Night Safari

It was a much-touted destination. The Night Safari at Singapore Zoo had garnered worldwide attention for their work in preservation as well as good experience all around.

In the last trip to Singapore, this proves to be the main event for the four of us.

Anita booked up a package which worked out great. This being a Saturday evening during the peak season meant that the place would be full. The package she booked included transfer from the hotel to the Zoo, entrance ticket as well as a priority tram ride - the best way to enjoy the park.

From the hotelOur guide, RobinAll badged upWithout the priority access, waiting time for the tram would be around 90 minutes. We got on ours in less than 5. Great value. The tram ride on the whole took about half an hour snaking along the various attractions in the zoo, almost a touching distance at some of the animals.

The place was hot however despite the ride starting after 8 pm. The lights were pretty dim and since flash was not allowed, snapping photos was almost impossible during the tram ride. Despite using my X-Pro with an f1.4 lens, the captures were still blurry with shakes. I should've brought my Alpha 7R with the 85 mm f1.4 instead. Well, originally we did plan to fly. I wanted to keep my gear to a minimal.

The queue for the tram was crazy!Unfortunately I wasn't able to snap muchThis one was relatively clearAfter the tram ride, we had the choice of either taking a shirt all down a designated path or went straight for dinner. We decided to do both.

The path only took us 15 minutes before Irfan complained of being hungry. Dinner then came at the food stalls there. Plenty of selection. You can also get a package with buffet dinner but we decided to give that a miss since we weren't sure if it was halal.

We did the trail after the tram, before settling for some dinnerThe return bus right was at 10 pm, and half an hour later we were back in the comfort of our room. Time for shower and some hot chocolate. I decided to have some sandwiches before bed.

All together the ride was expensive and novel. Not sure if it was worth doing it again but should I had the chance, I'd probably went straight along one of the 4 paths available. There were also animal shows if you decided against walking or taking the tram every hour at the main entrance.

St Regis Singapore

I really made an effort to get there. Anita had a good deal booking into one of the suites at the hotel. It would be such a waste of we let it passed. Especially when everything had been paid for.

Arriving at 4 am meant that we wasted a day's stay. But still checking in was straight forward and we declined to be sent up, opting to make our own way there. Straight away we ordered some food - more like a super early breakfast for me.

A quick shower and I was already in fairy land. I was really tired. The bed and the shower were just amazing.

The main lobby. Rather quite in late morning.The next morning, I woke up for some omelette as a second breakfast. The breakfast in the room were part of the package of you opt against going down to the café. Limited selection but in mornings such as this, it was priceless.

I spent the next day walking with my camera while Anita did some exploring in the hotel. The Butler we were assigned to confirmed our booking for the Night Safari later in the day while I had an afternoon nap.

The exterior looked unassuming Time for afternoon teaWe got back from the safari at 11 pm, straight away into the shower while the boys sat in the bath. The next morning, we had a proper breakfast by the pool - again amazing food.

Even though our stay there was short, it was enjoyable. I would definitely recommend it although the pool at Marina Bay Sands was hard to beat. The location being near Orchard Road was a plus if shopping was part of the plan.

Should I have more time, I would've sampled the pool. Maybe next time ...

All Packed Up

I would be a single man from today until Sunday. Anita and the boys would be heading to Port Dickson this morning with her Mum. The boys were looking forward to it, a nice end to their long CNY break.

I did warn them that traffic could be a hindrance but they seemed psyched up for that. After all, they would be staying at the apartment - we had a fabulously underutilised seafront duplex top floor apartment there. So, no need to worry about accommodation.

All charged upI would be on call however, so I couldn't join them. I had a few things lined up for the weekend, and hopefully the calls won't be too bad - being a public holiday and all.

They would be back on Sunday - and prepare to leave for Gombak on Monday - before returning to school on Tuesday.

I'm sure they would have great fun. And some tan....‎

Breakfast

The breakfast at the resort - at a cafe called Duyong next to the bar called appropriately Lanun - was rather nice. Good local spread - the nasi lemak was delish - and then price was included in then room fees and kids go in free. There was of course, the usual omelette and western items. Those were good as well.

And since the place was packed on a Sunday morning, and many patron came with small children, the cafe get crowded pretty fast. Better to head down there early, like what we did.

Starting things off with the news. I guessed Adri might not be in the best of moods.The croissant was nicely laid out, and fresh too.Fruit salad. Not really my thing ..... I want nasi lemak!Tea for the boys

My boys were not bothered though. They slept in, only to wake up to change and get back into the pool. Myself and Anita took turn to go to the cafe, and we ordered in for the boys. And the in room breakfast was excellent actually. We ordered the western breakfast, and we got sausages and choice of eggs, plenty of croissant, food salad and nice morning tea.

Expensive, but I paid more form a much worst meal before ....... and you didn't have to join then long queue and endure their antics when we get grumpy early in the morning because going to breakfast was between their bed and their morning dip.

Nice walk from my breakfastFinally the sun came out to playThe slideshow for the trip here.

Getting Set

Well, Friday was almost done, and everybody - the boys included were looking forward to the trip tomorrow afternoon. Shame that I could not set off any earlier. I have a clinic to do, and hopefully, things would fall into place early and we could set off right after lunch. The bookings were already sorted, and packing was under way.

We would probably plan for weekends away every couple of months as that would be the only time that we could chill as a family. And it would also be good for the mind. Travelling from time to time could only be a good thing, even if it was for a single night.

We would be heading to Port Dickson tomorrow, staying at the Grand Lexis. We were there before when it was under a different management. A free trip then, but tomorrow would be free from any conference commitment. No such thing as a free lunch eh!

So, swimming gear on the ready ……