Recently I joined the American Women's Association, a local group that organizes all kinds of events for the expat ladies. And on Monday I headed out on my first AWA event: a photo walk at Gardens by the Bay. Loyal martayaki readers may recall the family's foray to the Gardens on the evening of Chinese …
Continue reading Photo walk at Gardens by the Bay with new photo Friends
A few weeks ago I joined friends on a tour organized by the Navy's Morale, Welfare, and Recreation (MWR) office. Our destination: Thow Kwang Pottery Jungle. The Pottery Jungle hosts one of two dragon kilns on the island and in Normal Times offers all kinds of classes and workshops. Singapore's reopening to Normal crawls along, …
Last week we headed downtown for dinner, and we found ourselves near the storied Raffles Hotel. I asked that we pop in for a drink at the famous Long Bar, home of the Singapore Sling [cocktail]. The family agreed. The Long Bar hostess asked if we had a booking, but alas. We did not, and …
Continue reading “Enjoying” a Singapore Sling at the Raffles Hotel
While planning our Sydney vacation, one activity kept getting mentions from anyone who has visited Sydney before. And several of you asked in Facebook comments: any plans to climb the Harbour Bridge? We all definitely wanted to climb, but the incredibly unpredictable weather made planning a challenge. With all of our remaining days predicted to …
Continue reading One last Sydney Post: Climbing the Sydney Harbour Bridge
Early in the trip Tessa mentioned that she wanted to hold a koala. So yesterday we headed out of Sydney to visit Featherdale Sydney Wildlife Park. We set out early, and frankly most of us were not in the best mood. The kids were tired and cranky from the early wake up, and I had …
Continue reading Wallabies, ‘Roos, Emus, and the Blue Mountains
We truly meant to get the kids going early every day during the holiday. If we travel all the way to Sydney, we are up and early every day! we told them. Alas. Day two we finally got the kids out the door around noon and started walking. We headed straight for the harbo(u)r, where …
Continue reading Day two in Sydney: the Harbour, The Rocks, and beach Towns
A few months ago we looked at the gradually loosening travel rules for Singapore and cautiously decided to consider traveling for spring break in March. We looked at the options available and settled on Sydney, Australia. Because it’s “only” an eight hour flight away! Mark and I started day one at one of Australia’s oldest …
Happy New Year! Or as the locals say, 新年快乐. The kids are home from school for a few days, and the city has been bustling with New Year's preparations for weeks now. Last night was New Year's Day, so we decided to head out to Gardens by the Bay after dark to check out its …
Continue reading Celebrating CNY the SG Way at Gardens by the Bay
The kids have been off school since mid-December. Given the extended covid-related travel restrictions on travel in and out of Singapore, the kids' school extended the usual three-week winter break to four weeks to allow teachers and families to travel overseas for the first time in over two years. So for new Singapore arrivals like …
As loyal martayaki readers may recall, back in our hotel quarantine days my new friend Karmen stopped by our hotel to drop off some candy and wave up from the sidewalk. It was especially kind of her to come by, considering that we had not met in person at that point; Mark's cousin Sarah introduced …
Continue reading Because the Olds Really Know how to Party; Or, Orchid Shopping at Toh Garden
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