Big kid fun in Singapore

If we were to live anywhere else in the world, Singapore would be it. We fell in love with this city a few years back and we dedicated this, our third visit, to some big kid fun.

First up was the Night Safari. Yes, it’s touristy. Yes, it’s a wee bit tacky. And yes, there’s terribly lame staged jokes. It’s all these things and so much more.

We were surprised by what a great experience the Night Safari turned out to be. The tram through the park is well worth the wait to see lions, bears, zebras, deer and a number of other animals up close. We also walked through a few of the trails ourselves. The leopards were just beautiful, while the hyenas seemed scarily close even though there was a trench seperating us. Still, we walked through their section at a rather fast pace while they walked alongside us, seeming to size us up. As always, the otters were my favourite to watch (seriously I want one!). Niall meanwhile was besotted with the ridiculously adorable slow lorrises with their big eyes and cute fuzzy butts.

The next day we excitedly got ready for St Jeromes Laneway Festival, the reason we had visited Singapore at this point of our trip. Laneway is an Australian music festival that also has a Singapore and Auckland leg. It aims to feature a line up of up and coming indie bands and we were keen to see how different the vibe would be in Asia. It was actually very similar with a few minor differences; more people came prepared with a picnic rug to watch the mains acts from the grassy hill, and there was a larger sponsor presence. For example, H&M offered complimentary water on entry and free icecream and fairy floss (cotton candy) to anyone wearing one of their tattoos. Oh, and the median height of festival goers in Singapore is significantly shorter than at home, hallelujah!

Haim were by far the standout act. It was refreshing to see a band who clearly love what they do and can do it well. I can’t remember the last gig I went to that matched their showmanship. Mount Kimbie also played a great set despite some tech issues at the start – they even got Niall moving! Speaking of Niall, he was very much in his element watching Kurt Vile perform earlier on in the day.

In keeping with the kid theme, we headed back to the hostel that night shattered and climbed into our bunk bed (I dibsed top bunk). For the past two months we had managed to escape dorm life but unfortunately Singapore’s accommodation prices aren’t all that budget friendly. Its amazing how well you can sleep in a room with eight other people, especially when you’ve been out all day.

The next morning we threw our budget to the wind and purchased tickets to Universal Studios on Sentosa Island. The atmophere as you enter Universal, as with any theme park, is magical and brought me back to my childhood. I love the attention to detail that goes into theming every part of the park, from the streets and food vendors to the rides. It makes waiting in line that bit more bearable. The highlight was the Transformers Ride, which is a 3D experience and we walked away asking ‘how did they do that?’.

After Universal, we headed to the beach for a token Australia Day beer and watched people (try) surf the free standing wave.