Singapore Zoo and River Safari 2016

It seems like a yearly affair to visit Singapore Zoo and River Safari. Singapore Zoo is one of the best rainforest zoo in the world. I was here last year in July and this year I'm back again.

I took a train down to Choa Chu Kang. After which, cut through Lot 1 to their bus stop and wait for bus 927. It will take you to Singapore Zoo. Learning lesson from my last visit, we went to 7 eleven at Lot 1 to purchase mineral water before heading to zoo. The stuffs sell at zoo is overpriced. We reached the zoo at 1 plus in the afternoon.

Malyan Tapir.

They are one of the 5 species of Tapir and Malayan Tapir can be easily identified by their black and white body.They are closely related to rhinos and horses. In fact, they are the only tapir species in Asia.

White Tiger.

Everytime I visit, the white tigers were usually sleeping. I guess afternoon is their nap time.
The white tiger habitat is landscaped to resemble a dense jungle clearing.

Caught these birds stood root on the ground and staring at us. So I did a naughty thing, I banged on the fence to test the reaction of them. Woot, they did jerk a bit.

Reached Great Rift Valley.

Treated to a view of the majestic mountains, rugged terrain and waterfalls of the Great Rift Valley in Ethiopia.

The lonely polar bear swimming in the pool.

It just kept swimming round and round, the same old spot, doing same old routine.

White rhinoceros.

They are the second largest land mammal after the elephant. They usually feed on short grasses.

Cheetah.

The big cats all love to sleep in the afternoon, just like the white tiger.

They are always sleeping whenever we visit.

Zebras.

Zebras are closely related to horses and donkeys.

Their black and white stripes work like camouflage, making it appear unattractive to smaller predators.

Giraffe.

We arrived at the Giraffe feeding time and saw some visitors feeding the Giraffe. They do have long tongue that will leave saliva on the visitor's hand.

One lonely Giraffe that didn't join the feeding.

Being tall and able to reach out to the leaves on the trees, Giraffe spends most of the day eating.

Even the leopard was sleeping too.

Leopard and cheetah looks so alike, I always have a hard time differentiating them.

How I differentiate is that Cheetah's spots is solid black.

The view from tropical crops.

It brought serene and peace to me. Taking a break from our busy lives and admiring such a view makes us appreciate the nature beauty more.

I love visiting the goats at Rainforest Kidzworld.

They are so many of them and they will come look for you when you feed them with leaves.

We went back to the polar bear habitat on our way out to enjoy the aircon.

And we discover the bear has come up from the pool for some sun tanning. A nice of the polar bear.

Since it's only 4pm and time was early, we headed over to River Safari since my friend has never been to River Safari.

The Mekong giant freshwater stingray and giant catfish, the world’s largest freshwater animal species.

Kai Kai just loved eating.

He seemed to be very happy eating the leaves.

With the pandas, so adorable.

They are one of the world’s most adored and protected rare animals. With only 1,600 giant pandas left in the wild, there is a need for wildlife protection and conservation.

Dropped by Mama Panda Kitchen for Panda Pau.

That's so called my lunch. The pau wasn't very fantastic but good for photo-taking.

It was a picturesque sight that I couldn't resist not taking photos when we passed by. 

Since I have took before the River Safari Cruise, decided not to take this time as there wasn't much things to see except for the green scenery.

Brought the birthday boy to River Safari because he has not visit before. 

We took the Amazon River Quest.

This wet and wild journey gave us an unique perspective on life along the mighty river.

Ended our River Safari tour and call it a day.

Happy birthday in advance to my buddy, hope you have an enjoyable day out to Zoo and River Safari. Hope you like this birthday outing.

Happy Mother's Day 2014 - Sakura Buffet Dinner + River Safari + Dian Xiao Er

Saturday 10/05/14

It is our yearly tradition to celebrate Mother's Day at Sakura International Buffet Restaurant together with my relatives. What we like about Sakura is the different varieties of Japanese, Western and Oriential foodfare that they served which suits the needs of different individual, be it young or old.

To avoid being overpriced and the Mother's Day crowd, we decided to celebrate one day in advance. We have chosen the outlet at Clementi Woods Park which is a centralized location for the two families.

Woo, the fried stuffs was what I missed the most. Hope this was not too sinful for the first round.

My dad laughed at me when I took this, saying "Stupid ar you, come here eat bread."

That isn't anything wrong with eating bread, I simply just love the fried mantou.

Lay my hands on some fresh sashimi.

It was really a sumptuous dinner. Thanks Dad for treating us to a good dinner.

Mother's Day is a time for us to feast.

Sunday 18/05/14

A mother's love is an unconditional love in this world as she does not ask for any return when she contributes. No matter how old am I, I am always still a little girl in her heart. My mum always showered me with lots of love and I am grateful for that.

So Mother's Day is the best time to express our gratitude towards my mum. 

Remember when I was young, my parents would bring us out to zoo every year until I reached 14. So to reminisce the old good times, I decided to bring my family to River Safari to see Jia Jia and Kai Kai.

This was their first visit to River Safari so they were fascinated with all the things here.

As for me, this was my second visit. Frankly speaking, visiting River Safari once will be enough. The reason why I visited again was to take the boat ride that was not ready last year.

We queued for quite awhile before we could enter the Giant Panda Forest.

Spotted the cute red panda.

We felt so cooling over here, it is air-conditioned. The pandas are so fortunate.

The weather wasn't good that day. It was pouring heavily in the morning and drizzling on and off in the afternoon.

Luckily the rain has subsided when we were on our way to boat ride.

This was an automated boat ride, so excited to try it.

We were ready to embark on a boat adventure of the amazing Amazon River.

The boat ride actually resemble the ride at USS Jurassic Park Rapids Adventure.

Do you know what you will be expecting when the door in front open?

Well, you will be taking a lift up to the second level, follow by a thrilling slope down. I was actually sitting right at the first seat, water came splashing in and my legs were drenched.

The Amazon River is the second longest river in the world, the ride will take us down into the mysterious Amazon wilderness.

The ride brought us to a dark cave and we spotted the Jaguar.

My bro looking at the flamingo. 

The only animal I saw so upclose during the boat ride.

The 10 minutes boat ride has come to an end. 

I was kind of disappointed with the ride because I didn't see much animals along the way.

Captured this picture on our way out. So beautiful.

Entering the Squirrel Monkey Forest.

Spotted the cute Monkey. 

We didn't stay for long here because it was drizzling.

One thing I like about River Safari is that the path is sheltered all the way. So on rainy day, we do not need to worry (except if you are intending to take the boat ride).

After spending 2 hours in River Safari, we left the place and headed for our post Mother's Day lunch. This time round, it was me who foot the bill.

After much consideration, my mum has chosen Dian Xiao Er.

This was my first time dining at Dian Xiao Er. 

Dian Xiao Er is a traditional Chinese restaurant that served delicious food.

We ordered some of our favourite dishes which we always ordered at zi char stall.

Seeing that my family enjoyed it makes me feel that everything is worthwhile.

That sums up my Mother's Day celebration.

What about you, how did you celebrate Mother's Day?

River Safari - River-Themed Wildlife Park

River Safari is Asia’s first and only river-themed wildlife park. 

Occupying 12 hectares, it houses one of the world’s largest collections of freshwater animals. The park is home to over 150 plant species and 5,000 animal specimens, including 42 endangered species.

With the rapid population growth, economic development and industrialisation, it led to the unprecedented transformation of freshwater habitats and consequent biodiversity loss. By bringing visitors up-close to the fascinating underwater and terrestrial animals that live in such ecosystems, it will highlight the importance of rivers to the survival and be inspired to protect these fragile ecosystems.

Finally, I made my visit to River Safari which was opened in early 2013.

Thanks GF and CF for coming to this educational trip with me on my birthday. It was a joyful one.

Our main purpose of coming to River Safari was to see Kai Kai and Jia Jia, the two cute giant panda.

We were ready to embark on a journey of discovery into one of the world's largest repositories for river dwelling animals.

Our first stop was Mississippi River.

Mississippi River is the largest river system in North America, the Mississippi flows through 10 states and is the world’s fourth longest river. It has been home to more than 400 wildlife species.

The Alligator Snapping Turtle.

This alligator snapping turtle has the second strongest jaw and bite in the entire animal kingdom. It’s a great actor too. Lying motionless in the water during its hunt for fishes, it baits its prey by wriggling its thin tongue to mimic a worm. When a prey comes into position, it snaps its jaws with incredible speed and force, killing its prey instantly.

Never know turtle can be so violent too.

Second stop: Congo River.

The Congo River is the deepest river in the world, going beyond 220 metres. Charging towards a violent stretch of rapids, it makes multiple drops creating magnificent waterfalls before ending off into the Atlantic Ocean. Located at Africa, the raging waters of the Congo River lies a hidden world of beauty and serenity.

The Congo River exhibit at River Safari is a playground for some of the world’s most colourful fish. Don't it resemble a jewel tanks filled with colours of vibrant gemstones?

The gorgeous view of the Amazon River. I was captivated by the diverse rainforest habitats and the surrounding scenary. 

A pity that the Amazon River Quest boat ride and the animals along this ride is still not available yet. I will be back again once it operates.

A photo with the girls after River Nile. Thanks for accompanying me on my birthday ♥

Coming up next was Ganges River.

The river flowing through India and Bangladesh.

Spotted the Indian Gharial.

With its distinguishing elongated snout, believed to have evolved from its diet of small fishes, the Indian gharial has its origins traced as far back as the days of the dinosaurs. It is critically endangered today with an estimation of less than 200 left in the wild.

Caught sight of Crab-eating Macaque at Mekong River.

Crab-eating Macaque is commonly found throughout Southeast Asia. Its excellent swimming skills allow them to nimbly forage within the river for crabs and other aquatic life for food.

Next up, Mekong River.

The majestic Mekong River is certainly the “Mother of all Rivers”, with at least 60 million people in Asia depending on it for fish and other resources. At over 4,300 kilometres, the Mekong River makes its journey through six countries before entering South Vietnam and flowing out to the South China Sea.

Come face to face with the largest freshwater fish in the world - Mekong Giant Catfish.

Another highlight of the Mekong river is the giant freshwater stingray. This mysterious prehistoric predatory fish inhabits some of the wildest and most remote waters on earth.

River Safari indeed shared many similar features with S.E.A Aquarium except that River Safari housed river species while S.E.A Aquarium housed marine species.

Approaching Yangtze River.

Asia’s longest river and the world’s third longest, the Yangtze is also known as Chang Jiang meaning Long River. It holds 40% of China’s freshwater resources and one-third of China’s population lives around the river. Passing through the famous Three Gorges, the Yangtze offers some of China’s most scenic getaways.

The Chinese Alligator is coming.

 It is one of the world’s rarest crocodilians found predominantly in slow-moving rivers, streams, lakes and ponds around the Yangtze river. The Chinese alligator has a fully armoured body with bony plates protecting its belly as well as its upper eyelids.

CF took a photo of me when I was studying the alligator.

Be transported into the region of Chang Jiang at River Safari, where you can admire some of the world’s most critically endangered wildlife that reside within the Yangtze basin.

After walking through the amazing seven rivers, it's time to move on to Giant Panda Forest, the largest panda exhibit in Southeast Asia, and meet China’s gift to Singapore, giant pandas Kai Kai and Jia Jia.

Passing by the gorgeous Amazon River again, I couldn't resist myself to stop whatever I was doing and capture this lovely scenery.  I have never seen a river that is as enchanting as this, the beauty of the nature.

I couldn't believe Singapore has such an enchanting place, it's too urbanise.

Can't enough of the scenery. We actually stayed here for quite awhile before we entered the Giant Panda Forest. 

Aww, who was that cute little furry thing running about?

So cute that I want to go forward and hug it.

The cute little furry thing was actually the Red Panda.

The red panda is also known as the firefox due to its bright rust-coloured furry coat and fox-like face, the red panda is slightly larger than size of a domestic cat. it shares some similar traits with the giant panda as both feed predominantly on bamboo and have extra "thumbs" to hold their food.

A close-up shot of the Red Panda. It was so hyperactive, it just keep running round and round all the while. 

One thing I liked about the forest was that it was air-conditioned. Super cooling down here, I felt so shiok after the long walk. Let's stay here for a little while more.

Kai Kai was munching the bamboo when we approached his habitat.

Giant Panda is one of the world’s most adored and protected rare animals. With only 1,600 giant pandas left in the wild, it has become the world’s most recognised symbol for wildlife protection and conservation.

Do you know why the giant pandas are endangered?

It is due to the habitat loss and the lack of food source, people are cutting down forests which resulted in the limited source of bamboo. Moreover, the female pandas ovulate once in a year and the fertile period only last two to three days.

Kai Kai was separated from Jia Jia. They were being separated by a door.

Is it because the female panda ovulates once in a year so they only get to meet each other during that period? Anyone knows?

While watching Kai Kai, the zookeeper told us to grab our time to see Jia Jia in case she returned to her cave.

Say hello to the shy female panda, Jia Jia.

The giant panda exhibit is stimulated to their natural climate, this bio-dome is kept at a cool temperature of 18-22 degree Celsius.

Thanks CF for the photo.

Before we walked down the long walkway back to the exit, we took a rest at the Mama Panda Kitchen.

The two statute of the giant pandas bidding goodbye to the visitors.

Visited the panda themed eatery, isn't the panda seat cool?

GF tried the popular panda bun.

It is actually red bean paste filling in it.

Can you guess the name of these fishes?

They are actually the red-bellied Piranha. The flooded forest is also where the world’s most feared fish species live. Piranha is known for its sharp, razor-like teeth that shreds its prey to pieces in seconds when it feeds in a large school. Its jaws are so tough that it can even bite through steel fishing hooks!. As both predator and scavenger, the piranha does its part for the environment by getting rid of carcasses within the rivers.

It reminded me of the Piranha 3D and 3DD movie, the scary man-eating fish will eat human up if you enter their habitat.

Caught the photo of the velvet sky just before sunset.

With this, I shall end my post on the joyful trip to River Safari with my lovely companions. I enjoyed the trip very much.