Singapore

So, you thought Bali was a whirlwind visit, welcome to Singapore! We arrived Monday evening after an eventful morning of the world's most dangerous transport (actually, come to think of it, I have just been inspired to create a new reality TV series based on our experiences - Crazy Cab Rides International - there have certainly been some doozies). The ride in question was particularly memorable because the driver actually got pulled over for his reckless and speedy travel - of course this is Bali, so he just slipped the cop 100,000 rupiahs and we were on our way (100k rp is about 10 bucks). The Denpasar airport also proved to be the most hassle inducing airport of our travels (I won't go into the details but let's just say we had at least 4 security screenings and they burned incense throughout the entire place). Anyway, enough about the journey to get here and onto our adventures in Singapore... We are staying at Cozy Home - a funky hostel-esque apartment in a very nice complex just outside of the city center. It seems to be brand new, so very shiny and clean! Close to the train, so it has been easy to get around. We explored the City Hall, Boat Quay and Clarke's Quay areas on Monday night. Had some tasty Indian food while sitting right on the riverside, with lots of cheap Tiger beer to wash it down. Also visited a nice brewpub called Brewerks, also right near the river. Today we tried to cram as many tourist attractions into the day as possible - we started by heading down to the Marina area and gazing upon the famous Merlion statue - yes, it is a mythical half-lion, half-merman statue that spews forth copious water into the river. Pretty groovy, but not nearly as big as we thought it would be from all the hype! Apparently it is the symbol of Singapore. We then meandered through the city to Orchard Road, which is the premier shopping district. We got caught in a mammoth rain storm there and had to duck into a mall and seek lunch. Fortunately, things dried off a bit and we hopped on the train and headed to the Singapore Zoo! We visited both the Zoo and the Night Safari. The Zoo was great - they focus on trying to recreate natural habitats as much as possible for the animal. Saw gorgeous white bengal tigers, orangutangs climbing about, zebras, giraffes, pumas, cheetah, lions, flamingos, kumodo dragons - the list goes on... The Night Safari was really the highlight - so unlike any 'zoo' experience elsewhere. The park didn't open until after 7pm, around dusk. We watched a cheezy fire show while waiting for the initial hoards to gain entrance. The exhibits were very similar to those in the zoo, but how different to see them at night! The paths were all dimly lit to enhance the experience. Some of the animals were definitely active and rearin' to go as night fell, and others were laying low and hard to spot. There was a 'Mangrove Walk' which was essentially just a big fruitbat enclosure - the nets were quite low so they divebomb you as you scurry through - spooky! We saw a pair of stunning leopards - they were lounging against the glass viewing area of their enclosure, so they were literally just inches away from us! They teased us with a little foreplay, but then got bored and retired to separate corners. Lots of other assorted animals we weren't familiar with to gaze upon as well. Ended the night at back in Clarke's Quay for some late bites.