Wednesday 27th September
Another warm Singaporean morning greets us, the sky is grey with heavy cloud the occasional glimpses of blue poking through the palpable humidity, twenty percent chance of rain our weather forecast tells us. Feeling a little better today we are up for breakfast in reasonable time. The hotel breakfast is spread over a vast amount of counters surrounding the entrance and down into the eating area, in the restaurant that was the scene of last nights buffet. The buffet now magically converted to display fruits, yoghurts, cereals, Malaysian & Indian breakfast foods, pastries and cheeses, last nights Peking duck carvery, is this mornings egg station, where a chef is busily whipping up an omelette. We stick to our usual juices and cereals only occasionally do we go all out for the eggs, usually Benedict.
We have decided to make for the zoo today, situated in the western sector of the island, about a fifteen minute ride, the zoo is well known for the open enclosure approach and the rarity of some of its exhibits. Last time we visited we didn’t drive out to this side of the island making today’s drive interesting, now modern freeways cut through a thoroughly tropical garden island. We pass through residential, industrial and military areas all neatly laid out, surrounded by tropical greenery that reminds us of the amount of rain the island receives. As if to make a point that people live in a jungle here, we pass under a wide animal bridge that was built and planted out with jungle plants just for wild animals to cross from one side of the freeway to the other. Although the bridge is clearly identifiable to us, adorned as it is with all manor of jungle animal reliefs, it still requires an explanation by our driver, some how believing the animals understand it’s purpose, escapes us completely. Once old apartment buildings with bamboo canes sticking out of every window supporting the occupants washing would be everywhere, but now with new more modern apartment blocks only rarely do I see a Singaporean “flagpole”
On we drive reaching the zoo in good time, any memories we had of our visit here in 1987 go straight out the window, the zoo has undergone substantial change since then. Our driver tells us Steve Erwin was involved in some of the design concepts, revered here as the “The Crocodile Hunter” as he was around the world. We spend the next four hours wandering around the exhibit. The enclosures are made to look as natural as possible, mostly barriers are invisible, you feel so close to the animals you can almost touch them. Above us orang-utans swing about playfully on rope ways that crisscross the park. The zoo’s animal enclosures are set in tropical jungle like gardens surrounded by the water from a reservoir spread over 220 acres, with a lot to see. A feature of this zoo is the rare animals that live here in the zoo’s care, the magnificent white Tiger, not an albino but rare breed of Tiger A genetic split of from the Bengal Tiger.
White Rhino also endangered, ponder about in their muddy paddock, we both agree a weird looking animal like nothing else on earth. Amanda patiently waits at each exhibit, while I try to take that perfect shot.
The rain is always threatening a few drops here and there, we buy poncho’s at a gift shop just in case. There are covered walkways that run through the park in some areas but you can suddenly find yourself exposed. Fortunately the rain stays in the sky for the duration of our visit. We stop at the cafe for a sandwich that is pretty ordinary, dry and tasteless, the staff are changing tables for a night time safari that must be popular and include a picnic on leopard skin table clothes. We are way passed lunchtime, so no surprises that our food is passed it’s use by date.
After covering a good deal of the zoo today it’s time to take a cab home. What is a SD$24.00 ride to the zoo with tips, is a SD$38.00 ride back to the hotel, we did see more of the city via a ring route but really! No wonder Uber can establish its business model here when the local taxis are so unreliable and arguably dishonest.
Back at the hotel we decide to walk to Clarke quay tonight for dinner, this picturesque little area with little cruise boats that ply the river and Marina bay comes to life at night. As we walk out of the hotel the lighting from the surrounding buildings is spectacular, the lights bathe the water in shimmering colour. Once again the night is perfect for strolling outdoors and eating, I feel like seafood Amanda’s doesn’t, we need to find a compromise and finally pick a Thai restaurant that offers meats as well.
We are not often in Singapore but the first year Clarke Quay opened we were there enjoying amazing food and wine. Three years ago there again, food had definetely moved to tourist fast, quality average. Tonight for us it hit rock bottom at Rennthai, we doubt if the chef had ever had a Thai meal let alone visited Thailand. The Tiger beer was good that was were it ended. I decided on the BBQ platter beautifully presented the dish held promise, the appetiser of spring rolls where hot and freshly fried adding to my expectation. The platter when it arrived contained three satay’s of an unknown meat type, cold dry and rubbery, they had laid so long in the marinade that the meat was cured. The squid on the dish was also cold, so tough it bounced, only two small tentacles where edible. Next fish cakes, just pieces of white fish, that didn’t flake off the fork but needed to be cut with a knife, at least they were hot, mussels followed baked in a the shell with a spicy pork mince, quite tasty, and the best taste on the platter, lastly two prawns in their shells that must have sat in a tray to airdry for weeks, before being BBQ’d to hell, so dry every bit if moisture sucked from them.
Amanda was more fortunate her grilled chicken dish was edible, but she ordered plain rice not sticky rice and guess what turned up, sticky.
The service was less than good, a waiter that didn’t want to be there and had no idea about restaurant table service. I can’t remember the last time I wasn’t asked how my meal was, if asked I would have told them but they had no interest in customers what so ever. For such a spectacular environment, very disappointing, especially since the prices here are high this no street food venue. No doubt the rents are high and the pressure must be on to produce high profit food, but lack of quality is no way to achieve it. They will definitely receive a bad review from this customer.
We wander back through the still warm night to our hotel, another day closer to home.