Climbing time!

Thanks to my hubby for the compliments on the cooking.. thought it was time I finally lived up to my name :)

Today Susan and I tackled Mt. Faber.  Okay so it wasn't that intense of a climb but anything in 90 degree temps with what seems to be 100% humidity becomes more difficult.  I was hoping to finally spot a monkey but was disappointed that none decided to make an appearance.  I think I will have to wait till Thailand next week to finally meet my first monkey.  The views however were gorgeous.  It amazes me how Singapore never does a simple bridge all of their bridges seem to be unique architectural structures with weird winding things around them.  I tried to take a picture but it didn't really show the bridge structure too well.  

About halfway up the Climb

At the start of the trail..walking up to meet Susan

Just as  I popped up by the top of the Cable Car

Cool Bridge

Looking in the direction
towards the Marina Bay

Looking towards the Harbourfront.  That is an apartment
building we had initially looked at
called Reflections.

  

So, I married a Cooke!!

Kristy has been taking control of the blog so far (which is totally fine by me, I barely have time to read what she writes most of the time), but I thought I would update with some good news regarding her improved cooking skills!!

I have had quite a few good meals in the last week or so and they seem to be getting even better! Some note able meals include baked potatoes with seared steak, chicken stir fry, barbecue chicken, and tonight she is making some fish!

Take a look at the meal in progress.

I actually sliced the lemon so I get a small bit of credit right?

Anyway, I'll turn it back over to kristy, but it looks like she is living up to her last nam

A weekend in Chinatown and Sentosa

Bike Riding Around Sentosa
Having a bike on Sentosa provides quick and easy access to the beaches on the resort side of the island.  I had brought my bike over from the states and got a chance to see how easy it makes things to be able to get around so quickly so we headed off to Giant (Singapore's Walmart) to grab Nate a bike.  After checking out all the selection we figured it would be best to go with a cheap bike since we only planned to utilize it for the two years.  Later we took the bikes out for a spin around the Sentosa beaches and then on Sunday night we biked in to have some dinner on the beach.  I was shocked to see how crowded the island was at night time.  We at points had to get off the bike and just walk as it was too crowded to try and bike through.  We stopped and ate at a bar called Bikini Bar.  It is a very interesting atmosphere as you are on a beach that is lined with bars all pumping house music through their speakers and some even throwing out some laser lights.  Then the beach which just in the distance is lined with cargo ships.  It is definitely a unique experience.

At the table waiting on my Strawberry Daiquiri!

The View From our table

A look at the bar

After Dinner.. Pizza! Yum

2 Beers for $15 Good Deal!
Well in Singapore at least              

Nate enjoying a beer

A view of the beach/cargo Shipt

Chinatown
On Sunday the weather looked a bit unpredictable so we skipped our plans to climb Mt. Faber and went to Chinatown.  As soon as we stepped out of the MRT it was an absolute downpour.   I had neglected to bring an umbrella so we took on the rain.  Chinatown is and endless area of shops and although I am sure you can find a great bargain it drives me bonkers that they walk directly behind you the entire time you are in the store.  It makes me feel like I am being stalked so I immediately head for the exit.  We found one big store area that smelled a bit like fish, even though there was no fish to be found.  At the end of the store we were hit with a very unpleasant aroma and just as I was complaining that they would allow the smell to persist without covering it up we walk into a Durian stand.  That explained the aroma and although I didn't opt to try some myself I watched as others were consuming it.  Let's just say it didn't look very appetizing.

In China Town

Durian Fruit

 

Nate showing off the lovely Durian Fruit 

My weeks Adventure

Nate headed off to Japan and Korea this week so I decided to get out and about. My first little adventure I started small and just went to Clarke Quay and Orchard Road. This allowed me to get a taste of the MRT system (subway) without being too intimidating. The MRT system is rather easy to figure out, but it's getting aggressive and fighting the crowds that is a bit intimidating. I made it to Clarke Quay without any trouble and was rather shocked to see how different Clarke Quay is compared to the night time. I then headed up to Orchard Road which is know for it's expensive shopping. I skipped the shopping and just did some sightseeing, which got a bit exciting when a trash can caught on fire and the Singapore version of a fire truck pulled up. It resembles more of a dune buggy then a fire trucks so I had to take a pic...

Clarke Quary During the 

Fire Truck

On Wednesday I headed to Kallang to try out dragon boating. The American Association has a team so I thought it would be a good way to get a little workout and meet some new people. It was way more intense then I had anticipated and thought at one point that my arms might just fall off. Thankfully the views were beautiful as we go right by the Marina Bay Sands. Here is a little video they posted on Facebook.. not sure if the link will work but thought I would try. I am in the boat to the left of the boat the girl was standing in. You can just see my blonde hair in the back. After getting a good workout in Kristin a girl I had met earlier and I headed to a local bar to grab a beer. The area we were in is more rural so they didn't speak any english so we had to act out that we wanted a beer. It was rather amusing, but worked.

Video Link:

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=10150583422114230&set=o.26673911664&type=3&theater

Some pics from the Kallang Area
(right off the MRT) not near the water

The one place with the red lettered sign is where we grabbed a beer

Thursday I got really adventurous and headed out to the rural areas of Jurong to visit the Jurong Bird Park. After a 45 minute MRT ride I arrived in Boon Lang where I had to jump on a bus to get to the Bird Park. I was following the crowds trying to read signs when out of nowhere this old asian lady grabs my arm rather fiercely and starts talking away in Chinese. I am completely caught off guard and quickly try to break away before I can figure out what it is she wants. I have since come to the conclusion she must have been trying to get me to buy something as she opened this plastic bag that had something that looked like red and yellow cloth in it. After that dramatic experience I decided I better start paying as much attention to my surroundings as the signs. Thankfully I found the bus and made it to the bird park. I met up with the girl I did the dragon boating with and another girl who is actually just visiting. After 3 and a half hours of walking around in the heat seeing tons of birds I was officially birded out. The birds were interesting in the beginning and the place is nice, but there is only so many birds a person can take. Here are a few of the pics from the day.

Kristen and I tried some Otah, which we really weren't sure what it was but it had a fishy taste and quite a bit of spices. Later after I decided to look up what we had eaten oh yes it was fish paste

A few bird pics

On Friday I headed back over to Clarke Quay to Adam and Kate's apartment as they were holding a little bbq since they leave Singapore next Sunday. On my walk to their place I ran across this awesome bridge..

Out and About: Part 2

Our second night on the town took us to the Swiss Hotel for some drinks with one of the best views in the city. After indulging in one of the best Cosmos I have ever had it was off to dinner. We headed to Chijmes for dinner. Chijmes used to be a Catholic Convent but is now home to dining, shopping and entertainment. The dinner was delicious and you can't beat the view.

After dinner it was back over to Clarke Quay. I had no idea Singapore had such an intense night life. The bars here stay open till 4 am so there is def time to party it up if your budget can handle it. The prices on drinks are so crazy just a normal vodka and tonic is $20. Even though the prices are crazy the bars were packed and the drinks were flowing. I lasted till 3:30 at which point my feet couldn't handle anymore dancing and it was time to head home.

Out and About

Some of Nate's coworkers are in town for the week so we headed out to Clarke Quay for a night of fun. We started out at one of the little restaurants on the strip. We got a plethora of dishes from whole Sri Lankan crabs ( chili and black pepper ) to fish.. eye balls and all. The chop sticks were quite challenging to utilize on the crabs so we just had to dig in with our fingers. They are quite amazing with chop sticks and I still struggle but will hopefully be a pro after 2 years. I decided to utilize the bathrooms and was quite shocked when I walked in to this lovely surprise.

After dinner it was time to hit up the Pump Room a bar that has a very interesting band. I took a little video of the band, but unfortunately I can't get it to load so had to go with the pic

Food Update! Good news I successfully cooked a meal :) After finding the manual for the oven since there are 8 different "ways" to cook I finally figured out the correct setting after a failed chocolate chip cookie attempt. I successfully cooked bbq chicken, potatoes and green beens (yummy). It's a bit more challenging since we don't have a microwave so need to allow myself more time, which pretty much goes along with everything here. The grocery store takes a good hour and half in total for a "quick" trip. Here is a look at our awesome new grocery rolling cart. After lugging back groceries by lining our arms with as many bags as possible and then feeling as if our arms might just fall off the grocery cart is amazing.

Ku De Ta

It's time for some exploring and what better way to get acquainted with Singapore then to go to the top of the Marina Bay Sands. Ku De Ta is a bar located on the top of the Marina Bay Sands and boasts some very impressive views. Here are some of the pics:

After taking in the views we headed out into the Marina Bay Mall and ran into a Dragon Dance that was going on in one of the stores. For the new year businesses have companies come out and perform the Dragon Dance to give them good luck for the year. I tried to grab a few pics: