They're Here!

Mike and the boys arrived safely.  :)  They were the last ones (or almost the last) to baggage claim, but they made it!

Night Bazaar

 Part of the Ramadan celebration here is the Night Market or Night Bazaar.  This one is held at Geylang Sarai, and it's huge and amazing!  There are tons of booths with all kinds of food (almost like a fair), plus ones selling all sorts of things.  Clothes and sandals were the most frequent, but they also had a huge area for carpets and even an area for cars!  (Cars are insanely expensive in Singapore -- over $100,000 for something like a Toyota Corolla -- because the government charges a high fee for the privilege of driving here. It is a small island, after all, and this is their way of keeping traffic manageable.  So, it was a bit surprising to see cars at a bazaar!)

I'm quite glad not to be part of a religion that requires things like headscarves, but some of the the traditional/fancy dresses they had for sale at the market were absolutely gorgeous.

The food choices included fried squid (sotong) on a stick, rainbow bagels, and potato twists on a stick. There was also a drink called a watermelon volcano (served in an actual watermelon shell).  I didn't try any of that, but I did have a delicious kebob and a crepe-like dessert with corn and nutella -- not a combination I'd have thought of on my own, but it was delicious!

On Their Way!

Mike and the boys are on their way!  Yippee! And they had enough time to make it through security at JFK, which is a good start. :)

In Which There Are Many Beautiful Flowers

 It was hot even by Singapore standards today, but I ventured out to the Orchid Garden anyhow, as time is growing a bit short!  It was worth the trip and the sweat -- lots of very beautiful plants (maintained by a constantly working team of horticulturists).

Beforehand, I had the pleasure of getting together with my former student for a lunch of laksa (a sweet curry noodle soup, one of the national dishes) and a discussion of the Brexit (as he's British -- and still holding out a little hope that the EU exit won't end up actually happening).

Har Par Wow

I cannot even describe the awesomeness of Haw Par Villa.  It's surreal, a little run down, and chock full of photo opportunities -- all the things you want in a tourist attraction.  :)  (Also, it's free.)  It's a theme park built by the founder of Tiger Balm ("a larger than life figure who loved money, women, and himself", according to the information sign), and it's basically sculptures illustrating different (mostly Chinese) stories and mythology.

I went there thinking that it wouldn't be a good place for the kids (there's a section called the 10 Gates of Hell which is definitely not for kids, what with the graphic illustrations of various punishments), but given that it's filled with tigers and some dragons, I think we'll have to bring the boys.  :)

Even beyond the Courts of Hell exhibit, the "virtues and vices" section does not pull any punches -- those who aren't virtuous often meet bad ends (for example, the boy who abandoned his friend when they encounter a bear in the woods ends up getting eaten himself -- and the sculptures show his getting his leg chewed off!)  One of the reviews said something about it giving generations of Singaporean children nightmares after they went there on school trips, and it's possible they weren't joking.  :)  If we do make it back, we might not spend much time in that section.

Note on the signs that they take cheating on examinations pretty seriously in the Chinese version of Hell!