It is easy to say that I must be crazy to have gone on a late night Safari visit on a weekday night; because work awaits me the next morning. Then again, it makes a whole lot of sense to watch the nocturnal creatures running about comfortably in their (almost) natural habitat, sans the ridiculously noisy chattering weekend crowd. Trust me, there are homo sapeins out there who still don't understand 'Please keep quiet'.


For $10 additional, Boyfriend and I took the tickets with the tram ride. I gave the tram ride a miss that last time I visited Night Safari. Then, the bunch of us from my ex-company was showing a diplomat from Philippines around, and how could we not proudly show off our very own (and world's first) Night Safari? The last visit was my first. A rather intriguing experience, albeit a rather hasty one. I've been longing to tour the entire place again, but this time, minus the weekend crowd, holidaying school kids and touristy peak season.

Verdict: Much better this time. The tram ride took us to certain trails where no foot is allowed to venture on. The Sambar deers were roaming around so close to the tram track; I could almost pat them on their heads. (Not advisable though!) It would be a shame not to take the tram ride. It's pretty surreal to sit down, relax, let the night breeze caress your face and enjoy the natural ecosystem display itself in full glory right in front of you.

I couldn't forget the adrenaline-charged moment when I actually come vis-à-vis with a leopard during my last visit. Literally. Except there's a thick tempered glass in-between us. I squated down and peered into the glass, trying to sight the leopard in the sheer darkness. Just a nano-second later, I realized the creature was standing right in front of me, eyes piercing right through mine. I let out a huge gasp and fell backwards on my arse. Is there another word for 'unforgettable'? Because it's the only word to sum up the entire experience. And this time, I had to revisit the same spot I fell on my arse.

The Boyfriend needs to learn how to take pictures in the dark without flash. Really.

Mini LED lights are really useful for visits to a safari as unique as this. No flash lights and super bright torches are allowed. So low density mini LED lights are good for lighting up the wet slippery paths and providing a little shine for photgraphy, but still less harmful to the nucturnal creatures' ultra photo-sensitive eyes.

Then again, if you want to have your pictures taken decently, the safari rangers would take yours at the start of the tram ride and collection is ready at the end of the 45-minute tram ride. The Canon-pixelised photo, with decent light settings and cheesy photo frame will set you back at $15.

Well, I don't mind settling with grainy pictures and to take in the sight, smell of Mother Nature and upload it into my grey matter. It feels more... real.

Anyway, to kiss The Boyfriend under the stars in the middle of a tropical rainforest, with flying squirrels, erm... gliding above your head, is pretty surreal.

Romanticism is priceless.