Goin to the zoo zoo zoo

Were goin' to the zoo, zoo, zoo
How about you, you, you?
You can come too, too, too
Were goin' to the zoo, zoo, zoo

Look at all the monkeys swingin' in the trees...

(Raffi - Going to the zoo)

Nope, Alex is not singing the zoo song, but he is saying "cheese" for the picture.  

So within the first 10 minutes of the start of our visit to the Singapore Zoo, we crossed paths with this guy and realized that this may not be your ordinary zoo.

He was in no hurry for us to pass, so while we were waiting patiently, we heard what sounded like a whole gang of monkeys up ahead.  Turns out it was really just this one gibbon was having a "chat" with its neighbor one tree over.  What a loud mouth!

One of the most striking things about the Singapore Zoo is how close you are able to get to the animals.  The barriers are there, but they are well disguised and seem closer and not quite as imposing as the barriers at zoos that we have been to in the states.

At this point, Alex is not too sure about up close and personal at the zoo.  It's still early...

We have learned that the best time (aka least crowded time) to go places in Singapore is when they open.  And being early birds has its advantage.  We got to see the Orang Utans (that's how they spell it here) get let out for the day.  This was definitely a highlight of the day.  They are "free ranging" which means they can actually climb around all over the area, including directly over your head!

This guy was the oldest and by far the biggest one.  His hair was SO long and pretty!

Hey, who let this monkey in here?

Photo bomb!!

The chimpanzees were also super fun to watch.  They were really active and quite vocal.

Climbing and swinging practice.

Just one more piggy back ride...pretty please??

More up close and personal with the animals.

Just hangin' around with some bats.

The bats, called flying foxes, were literally right over your head!

Bischoff...party of four.

Open wide!!!

Some other cool cats and furry friends...

Some rise, some fall, some climb, to get to terrapin...

And this little friend was just up in one of the trees as we were walking around.

And of course no day at the zoo is complete without elephants and ice cream!! 

We had such an awesome day, we are all still talking about it several days later.  We will definitely be back for more visits to the zoo here in Singapore.

First impressions

Hi!!  We've been here about two weeks now.  Things are going well and we are really enjoying getting to know our new surroundings.  So I thought I would share some of my first impressions of Singapore.  Here goes:

• Hot and humid!  We were expecting this one, but coming from super dry CO, it is definitely going to take some getting used to.

Two hot and sweaty kiddos. And one really grumpy kiddo.

• Old and new side by side.  I love the mix of old and new that we have been seeing as we make our way around.  We are starting to learn a lot about Singapore's past, present, and future.  (Often through one of the many taxi drivers that are proud to share their knowledge about all things Singapore.)

• The shopping is over the top.  I have never seen so many high end stores in one place, not to mention the very luxe malls that they are housed in.  (Annie/Mom-You'll have to make sure that you share these pictures with Elisa!)

Check out the Louis Vuitton store in its own special building at the bottom!!
And of course the super cool building in the background - Marina Bay Sands.

Prada, Ferragamo, Gucci, Louis Vuitton...everywhere you look in some areas!

So many stores!

•  Humidity!  Did I mention it is really, really humid?  Looks like we over packed on the lotion.  On the plus side, my skin is looking a little less wrinkly.

Finding that many times the first picture we take is a little "foggy" from moisture on the lens.

You can find nice restrooms everywhere you go.  So far we have not had any trouble finding a nice restroom while we are out and about.  For those of you that know me well, this is a big deal.  Also hugely helpful with a somewhat recently potty trained kiddo.

Things cost more here.  More specifically, beer and wine are really expensive.  Which means one of two things, either we are cutting back or the kids are going to need to get jobs.

For Hire:  One adorable (only occasionally grumpy) toddler and one able bodied (only occasionally moody) teenager

That's right...Barefoot for almost $28 SGD/bottle!!
(With the $ conversion that is about $22 USD.)

• Food...so much food, so much variety, so many options, so much to say that it will need to be it's own blog subject.

• And let's see...oh yeah, it's pretty humid here.  But the climate is also what makes it like a city in a garden, very lush and green.

(Oh and just I couldn't resist using a few bullet points for this post.  As they say, old habits...)