Fireworks, Singapore Night Safari, Gardens by the Bay, Marina Bay Sands and 10,000 steps a day!

I have had a hard time finding moments to blog, but now that we are on our flight to Chiang Mai, I have a couple uninterrupted hours. To say we have walked many miles is an understatement. Thanks to my Fit Bit, I can officially say we have done at least 10,000 steps and 5 miles a day! At this rate I should need a totally new wardrobe by the time I get home (wishful thinking I know). We have mastered the art of the MRT (subway system), taxi queues and walking on the opposite side of the sidewalk and stairs( you always veer left instead of right). With the help of Virgie watching the kids, Matt Jen and I were able to enjoy a head/neck massage and reflexology and adults only lunch! I sure do feel pampered. To say the kids love Virgie is an understatement. She is a special part of the family and we got to celebrate her birthday the other day. 

Saturday Highlights 

I enjoyed my first hawker center food experience with Dave. We got butter chicken, lime juice and soursop juice to try some local fares. It is basically an outdoor food court where stalls are rented by the cooks. You can get everything from eel to fruit! Dave went easy on me this time but he was happy to see me be adventurous with the food. 

Singapore is turning 50 on August 9th so to get ready, they are having firework and air show practices each weekend. We took the kids to the marina area on the MRT to see the show. We enjoyed dinner at their favorite pizza place as well.  

Sunday Highlights

Jen and I went shopping on Orchard for some groceries. To give you perspective on prices, a pound of bacon is $17.95 Sing so around$15.00 US. Needless to say, we skipped the bacon! That night we went to the Singapore Night Safari. This is a walking zoo that is only open at night to see nocturnal animals in action. We loved the flying bats (sort of), barking otters, but mostly loved the fact that David got called up on stage at the Creatures of the Night show! We are finding that being some of the few Americans in places makes us stand out a little and get some extra attention. David was chosen to feed a binturong grapes from his hand. Allison was very proud to be our safari leader that night. 

Monday Highlights 

David already wrote about Little India but I will recap a bit. We went on a guided tour that Jen arranged with Pooja. We were given a great explanation of the Hindu practices and visited two temples. We all had a few extra blessings, and even enjoyed some blessed raisins and lunch snack prepared by the priests and locals. We then went walking around some of the shops where the kids each got a henna tattoo and the girls bought toe rings. We were spoiled to come home to another fabulous dinner prepared by Virgie. I already have a list of recipes to bring back with me.  The kids are loving everything she cooks. 

Tuesday Highlights

Another UNBELIEVABLE day in Singapore. We took the kids to Sentosa to visit the butterfly garden that was top on Matt's list. Team Gocek didn't even know it existed! Sentosa is an island right off of Singapore that we took a maxi taxi to. The butterfly garden was amazing. We got to hold just hatched butterflies. They loved landing on the kids heads and even my camera. We then did a favorite activity of the area and went luging down the hill. It was fantastic! That night the parents had a treat to go to the American club for some cocktails and Tiger Tuesday. Singapore is very proud of their local brew, Tiger Beer.

Wednesday Highlights

We got our +10,000 steps in easily today.  We finally spent some time in their pool.  After Dave got home from work, we ventured out to Gardens by the Bay to see the signature super trees light show. It was amazing and beautiful. The lights are coreographed to music and leave you feeling so inspired! We then walked over to the iconic Marina Bay Sands Hotel to enjoy a Singapore Sling, the official cocktail of Singapore. The hotel was designed to look like a cruise ship on top of three towers. We enjoyed a breathtaking view of the skyline. 

Thursday Highlights 

Who would have known that today is Singapore's national friendship day? While we waited for our flight at the airport to head to Thailand, the kids made pledges of friendship to each other. It was really cute and sweet. The airport employees who were running  the friendship program even wanted their pictures taken with the "beautiful American kids". 

Hopefully this catches you up on our adventures. We will check in soon from Chiang Mai!