We should have moved to Singapore!

After a radiant and boisterous start to the Chinese New Year, we packed up and headed off on holiday like so many expats do this time of year. The destination of choice…Singapore! Eric wanted to come to China to visit, however we decided that we needed to get out of China for a much deserved vacation and convinced Eric that it would be so much better to meet us there. After a 7 hour flight for us and a 24 hour flight for Eric, we entered into a world of sheer bliss!
Located one degree north of the equator, Singapore has somehow managed to maintain much of it’s original rainforest's beauty amongst a highly developed economy. It’s a lush, yet modern country is a place that just amazed each of us in so many ways. It also shares many of the conveniences of home, which was nice to see again. I can’t speak for Zach and Eric, but I fell in love with this place. Everything about it makes sense (unlike China) and the sun never stopped shining which was a nice break from our days of high pollution & Siberian winds. I recommend that you put it on your places to go! It was literally a breath of fresh air!
Our first excursion was the Singapore Zoo. Previously a rain forest, it was obviously awesome! There was another New Year’s celebration taking place when we arrived that we caught the tail end of before we hiked the entire park. What was so intriguing about the zoo was that many of the animals were native to Singapore and its surrounding area, which meant we were literally seeing the animals in their natural habitat.

In the evening, we even took a ride on the Night Safari that allowed us to see the nocturnal animals in action….yes, we are nerds, but how many of you have walked through a enormous cage of fox bats who are literally flying right in front of your face??? I didn't think so!

Next, we took a “duck tour” of the city in which we rode a large, old World War II vehicle that took us by land and by water to see the sights.

Afterwards, we hit up an "old-school" hawker for a satay dinner. It was yummy in our tummies!

That evening, we were tourists just walking around and exploring things like Chinatown (because we just can’t get enough of China), the world’s largest fountain and then to Long Bar in Raffles Hotel, where we can only afford a fancy drink not the fancy rooms starting at $3,000 a night, but it was fun to pretend.

After the "tour nazi" finally got his fix of sites, we moved to Sentosa Island Rasa Resort for some much needed pool time for Eric and I. There are many things to see and do on Sentosa Island, a tinier isle off the tiny island of Singapore. However, this was the part of our vacation reserved for R&R.

After we said our goodbyes to Eric, I allowed Zach one more trip, to the Singapore Botanical Gardens. It was like any other city park I have visited. In the midst of the lush vegetation was an Orchid Garden that we spent much of our time trying to see as many of the 10,000+ different species and hybrids of orchids as possible. Including the Barbara Bush and Nelson Mandela, hybrid orchids in honor of their namesakes.

That's it. It was difficult to get back to reality, but we are already planning our next trip! This time we are trying to convince Becky to join us for our baby's first vacation.

Year of the Rat

Ni Hao! Xin Nian Hao!
Hello! Happy New Year!



Well the Chinese zodiac has made it full circle, back to the start, the RAT! Last year, the year of the pig is supposedly good luck, but the year of the rat is also a good year to be having a baby.


We were in Beijing during New Years Eve. I have never experienced anything like it. All day kids were lighting off firecrackers. There was a gradual and audible crescendo of explosions up until midnight, when every hu tong (neighborhood) in our peripheral was a glow with every color and shape of bang. These were the type of fireworks you see at professional displays, from deep into the horizon to immediately outside of our apartment, the sparks bouncing off the facade. The fireworks stands were erected overnight, on almost every street corner, offering affordable fireworks to EVERYONE.

The celebration lasted well into the night, causing me on several occasions to jump out of bed running to the window clamoring "did you hear that one!?" Being somewhat of a pyrotechnic junkie, I appreciated the breadth and width of the displays; hundreds and hundreds going off simultaneously for hours and hours.

That was New Years Eve. Every night of the Spring Festival there were displays, with the finale on the 21st, The Lantern Celebration.


Other traditions for the New Year celebration are hanging red globe lanterns from every business and most residences. Cheesy rat posters and pictures that rival Halloween/Christmas decorations we are used to.


Another tradition is the handing out of hongbaos, or red envelopes or bags with crisp quai (cash) in it. Typically you give them to your children, grandchildren, and workers, such as drivers, Ayi's (nannies/maids), etc.