Have you read my first post on Singapore Zoo and River Safari? We went back to Singapore Zoo (thanks to my sister’s free tickets again) to explore the parts we didn’t manage to!
Sadly, this time round when we went back, we were not able to dine in at Ah Meng’s restaurant like before, because I was still waiting for my vaccine to take effect. Hence, we had to buy takeaway from Ah Meng restaurant. I ordered the same food – Lotus Root and Peanut Soup + Vegetables + Brown Rice at $7.90. It was delicious, healthy and affordable. In fact, I felt the portion was even bigger when I purchased takeaway. The container cost an extra $0.30 though, and if you need a plastic bag, it was extra $0.10. So do consider bringing your own containers and plastic bag if you want to save money.
I didn’t manage to take a clear picture of the menu last time, so here it is! Looking at the menu, I really feel this brown rice + lotus root set is the one with the best value.
Remember that Ah Meng has a bistro, and not just restaurant? I managed to take photos of the menu there too! The food seems much more expensive that Ah Meng’s Restaurant’s though.
After buying the food, we could eat anywhere within zoo that had benches. There are a few such locations throughout the place. We proceeded to KidzWorld to find a somewhat sheltered bench to sit down and eat. We were not the only ones – some other families were eating food there too. Be mindful of macaques though. Some staff walked past as we were eating and they warned us about some macaques they had seen at the forest area behind KidzWorld. We were mindful throughout our meal but thankfully were not attacked by any.
We waited to book the Animal Friends show…and again, it was booked out within a minute! Seriously, how fast could the other people be? Disappointed, we nonetheless were happy that our son was awake this time during the visit at KidzWorld – he was sleeping in the carrier when we last visited. This was his first time exploring KidzWorld and he stared wide eyed at the animals. The funniest part was when he cuckoo along with the roosters!
Similar to booking for shows, you can actually purchase limited animal feed sessions via QR code when you are at the zoo. They have feeding sessions for the goats at KidzWorld. They used to put a bunch of leaves right beside for all visitors to pluck and feed the goats, but this has stopped. I am not sure if it is due to Covid, or because the zoo is putting the goats on a diet, or perhaps they are hoping to earn more money from the feeding sessions. The feeds are not expensive anyway, at $5/session, but they are hugely popular and always sold out.
This time round we also walked around the other side of the zoo, and managed to see the giraffe, zebra and hyenas. Not sure if it was due to the heat, but the animals didn’t seem very active and were just lazing around. We visited the cheetah too, and she was the most interactive of all.
We went to River Safari again too, and visited the giant panda Kai Kai, who is getting all the attention while his partner is on maternity leave. I am sure River Safari would be crowded once Jia Jia and baby return to their enclosure. For this trip, it was noticeably less quiet and crowded than the last time we went, which was before Jia Jia gave birth.
Overall, it was a wonderful trip that complemented the first one, as we purposely visited areas we didn’t manage to go to the first time round. With Covid cases on the rise, the zoo is probably one of the few safe places to visit since it is almost fully ventilated. We are hoping to bring Baby L again there soon, and here’s hoping we can finally watch the Animal Friends show!
