just a few meters away from us, so looking at them was kind of amazing and scary at the same time. What if they decided to jump, especially the hyenas and the bears! "What the heck", as my son said, "if the animals attacked, we could sue them, and then we could get a lot of money, Mom! "  Hmmm…no thanks, anak!!!

When we reached the end of the trail, that’s when we saw a deserted waiting area for the tram, so we were able to ride it without a long line. The tram ride was very educational because you get a near glimpse of the exotic animals from the different regions of the world (like the Himalayas, Nepalese River, Indian Subcontinent,etc.) and at the same time, a tour guide explained the different animals quirks and uniqueness. (Yes, they call our kalabaw, the water buffalo from the Philippines!) The park reiterated the four R’s to protect the environment—Reuse, Reduce, Replant and Recycle.

The highlight of the Night Safari adventure was watching the Night of the Creatures show, which tourists say one shouldn’t miss. But the line was sooo long, should we still go? Yeah! We would have wasted precious money if we hadn’t. So even if we had to queue for one hour to get in the next scheduled show, which was at 9:30pm, we patiently did it. Nakakapagod tumayo ha!!! My kids were saying, this had better be worth it.

Fortunately, the show was very entertaining. Set in an amphitheatre, they have trained some animals to do things like pick up some trash and put them in the proper bin, smell some food, etc etc. They also chose some audience participants to interact with some animals. (If you are brave, then you should sit in front!) You will be in for a good laugh and be amazed at the featured animals.  It has been said, and I will say it again—don’t leave the Park without seeing this show!!!

The show ended at around 10:00, and we decided we had enough animal-watching for the night. We went back to the SAE bus, and because we have already paid for our fare, we didn’t have a hard time lining up for a bus or a taxi home. The bus that we rode going there was the same one that was reserved for us.

The boys were hungry so they went to Kopitiam, a fast food joint across from our hotel, for a night recap. The Daughter was not feeling well (she already had cough a day before leaving for Singapore) so I had to take her back to our room. We were all able to sleep at around midnight.

To be continued…