Singapore: Botanic Gardens, Orchard Road, Sentosa and Singapore Zoo!

 I have been very busy the last two days seeing loads of Singapore in quite a short space of time :) Yesterday (24th) I had a much needed lie in, then headed over to the Botanic Gardens. Now, I'm not one for plants or flowers (daisies, lilies, sunflowers are about as much as I know haha!) but this place was really beautiful. It was very peaceful and it's treated with respect from the locals. This isn't a park to come and have a picnic or play games, it is truly a peaceful place to think or relax. I then paid a small fee to go into the National Orchid Garden (I know this sounds crazy. Me, in an Orchid garden enjoying myself)! It was well worth it though... Every single type of slower or plant was labelled with descriptions. Must have been thousands! Well worth the visit...

I then visited the famous Orchard Road which is the fashion street of Singapore. It had all the top names like Gucci, D&G etc. It was similar to Oxford Street in many ways, just an Asian version! I don't have wads of cash to spend on aftershave and suits so it was great to see but wasn't a lot that I could do there...

That evening after returning for a shower (still so hot, nearly 35c ahhh), I went to the Harbourfront and then the amazing Sentosa Island, which is a tiny little island holding some amazing attractions. Universal studios Singapore is there, Sea World, Singapore Hard Rock Cafe and some great Bars and Restaurants :) I had a quick walk around but I was short for time and had to head back. Think I'll go back again before I go (Can't resist a hard rock cafe!)

That brings me to today which was amazing! I went to Singapore Zoo which is one of the best in the world! I saw everything you'd expect, but mainly asian and african animals. It's amazing how many things you see that you didn't even know existed! Also, it's incredible to think just how many animals there are... You forget easily and just remember the big names so to speak. It was weird seeing an Elephant (which you could ride!), Giraffe, Rhino, Cheetah, Leopard,Tiger, Lion, Penguin etc up close... Was my first time! Not a fan of baboons though... how peculiar! There were two live shows, the 'Rainforest strikes back' which was a selection of animals climbing around the stage. My favourite was the second show which was 'Splash Safari', which was a Sea Lion performing tricks and generally getting everyone drenched. I had no idea just how intelligent and clever they were! They could even clap and hide there face for their trainer! When looking at the kangaroo's there was a piece of Steve Irwin. He was a close friend to the zoo and was there regularly. It said how much they loved him and how they miss him. He was very exuberant and passionate and he cared so much for animals. It was very sad actually. Then this evening, I did the night safari which is a tram ride in the dark with the wild animals not in the zoo, on display... Was really amazing being so close. A deer seemed to like me a lot and nearly boarded the train!

Singapore is a very lovely place. The people are the kindest I've ever met. Everyones smiles at you, everywhere. You walk into a little shop and you are greeted and smiled at instantly. It's different to back home. Next couple of days I plan to do the bus tour to see more and hopefully even a trip to Raffles Hotel! I have a quite a few photos from today :) :

This Baboon clearly wants to be a DJ.

This isn't Santa - It's an Orangutan :')

Zoo Staff holding a giant snake. Guy at the end on the right clearly hates everyone in the crowd taking pictures.