Zoos a Go Go

So Dave's parents got in late on Sunday night, and after catching up on the last 3 months of their life, we went to bed--but only after Dave's mom asked us "Does anyone go to bed around here?" (It was 1 AM when she asked this). One of the side effects of jet lag: My body still doesn't know when it's supposed to be tired.

So Don decided to go get a massage this morning, and Dave opted for some reflexology. So while they were away this morning Molly and I had a mission: To find gifts for Dave's brother and sister-in-law's two new babies. They live in Bali, and are expecting a girl, Eliana, in early June, and have also just adopted a baby baby boy, Samuel, who is a few weeks old. So, in essence, they are going to be raising the equivalent of twins. And they needs lots of stuff. So Molly and I hit Toys R Us to get the essentials, and then bopped around some other stores in search of affordable infant clothing and a piece of luggage which we could ship this stuff in to Bali. The Toys R Us is just as large as ours in the US, but with some different brands carried. We did find a breastpump, but it cost like a gagillion dollars here. What we needed to know was if the Singapore and Indonesian outlet plugs were identical. If so, we'd need to buy a pump here in Singapore rather than the US. That way they never have to convert the currency or add a compatible plug. But we'd have to google that when we got home because no one in the store knew if Singapore and Indonesia shared plugs. Anyway, Declan was getting restless, and I wasn't about to let him out of his stroller, because he was sure to run the aisles and pull toys off. Dave had given me his phone earlier in the day, so I tried calling Don's phone to see if they would meet us at Toys R Us and take Declan and the bags back with them to the apartment so Molly and I could finish shopping. Just as I was calling Don, Dave and Don come walking up. It was perfecting timing and really funny. Very unexpected. So off we sent Declan, the stroller, and the boys packed down with bags.

So, off to the next store--Borders. Yes, they have a Borders here, too. Picked up some books and lullaby CDs for the babies, then ate lunch. Asked around for more places to shop (You wouldn't believe the amount of stores and shopping malls this one street contains! Imagine the whole Galleria in Houston multiplied by 30 or 40. I'm not joking) for kid's clothes and luggage, and were led to a few more shopping malls. Finally found a Japanese department store called Takashimaya. Found clothes and a huge duffle bag with a telescoping handle and wheels. Perfect. Now home. I was pooped. Don't quite have the shopping staying power I used to!

When we got back everyone took naps (jetlag setting in) and then when we awoke we hurried ourselves into a cab and headed to the Singapore Zoo, reported to be one of the best in the world. We did a Shanghai Run on the zoo (only an hour left till closing). Kind of like doing the zoo on Speed, but very "McAlvany". Don and Molly once did the Louvre in Paris in 15 minutes--before heading for their airport departure. If you're not familiar with how big the Louvre is, it would be difficult to see everything in the Louvre in under 3 DAYS. And that would still be quick. So, an hour for the zoo seems a fitting McAlvany outing. And to be perfectly honest, probably the perfect allotment of time for a toddler to see the zoo.

I'd have to say it probably is one of the nicest, cleanest, and most well planned zoos in the world. It meanders through a peninsular that jetties out into a very large lake. So it has the illusion that most of the animals are naturally roaming in front of water. And they have cleverly set animals in "open" areas, making you feel like you are in with the animals. They really aren't far from the viewer. I mean, sometimes you think, "Can't that Orangutan just swim across that water and walk out?" Or "Can't that tiger just leap over that hedge and come get us?" Truth is, they have cleverly disguised electric wires all over the place. And they use water where they know certain animals don't like it. It gives you the feeling you are freeroaming with the animals. I really liked this. I've attached the picture of Declan and Dave when they walked under "free roaming" orangutans in a tree above them. They look as if they would just come down at any moment, but actually the trees the ropes are suspended from have massive electrical wiring around the upper base of the tree, so they can't even get close to the ground. But it was pretty cool standing underneath real monkeys swinging and climbing. The whole zoo is very tropical and there are hidden paths leading to other animals all the place. Oh, and the bathrooms were amazing. Funny, huh, to take note of the bathrooms? They were spotless, beautiful, open air, and felt a little like a tropical luxury resort bathroom. I was certainly impressed. They even had red wagons at the front of the zoo for patrons to use while at the zoo--for no extra cost. Then they had a tram that could pick people up if they got tired of walking. Oh, and they had elephant rides. And you can have breakfast or tea with an Orangutan. Really cool.

Well, 6 PM came quickly and we headed for a restaurant to tide us over for an hour before the Night Zoo next door opened at 7 PM. Yes, a night zoo. The concept is that you can see night animals when they are most active--at night! Nice concept, but despite its popularity, the Night Zoo fell short in being as interesting as the main zoo, owned by the same people. I can't explain exactly why it fell short, we just all agreed that it did. You just had to be there. You take a tram ride around to see all the animals. Takes about 40 minutes total. They have dim lights in trees lightly illuminating the animals. I think maybe they needed a little more drama to distinguish it from the main zoo. Maybe the lions could have been tearing apart and eating a fleshly kill. That would have been way more exciting. As it was, we couldn't even see the lions cause they were asleep. Ironic. Though they did do something I loved. They don't make moms with infants wait in line to get on the trams. They take you to the front of the lines where they have 2 rows of benches and let the moms sit there with babies while waiting for the rest of their party to get to the front and board the tram. Ingenious really. Why hasn't Disney thought of this?

Got home exhausted and ready to take a bath. So all done for now. Oh, by the way, I added the YouTube search link at the bottom of the blog so that if anything I mention peaks your interest, you can type it in and watch it. For instance, there are lots of videos of the Singapore Zoo--even one of the breakfast with an orangutan. Check it out.