Normally, one way from Australia to Canada is about $1,000 CAD per person. And I would have been happy to get it for $700 each. But I saw a deal from Sydney, Australia to Honolulu, Hawaii for $274 CAD each. Then, I saw a deal for three days later from Honolulu to Saskatoon, Saskatchewan for $312 each one way. So, $586 per person and we get to spend 3 days in Hawaii to break up the distance!
So now that's booked, I just need to get us one more flight... from Saskatoon to Ottawa before Labor Day weekend.
We then headed out into the big hot city of Singapore. Except, we were headed out of the city itself. I had read of the free Tree Top Walk in the Central Catchment Nature Reserve north of the city. So we used public transportation to get there.
We were sat in the front seat at the top of a double decker bus.
A short walk when we got off the bus, and it felt like we were in the jungle... because we were in the jungle! What a difference after being in the built up area.
There are several trails to take, and we chose a route that would go about 7.5 kms (4.7 miles) to return us to the same place. It was hot and muggy, but we had water and there are a couple of places to refill your water bottle along the way. Temperature was 33C (91F).
Good thing, because what we drank just sweated right out of you!
This jungle isn't only full of greenery... there is lots of wildlife as well...
A pretty dragon fly.
Ruth heard some rustling in the bushes, and called me back to see what it was.
A monitor lizard.
They are pretty big... about a foot and half from nose to tail maybe.
And there are quite a few macaque monkeys.
A young one.
Lots of butterflies too!
Me, on the tree top suspension bridge.
Lots of greenery in the park.
Ruth on the Tree Top Walk.
Another monkey.
A spider with long skinny legs.
On the boardwalk.
Crimson sunbird.
He's a colorful fellow.
More monkeys.
Another monitor lizard.
These mushrooms were tiny... about the size of a dime!
Nice to get out of the city, and see some nature. But, we are headed back into the city this evening to see the light show at Marina Bay.
Gotta go.. the show starts in an hour!
Here is part two of the day, published after the show...
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Some beautiful Patio Furniture is on deal of the day today only!
And in Canada...
I've been reading your blog for awhile and never commented...it's great by the way! Was in Singapore and Vietnam last year. The botanical gardens are amazing if you have time.
ReplyDeleteThank you for following along and for taking the time to comment, we really do appreciate it.
DeleteUnfortunately, it doesn't look like we will have time to see the botanical gardens, I am sure that they would be spectacular. We didn't think we would return to Singapore but now we are thinking twice, especially if it is on our way to somewhere else. There is still so much more that we would love to see here.
What a nice day in he jungle enjoying the wildlife. Now more fun at the lightshow.
ReplyDeleteWe had a great day and really enjoyed ourselves. :-)
Deletewhat a beautiful adventure today! its always so refreshing to explore nature naturally and enjoy different wildlife..look forward to seeing the light show!
ReplyDeleteThank you! We really enjoyed the park and there were so many more hiking paths that we could have taken but we had already done enough for one day, plus we knew we were back out again in the evening. Looks like we just may have to stop in Singapore again someday.
DeleteGreat deal on the flights. Back when I was a travel agent we encouraged people to do the stopover in Hawaii - way too long of flights otherwise (plus you have to stop somewhere to fuel up, why not a short stopover). Monkeys, lizards and beautiful birds - that is a beautiful park. That bird is so neat, never seen one quite like it.
ReplyDeleteHawaii seems like a great stop over from New Zealand or Australia, to break up the flights a bit. Not sure that refueling is an issue anymore as most planes that fly that distance can now do it with one fueling. Even our original flight from Los Angeles to Melbourne was a non-stop flight.
DeleteIt was lovely to see the animals in their natural surroundings. The crimson sunbird is actually the national bird of Singapore, I am glad we got a decent photo of one, they don't sit still for long.
Yes good job on finding flights back with stop over. I don't like long flights so definitely appreciate one stop at least. Love the beautiful garden.
ReplyDeleteYes, that stop over will be welcomed, plus we have never been to Hawaii before so we are looking forward to a few days there.
DeleteWow. Singapore has never been on my radar. I think I might have to add it to the list.
ReplyDeleteI am glad that we have opened your eyes to a new place to add to your list. :-)
DeleteSuch a great park. Good eye Ruth on the monitor lizard. Great deal on the airfare.
ReplyDeleteIt is a beautiful park. If we ever get back to Singapore we will make a stop in there again and do a different hiking path, they have a number of them there.
DeleteKevin was able to spot another lizard later on in our hike. It seems that there are quite a few of them in there.
Kevin has a eye for great deals. :-)
I have not been in Singapore since the late 70's and was working. Clearly I missed all the good stuff!
ReplyDeleteI am sure that much of Singapore has really changed since the late 70's, I bet it doesn't even look close to what it did back then, so maybe all the good stuff wasn't there then. Seems to me, that maybe you need to make a trip back there. ;-)
DeleteYou guys have all the fun. Good show. Kevin which website or app do you use to find these great deals on flights?
ReplyDeleteCheers
Usually, I find flight deals through Google Flights by filling in the "origin" field and the date and leaving the destination field blank. Google then fills in the prices for the various cities on the map. I also subscribe to some facebook groups for flight deals.
DeleteIs it possible to let us know the facebook groups for flight deals. Thanks so much.
DeleteSorry meant to reply earlier and I forgot. Secret Flying and Next Departure are a couple of the facebook pages that he uses. He is doing a small segment on the blog post today about this, so when it is up, check it out.
DeleteSo much to see, so little time! I guess you'll have to go back.
ReplyDeleteExactly! Yes, I am sure we will be back. :-)
Deleteso happy to see those animal pictures, especially the crimson sun bird and the monitor lizard as I've never seen those before! If I ever go to Singapore, I'll make sure to go to that park and walk some of those trails. Did the monkeys bother you? I heard those macaque monkeys could be aggressive? great deal on the flights and a bonus few days in Hawaii! Lady Luck is sure on your side!
ReplyDeleteIt was a wonderful hike and we saw more there than we thought we would. That Crimson Sunbird was a hard bird to get a picture of, Kevin tried a number of different times until we finally found one that would sit long enough for him to get a good picture. No, the monkeys didn't bother us but it was a little intimidating walking down the boardwalk with monkeys lined on both sides and just hoping that they would try jumping on us. They say not to make eye contact with them and they will normally just leave you alone and that is actually what happened.
DeleteWhat amazing wildlife photos! Thanks for sharing. The Crimson Sunbird was especially breathtaking!
ReplyDeleteThank you Emily! That Crimson Sunbird was beautiful, I was so happy that Kevin finally got a nice picture of it. They don't sit still for very long at all!
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