Fun day with animals @ Taman Safari II, Surabaya ( Part 1 of 2)

Surabaya . 2012 . Nov 18 - 21

This post is a continuation of our previous post on Airline Review: Silkair Flight from Singapore to Surabaya.

Our short weekend getaway to Surabaya brings us to Taman Safari II, an animal conservatory.  Taman Safari II is about 1.5hrs by car from the city centre of Surabaya, Indonesia.  It is only 50km away from Juanda International Airport, and the easiest way to get here is by taxi. Traffic conditions in Surabaya can get quite bad, so do factor in ample time to cater for traffic jams.

Taman Safari II is located on the slope of Mount Arjuno and boosts a scenic journey of Padi fields and blue skies as your vehicle approaches the Safari.

The scenic backdrop of Mount Arjuno. Lovely sunny day..

The entrance to Taman Safari II.

Visitor Centre at Taman Safari II

There is a souvenir shop (in fact, it is the only souvenir shop in the Safari) at the Visitor Centre.  Lovers of plush toys will like this shop, because the cute furry friends sold here are so cheap!  It was love at first sight for me when I saw this trio..

15 inch Elephant: Rp135,000 (SGD $17)
10 inch Porcupine: Rp65,000 (SGD $8)
7 inch Giraffe: Rp45,000 (SGD $6)

General surroundings near the visitor centre. Lots of motor bikes parked, it is no wonder that motor bikes are a common sight in Surabaya.

Into the Safari

In the comfort of our tour bus, we were like the tourists in a cage while animals roam freely in their habitats.   Visitors are requested to keep the windows of their vehicles closed at all times, but this rule is not strictly enforced, for we see some guests feeding animals from their window.

The Safari is divided into 3 distinct zones separated by automated gates – The American-Europe zone, the Asian zone and the African zone.

Our first animal encounter at the American-Europe zone – the American Bisons at their feeding huts. 

Next up, the Lhama, originating from South America and related to the camel, raised for its soft, fleecy wool. 

The maned wolf, which resembles a large fox with reddish fur.  

The grizzly bear, also known as the Brown Bear.  It is such an irony that we travelled to a far off place called Alaska to look at bears from a distance, and barely a month later, here we are, back in Asia, gazing at a bear just a few metres away.  We were told that this particular animal was caught in Europe.  Although it’s natural diet consists mainly of fresh salmon, they are fed catfish instead as salmon are expensive in Asia.

Note the distinctive hump of the grizzly bear.  That's how they are differentiated from the black bears, something that we have learnt during the naturalist talk during our Alaska cruise.

It is an amazing experience to see animals charging towards you in the jungle, your heart freezes, only to realize in a few seconds that your position is safe in the vehicle.

Can you spot the tiger in the background?  This picture was taken from the window of our vehicle and although it is quite a distance away, the tiger still appear huge and intimidating!

A better look at the Malayan Tigers from the other side of the vehicle.

I wonder what happened to the driver of this vehicle.  Aha, just kidding.  It is just a prop for the tigers to rest on.  For some unknown reasons, they seem to like to rest on the top of vehicles.   

Onwards to the next zone. Beware of Lions!!

The lion Enclosure.  Madam and Mr Lion managed to carve some drawings at the back of their cave?

 Best time and safest place to capture a photo of a yawning lion...

Just like the tigers..the lions were also lazing on the vehicle...limited space though..one had to sleep on the grass...

 This is how close we got to observing the animals without the use of binoculars.

Mr Lion got bored of observing us in the vehicle.

That's all for Part 1 of our review of the Taman Safari II @ Surabaya.

Click here for Part 2 of our revew of the visit featuring the Orang Utans, Bambis, Elephants and much more!

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Airline Review: Silkair Flight from Singapore to Surabaya

Surabaya . 2012 . Nov 18 - 21

This post is a continuation of our previous post on Shopping @ Tunjungan Plaza Surabaya.

Several airlines fly direct from Singapore to Surabaya – Lion Air, Valuair (Jetstar Asia), China Airlines, and Mandala Airlines.  Flight time is slightly less than two and a half hours from Singapore. Our group chose to fly with Silkair as its flights have the most suitable timings for us.

Booking and Check-in

We had booked our tickets through a travel agency as we thought it might be easier for group bookings. However, we were not able to go online to choose our seats.  Therefore, we went at least 3 hrs before the flight time to check in, hoping that we could at least have some choice of seats.

At the check-in counter in Singapore, we asked for a window seat at the front rows, but were told by the counter staff that the flight was full and they could not accommodate our request.   However, we learnt later from other members of our group who had checked in much later that they were allocated front row seats even though they had not requested for it.  The only conclusion I could come to was that the check-in staff did not even bother to check their seating system to consider my request.

We did not want to repeat this unhappy episode on the return flight, so I specifically made a request to our travel agency to reserve an aisle seat at one of the front rows for the flight from Surabaya back to Singapore.   The travel agent promised to do what he can, but when we got our boarding pass, we found that we were allocated seats at the back of the plane at the window.  To add insult to injury, once again, other members of our group who did not put in any request got the aisle seats at the front rows!

Lesson learnt... better to book air tickets online ourselves rather than going through travel agencies...even when travelling in a group...

Cabin Amenities

The seat was spacious and clean, and for a lady of 1.65m in height, there is more than sufficient leg space.   In fact, Silkair has one of the best leg space out of all the airlines that we have travelled with.

You won’t find a blanket and a pillow waiting for you at your seat, but if you need those, you can request the service staff to bring it to you at no extra charge. Notice the packs of blankets in the top cabin compartments in the following photo.

There is no personalized in-flight entertainment system, but there are communal centrally controlled retractable TV screens and complimentary earphones which you can request for loan from the stewardess.

The Food

Being a full service airline, meals are provided on board.  There is no menu, but the air stewardess will come round to offer passengers a choice between 2 options. The food portion tends to be a bit small even for a lady, but this is still alright as the flight time is short.

Alas...we were so hungry that we forgot to take a photo of the unwrapped beef set...but we can assure that the food was quite alright.. ;p

In Flight Magazine and Shopping - Silkwinds and Skyshop

If you did not bring your IPAD or personal entertainment devices on board for the short flight, you may want to flip through the on board in flight travel magazine or shopping guide from Silkair..

Going Sarawak for your next destination? There are lots of beautiful high resolution photos in the in flight magazine.

You can also choose to browse the in-flight shopping guide..there might be something that might interest you!

Time flies fast for the short flight...soon we are approaching Surabaya as we took some aerial photos from the top...

Our aircraft parked at Juanda International Airport, Surabaya.  Aerobridges are provided for boarding and disembarkation both at Changi Airport and Surabaya Airport.

Overall, the flight was comfortable, and the landing and take-off smooth.

Final Verdict:  Silkair has a nice fleet of aircrafts with spacious seats and pretty good service on board.  However, do try to book online if you can, considering our unpleasant experience going through a travel agency.

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Shopping @ Tunjungan Plaza, Surabaya

Surabaya . 2012 . Nov 18 - 21

This post is a continuation of our previous post on Dining Options @ Sheraton Surabaya Hotels & Towers.

The Sheraton Surabaya Hotel & Towers is linked to the Tunjungan Plaza via a covered walkway outside the back door of the hotel.  Walking to the mall only takes half a minute. This plaza consisted of four blocks that is Tunjungan Plaza 1, Tunjungan Plaza 2, Tunjungan Plaza 3 and Tunjungan Plaza 4 (Sogo) where the four blocks connected to one another.

The backdoor of the Sheraton Surabaya Hotel & Towers also has a security system in place to scan guests as they enter the premises.  The door is locked late at night, so late returning guests would have to walk one round to enter through the main lobby.

Tunjungan Plaza is touted as the biggest shopping mall in East Indonesia.  It has 7 floors of shopping and dining and houses a substantial number of international brands.

The Tunjungan Expo Center is located on the 6th floor of the mall.

With Tunjungan Plaza just a short walk from the hotel, dining has never been an issue.  From fast food chains to coffee joints to high class restaurants, the variety offered in this mall never fails to impress.   This mall is where we have most of our meals, for prices are so affordable even at a restaurant.

We chanced upon this shop called Bearhouse at the Tunjungan Plaza.  It has the biggest collection of plush toys we have ever seen, and we could even find some of the rarer collections here.  On the flip side, prices are very steep!

Take your pick! Teddy bears in various shapes and sizes...

Don't like teddy bears? How about Scrat, the Ice Age movie character who is obsessed with collecting acorns, constantly putting his life in danger to obtain and defend them?

There are also lots of smaller soft toys in the shops..

Overall, we had a good time shopping and dining at Tunjungan Plaza, so if you are staying at Sheraton Surabaya Hotel & Towers next time in Surabaya, do visit it! :)

Follow us on our next Post: Silkair Flight to Surabaya

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