Singapore Day 4

Day 4 was also our last day spent in Singapore. We went to Singapore Zoo as it is close to Woodlands where my best friend stays. Singapore Zoo is also close to Singapore customs. So it's all on the way home to Malaysia.

The children started the day with a soak in the bath tub. LOL. Thank you, Kasie! It's their first time in a big bath tub so they are a bit excited and enjoyed the soak very much. :D

Enjoying themselves in the bath tub.

Moving on to Singapore Zoo. There's a lot of packages or combo as they call it for their admission fee. It depends whether you want to go on their tram ride or add on a boat ride too. Or you might just be comfortable walking around with that you just pay to enter. We chose the admission plus tram ride in the end. The zoo is quite big and you must obtain the map so it's easier to guide your way around. Taking the tram is also a wise decision especially for those who are traveling with senior citizens or young kids. You can hope on and hop off anytime. We hired the wagon for $15 also for the kids incase they get tired easily. The kids enjoyed it because it's something new to them.

Singapore Zoo opens at 8.30am. We were there late at about 10.30am and as a result we missed one of their Splash Safari show. :( So plan your trip well and go there early is best. Food is not a problem at the zoo too. Plenty of eateries there and we dined at KFC. There's two KFC in the zoo! I was so tempted to try Ben & Jerry's ice cream but because it was raining, I have to refrain myself. LOL.

One of their star attraction is the Rainforest Kidzworld. It's a good idea, like an area tailored for kids. My kids went on the pony ride, carousel ride and horse carriage ride there. There's many activities there. You can even go for water play but since we couldn't spend the whole day there, we didn't allow the kids to swim much to their dismay. The weather was also threatening and it rained a few times when we're there. By the way, the extra rides at this area are extra charges and not counted into the admission ticket.

We were able to catch two shows and that was the Animal Friends Show and Rainforest Fights Back Show. Oh and one more new experience was the Elephant Ride. It was my very first time and boy was I excited and scared at the same time. $8 for adult and $4 for child. Just imagine all four of us on the elephant (my mum didn't want to sit). We got to touch the elephant too and the kids were surprised to feel the elephant's skin.

When the Animal Friends show started, my kids were invited to come out and dance with the hosts. Joseph was a bit lost in the first picture and nearly walked to the back stage. I think he can't wait to see the animals. Haha.

This is a short video of them prancing around with the show's hosts.

There's rats, cats and dogs at the Animal Friends Show.

Kids participation at the Animal Friends Show. After the show ended, the kids were allowed to come down and pat the dogs.

Pony ride at the Rainforest Kidzworld. Joseph was all smiles on this ride.

Now it's Elizabeth's turn on the pony.

On the Horse Carriage Ride, Wild Animal Carousel Ride and Tram Ride.

That's a cheetah at the first picture. Children having a pic with their favourite 'Madagascar' animals the zebra and the giraffe.

Next mission was to find 'Alex the lion' says Elizabeth. The kids with the elephant after the elephant ride. And the last photo was the white tiger.

A very short clip of the Rainforest Fights Back Show. It was to show that the Orang Utan can manage to break open a coconut just with his bare hands but a human can't do that. But too bad I only caught it after the coconut has been broken.

The last animal we saw was the white tiger that my hubby was so eager to see and then it poured heavily and we were forced to leave the zoo as it was getting late and we didn't want to be home in Melaka so late. We didn't get to finish the whole zoo. So be there early and you can spend the whole day there to finish the whole zoo. Oh well, there's always next time. Singapore Zoo: World's Best Rainforest Zoo. I think it really lives up to that standard. Worth a visit.

You can read about my Day 1 to Day 3 Singapore trip here:

Day 1

Day 2

Day 3

Singapore Day 3

On our third day in Singapore, we went to Gardens by the Bay, Singapore's latest attraction. I thought it would be a lovely walk there especially for my mum and it was indeed quite lovely. We took the MRT there again. It's like our main mode of transport there. It was a quite a long journey there and the children were already getting restless. So in the end, we had to whip out our handphones and let them play games to occupy them. Practically everyone owns a smartphone. That is from what I observed when I ride on the MRTs. It is like a necessity and their way of life since they commute so much everyday. I see some of them listening to music, playing games or even watching dramas without a headphone, mind you!  

How not to give them our phones to play? Just looks at the man beside Elizabeth, he's also busy with his phone. LOL.

The sun wasn't so hot when we arrived. It was quite a nice stroll on the boardwalk along the Dragonfly lake towards Gardens by the Bay ticketing counter. Nice scenery for photographic spot.

This calls for a family pic but Joseph had to ruin the picture. Cheeky boy. That's the Supertree Grove at the back.

Those are the 'Supertrees' called the Silver Leaf Garden and the two conservatories are at the back of it.

Picture on the left, crossing one of the bridges with Singapore Flyer as the backdrop. Picture on the right, with Kasie my best friend of 22 years! No distance can pull us apart even though she's living in Singapore. Thanks to modern technology! Keeping in touch is so easy.

There were two conservatories, the Flower Dome and Cloud Forest. But we only went in to one, the Flower Dome because I heard that it's Autumn Harvest at the Flower Dome until 27 November 2012. Check out this link for their admission fee. http://www.gardensbythebay.com.sg/en/plan-your-visit/visitor-information.html#!/hour-admission

Inside the Flower Dome. It's covered and air-conditioned. So it's like walking in Cameron Highlands. LOL.

Children so happy to take pictures with the flowers. 

It was during Halloween time so all kinds of pumpkins everywhere. Joseph so happy to be carried by Auntie Kasie.

Elizabeth so happy to find her red rose. Then enjoying sitting on fake elephants.

As it is the Flower Dome, you'll be able to see all kinds of flowers suitable for flower lovers. Places for dining are also aplenty at Gardens by the Bay so you don't have to walk far for food.  

Marina Bay Sands could be seen from the gardens.

Supertree Grove. You can see a walkway that you can walk from tree to tree. We didn't go up though as the sun was pretty hot that time.

After filling up our tummies, it was time to move on to Merlion Park. Your trip would not be complete if you don't visit the Merlion Park, so people say. To join in the crowd and make ourselves known as tourist in Singapore, we had to go to Merlion Park. Haha.

The many views around the Merlion Park. The Esplanade, Singapore Flyer and Merlion itself.

Then it was time to visit Marina Bay Sands Skypark. It's a good place to get a bird's eyeview of Singapore's skyline. Admission to the skypark is $20 for adults and $14 for kids. It's really so high up for those who have fear of heights but then the view is really beautiful. We had the day view but it should be also beautiful by night. Maybe next time we'll go at night. 

View from Marina Bay Sands Skypark. You can see Gardens by the Bay below and the ships on the sea.

The kids love the experience.

The cars look like toys and Singapore Flyer looked smaller too.

The 'durian' (Esplanade) and the Marina Bay floating platform.

You can see the Infinity Pool from here. That's the closest we can get because we cannot enter the pool area as it's just for hotel guests.

Nice view.

Inside Marina Bay Sands and the entrance to the casino. We went in the casino and walked one round just to see the environment inside.

We hanged around Marina Bay Sands and had our dinner there at their foodcourt. We already had plans to be entertained by Wonder Full, Marina Bay Sands water, light and sound show at the Event Plaza, Marina Bay Sands. They have shows at 8pm and 9.30pm. Of course we went for the 8pm one as we didn't want to go back so late considering the traveling time. Go there early to secure seats and it's best to get the seats in the middle and not too in front because there'll be fire display and you don't want to feel too much of the heat.

While waiting for the show to start, many people will start clicking their cameras for the night view.

Another angle.

The kids wants to be on camera.

The introduction..let the show begin!

Watch this short video for a brief understanding of what the show is about.

Go there to watch the whole show, I assure it's worth it and you will enjoy it just like we all did. My mum even thank me for bringing her to watch Wonder Full. That's how much she liked it. It looked like a more relaxing day with visits to Gardens by the Bay, Merlion Park and Marina Bay Sands but it was a whole lot of walking actually! The children were so tired that they slept like a log and didn't want to wake up the next day. A memorable day too all in all. Day 4..we're going to the zoo!

You can read about my day 1 and day 2 here:
Singapore Day 1
Singapore Day 2

A Little Bird Told Me

...that Elizabeth misses Singapore. Why? Check out her drawing.

Fresh from our Singapore trip, Elizabeth drew a picture and I was pretty impressed with it. She must be in the mood because she doesn't draw everyday. Usually her drawings are very basic and simple like stickman, people, bird, house or building. She drew birds also but this time a more complex one which took me by surprise.

Elizabeth proudly showing her drawing.

Before and after. So eager to use the new set of magic pens I got for her. The upper colourful bird is a parrot she said.

Very colourful drawing. Bird inspired from Singapore Zoo I think. Can you spot her 'Singapore train' (MRT)? She calls it 'Singapore train'. Haha. What a colourful train.

Can't wait to see what other drawings she'll come up with next time.

Singapore Day 2

Continuation from my first day in Singapore, this is my account on my second day in Singapore.  This is the day we spent our whole day in Universal Studios Singapore (USS). With already the two free adult tickets I won, I only need to buy a senior ticket for my mum and a child ticket for Elizabeth. Joseph entered free! Child tickets only starts from 4 years old to 12 years old. So I already purchased the tickets in advanced online. That way, I don't have to queue twice for tickets and another time to enter.

The famous spot to take photos and tell everyone that we were at USS and have conquered the place.

It was a Monday when we entered USS but I was surprised to see the crowd! I thought it would be fine during the weekday but I guess my expectation was wrong. Maybe it would be better if we went on a Tuesday. Anyway, too late for regrets. One advice though, if you're going to USS with children, be sure to wake up early because you need time to travel there and you want to be there at the opening hour. So you can have your money's worth and ride as many rides your want there. You have to consider the time consumed in queing for a ride. The time queing is even longer than the ride itself!

The first thing we did as soon as we entered USS was to rent a stroller. Single stroller for $10. It came in handy as my prince was unwell that day. So at least we had the stroller for him to rest when he was feeling tired or cranky. Don't forget also to get the map of USS as soon as you enter. It serves as a good guide and you can plan ahead.

Marilyn Monroe and Woody Woodpecker was there to greet us near the entrance at 'The Walk of Fame', Hollywood Street. But we were already late so we didn't stop by to have pictures with them thinking we could do it later. Our first stop was at 'Madagascar' and we took the Madagascar: A Crate Adventure ride. It was the first ride so the kids were pretty excited. Moreover Elizabeth can see her favourite characters from Madagascar movie. This ride is suitable for young children.


The children getting excited to go on the ride. The ride is on water. Elizabeth so happy to see her favourite Madagascar characters moving and talking.

Carousel will always be a hit with the children. That's why we had to go on King Julien's Beach Party-Go-Round just for their sake. There was also Madagascar Boogie, a street entertainment. So everyone can 'move it, move it'! Our tummys were growling already so we had our lunch at Marty's Casa Del Wild. There's a few set lunches for you to choose.

Didn't get a good shot of the street entertainment. Too many people blocking my view.

Then we're off to a land Far Far Away. The first thing we saw was the long queue for Enchanted Airways. It's a good thing my children were not into roller coasters otherwise I would be turning green from riding it. Although it is just a junior roller coaster, I'm really not keen. Age has something to do with my level of interest I guess. LOL. And of course, the Far Far Away castle is a crowd puller as well. Many people wanted to take a picture in front of the castle including yours truly. I was thrilled to enter the Shrek 4-D Adventure but had to pull out halfway through because my children got frightened especially my daughter who begged us to take her out. The poor girl thought there were real spiders crawling up her feet and that's exactly why you should go for this because it's so real! If it weren't for my children, I would've sat all the way through. A must-go! If you are bringing young children, you may opt for the stationary seats but you can still 'feel' the action. Trust me!

Elizabeth was drawn to the Magic Potion Spin, a mini ferris wheel for children. Thank goodness something to divert her attention. Otherwise, I don't know what would've calmed her down from all the action. She even sat twice on this ferris wheel.

In front of the Far Far Away Castle. Elizabeth doesn't know what she's getting into. :D

One last shot before leaving Far Far Away land.

Next we went to The Lost World. By then, Joseph fell asleep in the stroller, so he did not ride Dino-Soarin'. It's a kiddie ride and it's quite common in theme parks. There's one similar to this in Genting themepark and Sunway Lagoon too.

I only have this pic for Dino -Sourin'. Totally forgotten to take an overall photo. LOL.

We wanted to go for the WaterWorld show but they were on their break so we headed over to Ancient Egypt first to be Treasure Hunters. No, we did not go for Revenge of the Mummy if you wanted to know. LOL. The entrance to it is enough to scare me away. After what I've heard about it..nope..it's not for the faint hearted. But for you thrill seekers out there, I would say go for it!

Treasure Hunters. The little one thinks he's controlling the car. Such concentration until he didn't bother to turn and smile for the camera!

The magnificent and eerie at the same time entrance to Revenge of the Mummy. Feels like I'm in Egypt right? Hehe.

We headed back to The Lost World because the WaterWorld show was going to commence soon and we didn't want to miss it for sure. Definitely well worth it and it was good that we didn't miss this show. It's based on the movie WaterWorld starring Kevin Costner. The set itself was impressive not forgetting the death-defying stunts, explosions and water splashes at this 'live' show. My mum enjoyed it but she didn't want to get wet so we had the option to choose the higher seats. There were indications to the seats where we were warned before hand that we will get wet during the show if we chose those seats. So if you're prepared to get wet, do remember to bring extra clothes or ponchos are available at their stores.

Posing before the show starts. Elizabeth reconfirmed with me many times that the seats we chose are the correct one. She was so afraid to get wet! Haha.

This is why you will get wet if you chose the 'wet' seats. And the actors are so expert and professional that their aims are always so accurate!

Joseph so interested in the show that he didn't want to sit down. Boys will be boys. They like action shows.

A last shot before leaving The Lost World. Check out that pose!

After the show, we went on to Sci-Fi City and it really looks very techy there. If there's such a word! Maybe it's because of the double roller coaster there. Our mission in this city was actually to go for the Transformers The Ride: The Ultimate 3D Battle. Yep, you heard it right. I braved myself for this ride because I knew it wasn't a roller coaster. I dragged my husband in since he's a Transformer fan and we used the Universal Express pass here. So that the children and my mum won't have to wait for long. The ride was so good that I felt like I was on a roller coaster! LOL. The effects were good and you can 'feel' the action too like water spraying or the heat from a fire. If it wasn't because my hubby felt quesy after ride, I might have gone in for a second round. Too bad I couldn't take any picture during the ride.

It was time for us to call it a day and it was closing to dinner time too. So the last stop was at New York street where we bought some souvenirs and took photos with Bert from Sesame Street and Kungfu Panda! So we left with beautiful memories of USS and might return someday when the children are bigger. ;)

Bert from Sesame Street! I think Joseph was scared.

A family pic with Kungfu Panda and we're out!