Getting Wild in Singapore

Clarke Quay at Night

<Cathy>  Singapore has been such a fascinating city - we've really enjoyed exploring all its offerings.   One of the coolest areas to explore was Clarke Quay.  Its an area with some fun restaurants and bars plus awesome people watching :-)  You can tell by the different languages you hear along the way that its a hub for expats and visitors alike.  It becomes busier in the evenings with the water tour boats buzzing up and down the quay that's lit up with colorful lights on the bridges, pedestrian areas, and outdoor cafes.  We stopped to enjoy a late dinner of chili crab, a Singapore speciality!  Its incredibly messy to eat (I still am baffled at how the tables around us managed to get the crab out of its shell with chopsticks) but so flavorful - hot,  sweet, spicy, tangy.

Chili Crab in the making

Clarke Quay during the Day

On another night, we headed to the Singapore Night Zoo to enjoy a safari with nocturnal animals.  It was one of the best zoos I've ever visited.  It's open from 7:30 pm - midnight.  The animals are in large, unfenced but defined habitats and you take a tram or foot trail around the park to explore the animals that are quite active at that time.  I loved walking into an area that had wallabys that just hopped around us doing their own thing. We also went into a bird/bat area and saw (quite by surprise) an ENORMOUS bat hanging from a tree bordering the walkway.  Its wingspan was equal to my armspan.  Needless to say, we didn't stop to take a picture - time to keep moving kids!  The park had plenty to explore -  elephants, tigers, giraffes, hyenas, water buffalo, hippos, rhinos, you name it.  What a cool night.

Wallabys on the loose!

Our Duck Hawker Stall/Resto

Duck anyone?

We stayed at an Airbnb apartment in a central location with great markets and within walking distance to most key areas in the city.  There was a Muslim mosque nearby so we would wake at dawn to the call to worship - the musical chant filling the neighborhood.  One afternoon, Callie and I did a little exploring nearby and sat down to enjoy some duck for lunch at a nearby hawker stall/restaurant.  She really enjoyed it!  I love how adventurous she can be in trying new things - she makes me a proud mama.

It is incredibly hot and muggy in the afternoon in Singapore so we did what any Minnesota family would do in that situation - headed for air conditioning!  We ended up taking in the latest Jurassic Park flick at a theatre in town.  We are realizing that with our adventure, its just not feasible to be in travel/tourist mode all the time.  Sometimes a little downtime is good for the soul (and keeping peace too).  Actually, the girls are doing very well together.  Most of the time, they really have fostered a great sister bond and take care of one another.  Its been something to watch how we've really settled into life of being together 24/7.  I find us getting closer as a family.  When someone is off, we all seem to rally to give them what they need - sometimes support, sometimes space.

Cambodia will be our next stop on this adventure - stay tuned!  Peace and love...

Just when you thought you've seen it all.