The Pleasures of Singapore Zoo

Narra and I at the pygmy hippo's observation dug-out.

We were there for the kids. But we ended up enjoying ourselves as well. This, to me, is one of the perks of being a parent. It gives one the motivation to make time and exert effort to learn about the world all over again.  We do it to introduce our children to wonderful things, and in the process, we become enchanted ourselves.  Our afternoon in Singapore Zoo was full of "look at this" and "look at that" moments.  So well have the zoo's designers recreated the natural habitats of the animals on display that scoping the exhibits was truly a rewarding exercise in discovery.  

The exhibits have thoughtful lay-outs with strategic viewing points for zoo-goers at a respectful distance from animals.  There were also thrilling sections where animals were free-roaming, I couldn't believe my eyes!  The rainforest exhibit inside a gigantic aviary-like enclosure was one of my favorites.  Once inside, a mouse deer approached me and came within arm's length while I was walking on the foot path. A Philippines mouse deer!!! Back home, I've only seen these shy creatures in cramped cages in zoos outside Manila.  To find them here, roaming freely in lush surroundings, was a welcome surprise.  Just above our heads were crawl posts for all sorts of tree-dwelling creatures - like monkeys and lemurs. I had to wheel Guijo's stroller out of the way so we wouldn't be too near a lemur stationed right above the main walkway.  There were also birds, like multi-colored parrots to be found hiding under vegetation, we got excited when we unexpectedly spotted some.  There were also awesome fruit bats and lovely butterflies fluttering about.   I was somewhat scared to be wheeling my babies in a cage full of animals, but I trusted the Singaporeans with safety standards - I knew that when it came to controlling behavior through intelligent design, they know what they're doing.  

A lemur resting conspicuously above the Rainforest footpath.

Singapore Zoo, like the rest of Singapore, is carefully planned and thoughtfully designed - and perfectly executed.  The gently sloping inclines meant for strollers and wheelchairs were judiciously  integrated into the landscape, so intelligently and artfully, that one would tend to forget they're there at all.   And everywhere one looks, one would see meticulous attention to detail.  A stretch of land next to a foot path, for instance, was made into a delightful garden.  What could have been an otherwise negligible corner was transformed into a focal point with the creation of a pocket lily pond.  We came to the zoo to see the animals, but we ended up enjoying the plants just as much. 

At a pocket Lily pond by the reservoir.

The selection of plants for the garden was deliberate, guided as it was by an underlying agenda: to give a sense of place in the tropics and particularly in Southeast Asia.  On display were typical vegetables and fruit-bearing trees and shrubs from the region.  The "Bahay Kubo" vegetables were there, and it would have been an excellent opportunity to introduce Narra to the origins of her table food - but she was napping as we took our leisurely stroll.  With kids fast asleep, Oliver and I had the chance to focus on Mama, and share in her enjoyment at seeing flowers, shrubs, trees and fruits from her childhood - plants she hadn't seen in ages.  Mama Rubi is an outstanding cook, and traveling through a vegetable garden with her is profoundly delightful and enlightening.  She pointed at each leaf, and fruit, with unbridled enthusiasm, saying what they were, and what they're for.  She carefully inspected a vine that produced a cross between a patola and upo, and contemplated on whether it was more like the former or the latter.  There were vignettes of personal recollections too, of Mama's neighbors that had this tree, and that shrub, and where this plant once stood in which part of the garden in the home she grew up in.

Oliver filming Mama as she pushed Narra's stroller through the garden.

"Look at that - it's a Rozelle!" she said excitedly at a rich burgundy clump of flowers.  "That's what Haw Flakes are made of", she informed me. And I accepted this tiny bit of information with great interest - I loved Haw Flakes, and consumed them with reverence for 3 decades, without ever knowing what they were made of.  It was a moment of revelation!   That walk in the garden is special to me, it gave me a chance to marvel at my mother in law and get a brief glimpse of the depth of her culinary genius.  To know Mama Rubi is to cook with her, and since I don't cook - I miss out on the opportunity to bond with her.  I didn't expect that a short walk through a vegetable patch would offer me the opening I didn't know I was hoping for.  It was a perfect setting for a bonding moment, as we snaked our way through a garden by a lake, with overcast skies and a cool breeze, and we pushed strollers with the babies peacefully asleep.  

Guijo and I on the tram ride to the zoo's exit.

We realized we had walked the entire zoo without once taking a ride on the tram (despite the fact that we bought tickets for unlimited tram rides).  We hadn't planned on walking the entire park, but we ended up doing so because of the shaded paths through thick foliage.  There were some majestic old trees that towered above the rest.  They reminded us that a big part of the zoo's many inducements is its being in a true nature reserve with a thriving ecosystem.  Parks designed for tourism tend to feel somewhat contrived - and in some ways the entire island of Singapore can sometimes feel like one big well-planned theme park - but the presence of these huge, centuries-old trees in full glory makes me feel closer to nature.  I remember just standing in front of one particularly powerful tree outside the buwaya exhibit.  The sun hit the trunk at a magical angle, making its wood shine with deep and rich orange-yellow-gold tones.  Oliver and I admired it (we love trees), and we stopped for a moment to breathe.  Our day at the zoo had come to an end. We took the tram to take us back to the entrance. What a fun afternoon appreciating flora and fauna it was, even for the kids!