Michi Photostory

We’ve been to different zoos but this was the first time that we’re going to visit a bird park. Jurong Bird Park is a place where you can see 5000 birds across 400 species in the world. You can see them flying, swimming and roaming freely in their naturalistic habitats, including four large free-flight aviaries. There are feeding sessions and bird shows too.



Jurong Bird Park is the only zoo of Wildlife Reserves Singapore that is not located at the Mandai Lake Road Singapore. Travel time from Sheraton Towers SG is 95 min by bus SGD1.76, 75 min by train + bus SGD1.91 and 26 to 30 minutes by taxi SGD20 +. Seventy-five minutes is really long and we need to wake up early just to be there before 10AM so I decided that we will take taxi instead. 

We left at 9:05AM, may tumatanggi din pala na taxi driver sa Singapore. Naka-2 taxi din kami bago may pumayag na ihatid kami sa Jurong Bird Park. The rate of taxi depends on the time of your travel, when I checked gothere.sg, the rate is close to SGD25 but when we reached Jurong Bird Park, I just paid SGD20+. 



And because we took taxi, we’re so early for the King of the Skies Show. Kami talaga nauna na dumating sa Hawk Arena. Hehehe! Click here for the video.

Nice to see the different birds, they are really big. 



After the show, we went to the Penguin Coast for Penguin Encounter. My son enjoyed the penguin feeding for SGD2. Click here for the video

We enjoyed watching Happy Feet movie so we’re so delighted seeing the penguins up close and personal, there are five species at the Penguin Coast.



Then after that, we went to the next show which is High Flyers Show at Pools Amphitheatre. Click here for video

There are only two shows in Jurong Bird Park so do not miss it because this is your chance to take pictures of the birds up close. If you missed the show, you can still see the birds but some birds are inside the cage, so you cannot take a good photo of it. 



We started exploring the different attractions such as Wing Asia, Bird Discovery Center, Junge Jewels, Birds of Prey, Window of Paradise, Hornbill & Toucans, Royal Ramble, Wetlands, Heliconia Walk and Lory Loft. 



You can experience bird feeding for a fee at Lory Loft but I did not pay for this since we already experienced bird feeding at Residence Inn Zoo and Zoobic Safari in the Philippines.



We rode tram to reach Waterfall Station,  SGD5 adult and SGD3 child but since we bought the Park Hopper Plus Tickets, we have unlimited tram ride. There is man-made waterfall where 600-free flying birds are there. Yes, free-flying birds so it is really hard to eat here because the birds go to your table. 



We explored Waterfall Aviary, Dinosaur Descendants, Parrot Paradise, Swan Lake and Pelican Cove. 



We waited for the Pelican Chit-Chat and paid SGD2 for Pelican Feeding. Remeber the Finding Nemo movie, pelican helped nemo to go inside the dentist clinic. Click here for the video.

Before we left the Waterfall Station, we went to the Bird Feeding at Waterfall Aviary. 



Then we rode tram back to the Main Station. There is Wet Play Area at Birdz of Play but we did not visit it anymore since we wanted to finish everything on the map. 



We visited the Flamingo Pool, Saddlebill, Riverine and last stop is World of Darkness. We've seen flamingo in other zoos pero mas madami dito sa Jurong Bird Park. 

The Jurong Bird Park is not that big compared to Singapore Zoo so we’re done at 3PM. Our favorite here are the two shows, peguin feeding and pelican feeding. 



We went to the bus stop because this time, we’re going to ride bus + train. 75 minutes travel time to hotel. 

Directions: 

1. Walk to the bus stop at Opposire Jurong Bird Park (22019), Jalan Ahmad Ibrahim. 
2. Board Bus 194. Alight at Boon Lay Ineterchange, Jurong West Central 3, 1 stop later. 
3. Walk to Book Lay Station East-West Line. Board the train towards Pasir Ris Station. Alight at Buona Vista Station, 6 stations later. 
4. Circle Line. Board the train towards Dhoby Ghaut Station. Alight at Botanic Gardens Station, 3 station later. 
5. Downtown Line. Board the train towards CHinatown Station. Alight at Newton Station, 2 station later.  
6. Take Exit A. Walk to Sheraton Towers Singapore Hotel. 

Read: Sheraton Towers Singapore

We rest for awhile, took a bath and off we went to Night Safari. 

Read: 5 Days in Singapore  

Jurong Bird Park 
2 Jurong Hill Singapore

Jurong Bird Park Admission Fee

Park Hopper Plus Ticket

SGD79 adult
SGD59 kid

Regular Ticket

SGD29 adult
SGD19 kid

Tram Ride

SGD5 adult
SGD3 kid

September used to be my busy month because I need to prepare for my son’s birthday. Our family is not into big birthday parties, the only party that we had more than 50 guests is when he celebrated his first birthday party. 

On his 2nd and 3rd birthday, we just travel. Things change when he started going to school so we planned to have a small birthday party at his school. It was an intimate party because he has more or less 15 classmates. A DIY party is not a problem. 

Sharing with you the DIY birthday party themes that we had during his 4th, 5th, 6th, and 7th birthday. 


My son likes Lightning McQueen so we had Car birthday party theme for his 4th birthday party. I don’t know any boys who don't like cars. 

Read: Car Birthday Party Theme


He enjoyed our trip at Hongkong Disneyland so for his 5th birthday party, he wanted a Mickey Mouse birthday party. I love Mickey Mouse too! 

Read: Mickey Mouse Birthday Party
          DIY Mickey Mouse Birthday Party
          DIY Mickey Mouse Invitation


When we transferred to a new school, birthday parties are not allowed, so we have no choice but to celebrate it at home. We live in a small house so we only invited my in-laws. I was expecting that he will ask for Lego birthday party theme but he wanted a Mario birthday party. 

Read: DIY Mario Birthday Party


Lastly, we had a Little Chef Party for his 7th birthday party. 

Read: Little Chef Party
          7 Things for 7th Birthday

Now, I suddenly miss planning a DIY party. This year no more theme party and my son just wanted to have a staycation. He said, mommy, I want a hotel with a playhouse. 

Honestly, as of this writing, we haven’t booked any hotel yet and we only have few days left. I’m hesitant because he has classes on the day of his birthday and it’s been raining every day so I’m not sure if we will enjoy our staycation. Good luck to us! 

Care to share your birthday party themes.

Read: 5 Tips for Throwing an Epic Birthday PartyI thought that we will no longer have a birthday party theme because my son is too old but I was wrong. When my son hit his teenage years, I decided to prepare a DIY Gamer Birthday party for him even we are under COVID19 restrictions. 

The initial plan is Jurong Bird Park but since we left at past 10AM, I told my son that we will go to Singapore Zoo instead. He agreed with me and off we went to the zoo. The direction is still the same since 3 zoos are located in the same place. For directions, we used gothere.sg, travel time is 67 minutes via train and bus. Fare is SGD1.76 each. 


Directions: 

1. Walk to Newton Station. 
2. Board the train towards Jurong East Station and alight at Ang Mo Kio Station. 5 stations later. 
3. Take Exit C and walk to the bus stop at Ang Mo Kio Avenue 8 
4. Board Bus 138 and alight at Singapore Zoological Gardens, 30 stops later. 
5. Walk to Singapore Zoological Gardens. 

While riding the bus, I was checking the map and I whispered to my son that we will go to Elephants at Work and Play Show first at 11:30AM so we need to walk and run once we alighted so we won’t be late. 


It was a loooong walk, we’re all sweating by the time we reached the venue at Elephants of Asia near Tram Station 4. No more vacant seats so we were standing all throughout the show but at least it did not rain. 9 years ago, my husband and I weren’t able to watch the full show because of the rain. You can feed the elephants at SGD5 but my son was so scared so he did not try it. Click here for the video.

After the show, we went straight to Shaw Foundation Amphitheatre to watch the Rainforest Fights Back Show at 12:30NN. My son did not agree with me because he wanted to ride Carousel. I told him that he can do that after the show. He asked, why you always like to watch shows? I want Carousel. Nagrereklamo na, puro show na lang daw ako. Hehehe! 

I explained to him that shows have specific times that we need to follow, other attractions like carousel ay pwede namin puntahan anytime. Trust me, I know how to manage the time. So we just agree to disagree. Lol 



We don’t want to walk anymore so we rode the tram to reach Tram Station 2. You need to pay SGD5 adult and SGD3 for the kid. We just showed our ticket because it includes unlimited tram ride. 



As I promised, after the show we went to Rainforest Kidzworld so he can ride Wild Animal Carousel. The ride is not free, you need to pay additional SGD4 but since we have the Park Hopper Plus ticket, my son has one free ride. Solo niya tuloy ang ride, mag-isa lang siya sumakay. Hehehe! 



Then we ate late lunch at KFC at Kidzworld Pavilion. There is Wet Play Area where your kids can play but we did not plan to spend our time here so we continue exploring the zoo. My son enjoyed feeding the goat here.



From station 2, we just walked to check different attractions till we reach the Frozen Tundra. 





We saw the Polar Bear and we enjoyed watching him, ang galing niya magswim. Hehehe! Click here for the video. Update: Inuka died last April 2018. 

We rode the tram again so we can rest from walking. I really appreciate the tram ride because Singapore Zoo is so huge and you will really get tired easily if you will just walk and walk. This is a 26-hectare zoo. Waah!

This is the biggest LIZARD that I've seen, it is called Komodo Dragon

We did not watch the Animal Friends Show because my son was not interested, so pinagbigyan ko na, hehehe! 



We just finished everything on the map then we went to the last show (5PM) which was Splash Safari Show at Shaw Foundation Amphitheatre, we're a little bit late because of the tram. (tagal dumating)


Then after the show, we rode the tram again back to tram station 1, and off we went home at 5:30PM. It was a long day but we’re happy that we finished everything. We really took our time exploring the zoo because there was Fire Alarm Testing at the hotel from 2-5PM. 

Singapore Zoo has over 2,800 animals, that was really a lot so I did not take a lot of pictures. hehehe! What is nice about this zoo is they have an open concept, you don't see animals inside the cages. Some animals are so free that you can see them swinging, lounging, or playing around like the orangutans. 

Our favorites in Singapore Zoo are the Elephants Show, Carousel Ride, Goat Feeding and Polar Bear.

Read: 5 Days in Singapore 

Book your ticket here. 

Singapore Zoo Admission Fee

Park Hopper Plus Ticket
SGD79 adult
SGD59 kid

Regular Ticket
SGD33 adult
SGD22 kid

Tram Ride
SGD5 adult
SGD3 kid

Carousel 
SGD 4

My husband just came back from Malaysia and while waiting at the airport, he kept on taking photos of different chocolates that I might like, so I can choose.



There are times that he will not buy anything because I always say, “ang mahal naman, meron naman niyan sa Pinas” hehehe! So when he showed me this Swiss Delice Collection Selection. I said yes, para maiba naman. 

We haven’t tried this brand of chocolate from Switzerland. Swiss Delice Collection Selection is a collection of selected chocolate coated biscuits. There are 8 flavors inside the box. 




1. Truffino Classic - crisp milk chocolate wafer biscuit with hazelnut filling.
2. Truffino Noir - crisp chocolate wafer biscuit with hazelnut filling. 
3. Pralino - cocoa meringue with tenderly melting chocolate filling. 
4. Rocher - delicately crisp biscuit with milk chocolate and hazelnuts. 
5. Medaillon Classic - crisp meringue biscuit with tenderly melting hazelnut filling and milk chocolate. 
6. Cremetti - light, airy meringue biscuit with chocolate filling. 
7. Amandelle - crisp almond biscuit on milk chocolate. 
8. Choc Japonais - tender sandwich meringue with chocolate filling. 

So we’re been eating this last weekend and trying each flavor. Well, in my opinion, the taste is just ok, I still prefer Ferrero Rocher Chocolate compared to this. I even said, parang mas type ko pa KitKat, then my husband said, grabe naman masarap naman ito. Hehehe!

RM48 is not cheap so maybe I expected much but my son likes it and kung di ko pinigilan, he can finish the box of chocolate in one sitting. Well, kanya-kanya lang talaga ng panlasa.

Even though we only have a few hours of sleep, we still wake up early because we’re excited to start our Singapore Tour. We ate breakfast and left at 9AM. According to gothere.sg, travel time is 67 minutes via train and bus. The fare is SGD1.76 each. 


Directions: 

1. Walk to Newton Station. 
2. Board the train towards Jurong East Station and alight at Ang Mo Kio Station. 5 stations later. 
3. Take Exit C and walk to bus stop at Ang Mo Kio Avenue 8 
4. Board Bus 138 and alight at Singapore Zoological Gardens, 30 stops later. 
5. Walk to Singapore Zoological Gardens. 

Newton MRT Station is just 3 minutes walk away from Sheraton Towers, I brought my son’s EZ Link Card (child) but I was informed that it was expired already. My son is 7 years old so he needs to use the regular EZ Link Card. I purchased two EZ Link Card, SGD12 (SGD5 card cost and SGD7 value) + SGD10 load x 2 = SGD 44. 



This is already my third visit to Singapore but I was a bit nervous because I haven’t ridden public buses during my previous visits. But I was glad that riding bus is not difficult, all you need to know is the bus stop, bus number and destination. We rode Bus 138 and the last stop was the Singapore Zoo. 

At last, I was back in Singapore Zoo after 9 years,  we went to the ticket counter first and the line was very long. I bought Park Hopper Plus Tickets SGD79 for adults and SGD59 for kids. The staff asked me, what date are we going to Night Safari? I had no idea that I needed to reserve for Night Safari, my initial plan is will go to Night Safari kung hindi pa kami pagod after River Safari or Singapore Zoo. Anyway, I need to give a date so I just chose Friday, our last night in SG. 


The Park Hopper Plus Ticket allows you to visit River Safari, Jurong Bird Park, Night Safari, and Singapore Zoo within one week. The only zoo that is not located in Madai Lake Road is the Jurong Bird Park. 


We can visit Singapore Zoo or River Safari but we decided to start our tour in River Safari because we’re already late for the first show of Singapore Zoo. From the ticket counter, we just walked to the River Safari Entrance. 

The Rive is Calling...

IKEA is not only known for affordable stuff and easy-to-assemble furniture. It is also famous because of the Swedish Meatballs so it is also on my list to taste this popular meatball.


I was disappointed when the Swedish meatballs were not available in IKEA Tachikawa so I was really looking forward to our Singapore trip. 


So for our third night, we went to IKEA Alexandra to eat our dinner. On the first floor, we only saw few tables and counters. I immediately checked the menu and I was sad because I only saw, chicken wings, ice cream, and hotdogs, hmmm same fate in Japan. I was excited to eat Swedish meatballs and then wala pala. So we just ate chicken wings, hotdog sandwiches, and ice cream. 

A family safari is a once in a lifetime experience and careful packing can ensure that it's a positive and memorable one. What you haul with you is of extreme importance, especially if traveling with children. For adventurers traveling to distant, exotic lands, here are five items a safari tripper can't do without.


Outerwear

A lightweight down jacket is ideal for the extreme weather shifts one is likely to encounter in the African bush. Though the days can be sweltering, the nights are often chilly. A lightweight jacket that is amply warm and compressible will keep you warm in the evening and early morning but will shed easily and can be compacted down enough to fit into your day-pack. 

A Hat

A sturdy, wide-brimmed hat is essential for long days in the sun. A simple baseball cap will not suffice in these conditions. You will need something that provides coverage for your neck and ears, as well as eyes, so an actual canvas safari hat is best. The material allows it to be crushed and stuffed into a bag or back pocket when it's not needed, the brim extends over the ears providing optimal shade and many safari hats come with a cord that you can secure under your chin in windy climates to ensure it stays atop your head. After all, it's not called a safari hat for no reason. 

Socks 

There is no substitute for wool socks on safari. Tromping through foreign terrain can wear on your extremities, but wool provides both the padding and warmth required to keep those tootsies in working order. Be sure that your socks and the rest of your clothing items are beige and nude colors. Not only do you want to blend into the environment while trying to spy the wildlife, but bright colors may attract unwanted attention. Blue, in particular, will garner the attention of tsetse flies that are wont to nibbling on tourists. 

A Smartphone

A smartphone with a good camera should be at the top of your list (or at least immediately under "passports"). Lugging around an additional item like a camera is unnecessary if you find a phone that comes equipped with a good one. The LG G5 has a 16MP dual camera with both normal and ultra wide-angle lens ideal for capturing the wild game and picturesque landscapes you'll find on safari. 

Sanitation 

For on the spot sanitary needs, antibacterial baby wipes reign supreme. Germ-fighting and disposable, you will find 101 uses for these while on the trail and a whole host of things that you never realized would need cleaning. Saline solution is another multipurpose item you may overlook as you pack. Not only is it good for rinsing your hands and eyes, it's perfect for flushing your nasal passages after a long and dusty tour of the bush. You would be surprised what can get stuck in there, and be trying to keep up with clogged sinuses can be miserable. 

Though a family safari is the chance of a lifetime, if you don't pack smart, it can also be a disaster. Pack for comfort, sanitation and mobility and you and your family are sure to make the most of your trip.