City respite of history, art, animals and a soothing bath

Night Safari. [Photo provided to China Daily]

Have you ever traveled a great distance to a zoo on the outskirts of a city only to see animals find them napping, as Howell Raines put it, in the "acres of afternoons"? If so, a night safari offered by the Singapore Zoo may provide some solace.

Board a trans-zoo tram, and for the next half-hour you will be taken through tropical jungles and African grasslands, bypassing rivers and swamps, straining your eyes to discern, in the envelope of night, animals that are probably staring back at you with their cool gaze. From time to time, the silence of the night is broken not by the howling of wolves, although this apparently happens sometimes, but by shrieking visitors. (The use of cameras is strictly prohibited because the animals are highly sensitive to flashes.)

While the African white lion impressed with its sheer majesty, the thick-skinned Greater Asian rhinoceroses, according to my audio tour guide, are particularly afraid of mosquitoes (Which essentially means they are as thin-skinned as me.) The most memorable moment came when, during a tram halt, I looked down and saw a big lump of a Malayan Tapir by the side－so close that I would be step on its head if I got out. (Note: Malayan tigers are behind thick glass walls, so anyone thinking about a recent tiger attack on a female visitor at Badaling Wildlife Park in Beijing need not worry.)

However, some of the most fascinating animal exhibits at the Night Safari cannot be seen from the tram. You will have to trek into the wilderness on one of the four walking trails, each taking about 20 minutes. Regrettably, after the tram ride, I chose to go back to hotel, and to my wonderful soothing bath. When all is said and done, I am a person of the day rather than the night.

Location: 80 Mandai Lake Road