Construction

Rob and I think everyday how fortunate we are to have this experience. Our kids are growing in ways we couldn't imagine and Singapore makes it really easy for any foreigner to feel at home. I can find almost anything at a grocery store. I may have to pay top dollar, but if I needed some Nestle toll house morsels or Organic Valley milk or Tillamook cheese, I could find it. People work really hard here and they usually never lose their cool. It's bad form to "lose face". But it is high stress and this is a big city. Cars don't yield to pedestrians, unless you have a child with you but don't count on it. You learn quickly how to drive defensively because if you don't, you will get cut off. People don't seem to mind if you return the same form on the road or the sidewalks. I'm impressed we don't see more road rage to be honest.

There is construction everywhere. You just can't get away from it. I guess there are benefits for a 1st world country to be located in an area where there is several 3rd world countries nearby and businesses can hire foreign workers at a very affordable price. I've taken these pictures that are only one block from our condo (except last pic)......and actually I forgot about the new high rise being built behind us. I thought the last picture was impressive because it shows you the "crane" skyline we see around Marina Bay.

We haven't even been here a year and 4 large malls have been opened off of Orchard Rd (shopping mecca). It is truly and National Sport here in Singapore and something I will never entirely "get". Thankfully there are many recreational areas away from the noise that we can retreat to for a little soul maintenance.

 

 

 

 

Why bother?

A sale in Singapore is something to be seen. They just don't have very many and when they do, it's very comical to me. This sign says, "receive and $8 voucher, with a minimum of $150 spent". So that means you have to come back to the store and spend more money to get your 5% discount. :)

 

Our first visitors!

Our friends Erik, Karen and their two delightful girls, Greta and Sonja came to visit just after our Spring Break. Erik is an old college friend of mine from Montana State. Despite we have never lived in the same town since, we have managed to keep in touch and travel to see each others' family in some pretty cool places throughout the years.

We were so thrilled to host them during their visit. We couldn't have had a better time. It was so fun to show them around Singapore. Parrish and Greta were instant friends. We built some fond memories we will look back on for a long, long time. Thanks so much for coming! xoxo

 

 

 

 

 

Kota Kinabalu

Our Spring Break week this year was spent on the Island of Borneo in Kota Kinabalu. This is the capital of the Malaysian state, Sabah. You will find the largest peak in SE Asia at Mount Kinbalu, 4,095 metres (13,435 ft). We stayed two nights in a Forest Lodge near Kinabalu National Park with the mountain in view. However, we were welcomed with some tropical rain and only saw the mountain for about 5 minutes each day before the clouds moved in. Our last 2 days were spent at a beach resort just over an hour away. It was nice to feel a bit of cool mountain air for a few days and end with a relaxing time at the beach.

There are 2 well know Oran Gutan (yes, it's two words over here) rehabilitation centers in the Malaysian side of Borneo. We were able to visit the stage 1 center which was right next to the resort we stayed. There is so much to learn about these endangered animals. We all were able to take a little family friendly hike into the rain forest and watch the young orphan apes get their afternoon snack from a viewing platform.

 

Bring on the rain and the mud. Didn't seem to phase the girls for our hike!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

New Camera

Rob came back from the States a few weeks ago from a business trip. One of the items on his list of things to bring back was a new camera. Tired of blurry pics and terrible low light photography, we wanted to get a camera that had better zoom, higher shutter speed and still easy enough to carry around with us for travel.

So I had to test out the purchase and was able to convince Rob I needed to go watch the half ironman event that was here in Singapore for most of the day. Here are a few shots from the day........

 

 

These cyclists were going fast!

 

I think you could purchase a small condo with these bikes.....

Chingay Parade 2010

There is no shortage of celebration here in Singapore during the weeks before, during and after Chinese New Year. After we came back from Sibu Island, we attended the annual Chingay parade that was right in the heart of Singapore in Marina Bay. A great description of the origins of this parade and how it became so important and elaborate can be found on this website:
http://www.chingay.org.sg/2010/about-chingay.asp

I will apologize for my photographs. There was so much more to see but so many pictures were junk. There are 2 things our camera is not good at.....night shots and motion. But hopefully this gives you some idea of the color, costume and flare of this very entertaining event.

 

 

 

 

Sibu Island, Malaysia

We had a few days off from school and decided to take the kids to this small and somewhat remote Island off of Malaysia. We drove from Singapore for about 2 1/2 hours to the East Coast of Malaysia to catch a "ferry ride" over to the Island. I put ferry ride in quotes because it was more like a small 2-motor boat that held about 15 people. We were asked to put our gear in plastic bags because it was certainly going to get wet.

We were at the end of monsoon season for this part of the world so the seas were still pretty rough, but the trip was worth it. The Island is serene and quiet. A stark contrast to the busy city life we're used to in Singapore. It was so nice to get away from construction noise and traffic.

We stayed at a resort called the "Sea Gypsy". The resort has been around for 18 years and has been owned and operated by a British woman the entire time. The resort was clean and well kept. The bathrooms were the cleanest I've seen in Malaysia and the beds were comfortable. The grounds were plentiful and there was even a kids club that was run by the owners' son. And he was funny and strict.....so he appealed to both children and parents. Everyday the beach was swept of litter, a common issues here in the south Asian Seas. The resort grounds has simple chalets, a lodge/restaurant where we gathered for our meals and a small dive shack for booking snorkeling and diving excursions. I was able to go diving for a few hours but the rough seas had stirred up the ocean so the visibility was poor. Nonetheless, it's always great to get out there and experience a dive.

Here are a few pictures of our trip. All we brought were our flip flops, swim suits, sunscreen and pajamas.