SINGAPORE
Last December we spent the week before Christmas in Singapore. We stayed in a 3-bedroom apartment in Far East Plaza near Scott and Orchard. It wasn't the nicest place, it was very noisy and smelled a little bit like smoke, but it accommodated our large family plus our amah. We brought our amah along to stay back with Lacy during nap times, and to babysit at night so Keith and I could actually enjoy some city nightlife! It rained most of the week we were in Singapore, but that probably helped cool things off. Unfortunately, I didn't take my camera out as often as I would have had it not been a near-constant downpour. Still, plenty of pictures to get the idea!
All decorated for Christmas!
The subways are very clean thanks to signs like this:
If you don't know, durian is "the king of fruit". It smells like stinky feet.
I have yet to try it, but it's very popular here despite the overwhelming odor!
The rainy view from the gondola to Sentosa Island
The Aquarium on Sentosa Island
A Museum of Singaporean History
Santa was at the museum!
The famous Merlion (Google it for the story)
City Lights
The Singapore Zoo - a beautiful place!
The Bird Park
We bought worms to hold in our hands so that the birds would come eat from us
Back to Sentosa Island
Riding the ski lift up to the luge
Ready to luge!
In summary, Singapore (well, at least the parts we visited) is a busy, crowded city with lots to see and do. There were people bustling everywhere, horns honking non-stop, and Galleria-size shopping malls on every corner! Everything was expensive, so we didn't really do much shopping. I saw a beautiful Asian-style dress in one window, so Natalie and I went in the shop to look at it. When I saw the price tag, I told Natalie, "Oh my gosh, don't even touch it!" The dress was $4,500. Crazy! The kids enjoyed the zoo, the "Songs of the Sea"show on Sentosa Island, and riding the luge. They were also very excited every time we rode the subway (we rode it everywhere... no way you'd want to try to drive anywhere!) Food was another highlight, as you can find Wendy's, California Pizza Kitchen, Subway, and even Marble Slab! After a week, however, I was ready to return to the quiet, peaceful life in Brunei. I think I've had enough of big cities in my lifetime, at least for awhile!
THAILAND
During the March school break, we spent one week in Krabi, Thailand at Ao Nang Villa Resort. On one side of the resort was the Andaman Sea and beach, and a quaint boardwalk to get to a few local restaurants and massage places. On the other side of the resort, just a 5-minute walk away, was a busy street with tons of shops and several more restaurants, including McDonald's, Swensen's, and Starbucks. If you stayed on the beach side, it felt like a peaceful retreat, and you wouldn't even know that a more modern world was just a few minutes away! We spent the majority of our time on the beach and at the resort pools, but it was also nice to go shop and eat "in town". Wish we had made this vacation longer than 1 week!
WARNING... TONS OF PICTURES!!
The resort
I had a strange obsession with these colorful lanterns hanging over the boardwalk
The Andaman Sea
Lacy and a local
The boardwalk (hotel on right, sea on left)
Natalie and Harton made friends
Beach hawkers
No one was too pushy, and everyone was friendly
We walked down the boardwalk to this outdoor restaurant 3 nights for dinner.
The food and drinks were great, and we enjoyed the guy singing and playing guitar.
Cheers!
The boardwalk at night
Lacy liked this guy who sold cold drinks on the beach.
He always gave her an ice cube.
Natalie made friends with this local girl
Harton enjoyed playing in the sand
Poor Landon got sick one morning
The massage ladies were always bringing around fresh pineapple
The gorgeous pool
Some local entertainment at our resort
Eating breakfast outside across from the beach
We got matching family tattoos (just kidding)
The busy street with shops and restaurants
American shorts made in Thailand.
Yep, that's about right.
Natalie loved shopping and negotiating lower prices
He had to sniff it to make sure it was fake.
Flaming Lanterns!
Nosey Parker's Elephant Trekking
After the ride, we got to feed the elephants and pose for pictures
Then we got to swim in the river
One of several massage huts by the beach. An hour massage cost about $6.
In summary, we loved Thailand. Everyone was very warm and friendly, the food was great, and it was a beautiful place to relax. I hope we will return to Thailand before we leave this side of the world.
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