My views do not necessarily reflect the views of my employer.
June 17, 2023
Whenever I mentioned that I was spending a few days in Singapore, anyone who had been there told me that I had to go to the Night Safari. I especially enjoyed being able to go on an excursion that I wouldn’t have been able to do if I’d only been in town for the day and had to go back to the ship!
The website boasted that it was very easy to get there using public transportation, but my mom and Ron Voyage had gone a few years ago and they had no problem getting there, but the subways had stopped by the time they were trying to get back. They eventually made it back to their hotel, but the lesson was for me to learn from so I wouldn’t have the same trouble.
I could take the subway out to the outskirts of Singapore and then take a free shuttle to the night zoo. The subways stopped at midnight, so my goal was to leave the park by 10pm so I could get home easily. That seemed perfectly doable, considering I had reserved the first entry ticket available at 7pm. I left my hotel at 5pm to allow time for errors. The subway ride was long (with 2 transfers), but I was entertained by my podcasts and people watching. I was ahead of schedule so I went in search of food. I walked about 15 minutes away from the station to find a Thai food restaurant that was so busy that I was warned the wait would be very long. I decided to go back to the station. Food at theme parks is usually over priced and mediocre but I decided to take my chances. After going around in circles, I finally found the sign for the shuttle stop for the Night Safari.
I arrived just as it was opening.
The crowds swarmed in around me. Once again I was on a mission! It was like a port day. I wanted to see as much as I possibly could in the limited time I had, and no reference as to how long each activity would take.
There were two ways to enjoy the park – to take the tram ride or the walking trail. The line for the tram looked reasonable so I lined up. There was a family behind me with one screaming child and another one who was very wiggly and did not understand the concept of staying with his family. I followed the line about halfway to the front before I decided that I did not want to be next to this squirrely kid any longer. I hopped the line and made my way to the food court. There were many different stands, each with a different menu. I didn’t recognize any of the words that described the food, but there were pictures that only slightly increased my understanding of the options. I took my chances and ordered something. I looked it up to see what was in it, but the definition on the internet said it was made of fried pumpkin bread. That’s not what it turned out to be, but it was DELICIOUS. I wish I knew what it was so I could seek it out again, but I think it’s just going to have to be one of the blessings of travel.
The tram line was way longer now, so I decided to take the walking path, and then I’d take the tram if I had time. It was neat to walk around the park in the dark going as quickly or slowly at each section as I wanted. I’d come to a spot, see if I could see the animal, and then look at the sign to see what it was I was supposed to be looking at.
There was a Komodo Dragon, but I’d already seen those on Komodo Island. I circled back to the start and the line for the tram had gone down. On the walking path, I had been able to see the animals up close, even though it was too dark to take pictures most of the time. The tram was a really nice contrast. I got to sit, and it seemed like they had just fed the animals, because every time we turned the corner, they were all just RIGHT THERE!
The tram was really long – maybe eight cars that each had ten rows of people. As the tram made its way around the corner, I could hear waves of awe expressed in a variety of languages. It was so fun to hear the awe getting closer, and then to feel it come out of my mouth as I rounded the corner.
I’d been hearing some thunder as I’d gone around the walking path, but now it was getting closer!
The tram recording told us that Singapore means Lion City in Sanscrit – when the explorers had found what would later be called Singapore, they had found a lion walking around. The best part of this story is that lions are not native to this part of the world, so who knows what animal they saw! Anyway, the Merlion is still there at the gates, guarding Singapore from harm. The kitties are always my favorite.
When the tram ride was over it was time to go home, and I made it back without any drama.
In conclusion, I have to agree, that if you go to Singapore, you have to go on the Night Safari. It was probably my favorite thing I did if I had to choose just one.