West Coast Park

As a birthday present to me (Aaron), we headed for West Coast Park on August 23rd. We hadn't been here before, but had heard nice things about it. Also, it is very close to the girls school, so it is very convenient for an after school activity.

We had a great time on the playground equipment (even us big kids), walking along the paths and along the water front, eating at McDonalds (yes, that was my birthday dinner request) and feeling peaceful in the very wooded setting.

Kristin took the picture, but here is the rest of the family.











Anna on a zip line





Addlea on the zip line (yes, it was strong enough for us big kids)






And now - for pictures of the view while we were at West Coast Park. Absolutely beautiful and relaxing.











And Emily holding some big ball plant growing on a tree. Not sure what it was, but we thought it was cool ... unless it would fall on your head.

A Night At Clarke Quay

Another Singapore Holiday on August 19th, Hari Raya Puasa, celebrates the end of fasting for Ramadan. To celebrate ... we also ate! The girls loved having a day off from school, and Addlea relaxed from the teacher responsibilities. It was a relaxing day that ended with a trip to Clarke Quay for dinner at a burger joint. A beautiful night sitting outside along side the Singapore River.








And no visit is complete without some fun in the water fountains. Yes, we got a little wetter than we expected, but when its 90 degrees everyday ... it always feels good - even after dark.

Singapore Snippets - August 22

Our wee Scottish lassies finally got to see the fearless heroine, Merida, in action, as "Brave" has finally appeared in the Singapore theaters! And now, Aaron wants to move to Scotland. Sigh.



What kind of friend spends $60 to send a package chock-full of fun surprises to Singapore? A FABULOUS one! :) Thanks, Sally, Celeste, Elyse, and Carson!! — with Sally Saul.



Singapore 101: Preserving the Integrity of the Family. While the USA is embroiled in the love/hate war over Chick-fil-A, we in Singapore are enjoying a public service commercial about BABY-MAKIN'. Yeah, you read that right. Check it out.....:)
Mentos National Night on Youtube


A visit to Chinatown on a Singapore Holiday. Pretty cool place with lots of color.


A Hindu temple in Chinatown



Our very smiley girls courtesy of Kristin's new camera.

Family Photos From The Singapore Flyer

Because the pictures were pretty good, we purchased our family pictures from the Singapore Flyer. Notice Anna's shirt - since it was green (the same shade as the background), whatever background the imposed on us also got copied to her shirt. She thought that was awesome.

First Day Of School At International Community School (ICS)

Today was the first day of school at ICS for Anna (4th Grade) and Emily (1st Grade).  It was also Addlea's first day of teaching 2nd grade.  The girls have nice uniforms, which is a first for us.  There are several new things about a school in Singapore, such as:  the cafeteria is outside, playtime isn't as fun when you sweat to death, Chinese language lessons and small class sizes.  Anna, I believe has 11 other kids in her class (2 classes of 4th grade) and Emily has 15 other kids in her class (2 classes of 1st grade).  Anna also has a student teacher from Canada.

The Singapore Flyer

After the Singapore Duck Boats, we took a ride on the Singapore Flyer. The girls were so excited to ride the Flyer, but I don't think they knew quite what to expect. We could tell they were excited / nervous because they all talked non-stop for the first 15 minutes were were on the Flyer. It took us approximately 30 minutes to do the entire round trip. Unfortunately, it was a fairly cloudy day, so we couldn't see very far. However, Jenna did say that she thought she could see Peoria. Nobody else saw quite that far.

Per the guide book, the Singapore Flyer is 165 meters tall, which is approximately 550 feet. Yes, it was high.











Some of the sites from aboard the Singapore Flyer









This next picture is of the Grandstand and Garages for the Singapore Grand Prix - where Formula races through the streets of Singapore. We look forward to this in September ... but probably not all the chaos of street closures.



And, pictures of the Flyer itself

Duck Boats of Singapore

Prior to school starting next week for Anna and Emily, we have been going on several adventures in Singapore. Anna had requested a ride on the Singapore Duck Boats. So, on a cloudy afternoon, we headed for downtown Singapore to ride on the Duck Boats.

Before we got on the Duck Boats, however, we got to ride on a double decker bus, which the girls had also been begging to do.






And now, onto the Duck Boats. For those of you who don't know what a Duck Boat is ... they can go on both land and in the water. This boat, named Katrina, was used by the U.S. Marines in Korea.








The Duck Boat tour took us around some of the really neat sites right downtown Singapore. Here are just a couple pictures from our very fun boat ride. You will see pictures of the Marina Bay Gardens, Marina Bay Tower, the Singapore Flyer and a pedestrian bridge made to look like the Human DNA.














This is the stage that is set-up for Singapore's National Day (47th Birthday) on August 9th. Huge parade, presentation and fireworks to celebrate its Birthday. This stage seats approximately 25,000 people (if I remember the tour correctly).