Singapore Zoo!

We headed out to the Singapore Zoo today!  What a wonderful day!!  The Zoo is so beautiful and there were so many things to see.  We weren't able to see everything, but I'm sure that we'll be back.  The weather is wonderful here.  It's warm, so it feels like summer, but not too hot.  There are periods of sunshine and cloudiness.  A breeze every now and then...  just very pleasant.

When we first walked in, there was a woman sitting at a table selling her books.  We talked to her for a moment.  She is writing a series called The Doughty Warriors.  We picked up a signed copy of her first book (there are two currently written, she is working on the third).  I'm excited to start reading it with Lily.  It's set in South East Asia with a group of children from different ethnicities, full of adventure and a strong ecological message.  Sounds perfect!  The author is Brenda Broster.

We first headed over to a boat, to take us up to the top part of the Zoo.  The children's area is there and we thought we'd head up there and then work our way down.  While we were waiting for the boat, we saw the white tiger and the pygmy hippo. 

There is a white tiger sleeping on the rock on the far left of the pictures.  All of the habitats at the Singapore Zoo are lovely!

Our boat, the Komali!

The first stop for us in the children's area was the carousal!  Scott and I felt a little dizzy coming off, but the kids had fun!!  ** A side note **  We've been to the Phoenix Zoo twice, and both times, the carousal was a big hit with my kids.  I think we rode it 6 or 8 times each visit!!  I think this carousal was the same one that is in Phoenix, or else very similar.  However, it's $4 per kid per ride (Phoenix is $1 per kid per ride), so we only rode it once.  

After lunch, we played in the splash park.  So fun!  I knew it was there, so we brought the kids swim suits and a towel.  Lily was off and running through the different shower like water features.  Madeline loved the slides!  Wyatt took a while to get into it, but once he did, he had a ball!

Wyatt's favorite slide!

After the water park, we went on a pony ride!  

Next up was a horse and carriage ride.  It was so beautiful and pleasant.

There was an Orchid Garden.  So beautiful!!

The Lions!

Rhinos!  I was really amused.  The Rhinos all had little birds perched on them.  Rhinos almost always have little birds on them in cartoons and illustrations in books.  I know that the birds help to keep them free of insects, but I found it really amusing.

We saw the zebras and the giraffes and other animals too.  Monkeys (all sorts), birds, some animals that I was unfamiliar with.  There were some tired kids, so we got on the tram to head over to the elephants.

While on the tram, Wyatt fell asleep and the girls were kinda grumpy.  So, we decided to make our way toward the exit.  With 3 small kids, we can't do everything...  Well, I guess we can, eventually, but we need to do it slower and take more breaks.  So, this was all we could manage in our first trip to the zoo.  Next time, the elephants and panda bears will be a priority!

On the way out, we walked through the Australian exhibit.  I found this very amusing...

A Malaysian Tapir.

So, these are just a few of the pictures from our trip.  I put all of them in an album on Facebook.  We really had a great day and it was fun to do something kinda touristy today.  We still have more work to do at home, but it can't be all work and no play!