Monkey See Monkey Do

On our list was the Arab district. Our new hotel is within walking distance. This tidy stretch has been one of our favorites. Hearing the call to prayers and browsing all shops with beautiful fabrics, carpets, and jewelry was unforgettable.

To escape the throngs of people, we stole off to Bukit Timah a nature preserve here. The 40 hecta acre preserve has more tree species than the entire North American Continent! The jungle hiking was difficult and fun. The books promised glimpses of macaques, monkeys, swinging overhead in the trees.

On our last path, we were so thrilled and excited to see a group in the trees. We considered these action pix some of our best photographic accomplishments.

Little did we know that the real hot spot was the parking lot! See the rest of our pix.

Thank you for your excellent questions. There has been one regarding the food and another on the schools. We are working on those and will have those up before we leave Singapore.

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Whew! Busy Week on the Island

Sorry, we've been lax about updating the blog and pictures. We have been on the run. We have visited schools, explored Little India, been purchasing mathematical materials, dining on the river, and trying soursop (and durian, but THAT is an entirely different story).

The schools have been wonderful. In particular, Ms. Kathleen Lee of River Valley School spent so much time answering our questions and giving us tours. We have also been to Farrer Park and had a short visit at Outram Secondary School. Overall, the schools and the staff are amazing! We have been thoroughly impressed. We have just a few pictures online. It seems that so far, we have just found more questions than answers.

Our new hotel is near Bugis Street which is pretty happening. We had to move and did not make reservations early enough. Lucky for us (and everything in Chinatown is lucky), there was a cancellation and we got a great hotel for cheaper. It doesn't have that shophouse Chinatown feel, but you can actually stand BESIDE the bed. The Southeast Asia Hotel is next door to one of Singapore's oldest Buddhist temples and three doors down from a Hindu Temple. It is a grand adventure, and you can never judge at which place folks will stop.

We have learned a ton, but never enough. We spent most of this evening holed up in a bookstore trying to narrow materials down to just one basket. We are laden with many resources--hopefully they are not too difficult either. A lot of the fourth grade materials should work for Morgan's 6th graders too! It will definitely stretch all of us if we can implement things well.

We are researching our next leg--Kuala Lumpur and then off to Thailand. Our time here is flying by! We still have quite a long list of things we want to see. This area has a lot of churches, a synagogue, and the Sultan Mosque. We also have to go to the island to the north and do some hiking/exploring. The zoo is also world class with a night safari. So, it should be a busy weekend. . .

--Marie

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We have another round of pictures from the Buddha Tooth Relic Temple near our hotel and our trip to the Asian Civilizations Museum. The peaceful blend of cultures, religions, and languages in Singapore is remarkable. There is a Hindu temple, the Buddhist temple, a mosque, and a Methodist church just a short walk from our hotel in Chinatown. I love all of the food stalls and shops in Chinatown.

The trip to the Asian Civilizations Museum was another chance to see this mix of cultures. The exhibits were a collection of cultural artifacts from all over Asia. India, China, Indonesia, Malaysia, Japan, West Asia (the Middle East), Thailand, and tribal cultures from Cambodia, Vietnam, Sumatra, and Borneo were are well represented. Each religion was also well documented.

You can see the influence of all of these cultures on the city of Singapore, but there hasn't always been peace and love in Singapore. Racial harmony is reinforced by law, the schools, and government propaganda. Anything that stirs up ethnic unrest is against the law. Like many other things in Singapore, strong control by the government has limited some freedoms, but there is no doubt that it has many benefits.

- Morgan View Post

Getting to know Singapore

We have been exploring the city and taking in the sights. On Saturday, we met up with Stephen, Marie's brother who is here on business, and explored Fort Canning Park. When the British (Stamford Raffles) landed, it was one of the highest points on the island. It was sacred and has history that dates back to 12th Century. We also saw the famous Raffles hotel and explored the financial district. We then had dinner along Clarke Quay and a bum boat ride along the river. It used to be a warehouse district that was cleaned up and now is a social and commercial hotspot.

The symbol for the city is the Merlion because it is the Lion City and also the City of the Sea. This is the amalgam I guess.

On Sunday, we tried to find the bird singing competition, but were too late. Instead we found a great wet market and then took the Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) out to the Chinese and Japanese gardens. They were beautiful! Tomorrow is a school holiday, so we get another glorious day to explore. . .

See our latest photos!

-Marie View Post