I'd like to teach the world to Singapore ...

Our little jaunt to super modern, multicultural, superbly organized Singapore has give us so many beautiful memories - from the gorgeous dark skinned women in bustling Little India dressed in their exquisitely detailed jewel bright saris to a three legged clouded leopard at the Night Safari gazing at me with big pleading eyes just like Puss in Boots. So much family fun - Isaac in the Plaza Singapura food court after an hour, still clutching his money and looking desperately hungry but unable to choose his lunch; Me at the zoo holding up my left hand saying "I may not have a great sense of direction but I think we want to go right." (even funnier because we did actually have to go right, but not the right I was pointing to). Food, glorious food including McDonalds! And a trip to Singapore is better than a gym membership - we racked up a few kilometers worth of walking between MRT train stops, up and down staircases to avoid the crush boarding the escalators and through mega indoor air-conditioned shopping malls - a large percentage of which are underground. In just 4 days we had one of our most enjoyable family holidays ever!


Sentosa Island felt like Singapore's answer to the Gold Coast of Australia and it runs like clockwork with free buses/trams driving around the main circuit and clear signage. Of the extensive list of theme parks and activities available we joined the photographically armed throng at the world's largest aquarium (several times the size of Kelly Tarlton's) then harnessed up at MegaZip Adventure park http://www.megazip.com.sg as featured on our favourite tv show, THE AMAZING RACE!! This had been on our "to do in Asia" list ever since Phil first got the offer to move to Vietnam. My kids only real challenge on the ropes course was waiting for all the less agile and fearless Australians to get through (or be rescued from) the frighteningly high obstacles. Zipping all the way down to the beach outpost over lush green forest, smooth white sand and sparkling blue water was enough of a thrill for me! The round trip cable car ride was a much needed relaxing break before returning to our comfy hostel to meet up with Phil, who had been at a work conference, the excuse for us all to be in Singapore.

Breakfast with orangutans (the orange ones behind us)

Of Singapore's four big wild life parks, the Night Safari, the zoo, the bird park and a river safari, we went to the first 2. They were both breathtakingly brilliant, featuring some trained animals (my flippers down favourite was Phillip the sea lion) and plenty of happy well cared for wild ones in big natural looking enclosures, many of which we could walk right into.We got really really close to bats, a flying squirrel we had been craning our necks to watch for a while nearly landed on my head much to my family's amusement and a pretty green bird with an orange beak took great enjoyment in making me and the group of 10 tourists behind me dive for cover. A lemur moved it, moved it around me to fly up a post I was standing next to and perch inches from my face - I've never been so close to heaps of different exotic critters and I will never forget the experience.

Phillip, performing like a trained seal at the zoo.