On this year's Christmas Day, we planned to spend a day with the kids on their first outing to the zoo. Do purchase the entrance tickets online for discounted rates and to save time from queuing. Children under three years old enter for free so both Lele and Jonas no need to pay.
We started out late from home and were hungry by the time we reach the zoo so we sat down at the Ah Meng kitchen to have lunch while we wait for Weiwen and Jade. They joined us midway through our lunch. In my previous posts I mentioned I'll not dine at tourist attractions but it was not possible for this outing as both my husband Youzhi and Jonas slept in until very late. And again I regretted it as the Nasi Lemak we had cost $10 per plate. I guess that's the kind of pricing you will expect at a tourist spot.
It started to drizzle when we are still having lunch and the drizzle turned into a downpour. We had to wait out for the rain to stop but were glad we weren't being caught in the rain. Finally began our exploration at about 1.30pm.
One of the first animals we saw were two wild hogs fighting using their sharp teeth.
The boys were inquisitive but at the same time scared when they saw the scene. We tried to explain to the best of our knowledge of what is happening. We moved on to the primate kingdom where both Lele and Jonas were fascinated with the free roaming animals on top of the trees above them.
The next animal we saw were elephants.
It started to rain again and we took cover at the elephant show area. But it was not time for the show so we just rested our legs while admiring the elephants at work. The boys really enjoyed each other's company as they will interact and play when we sit down to take a rest.
We continued with our journey when the rain is less heavy and had the kids sit in their prams so they will be sheltered from the rain and we can walk faster to the next spot.
We went to one of the animal shows (didn't get the name of it) where Jonas touched the first reptile in his life. I brought him to the front of the stage to have a feel of a snake. Lele couldn't join us as he was abit put off by the loud noise of the show so Jade was standing at the back with him. This time Jonas did not fall asleep during the show and he enjoyed it as he seem excited and is happily clapping when the rest of the audience clap.
We went to see the koalas after the animal show as they will be going back to Australia soon.
Both Lele and Jonas like the koalas and Jonas even wanted to go inside their habitat! The next animals we saw were the rhinoceros followed by giraffes.
They are having an interactive session with the giraffes and we can buy food to feed the giraffes and take photos with them but we did not join in as the queue is too long. We learnt that the giraffe have the same number of bones in their neck as human even though their necks are so long. We also found out that their tongues are black because of very little blood vessels in them. It is an adaptation so they do not bleed if the leaves they eat cut them. We were very tired by the time we came to the final animals so didn't take a lot of photos but we saw lions, puma, crocodiles, penguins and monitor lizards.
We were surprised we managed to cover almost the entire grounds even though we started late. I reckon it is because we walked pretty fast and didn't linger too long at each exhibit. Before parting ways, we made a verbal pact to find time to visit the zoo again or go to the River Safari beside it. All of us enjoyed the trip even though it was rainy most of the time and we were dead beat. Happy memories made once more with our beloved boys! :)
To me, Christmas is a time for getting together with friends and family to eat and be merry, literally just to enjoy ourselves to celebrate the year coming to the end. I started this year's celebration with a visit to Gardens by the Bay under the suggestion from my friend.
We chose to go on a weekday wanting to avoid the weekend crowd but there's still many people in the evening as school holidays had already started.
We met up with Weiwen, Jade and my godson Lele at about 2pm and went to Macdonald's to grab a quick bite before proceeding with exploration of the grounds. It was my first time here so I was quite excited. Jade prepared some egg sandwiches and chicken breast meat nuggets(hand made) for the kids which they both ate heartily. But Lele wanted to eat French fries as well. I decided not to give Jonas as he still has not recovered from his flu. I brought strawberries and jeju orange but they are not receiving it well.
I guess the fruits taste sour instead of sweet so Jonas don't like them. Jade told me Lele don't take any fruits at all. I've learnt something about my godson from this outing. We tried encouraging him to eat throughout the trip but he's very insistent and wouldn't even take a small bite. I wonder if he takes fruit juice?
We decided to walk around first in the midst of scouting out the main area designated to the Christmas Wonderland. We went to the Far East Organization Children's Garden. There's a large water play area in it but suitable for older kids. I guess water play areas are quite common in Singapore and are popular because of our all year round sunny weather. There's also a toddler water play zone for younger children aged 1-5years old. We didn't bring extra clothes on that day so the kids weren't allowed to play. Another feature will be the Rainforest Treehouses playground also only suitable for older kids 6-12 years old. I made a mental note to bring them back again when they are older.
We came to the Sun Pavilion next which exhibits the many types of cactus of which several were never seen before. We even saw one with flowers! Lele and Jonas were so happy walking and running about while Jade and I were worried they may injure themselves if they walk too close as the exhibits were not fully covered.
Later on we checked with the staff where the Christmas Wonderland is situated. It is located at the Supertree Grove area nearer to the Bayfront MRT. So we had to backtrack the way Weiwen and Jade had come from. The attractions were all situated at the Supertree Grove and with stalls selling Christmas stuff and some selling food. My hubby bought churros and a drink before grabbing a seat to rest our tired legs. Weiwen and Jade decided to walk around to explore some more before finally joining us.
As it is still early before the lights and sound performance start at 7.45pm, we thought we'll grab a bite at Marina Bay sands first. The food court was pack with shoppers and it wasn't easy before we found a seat. We had the most expensive "spicy fragrant pot"(Mala) there which cost $23!! Jade bought drinks and jelly for the kids which they really loved to have on such a warm day.
Due to the festive season, the ice skating rink beside the food court had been converted to hold Christmas exhibits. I noticed some mascots walking inside and suggested going in to take some photos. The boys are happy running around while the parents are chasing behind them. But we are happy when the kids are happy.
When we tried to go back to the garden by the way we came from, we couldn't find the place. We had no choice but to go back from the MRT station but the entrance to the gardens were congested with people. Weiwen went up to scout and came back with bad news. It was raining heavily outside. We went back to the shopping centre hoping the rain will subside soon while we continue looking for the shortcut into the gardens. We eventually found another way into the gardens and by this time the rain has stopped. However the place was packed with people making it difficult to move around. Moreover the kids are already tired and Lele had fallen asleep in his pram. After taking a few photos, we decided to head home as it has started to drizzle again. Albeit feeling slightly disappointed the kids didn't get to play with the carousel and stuff, we agreed that we can always come again next year. Now we get the experience to go at a later timing. Maybe just meet for dinner then go to the park. If we meet in the afternoon like this time, both the kids and our energies will be sapped before the real party begins.
However, we are happy the kids still enjoyed themselves running around its vast grounds and the Christmas light up at Gardens by the Bay is really pretty. Here are the photo proof to show it.
