Trip to Singapore

Eric and I took a trip to Singapore to visit his sister Jenn, brother in law Toby, and our nieces Elyse and Anastasia.  We went for 8 days total.  It takes 30 hours of travel to get there.  It was more travel than either of us have ever done.  We arrived at 1:00 am on Saturday morning.  Here are some pictures from our trip:

First Jenn took us for a tour around the neighborhood while Anastasia took a nap.  This is a picture of  durian fruit which they eat a lot in Singapore.  It is very stinky so needless to say we weren't interested in eating any.  It is a pretty cool looking fruit though.

Playground near their house

 

When we got back from our walk we took a cab over to the Singapore Flyer.  It is like a giant ferris wheel.

This is one of the individual pods that you ride around in.  It was so much fun because we were able to get a great view of Singapore.  Jenn and Toby pointed out a bunch of things that we went to see later in the week.

Riding the Singapore flyer with Elyse

Going up to the top

Jenn and Anastasia on the flyer

Eric and I with a  great view of Singapore in the background

After the flyer we stopped for some Gelato

Walking by the water at the bottom of the Singapore flyer

On Sunday we went with Jenn and Toby to church and then went out to lunch.  After lunch Jenn and Toby took the kids home and Eric and I walked up and down Orchard street, which is the downtown area.

Here is a picture of the amazing pool that is in Jenn and Toby's complex

Later that evening Jenn and Toby got a babysitter for the kids and we went out on the town.  We took the MRT down to the Boat/Clarke Quey area.  

Here we are down by the water

Then we walked over to the Merlion (half mermaid half lion) statue.  It is usually out in the open but recently an artist came and put the Merlion head in a large room and turned it into a hotel room that people can use for a night.  Here is a picture of Jenn and Toby standing by the Merlion head.

This is a picture of the Marina Bay Sands Hotel and Casino.  It is an amazing building.

After dinner we took a boat cruise down the river and saw Singapore at night.  The whole city is beautifully lit up.

On Monday we took a trip to Sentosa which is a little island off of Singapore.  It is  a beautiful island which a lot of beaches and many activities.  

Elyse and I by the Sentosa sign

Eric, Toby, and Elyse at the beach

Lunch break 

Then we went and did the "luge" which is like doing an alpine slide.  Here is a view from the lift we took up.

Jenn, Elyse, and Eric ready to go up to do the luge

Elyse and I riding down the luge.  It was a lot of fun.

Tuesday morning Eric and I went for a run around the lake by their house.  On our way back it started to down pore and Eric and I got stuck in the rain.  Since it is so hot in Singapore the rain was actually very refreshing.  Here is a picture of how wet we got.

Once the rain stopped Jenn took us for a tour of China town.  Here is a picture of one of the temples that we toured.

Elyse, Jenn, and Anastasia at another temple

One of the streets in China Town.  We also took a tour of the China Town Heritage Center which walked us through the evolution of Singapore.  It was very interesing.  

On Wednesday Jenn took us to the Southern Ridges Walk.  This is a picture of us doing the forest walk.  We saw a few wild monkeys too.

Next we walked on the Henderson Waves bridge.  

Here is a view of the bridge from the ground.  The bridge was very unique and it was a very fun walk.

When we got back from our walk Eric took Elyse swimming in their pool.

That night Eric and I went to the top of the Marina Bay Sands Hotel (picture of the building earlier in the post)  There were spectacular views of Singapore from the top of the hotel.  After we went to the top we checked out the Casino.  You need a passport to get in to the casino for free.  If you are a Singaporian you have to pay $100 to get in.  The government doesn't want its citizens getting addicted to gambling.

Another picture of us at the top

Then we stopped at a bar in the hotel to get a drink.  Eric ordered a "Singapore Sling"

That night Toby watched the girls and Jenn met up with us for dinner and a place called Chimes.  It is a beautiful place with a bunch of different restaurants

Here is a picture of the building

Eating dinner with Jenn

On Thursday we took Elyse to the Science Center and then we went to lunch.  It was very fun watching her run all over the Science Center.  She was so excited to show us everything.  She is such a fun little girl.  (We took pictures but I am having trouble getting them to load)

Later that night after the girls were in bed Eric and Toby made a drink:

Eric and Toby having "Black and Tans" together

There are many more pictures but these are just some of the highlights.  Eric and I had a wonderful time in Singapore.  It was great to get to see another part of the world.  We are so happy that we were able to visit the Harkless family and that we were able to see what their life is like in Singapore.