Bintan Island, Indonesia

We spent Thanksgiving weekend on Bintan Island in Indonesia.  Bintan is a 50 minute ferry ride from Singapore and is a popular beach get away for people who live in Singapore.  The island is primarily a tourist destination.  When we arrived at the ferry terminal in Bintan, we purchased an on-the-spot visa, went through immigration and customs, and then took the hotel shuttle to the resort.  Upon arriving at the resort, we were greeted by traditional Indonesian dancers and musicians.  The girls were in awe of their dresses and loved watching them perform.

The resort we stayed at felt very much like being in Hawaii.  The beach was beautiful, there were palm trees everywhere, and the water was very, very warm (even warmer than Hawaii).

The beach had some nice sized waves and the kids loved body surfing and boogie boarding.  They also found many tiny shells in a tide pool, all which were inhabited by crabs.

One of their favorite things was ordering and eating their lunches in the pool.

Thanksgiving in Bintan, Indonesia

We had a very unique Thanksgiving this year that was full of many firsts for our family.

1) We spent Thanksgiving away from family, on a small Indonesian island called Bintan.

2) We swam in the South China Sea.

3) We did not have a turkey, or any traditional Thanksgiving food, but ate at a Japanese restaurant instead.

4) We all got sunburned (evidently we forgot that we were so close to the equator).

5) The girls sang American pop songs with an Indonesian band at the hotel.

This is a picture of the girls singing on stage with the band.  Emma said that this experience partly made up for not getting to be Chip in Beauty and the Beast!

Dumplings for all

We went back to Din Tai Fung tonight for dinner and the kids could not get enough of the pork dumplings.  After two baskets, of ten dumplings each, Kate still wanted more!  The kids also enjoyed watching the chefs make the dumplings.  We found out tonight that this is a chain restaurant and one is opening soon in Seattle.

We have been encouraging the kids to try new foods by giving them points for each new food that they try (I wish I could say I came up with this on my own).  Once they earn ten points, they can get an ice cream.  This has been super successful and the kids are trying most everything.  At breakfast this morning, Emma and I tried sweet potatoes in coconut milk....neither of us liked it!  Jeff is trying new things too and really seems to enjoy the Taiwan beer.  He is only two points away from earning an ice cream.

COE

Jeff has been getting a lot of his information about Singapore from the taxi drivers.  This past weekend we learned about how difficult and pricey it is to own a car here.  In order to purchase a car in Singapore you must first obtain a Certificate of Entitlement (COE).  This certificate can cost upwards of 45,000 Singapore dollars, which is about 34k US dollars.  This certificate only entitles you to purchase a car.  A midsize car will then cost you about 90,000 (70k USD) to 110,000 (85k USD) Singapore dollars.  The main point of this is to limit the number of cars.  Additionally, the certificate is only good for 10 years and then you must get another one!

We now know why public transportation is so easy and affordable here.  Since the majority of people living here do not own a car, it is imperative that public transportation be readily available and easily accessible to/from anywhere in the country.  Today the kids and I took the bus for the first time and we were very pleased.  First of all, it was only 70 cents to ride, secondly, we were able to use the same card we use for the MRT (no cash necessary), and most importantly, we ended up above ground and knew exactly how to get where we wanted (what a bonus that was).

Singapore Zoo

We visited the famous Singapore Zoo today, which was about a 25 minute taxi ride from our place.  This was the first time, since being here, that we left the city area and ventured out to where you can see the natural landscape of Singapore.  The property that the zoo is on is absolutely stunning.  The zoo surrounds a reservoir and we were able to take a boat ride along the edge of the zoo for a view of the natural surroundings.

Besides the impeccable grounds of the zoo, of note is that most of the animals are in very natural "like" habitats.  We spotted several monkeys in trees right above our heads and were fortunate enough to see a mom, with her baby holding on tight, climb right over our heads.

I included these pictures of the landscape of the zoo, rather than bore people with more animal photos, because this is what makes this zoo so amazing.  We would definitely visit the zoo again, but not on a weekend as it was extremely crowded!

Rookie move number 1:  We visited the zoo without umbrellas during the rainy season and thus had to purchase five wonderful rain ponchos.  When we heard the thunder, we knew we were in trouble, as rain does not come down lightly in Singapore.  I am not kidding when I say that we were getting stares from the locals as the five of us walked around the park with these ponchos!

Christmas Lights on Orchard Road

We got our first glimpse of the Christmas lights on Orchard tonight.  It is a spectacular sight!

Pinocchio

The executive of our serviced apartments organized an outing to see a production of Pinocchio at the Singapore Repertory Theater today.  We received the royal treatment on this outing as it included transportation (on a luxury bus), complimentary tickets to the show, and dessert afterwards at a local cafe.

Kate and Jake enjoyed the ride!

The brochure about the musical advertised this production as, "The heart-warming musical with an asian twist".  We were not sure what to expect, but were thrilled with their adaptation of Pinocchio.  It was different from any production we had seen before and the quality of the actors was outstanding.  The asian twist was wonderful and made it feel like a cultural experience as well.

Jeff and Kate are smiling after having enjoyed the chocolate desserts from the Laurent Cafe and Chocolate Bar.

Jeff was equally happy checking out the upscale Whisky shop next to the chocolate shop!

Emma's birthday and Google

Emma turned nine today and was happy to spend part of her birthday at the Singapore Google "bring you child to work day" event.  It was great to see where Jeff will be working for the next six months and to have met some of the people that he will be working with. The Google office is fairly small here, only 3 floors of a 38 story building, and Jeff works on the 33rd floor.  There are spectacular views of the freighters and shipping containers from his office.

The Google event was great, and because it is so much smaller than the Mountain View campus, it was much more intimate.  They had many fun things for the kids to do including;  face painting, balloon animals, crafts, food, and an ice cream bar.  Emma got so full after her sundae that she declared she was too full to go out to dinner for her birthday.

An "ice cream" dream come true.

Jake went a "little" glitter crazy with the art project.

Jake's glitter dance!

Emma wanted a word written in Chinese for her painting.

The balloon princess was almost as big as Kate.

The entire party was held in this large room, which is actually the Google dining room on a regular day.

More observations

Every day we learn more things about the people and the culture in Singapore.  The kids are especially observant and ask a lot of questions about things that are different to them. Here are some things that we have noticed:

1.  People drive on the opposite side of the street, and, therefore their steering wheels are on the other side of the car.  This is very confusing when you are riding in a taxi.  It often feels like you are going the wrong way and are going to get into an accident.  This is also confusing as a pedestrian because we never know which way to look before crossing a street.

2.  Taxi drivers seem to make their own driving lanes.  They often drive in the middle of two lanes and pass when there doesn't seem to be enough room.  It is surprising that we have not seen an accident yet.

3.  Taxi drivers are all Singaporean.

4.  There are a lot of smokers here.

5.  Orchard Road, which is the main shopping area, is ALWAYS busy with lots of people and cars.  The "hustle and bustle" feels a lot like New York City (which is super fun).

6.  They have been putting up Christmas decorations, lights, and trees on Orchard Road since we arrived here at the beginning of November.  We can't wait to see the finished product.

The kids were watching previews of MegaMind on this big screen.  This reminds me of Times Square in NYC.

Errands are fun!

I am pleasantly surprised the errands that used to feel burdensome at home have now turned into mini-adventures (I wonder how long this will last?).  In the past two days, I have been to the grocery store, post office, and the doctor's office.  All of these trips entailed figuring out where to go and what form of transport would be best: bus, taxi, or MRT. Today it took us a good hour to get to the post office that was probably only 10 minutes away if we could have driven there and parked in front.  Instead, we took the MRT, navigated through the mall, successfully crossed the street underground (thanks to Emma), and found the post office after asking only three people!  The kids walked the whole time, didn't complain, and successfully mailed their letters.

There are two different mailboxes:  one labeled for Singapore mailings and one labeled Other Countries.

Quiet Day

We had a quiet day at our apartment today.  We did schoolwork in the morning, went swimming in the early afternoon, and watched the late afternoon thunder storm from our windows.  We are pleasantly surprised at how easily we have fallen into a routine here and how we have made it feel like home.  Although our surroundings have changed, our day to day interactions with each other have not.  Our days are not without ups and downs, but they were no different at home in LG.

Emma at her desk doing schoolwork.

Kate doing schoolwork at her desk (aka: the kitchen table).

Jake doing his schoolwork at the computer.

Singapore River bumboat ride

Today the kids and I went on a 30 minute boat ride on the Singapore River.  The boat ride takes you through Clarke Quay, Boat Quay, and into the Marina bay.  A few decades ago, bumboats carried cargo and people up this river.  The business district surrounds the river and both Clarke and Boat Quay are now lined with restaurants and bars.  From the boat, we were able to see several of the major landmarks in Singapore, including one of the merlion statues, which is the logo and mascot for Singapore.

These frogs and eels were on display for lunch at one of the restaurants in Boat Quay.

The kids loved trying things on at one of the local shops and really wanted to buy something!

This is a picture of the new Marina Bay Sands Resort.  The top is shaped like a boat and it has an infinity pool on top.  There is a casino inside and the views from the top are supposed to be amazing!