We will always have fond memories of Thailand because that is where we doubled the size of our family.
Phuket- Patong Beach
Phuket Market
Our last event in Thailand was a Night Safari at the Zoo.
Although we had hoped for a more rugged experience, we weren't disappointed with the company of our friends and the dinner out by the sea. Our tour guide Geline was kind enough to teach us a few words in Thai and Sue and Georg especially enjoyed the English music while travelling in the van. English music meant music from the seventies and some people are very good at dancing while seated in a van.
The Century Inn Hotel was, as Sue called it, "so civilized" compared to some of our previous accommodations. The morning that the McDonalds left (at 4:30 AM) we had the unique priviledge of meeting fellow Canadians Georges and Suzanne Brossard. I would say that this experience was right up there with seeing the Pyramids.
Georges Brossard is a world reknown entemologist-he is commonly known as "the insect man" and is the founder of 13 insectariums around the world. He also hosts his own show on the Discovery Channel called "Insectia". We were honoured to have met this recipient of the Order of Canada, and to experience his passion for insects. Merci Monsieur Brossard!
Erik and Dieter are proud to own a butterfly/insect net that was given to them by Georges. They were given a quick lesson on how to use the net including how to close the net and preserve the insects. Both boys were so inspired we had to take our net out to the first park we saw in Singapore! We wanted to travel on to Penang in Malaysia to continue our insect quest but were unable to book the flight out in time for our trip to Bali. We will look for further oportunities wherever we travel. We have also begun plans to set up our sheet, lights and equipment when we return home. This new world of insects has captured our imagination and we're ready to begin a new quest.
In Singapore we have seen a city that is everything we heard it would be. It's clean and very modern. When we arrived we were given a sheet of paper that has been inserted into our passports. It reads "possession or sale of drugs is punishable by death." The taxi driver told us that everyone is required to learn Engish here. He also told us that there are cameras everywhere and it is illegal to litter, spit, or not flush the toilet.
On our first day in Singapore we walked from our hotel. Le Meridian, to the Asian Civilization Museum. There we learned about how Singapore developed and we learned a lot about Buddhism too. We took a bumboat tour of the city on the Singapore River.
There we saw the Merlion (which is a landmark icon for Singapore) and saw the famous Raffles landing site and hotel. The boys pulled out their new net and captured their first two specimens. How exciting! We went on a search of a book on 250 butterflies of the world, as recommended by Georges, but so far we've only collected a couple of books on insects. Our search continues.
On our second day we chose another location for breakfast. We somehow thought that $14 for a cup of coffee was too high (even with the exhange of .75). Our destination today: Sentosa Island. Here we were able to go on the Sky Tower - an elevated 360-degree viewing deck 110 meters high. This is where the Insectarium is located and also a Butterfly Park containing 2500 butterflies. The kids (okay adults too) went on a 650 meter luge ride and a sky lift. We also took the cable car back from Sentosa Island.
Merlion at Sentosa Island
Singapore has a population of 4 million. There is a problem now because most Chinese couples choose to have only one child. There are also many people from Malaysia and India living here. The taxi driver suggested Georg apply to teach here as there is a shortage of teachers. There are many new housing and commercial developements here. Many housing developments are designated for people with an income of less than $1000 per month. Conversely, many condos sell for 1.2 million and up.
Tonight we will go to see the Fountain of Wealth on the harbour. We plan to dine somewhere along the sea and enjoy the beautiful evening views. Tomorrow we will leave for Bali.
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