Wednesday, May 26, 2010

Singapore

Welcome to Singapore... drug trafficking is punishable by death, local time is 8pm & current temperature is hokey hot.  That was nearly verbatim the message we heard upon landing there. Night & day different place from Thailand. I'm thankful the girls are getting real feels for just how diversely textured Asia is.

Gentle reminders abound, such as this beside train platform


Plenty of not so gentle reminders as well, rules & such are everywhere. $1,000 fine for riding bike down pedestrian path along river, $500 for eating/drinking on subway...  and they must be enforced because this place is clean, beautiful and rhythmic, yet I don't find it as intense as Japan.

Happy Birthday to you,
You went to the zoo,
You look like a monkey... 

Girls sang after my lovely birthday at the zoo. I'm needing to get more serious about sun protection, so they gifted me with the fun hat.

Great zoo, polar bears were our favorite

Free-roaming monkeys & orangutans were hanging all over

Help me...

Seriously...

Happy Birthday to Dad... cool building trio behind





Night Safari was eery, but nicely done like most everything in S'pore

Highlight was the super active hyenas, wild & freaky

Lovin public transport, but tired from the long day

Her tally is 7 teeth lost in 4 countries

Returned to Thailand a little after midnight last night, and Ry has since lost tooth #8 at her swim practice today. She's wondering how to eat pizza tonight while we Idol. Nice to be home. 

Though I now have a little thing for Singapore, as I really enjoyed that smooth city-state.  Headlining news there this week was the funeral of a founding father.  It had us thinking on why S'pore has become success that it is, and Thailand not. After reading about their Dr. Goh, I'm praying such a public servant figure will arise & lead Thailand in its own beautiful direction.