Bangkok Week 607 February 13, 2020 As a last hoorah before Mum goes back to work, we visit Singapore to enjoy the clean air and kid-friendly attractions. View fullsize And we're off! Arlo's excited to be in a big fancy car! View fullsize "Wait a minute," he thinks. "I've been here before, and it did't end well..." View fullsize In good spirits as we settle in for the short and empty flight. View fullsize "Woah! Mum! Look at the moving pictures! Have you seen such a thing before!?" View fullsize Happily entertained throughout almost the entire flight. It's convenient to have the car seat! View fullsize We're here! Our digs in Singapore for the next 3 days. View fullsize The boys crash on the fluffy bed, after the long journey. View fullsize Arlo tries out his new bed. He's indifferent. View fullsize The view from our room, the next morning. City view! View fullsize Arlo and Dad check out all the tall buildings, from our 44th-floor vantage point. View fullsize Woah! Dino's here, too! View fullsize Heading down to breakfast. View fullsize Checking out the spread. It's mum's favorite hotel breakfast. View fullsize Dad digs in. View fullsize We're all ready for our day out: a trip to the zoo! View fullsize It was a 25 minute subway ride, and then another 10 minutes by bus. "This better be worth it!" Arlo says. View fullsize Greeted by some turtles, airing their heads. View fullsize We can see them from below, too. View fullsize Two white tigers, enjoying an afternoon of people-watching. View fullsize One of three jolly pygmy hippos who were prancing back-and-forth underwater. View fullsize Here he comes again! View fullsize These guys, which were some of the cutest residents, are Rock Hyrax... no relation to the wombat! View fullsize Our first time seeing a tree kangaroo. View fullsize They also have some Asian Elephants. Who were wondering why they had to reach so high for their food. View fullsize There are quite a few Orangutan - at least these guys are safe from the Indonesian fires. View fullsize They seem to have a nice play area. View fullsize In fact, they're free to roam outside their enclosure. Look up! View fullsize This guy has seen better days. (Or maybe he just likes people-watching...) View fullsize Stopping for lunch, and regrouping. What's our plan for the afternoon? View fullsize We stumbled upon a very nice butterfly enclosure. View fullsize Many many butterflies. View fullsize Blues, gathering on some freshly-cut pineapple. View fullsize Shimmery black! View fullsize Two blue jays, face-to-face. View fullsize And a nosy parrot. View fullsize And the first time seeing Toucan Sam in real life! View fullsize And not sure who this guy is either, but he wasn't afraid to flaunt his fruit in our faces! View fullsize The Indian Gharial, with a long funny nose. (To be avoided...) View fullsize One of the highlights of the zoo - these giant old tortoises! View fullsize They're so amazingly large! And kind of clumsy: one tried to climb over another to get to the food. View fullsize Apparently they are ~80 years old. Arlo wasn't very impressed. View fullsize Giraffe, eating from the same thing that the elephants had. View fullsize Reading the signs, and wondering what all the fuss is about! View fullsize Not sure what he's supposed to be looking at. What's the big deal with these four-legged friends? View fullsize Greeting the rhinos on the way out. View fullsize Back at the hotel, Arlo's decided to practice some of the moves he learned at the zoo from the other monkeys. View fullsize Dinner outside on the hotel patio. View fullsize Arlo enjoyed the breeze and the fresh air. View fullsize But he would enjoy dad's dinner even more! View fullsize Lazing around on Saturday morning, making phone calls and enjoying the cushy bed. View fullsize Arlo and Dino have made themselves right at home. View fullsize And Dad joins in on the fun. View fullsize Checking out Mum's favorite view of the port. View fullsize Time for breakfast! And would you believe, the boy in the mirror is going too! View fullsize Sitting with Mum over breakfast. View fullsize Arlo's new favorite toy is Dad's fancy watch. Breathe! View fullsize And we're off on another Singapore tour! View fullsize This time sticking closer to home base: within walking distance, in fact. View fullsize Mum and Arlo, with the skyscape in the background. (Spot the new buildings!) View fullsize Looking down along Marina Bay Sands shopping complex: which goes on for almost 500m! View fullsize Heading up up up, inside the mall. (See the Venice-inspired canal in the basement?) View fullsize Walking up and over to Gardens by the Bay, via the hotel. View fullsize Whoo! Wouldn't you want to stay up there, at the top of the curve? View fullsize Crossing over the highway... View fullsize ... and finally arriving at the entrance of Gardens by the Bay. View fullsize Great view of both the sprawling gardens... View fullsize ...and the hotel behind us. View fullsize Large floating eggs! (They light up at night, apparently.) View fullsize More landscaping, with the Gardens' signature towers and domes in the background. View fullsize A quick stop at the Chinese garden. View fullsize And a peak at the "Silver Garden" in the background. View fullsize Who are those two, hiding among the trees? View fullsize Hey! It's Dad and Arlo, trying to figure out where exactly we are! View fullsize First attraction is the flower dome: the largest greenhouse in the world. View fullsize The highlight was the Baobabs and the Succulent Garden, at the top. View fullsize Look at all these alien cacti. View fullsize Fuzzy and with flowers. View fullsize Like a little flowering pin cushion! View fullsize Arlo liked that it was nice and cool inside (it mimics a cool-dry Mediterranean climate)... and with great views. View fullsize Inspecting the succulents. View fullsize Looking down at more of the greenhouse below. View fullsize Let's not forget that Singapore's still celebrating CNY! View fullsize Ooh! Look at all the pretty colors! View fullsize Taking a break for everyone to rest. View fullsize What a better way to rest than to stretch and ... nibble on toes. View fullsize Having a small pep-talk, before we continue. View fullsize You're not supposed to touch the flowers! But... Arlo couldn't help himself. View fullsize Heading down from the California garden, looking toward the Australian garden. View fullsize Gee, that one is as big as Arlo's head! View fullsize Okay, maybe he can be interested in some of these big colorful ones. View fullsize Group shot! View fullsize Arlo sneaks a peak, while trying to play it cool. View fullsize Taking a nap break outside, before continuing with the second conservatory. View fullsize Next up: Cloud Forest! t replicates the cool moist conditions found in tropical mountain regions between 1000m and 3000m. View fullsize The greenhouse centerpiece is a 42m-tall "mountain" covered in plants. View fullsize There are lots of walkways with great views that take you back down the side of the mountain. View fullsize We were fortunate to see many unique orchids, including this one. View fullsize And this one. View fullsize There were many, many different kinds of pitcher plants. View fullsize And many, many kinds of bromeliads -- all doing better than ours! View fullsize Dad soaks up the views on the walk down. View fullsize Arlo napped through a lot of the walk, but Mum still enjoyed it. View fullsize A great city backdrop reminds us where we are! View fullsize Looking down to the bottom of the cloud mountain. View fullsize Spot anyone you recognize? View fullsize Hello down there! How did you get into the mountain? View fullsize It's an engineering feat that such a large glass house doesn't require any additional interior supports! View fullsize The Cloud Mountain makes sure to mist its plants regularly. View fullsize Warming up outside, in the fun Children's Garden. View fullsize Arlo was probably a bit young to play in the water on his own: but we tried. View fullsize Relaxing under the grand stand. View fullsize This is much better than all those flowers! View fullsize Afternoon drama for the children: one of Granny's friends came out for a stroll! View fullsize Making our way back... hmm, what time is it? View fullsize Exiting via the Supertree Grove: which we didn't ascend (separate entry fees). Can save for next time. View fullsize One more family shot with a distinctly Singaporean backdrop. View fullsize Lunch (and nap time) at the food court in Marina Bay Sands. View fullsize Back at the hotel, Arlo gets to relax on his favorite bed. View fullsize "Why don't we just spend all weekend on this bed, you guys?!" View fullsize Lounging around. This is more Arlo's speed. View fullsize Trying persistently to get those toes. View fullsize Everyone's happy: it's dinner time! View fullsize Excited to be outside in the breeze, unconstrained by the carrier. View fullsize And excited to be standing. View fullsize The next morning at breakfast, Arlo decided he's big enough to sit on his own. View fullsize That didn't last long! Besides, Dad's watch is super interesting. Remember? View fullsize Happy to be dining with Dad! View fullsize This apple is not as interesting as Dad's Apple Watch. View fullsize Mesmerized by the floor projections. View fullsize Back in the room, Arlo is making the most of his last morning here. View fullsize "Yep. This is the right bed for me." View fullsize Enjoying himself. View fullsize Don't mistake his heavy head for boredom. View fullsize And checking out the great infinity pool with a view. View fullsize Way too cold to swim, but at least we can enjoy the poolside breeze. View fullsize What an Instagram shot, Arlo. View fullsize Enjoying our time poolside. View fullsize Someone finally decided to nap: in the Grab to the airport. View fullsize Who needs a stroller when you have a luggage cart? View fullsize Excited to be back on the plane home! View fullsize He likes the plane ride, because he gets all the attention! View fullsize Back at home! Arlo is spending the holiday Monday morning hanging out with Auntie Erika's penguins. View fullsize Uh oh. He realizes that, despite the holiday, swimming is still on! View fullsize Warming up with some jumps. View fullsize Swimming with fingers in the mouth works now, but might not work for long... View fullsize Practicing jumping (falling forward) off the platform into the water. View fullsize And getting some back time in. It's important to get comfortable with water in the ears! View fullsize What's that I see? A tiny hint of a smile? View fullsize Arlo is getting used to the water... but jury is still out whether or not he "enjoys" it! View fullsize In the afternoon, Arlo gets a visit from Autnie Anne, one of Dad's friends from undergrad. View fullsize She lives in DC, but was in town visiting extended family. Nice of her to make time to stop by and visit us! View fullsize Getting in some tummy time with Dad. View fullsize Resting the heavy heads. View fullsize Cheese! View fullsize And giving the Polar Bear one of Arlo's trademark foot hugs. View fullsize Next morning, Arlo reads his new book! View fullsize And gives Dino the special foot treatment. View fullsize "Hey Hudson. What are you up to?" "Oh nothing, Dino. Just hanging out. You?" "Same." View fullsize Arlo's a certified big boy now. He's right at home on the couch. View fullsize Big hug for dad. View fullsize And hello to Puu, too, who's here for a short short visit. View fullsize Arlo's new favorite pose: the crossed legs. View fullsize Exhibit A: Right-over-left. View fullsize Ending the week with Arlo's favorite friend and inspiration: Little Monkey!
