Remember the age-old belief about coconut water being good for your body?

Well it may just be true.

Being a tropical country, Fiji has an abundance of coconuts throughout the year. So instead of guzzling plain water or isotonic drinks, Fiji’s National Rugby team drinks fresh coconut water to stay refreshed during and after trainings.

How lucky!

“We have the green coconuts (young coconuts) after training and the older coconuts before training,” said Ben Ryan, head coach of the Fiji National Rugby team, in an interview with AsiaOne.

And who knows? That might have just been the main source of energy which fuelled their recent victory at the Hong Kong leg of the HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series (HSBCWRSS).

“Hong Kong was a very draining event over three days so we now need to recuperate, reinvigorate and train again before the match this week,” said Mr Ryan.

HSBC World Rugby Seven Series comes to Singapore

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Handout

Currently standing at first place above rugby favourites New Zealand, South Africa and Australia, the Fiji 7s will need to keep their energy levels up in order to defend their HSBCWRSS title this Saturday, when the Singapore leg of the competition kicks off at the National Stadium after a decade-long hiatus.

But before making their way for training today (April 13), the Fiji 7s made a special appearance at the Singapore Changi Airport to celebrate Fiji Airways’ inaugural direct flight to Fiji from Singapore which launched last week on April 6.

At the launch, passengers and rugby fans got treated to a meet-and-greet session with the Fiji 7s as well as a pre-game war dance known as the Cibi (pronounced ‘thimbi’), performed by the 12-man team.

As part of a month-long ‘Changi Rugby Sevens’ event at Terminal 3, travellers can expect to view actual game memorabilia such as the Fiji national team’s previous winner’s trophy as well as try out the new virtual rugby game simulator.

Through the new flight service by Fiji Airways, travellers can also fly to Pacific Islands like Samoa, Tonga and Vanuatu.

An Englishman turned Fijian, head coach Mr Ryan is a celebrity in Fiji as well as a brand ambassador for Fiji Airways. Following on from the World Championship win, there have been songs made aand even babies named after him by the locals.

So we thought it wise to ask the 44-year-old to recommend some places to visit in Fiji.

“There are some nice five-star commercial resorts around Denarau and you would probably like to chill out there and have all your modern comforts,” he said.

However if you wish to have an adventure or go somewhere more Fiji centric, then Pacific Harbour would be ideal.

“Pacific Harbour is what you’ll expect – palm beaches, coconut trees, beautiful people, great food, and you can try shark diving, snorkelling, golfing or go into the villages as well,” he suggested.

The Changi Rugby Sevens exhibition runs till April 29 at the Central Departure Transit area of Terminal 3.

And if you’re free this weekend, you can try to catch the Rugby Sevens teams play live at the Singapore National Stadium. Ticket prices range from $2-$150.

mldas@sph.com.sg

If you’re looking to give your child an insight into adult working life as their playtime, here’s your chance.

KidZania Singapore, now open at Sentosa’s Palawan beach, offers your child the opportunity to role play as working adults and gain an understanding of how they may want to contribute to society when they grow up.

It has 60 role-playing activities in a kid-sized city that allows children, between the ages of 4 to 17, to work in a hospital, police station or F&B outlet.

The activities aim to help children decide at an early age which profession would be best suited for them.

Every KidZania revolves around the concept of role play for kids but they all have different characteristics that differentiate them. This is largely due to the different sponsors each KidZania has depending on its location.

In Singapore, some local sponsors include Killiney Kopitiam, Kiss92, and Singapore Civil Defence Force.

KidZania opens in Singapore

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AsiaOne, KidZania

William Edwards, chief executive officer for KidZania said, “We learn from the sponsors here and incorporate what we learn into the design of the city, therefore making every KidZania a different KidZania”.

He told AsiaOne at the launch event on April 12, that it is extremely important that KidZania’s industry partners bring localised characteristics to their own parks.

This is so that the kids going to the different KidZanias have something new to look at, and are able to participate in other activities that they may not see in their own local cities.

For now, there are plans for Kidzania to expand to India, South Korea, and Vietnam in the near future.

Singapore is predicted to be the flagship in the region for KidZania since it is a hot spot for tourists.

It is also expected to receive more attention since it is about 20 per cent bigger than other KidZania parks – at 7,600 sq m or equivalent to six Olympic-sized swimming pools – and has many unique features such as flight simulators and a museum.

Safety is also one of the top priorities for KidZania. Families and children stepping into KidZania Singapore will be issued wrist tags to ensure that children do not leave the premises unknowingly as the maximum capacity for the premises at any one time is 1,500 people.

Safety features such as specially designed doors are also incorporated into the park’s design to ensure a safe and child-friendly experience.

“There was a very high demand in Singapore from parents asking for these kinds of places where their children are able to role play and yet stay safe at the same time,” said Xavier Lopez Ancona, president and chief executive officer of Kidzania.

“What we have basically done is to take role-playing and make it more sophisticated for children to play and experiment with,” added Mr Lopez.

KidZania Singapore operates seven days a week, with tickets ranging from $25 to $58.

ryanho@sph.com.sg