The day I got eaten alive by fishes!
Wednesday, February 27th, 2008Last Sunday, I joined the Vesporeans for a trip exploring the side of Singapore that is not commonly seen. Its surprising. Beneath the cosmopolitan side commonly known to Singapore, there were still a less traveled, charming, urban side.

It was a beautiful morning. We rode on the secluded, winding roads and after traveling by a long stretch, we reached our first stop. The Qian Hu fish farm. This place was famous for its fish spa treatment, which seemed to be all the rage lately.

It was an interesting place, there were so many fishes here that it seemed more like a museum. There were even some exotic ones which costs thousands of dollars!

I saw one of my favorite fishes - the Blood Parrot cichlid. Its the one in the bottom right - easily recognizable from the shape of their mouths. They seem to always be happy and smiling.

Eventually, we headed to the fish spa area where we paid $10 for a 30 min session. We walked past a number of children who seemed engrossed in catching some tiny fishes and then we finally dipped our feet where the nibble fishes were.

It was a most memorable experience! At first it was scary, and then it was ticklish but after a while, it actually felt kind of nice!
Here is a quick video :
Getting eaten alive by fish! from rinaz on Vimeo
And at the end of the session, I don’t know if it was from the soak or from the fishes nibbling my feet, but my feet felt noticeably softer. It was amazing :D

Check out our sexeh feet!
On the spur, Ah James suggested that we head to visit the goat farm, which was a short ride away and thus our second stop - the Hay Dairies Goat Farm!

Who says that goats are not educational?
It was already noon time when we reached there and we quickly seeked shelter and got for ourselves a bottle of fresh goat milk. It was refreshing to drink in the hot weather. It tasted a little different from cow milk as it was not have a thick aftertaste.

I got myself a packet of hay and we walked to the goats pen where there were a number of people whom were already there. Amazingly, the area did not have a bad smell as generally perceived.

It was interesting seeing the goats. I was surprised to see the shape of their irises. Unlike our round ones, theirs were ellipse - like tadpole eggs.

The baby goats were so adorable. I couldn’t resist touching them (and even attempting to kiss them) I found out that their fur was actually rough to the touch.
The older goats nibbled greedily at the hay that we gave them and they were smart enough not to bite us (although there were a number of goats which tried to eat my bag and t-shirt) but it was their mouth to watch out for. It was really … wet!
Here is a quick video :
Trip to the Hay Dairies Goat Farm from rinaz on Vimeo
Quick trivia
Did you know that the shape of a goats teeth will tell you their age?

The goat farm trip was amazing. In a way, it felt as if I went back in time and was going on a school excursion for geography - learning about the different rural practices. But I didn’t mind it one bit. It was so much fun! :)
Initially Ah James thought of having lunch at Jurong Point Shopping Center. It was only when he noticed a brochure that we decided to have lunch at an organic farm. So our next stop was Bollywood Veggies!
I know about the place through Shaz and Aidil whom gave raving reviews about the food here, so I know that it was good :)
It was another short ride, we went past a number of interesting sights. One of the memorable landmarks for me was an abandoned building in the middle of nowhere.

As soon as we noticed the sign “Poison Ivy” we knew it was the right place. It seemed such an idyll place. There was so much green as far as the eye can see. By the time we entered the dining area, there were already a number of people whom were having their lunch. Some of them I recognized from the goat farm even.

We ordered a number of items :



This one I liked a lot!

Mmmm …!!

Here is a quick video of our lunch :
Lunch at Bollywood Veggies from rinaz on Vimeo
I felt a tinge of sadness when all the nice food were gone.
Finally Leonids suggested that we head to Petal Leaves for a tea break. By then I was already tired out of the activities. Hence the lack of pictures. I spent the time plonked out on the seat.

However, Leonids mentioned that it was a nice place for wedding ceremonies as there were a plentiful of flowers and greenery. The only problem was that the place was very secluded and difficult to get to, unless the person had their own transportation. Nevertheless, the place seemed a lovely place :)
Eventually, it was time to get back home. As I stayed in Jurong, I said my goodbyes to the rest of the gang who were heading to Kallang, feeling euphoria from the wonderful activities that we had together.
It was such a nice day. I’d love to do it again!
Have you ever been to a farm in Singapore? Would you consider spending time here?
Links :
- Qian Hu Fish Farm
- Hay Dairies Goat Farm
- Bollywood Veggies
- Vespa Club
- Kah Woon’s blog post
- Ah James blog post
Sidenote : I’d like to watch Leap Years. Care to join me? :)











