Amazing Singapore!

Dear Blog,

I had the pleasure to travel for the few weeks prior to my departure, some were planned trips, some impromptu and borne out of necessity.

One particular one did stand out. There is this little feisty little island just south of Malaysia, Singapore. Well known for its multicultural society which includes a good mix of Caucasian and people from all 5 corners of the world, being a city which pride itself of being a civic society and often unfairly branded as a granny state.

I do feel the granny state moniker does not fit the billing for such a vibrant city. Far from being, jaded, old, conservative and haggard, what greets you is a city bustling with activities. The busy MRT service ferries shoppers and office workers in great efficiency, shopping malls very packed to the bream and everyone around seems very comfortable in flaunting their own styles. Everywhere you look, there is a hive of activity going on.

I might sound like I was overawed by Singapore, but overawed I was not, more of the acknowledgement that the place is pretty much alive and very trendy for a weekend visit. No wonder my brother and sister chose to make this country their place of work/study-a-calling.

Notwithstanding the above, I picked to visit the Jurong Bird Park instead. I had arranged for dinner with my brother, sister and come friends later in the evening and spending a day shopping alone was not on the cards at all, would prefer some quite time, some chirping and colourful feathers hopping around would not be too bad a plan.

How did I end up spending a day with some feathery (penguins too have feathers!!!) friends? An event on the 2009 Reason to Visit Singapore facebook calendar caught my eye. For those who fancy spending a weekend away from the shopping malls and the hustle and bustle of the city, Jurong Bird Park is a place just for you. Show proof you are Malaysian (those holding student visa or working pass excluded) and get 50% of the entrance fee, add on a lucky dip just for the weekend of 14th March, it was a deal which I could not say no to.

Getting there was pretty easy, get off at Jurong Plaza MRT station (correct or not???) and hail a cab, a fee of approximately SGD5 was paid for my trip and off I head to the ticketing counter. A few snapshots of the entrance and I got a little bad news from my often so reliable Olympus FE-230, the battery went flat! That didn't dampen my spirit thou. I headed to the ticketing counter and presented my passport (the lady at the counter went through every page of my passport to check that I did not cheat, even asked for the disembarkation card too), SGD9 was the amount I paid and through the gates I go! (From this moment on it will be a test of my photographic memory rather than photographs to describe what I saw as the battery of my usually reliable Olympus FE-230 went flat...)

First up! The Penguins, according to the schedule, feeding is at 10.30 am, I am way passed that, but it seems like the penguins are still quite hungry for some bites – wave your hands in front of the floor-to -wall display glass and the swimming penguins would come close to you. Cute little beings.

There were a couple of parrots on the Talking Birds exhibit but I chose to give that a miss, have seen quite a few of these talking birds over the years. I am way too old to be impressed by some talking birds, kids would surely love them thou.

Fancy some photographic evidence of your visit to Jurong Bird park? Can't get into the enclosures to be close enough to the birds? Just drop by the Photography with Birds area. Colourful parakeets, Brazilian macaques (with their wings clipped) are well trained enough to perch on your hand and they seem to have an eye for the camera too, ever so obliging to pose for a great shot. Don't be spooked by their claws, they wont grab firmly to your arms and leave holds in them, they are pretty harmless.

No camera, no photos with rainbow coloured friends : ( Next up, some very magnificent creatures, flamingos! The vibrant pink coloured birds are native to the Amazon and obtain the pinkness of their feather from the food they consume. Talk about the cliche “You are what you eat”! A quick look at the map and there is another group of flamingos around the corner. The Flamingo lake contains a larger group of birds, cant really put a number of these birds in the pool (their bobbling head looking for food and the fact that they are quite far from where I am) but it seems like the flock numbers about 30 or 40-ish. They seem very accustomed to human as some inconsiderate visitors applied flash for their shot but the birds were not spooked at all. Shame on you (hopefully not Malaysian!) “flashing” photographer!

I took a short walk on the wooden platform running along the bank of the lake and saw something that I am sure we are all pretty much accustomed to, pelicans! How I wish I had charged my camera! There was one looking at me, with it's wings slightly spread out and body and beak tilted at a South East direction, it was a pretty sight indeed. I think it was mocking me, others were busy snapping away while I just stood there. I could have got a copy of the shot had I got the guts – there was this cute girl with a DSLR taking a few shots, had I been a little more courageous I could have asked for a soft copy to be sent to my email :) In the end I did not, I wished I had, not so much for the photo, but the girl was really quite adorable ; )

Back to our feathery friends. I gave a few other attractions a miss (e.g. Swan Lake, Parrot Paradise, Waterfall Aviary) as I was not dressed best for walking around (talk about Ben's weird fashion sense!) and took a detour to see something I love and adore – Mandarin Ducks (Yuen Yang in Mandarin). These cute little beings (I detest calling them ducks as they are just too pretty to be compared to those ducks we serve on tables!) are considered in Chinese culture as the symbol of fidelity. Not in the lovey-dovey mood? You often too see them on China at traditional coffee shops. Do a google search for photos of these beautiful creatures, those painting on bowls and plates just don't do justice to their beauty. If their beauty is not enough to captivate you, Yuen Yang (Mandarin ducks??? Yuck! What an insult!) mate for life, thus shouldn't we adore a creature of which devotion and faithfulness to the other half is of no comparison to that of our human society nowadays. Food for thought my friends :)

I rejoined the route at at the Dinosaur Descendants exhibit, but I also gave this a miss and proceeded to the Lory Loft. I am not talking about those smelly noisy vehicles on the road but rather colourful miniature parrot-like birds :) It's an aviary of lorys (lorries???)! Imagine having hundreds of lorys flying around and feeding right in front of your eyes! It's just like a rainbow on the horizon broke into pieces! What a spectacle!

Another bird which always draws my curiosity is the Bird of Paradise! What beauty, with it's flowing feathers and the fact that it could fly, I would rate it as much more beautiful than a peacock! It's elegant and at the same time, just like the peacock, a shy creature and the 10 or so minutes I spent gazing at it, it just perched there! Some in-flight actions would be nice!

As I was chasing time, I ended my tour here. Worth SGD9 (Apprx. RM23)? YES! Especially if you have kids and a family, or just an outing with friends or loved ones. There are strategically placed food and beverages outlet places within the park, but do mind your litter, from what I heard, you can be fined in the park too for littering!

Regards,
Ben Lai