Sunday, November 8, 2009 ;
5:12 PM
5 Nov
Thurs
Mil has relatives from China in Singapore for vacation. They've been busy entertaining and bringing them around from Mon to Wed. So I volunteered to bring them to the zoo and it was set for Thurs since that was the day they had free on their itinerary (sorry Jess, for postponing our meet up!).
Guess what, that day happened to rain so much! The rain was such a heavy downpour furthermore, with lightning and thunder. Sigh. I felt bad for wasting a huge part of the day for them. We wanted to walk the Fragile Forest and catch a few shows. Too bad.
This was in the morning when the weather was still fine. They managed to see the birds (parrots, macaws), the primates (white-faced ones, brown lemurs etc near the entrance, the gibbons), the otters, Orang Utans.. Then we walked toward the Australian Outback.
It was kangaroo feeding time, and this one was more worth it cos they said $5 for a family up to 5 members. Since it was just me and kids, plus 2 of them made 5 exactly, so we were all let in to feed the kangaroos. It was a fun time for them and the kids. I just played photographer, and helped them snap as many pics as possible.
They did enjoy all these close encounters with the animals cos they said most of the zoos back there have animals in cages or enclosures.
This was when we were waiting for the Elephants at Work and Play Show. However, just as we sat down, an thunderstorm ensued and the organisers let us wait for 20min, initially saying the show would be delayed. Finally, because the rain did not stop, they said it was not safe for the mahouts and the elephants to continue the show, so it was cancelled, after we waited for about 40min!!
I felt so bad for them. We have many opportunities to return to the zoo but for them, just this half day and it was all ruined by the bad weather.
So we went to KFC for lunch since it was raining so heavily most shows and feedings were cancelled and a lot of animals that were free-ranging went into hiding.
While I was ordering the food, they sneakily brought the kids to the souvenir shop (at Kidz Rainforest gift shop) and bought them what they wanted! And they chose Bakugan toy set which cost S$25 each. That set our guests back by $50 (that's 250 yuan!!). Argh... The boys were so thrilled of course, because I never would have bought them those toys.
After lunch, it was still pouring, so we decided to leave. They felt like shopping since the weather was so bad, so I sent them to Orchard Rd. Then I brought the boys to buy some gifts for them to bring home since they had to spend so much on the boys.
They love the chocolates so much, and fortunately it is close to Xmas now, so there were a lot of prettily wrapped choc boxes to choose from. Cadbury, Lindt.... spoilt for choice. Then I bought an umbrella for them cos I noticed their umbrellas were kind of worn out. You know, those kind so popular now, shaped like a wine bottle, but when you unscrew the top, it is the handle of a slim umbrella?
By the time we got home it was 4.30pm. My in laws had finished preparing the steamboat dinner already and they ordered us to rest, while they set off to pick up our guests from Orchard Rd at 6pm.
Everyone sat down for steamboat that night. I do enjoy steamboat normally, but not so much when I'm pregnant. It was so so hot. The constant steam emitted from the steamboat caused the dining room to become like a sauna. My in laws didn't have air conditioning, and the fans did not function well. I felt so hot to the point I was getting faint, so I couldn't enjoy the food much. The rest seemed ok, so it must be because I am pregnant?
After that my in laws brought them for a night drive around Chinatown and Geylang before sending them back to their hotel in Balestier. So Dh and I washed everything up. After that, I was ready to collapse. So I did, I fell onto the bed and let Dh shower the kids, brush their teeth and get them to sleep. It's good Dh can handle them by himself.
Next time, I need to tell overseas friends not to visit Singapore in Nov or Dec. It seems to rain everyday, bad for a vacation...
rainbows every day, do not worry for the morrow
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This was when we were waiting for the Elephants at Work and Play Show. However, just as we sat down, an thunderstorm ensued and the organisers let us wait for 20min, initially saying the show would be delayed. Finally, because the rain did not stop, they said it was not safe for the mahouts and the elephants to continue the show, so it was cancelled, after we waited for about 40min!!
So we went to KFC for lunch since it was raining so heavily most shows and feedings were cancelled and a lot of animals that were free-ranging went into hiding.
