Flora and Fauna (Gardens by the Bay + River Safari)

Here's my second post on our 2015 Singapore trip! (Read about Day 2 in Universal Studios here.) On the morning of our third day in SG, we decided to head to Marina Bay and check out Gardens by the Bay. 

The Gardens were still under construction when we visited Singapore in 2011, so it was cool to finally see them this time around. It's actually a pretty big place, but we decided to check out only the Supertrees since they were the most iconic part (and also the nearest one). By the way, admission to every section of the gardens is sold separately!

We rode the MRT from Lavender Station to Marina Bay, transferring from one line to another. Thank goodness for helpful signages, we managed to navigate through the subway and found our way outside.

CHECK OUT THIS PANORAMA Y'ALL

Marina Bay Sands looking majestic

The Supertrees remind me so much Pandora, as in the fictional world in the movie Avatar! Besides the futuristic and awesome architecture though, what I really love about these structures is that they are actually a source of renewable energy! Talk about pure genius.

To get to the Supertrees, we had to pass by the Japanese and Chinese gardens first, which were free. We had to pay an entrance fee to the Supertrees though. But I think it's worth it because the view from up high is stunning! (Definitely not recommended for acrophobics though-- my mom had to rush to the other end because the walkway freaked her out oops.)

My parents are the sweetest hehe <3

We finished exploring the Supertrees just in time before it drizzled full-force. It was then time for lunch, but we didn't know where to eat. There were restaurants in the area of the Supertrees but they didn't quite catch our interest. My family decided to just look for someplace to eat at in Marina Bay Sands and we found this Michelin gem-- DIN TAI FUNG!!

I just happened to read about praises on this restaurant (I think it was on Daryl Chang's and/or Liz Uy's IG account), so I told my parents, "Let's try this out!". There was a queue, but it was short anyway (it was kind of a bit late for lunchtime, I think) so we went ahead.

We got the bestsellers on their menu - first, their steamed chilli crab and pork buns, which were SO YUMMY. Think siopai but lots better and with a kick of spice from the chili crab. The filling was tender and the bun was perfectly steamed!

We also ordered their special braised beef noodle soup with beef brisket. The beef was SO tender (it didn't catch on my teeth), and the broth was flavorful! The soup was not too spicy nor salty. The noodles were firm enough, too. I can totally see why this was one of their top-selling items.

Not quite seen in the photos, but my mom got a plum drink (I forgot the exact name huhu) which was very refreshing! Beside it being delicious, it also had a shaved ice ball in it which was so cute. (Note: I like eating ice so yay)

And last but definitely not the least, of course we ordered xiao long bao! They're the best ever. I mean the "pops-in-your-mouth" characteristic of xiao long bao is already great in its own, but Din Tai Fung's take on it is just simply delicious. They took a long time to arrive though, but it's okay because just imagine all the orders that the chefs had to make-- I'm sure they were a lot!

With satisfied bellies, we finally headed to River Safari! We definitely maximized our Singapore Tourist Pass since we just took the MRT, jumped from line to line, and took an hour-long (almost) bus ride to get there. If you have a map, it's definitely no problem to get around the city via train!

The River Safari is actually located in the same area as the Singapore Zoo and the Night Safari, but we chose to forgo the rest. We actually planned to skip them altogether because we felt like our stay in SG would be insufficient; but after looking up the places, we thought checking out the River Safari would be cool. 

We bought tickets to the Amazon River Quest and we kind of rushed our way to the attraction because it closes early (animals need rest, too!). We honestly didn't know what we were in for because it looked like a log-flume style ride (y'know, like Disney's Splash Mountain?)  at first what with all the warnings.

There was also a ramp that lifted the "coaster" so you'd think there'll be a drop. But no! It's a free-flowing log ride that tours you in a mini Amazon setup. It was definitely awesome to have a close encounter with the animals!

(I was so excited with taking pictures that I forgot to set the right shutter speed--  again. Huhu.)

After the Amazon River Quest, we made our way to the rest of the safari. The concept is that you get to explore the major rivers of the world-- Amazon, Ganges, Mississipi, Congo, Nile, Mekong, and Yangtze.

But besides the fishies (there will be lots of photos of them later), there were also PANDAS!!!! I absolutely adore the red pandas, they were sooooo cute.

Panda pao!! They have them in chocolate, and red bean flavor. We tried both.

My dad definitely took this NatGeo-esque photo. Credits to him!!!

Motion-sensitive projections are awesome.

Top, and shorts: Greenhills

Sunglasses: Sunnies Studios (Kerry in Dusty Rose)

Sandals: SM Parisian

Backpack: Longchamp

After exploring the safari, the sun was still up so we decided to head to Orchard for some shopping! Specifically, we went to ION Orchard which boasted real awesome architecture. We ate at FoodRepublic again. I got this chicken barbeque meal from a Malaysian/Indonesian stall. I can't quite remember the name again, but it's not that hard to miss since there always a long line! The wait is worth it though, given that the chicken is really big and the rice is a plenty. Definitely not bad for its price.

It's the Hulkbuster u guize!!

We also headed to the big H&M store in Somerset, which would have been easier to go to via train. But it was okay because on our way back, we bought a chocolate ice cream sandwich from one of the street vendors. Yeah, if you see one of those ice cream carts along Orchard Road (maybe they have them in order places too), you should definitely get yourself one! They have many flavors from strawberry, cookies and cream, corn, etc. and they chop it up then squeeze them between two crisp wafers.

So that's it for Day 3!! Sorry for the over-processed and blurry photos. Btw, have you noticed something new? I've decided to start putting a 'Read More' break on my posts since they tend to get a bit lengthy. Also, I've added a navigation bar on top-- but I'm planning to change it something better some time.

Two more days left on my Singapore story and then the haul! Will get them up by the end of August.

x Erika Rosales

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