Around The World In 5 Hours!

We meandered through 6 river systems, trudged through a flooded rainforest in the Amazon, and had a close encounter with a panda. No, we did not go on a whirlwind tour around the world. Instead, we experienced all these and more at the River Safari back in October! The kids enjoyed themselves thoroughly, and I am looking forward to going back there again, with the new river cruise that is opened now!

We saw the inhabitants of 6 river systems around the world - and these wildlife was truly amazing!

Some highlights:

1) The Amazonian Flooded Forest
I love discovering new facts with the family, and the fact that the Amazonian rainforest is submerged for months during summer was fascinating.

We admired a colossal tank of submerged man-made tree-trunks where the Amazonian manatees swam enigmatically like mermaids in an ocean. Truly enthralling.

2) Boundless expanse of verdant islets and lakes
Yes, this is Singapore. And yes, this is how beautiful Singapore was...and is...only if we are willing to look hard enough. The stillness of the placid waters and the serenity of the lush greenery are little reminders that nature exists near us in an urban city-state.

3) Sleepy and shy pandas!
I visited the Sichuan Panda Conservation Centre a few years back, and were captivated by the sights of dozens of gregarious pandas. So, I was not very impressed by our 2 pandas here in Singapore - one of which was sleeping throughout the duration of our visit (Kai Kai), and another who was so shy that she wandered out for a few seconds only to escape to the safety of her man-made cave again (Jia Jia). Still, it was eye-opening to see the resources that we had invested for these 2 pandas....pure luxury, compared to their poor counterparts with much smaller spaces in Sichuan!

4) Huge tanks and underwater tunnels
We can just sit in front of the many huge tanks and gaze non-stop at menacing crocodiles, cheeky beavers and exotic fishes. True escapism into another world.

We will be back very soon!