Woohoo! Saturday!
Last night we went to the Singapore Zoo. Very cool. Lots of smaller animals and some big game (lions, giraffes, elephants), which you view by monorail (well, actually, it’s more a series of electric segmented carts that you are driven around in). No flash photography allowed — so sorry, no pictures.
The jungle where the zoo is located is quite a prominent player in the whole experience. The zoo is set up rather like the San Diego zoo, so the environment is important. It was interesting to drive through what is essentially a 6 foot swath cut through the heart of the jungle on the northern end of the island. If you look up at the lights scattered about the zoo, you see a continuous updraft of water in the air — a fine mist, 24/7. And as always, people-watching was great: Indians, Chinese, Germans, English, Malays, Aussies. I even think I heard a little French.
This morning, I’m heading over to the yoga studio. I just found out that the teacher I am practicing with here in Singapore studies with Matthew Sweeney, the Australian teacher who, when I was asked to come to Singapore, I considered taking a side trip to practice with. As it turns out though, he is doing a workshop in Minnesota in July — so I opted for that instead. Still, a surprisingly small world.
After yoga practice, we’ll do a little exploring. JC asked if we’d seen a Taoist temple. Perhaps we can find one today. In the meantime, dude, here’s a link to the oldest Taoist temple on the island.
Tonight we’re slated to head back to the river. Had a tip from a native about the best restaurant for seafood, so will go check that out.
We fly out tomorrow. Car picks us up at 10:30 AM. Which means I can sneak in another yoga session tomorrow morning before we go. Nice.
What an interesting blend of old with the new skyrises in the back. Basically, this could be a picture of the oldest Taoist Temple and the Newest Singapore Building…