Singapore Zoo

A delightful treat to kids (and adults too) while in Singapore is a trip to the world class zoo. The park is just about 15 minutes from the city proper. It is accessible by taxi and I believe I saw some buses that brought tourists too.

The zoo is not as big as the other zoos in the world but it is well kept and the animals seem to be well taken cared of. The plants have are healthy and are green even in the summer. They have a tram which takes the visitor all about the zoo.

They have a package which includes unlimited tram ride and another package includes a tram and boat ride too. The visitor gets to see the whole place without walking too far. However, it is advisable to leisurely stroll through the zoo and muse at the animals they have there. One of the most interesting animals when were there is the kangaroo that the children got to pet. Our neice, Sofia, was hesitant to go near it at first. But, when she finally got convinced (by me of course) to join the other kids, she enjoyed the animal and even took my hand to touch its fur.


Also, the zoo had some of those so-called doctor fish which would eat the debris from a visitor's foot. We didn't try that though because we feared we'd not have enough time to see the whole park. The reptile section was one to muse at too. Sofia was delighted to see them though one particular poisonous snake was probably hungry and its head was sticking out of the branch that it clang on to. Ewwwww!

Just like the other world class zoos, they have some animal shows there. One which we watched was that of the stray dogs and cats which the staff had picked up from different areas of Singapore. Some cats did an opening number while one dog played frizbee with some children. Sadly, it was a short show and I felt it would have been nice to have more tricks played.



Like I said the zoo is not huge but it is just the right size for a visitor to walk about and see the whole park in a day.

Singapore on A Budget - Botanic Gardens

The park is a huge land home to some very colorful and interesting plants - from trees to flowering plants to ferns to medicinal herbs and a whole lot more. It even has its own rainforest and heritage trees that are really towering and have been there for ages. It is a beautiful, beautiful place. Don't bother about the price though because it's free. If you opt to go to the National Orchid Garden, you need to pay $5 per adult. children 12 years and below are free to enter. Seniors and students pay only $1 each.



The park has a children's garden/playground which we didn't get to see either. But our host wanted to show us. I believe it would have been nice to go there too. and yes, it's also free.



One of the most relaxing and to me the most amazing thing in Singapore is its Botanic Gardens. It's about 15 minutes away from Orchard Road, but it is accessible by bus, by foot or by taxi.





I regret not having read about it ahead of time. I usually do so prior to our visits to other countries. However this year i thought we would have a slow paced vacation. It would have been interesting to take the rainforest trek which the park offers. Oh well, as we say, there's always a next time. Till then Singapore!

Singapore on A Budget -Irvin's Cze Char Seafood Restaurant

Here's another place that we liked in Singapore. Irvin's Seafood Restaurant is a stone's throw away from our hosts' home so naturally we tried to eat there. They have a live crab aquarium (or is it a terrarium) from where they harvest the crustacean they will serve you. Naturally, we ordered salted egg crab again as this has become my favorite dish in Singapore. Who wouldn't? It's served freshly harvested and cooked just after you order. Ooohlala!



The Fried Calamari aka squid rings is cooked the usual way but with some chilli in it.



Here are the others. Sorry I don't know what you call them but I assure you from the bottom of my belly that they are all yummy. hahaha!

This dishy has a nutty flavor.

Mantou bread (pronounced "mun taw")



By the way, because this is a blog on Singapore on a budget, did I say it's cheap there too?

Singapore on A Budget - Hawker Centers

When visiting a foreign land, we wanna try to get immersed in their culture. That's how we make our trip fun, exciting and cheap. During this trip to Singapore, we finally got the chance to go to a hawker center. A Hawker center is a cluster of food stalls that serve mostly local food at low prices.

One such is Newton Circus Hawker Centre at Clemenceau Singapore. It is about 10 minutes drive from Orchard Road and there is an abundance of cabs and buses. One can find a table in the al fresco part of the complex or by the food stalls. There's not much of an ambiance there. The prices at the stall we ordered from are so cheap that a meal that would have normally cost us more than 200 SGP only cost about 85 for 6 adults and a 4-year old kid. Amazingly cheap eh? not just that, the food was great! Cheap prices, good flavors - what more can you ask for?

We had Grilled Sting Ray with chilli sauce, Kangkong with Belachan, Cereal Prawn, Satay, and Honeyed chicken. I like the food but not as much as I loved those at Forture Seafood Steamboat. However, Newton is closer to the center of the city. Both are worth a try.

Address:
Newton Circus Hawker Centre
500 Clemenceau Avenue North 229492

Singapore on a Budget - April 2011 trip

This summer is something my family and I would definitely have to remember. It is the summer before my "unica hija" enters college. It could probably be the start of our "infrequent" (hopefully not!) family vacations what with the belt tightening to pay for her university fees and it could be because Ikee will not have much time to spend with us.

The choice for this year's vacation was made because she had been gifted with a round trip ticket to the Lion City - Singapore. I would have opted to go elsewhere but we had to be with her during the trip. Spending our summer separately was not my idea of a vacation - yet. Thus, we were on a "Singapore on a budget" trip. However, Singapore was not one would consider going to on a budget. Well, here's our attempt at it.





The day we got there we were treated to a Zhi Char resto called Forture Seafood Steamboat. Yes, you read it right. Our destination was Forture and not Fortune. For a while I too thought it was a typo. Larry, our host for dinner, offered us choices - food or ambiance. I naturally chose food over ambiance. It was late and it was a good chance to get some real Singaporean dishes. At 9:30 pm, we were hungry. But the wait was well worth it. So far, for me, this restaurant is the best in Hongkong in terms of its food and price. A few days after, I tried calling them and found that the prices were so low that the whole meal would have cost us twice or even thrice that of the other restos in the City. It definitely a place for the budget conscious. Here are some pictures of what we had:

First we had broccoli in garlic sauce.



The Hongkong style noodles.




Next, was the curry fish head.


Larry ordered the cereal prawn but I wasn't able to take a picture of it.

Last, but the best one of all, was the Salted eggyolk crab,



If you want to check the place out, it's at the corner of Bukit Timah and Old Holland Road. Just don't look for a classy resto as you won't find it there.



Jane