Four in Singapore…Days that is

Hello Singapore!

Tokyo to Singapore was our first long flight (7+ hours) not flying to or from home. I wasn’t at the top of my game forgetting items we normally use like the kids’ head phones for movies. Thankfully they slept the majority of the air time so it was still an easy flight. It was after midnight when we landed so a quick Uber ride and check in was helpful! The JW Marriott fixed us up with a suite so there was plenty of room for a roll away bed and crib both in a separate room for the kids to sleep!

After a short night’s sleep, the kids were up at their regular time for breakfast at the hotel and to taxi to the Jurong Bird Park. It was a hot and sunny (which was nice after so much rain in Tokyo) day to be outside to see beautiful, colorful birds. We watched a show first showcasing macaws, toucans, hornbills, pelicans, flamingos, etc. They also had about eight different kinds of penguins. Ice cream was a necessity on such a hot day! We’re in transition with Teddy and naps. I stayed a little too long at the bird park so there were tears and tantrums. Sorry buddy! Everyone took a 2.5 hour nap when we got to the hotel. So we were ready to join Cory for supper adventures at Glutton’s Bay. We enjoyed a variety of food stall options by the water. What a great first day in Singapore!

Everyone got up way too early on Friday but we made the most of it and joined Cory for breakfast. Then the kids and I went to Singapore Botanic Gardens to see the beautiful foliage and enjoy a really fun kids area with a maze, bridge and cave until it began to pour! We didn’t melt but we got pretty soaked! After we regrouped, we taxied to Chijmes, an 19th century convent and orphanage that’s been converted to eateries. It still has the chapel and we even saw a wedding; Bea loves getting to see a bride! We had a relaxing afternoon playing in the room with no naps. Instead Teddy fell asleep almost as soon as we strolled out the door to supper and never really waked up. He was quite hungry the next morning!

Happy vacation to us! Saturday starts the beginning of nine straight days of play with Cory! So we didn’t mind when we had a full bed at 5:30am but luckily we didn’t really wake til 7:30. Today was all about animals! The Singapore Zoo was supposed to be one of the best in the world and it definitely was! We watched a sea lion show where, of course, Cory volunteered to participate in a trick for the sea lion! We saw all kinds of different monkeys, Pygmy hippos, zebras, white rhinos, Timon and Pumba, cheetahs, leopards, (too many) reptiles and more. We also packed our swimmers to enjoy the water area; unfortunately, it was closed for renovation. What a bummer! This tends to happen when you travel in the off-season though. Instead the kids went for pony rides (Teddy’s first) and a carousel ride. After much needed naps (a morning in the full sun and sweltering heat will take it out of you), we went for a double dose of animal fun with a trip to the Night Safari. Here we enjoyed a show full of owls, binturong, a huge snake and baby otters. Then we strolled to see spotted and striped hyenas, lionesses, golden cats and more. I have only ever done a night animal tour once before in the Australian rain forest. If you ever get the chance, take it! We had lots of sunscreen and bug spray to shower off tonight before bedtime.

On our last day in Singapore, we found that most families enjoy indoor playgrounds as it’s quite hot and steamy outside. We joined them at the mall play area while Cory shopped for shoes and I for children’s clothing at The Playfair. Of course, we also rode Paw Patrol character scooters! On to the more (extreme) cultural part of our day…Little India and the Arab District. Cory said Little India was pretty spot on to what he saw in Bangalore. We saw a temple where everyone had to take off their shoes to enter. There was a strong smell in the air and I felt a bit out of place with all the stares…very different cultural norms. There was one of every piece of gold jewelry, cell phone, trinket and more being sold. We also enjoyed lunch at Mustard where we ate tandoori and butter chicken, dal makhani and naan bread; we love Indian food! Cory started fixing some dishes at home after his trip there last year. On to the Arab District to see a mosque and a much cleaner part of town. It was so interesting to have such distinct and very different areas in the same city.

Back to the hotel, we packed up and showered before making our way to the airport. During supper at the airport, Teddy fell asleep. Luckily we didn’t have to wake him (as he didn’t wake til we landed) through security as it was at our gate.

Next stop, Phuket, Thailand for a week of family vacation!

Jurong Bird Park