Singapore, Singapore Mar 16th

Today we ventured out into Singapore on 2 different excursions which lasted all day...
Our first trip was a cultural tour of the Singapore Museum and our excellent guide narrated the history of Singapore as a country as well as how it evolved and was taken over in the many wars up until the Republic of Singapore that it is today. Learned about the Prime Minister of the 60's thru 80's, Lee Kuan Yew, that inspired the different ethnic groups to work together and embrace each other to be one community. Really inspirational, we need someone like that in the United States! The city has 3 ethnic areas that are from the historic groups that formed Singapore. There is the Arab / Muslim area, Indian and Chinese. We drove through each area and they are similar in that they are small markets with goods and services that each of their people are used to. The difference is that all the people get along together and respect each other.
We stopped and had another lunch of local food that was just another great meal and experience. It included their signature Red Chili Crab. Then to the Raffles Hotel for a visit to the place that originated the Singapore Sling cocktail.
Our second excursion of the day was a Night Safari. It is the world's first nocturnal wildlife park. It's very different from a regular zoo since you are able to walk trails through the park and there are natural barriers between you and the animals. Some of the more dangerous ones, like the lions and tigers have actual barriers for obvious reasons. They smaller animals are not harmful. We saw many animals that we had never seen before. The Rhino was being fed just a few feet from us and also the lion. The lion was behind a glass barrier. It was a great time to see all the animals in their natural habitat and not in cages like a normal zoo. Second very long, amazing day in Singapore.Read more