Florida Keys

 

We traveled to Florida for our winter break from school. For the first time since COVID started, we took a trip outside of our host countries and not to our home in the Northwest. We found a vacation home and spent a couple of weeks enjoying the weird, wild, and beautiful Keys of South Florida. We stayed in Key Colony, in the Middle Keys and took day trips to Key West and up to Key Largo. 

We met Matt's brother and parents for a family Christmas. Cata had a great time with uncle Ben, Grace, Grandma, and Grandpa. Matt and Kristi got away for some paddling, diving and fishing.

Left: Ben checks the flats in the backcountry and below a day of conventional fishing = ceviche and fish fry.

Kristi completed an open water course in Kuwait at the end of 2019. We did a bit of diving the last time we traveled in 2019 and then had to cancel a dive trip to the Red Sea. She was excited to get back in the water for a couple days of diving in the Florida Reef-the 3rd largest in the world. (We dove with Captain Hook's in Marathon and Rainbow Reef in Key Largo and can recommend both!)

Initial phase of the stoplight parrot fish (above). Hog fish to the left.

Mahogany Snapper

Yellowtail Snapper

Blue Stripped Grunt 

Squirrelfish

Banded Butterflyfish

Redband Parrotfish

Florida has some gorgeous sunsets!

We had a good time exploring the area around where we were staying by kayak. This led to watching some great sunsets and checking out the local wildlife. Unexpectedly, this included a family of manatees that swam right up to the dock at our rental!

We also stumbled upon this small, wooden boat that had just been abandoned at the end of a journey from Cuba. People who saw it land told us that 4 people had climbed out, changed into clean clothes, and run through the forest towards the highway. In the boat was a large bag of bread and a few fuel containers. The boat would have required constant bailing. In the time since the occupants had left, water leaking in had covered the engine which was clearly repurposed from some other non-marine origin.

Obligatory American Alligator Pic

Ben enjoying the backcountry

Our adventures have become a little less adventurous than they used to be. In fact, we now prioritize going to one place and staying in the vicinity over more exploration. The adventure now is guided largely by enjoying the personality of our 3-year old and watching her eyes light up as she experiences new things.

The Florida Keys also turned out to be a great place to check out bird life. My favorite was this Yellow-throated Warbler that frequented the yard where we were staying.

Also near the house in a marshy area were the Greater Yellowlegs (left) and White Ibis (Right).

Tricolored Heron in the marsh and Least Sandpiper at the beach.

Right: Northern Cardinal. Left: White-eyed Parakeet (we spent two days in Miami before flying home and noticed that, like in Singapore, many of the birds are introduced species from other parts of the world).

Our Home

We've gotten a few questions about the living situation here in Singapore, so we thought we would share a video of our home.  

We live quite near our school; about a 10 minute walk.  We chose this strategically because we don't plan to own a car as they are quite expensive to acquire and maintain in Singapore. Cata's campus is a little further away, but she walks with us and then takes a shuttle bus ride to her campus.  We live between two MRT (train) stops and have found our location to be pretty convenient so far. We live on the purple line, which runs North/South and has stops at Chinatown, Little India, and runs South through the Downtown core.  

Our condo, as they are called here although we are renters, has about 90 apartments.  Some of those are owned and lived in by Singaporeans and some are rented.  We have quite a few students and staff from our school in our building due to the proximity to campus.  Cata's favorite part is our lovely pool and she has become quite the little fish.  We also have a small gym.  Our apartment is fairly large, at around 1200 sq feet. We pay around $2,800 USD for a 3 bedroom apartment.  Rents are quite steep here and we got what is considered a pretty good deal. Luckily, we were also able to find something that is covered by the housing stipend the school provides.  

Singapore is quite dense and the most popular housing option amongst Singaporeans is the HDB (Housing Development Board).  Anyone can live in an HDB, but we chose a little more comfort over saving on the rent. Singapore has almost 90% home ownership rate, due in large part to the government land ownership emphasis in the HDB scheme coupled with subsidies for homeowners. Owning a home was a key part of the initial nation building philosophy once Singapore became an independent nation.

These HDB's are massive complexes that are much more affordable than a condo, but tend to be older and without the amenities of a condo complex.  We live near quite a few and they are like mini cities complete with their own playgrounds, clinics, and food courts, and they are usually on the doorstep of public transportation.

All in all, we think we chose well and are enjoying making our home 'ours' bit by bit.

Singapore with kids

 One of the things that has stood out to us in our short time living here is how child-friendly Singapore is. There are a ton of amazing playgrounds with beautiful and well-maintained equipment.  There are theme parks, indoor and outdoor play spaces, and attractions designed specifically for small kids.  

Many restaurants cater to families with playgrounds on site, stroller parking, coloring sheets, kid's menus, toys, and special tableware for kids.  Some of our favorites so far include Open Farm Community and Carrotsticks and Cravings (next to the super fun Museum of Ice Cream) in Dempsey, and Coastes on Sentosa Island.  We love being able to eat and meal and have Cata be entertained long enough to actually enjoy it!

Public spaces often have kids sized toilets and sinks, as well as seats inside the stalls to park your wiggly kid while you use the bathroom. The beaches all have showers so you can leave the sand at the beach. The public transportation is easy with a stroller, with spaces on busses and the trains to park it and elevators to navigate stations. Kids are generally adored here and Cata gets lots of approving smiles and waves when we are out in public simply for being cute. 

Some of our favorite playgrounds include the COMO Adventure Cove at the Singapore Botanic Gardens.  The Botanic Gardens is one of Matt's favorite places to explore and look for birds and is a true gem of a green space in Singapore.  Cata really digs the playground and Kristi appreciates the coffee shop situated strategically next to the playground!  

Cata climbing the giant durian play structure at COMO Adventure Grove

Another Botanic Gardens win is the tree top nets

The structure on the left is a favorite in the neighborhood.  The slides at Fort Canning are fast and fun and appeal to our adventure-loving kiddo.   The amazing Tiong Bahru Bakery is right in the park too; Singapore thinks of the parents also!

Two other places with interesting and well-kept playgrounds are Pasir Ris, also a nice place to see wildlife and walk, and Admiralty Park.  Admiralty is a long-haul for us, as it is all the way at the north end of the island, but it's worth a trip!

We also bought a year-long membership to the zoo here, which actually includes unlimited visits to 3 parks: Jurong Bird Park, the Singapore Zoo, and the River Safari. 

Some of the indoor options for when you just can't brave the heat and humidity of Singapore are The Museum of Ice Cream, a Tayo Station themed indoor playground, the Art and Science museum (which has some fun, rotating exhibits for smaller kids), the digital light canvas at Marina Bay Sands, and the lovely soft play space, The Joy of Toys.  We've even found covered spray parks and bouncy house extravaganzas.  

Cata loves the "digital light canvas"

We've explored a lot in our 6 months here, but our list of new places to check out only grows.  Especially after the isolation of Kuwait + COVID that we experienced before moving here, we are so happy to be able to get the whole family out in nature exploring or finding new (cool) places to have some fun indoors.

The Southern Islands-St. John's and Lazarus Islands

We arrived back in Singapore after our winter break in Florida with a week before school started again. We used the opportunity to explore our home a little more and took a ferry out to the Southern Islands. It takes about 45 minutes to get to St. John's and the ferry ticket (round trip) was $15 SGD. 

Typically, there are basic summer camp style vacation rentals on St. John's but they are closed for now due to COVID.  St. John's used to serve as a quarantine island for cholera and then leprosy, then a penal colony, and even had a drub rehab center in the 1950's. It still has a detention center for illegal immigrants as well. Some local legends even say it's haunted and with such a storied history, it wouldn't be a surprise!

We arrived at the dock at St. John's and had a picnic lunch on the largest beach on St. John's.  There were plenty of tables and lots of shade, a precious commodity in Singapore.  There are no services on either island except restrooms with showers.  We quite liked this as it added to the laid back nature of the place.  All of the other beaches in Singapore we've been to have bars, restaurants, bike rentals, etc and can get really busy on the weekends. 

We then took the causeway to Lazarus island and spent some time at a gorgeous sandy beach. The best part was, because it was a weekday, it was mostly empty; space is another precious commodity in Singapore.  We could see the rest of the city off in the distance, but it felt far away from the dense and crowded city we had just come from. The walk was hot because of the exposure on the causeway, but once near the water, there was a lovely breeze and it was quite comfortable. Cata had a blast playing in the sand and splashing in the water. Upon our return to school last week, I asked some people who had either lived here a long time or are Singaporean and hardly anyone I talked to had ever been there.  A hidden gem in Singapore, for sure.  There is a 3rd island, Kusu, (tortoise in Hokkien) that we didn't visit.  It has a Chinese temple and is a popular spot to come and make offerings or pray.

Pulau Ubin

 

We have just finished quarter 1 and had our first break - How time flies! During our Fall Break, we tried to do some exploring further afield and found Pulau Ubin, a small island off the NE coast of Singapore.  It is home to the Chak Jawa Wetlands, and Singapore's last "kampong" or village.  The north end is fenced off to deter illegal immigrants arriving from Malaysia and there is camping, some restaurants and also mountain biking trails. To get to Pulau Ubin, you pay $4 a person to board a bumboat from the Changi Beach Park area.  It's a short 10 minute ride. 

We rented bicycles to venture around the island, it is about 4 km to the Wetlands from the main jetty and there are numerous small roads and trails to explore. Being on the island was like taking a step back in time; you can imagine what Singapore was like just 50 years ago. It reminded us of travels to rural parts of Thailand and Indonesia.  Singapore has some pretty incredible natural spaces, but this was the first time we truly felt distant from the cityscape. 

We spotted Wild Boar as well as some Macaque monkeys in the forest, then made our way via boardwalks through the wetlands.  The observation tower afforded some views of the canopy and the mainland Changi airport. 

Singapore is less than 2 degrees North of the Equator. The breeze and clouds that accompany the frequent rainstorms can provide a break from the heat and humidity, but our outdoor trips are often pretty sweaty affairs.  

Quarantine (Stay at Home Notice or SHN)

Arrival Singapore

We landed in Singapore on July 19 after 2 flights, one of which was nearly 17 hours.  The flight was mostly empty and Singapore Airlines had great customer service. We arrived at the airport early in the morning and were ushered through several different steps including immigration, customs, and finally COVID testing (we will have had 6 tests in 2 weeks by the end of this process!), before boarding a bus to an unknown hotel to serve our 14 day quarantine.  The airport was incredibly well-organized and efficient; we were at our hotel in under 2 hours after we landed. 

We found out upon arriving that we will be staying at the Royal Plaza on Scotts Road, in the Orchard neighborhood.  Upon arriving in our room, we were disappointed to see that it is quite small and would be a challenge to have room for us and all of our luggage.  The quarantine hotel experience seems to vary widely and we seem to have landed somewhere in the middle of the road as far as I can tell.  Local citizens and residents who test positive or come in close contact with a positive person are also asked to quarantine and there was a recent spike in cases, so we've been told the options for hotels were more limited.  The room was clean and had basic necessities, and although small, turned out to be okay.  

The first day we arrived is actually counted as day 0; it's a 14 night quarantine and we're released on the 15th day at 12. 

On Day 0, Cata had a hard time understanding what was happening and asked many times to go outside.  She seems to get it later and understand that we are still going to go "home" to our new house soon.  She gets excited when the doorbell rings with our food or a delivery because she gets to see the door open. 

On Day 2, we had a video call with Grandma and Grandpa, who read some books to Cata.  Cata in turn gave them a dizzying tour of our room, including the inside of the toilet.   We also rewatched the "Parts Unknown" episode about Singapore today.  I'm so hungry for the amazing food I keep hearing about and can't wait to get out and try it....except for the fact that Singapore just went back into "Phase 2" of their safety measures, which means no dining out until August 18!  

Jet lag

On Day 3, we took the first of 3 rapid at home tests. We submit our results to the government online.  The Ministry of Manpower also gives a call each day to check in on us.

We've established a bit of a routine, which we think will help pass the time more easily.  Jet lag is still an issue, but we're almost back to normal sleep patterns we hope.  We do some cardio exercise or yoga first thing using a video on YouTube.  Cata even joins!  

We then drink some coffee; we brought good coffee and the Aeropress from home--we know our priorities!  Breakfast gets delivered at 8 am.  After breakfast, we take turns playing with Cata.  So far, we've done some simple art projects, puzzles, coloring, and some screen time when we need a break.  We try to rest in the afternoon, which is a challenge in a small hotel room with a toddler who hates naps.  We are able to get some small tasks accomplished like this blog and shopping online for new furniture while she sleeps.  We play some more until dinner, then wrap up the day with a bath and bedtime for Cata. Aside from the bit where we can't go outside, it's actually a lot like our home routine.

So far, the food has been good. It is a bento box type meal featuring local and or international recipes. We figured out how to get some wine and snacks delivered (again, priorities) so we have everything we need to help us tough it out.

Days 4, 5, and 6 sort of blend together.  We got a nice basket full of treats from our new superintendent as well as a care package from our school buddies (homemade chocolate chip cookies!)  during this time.  We video chatted with family and friends some more as well. The Olympics have started and we watched the USWNT lose to Sweden, then beat New Zealand. 

Day 7 Kristi had to begin work.  This meant a work station set-up in the bathroom (thank god for virtual backgrounds) and a lot of Peppa Pig for Cata. Matt definitely has the harder job this week with trying to entertain a 3 year old for 8 hours while Kristi works.  We took a second negative COVID test today.

Quarantine Sunrise

Days 8-11 Kristi had to work most of the days. We watched some Olympics, including women's football to help pass the time.  We watched a really intense quarter finals against the Netherlands and were so happy to see USWNT advance. The days really blend together with not a lot of activity to mark the passing of time.  The evenings tend to be the hardest time, as Cata hasn't been napping and she gets pretty grumpy after dinner. We took a 3rd COVID test and learned that our final swab will be Sunday.  We will have to travel to a nearby location to take the test and then will be returned to the hotel.  It feels good to be close to the end. Only 3 more days!

Day 12 finds us getting prepped to move on to another hotel for a few days before we can move into our new apartment.  Luckily, many things like ordering furniture and groceries and getting our internet set up can all be done from the comfort of our quarantine hotel, so we're all set to move into our house next weekend.  We even applied for bank accounts online! We also broke down and ordered some craft beer brewed in Singapore.  It was quite delicious, but at almost $5 a bottle, it will have to be a rare treat.  

Day 14 had us getting picked up and taken to a center for our last swab.  Families with small children go here because the medical staff at hotels are apparently not able to do the tests for kids. Cata did remarkably well and earned a lollipop for her bravery.  We started watching "Mare of Easttown" and are bingeing for what is likely our last chance to watch much TV for a while. We're counting down the hours to freedom now!

Day 15 and we're free and picked up to go to our next hotel by noon.  The process is smooth and we're ready to begin exploring! 

We've had occasion to interact with various government branches as well as internet/mobile companies and banks, and it has all been remarkably smooth---people who speak clear English answer the phone and give answers that solve your issue.  After dealing with bureaucracies in 2 other countries and usually getting very frustrated while doing so, this truly seems like utopia. 

The restrictions here have been pretty tough for the duration of the pandemic, but Singapore has fared pretty well when it comes to Covid-19.  They have had 63,440 cases as of July 21, 2021 and ONLY 36 deaths. How the newest cluster of cases at 182 in number is considered a crisis here makes sense when you understand how well they have dealt with the pandemic overall.  So while we are not stoked on a 14 day hotel quarantine with 6 COVID tests or wearing a mask, even outside, we are happy to be in a place that took the pandemic seriously,  kept its population safe, and is led by a government that relies on science and common sense.  School was held in person here all year long with all of the kids last year and we are hoping that remains true for this school year. 

We are very excited to leave quarantine and get our school year started.