I went to MacRitchie Reservoir Park today =)

Address:

Lornie Road

How to get there:

By bus:

Take bus nos. 52, 74, 93, 130, 132, 156, 157, 162, 165, 166, 167, 852, 855 or 980. Alight along Lornie Road at the bus-stop in front of MacRitchie Reservoir Park.

By car:
Entrance to the MacRitchie Reservoir Park car park is along Lornie Road.

MacRitchie Reservoir Park is open daily.

Admission is free.

I saw a variety of flora and fauna, such as monkeys.

MacRitchie Reservoir Park is surrounded by broad swamps and lush greenery. Besides bird watching, cycling, and taking photographs, there are other activities that can be done there. For example, practising Tai-Chi will be a good exercise for senior citizens. Adventurous youths can engage in trekking and kayaking. While kayaking, tourists can also fish. Rental rates for the sit-on-top kayak (single and double seaters) is $10 an hour per kayak. The rate for the single-seater recreation kayak is $15 for two hours.The Paddle Lodge will be open from Tuesday to Sunday, 9am to 6pm.

Tourists can also visit the Treetop Walk, to get a birds eye view of the forest canopy. The first section of the walk takes us by a stream and past the Singapore Island Country Club. Besides providing another avenue for nature recreation for Singaporeans, the Treetop Walk also plays an important role in forest canopy research. This bridge will help to facilitate surveys and plant identification work and further understanding of how forest ecosystems work. From this high vantage point, nature enthusiasts will be able to have a closer observation of the animal community in the canopy or take a peek at the flowers or fruits of tall trees and climbers and their pollination activities.

Some of forest birds include the Drongo Cuckoo, Chestnut-bellied Malkoha, Thick-Billed Green-Pigeon, Asian Fairy Bluebird and the Green Leafbirds.

8 reptiles including the Black-bearded Dragon and the Clouded Monitor that sleeps on the Terentang tree at night

18 rare trees and climbers including the Cheng Tng Tree (Scaphium macropodum) and Cyathocalyx ridleyi.

The park around the reservoir contains areas of primary rainforest that is rich in wildlife. Furthermore, the park has a fountain that plays 30 different water jet patterns, a flower clock, a jogging track, special exercise stations at intervals, a children's playground, a tea kiosk, several shelters and benches that face the scenic reservoir, and an orchid garden. From a bridge, we can watch turtles and carp swimming in the waters. On most Sundays, we will even get to watch performances by orchestras or local school ensembles at the pavilion.

Opening hours:

Tuesday to Friday from 9am to 5pm

Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays from 8.30am to 5pm

How to get there:

To get to the Treetop Walk, get into a taxi and ask them to take you to Venus Drive off upper Thomson Road. This is the starting point for the walk and the route is clearly marked at the end of the car park on Venus Drive.

a trip to the Botanical Garden!!!

Went to the botanical garden today, and we had lots of fun there exploring lots of new plants that we've never seen before.. =)

We all meet at the bus stop at Bukit Timah Road and we took a morning stroll into Botanical Garden. we entered through the Nassim Gate, walked through e carpark and finally reached e "lobby" of Botanical garden.

As we walked in we collected brochures and realised that there's a National Orchid Garden in Botanical Garden that consists 1000 species and 2000 hybrids. Now, it is also showcasing the largest diaplay of orchids in the world, and orchids that can be found inside includes the national flower of Singapore, Vanda Miss Joaqium. The National Orchid Garden is devided into 7 different sections, namely Orchidarium, Burkill Hall, Yuen-Peng McNeice Bromeliad Collection, VIP Orchids, Orchid Terraces & Water Features, Tan Hoon Siang Mist House and lastly, the Cool House.

Though the admission to the Botanical Garden is free, however, an admission fee is needed for the visit to the National Orchid Garden.

Adults: S$5.00

Students: S$1.00

Senior Citizens (above 60 years): S$1.00

Children (12 years and below): FREE

Opening Hours

8.30am- 7.00pm

(last ticket sales at 6.00pm)

We've paid such a small amount and we saw so many plants and different spicies of orchids that we've never seen before. It's so worth it! =)

At the Botanical Garden you'll not only see different spicies of plants, you may also enjoy musical event that's conducted at the Shaw Foundation Symphony Stage at the Symphony Lake. The show times of the performances can be found in the GARDENS ON THE GO brochure thay could be obtained at the entrance of Botanical Garden or the Sinagpore Visitor Centre situated in orchard Road.

It is best to reach there in the morning as you can enjoy the morning breeze as you stroll around the garden. it would also be better to reach in the days to that better pictures could be take as it would be too dark at night. You can stay there the whole day as there are cafes available for you to enjoy your meals in that pleasant surrounding.

There are also exhibition, talks and lectures, workshops and courses and educational tours that can be held in the Botanical Garden. Guided tours that are done by volunteers are also available, so why wait? Everyone who has visited Singapore should try out this unforgettable experience in the Boatanical Garden!

ways to get there:

by bus:

7, 105, 123, 174, 75, 77, 106 VIA Holland Road

66, 151, 153, 154, 67, 171 VIA Bukit Timah Road

you can also approach the Gardens' Visitor Services Desk in your hotel to call for the Singapore Airlines Hop-on Trolley, Hippotours Bus

some tips for you:

please do bring along an umbrella as Singapore being a tropical have large amount of rainfall

bring along a cap as the sun may to to hot

u may like to bring along mats and some foods as there are many spots that allow you to have a picnic at that peasant place

appropraite footwear like sport shoes are reccommended as you may want to walk through grasslands instead of cemented paths

-CHENG QI, 291108-

HorT ParK~~~ The Gardening Hub

looking for new nature reserve to stroll with ur family/friends or even lover??
but dunno where to go?
yEah.. coming Hort Park is a must and an ideal choice!!!

Snap this picture upon alighting from the bus stop after taking bus 61...
sit back, relax and let me share my personal experiences after a trip to Hort Park!!

General Information:

Open 6.00 am - 10.00 pm

Admission: Free

Approximate Touring Time: 3 hours

Location: 33 Hyderabad Road, off Alexandra Road, Singapore 119578

Tel(65) 6471 5601

Services and Facilities Available:

3 Wheelchair Parking Lots, 5 Coach Parking Lots, 155 Carpark Lots, Wheelchair-friendly ramps, Visitor Services Office

How to Get There

Travel by MRT & Bus from:

MRT: HarbourFront NEL Station (NE1)

Bus: 61, 93, 100, 166 , 963

MRT: Clark Quay Station (NE5)

Bus: 51, 61

MRT: City Hall Station (EW13 / NS25)

Bus: 61, 166



HortPark is a one-stop gardening hub that brings together gardening-related, recreational, educational, research and retail activities under one big canopy in a park setting. It is a knowledge hub for plants and gardening and provides the platform for the industry to share best practices and showcase garden designs, products and services. This 23-hectare regional park in South-Western Singapore is also a park connector, connecting Telok Blangah Hill Park to Kent Ridge Park.

As a gardening hub, HortPark aspires to nurture a gardening culture by focusing on 3 key areas:

1. learning and education;
2. industry partnership and collaboration;
3. events and activities.

Now let's Discover the Southern Ridges

Here are some route that u can choose to go...
distance and walking time was provided on the board too
see how caring they have provided for us ~~~~

before going up to the Southern Ridges with my Bf Kelson =)

beautiful ridges that caught my eyes!!! can't wait to snap it

when it turns 7pm.. the LED ridges light up

This is the Alexandra Arch, the bridge, with its curved deck and tilted arch, spans across Alexandra Road like an opened leaf. On the Hyderabad Road side, the bridge is connected to HortPark - the gardening hub, via the Floral Walk. Near the bridge is Gillman Village, a former British military camp in the early 20th century, is now home to an eclectic mix of restaurants, pubs and art galleries.At night, the bridge will dazzle with colour-changing LED lights. The lights display will be on between 7pm and 12am daily.

and i'm on the Ridges now!!!

beautiful trees scene.. so lovely

well.. let's have abit intro here...

The Southern Ridges comprise a 9-kilometre chain of green, open spaces spanning the rolling hills of Mount Faber Park, Telok Blangah Hill Park and Kent Ridge Park before ending at West Coast Park.It is an area steeped in history and is home to some of nature's greatest gifts of flora and fauna. It is also one of the best spots in Singapore to catch panoramic views of the city, harbour and the Southern Islands.

looks like no end walk....
but as i continue walking~~

i get to see more lovely scene later on...

upon walking along the path, the Canopy Walk links the 47-hectare Kent Ridge Park to Reflections at Bukit Chandu - once known as Opium Hill and site of one of the last battles of Singapore in World War II and HortPark – the gardening hub. Elevated 16 metres at the centre, Canopy Walk takes you through secondary forest with groves of Tembusu and dominant trees of the adinandra belukar. Move quietly and you may just see some of the rich wildlife that lives there, such as squirrels, sunbirds, doves, lizards and white-crested laughing thrushes.

i simply loves here

we are going to be as tall as the HDB flat behind

so windy over here... im at the top of the world soon!!!

see.. i get to see tall building and beautiful sky

catch this scene when it's getting dawn

caring direction guide

capture the tour guide giving the tourists toilet break... haha

Hilltop Walk Distance: 1.0 km

Hilltop Walk runs through the 34-hectare Telok Blangah Hill Park, once a gathering place for trading communities that flourished in the area in the early nineteenth century. The trail connects on one end with the Henderson Waves and the other with the Forest Walk leading to Alexandra Arch. The Terrace Garden at the top of the park offer a stunning 360-degree view of Singapore.

walking on the Henderson Waves.. so many people

light are on at 7pm the the Henderson Waves

At 36 metres above Henderson Road, Henderson Waves is the highest pedestrian bridge in Singapore. It was built to connect the two hills of Mount Faber and Telok Blangah Hill.The bridge has a unique wave-form made up of seven undulating curved steel “ribs” that alternately rise over and under its deck. The curved “ribs” form alcoves that function as shelters with seats within.Slats of yellow balau wood, an all-weather timber found in South-East Asia, are used in the decking. Look out for carvings on the slats marking the height you are at on various points along the bridge.The wave-forms will be lit with attractive LED light from 7pm to 2am daily, giving the bridge an illuminative glow.



Floral WalkDistance: 0.3 km

Located at the base of the bridge at Alexandra Arch, Floral Walk offers a delightful stroll along a path lined with flowering plants.
This is Southeast Asia’s first one-stop centre for gardening-related recreational, educational, research and retail activities in a park setting. Some park highlights include attractive themed gardens as well as outdoor display plots showcasing designs and ideas for home gardening. The 23-hectare HortPark connects to Kent Ridge Park via the Canopy Walk.

that's not the end yet

of course there are many more interesting place...
wanna know more???

hurry drop down to the Hort Park- The Gardening Hub

to explore more interesting place that only

Made in Singapore

you will definitely experience a difference!!!

***Best arrival time is between 6.30pm to 8pm

because at around 6.30pm, you will be able to catch the beautiful sunset scenery

and at 7pm sharp, the colourful LED Ridges and Henderson Waves will starts to light up!!!

&

As for joggers lovers, your can jog at the Hort Park too to enjoy the pleasant scenery and breathing the fresh clean air

Last but not least... i wanna share my thoughts...

i really enjoy the whole journey throughout the enD

it'z simply sightseeing to catch all the nature ...

and of course for more information your can log on to the website at:

http://www.nparks.gov.sg/

Night Safari!

Nature lovers?
Animal lovers?
Looking for a place to go at night?


We recommend you.... the NIGHT SAFARI!

Trust us=D, we are the satisfied visitors!

Let us bring you on a little brief trip of pictures of us around the NIGHT SAFARI!

Waiting for bus 138 at Ang Mo Kio Interchange. ( There are other buses/ means of transport to Night Safari. You can refer to http://www.nightsafari.com.sg/visitor/gettinghere.htm for more information)
Finally!! The entrance! Looking forward!

Puppet show! The area just outside the gift shops before you enter into Night Safari! The place where the tribal performances are! You can look forward to their fire-eating act!

Well, this is the toilet. I guess we girls just like to take pictures in toilets. Look at the huge fish tank behind!

One of the gift shops, aren't the gift shop beautiful?? Just look at how they decorated it like a village house.

Starting of our Fishing Cat Trail to the world of cats family(Mousedeer, leopard, otter and more!) There are signboards like this all over Night Safari, so don't worry about getting lost=]

Information board at each exhibition. There are also recordings of the information in 4 languages - English, Chinese, Malay and Japanese.

There's an exhibition of snake on the day of our trip! There are real snakes' bones, dried skin, teeth and all.. Now i know how sharp their teeth are..

Now to the mangrove walk! Pretty scary while walking in, and just hear how Germaine and Roselind scream! O well, they are girls, aren't they. Haha. The bats inside don't attack, so not to worry.(unless they are provoked of course) And, make sure you keep your eyes open so as to catch a glimpse of the bats, because they fly real fast!

Inside the gift shops! Here is the place to look for your souvenirs! They have plushies, magnets, postcards, books, shirt, caps and many more, so make a trip down, don't miss it!

The animal hats! we love them=D

The cute little plushies!

We are certainly enjoying ourselves!

Leaving for home.. U can bet, we are certainly going back again!=D

Now, we know you are tempted to go!

So, here are some facts you may like to know about the night safari!

• It is the world’s first wildlife park with a night view( we mean WOW! First in the world! Don't you just want to get down to experience it? )

• There are over 1000 nocturnal animals of about 130 species presented in their natural environment, for the purpose of conservation, education and recreation ( Now now, Just think about all those night animals you can see! Aren't you tempted??)

• Cultural performances and Creatures of the Night Show(7.30pm7.30pm, 8.30pm, and 9.30pm daily. Additional show at 10.30pm on Fridays, Saturdays and eve of public holidays) - The showcase of the humans and creatures talent! You will be amazed by the cute and intelligent animals and the exciting performance put up by the tribal performers.

• 3 walking trail - the Fishing Cat, Forest Giants and Leopard Trail ( Great choice for taking pictures, pacing your own walk)

• 3.2km tram ride along two loops( Choice of touring around the Night Safari with voice recordings of the information of each exhibitions it passes by)

• Great facilities like ramps for disabled to visitors to view the habitats, benches and shelters around the tracks, some are even equipped with fans!

• Great service! The staffs are really well-trained=] They are familiar with the information about Night Safari, have the initiative to help you when you look lost and are polite and friendly! Thumbs up!

Want to know more about Night Safari? Just visit the website - http://www.nightsafari.com.sg/

The information are all classified clearly and you can look for the information you want easily.

Now, for some tips!

• If you want to take photos of the animals, be sure to be there early before it gets too dark, because most of the exhibition are too dimly lit to take pictures! But, if you got there too late, don't worry, because you can purchase postcards of animals at the gift shop=]

• If you want to have a good view of the Creatures of the Night Show, make sure to be there early around 15-30minutes before the show because the seats are on first come first serve basis! The best seat are in the center of the front rows! Hurry!

• Remember to bring a portable fan, because we got kind of hot walking along the tracks. But there are also fans in shelters along the tracks. The gift shops also have air cons!=]

• Remember to bring insect repellent too, cause i got bitten by mosquito while walking on the trails!

• We recommend you to walk along the trails first because by the time you finish, you would be tired, so you can take the tram ride around the Night Safari to get a view of rest of the animals in Night Safari(some of the exhibits are not viewable from the trails). The price of the tram are $10/adult and $5/child, more information can be view at http://www.nightsafari.com.sg/visitor/rates.htm

• Look out for the cute Otters!( Germaine got obsessed with them when she first saw them!Haha. If you are lucky, you can get to see them quarrelling. They are really cute=] The Giant Flying Squirrel are also recommended! They can fly real far from one tree to another just right above your heads! And, they aren't separated from you by wire nets, so be careful they land on your head! Haha.

• If you are addicted to the animals and want to be a volunteer, you can look for more information at http://www.nightsafari.com.sg/getinvolved/volunteer.htm or you can adopt the animals too! Go to http://www.zoo.com.sg/adoptananimal/ to do it now! There are more information available there.

Tempted to come?? Don't think anymore! Get down to Night Safari now!

See you there!

Singapore Zoological Gardens



Hello it's Germaine in the house!!! Proudly presenting you... (look at the abv picture!) OUR SG ZOO!!!
Do you know?
The Singapore Zoological Gardens is one of the world's most spectacular zoo!

Since im such an animal lover.. the SG zoo is a must go for me!!
Let me show you why you shouldnt miss it. :D

The first animal i saw there was.... the otters! There is absolutely nothing to describe them! They are soooo cute and the way they swim can definitely keep you fasinated.

Adorable isnt it??? There are more animals to come!

Next stop, the baboons. We actually stayed there for nearly one hour just staring at them! Their actions are so humanly, now i believe we actually evolve from them! Here are some pictures that we took..

Baby baboon!!
OH AND ALSO WE SNAP SOMETHING THAT IS.. *CENSORED* R21!
:P

NO COMMENTS!

Do you know there are so many baboons because their living area is so spacious?! Our SG zoo must be so generous to dedicate such a huge space for these baboon families... :) And we saw two baboons fighting and their baboon mommy stopped them in time! This is what you witness if you have the patience to stop and observe!

Okay enough about baboons..

Let's talk about chimpanzees!! Omgosh i must say.. they are really.. i cant describe.. aww.. picture tells you all!

The story goes like this.. grandpa chim wants to cross the log, so young chim helped grandpa chim across!!! Isnt that sweet!? Our sg zoo is full of warm-hearted stories!!

Parrots! Look at their colours! You can even feed them! :)

Penguins!

Hop hop hop~

So close yet so far to the animals....

There is simply so many more pictures!! I shall not tempt you guys anymore, just go down and experience it yourself!

White tigers are so beautiful dont you think so?

Some facts that you may not know!

The Singapore Zoo was opened in 27 June 1973 and spreading over 28 hectares, it is home to over 3,600 mammals, birds and reptiles, including rare and endangered species. (Omg just look at the number of animals you can observe!!)

There are 315 animal species (16% are threatened species) and there are 2530 total number of specimens. In order to protect the threatened species, the zoo bring messages about wildlife conservation effectively through exhibitions with education content.

So now, what is actually the difference between SG zoo and the zoos in other countries?!?!?!

*drumrolls*

SG zoo actually used barriers such as streams, rivers, rockwalls and vegetations to seperate the animals instead of oppressive cages!!
Furthermore, there are so many animal shows that are so entertaining.. the animals performing stunts and at the same time.. delivering messages of wildlife conservation to us, how meaningful!

OH our SG zoo also has cafes (ALSO HAS BEN&JERRY!!! cool or not?) and souveniers shops that you can bring back memories in the zoo with you!!

We know you are interested!
Get down and explore our Singapore's amazing zoo!