Singapore Zoo and Botanic Gardens

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This morning I woke up without a clear plan for what to do today. After breakfast, I checked the weather report and decided to go to the Singapore Zoo. It is supposed to be one of the best in the world, so I was looking forward to it. The zoo turned out to be pretty darn good, IMO, but they do things a little differently from other zoos I have been to. The first thing to say is that it is located in the tropics, so the flora, as well as the fauna, are different. The grounds support remarkable growth of trees and other plants and the hot, humid weather makes many species we consider exotic to feel at home. The zoo specializes in primates and they have a very large troupe of orangutans. Generally orangs are solitary in the wild, but the keeper today said that, in the zoo environment, they seem to do better in groups. (See photo) You will notice something else that seems strange to American zoo-goers: the animals are right down among the people and, in fact, this zoo offers many opportunities for the public to interact with the animals (under supervision, of course). There is also a display of rare Proboscis Monkeys (See photo) and gibbons and marmosets and lemurs, too. One of my favorite exhibits was not a primate, though. It was the wolverines. (See photo) They were part of the Frozen Tundra exhibit and this was the only area that was air conditioned. (The polar bear was in the same building.) I circled back to this building several times during my visit just to cool down for a bit! For lunch I ordered from the local cuisine menu in the cafeteria and got nasi lemak with baked chicken. (See photo) It is something in have never had before, but I found it very tasty. It consisted of green beans in a spicy sauce, green-colored rice, roasted peanuts, and a dollop of hot sauce in addition to the chicken. I am not sure if that is all traditional for nasi lemak, but I liked it. (I also had a Coke Zero for the first time, but I didn't like it much!) After lunch I saw more of the zoo, then took a taxi to the Singapore Botanical Gardens. It is an oasis of green in the middle of lots and lots of high rise apartments that make up suburban Singapore. I walked around for a bit and was once again impressed by the lushness of the the plant life around here. (See photos) It was getting to be late afternoon by now, so I stopped at a restaurant in the gardens that was open for snacks and drinks. I had a Singapore Sling - another first - and although I couldn't taste any alcohol, I could certainly feel it! I can see why it is a popular drink even though, in Singapore at least, it is quite expensive. (Singapore has very high tax on alcohol.) I took a taxi back to the hotel and I am about to head out for dinner. Tomorrow will definitely be different from today and I will tell you about it later.

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