Visitor!!

We've had a visitor!!  We've been busy having tons of fun with our good friend Chris.  Chris came out to Singapore to spend a week with us to celebrate his birthday and Scott's too.  We all enjoyed his visit and the guys got to go on a short trip to Thailand too.  I'm going to try to write this blog post, but a few disclaimers...  These are Chris' pictures, I was not present at all activities, neither Chris or Scott are here to help me explain the photos.  I chose the photos from the 500+ that Chris took, but I possibly missed some more meaningful pictures that I didn't know the story behind...  I'll do my best!!

Chris arrived at about noon on a Sunday.  He didn't sleep much on the plane and had been awake for a little over 40 hours by the time he arrived.  We managed to keep him awake until about 7:00 pm.  Not too bad! 

The first night we ate out at one of our favorite local spots, The Fat Cat.  It's walking distance away and they serve Thai, Indian and pizza.  Perrrrfect!  

On Monday, the kids had school so Scott, Chris and I headed out to do some site seeing.  First up was the new Gardens By The Bay!  It was the first time Scott and I had visited too.  I thought it was AMAZING!  It's a beautiful blend of technology and nature.  We decided to get the family membership and I can't wait to go back with the kids!

We all enjoyed the succulent garden in the Flower Dome.  They had giant saguaro cacti there, I can't imagine how they were transported!

We ate lunch at Lau Pa Sat, one of the old hawker centers in Singapore.  

We stopped into a dive shop so Scott could pick up a dive mask for the upcoming trip!  

Next, we headed over to Clarke Quay.  It's pretty quiet on a Monday during the day, but we managed to find an air-conditioned Irish Pub that had cold beer to pass some time.  

We picked up the kids in the afternoon and hung out by the pool at our condo.  For dinner, just the adults headed back to Clarke Quay for some famous chili and pepper crab.  YUM!

After dinner, we stopped by the Ice Bar for shots in -5 C and then we went up to the top of One Raffles Place to 1-Altitude for spectacular city views!

Tuesday, the boys were on their own...  They went to Little India to check out the tekka market and Little India Arcade along with a stop at the old temples and the Mustafa Center.

Next, ChinaTown!  

Tuesday evening, the guys were off to Koh Samui, Thailand!  Two nights holiday and diving!!

On the boat heading out to the dive spot.

A few underwater pictures!

They spotted a Nemo in an Anemone!

Chris is on the right and Scott is on the left (bottom).

No trip to Thailand is complete without a stop in at a tailor!

The guys returned to Singapore on Thursday night.  They seemed to have had a great time and they really enjoyed the diving!  I enjoyed looking at all of their pictures and hearing about the delicious Thai cuisine.  Friday Chris and Scott headed out to Sentosa Island.

They tried the indoor sky diving at iFly!

My kids were thrilled to have daddy and Chris attend their soccer practice.

Friday night, dinner with friends.  We went to a Moorish restaurant.  We had lovely food and delightful company.  I think the Haloumi was the favorite of the night!

Saturday was a full day at the Singapore Zoo!

Saturday night (Chris' last night in Singapore!) we ate in ChinaTown.  We found a little Szechuan restaurant with high ratings on HungryGoWhere.  It was small and crowded but the food was excellent.  Very interesting.  There were little green ball Szechuan peppers that caused a strange tingling on our lips and tongue.  After dinner, we had to check out the view from the top of the Marina Bay Sands, so up we went to Ku De Ta Lounge.     

Chris left the next day (Sunday).  The week flew by!  Having Chris for a visit was a good reminder of our friends in Austin.  Thanks for traveling 1/2 way around the world to visit!  We're looking forward to our trip back at Christmastime.