The Old Singapore

Singapore really boasts about its modernity, but I really like all the old uneven bits of it.

Singapore Zoo

I'm not a huge zoo person. But if you ever get to Singapore, a trip to the zoo is really worth it. Especially, if you have a toddler. We went on a rainy morning which may have made all of the difference, as the animals were super active. We got our picture taken with Orang Utans, saw cheetahs chasing each other, and a leopard walked up to us (luckily for us there was a piece if glass between us). But the real highlight isn't the animals, it's the kid's water park that's inside the zoo. Many places in Singapore have "water features" for kids to play in, but the zoo really out did itself. Bill and Wyatt played for over an hour after the hot afternoon sun came out. I played photographer and stuck my feet in.

Pictures!!

Central Fire Station

Last week as Wyatt and I were walking past the fire station I saw a sign that read, "everyone welcome Saturdays 9-11." So this past Saturday we thought we'd take Wyatt to look at some fire trucks. But, wow!, once we got there, it was so much more. We got to see lots and lots of fire trucks and firemen. Wyatt got to spray water from the fire hose and we went for a ride in the bucket of the ladder truck, 5 stories up. We got to see the firemen go down the pole "American" style and "Singapore" style. Of course, they explained why the Singapore style is better. :) It was pretty amazing and Wyatt let out lots and lots of happy squeals. They do this every Saturday morning so I'm sure we'll be back.

The botanical gardens on Sunday

So Sunday we went to the Botanical Gardens which is in the heart of Singapore near several high end malls and most of the foreign embassies. But it was amazing inside as it felt like you left the city. The gardens were extensive and so well taken care of. There was a great children's garden that we took Wyatt to just in time for him to fall asleep. Which is ok because it was designed for kids a little older than him. There were tons of families there with kids and dogs. I saw the more dogs today than I've seen since arriving...so probably 10 dogs...very few people seem to have dogs as pets. It probably has something to do with apartment living. Anyway, I'm sure we'll be heading back there lots in the coming weeks. We spent no time in shopping malls this weekend which I think is a truly remarkable feat for Singapore.

Pulau Udin on Saturday

This weekend we went to the island Pulau Udin which is still part of Singapore but the antithesis of the mainland. There are less than 100 residents, all of whom live in wooden shacks with metal roofs. All electricity is run off of generators. But, they have very modern and extensive boardwalk through a wetlands area and then along the sea. We took the 15 minute bumboat ride to the island. Then we rented bikes and began to petal to the national park. Wyatt rode in a seat on daddy's bike and I hauled all our stuff in another basket. I was having a very Sound of Music moment. We walked the wetlands and saw tons of mangrove trees, mudskippers, and big and little crabs. Once we got back to town, we sat down for some Chinese food and watched the sea. Unfortunately, none of the Singapore beaches are terribly clean. They all have reminders of the disposable society we live in and are full all kinds of plastics. But the day was fantastic and Wyatt loved all of his new experiences, as did his parents.

Formula 1

So this weekend Singapore is hosting the Formula 1 night race. Ok, I really don't know anything about it except there are cars that look like play cars and they go really fast. But I am really excited about it because we'll have a view from our apartment. We'll have to crane our necks, but we can see part of the course. And its like a four day party on the streets below us. Tonight we went out for our usual after dinner walk and were greeted with a drummer and crazy acrobatic dancer. Wyatt watched intently. I better watch him more carefully tomorrow, as he may try to imitate the back flip.