The effects of the day's activities and the previous night's flight journey hit us hard by the end of day one. Also, the husband and I were just recovering from the effects of the flu. So, like good kids, we decided to hit the bed early to sleep it all off. Of course, it was a silly thing to do when you have some fun company. Indeed, you lose track of time, and fatigue simply melts away when you have so much to catch up. M and I kept chatting well into midnight; the kids and the menfolk were holed up separately (each happy with a suitable company).
Jurong Bird Park, Merlion Park and around Clarke Quay:
We all woke up quite late the next day, quite understandably so. After a heavy brunch, we started off for Jurong Bird park. We had to take the MRT to the far end of where we stayed. The train ride lasted about 30 minutes during which we amused ourselves with the names of the station and in general people-observing. M had asked me to avoid carrying full-lengthed clothes and as I looked around, I was quick to acknowledge that the weather condition was just one of the reasons for her advice. I felt quite over clothed even in my knee-length skirts and capris. Not that it really mattered. Just saying:-p
From our station, a bus was to take us (per info provided by the App) to a particular point after which we had to walk (yes, you guessed it right. Just a few hundred meters) to the Bird park. We were a bit wary of the last leg of the journey considering how the App was quite off the mark the last time. We must have stood out as perfect tourists with the camera slung over the shoulders and an in-general air of unsureness, for a bus driver proactively directed us to the right route number that had a stop right outside the park. The route mentioned by the App would have stopped short of 3 bus-stops! Just imagining another lengthy period of sun-walking made me shudder. We'll remain forever indebted to the guy.
(Dear App makers, either you over-estimate the enthusiasm of tourists or you need to get yourself updated.)
The Bird park lived up to the expectations of all the word-of-mouth and online reviews. The myriad, colourful species from around the world are wonderful to look at. We timed ourselves to catch two bird shows and they were absolutely superlative. If you plan to visit the park, do allow yourself time for these shows. These, and of course, the sheer collection of bird species, make the park stand apart from any other zoo.
After the Bird park, we grabbed some late lunch and headed (via the MRT) towards the Merlion park that's centrally located. It's an area bustling with office-goers, tourists and locals. We enjoyed the perfect evening weather to stroll by the river bay (the same river connects the Gardens by the bay, the Flyer, and the Merlion) towards the park. We sat by the steps near the Merlion until dark and then took a short river cruise to the Clarke Quay. The cruise was a short 20-minute ride with an audio-video clip that describes the iconic structures that you see around along with its associated history. We passed by many bridges (each of them with a history and usually named after a colonial governor) that dot the entire span of the river.
The Quay was beautifully lit-up for Christmas (although my guess is it is all through the year), and bustling with energy, and people, with a line of multi-cuisine restaurants dotting the shoreline. We chose a Mexican restaurant (actually anything that offered a decent choice for veggies was how we came about to choose it) to have dinner. Quite an expensive affair, but at least, it offered some decent portion of food. But, what's a holiday without some indulgence! However, our general observation was that fine dining in Singapore not only leaves your pocket but, sadly, also your tummy lighter. However, the food courts around the housing complexes are far less expensive and also serve a decent portion of food; quite popular amongst the locals.
The food was good and the view by the bay even better. With our palates and heart satiated, we headed back home as yet another fun day came to a close. Leaving you with some pics from the day.
Jurong Bird Park, Merlion Park and around Clarke Quay:
We all woke up quite late the next day, quite understandably so. After a heavy brunch, we started off for Jurong Bird park. We had to take the MRT to the far end of where we stayed. The train ride lasted about 30 minutes during which we amused ourselves with the names of the station and in general people-observing. M had asked me to avoid carrying full-lengthed clothes and as I looked around, I was quick to acknowledge that the weather condition was just one of the reasons for her advice. I felt quite over clothed even in my knee-length skirts and capris. Not that it really mattered. Just saying:-p
From our station, a bus was to take us (per info provided by the App) to a particular point after which we had to walk (yes, you guessed it right. Just a few hundred meters) to the Bird park. We were a bit wary of the last leg of the journey considering how the App was quite off the mark the last time. We must have stood out as perfect tourists with the camera slung over the shoulders and an in-general air of unsureness, for a bus driver proactively directed us to the right route number that had a stop right outside the park. The route mentioned by the App would have stopped short of 3 bus-stops! Just imagining another lengthy period of sun-walking made me shudder. We'll remain forever indebted to the guy.
(Dear App makers, either you over-estimate the enthusiasm of tourists or you need to get yourself updated.)
The Bird park lived up to the expectations of all the word-of-mouth and online reviews. The myriad, colourful species from around the world are wonderful to look at. We timed ourselves to catch two bird shows and they were absolutely superlative. If you plan to visit the park, do allow yourself time for these shows. These, and of course, the sheer collection of bird species, make the park stand apart from any other zoo.
After the Bird park, we grabbed some late lunch and headed (via the MRT) towards the Merlion park that's centrally located. It's an area bustling with office-goers, tourists and locals. We enjoyed the perfect evening weather to stroll by the river bay (the same river connects the Gardens by the bay, the Flyer, and the Merlion) towards the park. We sat by the steps near the Merlion until dark and then took a short river cruise to the Clarke Quay. The cruise was a short 20-minute ride with an audio-video clip that describes the iconic structures that you see around along with its associated history. We passed by many bridges (each of them with a history and usually named after a colonial governor) that dot the entire span of the river.
Helix Bridge-It has a canopy structure that resembles the human DNA |
Anderson Bridge |
The Quay was beautifully lit-up for Christmas (although my guess is it is all through the year), and bustling with energy, and people, with a line of multi-cuisine restaurants dotting the shoreline. We chose a Mexican restaurant (actually anything that offered a decent choice for veggies was how we came about to choose it) to have dinner. Quite an expensive affair, but at least, it offered some decent portion of food. But, what's a holiday without some indulgence! However, our general observation was that fine dining in Singapore not only leaves your pocket but, sadly, also your tummy lighter. However, the food courts around the housing complexes are far less expensive and also serve a decent portion of food; quite popular amongst the locals.
The food was good and the view by the bay even better. With our palates and heart satiated, we headed back home as yet another fun day came to a close. Leaving you with some pics from the day.
Carrying an Ostrich egg |
Been to SGP couple of times, never seen the Merlion�� Fun times. Keep them coming!!
ReplyDeleteHehe, now go and see the Merlion. Although it was not spouting water since it's under some restoration work. But the baby Merlion was spouting water ;-)
DeleteThanks, Aparna, for reading and commenting faithfully :-D
awesome! I would love to visit all these places!
ReplyDeleteHi Ankita, you must when you get a chance :-)
DeleteI've been to Jurong, ages ago, 1997, I think. Also lived in Singapore as a kid, so have some fun, if vague, memories from then :) Good to see you cataloguing all this, Uma. As for the app, I usually follow Google maps. Seems fairly accurate. Which one did you use?
ReplyDeleteWow, that's quite a long while ago and it must have been quieter (if that's possible) way back then. This was a transport App, rather a portal called gothere.sg. It tells how you how best to reach from point A to point B. Google maps are what I rely on too.
DeleteThanks, Shailaja. What's the point of a blog if I cannot immortalize such travel memories, no?
wowowow .. beautiful pics .. I would love to go there some time for sure
ReplyDeleteBikram's
Thanks, Bikram. Yes, you must, at the first chance!
DeleteFunnily enough, Jurong Bird Park was one place we missed out on our vacation trip here. So it's definitely on the cards soon. The local transport apps are pretty decent, but after reading your blog posts, I'm going to be extra careful ;).
ReplyDeleteLovely clicks, especially loved the one of Marina Bay Sands :).
yes, the bird park is definitely worth a visit. Yes, mine could have been an exceptional case, just that it happened twice. So, yes, it won't harm to be careful :-)
DeleteThanks a lot, Aparna..that one is my fav too :-)
Awesomme blog you have here
ReplyDelete