Gardens by the Bay

 Every year that we are here in Singapore it seems that something new is popping up on this tiny island.  This summer Gardens by the Bay opened its doors and is the newest attraction for people to visit.   It is considered an environmentally friendly park per se.

Underlying the concept of Gardens by the Bay are the principles of environmental sustainability. Much effort was made to plan and design for sustainable cycles in energy and water throughout Bay South Gardens.




Our first venture into the Gardens by the Bay was to the Supertree Grove.  These trees are up to 16 storeys in height.  There is a walkway between several of the trees.  It was quite intimidating at first but we quickly got use to the feel of the bridge.  We happened to be there on an overcast day.  That was good for us as the heat was not penetrating but the scenery looks hazy in the background.

Here is Layne on the bridge of the Supertrees with the Singapore Flyer in the background.

It took a lot of convincing to get Bryce over to the side of the bridge.  She needed Graham to hold her hand.

Brian and Graham

The girls and I with Marina Bay Sands in the background.  (Photo taken by Graham)

 The Cloud Forest was our next big stop.  This was the favorite so far.  It is an indoor dome that houses a 35 meter tall mountain with lush vegetation and a waterfall.  There are walkways and bridges that encircle the mountain so that you can see and sense the different level of plant life as you move up and down the mountain.

Kids playing in the spray of the waterfall.

I just love when I capture a picture of the girls in the same pose.  As different as the girls are it is nice to see them being the same on occasion.

Here we are headed home after a morning of nature.  We will definitely return to Gardens by the Bay as we still have so much more to see!

Another School Year Begins...

The 2012-2013 school year has begun.  Graham is entering his 3rd grade year and headed to the Intermediate School (IS) of Singapore American School (SAS).  It is a whole new set of principals, teachers, counselors as well as special teachers.  Graham will also start taking Mandarin daily instead of 2x a week.  In the IS the teachers start cutting the cord per se and putting more and more responsibility on the child.  As a former 3rd grade teacher, I get the teacher aspect of it all but it is different coming from the parent point of view.  So far, Graham has been pretty responsible when it comes to school and homework in the past.  Hopefully it continues!

First day

 Bryce and Layne are still in the Primary School(PS) at SAS but have entered 1st grade!  I can hardly believe it.  They started 2 days after him as we still do one to one teacher conferences before the PS kids start school.  I love this aspect of SAS.  It really lets the parents feel comfortable sending their little people off to school.

First Day

Bryce, Graham and Layne!  I love how they are so close to each other!

Ms. Goldhammer and Bryce

Ms. Woody and Layne

Graham and Ms. Bissett

Nikoi Island, Indonesia

Our last holiday before school starts was in Nikoi Island, Indonesia.  It is a private island about 2.5 hours away from Singapore.  We had to take a 1 hour ferry to Bintan, Indonesia then drive another hour across Bintan to a smaller ferry to carry us over to Nikoi Island.  It was a relatively easy journey to our vacation spot.  Since we were gone for so long from Singapore we also decided to holiday with the Reids and Richards.  The kids as well as all the adults looked forward to some relaxation before school and work routines became the norm again.

Listening to sea shells as we wait for the ferry.

Nikoi!

Layne and Katie

The kids could play in the sand when they were done with their lunch.

Our hut was #15.  The very last one on the island. The night before just outside our hut on the beach sea turtles hatched.  We were one day too late.

Our view

Private Massage table

Our beach

Master bedroom.  There was no air con and the hot water was solar so once you ran out it was out until the next day.

The living area

The view of our hut next to the children's hut

Kids coming up the path to discover our "treehouses".

Off to the beach!

Surfer girl

Surfer boy

Surfer girl

Bryce and Madeleine

Brian and Ivy

Jen, Ivy and Theresa

After dinner the staff gathered the children to watch movies while the adults finished dinner.

Pool Time

Graham and Austin

My babies!

 One afternoon we took a jungle trek around the entire island.  The island is small enough that is was manageable for non nature lovers like myself.

Madeleine and Bryce wanted to take a picture with Mr. Zach and his favorite tree on the island.

Graham and Brian took the kayak around the entire island.

Looking at fish in the water.

This is Hermie the pet Hermit Crab they found on the beach.

The girls headed to the ferry.

Graham with his life jacket on backwards as we head back to Singapore.

There was so much to do on this tiny island.  The kids really enjoyed the relaxed atmosphere and the staff here was amazing.  They were beyond helpful when it came to all the kids.  It really felt like we were the only ones on this island even though all 15 huts were occupied.