"For every friend visiting Singapore for the first time, I would always recommend they put the Night Safari on their travel itinerary. But guess what? I’ve never been there myself.
Nonetheless, I have fond memories of family weekends spent at the Singapore Zoo, especially waking up bright and early to make the “trek” (and I say this with much affection) to Mandai from our home in the Eastern part of Singapore so that we could get there before the park opens, picnic lunch in hand. We would take our time exploring the rainforest zoo, before stopping by the gift shop on our way out to purchase a memento of a day well spent.
The last time I was at the zoo was probably more than 10 years ago. So I would definitely take some time to experience the Night Safari next, to discover native species such as pangolins and binturongs, as well as nocturnal residents such as the clouded leopards. What’s even better, 50 cents from every ticket purchase goes towards wildlife conservation in the region. Like many other modern zoos, Wildlife Reserves Singapore has dedicated itself to protecting biodiversity.
The thing about the pandemic is that it offers us time to explore what’s in front of us. While we lament the cancelled year-end trips overseas, why not make it a holiday at home and discover the charms of our sunny island? Excuse me while I dust off my #touristathome updates on Instagram. And to the offshore islands, I’m coming for you next!"
—Hashirin Nurin Hashimi, sub-editor