Birds, Beaks, and a Lesson in Soft-Boiled Eggs

I bought the tickets of all the 4 zoos in Mandai Wildlife Reserve for the greatest discount, and since I only visited Singapore Zoo and Night Safari only, today I planned to go to Bird Paradise at Mandai Reserve West.

I had been to every eatery near my hotel that I wanted to try so I asked a receptionist at the front desk about some breakfast recommendations, so I took a bus to Bugis, still near city hall, which has way more food stalls than my neighborhood. In Toast Box, I ordered the Traditional Breakfast the third time, and when I broke the egg, it dropped directly on the tray. It’s at this moment that I realized that soft-boiled eggs are actually part of the Traditional Breakfast and the reason why they gave me 2 small round plates stacked together is to put the flowy eggs on. Great job Vito! Through trials and errors you finally learn how to eat Traditional Breakfast! The toasts came with thicker kaya so they were more satisfying than the previous 2 meals but also the most expensive. Higher price comes with better value! Oh I forgot to mention that in Singapore, after finishing the meals, it’s usually a common behaviour to return the tray back to specified area to create a cleaner environment for the next customer. Though it’s not written in law, many locals still abide to it, showing the great moral of locals in Singapore.

On my way to the blue line (Downtown Line), I noticed plenty of toast stalls so probably Singaporeans really have a preference for toasts.Oh, another trivial here. when going up on the escalator, people usually stand on the left hand side unless you move up the steps, which is the opposite with Chinese habits and took me some time to adapt to it. Besides, there’s usually one seat at each end of any row of seat that is tagged “Reserved Seat” and ordinary people generally wouldn’t sit on it and reserve it for those in need.

I arrived at Bird Paradise hoping that there would be less visitors because it’s workday, but I saw several groups of school kids on the trip, a bit disappointed because they tend to make lots of noise and swarm every room. However, I had a very good time in Bird Paradise overall, since there are a lot of large walk-in-free-flight aviaries in which I could observe the birds like in the nature. Birds are allowed to roam free in a large netted domes and it’s very satisfying to spot them. Also, in most aviaries, there are suspended walkways so I could walk on the canopy, more closely observing their natural behaviours on the trees. I also enjoyed watching birds feeding, flying, making nests, fighting and so on. In my opinion, birds are more active than most of the other creatures and it’s so fun to watch various behaviours of different bird species.

It’s also quite enjoyable to be surrounded by the melodious songs of birds, which I think is the most fabulous music in the world.

I had lunch in Penguin Cove Restaurant, so I was able to watch the lovely penguin diving into the water while eating Fish & Pasta! Aside from observing birds myself, there were also 2 shows at the grandiose Sky Amphitheatre where different species of birds show their unique skills, which not only entertained our spectators but also reminded us of the importance of their roles in the nature. Stop killing these cute birds, stupid humans! One of the highlights of the show was a parrot singing Happy Birthday to the audience, which was so amazing! The keeper also reminded us that such parrot was one in a million, so to protect them, don’t keep them as pets. In an enclosure at the theme of Wings of Asia, I happened to be here at the feeding session of a Southern Oriental Pied Hornbill. The cute bird stood on a stick that looked like a branch and willingly let us touch and feed it, though she seemed to be fed so well that she rejected the blueberry I fed her.

Leaving just 1 hour before the park was closed, my next stop was Orchard Road, the absolute shopping paradise, with rows of shopping malls catering to customers of different budgets. I had dinner at a large food court inside Lucky Plaza where I ordered Classic Tapa King which, according to a woman sitting opposite to me, is Philippines cuisine. It came with a fried egg, beef and a very sour soup. In Design Orchard, a store dedicated to artisan gadgets, I found some cups with some of the familiar animals I saw in the zoos painted on their surface. Keep walking along Orchard Road, I entered into the Emerald Hill, a lane flanked by vibrant bars full of patrons at night. The buildings along the path are painted in brilliantly vibrant colors, though at night they were not very impressive to me.

Overall, Orchard Road was very noisy and popular at night, seeming to be the center of night life in Singapore.