Jurong bird park
22 Feb 2010 Author: santm In: SingaporeAfter a full day @ Santosa on Sunday we woke up pretty late. We decided to go for Jurong bird park and offbeat track -Kong Meng San Phor Kark See Monastery, is the largest monastery in Singapore.
We had breakfast at ChatterBox as the normal breakfast side was packed. The menu was quite different from the normal side as we had lots of traditional dishes to choose from. As usual Pamela had lots of dim-sum and I preferred the usual cereal and fruits.
We started with the monastery, and when Orchard road tourist info office they were bit of surprised with our choice. The nearest MRT stop is Bishan and from there we took bus no 410. It took around 1 1/2hrs to complete the same. We enjoyed the serenity of that place painted in bright colors.
.jpg "Kong Meng San Phor Kark See Monastery")
From there we went to Jurong bird park via MRT. This MRT journey is very long as covers almost whole Singapore Northern part. On the way we picked Zongzi (or zong) traditional Chinese food, made of glutinous rice stuffed with different fillings; we had red bean paste. It is tetrahedral shape and wrapped in bamboo or reed leaves where leaf imparts its own unique smell and flavor to the rice. They are cooked by steaming or boiling. After a long wait got into 194 SBS bus from Boonlay metro station by that the sky was already dark with afternoon clouds. As soon as we reached park gate it was almost 4 PM abut luckily rain stopped.
It is open concept park which houses some thousand birds. We started our walk from on left side of ticket counter followed by crowned pigeon- World’s Largest Pigeons. They are at tree-top level with walkway which offers a completely unobtrusive view of the birds since there are no wire meshes separating the visitor from the birds. Then they have large collection of horn-bills and toucans. Lory Loft showcases the Lorykeet where Visitors can enter, traverse and exit Lory Loft at treetop level, allowing for a bird eye’s view of the majestic panorama.
The bird shows at the Pools Amphitheater featuring flamingos, macaws, hornbills and cockatoos are both spectacular and funny we heard from others but we couldn’t watch any as reached there late afternoon. African Waterfall Aviary, home to free-flying African birds and parrots paradise we missed. They have air conditioned panorail system with stoppages which covers the entire Park providing excellent elevated views.
They have birds of prey section too then ostrich, Double-Wattled Cassowary, Emu followed by Dino Dig which allows children and family members to experience archaeological diggings together and discover fossils hidden through time amidst the sands. It is entertaining for both adults as kids.
From there we walked towards riverine featuring ducks, fishes and turtles, swan and pelican cove and then flamingo .Penguin Parade enclosure, in a re-created Antarctic setting is worth seeing from kids point of view. Shoe bill, African crane, saddle billed storks and then at last we entered world of darkness which houses different species of owl.
TIP: Scrolling around the park would take more than 2-3 hours. So make sure to come earlier so that you can spend more time mingling with birds. And one can still have time to relax in one of their huts while watching the birds and listening to their symphony. Personally, seen different kinds of birds only in pictures and books. It really awakens our childhood desires. My son enjoyed a lot. We had to carry stroller up and down the stairs many a times. Although it was bit tiring but MUCH better on foot, at our own pace. Overall, spent fabulous day with birds of different species from different countries at one place. Best part is the whole area is very green and serene.
They have unique restaurant as all the chairs are made of metal with different kinds of animal figures. As well one can’t miss their souvenir shop as it is at EXIT door. Instead of wounding up by taking the bus to MRT we hired a cab for our hotel; got freshened up then left for dinner at Lau Pa Sat known for satay and stingray under the stars.
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Day-3 Sentosa visit
11 Jan 2010 Author: pamela In: Singapore
Saturday, we planned for Sentosa Island – Sentosa is the top tourist attraction if you ask any Singaporean tourist information or locals. Sentosa has it all – beach, corporate team building activities, aquarium, great food and entertainment and soon there will be Casio and entertainment park with roller coaster rides. We planned for complete day-trip; as usual after heavy breakfast we went by metro to Harbour Front MRT station. From there took Sentosa Express (Monorail train) from Vivocity mall’s top floor. Once out of Beach station (last stop) we saw two queues for trams- one blue line queue to take the tram to Palawan and Tanjong beach and other green line to Siloso beach. We preferred for first one as it was less crowded. Today it was more relaxing for me as Santanu was there to take care of Aarush. And Aarush was also happy to see many kids around him.
The main highlight of the Tanjong beach is the suspension boardwalk that brings you to the Southernmost Point of Continental Asia which is also known as the closest point to the Equator in Asia. A bit tricky geography as Singapore is connected to Malaysia by a bridge it is not considers as an island and same true for Sentosa which is again connected to Singapore by a bridge; reminded me of those great signs of Western USA. We chilled and tried to get connect with nature as much we can in those tall shady coconut trees and beautiful bougainvilleas around. Aarush was so excited to see water that he just wanted to jump and Santanu told him very tight while he dipped himself in sea. It was not sufficient for him and ultimately he has to strap Aarush in the stroller. From Tanjong we came by walking to Palawa beach where we couldn’t control Aarush anymore. There is a small fountain square or wading pool for kids to play beside seaside. He played happily without bothering even we are around or not for almost 2 hrs; then we forcibly took him out as it started to rain.
This island is simply beautiful and bustling with activities. It houses many museums, theatres, aquariums, luxury shops and of course beaches. Had very light Indian lunch and then left for Silosa beach. There we visited underwater world which was equally fun. Underworld is one of expensive attraction of Santosa (S$22 per ticket) but it really worth the money. Next to the aquarium is the show of dolphins but due to rain it was cancelled and we have to be happy with the show from sea-lions.
From there we took a bus to tiger sky tower, images of Singapore and Merlion. These attractions are sited so close together that you need not spend more than 5 minutes to walk from one attraction to another. The easiest way to get to Imbiah Lookup is by Sentosa Express, a monorail train which will bring you directly to Imbiah Lookup station. Finally, after whole day walking and stalking my son slept and we too decided to relax while gazing at the serenity of the sea so comeback by monorail to last stop as we had bought ticket for last show of the day. Before Aarush went to sleep he was really cranky and was doing all kind of real naughty things, ultimate one was he just lied down completely on the pavement to lodge his complaint like a street activist.
We ended our trip with one of the highly-rated show, Song of the Sea where the highlight is on fountain-like water spray dancing harmoniously with the background music. In addition, to colourful lighting which changes constantly with the rhythm of the background music it is enhanced with lasers, pyrotechnics, bursts of fire, water jets, pop music and a live cast, the show is more like a state-of-the-art entertainment. After show we left for Vivocity for return journey to hotel.
We had our dinner at Vivocity food republic; place bubbling with energy. It’s the place for the food connoisseurs. They have wide range of international cuisine and restaurants serving French, Italian, Japanese, Taiwanese local flair and what not. We had java and fried Hakeem noodles…which was absolutely awesome.
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Quick Intro
This space started as home grown hand written web site to a play ground of web technology. They are a Bengali couple currently staying at Bangalore with their little son. While he works in the field of IT and she is busy 24x7 in her new role of motherhood. Though they have not traveled much this year due to various personal & professional commitments it is only thing that bond them best. .....