H2O: A boy’s best friend

As you could tell from the previous post, all of the bureaucratic nonsense we have been dealing with was really cramping Buzzy’s style.  We spent the weekend doing kid-friendly activities in an attempt to reset the little guy’s calm demeanor.  On Saturday, we ventured to Sentosa – a small islet to the south of Singapore.  It is dream destination comprised of every touristy nightmare I’ve ever had.  You pay S$3.00 (~$2.10 USD) to ride the monorail onto Sentosa and then all transportation around the island is free, but that is about the only thing that is complimentary.  On our way to our first tourist attraction, The Butterfly Park and Insect Kingdom, Colby found a water feature.  I am not sure it was meant for splashing and playing, but we were already wet from the daily rain shower.  (Colby had broken our only umbrella in a violent fit of frustration.  Why, you ask?  Please see the wheel of woe.  Pick one.)  Whatever troubles he had that morning were promptly washed away.

You should have seen the looks we received from passersby.  Colby was a tourist attraction in his own rite Saturday morning.  Several people stopped and giggled at the blonde-haired, blue-eyed little boy.  Then they snapped photos of him.  He is a celebrity.  People stop us and ask if they can have their photo taken with him, and he is constantly being offered balloons, chocolates, and lollipops.  When I firmly say no to the sweets or accept and quickly shove the proffered item to the bottom of my purse, the (usually) older, Asian woman looks crushed to her core.  I feel horrible, but one little boy can only handle so much candy in one day, and I would very much like him to eat something other than Chupa-Chups each day. 

Once we got our little star dry and dressed in fresh clothes, we headed in to The Butterfly Park and Insect Kingdom.  It was interesting though over-priced.  It was similar in cost, but not nearly as impressive as the Jurong Bird Park.  Unfortunately, it was still sprinkling and I wasn’t able to get any good photos either.  We didn’t stay long and decided to head over to the Underwater World and Dolphin Lagoon.  Aquariums are always a big hit with the short guy. 

With all of the excitement, he fell asleep on the train ride back to the Broadway Hotel. 

     

On Sunday, we decided to check out the Singapore Science Centre.  This place was impressive.  There were exhibits for all sorts of science and techy nerds.  We checked out the sound and music exhibits and played in the little people discovery area where Colby made some music of his own. 

The day ended with Colby’s favorite of the elements – water!  The Science Centre had an amazing, outdoor waterworks exhibit.  This unprepared mother was unaware of this cove of fun and forgot to bring Colby’s swim trunks, so he went in his diaper. 

Who knew diapers could hold so much liquid!

He had a blast!  When we finally told him it was time to go, I thought there was going to be a fight.  He was so overjoyed with the day that he left without so much as a tear.  He just giggled softly.  Finally, our sweet boy has returned! 

On Monday, we headed over to the Singapore Botanic Gardens.  It is a gigantic parked filled with extraordinary plants and trees.  There were lakes, statues, waterfalls and wildlife.  It was truly beautiful. 

For a small fee, you could enter the National Orchid Garden where hundreds (maybe thousands) of orchid cultivars are on display.  Many of the orchids are native to Singapore.  I love to photograph flowers and took close to 100 photos in the short time we were there.  I will only share a few here.

We arrived safely in Jakarta just a few short hours ago and are staying a lovely guest house with FREE internet and laundry service!!  We have several meetings over the next few days and then it is off (FINALLY!) to Sumba.  I am excited to unpack!