Gallop Stable - Pasir Ris Park

Call me suaku (Mountain Tortise), but I really didn't know that Singapore had horse-riding facilities. Sometimes, I find ourselves silly. We would go overseas to do things that we could do right on our every doorstep. I was really pleased when the husband found the Gallop Stable because this meant we could actually learn horse riding too. 

For the toddlers, as long as you are 3 years old and above, you can go for a horse joy-ride. Each ride is S$10 and involves a short stroll around the area. I thought it was pretty reasonably priced. For our older child, this was his first ride on the horse and you could see he was visibly nervous. He described the ride as "comfy and slow" and couldn't stop telling us about it. 

For our younger child, we opted the horse feeding which we ended up doing 2 sessions of 2 packets. Each food packet cost $5 each, but I guess I wanted to do a bit of feeding myself, LOL! It was not their first feeding experience, but the first with a horse so they were pretty excited. There was only one old (and greedy) horse around which would cajole the children to feed him more. 

Apart from horses, there were rabbit and wild chickens. Lots of them in fact, the kids had fun chasing after them.  The overall experience took about half an hour. The Gallop Stable offered stable visits but we thought the kids might be too young to appreciate it at this point so we decided to explore the rest of Paris Ris Park which was more rustic and had abit of mozzies. (Check out the Bird Watching Tower if you are there.) Definitely worth a trip there if your kids are into animals. 

New Exhibition at Science Centre - The Copernican Principle

It has been a while since I last stepped into the Science Centre (I think I go to KidsSTOP more often). With the launch of the roving exhibition on The Copernican Principle, I thought it was a good time to drop by. To be quite frank, I would think the Copernican Principle is quite a complex concept to grapple and Mr Jan Świerkowski, founder of Instytut B61, a science artist did put good effort to curate retro games that were engaging and fun. 

Copernican basically modelled a universe which place Sun rather than our Earth in the center (very revolutionary in his time). The exhibition explored more philosophical elements of the principle though its games - to stop centering around ourselves and start thinking about how our actions can impact the greater universe. 

The exhibition of the The Copernican Principle is not huge but rather impactful. Maybe because they were arcade games, the exhibition was very relatable and popular with the teens. My kid and I had to hang around a bit before we got to play it :) But not to worry, Science Centre is pretty huge and filled with other thoughtful exhibitions. I was quite impressed with how the educators managed to simplify science and make it engaging. 

While we were there, we also explored other exhibitions - such as the active ageing, the concept of fear and oil distillation. I think the older kids would enjoy the fear exhibition. But I chickened out with my kid because I don't handle darkness, clowns well. Some of the exhibitions was quite difficult to explain to my toddler, but it did spark innate curiosity in him along with endless questions. And I think that is a good first step to explorational learning. 

Not all the exhibitions hit me on the right spot. Personally, I am quite freaked out by creepy crawlies (a whole tank of stick insects, somebody spare me please), and AI as human companionship. Much as it was a learning journey for the kids, it was also one for the adults. The world is revolving and I really need to keep up my pace on its development. Science Centre is complimentary on weekdays (non-peak), I guess this gives me a good excuse to come back more and re-learn. 

For those with toddlers, you can check out the waterworks exhibition. I am not sure how much scientific learning is embedded within, but one thing I can guarantee, the toddlers enjoy it. No photos this time round cos time was scarce, but the younger one went once and was wild about it. :)

Staycation at The Bus Collective

If you are into novel travels or parents whose kids love "The Wheels on the Bus", this is a "hotel" you should not missed. It is quite new so it is relatively unknown, but somehow the husband spotted this and I found a good deal on Klook. Currently Klook offers the lowest price. With the discount code "Babynfamklook",  I managed to get it at a more reasonable price of "below S$300 a night", so off we were. 

We have read a few reviews ahead, so we kinda of had some expectations. We knew there will be frequent planes flying ahead (but no, the soundproofing was pretty good at night), we expected the ants/ bugs (so we brought our own mozzie patch, insecticide spray) and we anticipated the poor ventilation (just on the aircon throughout noon to keep your bus cool). To be honest, none of these were deal-breakers or even much of a big deal. 

We took a 4-bedder bus so we could squeeze more people in it (more value for money). :P Mandatory thing we did was to do our check-in photos! Whether in the day or night, the kids were clamoring over the bus seat. Although the bus was no longer functioning, most of the buttons could still be jabbed on and the steering wheel could still be turned. Even at night the photos turned out great!

We were assigned the bus closest to the restaurant area. It was not the most private bus but we suspected that the discounted Klook buses were a reserved few, that were not as premium in their location . Not that it was a problem because there were not many who patronised the inside dining area. Given that we had a stroller, the less aesthetic cement path was easier to navigate instead of a pebbled path. And we always had a clear view of the sky at our outdoor deck when the planes flew by. 

If you have checked on their location, you will know how isolated this place is. True enough, there is nothing much within walking distance in that area. Within half day, we knew we have exhausted the "things to do" around there. We did a 3D2N and basically, we still found enough things to do, just that most were day activities. There was a playground right at the doorstep but it was pretty worn. The one at the Pier is way better. 

Because I think we have quite a solid plan, I am going to share our itinerary here:

Day 1:

- Lunch at Smith Marine Floating Restaurant (Singapore's only kelong)

- Check in at The Bus Collective

- Prepare for BBQ in the afternoon

Day 2  - Realised Pulau Ubin was not very suitable for the kids and replaced with horse riding at Gallop Stable (read or review here) instead.

- Explore Changi Village Hawker Centre

- Explore Pulau Ubin and the pier area

- Dinner at Cosford Container Park 

Day 3

- Breakfast at Changi Village Hawker Centre

- Check out at 11am

** Use the discount code "BABYNFAMKLOOK" for 5% Discount For All Klook Activities with min. spend of SGD50. Discount capped at SGD15.

As for the playground, there is one right at the doorstep of The Bus Collective. However, I found it a bit old. The playground at the pier was definitely worth a walk to. As for the BBQ, you should opt for it if you don't intend to go out. Most reviews were not very informative on this. Basically, you could either bring your own food/supplies or purchase from the restaurant within or  the BBQ store at the Changi Village. 

The staff will not help you to set up the pit (not electric by the way) whether or not you purchase from their restaurant. The items sold within are quite limited though very reasonably priced, so consolidate a list and purchase from the BBQ to prevent multiple times there (My husband went there 3 times LOL!)

Generally, our staycay to The Bus Collective was a good recharge as it felt like we went overseas without the over-zealous packing. I would describe it as an atas chalet which also came with a novelty factor. I think we might actually go again, but with a few years break in-between. To note, there can be quite a bit of ants because it is quite an outdoorsy thing and  especially if you bring food/ milk (like us). It was still bearable but you just need to remind yourself not to leave food out in the open. 

Another thing I did was to toss food waste (and diapers) into our outdoor bin instead of our indoor bin and that helps greatly. And for those who wonder, every night I would collapse the stroller and park it within the bus. Lotsa space! Hope this review helps those who are planning a trip there!