24 Hours of the Wild Side of Singapore Alive! By Lisa Sonne If you mentioned Singapore’s skies, night life and tropical waters, I used to think of skyscrapers, restaurants, bumboats and beaches. Now I think of colorful birds landing on my head, my face inches away from a leopards’, and jumping into an aquarium exhibit.
Singapore likes to surprise you, and my husband, Victor, and I were ready to see a different, wild side of Singapore’s “nature.” After all, the name of this cosmopolitan destination comes from the Sanskrit phrase Singapura, which means “Lion City.” So we checked out some of the recommended Singapore attractions that have to do with creatures that are alive. Here’s some notables from our 24 hours of Singapore’s menageries in the air, land, and sea. My favorite experience was a “kiss and tell” that I will save for last.  We began with the night life. The Singapore Zoo was the first to create a night safari. Most zoo animals are nocturnal so it makes sense to watch them when they are awake. And who could resist a place that offers “Giant Red Flying Squirrels” and a “fragrant walk with over 4,000 scented plants”?
We rode on a tram that takes us safely through the dark with carefully designed artificial “twilight” areas to help us look for the more than 1,000 animals in landscaped habitats designed to simulate their natural ecologies. I preferred walking the curving paths flanked with foliage that suddenly open to views with giraffes and zebras grazing, or lions wrestling. While walking down some paths, we could hear the lions pierce the stillness in the distance, but the hyenas’ bellows seemed even more frightening. There was a sense of discovery when a bat rushed overhead and I looked up to see two different sets of black wings hanging upside down within our reach – and no barrier between us and “them.” In other areas, a glass wall was welcome. When a leopard brushed its body against the glass, I could crouch and have my eyes just inches from the magnificent creatures’. The Safari’s largest and heaviest animal is Chawang, a male Asian Elephant with tusks almost four feet long. We were warned that the big guy was in “musth” and might be more aggressive than usual, but he waved his trunk at us, looking like a rehearsed farewell, as our last tram of the night glided on by.  The next morning our wonderful guide, Winnie Ubbink , a third generation Singaporean Indian and our driver, Mr. Go, a third generation Singaporean Chinese, whisked us away to the Jurong Bird Park. One way to cool off in the hot humid tropical weather is to hop in the Bird Park’s air conditioned “Panorail” for a moving experience of panoramic overviews of aviaries and habitats for the Park’s count of 9,000 birds representing 600 species. The human numbers are also high in this fine-feathered realm that attracts tourists and locals looking to catch the avian fun. A sign offers “Never Ending Fun” apparently scheduled to be at 10:30 am, 2:30 pm.”
Birds crossed right in front of us when we walked to what the park says is the world’s largest manmade waterfall inside the world’s largest walk-in aviary with over 1,500 free flying birds. In a “smaller” netted area (reportedly a mere 9 stories high and 3,000 square meters), we entered the “Lory Loft,” an area created to simulate a rainforest in the tropical part of Australia. Winnie gave us some nector to feed the birds like those around us, and the waiting birds used people’s heads and arms for resting posts. We were surrounded with handy and hair-brained photo opportunities.  Watching the penquins was a cool indoor treat with dozens of Humboldt, Rockhopper, Macaroni, Fairy and King Penquins marching, standing, hopping, or “swimming” about. (Park officials keep tract and say there are over 200 penguins.) Not far away, bright pink flamingos, all seven kinds of pelicans, eagles, owls, toucans and more are entertaining others. The Bird Park also aims to help protect endangered birds and to educate the public about conservation.
We enjoyed a fortifying break at the hilltop Jewel Box with food as wonderful as the commanding views of the harbor, port, and city. Nearby, the Mt Faber aerial gondolas took us over to Sentosa, a smaller island designed for entertainment. Winnie sheparded us through the Underwater World Singapore straight to the Spa. Fish Stories Singapore is famous for its food- Chinese, Malaysian, Western and Indian. Fishhead Curry is a specialty and most people love to eat the fish. Victor and I let the fish eat us! The sign says “Fish Reflexology.” Victor’s immediate reflex was to laugh very hard at what he says is one of the weirdest things he has ever done.
After carefully washing our feet and lower legs, we put them into a shallow pool filled with gentle-looking, little fish that began to nibble our skin! The result (besides startled laughs) is supposed to be smoother skin. The fish eat off the dead skin cells! Underwater exfoliation. It’s like a tickling scrub!  From the little fish, we moved to the pool with the fish an inch long and they nibbled away even more. It’s worth the laugh, and seeing others’ reactions when the fish start chowing down on their limbs! And our skin was smoother!
We didn’t show our feet off for very long. Shoes were back on--there was an entire underwater world nearby including seadragons, rays and pink dolphins, and even hammerhead sharks cruising overhead in a long clear tunnel through the exhibits. We had to keep moving though because a gal named Gracie was waiting to score some grass. I should probably explain.  We had signed up to feed Gracie the Dugong, a plant eating mammal related to Manatees with a tail more like a dolphin’s. She had been rescued as an orphaned baby in local waters while still nursing, so she grew up to have a fondness for humans holding bouquets of seagrasses. We didn’t realize when we put on scuba gear (you have to be certified to participate) that we would become part of the exhibit with tourists waving at us through the glass. The people weren’t the mammals that had our attention, though. We fell in love with Gracie, a strange and wonderful friendship, and when the time came to leave, I gave her a big kiss good bye. We’ll always have Singapore.
We learned that Underwater World Singapore also has “Slumber and Snooze” opportunities to sleep in the acrylic tunnel with sharks and rays swimming overhead. It seems only to be for groups of 40-60 with the recommended age of 6-16 years. Ahhh, come on! I would love a sleep-over underwater! There’s a wild night in Singapore, I would never forget!  Of course, after 24 hours with leopards, lories on my head, and a kiss with a sea mammal it wasn’t hard to have wild dreams when we got back to our artsy, comfy room at the hip Gallery Hotel, a homebase with the tagline “the Hotel that inspires.”
The British colonials who helped found Singapore may have enjoyed their big game hunting stories told with gusto while downing drinks. Victor and I planned to head over to the famous and infamous Raffles hotel that used to host Somerset Maugham, Rudyard Kipling, and Noel Coward. I’m glad our animals tales will be with the tails still wagging (and my tongue, too). For your own wild times in Singapore: www.nightsafari.com.sg, www.birdpark.com.sg, www.underwaterworld.com.sg, www.GalleryHotel.com.sg You may even find additional ways to make Singapore unforgettable: www.visitsingapore.com. Lisa Sonne can now add “Dugong lover” and “Human FishFood: to her description. You can travel to her websites www.WorldTouristBureau.com and www.CharityChecks.us for more about ways to live and give. © Lisa Sonne | 