1D Singapore Zoo & River Safari

Yes, this is possible and it's even my first time going there. And yes, I am an animal lover so imagine me going 'ooh', 'aahh' and 'omg' for every animal I saw. Hahaha...it feels like I am a child all over again!

The River Safari is a new attraction (opened in 2013) that is adjacent to the Singapore Zoo. It's much smaller compared to the Singapore Zoo and that's expected...C'mon, how many animals are there in/along rivers anyway? We headed to River Safari first to avoid the crowd at Giant Panda Forest. That's the main attraction of River Safari, Pandas!

We covered River Safari within 2.5 hours, inclusive of Amazon River Quest ride. I think it would have taken longer if we have waited for the feeding time and would recommend visitors to start their visit at 9.30 am, to coincide with feeding time. There are 2 boat rides in River Safari, Amazon River Quest and River Safari Cruise.  We chose Amazon River Quest over River Safari Cruise cos we are interested to look at animals up-close and not looking at lake and trees. However, just to set the expectation right on the Amazon River Quest ride, half of the animals could be sleeping/hiding during the ride. That's what happened to us but oh well, just our luck! The walk in River Safari is rather pleasant cos most of the areas are sheltered but of cos, we still can't escape the hot-humid weather (that's Singapore!).

River Safari done! Next stop, lunch! We headed over to Singapore Zoo terrace area for lunch and rest before the start of our next journey.

Singapore Zoo is nothing like the River Safari. It's mostly open-air and there are different routes to take depending on your must-see animal. So, please buy the tram rides. Singapore Zoo is much bigger than River Safari and thus, a lot of walking to do. So, you would want to reserve as much energy as possible. We took nearly 5 hours to cover the place but that was also because, there were a few animal shows. So, it would be good for you to take note of the show times and plan your walk/ride around it. We didn't manage to visit the KidsWorld area though.

If you are still fully charged at the end of the day and yearn to see more animals, you can hop on to the next wildlife attraction, Night Safari.

Baguio City

Baguio, one of the many "cool" highland places of Philippines, is about 5-6 hours drive from Manila or 3-4 hours from Clark. 

With long roads winding up its highlands, those susceptible to motion sickness, are forewarned to pop a tablet or two before heading up. 

From afar, Baguio's atmosphere looks foggy, but on arrival, and on sniffing,...it's smoke!!!! Well, not all the time but one would expect mountain fresh air, but not smog....NO! Seriously, the Mayor of Baguio, should do something about this!? It's such a pity that such a beautiful highland city can be so polluted by smoke, and over-crowded with people and vehicles.

Running through the heart of Baguio, is the famous Session Road, a straight road leading to the main mall in Baguio City, the SM Baguio. If it's shopping and food hunting that you are looking for, this is it! However, if you are looking for a more local shopping experience, you would need to head to Mines View. There is even a picture taking session with a Saint Bernard, with a small payment, of course. 

Close by to Mines View is the famous Good Shepherd chapel....and what is it famous for?? Cookies!! This is THE place for you to get local snacks for your friends and family! You will be amazed with the number of people carrying bags and bags of snacks out of that place.

Some distance away from Baguio's town, is my favourite place, John Hay. It used to be a US military camp, now turned into a beautiful hotel resort with lovely pine trees and cool fresh air, so unlike the town centre. Over the years, it seems to be more boulevards mushrooming here. So, take the chance to have a cup of coffee/tea and enjoy the smell of pine trees.

Perhaps a 3 days 2 nights stay would be good enough to cover the main attractions in Baguio City.