Singapore Zoo

This place stirred many feelings:

1. Joy from being ensconced in a tropical forest setting.
2. Wide-eyed wonderment at the sight of the animals up close. The place seems to emphasise species found locally and regionally.
3. Disappointment that they didn't have the Vietnamese Tonkin Snub Nosed Monkey and the Malayan Tiger. Also, missed the elephant show and the Australian species section was closed.
4. Awed by the size of the White Tiger and Polar Bear.
5. Surprised when I finally saw the Kancil / Mousedeer, a character of many Malay children's folktales, was REALLY tiny.
6. Tickled that I was enjoying the local plant species section more than the animals as I'd run around naming vegetables and flowers I recognised.
7. Angered at some nutheads tossing chips at chimps.
8. Shocked at the chimps' response: they communicated with each other, signaled for more chips to aforementioned nutheads and used a stick to get at chips floating on the moat while avoiding the electrified fence wires.
9. Wondering how much of an impact places like these zoos have at education and instilling awareness in people's hearts for the urgent need for conservation, ending animal trafficking and effective waste management. I wonder if the notices like the one pictured had a lasting effect on the visitors.
10. Despair that so many critically endangered species are trully interesting or awe inspiring and are driven so in this region due to some crazy ignorance.
11. Glee when ending the day at the zoo with some yummy Durian Cendol. A shaved ice desert with kidney beans, jellies and palm sugar, with the very broad smile inducing durian paste.

Highlights of the day included seeing a King Cobra named James eating a portion of a python and watching a python shedding its skin up close.