Lost Thailand Photos:

Maggie Lou has been on school holiday the past two weeks and that, in addition to Jack starting school this week, has Mama a bit confused about days and weeks! This post will hopefully serve as a “catch up,” as week 8 was neglected and overshadowed by our Thailand episode. Having Maggie Lou home has been a treat and all the adventures that Jack and Mama were saving  until we were all together have been executed: The ArtScience Museum – Dawn to Extinction exhibit, Mr. Peabody and Sherman, The Singapore Art Museum, The Peranakan Museum, and  the flower domes at Gardens by the Bay. The kids have been MAJOR troopers and know the city very well. Mama cringes (and prays the taxi driver has limited English) when Jack points out the taxi driver  is going the wrong way. Jack is often spot on, even though a little cheeky. This past weekend we spent quality time by the pool, visited the Botanical Gardens and had dinner with an old high school friend of Mama’s.  We are still enjoying our time and trying to make the most of every moment!

The Botanical Gardens were planted in the English Landscape Movement’s style (natural and flowing, as opposed to trimmed and ornate) and cover 74 hectacres (1 hectacre=2.47 acres). This beautiful sanctuary in the middle of the city continues to play an important role as a hub of tropical botany. We planned to spend a few hours in the gardens, but the weather was a bit sticky. When we “alighted” the MRT we were surprised to find everything soaked; we had missed a quick rainstorm. Despite the gardens feeling more like a sauna, we persevered and headed to the Jacob Ballas Children’s Garden.                                                                      Singapore Grass

We also made a visit to Daddy’s office after hours. Yes, it’s an awesome office. Maggie Lou and Mama explored the Singapore Art Museum. The exhibit is titled “Unearthed” and all pieces were by local artists exploring Singapore’s relationship to nature in such an urban area. Maggie Lou was an excellent visitor — very curious, creative and thoughtful.

The dinosaur exhibit at the ArtScience was great – interactive, educational and complete with a nice craft and excellent gift shop.  

To round out our museum visits we also hit up the Peranakan Museum. If you remember from Week 6, Peranakan is the word to describe descendants of Chinese traders who came to Singapore during the 15-17th centuries and married locals. They’ve created and maintained a unique culture, showcased at this museum.

The last part of the museum had a mini exhibit on local Peranakan couples and their love stories … We finally made it INTO the flower dome and cloud forest over in the Gardens by the Bay. Amazing how cooling and refreshing walking around these domes can be. We were just about melting prior to visiting these lush attractions.

    Lastly, here’s this week’s installment of “you probably won’t see this in NH!”