Hello dearest fellow travelers! Last month I took a look at some of the things to do and places to go in Singapore, and got some great suggestions for further ideas both here and on Facebook. (By the way, did you know that you can now use your FB login to leave a comment in the field below, so you don’t have to go through a login process every time you want to comment? Neat!) Here I list a few more sites and attractions I’m interested in checking out when I visit Singapore.
Several people recommended visiting the zoo in Singapore, and taking a look around their website, I can see why. The zoo has a huge range of ecosystems to explore, and it’s affiliated with other wildlife parks like the Jurong Bird Park and the Night Safari (they’re all owned by one large company). Sure, it’s corporate, but the parks are designated rescue centers for injured and at-risk wildlife, and they have breeding programs for endangered species. They also seem to have a large educational component that encourages a lot of visitor interaction, which sounds more interesting than a lot of zoos that stick to a few signs next to an animal’s cage. Also, it is in a rainforest! I’ve only ever seen rainforest animals in Midwestern climes, and I’m sure it’ll be different to see them in a place that’s naturally what they’re used to, rather than a reconstruction.
Welcome to the Jungle
Photo from http://www.asiaexplorers.com/singapore/singapore-zoo.htm
Delicious Dining Options
Everyone who has been to Singapore or knows someone who has been to Singapore has immediately mentioned the food. Oh, the food! So many dishes I’ve never heard of, like chili crab, barbequed stingray, and bak kuh teh. The blog GastroNOMmy has a wonderful list of food for first-time visitors to the city, including specific restaurants to go to when you’re there. The city is known to be a foodie’s paradise, and I can’t wait to taste just what that means.
My friend Mindy suggested I visit this place. It’s a fascinating study in environmental care and waste management. Pulau Semakau started out as a small island and is now a gigantic garbage dump. Unlike most city dumps, however, this one serves as a multipurpose site; on top of the garbage dump rests an island of green space, mangrove plots, and trailways for walking. Since it’s essentially a pile of garbage tossed right on top of the water, engineers were careful to put screens and filters in place to keep the garbage from seeping into the water, and so far it has been successful (the island was built in 1999). However, as this article points out, most of the garbage is incinerated before being transported to the dump, and that process isn’t entirely environmentally friendly, so the cost/benefit analysis is still uncertain. I’d like to see the island and take a tour to find out more about how sustainable a model this is for other cities.
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