The Amorese Duo

I set this one as my new desktop photo - I'm so proud of it!!!!

As you know I LOVE the Botanical Gardens - it's one of my favorite places but this trip back to Singapore had me a bit less inclined to go. The heat has been overwhelming for me - don't really know why...so, this was actually the first time I'd been back in a year! Of course, it was with the Olive's. With whom better to commemorate my return - they appreciate the natural beauty and I believe if it hadn't been so hot Tavia would have stayed the whole day exploring. She was able to identify everything in the Gardens by their Latin Names...very impressive!

We all dealt with the heat though, at times, it was beyond tolerable! Anyway, let's get into some photos - I didn't take really the same photos as my first post on the Botanicals Gardens almost year ago, I tried to get some different angles and feel.

Swan Lake was beautiful, as always! It's one of my favorite areas. Jason had a Swan swim right up to him - we thought it was because he had that special touch, but then we realized that it's food was in the same area...hmmm...

The Mist Room is a photographer's paradise; it is not especially large but the variety and colors of the orchids are astounding. Phoebe took this shot of Tavia and me together.

Here are some other shots from that Room:

Okay, now the scary moment we had in the National Orchid Garden - a snake! Yes, a SNAKE!!!! Now, take a look - we're convinced it's a Black Cobra. Tavia and I researched and haven't been able to see that it's anything else?! Jason went to the office afterwards to let them know about the snake and their first reaction - "We don't have snakes!" Ha! Yeah, you do!

I have some great shots of the girls and I together this trip - this one was in the Natl. Orchid Garden at a "Photo Spot":

The Plumeria Trees are everywhere and by the end of the day, we all had these flowers in our hair! Nooooo, we did not pick them!! How could you think that?! They just fall off the trees and really make the walkways quite enchanting.

Thank you, Jason, for a fantastic shot of us girls together with flowers in our hair - wait, isn't there a song like that...except it was "If you go to San Francisco, be sure to wear flowers in your hair." (Written by John Phillips of the Mamas and Papas but sung by Scott McKenzie) Well, I guess it holds true for Singapore...

One of my favorite aspects of the Botanical Gardens are the plethora of sculptures - the aspect I like most is that they are "hidden" within the park. I believe the best example is "Lady in a Hammock." I've posted this picture already, so I'm not going to again, but here are some others that are placed properly and where they enhance and are enhanced by the flowers. Just like the one below, "Farfugium Fountain" & "Little Girl with Shell."

"Fan Palm Fountain"

"Passing of Knowledge"

"Mother with Child"

& of course,

A little playtime is always in order...

This is one plant I missed the last time I was at the Botanical Gardens - the stocks are thorny - very interesting...

This is one of the most beautiful and extraordinary places in Singapore and an absolute must-see.

It moves me every time.

This was one of my favorite side-trips while the Olive's were here! It was a truly wonderful way to see Singapore, naturally. I was worried because of school holidays - I thought it was going to be packed! But, pleasantly, the way in which the zoo is organized makes you feel like you are in a big park. The exhibits feel (mostly) natural - as natural as it can get for captive animals. I felt that some exhibits were too small. One example was for the white tigers - they are beautiful but there was nowhere for them to run, but if there was more room then you would never see them. It's a catch 22.

The Primate Kingdom areas seemed the best, especially for the Orangutans! They would almost swing right above you head in some places - it was really cool. That felt natural to me. It was almost like the whole zoo was their playground. Even while we ate lunch (which, by the way, was not your normal theme park fare...) the zoo planners put the Orangutan exhibit right by the open-air restaurant so you could watch the Orang's play while you eat! Oh cool is that?!

Like I said, the food selection was nothing like I'd seen before. Usually, you're stuck with Chicken Fingers and Pre-Frozen Burgers. This time, I had Dim Sum, Jason and Tavia had Chicken Rice (very Singaporean) and, well, the girls had Chicken Nuggets. What can I say, you still have to have that food for the kiddos - they ate every single one!

After a good lunch, the girls were ready to be our little navigators!

Loved, loved, loved the Hamadryas Baboons! I got such a kick out of them and their playing and frequent grooming was quite a scene!

This guy was lettin' it all hang out! At least, you're lucky I didn't get a shot of him playing with himself - that was lovely...ewww...

Can we say dejected??

I don't know how this guy lives in Singapore; look at the hair! He reminds of the character Robert Downey, Jr. played in "Fur."

See how close Jason is? We were regularly this close to some of the animals!!

The other monkeys we loved were the Proboscis Monkeys, also known in Malay as "bekantan." "In in the wild, male Proboscis are kicked out of their family when they are about two years old. They team up with other males to form bachelor groups until they are able to attract females to form harems." - this is what it said on the sign at the exhibit - I thought it was one of the funnier signs in the zoo. But, a lot of the signs were like this; you really had to look at them. Did you know that Rhinos horns are not really horns but a big "mass of hair that is stuck together." If it gets knocked off then they just grow a new one!! Really?!

Anyway, I digress - Proboscis Monkeys are something like what Jim Henson thought up!

Right as you enter the Zoo there are little monkeys playing on a tree with nothing separating you! Very cute! But, as Tavia and I joked it doesn't take much for those little ones to get nasty! You couldn't pay me enough to keep one as a pet.

At the White Tiger exhibit, I had a moment of "Blue-hair envy!" Check out this girl's hair - so cool! Maybe I'll be able to convince my hairdresser to give me at least one lock of blue hair....hmmm?!

Anyway, back to the White Tiger - what a majestic beast! Here are some pictures and video. It kept looking at us like we looked like a nice meal! Ahhhh!!! At least, Phoebe was fearless!

But, she and Lila didn't have to be afraid of the Brass White Tiger! Ha!

Just another fantastic experience at the Zoo was the Kangaroos - you could pet them!! Can you believe it?! I asked the caretaker and he said they use the older ones; they are gentle and just walk away when they have had enough - fun!!

We had a blast and to quote Jason, "the best elephant show we've ever seen!"

It was quite inexpensive to feed the animals and we mostly hit those spots right on time - we really enjoyed the Giraffes - they have the longest tongues - ewwwwww! Lila, Phoebe and I fed them.

I wish my pictures could sufficiently express the beauty of this place...another reason why this was a perfect way to introduce Tavia and the family to S'pore - a more natural S'pore. The Olive's are an outdoorsy family (one exception might be Lila but she's too young to be able to make a determination, but I have to say, once she heard the word "taxi" she never forgot it!). So, the Zoo was the perfect fix!