A Family Holiday in Singapore

We ate dumplings, rode roller-coasters, danced in the storm. We swam every day, several times a day, to escape the heat. We took a break from the normal, kicked back with aunties and cousins, let ourselves be looked after for a bit. My three little travellers handled the flights like champions. And we all want to go back tomorrow.

We're Back

Sorry for the silence. More photos from our Singapore sojourn very soon.

Singapore: Cousins

I couldn't talk about our holiday without mentioning the reason we went in the first place, and the reason I'd go back tomorrow if I could - these guys.

My sister and her family relocated to Singapore a year ago and have sunk right into the lifestyle there. We're used to their absence. They're adventurers, these ones. It might seem odd given the tropical climate they live in at the moment, but they follow the snow - a few months in Utah and Canada each year, then home to Thredbo for the local ski season. Madi just made the Australian children's team. She's in the top three in the country in her age group. And her three brothers are following close on her heels. Just quietly, I'm psyching myself for some aunty-style Olympics cheering in the next decade. 

These big cousins showered adoration on my girls. From holding hands as we walked around the zoo, to pushing the stroller through shopping centres, playing dress-ups, sharing ice-cream, endless hairstyling sessions - they had a ball. And big cousins playing with little cousins meant the mums got to go and do indulgent, relaxing things like have coffee, and go shopping, and have reflexology foot massages!!!

Oh, how we wished they lived closer (but how nice it is to have an excuse for an international jaunt!)

Singapore: Shopping

Singapore equals shopping for a lot of people. 

Budget, multiple toddlers and a general lack of interest meant I didn't really hit the high street on our holiday. But I did have one lovely morning with my sister in Tiong Bahru where, after our requisite coffee and pastry at the Tiong Bahru Bakery, we went in search of a bookshop I wanted to check out, and chanced upon a beautiful design/interiors shop as well. It was called Strangelets - its tag line "Militant Craftsmanship." I asked if I could take some pictures, and the woman behind the counter said, "It's too pretty not to."

I wasn't polite enough to ask next door in BooksActually. I just snapped away. Oh, how I love a beautiful, eclectic, overstuffed bookstore.

I think I'd find myself in this little corner of the city quite regularly if I ever lived in Singapore.

Singapore: Water

It was cold when I awoke this morning. Later it warmed up into a glorious day, hot for these parts. I had a burst of nostalgia and put the sprinkler on for the girls to run through, remembering the hours I spent doing the same as a child. Watching them play, I thought about all the water we found to play in on our holiday.

Thanks for all your kind, encouraging words about the grand shop opening. In the lead-up, I have very quietly begun a Typically Red Facebook page. I'd love you to 'like' me, so to speak.