There was a rumour going around that the Singapore zoo is one of the finest in the world and animals are roaming wild and free with no bars or cages. This was enough to convince us to give it a try.
With the first step we made inside, we saw a tree full of small monkeys jumping from a branch to another only at a hand's distance from us.
This was one particularly sad monkey. It must be the nose, or maybe because all the females were sleeping.
The curation of the space was once again very well executed and gave the atmosphere of a real jungle. There might not be cages, but sometimes there is a glass or deep trenches dividing the viewer from the most dangerous animals.
This monkey was climbing on the trees above our heads.
Once a day there is a scheduled feeding of the animals. And because most of them have grown in captivity, they wouldn't know how to kill a living animal, so the guards are giving them cut meat.
Singaporeans are really into popular culture, so naturally Timon and Pumba were placed next to each other. Together forever.
There was also a garden with all kinds of traditional asian fruits, vegetables and herbs. The mango tree was quite a sight.
We found the bats in something like a big round glass house which was also home to many birds, butterflies and guess what - SLOTHS! I have longed to see my spirit animal for so long, but the cheeky boy was hiding somewhere in the trees and I couldn't spot him. Another reason to come back again to Singapore.
This was the most interesting sight from the whole zoo. There was a whole family of Macaques and it was fascinating to trace the complicated relationships between the members. There was the strong male, head of the family, who had a few females circling around him, spoiling him and picking ticks from his fur.
There were the mothers that would never take sight from their babies and would always hold the small ones' tails between their hands.
A less known fact - it is believed that the whole white tiger population originated from a single white tiger and was in bread by zoos ever since. In order to keep the white gene, the breeders have to perform incest and breed father and daughter or father and granddaughter. This results in many deformities in the future generations of white tigers.
Once seen all the animals, we set off to the city centre of Singapore to meet with Jon.
What followed was a cultural culinary tour in a very special area of Singapore - the Nyonya Neigbourhood. The Baba-Nyonya are Chinese immigrant who came to live in the Malay archipelago between the 15th and 17th century. This mixture between Chinese and Malay influence has given birth to a completely new culture, which can so strongly be sensed in the Joo Chiat and Katong district. You can shop traditional Nyonya craftsman pieces, visit the museum or try one of their many delicacies.
Knowing my obsession with laksa (which he introduced me to) Jon took us to the best laksa shop in town. 328 Katong Laksa. There are only a few things on the menu and the must try is laksa (of course), Otak- Otak, which is fish cake wrapped in banana leaves and sugar cane juice.
The shop gained its popularity after Gordon Ramsay came to Singapore and was challenged to recreate this traditional dish. Well, guess what, he couldn't.
We also tried nyonya dumpling, made of glutinous rice, stuffed with meat and wrapped in bamboo leaves. Filip begged the old ladies for the recipe but they would not even hear about it.
What is sweeter than a nap on a rainy day after you've eaten the world?
Check more posts from Singapore HERE!
Or take a look at our video from Thailand & Singapore here.
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