That evening, post-afternoon tea and canapés, I headed to the downtown core once again to enjoy the annual i Light Festival, where many of Singapore’s most famous landmarks are creatively lit as art installations. The light show set to music on the Singapore River was particularly impressive.
I started day three – the day of my departure – with a tomato omelette, accompanied by crispy bacon and those delicious mushrooms in creamy sauce once again.
With lunch with a friend planned downtown, I only had a few hours free in the morning and had opted to – rather ambitiously – tour around the entirety of Singapore Zoo in under three hours. Early Monday morning meant a short queue for taxis at the hotel as a number of businesspeople started their day to doubtless far less interesting destinations. The taxi driver was quite surprised at my particular destination, but I’m sure was glad of the fare over what is not that short of a distance.
I’d visited the Zoo once before ten years previously and was keen to see whether it still lived up to my memories. I normally shun zoos, but Singapore’s is one of the few exceptions where I’m generally satisfied with the management ethos. The relatively open enclosures and rainforest lakeside setting make for a unique visitor experience, although I did feel slightly uncomfortable watching the Elephant Presentation; those magnificent animals should not be paraded around and made to perform tricks in front of tourists. I hope Singapore Zoo reconsiders this particular ‘attraction’.
After lunch, I headed back to freshen up at the hotel (making full use of the excellent 4pm checkout afforded to Ambassador members) and enjoy a final afternoon tea (minus the sandwiches) in the Club lounge, before taking a taxi to the airport.
The InterContinental has come to be my home whenever I’m in Singapore, and I look forward to returning next year.