Paradise!

Michelle does know how lucky she is to be relaxing half way around the world on a hammock in Bintan, Indonesia.

Bintan, Indonesia

Michelle and I found it hard to comprehend that we were actually in Indonesia swimming in the South China Sea, living in a Cabana, riding Sumatran elephants and relaxing by the pool together! We had a great time in Bintan and did not want it to end!

Thai Dinner

Michelle wanted to take a Thai cooking class while she was here in S'pore but we ran out of time so we did our own class in my kitchen. Michelle is quite the chef because the food turned out perfect!

Michelle and Madame!

Michelle is finally here! I feel we have been planning her trip for ages. She is perfect company for me while Travis is busy with work and traveling. Next week we are headed to Bintan, Indonesia. I was just there last week but it was so great, safe and easy we thought it would be a nice side trip!

After the storm!

My First Nutty Guests!

Here are my first guests, Michelle and Danielle, in the new apartment and they are crazy!!!! We have been having a great time shopping, swimming and playing dress up. Included above is a midnight swim at Cindy's (Danielle's French teacher) in a rain storm, trying on S'pore batik at the duty free shop, British high tea, and modeling our new clothes. Stay tuned for more crazy adventures!

Bintan, Indonesia

This is after we were all a little sunburned but could not drag ourselves off the beach. We took a jetski tour around the island and we all managed to get stuck in the sea weed! That left us in the sun longer than we should have been and down here on the equator all you need is about 30 minutes before you start seeing pink!

Bintan, Indonesia

Last weekend Travis and I spent at a near by resort in Indonesia with some friends. It is where all of the Singaporeans and Singapore Expats go for a quick getaway. It has beautiful beaches and the softest white sand I have ever felt, it feels like flour! It is only a one hour ferry ride away. I am sure we will be going back soon!

For those of you who have been worried about me not having enough to do...

Below are a few of the things I have been doing to keep me busy. This was Sangria night, a girls night out! Here in Singapore expat wives are home alone most of the time. So we have to find things to do with our free time. It is not hard to do with all of the associations in Singapore. Now I am finding I have too much to do and an overbooking myself. It is great!

Chinese Tradition

These objects can be found at Chinese temples and have to do with answers to prayer. The half moon shaped carvings are dropped on the ground to give either a yes, no or don't ask type answer depending on how they land. The sticks in the vases give a more complex answer. The person with the question must shake the vase at an angle and eventually one of the sticks will fall to the ground. Each stick has a number that correlates to a slip of paper in a case. These papers have complicated answers to their prayer which they must interpret themselves.

This picture should follow the one below, it was part of the tour!

Tanjong Pagar- City Tour

This was a tour of an older section of Singapore that I was able to take with some of the women in the American Women's Association. We visited a Muslim temple (yellow above) where they have a direct descendant of Mohamed buried and two Chinese temples. At the second Chinese temple we saw a ghost wedding. Here are some details our guide provided during the ceremony. The weddings are for people who have died before marrying age. For example, if a child dies at 5 then they believe that it is possible for that person to grow up in a realm similar to purgatory but for them they are waiting for their reincarnation. In that time they might meet a person and fall in love so then when they become an acceptable age to marry they would visit their parents in a dream to ask for their blessing. The parents who were visited would find the other child's parents and tell them of their dream. They would then decide together whether it is a suitable match. The wedding ceremony is similar to any Chinese wedding with lots of food and all of the same traditions. I would have liked to take pictures to show all of the food they had for no one to eat and everything else but it is not allowed because it is bad luck for the dead to be captured on film! Very interesting experience!

Vanda Miss Joaquim- S'pore's National Flower

Thai Cooking Class

This Thai cooking class was a great experience for me. The 12 of us ladies from the AWA met our teacher and guide at the Thai market where we had a tour and bought the ingredients for the class. Then we went back to our hosts house and had our class. We learned how to make glass noodle salad, tom yom soup and green curry (my favorite!). Lunch was wonderful!

Mangosteen

The mangosteen just came into season and is all the buzz here in SE Asia. I had a chance to taste it on one of my city tours and it is actually pretty good. Mangosteen is known as the “Queen of Fruits”. Its origin is in Southeast Asia, on the Malay Archipelago. Mangosteen is one of the most widely recognized tropical fruits and is known universally because of its unique color, shape, flavor and many nutrients.

Our Safari in Singapore!

This zoo is incredible! Travis and I spent last Saturday out in the jungle at the Singapore Zoo and were very impressed. It is an open concept zoo where the habitats are large and open and the boundaries are natural. There are even orangutans that roam free through the tree tops in the zoo! We have tickets to the night safari at the zoo which is supposed to be great but I am afraid I will not be able to take many pictures to share with you since it will be at night!

In the Orchid Garden at the Zoo.

White Tiger

It was feeding time for the White Tigers at the Zoo which was the perfect time to see them because they were up and active waiting for their dinner! We learned that White Tigers are all inbred and the last wild White Tiger was recently captured and given to the Maharaja in India. Now White Tigers are only bred in captivity. They are impressive animals. You all need to come and see this amazing zoo!

Chinese New Year Party

We blend right in, n'est-ce pas?

CNY Toss of Fortune

This is a traditional salad toss that started here in Singapore. It is called Toss of Fortune because it is supposed to bring good fortune to who ever participates. So most all businesses here have a Toss of Fortune lunch outing to bring good fortune to the company. Travis took part in a salad toss 3 times because of business outings! I was glad to get the opportunity to see and participate in the salad toss at this CNY party. What happens is all the guests stand around and watch the host put each ingredient on the salad while the host states the meaning of each, all having to do with different aspects of fortune. Then we all gather around the salad and toss (mix) it with our chop sticks. It was really fun to take part in such a different tradition! The salad even tastes good!

Decorations and Outfits!

As you can see they use and wear a lot of red during the Chinese New Year. The celebration lasts for 15 days and is a time for people to get together with all their family and friends. Most people are really busy during this time having parties and going to them. In talking to friends at this party we learned that CNY is the only time of year they see most of the people they visit. Even on this small island! It reminded me of a Christmas party with all the goodies, the large traditional lunch we ate and all of the family and friends.