Phuket, Thailand

This past weekend, we went to Phuket, Thailand with the Long's. Phuket is Thailand's largest island located 535 miles south of Bangkok. We left Singapore around 8:30am Friday morning and arrived in Phuket an hour and 15 min. later. The flight was short and sweet and no major incidences to report.

After clearing customs and getting our luggage, we were greeted by a staff member from the Indigo Pearl (the resort where we stayed). While waiting for the van to pick us up and take us to the resort, the lady informed us that the room which we had booked was no longer available. The previous guests decided to extend their stay, so therefore we were going to be upgraded to their largest suite upon our approval. Originally, we booked a two bedroom place. When we arrived to the hotel, we were greeted by the manager who was very apologetic about our room. She told us to go check out the suite and if we didn't think it would work for us, then she will make other arrangements. We hopped in the golf cart and off we went to view the room. The manager opened the door and we walked into a huge private courtyard which included it's own private pool! The place was awesome, however not very kid friendly. Besides the pool, we were concerned about the steep circular staircase, the lack of rails on the gazebo steps and the various drop offs into the vegetation throughout the residence :) Downstairs there was a living room, kitchen and bathroom. Upstairs there was a large bedroom with a seating area, dressing area and bathroom. Despite our concerns, we decided that the room was too sweet to pass up. We just knew that we needed to keep an extra close eye on Paige.

We spent the rest of Friday and all day Saturday swimming and hanging out at the pool. The resort itself did not have it's own private beach, but we wandered around the public beach for a short time. Unfortunately the beach wasn't the cleanest. The water was warm and clear, but a bit rocky. Saturday night, both family's arranged for babysitters through the hotel. This meant the adults got to enjoy an evening without any bibs, highchairs or wipes :)

The guys arranged a boat trip for Sunday. They charted a speedboat (with a captain and first mate) that would take us around some of the local islands. We all knew that this could have been either a great idea or a disastrous one, depending upon how the kids did. We also knew that if the day wasn't going well, we could turn back at anytime. We met in the lobby at 8:30am to catch a van that would take us to the harbor. We went snorkeling, saw where The Beach was filmed (movie with Leonardo DiCaprio), ate lunch at Phi Phi Island Nature Resort and saw some beautiful beaches. The girls did awesome and really enjoyed their day on the boat. They fed fish, hung out with the captain, took turns driving the boat and even took naps! We returned to the harbor around 4:00pm. We enjoyed one last "adult only" dinner before we headed back to Singapore Monday morning. We really enjoyed our weekend and are glad that we were able to experience Phuket with the Long's.

The End Is Near!

We finally have a return date....yea! Mark's last day of work is Sept. 12th. He will be returning to Chicago on the 14th. Paige and I are actually leaving on Sept. 7 and flying to L.A. to visit family for a week and flying back to Chicago on the 14th. I know call me crazy, but I've somehow convinced myself that this would be the best way for us to get back to Chicago, plus I'm ready to go home. Anyways, here's my rational:

1) The flight we took over here from Chicago was 21 hours (which included a layover in Newark). The flight from Singapore to L.A. is 16 hours (every hour counts)!

2) The flight from L.A. to Chicago is 4 hours, but we will have a week in L.A. before we fly home.

3) We were contemplating stopping in London, but decided that it probably wouldn't make things easier, since we would only be there for a few days. Plus the flight from Singapore to London is 12 hours and London to Chicago is 8 hours.

4) Although it will be a long flight for just Paige and I, in all actuality it was just Paige and I on the flight over here. If you recall, Paige wanted nothing to do with Mark.

5) The way the plane is configured, Mark probably wouldn't be able to sit with us anyways. He sat in a different row on the way over, since there are only 4 seats across.....two in the middle and one on each side.

For some strange reason, I'm not dreading my return flight as much I dreaded the flight over here. Maybe it's because I know what to expect or perhaps I'm just focused on getting home rather than the journey.

I now have less than a month left and I know it's going to fly by. We have a lot going on between now and then. We are going to Phuket, Thailand this weekend for a few days and then off to Australia in two weeks. Although I've enjoyed my time over here, I'm looking forward to going home.

Recent Photos

A Visit From Grammy

Again, our internet has been on the fritz. We keep getting plates of fruit and letters of apology for the down internet service. Since it is up and running today, I thought I would get some blogging in.

Two weeks ago, Mark's mom came for a visit. She arrived on Sat. and left the following Sun. It was a short trip, but we were glad she was able to visit. During her stay we visited Chinatown, Little India and Arab Street. We went swimming, shopping and to the Botanic Gardens. Paige had a lot of fun spending time with her Grammy, she especially liked sharing her room.

Like most grandparents, Grammy did a little spoiling while she was here. She even took Paige to the mall one day and let her ride all the rides. Paige was super excited about that, considering her mom won't let her near the things. Now, not a day goes by that I don't hear "Ride Barny?"

Uniquely Singapore

For some reason our internet hasn't been working well lately....hence the lack of blogging. Hopefully the problem has been solved and I can catch everyone up.

Two weeks ago, the place we are staying hosted an evening called "Uniquely Singapore". It's a once a year tradition where they share crafts, games, and food unique to Singapore with its residence. Mark and I decided to get a babysitter for the evening, since the festivities didn't start until 7pm.

Singapore is home to 4.5 million people, the majority being Chinese. However, Indian and Malay also have a significant presence. The evening celebrated a bit of each of the cultures. Staff members dressed in traditional bridal attire as well as other traditional outfits.

We tried our luck at several of the games (some a bit more challenging than others), but we each walked away with several prizes for Paige. I got a henna tattoo, which I was told would last three days, but ended up lasting a week.

We sampled local cuisine, again influenced by the three main cultures. Satay, boiled chicken and rice, fried carrot cake (not as good as it sounds) and curry just to name a few. We ate dragon fruit and attempted to try durian ice-cream, but couldn't get past the horrific smell.

The evening ended around 10. Both Mark and I had a good time, just wished Paige could have joined us.

Singapore Zoo

After talking to several people that I've met, I was told that the Singapore Zoo was a must. We decided to check it out last weekend with the Long family. It is by far the best zoo I have been to.

We arrived early (8:30 am) in hopes to beat the heat. Plus, we knew that Paige would only last until mid-day before she would run out of steam. The zoo was unlike most I've been to. Many of the animals roamed free within their environment and weren't confined behind glass or fences. The monkeys swung from trees above us and the kangaroos hopped along the walking path.

After lunch and completing 2/3 of the zoo, we decided to call it a day. We are hoping to make it back to the zoo one last time before we leave. However, next time we want to go on the night safari.

Singapore Sale

One of the so called benefits of being in Singapore during the month of July is The Great Singapore Sale. As I have previously mentioned, shopping is one of the nations past times......malls galore. So it's no surprise that most people here get super excited for this event. Being the shopper that I am (and now that Paige is camp), I have had a little extra free time to check out this so called event.

Being that we live right off of Orchard Road (the Michigan Ave. of Singapore), I thought it was a convenient place to begin. I meandered through several stores, some familiar and some not searching for a bargain. Unfortunately, what I consider a bargain and what Singaporeans consider a bargain are two different things. When a store advertises BIG SALE, I expect to see some great deals....after all it is The Great Singapore Sale. Imagine my disappointment when the items are marked down only 10%-20%. This is nothing considering that the original price is already significantly more than what I can get it for in the states.

I don't understand all the hype surrounding this event. I still haven't figured out if this is the only month that sales occur, or if the "sale prices" will remain the same minus the sale signs (which seems like a common occurrence in some US stores). I guess I will find out in Aug.

Needless to say, I think my shopping days are over in Singapore. Between the crazy prices and the fact that all I fit into is XL, I'm putting shopping on hold until I return home.

Summer Camp

This week Paige has started summer camp at the American Club! I don't know who is more excited her or I ;) She goes MWF from 9:30-11:30. Since Paige and I have spent very little time apart over here, I figured it would be best for both of us to have a little separation from one other.

I wasn't sure how she would be about going, so I hung around for the first 1/2 hour to make sure she was comfortable before I left. At 10:00 I told I was leaving, but that I would be back in a little bit. She looked at me and waved good-bye. I guess that was a good sign. Everything went smoothly, so I signed her up for next week as well. I am now on a mission to find something similar in Chicago.

4th of July.....Indonesian Style

We spent our 4th of July weekend in Bintan, Indonesia with the Long family (friends and co-worker from Chicago). They have a girl who is 9 months older than Paige and an 8 month old little boy. We figured since Binton is a 50 minute ferry ride from Singapore that it would be a good introduction to traveling Asia (with kids that is :) We left Singapore at 5pm and arrived in Bintan around the same time (Indonesia is an hour behind Singapore). As we disembarked the ferry, we proceeded to the line at immigration. When approached by an immigration officer asking us if we were going to pay for our visitor visa inUSD or Singapore dollars our response was whichever would get us through the line the quickest (mistake on our part). We then proceeded to the front of the line, where Mark began his currency calculations. Turns out, we paid 20% more for this expedited service. Oh well, looks like the immigration officers took home a little extra that night, thanks to the Americans :)

From the ferry terminal, we took a bus to Nirwana Gardens, the resort where we were staying. We stayed in a 3 bedroom villa in a section of the resort called Banyu Biru Villas. The villa was a bit more rustic than we had anticipated, but it was fine for two nights. Paige and Kaya shared a room which worked out well, once everyone was asleep.

Despite being right on the beach, we spent most of Saturday by the pool. There was a jelly fish warning posted by the shore, plus we had seen several people being treated for stings. We did stick our feet in the ocean just to say that we had been in the South China Sea, but other than that we opted for the chlorine.

Before catching the ferry back on Sunday, we wandered around the resort. We saw large lizards roaming the grounds (which made me a bit nervous), caged crocodiles and Paige's favorite an elephant. Paige and Mark had the opportunity to sit on the elephants knee, which she really enjoyed despite what the picture shows. Besides hanging out with Kaya all weekend, I think that was the highlight of her trip.

Overall we had a nice weekend. It was good to get away and experience a new place.

Pet Peeve

Okay, today I'm going to vent a little. I think that I had mentioned in an earlier post that they have an abundance of malls here. It is almost impossible not to visit one on a daily basis, as this is where the banks, grocery stores, post offices, restaurants and everything else we need to survive is located. The problem with these malls is that they have these annoying kiddie rides everywhere. When we first arrived here, I thought it was cute when Paige would call out to her favorite cartoon character and hop on the mechanical ride. I would put $1 in the machine and her face would light up. Eventually it started to add up so she would just go and sit on the ride, which she was fine with. The problem I am running into now is that every time I have a quick errand to run, it turns out to be a big whine fest. My sweet little girl turns into a whiny two year old when she can't stop and visit the germ infested, money eating, kid riding machines.

Today we went to her gym class, which of course is located in a mall. As the taxi prceedes to drop us off, I try to prepare myself for what is to come. Unfortunately there is a horse, bus and helicopter that greet us at the mall enterance. I struggle to get by these machines every Tuesday morning. Today was no different. After gym, we headed downstairs to have lunch. While I was ordering our lunch, Paige took off running to visit Big Bird who just happend to be right outside of the food stall. When I went to get her, I now become the mother with the screaming child. Once these things are out of site, my sweet little girl returns. When we finished lunch we proceeded to the taxi stand, screaming good-bye to Big Bird, the horse, bus and helicopter. Ugh... my life would be so much easier if these things would just disappear.

Lunch at the Office

Once a week Paige and I try to visit Mark at work to have lunch with him. She really enjoys going to the office, but I'm not 100% sure it's to see Mark. Usually when I tell her where we are going the first thing out of her mouth is, "boxing?" You see, they have Nintendo's Wii at the office and she loves the boxing game. For those of you not familiar with the game, it has two wireless controllers that you hold while you use your arms to punch your opponent. It's actually quite amusisng to watch her. Plus it's a great way for her to release some energy :)

After Paige's boxing match last week, we went for lunch. Along the way Mark took us on a little detour to a Buddhist Temple, not too far from his office. It was quite elaborate with red and gold interior especially at the alter. It's a bit nuts to find this right near the financial district amongst all the tall modern buildings.

Small World

Usually after Paige gets up from her nap we head for the pool. Most days it's just her and I down there, but today it was crowded. While Paige was playing in the kiddie pool, I got to talking to some women. One was a mother of twin boys who had just moved here from New Jersey and the other was a nanny from New Zealand. After talking for about an hour, I found out that the woman from New Zealand use to nanny for a family in Brush Prairie, WA, where Mark and I grew up! Although I didn't know the family she worked for, she did mention a few names that I recognized. It's crazy what a small world we really do live in :)

Say Cheese!

While walking around on Sunday, Mark turned to take my picture. At the same time these tourists started posing with Paige. I thought it was so funny I had to snap a few shots myself. I'm not too sure how Paige felt about it?

Underwater Disappointment

As we are finding out, living abroad with kids is much different than without. When in London Mark and I would pick up and go out at anytime of the day with very little planning. Now that we have Paige, our adventures are a bit more planned and "child friendly". Saturday we decided to go to Underwater World, which is supposed to be one of Singapore's famed attractions. It is located on Sentosa Island, right off the mainland coast. We began our day early, since Paige is usually ready for a nap by mid-day. After a 15 minute cab ride, we arrived at the aquarium. Mark was a bit bummed to have paid full price for our tickets, seeing that there was a discount for work permit holders (unfortunately he didn't have his with him). As we walked into Underwater World it looked promising. Paige and Mark headed right to the hands on tanks. There they were able to touch the fish, rays and baby sharks as they swam past. I on the other hand prefer to look at the fish rather than touch them, so I designated myself the photographer :) We continued on through the aquarium looking at all the bright colored fish and listening to Paige say "Hi fishes" . After 15 minutes of walking around, we decided to continue on to other parts of the aquarium, however there were no other parts. Much to our surprise that was the extent of Underwater World. One room full of fish tanks and the other with a hands on pond. Needless to say, we were very disappointed. Mark was especially ticked, since he just paid full price for our tickets. After speaking with one of the employees (I just wanted to make sure we weren't missing anything) I found out that a dolphin show was also included in our ticket price. We road a bus to the other side of the island, where the dolphin show was held. I think Paige was more excited to ride the bus than she was looking at the fish. While on the bus she sang "The Wheels on the Bus" with hand motions and all. The dolphin show was pretty entertaining. It's not everyday you can see pink dolphins. After the show, we took a tram back to the mainland, ate lunch and then headed home.

Slacker

I have been reminded by several people (you know who you are) that I haven't updated the blog in awhile.....my apologies. I will try to be less of a slacker.

Paige and I have been trying to keep busy during the week. I've signed her up for a gym class at My Gym (the same place she went in Chicago) and attend class Tuesday mornings. We also have a temporary membership to the American Club, where she participates in a swim class on Wednesdays. We try to visit Mark for lunch once a week at the office and arrange play dates with our friends from Chicago. The rest of the time we are either swimming or going for walks.

Saturday the three of us ventured out to Chinatown (we forgot our camera so no pictures this time). As expected, the streets were lined with vendors and little shops selling anything from Chinese herbs, clothes, electronics and silks. I had lots of fun as the prices were reasonable compared to the rest of Singapore and bargining was welcomed. Mark and Paige headed home early, as Paige wasn't in a shopping mood. I came home with several household trinkets including a pair of Hello Kitty chops sticks and a pair of slippers for Paige, which she so proudly modeled.

Saturday night, Mark and I decided to have a date night. We arranged for a babysitter through the place we are staying. It turns out the housekeepers moonlight as sitters. I was a bit skeptical at first, but everything was fine. We put Paige to bed at 7pm and the sitter came at 7:30pm. I'm sure we will do this again. Unfortunately our dinner was cut short (no dessert) because Mark suddenly had stomach issues. We hurried home and needless to say, he spent the rest of the night not feeling too great. We think it might have been food poisoning, but not sure where he got it from.

Father's Day we ate lunch by the pool at the American Club and then went swimming. Later in the day, we met some friends from Chicago for dinner at Brewerkz Brewery.

After all the recapping of our week, I think I've learned my lesson and will post more often.

Our Weekend

We began our weekend with a celebration at the new Getco office Friday evening. It is a Chinese tradition that when you open a new place of business the lion dance is performed to bring luck and happiness to the new establishment. Joining in the festivities were representatives

from various vendors, exchanges and brokerage firms who work with Getco. At first Paige wasn't too sure about the performance. The lion dance was accompanied by very loud drums, which I think scared her. Once up on Mark's shoulders, she felt better and actually really enjoyed it. The rest of the night she couldn't stop talking about the dragons (I told her they were dragons by mistake and just went with it-oops :)

Saturday we woke up to heavy rains. We wanted to venture out to China town, but the weather just wasn't cooperating. Instead, we decided to stay close to home and wandered around Orchard Road. It's amazing to me how many shopping malls this city-state has. As you walk down Orchard Road, you go from one mall to another. I guess shopping is a good way to stay cool in such a hot and humid climate.

The weather was a bit better on Sunday, so we decided to go to the Botanic Garden. It is a short walk from our place and we thought it would be a good place for Paige to run around.

We weren't there as long as I would have liked, since the mosquitos were doing a number on me. Next time I will be more prepared with bug spray in hand. Although our time spent there was cut short, Paige had fun chasing the birds. After leaving the Gardens, we stopped for lunch where Paige had her first bowl of Ramon. We spent the rest of our afternoon relaxing by the pool.