(photograph © Kiwidutch)
We have been warned by hotel staff that tonight Singapore’s biggest annual party called “Zoukout” will be held at Siloso Beach which is directly adjacent to the beach in front of the Rasa Sentosa hotel.
We have already been issued with complimentry ear plugs as they warn that there will be conciderable noise in the hotel that will be inescapable.
When they start sound-checks in the afternoon as we watch the kids swimming in the hotel pool, it’s clear that the evening to come is going to be very long and very noisy indeed. Our Singaporean friend suggests that we go out for the evening so that we can at least enjoy a meal without the constant base thumping in the background and after some discussion we decide that tonight would be an ideal time to visit the Night Safari.
We take a mini-bus shuttle to another hotel where we board a larger coach with passengers from other hotels and head out towards Singapore Zoo, which is almost next door to the Night Safari complex. I take a photograph of a sign on the coach… where you are i nformed that there should be no smoking, eating, drinking, carrying of flamible goods, or durian fruits.
Durian’s are often known as “stinky fruit” and they are very much a “marmite” type of food, your either adore or loath the taste.
There is pretty much no middle ground on people opinions on these. Durians are supposed to “taste like heaven, but smell like hell” so it’s usual to see signs prohibiting them being carried on busses, being brought into hotel rooms etc.
We get to the Night Safari attraction and luckily there are wheelchairs available to use so I didn’t have to walk inside the park at all.
The entrance to the Night Safari park is festooned with decorations and lights (it’s strange for me to see palm trees laden with lights) and there are souvenir shops etc lining the way intil you get to the are where you queue for the trolley vehicles that will take you around the park.
We prepare to get into the long queue where lots of people are waiting patiently in a maze of zigzag gated lines but apparently the area at the end is not suitable for the wheelchair so staff quickly approach us and we are directed instead to an empty side lane where a lady walks with us and within seconds we find ourselves at the front of the queue. (One of very few bonuses of my accident).
We wait for several trolley cars to go by before one has space for our party of five and the wheelchair can be loaded onto the back of the trolley bus that will take us around where the animals are. I use the crutches to get onto the trolley itself, but there are staff ready to help if I needed extra assistance so the whole physical transfer goes very smoothly indeed.
(photograph © Kiwidutch)
(photograph © Kiwidutch)
(photograph © Kiwidutch)
(photograph © Kiwidutch)
(photograph © Kiwidutch)
(photograph © Kiwidutch)
Now we are ready to head out into the night…
(photograph © Kiwidutch)
