My lovely parents came in town for two and a half weeks, and it was very cool to show them the life Amanda and I have here.
Bintan
Right after M&M got here, we headed to Bintan, Indonesia. This island an hour ferry ride from Singapore is really a resort destination. Unfortunately, it rained quite a bit, which put a dent in my plans to be beach bums. However, we were still able to make it to the beach at times. The hotel we stayed in was pretty nice. The food at the restaurants was good. All in all, it was a good mini trip, but not the cultural trip my parents may have been expecting.
Seeing Singapore
As stupid as this may sound, I was proud that my parents went and saw Singapore for themselves while Amanda and I were working. At times, I was able to go to lunch with them, and then send them on their way as I went to work.
They saw Little India, Chinatown (home to my mom's new favorite hairdresser), Arab Street, Dhoby Ghaut area (going almost exclusively by bus), Orchard, etc all on their own. Of course they're adults and are able to do this stuff on their own, but it was still a pleasant surprise to me.The highlight for me was going to the Singapore Flyer with them. I had purposely waited to go on the large observation wheel until they were in town. It was a really nice time- went at night and saw the city in bright lights
Cruise
My parents being the cruise loving people they are, went on a five day exploration of SE Asia aboard the Star Virgo. Luckily, I was able to join for most of the trip. The ship was supremely average in my opinion, but I enjoyed all of the ports. We went to Penang, Malaysia and Phuket, Thailand. I'd been to Penang, but this was a completely different experience. We saw things I hadn't been able to visit on my last trip. Phuket was nice. Saw some more cool Buddhist temples, plus went to the beach after. Yet again, I love Thailand and I'm ready to go back.
Showtime
While they were here, we went to two live theater shows, "Boeing! Boeing!" and "Fried Rice Paradise." Amanda and I had a bit of an advantage as we have more of an ear for Singlish. Some of the jokes we were able to catch that my parents couldn't. Then again, there were jokes in Chinese that none of us understood. Still, we enjoyed both performances. It was a good change to see live productions again.
It was great having them in town.
Our guest room was put to good use (wink wink - come visit, we have a room set up). It did make me realize a bit more of the life I'm not having at home, but this still feels like where I'm supposed to be. Those are the brief highlights of a great two and a half weeks.
Michael
