Sentosa Island; Part 2 - The Merlion Walk

After the rides on the luge we had worked up a bit of an appetite, so off we went in search of somewhere to eat close by. Unfortunately, with 8 people involved in different ages, it was not so easy to find something (and quickly, as some were very hungry!) that would appeal to everyone. Solution: KFC...
Not so very culinary, but hey!

Well fed, we went to check out the big statue of the Merlion.





Lucas saw some people in the mouth of the statue and desperately wanted to get up there too, but we thought we had had enough of nice views for one day and did the Merlion Walk instead.





This mosaic walkway reminded me a bit of Park Güell in Barcelona. It was really beautiful.









Even though you weren't actually allowed to go in the water, somehow our kids managed to get themselves soaking wet, of course...





And at the end of the Merlion Walk, we ended up at the beach and had some New Zealand Natural Ice Cream - yum! Well deserved and a very nice treat!

Sentosa Island; Part 1 - The Luge

Our main excursion this time around in Singapore, was out to Sentosa Island, where we'd never been before. We spent most of our Sunday out there and had a great day!

Sentosa Island offers lots of different attractions, like a Butterfly Park, Underwater World, Universal Studios, historical forts, spas, a Sky Tower, golf courses, beaches, bars, museums and much, much more.
Obviously we wouldn't have time to do it all in one day, so we decided to start off at the Imbiah Lookout, with a couple of rides on the luge. It seemed like something that could be fun for all of us!

It was the first time for the kids and me on a luge, and even though Linnea was actually tall enough to drive one herself, she was pretty happy going with Nathan. We bought two rides, so we could try both tracks - the shorter Forest Trail (650m) and the longer, more winding Dragon Trail (688m).
Here we are checking out the luge code of conduct:



Getting helmets for everyone:



We learned that the luge is actually a NZ invention!



Beautifully coordinated - AND matching with the helmets! :)



Off we went and where the trails split in two, I was first and chose the short trail as our first ride, but Lucas decided to go the other way (...) so we didn't come down together for a bit. *Sigh*...
I managed to get a photo of the family coming zooming down the Dragon Trail though after the trails merged again. Lucas is having a grumpy face because he had apparently fallen off his luge, taking a turn a bit too sharp:



Some in-between-rides snacks needed:



To get back up again for our second ride, we had to ride the Skyride. It only took a few minutes, but it was rather high. I don't know... since I've got "older", I've got afraid of heights... Isch, I didn't like this!



With a brave smile:









Yup, pretty high, and it got higher but by then I couldn't take pictures as I was holding on tight hoping for it not to stop...

Off we went for a second ride, this time Lucas managed not to fall off - here's Nathan and Lucas at the end:



In to park the luge and get on the Skyride again to get back up to the lookout point:



Lucas and the Foxs were in front of us on our second Skyride, and they had a few luges with them under their lift:



Linnea wasn't worried about the height at all, she just enjoyed the whole experience and talked non-stop all the way up about everything she could see:

Birthday fun at Changi Airport

There were two reasons we decided to visit Singapore this weekend. The first one being that we hadn't yet met little baby Erina who was born in November, the newest addition to the Fox family. Such a cutie:





The other one being that it was actually our friend Jason's birthday on Saturday, and we wanted to celebrate with him.
Well, after I got back from IKEA on Saturday we had great plans to take the kids down to the beach in the afternoon for a play and to watch all the amazing sand castles - only hitch, it poured down with rain! By this time we needed to get them out of the house for a bit though, so what to do?!
We went back to the airport!

Ha ha, Changi seems to be quite a popular excursion point in Singapore, even for people who are actually not going anywhere! We took the kids to the little playground and let them run around for a bit. They found this area where you could draw pictures:



All three of the kids had fun there for a while, even Lucas:



Until he found something more interesting - Cartoon Network (that is not working on our TV for some "strange reason"...):



They also found a slide that went all the way from one floor of the terminal down to another! Rather cool! Here comes Lucas:



"L for Linnea"! (Disregard the sign below her please...)



Upstairs they had a big event going on celebrating the new direct flights from Singapore to Rio de Janeiro; a big happening all with different things that you associate with Brazil - you could dress up as a carnival dancer, you could try Kinect football, you could play the drums...



They also had different Brazil-related performances throughout the day. We aimed at one we thought was a Samba-group, but it turned out to be two guys doing 'Freestyle Football' instead! Ah well, they were rather talented and at least Lucas was mighty impressed!
Especially since he was called up to stage to try one of their tricks:



He was supposed to lean forward with his arms out, and then balance the football on his neck while doing a spin.



First attempt he dropped the ball halfway around, but the second time he did a whole turn!! He was so happy with himself and he got a cool badge as a prize. Well done!



By now we didn't really want to drive anywhere else, so we made an executive decision to have dinner at Changi as well. So in the end Jason had birthday dinner at the Food Court at the airport (which was actually rather yummy!) AND lunch at McDonald's - what more can a big birthday boy wish for really..? :)

Flying with Daddy

Going over to Singapore on Saturday, we flew with the best pilot in the RBA - Daddy!!! :)
It was actually the first time the kids were going to fly with Nathan, so they were really excited. Of course there is no visiting the flight deck during flight, but we got to come in and say hello to him and his First Officer super quickly while on the ground:



Lucas & Linnea in Daddy's seat:





Lots of lights, switches and buttons... The kids even got to try to push one (under strict supervision!) - oaaaah, it lit a lot of lights up:



Here is Linnea having a try, she couldn't quite reach it by herself though:



Quite special for the kids to have Daddy's signature in their flight log books too! (2nd from the bottom)

Visiting the mothership

I have very good friends. Yesterday when we arrived in Singapore me and the kids (while Nathan operated back to Brunei only to arrive as passenger later in the day) got met by our friend Jason, who then dropped me off at the mothership to shop in peace, while he took the kids to McDonalds!




I took my time and really enjoyed a good browse. Had some yummy lunch and did my shopping. Not a big loot this time, but I managed to get the things that were on my list so I was happy!
IKEA - gotta love it!

Bring & Buy Boutique

Today was the day that I've been working towards for the last few weeks - I hosted a 'Bring & Buy' event at my house!

A couple of months back, I was clearing out my own wardrobe from some unwanted items, all still in good condition. I was moaning to myself about how out here, you rarely get more than a dollar or two for your things if you try to sell them at a garage sale f.e.
Then I got this idea about a 'Bring & Buy' day; and I decided to host this kind of "clothes swop day" - as a little bit more of an "upmarket garage sale". I wanted to sell/swop all those nice things we all have hidden in our wardrobes, that we don't use anymore for one reason or another, but that still are in "as-good-as-new" condition.
I teamed up with Kellie, a friend of mine, and together we sent out feelers if anyone else was interested in clearing out their wardrobes, they could bring around their things here. I never thought we would get the response we did; in the end I had collected over 1000 items!!!

So, every waking hour the last weeks has been spent with sorting and labeling these items: clothes, shoes, bags etc. I didn't mind, it gave me something to do! It kind of took over our home though, because it was just so much! I quickly had to move out from the guest room, where I started arranging the first things, to the dining room e. In the end, our whole living area looked like a proper shop (to the kids' big amusement)!
Here's this morning, before the first "customers" turned up:







It was a great morning! Lots of people turned up, and most of them found some bargains to take home!
Actually (if I may say so myself) this was a great idea, since there is no such thing as a 2nd hand shop here at all really. Today also came to show, that "one persons 'not wanted' is another persons precious find"! There were just so many beautiful things - some still with original labels on even!

Kellie checking some childrens wear out:



We had set up the whole of downstairs as a proper shop. There was a check-out counter, changing rooms, soft sofas for the occasional husband that got dragged along and even a refreshment corner, frequently visited by the younger crowd..!



The check-out area:



"Customers" happily browsing:





At the check-out, Kellie and Marsela busy little bees:



At one stage we had a queue!



Kellie, re-arranging and re-stocking the "shop"!



Even though it was a lot more work (and cost...) than I thought, I'd still do it again! It was lots of fun, and really something there apparently was a "need" for here. As one of my friends said afterward on Facebook: "I just wanted to say thanks so much for providing the Desperate Housewives of Brunei with such a great event today!"
You're most welcome..!