Last December, I waited for 90 mins in the chilling winter air with my son at Ueno Zoo. Our patience was rewarded when we were given exactly one minute each at two different checkpoints to admire the pandas in all their majesty.

Compare this to our experience at River Wonders yesterday. There was no need to queue to see Kai Kai and Jia Jia. We didn’t have to hustle along either. In fact, we set our hearts fluttering by chasing Jia Jia from one end to the other, our time with her savoured like sweet nectar sipped by pollinators. Kai Kai seemed to be less active. But even watching him laze around felt like a luxury that was denied to us in Tokyo.

I was also surprised to find a corner devoted to 竹字旁 (the bamboo radical). Right now, I’m quite thrilled that my son recognises 熊猫妈妈, but I can imagine dragging him to this corner and teaching him all these words related to the bamboo radical: 笼、 篮 and 笛. I’m all about seizing opportune moments to drill a few Chinese words in my boy - River Wonder certainly supports my quest.