Wednesday, November 28, 2007

A few more pictures from our travels to Singapore and Bali

The bassinette on the airplane was great! Elliott slept plenty! He was a champion on the way there and on the way back. He adjusted to sleeping through the night faster than his mom both ways of travel. :)

Elliott slept in this tent while we traveled. It's less than 5 lbs, mosquito proof, small enough to be a carry on and if need be can fit an adult too!

Raffles Hotel- one of the great landmarks in Singapore. There is a very nice open air courtyard/bar in the middle of this building. Raffles had the hope/plan for Singapore to be the biggest port in the world.

The Singapore Zoo is fabulous. One of the best exhibits was the Orangutans.

Tyson and Elliott in front of the performing arts center and other dowtown buildings.

Tyson and Elliott in front of the Merlion.

Elliott's first swim took place at the pool of Tagjung Sari where we were staying in Sanur, Bali.

The entrance is Tadjung Sari, Bali.

Ulu Watu at Sunset

The cliffs that Ulu Watu is on.

Tyson and Elliott at sunset in Bali.

The sail boats that are common in Bali.

Tyson trying out the traditional clothes of Bali.

This is our room at Tadjung Sari. This hotel was established in the 1940s.

Elliott's first site of the Indian Ocean.

This is the view from our stay in Sideman. The drive to Sideman from Ubud through Muncan is the most scenic in Bali for view of the rice terraces and little towns. We woke up the next morning with the clouds parted so we could see G Agung (3142m).

We took a Balinese cooking class at Casa Luna Cooking School. A great time!

The Balinese LOVE children. Elliott seemed to enjoy being held by them wherever we went.

Sari Organik was a restaurant out in the middle of a rice field. Great food! In Bali, whenever we sat down for a meal, the waitress would take Elliott and hold him while we ate. They always wanted to entertain him.

The trail to Sari Organik and Gusti Gardens II where we stayed in Ubud, Bali.

This is the hike along Campuan Ridge. In the middle of the photo you can see the roof of our hotel. We hiked for 1.5 hours, got some cold coffee drinks and put our feet in the pool at Klub Kokus and then we hiked another hour. Once we got tired, I flagged down the next car and they took us back to Ubud. A great day.

Monkey Forest. There were monkeys EVERYWHERE. Thank goodness none of them decided to jump on us. :)

This was the view from our hotel window in Ubud. The process of harvesting rice fields begins with cutting the stalk, then pounding it against a board and then sifting it (far left).
Our hotel served us banana pancakes for breakfast- they were delicious!

These photos was taken at the Amandari Resort. Known to be the nicest resort in Bali, near Ubud. We had a great lunch, then relaxed in this gazebo. The resort overlooks a large ravine and has a large pool that flows off the horizon (looks like it creates a waterfall into the ravine). Each room has it's own private swimming pool and they do a thorough bomb check on all cars that enter the resort. The nice resorts in Bali are very well maintained and there is not a speck of trash. Overall, Bali reminded us of Australia's Mexico. There are plenty of dogs wandering the streets, warm weather and good priced food. Although I'd rather go to Bali since I think the food is better and it seems to have a much more distinct culture and heritage that the Balinese take pride in.

Tuesday, November 13, 2007

Botanical Gardens in Singapore

Jessica and Travis Custer are currently living in Singapore. I (Janelle) went to high school and college with the Custer's and was so excited to visit them. They have been fabulous hosts! Their blog site is http://www.tjsing.blogspot.com/ They have great photos from all over Southeast Asia.
These leaves seemed to be the perfect size for a hammock for Elliott.

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Happy in Singapore


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Elliott in Singapore and Bali

Here are some photos of Elliott in Singapore. We've had a fabulous time. We boarded the plane October 30th and landed in Singapore November 1st. Elliott literally missed his first Halloween. The plane ride was 3 hours to LA and then another 16 hours to Singapore. Total travel time was 24 hours. Elliott was a champion- he slept, smiled, slept some more, and decided to like everyone that wanted to interact with him on the plane. He adapted to Singapore time faster than his parents. He seemed to adjust to the heat and humidity faster too. We flew to Bali for a week. We enjoyed hiking, resting, visiting the good restaurants and spending time connecting with Elliott.
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