PORTALS AND PASTRY

Our friend Kevin highly recommended an exhibit downtown called Portals. It was an enormous collection of fantasy and sci-fi books, memorobila and art from the early 20th century to the early 2000s. It was facinating and immesive. The kids really enjoyed as did my Mum who remembered many books from the 60s and 70s.  

Before we went in we visited another location fo Tiong Bahru bakery for just a little more of those ridiculous pastries. 

A BIT OF MODERN

After swimming and journalling all through the first half of the day we decided to get us out of the apartment for a small excursion. 

Both A and C were fascinated by the idea that all the malls downtown are connected by tunnels so I took us down there to show them. We started at Ion and then went across to Wheelock Pl and then we went above ground and I showed them Isitan (for the grocery store) and finally Far East Plaza for some old skool mall style. We met my friend for dinner at a middle eastern place deep in Far East Plaza and it was fabulous food. In North America we don't go into malls expecting phenomenal food but in Singapore it's why you go. The basement floors are filled with every gourmet temptation you could imagine. From local food stalls to French patisseries and Michelin star dumplings. Basements are hidden gold in Singapore mall culture. 

Before we left I bought every one of us a blank journal and packed
supplies to create scapbook journals as we went along. We also
had a polaroid camera to add to the detail. 

BACK TO THE INITIAL SAMA

Our serviced apartment was finally ready for us to move back in so we checked out of the The Grand Park after a morning stroll on the river and a fantastic breakfast at Tiong Bahru in Fort Canning. 

Back to apartment living where we could order in groceries and settle in again. But first, can we just have a long look at this croissant filled with Lychee creme pat, glazed with a strawberry yogurt glaze. 

A PERANAKAN SOLUTION

As soon as I had the ability to walk, I busted us out of the world's most boring golf hotel and moved us into a charming Peranakan hotel, the The Grand Park at City Hall. We walked to the Peranakan Museum and took in a few hours of history and beautiful story-telling. Later we went to an old haunt of ours, brotzeit, for dinner. A Bavarian restaurant that delivered on the comfort foods we needed at that time. 

THE OTHER SHOE

There was always a chance that another of us might go down. The Dr wasn't entirely sure Caelen had eColi and had put him on an antibiotic just in case. When I woke the next morning I knew something wasn't right. I was immediately stricken with all the symptoms C had had. I ignored the advice to let my body "get rid of it all first" and took all the meds that were already in my possession. I stabilized but felt weak and flushed. I knew I was on very borrowed time. Mum and I strategized. I decided we should just get ourselves to the airport and try to get on our way. Even if we just got as far as our layover in Singapore, we could get a hotel and see a Dr there. And that is what we did. Forfeiting the flight onward to KL, we got into a car at Changi and went to the closest hotel I could find and I tumbled into bed. I emerged a few hours later and headed to the clinic knowing that a forfeited flight was going to require a paper trail of illness documented and I needed adult dosed meds. 

The hotel was at a golf course and was about as boring and corporate as they come. Every faux wood veneer and vinyl detail could be in a hotel in Sacramento. Again our crew had to find the inner peace to just sit. We missed our cabana. And we were sad that our whole side trip to Malaysia for three nights was just not going to happen. I was down for the count and after seeing what happened to Caelen I knew the first two days I was going to be flat out in bed. 

A CABANA ON THE BEACH

 

We aren't very beachy people. It could be the pale Welsh skin, or the easily distracted ADHD brains but really we are not very good at beach. Walking on beach? Sure. In for a swim and off again? Yep. But sitting? Just, not doing a thing? Nope. It turns out, when one member of your party is really ill, you have to all just learn to sit. I think we did a spectacular job. Look at this pro level sitting we did. 

C slept all day, still not eating despite the staff delivering all their cures for him from congee to vegetable broth. But he drank a lot of fluids and he was finally chipper and feeling better. Mum and I stepped out on our own for a bit to fortify our first aid items for the travel day we had ahead of us. We were set to fly to Kuala Lumpur in the morning. 

SHOPPING AND A SMALL DISASTER

Mum and I had more shopping to do so Mum and I called a car and went down to check out some shops and also a local mall hoping to uncover some boutiques that would have some higher quality but local items. We were successful but just as we were wrapping up I got a call from Joel that made me heart sink. Could I come to him right away, they had biked to the far end of the beach and C was vomiting. "Bali Belly" was something I was really hoping we'd avoid somehow with extremely careful measures around food and water and touching things. But eColi is absolutely everywhere in a country without public sanitation accessible to all and I knew the risk was very high. I was traveling with charcoal and several medications and they were on me at the time so we called another car and were there to rescue in about 10 minutes. 

C was sicker than I have ever seen anyone with Bali Belly. I ended up getting him onto heavy duty drugs to stop the vomiting pretty early as he became dehydrated and by the next morning the staff at the hotel were urging us to have the Dr come in. We were unfortunately checking out so they coordinated the Dr to meet us at the next hotel. 

At the same time Joel was leaving for the airport to fly back home so as he left, so did we with C, flushed and floppy at my side. The medical team arrived right on time and immediately assessed him and started an IV drip. This was not what C was expecting but I explained that it needed to happen and told him afterward he'd start to feel better. He was so brave, he just looked at me and didn't make a peep. 

By the time they left it was dinner time. We got ready for bed and hoped for a better day. 

SUDAMALA AND RETREAT

Last night we got out of the taxi and were greeted by staff who immediately anticipated who were were and where we needed to go, leaving us to the reception where we were met by two women who performed a water clearing ritual and pressed rice to our foreheads with a thumb, leaving the grains there as a reminder that we had been changed in that moment. Fully exhaling plastic fumes and inhaling ocean breeze. Our rooms were through antique doors and had 12 foot ceilings, king size beds with hand-woven linens and tapestries. Everything spoke of being made nearby, by hand and of the highest quality. Solid teak, marble, threadcounts for days. We slept well and wandered to breakfast, sitting out in the morning sun with plates of some of the most sumptuous brunch fare we'd seen so far. We had three rooms, not far away with little back gates from our patios where we could cross the garden and enter oneanothers spaces. We swam in the pool, ordered cocktails and settled in to truly relax. 

Later in the evening Joel and I took the kids to meet some old friends from Singapore who now live in Sanur. The evening was spent at a beachside table enjoying a long catch up while all the children run up and down the sand under a harvest moon. 

We had to change room on our second night because all their "basic" rooms were fully booked and found ourselves in giant suites! Yet another level of oooh and aahs. 

SIGHT-SEEING AND SANUR

Our driver returned the next morning to take us for a little more sight-seeing on our way to Sanur to check into the next place we were staying. We stopped at some gardens for lunch - Nasi Lemak and Satay.

Our "villa" was one of those Bali places that looked good on Agoda but was tired and not well kept in reality. After discovering all the broken things and a murky swimming pool we laid back for a nap only to be woken up by a house now filled with fumes of burning plastic. The neighbor had built a bonfire and and burning plastic and it had filled our villa. That was the final straw. Joel hopped on his computer and booked a five star resort down the road and we left. 

ARTISANS AND VOLCANO

I hired us a driver to take us to see the usual locations to watch locals carve wood, paint, weave, batik, roast coffee and all the skilled artisan things Balinese people are well known for. The kids were very interested and we did quite a good deal of shopping along the way. 

Joel woke from his very short "night" and joined us at the Goa Gahjah Temple and then we continued on to the Volcano for the views and a lunch. C was especially insistent on seeing an active volcano. 

The boys did some night swimming in the pool in the temple gardens at the hotel while I ordered local food cooked up by staff who were amused by our evening escapades. Everyone got packed up to get ready to move on the following morning to Sanur. 

MOZAIC AND MONKEY FOREST

 

We began our first day in Ubud with a stroll down to the Sacred Monkey Forest. I recalled all our past visits to this place as being a bit lawless, with someone selling bananas to tourists to feed the monkeys and in turn the Monkeys had developed a very aggressive focus on getting things from humans. I also remembered the walk as being a dirt path straight through the jungle and monkeys played in the trees above. I was shocked by the change in the entire place when we arrived this time. The old dirt path entrance was closed off and all traffic diverted to a new entrance with a ticket booth and parking lot and no more selling bananas. New rules were in place where only staff fed monkeys and in turn the monkeys were much less acclimated to taking things from people -- a relief to the boys. The walk was through a completely different area than we'd been in before, with a carved cave and many beautiful paved paths with temple buildings and statues. It was very crowded but the kids loved seeing the monkeys up close and it was worth the entrance fee.  

After the walk, we had lunch at the restaurant near the entrance and then Mum, Joel and C headed back to the hotel and A and I went for a shop along Monkey Forest Road. 

I'd heard that Ubud had been inundated with development and that locals had been really pushed to the edges of town and that is certainly what I felt returning so familiar streets and seeing high street shops like Quicksilver and higher end boutiques owned by Europeans replacing the little shops that I used to visit for silks and woven bags. I found a few linen items -- at near-Europe prices. Then we found an alley with really small vendors selling the usual stuff but not very well made. The things you see in outdoor stalls at every single temple. I haggled for bits and pieces but left without the things I was really hoping to discover again. Ah well. 

This is the evening we booked our tasting menu at Mosaic. A return to what had always been THE restaurant I have compared every other to since our first visit. This was to be my 4th time and I hoped it lived up to my memory. 

It was even better. I know, it sounds crazy, I've done French Laundry and other Michelin star restaurants in a few countries at this point but I'm here to tell you Mozaic is just better. We did their 8 course menu with the kids over a spectacular 3 hours of the most genuine and gracious service. The kids loved it, their bartender even made them little drink pairings for each course and came out to explain each one. This was truly a very high point in the trip for each of us. It was lovely to know that at least this little corner of Ubud was preserved. 

TRISHAW PROJECT AND SETTING OUT FOR BALI

Joel and C headed out to Arab St to purchase Peranakan fabric today to help Joel finish his Trishaw re-build project that he started 13 years ago. It has been living in our basement ever since. We do have a Flying Pigeon bike and all the parts of the sidecar and hood here ready to do. But not fabric. This is what a Trishaw should look like:

This is a very significant Singaporean symbol and the actual design is only found here. We didn't see a single one on the road and heard that they are now retiring all of them from the city. Even more important now to preserve them. 

After Joel and C came back we decided on a movie and dinner in evening. We ordered dinner which whizzed over to us on a scooter, and I put on Crazy Rich Asians. The kids got a kick out of the satire, now knowing some of the context for the jokes and stereotypes. 

The following morning we set out to the airport to fly to Bali. The Denpasar airport has been completely rebuilt since we were last there and in line with Singapore and Malaysia, Indonesia has also adopted an electronic visa on arrival system, passports scanned without a human in sight. 

We had a long drive in crazy traffic to get to Ubud, finally checking into our hotel on Monkey Forest very late. Everyone fell into bed and went to sleep. Well all except Joel who began and long night working with less than helpful wifi. 

A SECRET KAMPONG

I thought we'd done all the parks and trails in Singapore -- or certainly Joel had -- in our Singapore years. But I had never heard of there being the ruins of a Kampong hidden in part of the Pearce Reservoir. Our dear friend Kevin met us to show us this mystical place and what a treat it was. 

We walked through jungle with a mix of old orchard and crops mixed in that were leftover from the farms. High up in the trees we saw a monitor lizard and a Flying Lemur.

Despite being fairly sure the weather was going to hold out at the start, we were not so lucky it turned out. The skies opened and drenched us as only tropical rain can. It was still great fun at any age to just get that wet when the rain is warm and the company is playful. 

We feasted on Roti Prata and eventually took a taxi back home to change. 

Now because it was the weekend and Joel's only one in Singapore we turned around and headed back out to a second outing: The Night Safari. It was very interesting especially for the kids but boy were our feet sore after the long day on them. 

CHANGING PLANS

Before we left we found out that Joel couldn't have any time off work and would be working nights the whole trip. Then he was summoned back to SF part way through the trip and had to forfeit his ticket home and purchase another at double the cost. Luckily I had gone through a reputable insurance agent and bought CFAR insurance which he can claim this under. We decided to go ahead with the edited trip but this is why Joel is absent for so many of the excursions but does make some valiant arrivals mid day and evenings. I cancelled our plan to tack on Thailand and opted to have us stay in Singapore again preferring a home base I know well when I'm solo with a senior and two kids in tow. 

After our first 4 days of sightseeing Mum and I sat down in a cafe and set our minds to booking all the rest of the trip details while Joel -- having his first day off on a weekend, took the boys to the adventure park. 

We met up at Vivo City Food Republic for dinner and gave the kids an even bigger overview of street foods in a slightly manic Disney-like setting. 

LITTLE INDIA

We had very wiggly boys so our day started with lots of swimming today. And then we waited and watched a thunderstorm. 

Joel had to sleep after working all night so Mum and the boys and I went to Little India on our own to walk around and see the shops and temples. 

We decided to all get henna tattooos -- the things you do when kids are along! Even Mum got one. We introduced the boys to haggling. C was very mystified by the concept of walking away from something you want. A watched me at the first place we purchased something and asked "what was THAT? I couldn't even follow that transaction." Hah! Mom has a few things up my sleeve he hasn't seen I guess. I love a good haggle. 

Joel joined us for a late lunch of Dosa at a little restaurant. Mum actually hadn't done Dosa with us before so it was new to three members at the table. 

CHINATOWN AND COLONIAL DISTRICT

General Raffles designed the city's layout to create separate culturally significant areas for each of the ethnic groups who were in Singapore in 1819. Little India, Chinatown, Arab Street, and the Malay Kampong are all still there and are very interesting cultural experiences for travelers. They are like being able to visit a different country with just a few stops on the MRT. We started with Chinatown with a breakfast at the Maxwell Hawker Center (Popiah, and many types of dumplings and cups of Kopi-o). Joel, having been up the entire night working on PST was heading back to the apartment to sleep, but I took Mum and the boys across to the Buddha Tooth Relic Temple. 

We've been to many Taoist temples but this one is really enormous and has a museum on one floor, a gift store and it's also a busy place filled with monks and people at prayer. 

We did a little bit of exploring the side streets before heading back to rest. Jet-lag had caught up with us. We stopped for Laksa, Nasi Lemak and Fishball Soup on our way. As you do. 

The following day we set out to the Colonial District to visit the National Museum hoping to give the kids a more visual overview of the island's history. It was very well curated as usual and we got exactly what we hoped from the trip. After the museum we had dinner at Din Tai Fung. 

DAY ONE IN SINGAPORE

The dream of a 16 hour direct flight on Singapore Airlines was not something we'd had available to us 13 years ago so our flight out of SFO was a treat. No 30 hour round trip slog with stopovers in Narita or Hong Kong. The service on board was exceptional, food decent and Premium Economy gave us a little more room to stretch with foot rests and seats that went further back. We had created a little jet-lag busting schedule to follow on board with all taking some melatonin when Singapore's night began and being up for breakfast before our 5:00am local time landing. The kids slept well, were content with the onboard movies when up and ate the plan food without complaint. They also discovered that if they visited the flight attendants there were extra treats. 

Changi looked just how it was when we left though the new kiosks that scan your passport and search for your online landing card are new. You never speak to a human and it's fast. 

Stepping out into the equatorial heat for the first time was a welcome moment for those of us who were ready for it. The look of surprise on the boys are hilarious. They didn't dislike it but laughed at the newness. 

Our driver whisked us across the island chatting about Hawker Centers and parks till we turned up the familiar road beside the Botanic Gardens main gate and were deposited on the doorstep of the Initial Sama. We had two apartments, a studio and a two bedroom but lost in translation was the fact that they needed to be close together and not in different buildings. Joel ended up using the studio as an office and Mum took the couch in the two bedroom so we could function as a family unit as the main apartment had the fridge and kitchen and dining room. 

Though a bit more squashed in than planned, the swimming pool was newly finished and our place was nicely appointed. 

We decided we needed to stay awake as long as possible and walked across the road into the Botanic Gardens for breakfast and a wander around. We started with the National Orchid Garden and made our way around the upper end of the park where the boys found monitor lizards and we spotted a pair of Pied Hornbills in a tree. More wildlife than I have ever seen in a park that was a nearly every day walk for us year ago. 

We had a swim and I took Austen for a quick trip to Tanglin Mall for groceries. 

PARTY OF 5 HEADED TO THE RED DOT

After my Dad died last year, one of my promises to my Mum had been to take her traveling with us and we had decided on a return to SE Asia. 

Fast-forward to July 18th 2026. I spent the last 8 months getting each piece of the itinerary into place. 

July 20-27 Singapore

Staying in serviced apartment by the Botanic Gardens and acclimating while seeing some of the cultural centers of the city. Orienting the kids to the food, flora and fauna. 

July 27-August 4 Bali Indonesia

Returning to Ubud, adding in Sanur and Candidasa and showing the kids a totally different culture and region. 

July 4-7 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Three days in the city's Chinatown connecting my mother with a good friend and seeing Malaysian culture and digging deeper into Malay food. 

July 7-12 Singapore

Return to the serviced apartments and a chance to fit in anything we didn't see in the first week. 

As we departed we were so excited to be heading to our former home. I truly yearned for so many things I love from that part of the world is was hard to even make a list. Here are a few moments from our departure day.