February, Mom's Visit, Singapore, and Bonsai Trees!

Happy February, Everyone!  Happy Valentine’s Day, Happy Chinese New Year, Happy Presidents’ Day, Happy Snow…and frigid temperature…Day(s) (for our friends up north), and just Happy Day overall!  

Our February Selfie.  This is at the Ayala Museum of Modern Art in Greenbelt 3.  Bonsai trees were on display outside the building.

It is amazing how fast time has been moving since we came back from our Christmas holiday.  We can’t believe we have been back for six weeks already, and we talk about it often!  We have been busy with some company and planning our last few experiences before time runs out, and we have to come back home.  We are both looking forward to heading home and spending time catching up with family and friends.  It’s been far too long since we have seen some of you!!  We are also anxious to start our home search.  We have had a lot of time to talk about our must-have list and our can-do-without list.  It will be such an exciting time!  

Anyway…back to the present…  My mom was here visiting this month.  She stayed for two full weeks, but it went by so fast that it felt like a blink of an eye.  She arrived on a Wednesday night, and on Thursday we were out exploring the city.  She loves our park as much as we do!  We picked up a few groceries at our local grocery store.  She was appalled that we have to pay more than $14 for a gallon of milk.  We had pedis down the street at a place called Nail It (my first since before I left for the Philippines last summer), and we made dinner at home so she could transition to Filipino time gradually.  It’s definitely not a quick and easy switch!  Over the weekend we took her to a lot of our favorite places, and we found a couple of new things we had never seen before.  It was so much fun having her here!  We had pork belly adobo and lumpia for lunch one day (a Filipino staple), we had eggplant moussaka at one of our favorite restaurants, and we went to the Mall of Asia and ate at a Japanese restaurant while overlooking the bay.  We went to both the Saturday and Sunday outdoor markets where we had Japanese doughnuts, freshly grilled tilapia, dalandan juice (our favorite new find since we’ve been here), pork skewers, and flan for dessert.  Can’t beat the flan from the markets!!  We stopped by another park that Eric and I don’t visit very often, and we found a Wishing Stone.  We wet our skinny tree branches and wrote our wishes on the stone in hope they would soon come true!  Of course, we also visited Solaire, one of the local Manila casinos near the Mall of Asia, for a few hours, too. 

Wish Stone in the "Tree Park"

You pick up a branch from the ground and dip it in the reservoir of water to write your wish.  It was kind of like being in a fairy tale for a few minutes.  :)

On Monday bright and early, we headed to the airport and boarded a JetStar flight for Singapore.  Unfortunately, Eric could not go with us.  He had to work and couldn’t take time off so close to our return from Christmas.  Boo.  We arrived in Singapore in the late afternoon and took a cab to our hotel, Hotel Nostalgia.  It’s a boutique hotel, which means it doesn’t have a lot of rooms, but it should also refer to the size of the rooms. TINY!  Think of the size of an interior stateroom on a cruise ship.  That tiny.  But that is the only negative thing we can say about our stay there.  The staff was so friendly and helpful.  We wanted for nothing.  It was a terrific experience!  We walked down the block a little ways after we checked in to our hotel to find something for dinner, and we found several outdoor restaurants.  We had spicy chicken and chili and some kind of noodle dish with prawns.  Both were delicious; however, the menu should have read “if you’re not used to spicy food here in Singapore, this will burn your face off”.  We were troopers and ate as much as we could with eyes watering and sweat pouring.  The noodle dish was just right.  We checked out ResortsWorld after dinner, a mega resort with everything you can imagine including a giant candy store, a floating stage, a giant merlion (I’ll get to that later), and of course a casino.  The next day we were up bright and early for a city tour.  We went through little India and witnessed a once/year Hindu festival called Thaipusam that only takes place in Singapore.  It was truly surreal to witness such an important event in the lives of these people.  They carried milkpots on their heads, or their bodies and/or tongues were pierced with hooks, some pulled carts with chains attached to the hooks, some wore giant, heavy headdresses, all to give their thanks to the gods for the blessings they sought.   They walked miles from temple to temple, barefoot, while carrying/pulling these heavy items.  Their friends and family gathered to keep their spirits high, and many stopped to dance and laugh with people on the street.  It was incredible.

The sign that greeted us at the airport.  The city is truly full of gardens and flowers.

Road near our hotel.

Hotel Nostalgia.  There was a Gelato place right down the block, too.  :)

This is where we ate our first meal in Singapore - Burn your face off chicken.

Decorations for Chinese New Year, the Year of the Sheep, Goat, Ram (all the same we learned).

Mom and me in front of the Marina Bay Sands Hotel and Resort and a Supertree.

All of those chains from the head carriage are connected to hooks that are piercing his body.  everything balances based on these hooks in his skin.  the head carriage was made by him and his family, and it's very heavy.

Hooks in his back as well.

People also carried milkpots.

After little India, we stopped in Chinatown where preparations were happening for Chinese New Year (aka Lunar New Year).  The streets were decorated with this year’s decoration, the coin.  In times long ago, before coin purses, wallets, and pockets, coins had holes in the middle and people carried them on a string.  This image of the coin with the hole in it is all over Chinatown.  This year is The Year of the Sheep (ram, or goat). Chinese New Year is on February 19^th this year, but the celebrations take place for the two weeks prior.  We learned so much about this celebration during our trip as Singapore is 70% Chinese.  We traveled through the financial district, visited Merlion Park, and traipsed through the botanical gardens and the National Orchid Garden.  The symbol of Singapore is the Merlion, half fish because of its origin as a fishing village (and it is currently still a bustling port) and half lion to represent the original name of the city – Singapura – Lion City.  There are five “authorized” Merlion statues throughout Singapore, and we saw four of them. It was an awesome (and tiring) day.  We ate our lunch at local hawker stands behind our hotel.  Hainanese chicken rice is the local staple.

Chinatown at night.

This is one of the side streets lined with people selling decorations and souvenirs for Chinese New Year.

2015 official decoration - the coin.

Iconic Merlion statue and Marina Bay Sands Hotel.  Merlion Park.

Singapore Flyer Ferris Wheel behind us.

Merlion!!

Chicken Curry and Rice

There must be at least 50 food stalls in this area.  It smelled delicious!  We both ate lunch for less than $6 total here.

On the first floor of the food hawker building were flowers and plants for sale.  They were all beautiful.

Lots of decorations for Chinese New Year, too.

Part of the Botanical Gardens

This trail leads to one of many "cool houses" where you can relax out of the heat.

This was my favorite orchid of the day.  I wish I could remember the name of it!!

The entire place was beautiful!

We headed out to Marina Bay for the evening and checked out the Cloud Forest, Super Trees, Gardens by the Bay, and several other areas.  Although Chinese and Indian people have lived in Singapore for a thousand years or more, and the British arrived in the 1700’s with Sir Stamford Raffles at the helm, Singapore feels like a young city.  So much of the history here has been torn down to make room for a modern tourist industry.  It’s beautiful, but it’s really kind of sad, too.  In the 1980’s, the government finally put a moratorium on tearing down old buildings, so a few do remain.  The government controls everything here, as well.  About 80% of the people in Singapore live in what they call ‘public housing’.  It is owned by the government and leased for $200,000-$300,000.  Leases last for 99 years.  Only about 20% of the residents here live in private housing…the wealthiest.  Because there is no room to build more roads in Singapore, it is very difficult to buy a car.  You must first bid on a certificate for the permission to purchase a car.  The government only accepts a certain number of bids each month starting with the highest and working down.  Whatever the cheapest bid in that segment is, is what each person pays.  In January anyone who wanted to purchase a car had to pay $60,000 SD (Singapore Dollars are about 75% of American dollars) to buy a certificate.  This is just the permission to buy.  The car price is added to that!  Gum chewing is illegal in Singapore.  So is littering, jaywalking, and stopping in a crosswalk.  The laws are strict, and people don’t seem to break them often.  Crime is virtually non-existent here.  We were told that Singapore is the safest country in the world.  We could be out at 2AM, and no one would bother us.  We felt very safe everywhere we went.  We rode the MRT late at night and never felt anything but safe.  It’s great for tourists!  I’m not sure I would want to live here, though.

This is Marina Bay Sands Hotel.  It is built to look like a boat on top.  There is an infinity pool for hotel guests up there as well.  Our cab driver told us it costs about $2,000 SD for one night at this hotel. There is also the SkyBar at the top.  You can pay $20/pp to go to the top and view the city.  There is also a restaurant at the top.  However, if it is rainy or windy, the top floor is closed.

These are the Supertrees at the Gardens by the Bay.  There is a walkway that connects them all at the top.  You can walk the 360 degree trail at the top if it is not raining or windy.  The Supertrees are pretty impressive to look at, but they serve a purpose, too.  They suck in warm air from the bottom and expel it through their tops to keep the gardens' eco balance.  Their outside layers are covered with lush grasses, flowers, and moss, and they light up at night.

This baby sculpture in the Gardens by the Bay is called Planet.  I wish I knew more about this one; I'll have to do some reading to understand why it is here.  We found it to be a little strange...

Bottom floor of the Cloud Forest.  We took the elevator to the top and walked down through each level to see different  types of vegetation.  There is also a Flower Dome, but it was closed for maintenance the day we were there.

Top of the Cloud Forest walkway.

 There was a wedding going on while we were there!

 Scenes made of flowers and plants.

Guarding the gardens!

Singapore Flyer.  Before the new one was built in Vegas a few years ago, this was the highest Ferris wheel in the world.  The cars are egg-shaped, and they are completely enclosed.

On Wedensday we were tired.  We slept in and got a late start to the day.  That was okay, though, because it rained quite heavily that morning.  We took a cab up to Faber Peak, the highest point in the city, and took a cable car over a busy road, through a building, over a river, over a resort, and on to the island of Sentosa.  It was very cool!  I can’t believe my mom rode.  If you know her, you know she is not a fan of heights…or water.  So for her to ride in a cable car as our transportation was a feat in itself!!  I have pictures….of eyes closed and hands gripping the seat….but I didn’t post them.  You're welcome, Mom. :)  While on Sentosa Island, we ate some Thai food, saw another Merlion, saw a floating stage, tons of restaurants, the bay, many beautiful hotels and shops, and lots of people.  There is a Universal Studios there as well, and a Madame Tussaud’s Wax Museum.  It’s quite a resort area.  We spent most of the day here, then we took the cable car back to the MRT station and headed to Chinatown again.  We eventually took a cab home from Chinatown and collapsed into bed.

Cable car at the top of Mount Faber.

This sign details where the cable car goes.

There is a cable car behind us, but the picture has a bit of a glare.  Can you see it?

In the cable car and ready to go!  We had a batman themed car.  You can have wine and cheese or you can have a full 6-course dinner complete with a butler.  Lots of options for the cable cars.  We just bought the round-trip ticket to Sentosa Island.

One of the resorts on Sentosa Island that the cable car goes over.

 Views from our cable car.

 View from our cable car.

 Panoramic from our cable car.

Thai lunch!  And a Lime Cooler. 

This is a well-known Chinese New Year dish that the restaurant was demonstrating.  It's made up of mostly radishes.  Carrots on top.  The radishes around the outside are dyed with food coloring.  There is also green mango, nuts, and a few other things I didn't know.  Each one of the small piles on the outside represent something for the new year such as prosperity, luck, health, etc.

Part of ResortsWorld

ResortsWorld fountain.

The largest Merlion in Singapore!

Me and Mer.

Year of the Goat, Sheep, Ram decorations.  These were everywhere!

Colorful merlion on Sentosa Island

More Chinese new year decorations on Sentosa Island on our way the biggest Merlion in Singapore.

On our last day, we decided to head to the airport early.  Singapore is rated Best Airport in the World, so we wanted to check it out before we boarded our flight back to Manila.  The airport boasts a butterfly garden, a movie theater, a sunflower garden, tons of restaurants and shops, a swimming pool, an enchanted garden, and a whole host of wide, bright corridors.  It’s modern and beautiful.  We took the tram to all three terminals (they are currently building a fourth), and we were amazed at every turn.  There are ‘kinetic rain’ sculptures throughout the terminals and tons of shops.  It was a very memorable experience.  They also offer free tours for people with long layovers.  They will take you through customs and immigration, put you on a tram, and take you on a tour of the city for a couple of hours.  They will then bring you back in time for your flight.  Completely free.  And tipping is almost unheard of in Singapore (there are a couple of exceptions in hotels such as bellhops).  There is free wifi, and there are free internet stations along with charging/docking stations for your gadgets all over the airport.  There are lounge areas with big screen tvs and smaller areas for families to gather alone.  It is really quite an airport.  We were very impressed!

Butterfly Garden at Changi Airport.

These are all over the airport, too, and they are free.  Just sit and let it massage your legs and feet.  I didn't last long, though, because it HURT!!!!

Orchids

Plants and flowers everywhere throughout the airport.

Secret garden in the airport.

Sunflower garden on the rooftop!

See the planes in the background?

We arrived back in Manila on Thursday night.  On Friday we went to our favorite Japanese restaurant and on Saturday we hit our favorite Indian place.  We ate a lot of great food!  Saturday morning Eric and I went to the Ayala Art Festival while Mom recuperated a little.  On Sunday we went to City of Dreams casino and resort, the newest casino in Manila which just opened in December.  Mom and I stayed at the Hyatt overnight, while Eric had to head back to Makati to go to work on Monday.  On Tuesday we all went to one of our favorite restaurants right next to our apartment building, The Flying Pan, and we had the best fish fry I have had since I lived in New York.  Wednesday morning, we put my mom in a cab and sent her off for her long journey back home.  She went from Manila to Tokyo to Minneapolis to Dallas.  Everything was on time, and she actually arrived home a little early where she is still recuperating today!!  It was so wonderful having her here!  We all had a fabulous time!  To all of the women I know: if you're still lucky enough to have your mom around...or stepmom...or a mother figure....or a sister...take a few days and go on a trip together.  Just the two of you.  Go somewhere neither of you has ever been before and let yourselves go where the wind blows you...whether it's across the world or the next county over.  Stay up late talking, eat good food, laugh, act silly, sleep in, drink wine, take pictures, and just enjoy the company while making memories.  My mom and I highly recommend it!  This truly was a wonderful experience to share.

Ayala Art Festival 2015.  This was an entire exhibit devoted to Alice in Wonderland.  I think it was our favorite section.  Everything was made of mixed metals.

Book Art....

We loved the eyes on this painting.  So detailed.

 City of Dreams Casino

City of Dreams Casino Entrance

One of my husband's many talents.  :)

Our lunch at the Society Cafe at City of Dreams

On Saturday Eric and I went to the Ayala Museum here in Makati and saw lots of gold pieces that were recently found throughout the Philippines on archeological digs.  Most of them date back to the 13^th and 14^th centuries.  There was also a special showing of work by Legaspi, the Philippines’s national artist.  Bonsai trees were also on display for a short time.  We are so glad we went when we did, because by Monday, the Bonsai trees were gone.

 One more selfie...  :)

Bonsai Trees and Koi

Just a cool Bonsai Tree.

Bonsai tree with Makati in the background.

And some mini-bonsais.

It has been a wonderful, awe-inspiring journey so far here in Southeast Asia.  It’s hard to believe it is coming to an end so soon.  I will be heading home in about a month to take on a long-term sub position in Frisco ISD, look for a job for the fall, and find us a place to live temporarily while we search for a house.  Eric will head home in May.  We are so thankful for this opportunity to start our lives together as a married couple, but we are both ready to head home and get started on our forever-lives!!  We miss our friends and families tremendously!

We also went to Slappy Cakes one more time!  :)

Until Next Time,

Eric and Kim :)