Adventures in Singapore & Thailand!

Mid-December we pulled both boys from school and headed to Singapore, en route to Phuket, Thailand.  There are 1-2 weekly Space A flights that fly to Singapore from base so we decided to try our luck again and hope to get on the flight.  We had a good chance since we left a week before school Christmas break.  Flights to Thailand are about half the price leaving from Singapore as opposed to Tokyo and we'd get to visit two new places so it was a win win.  We were happy to be called for the flight and we booked our hotel in Singapore literally as we were about to take off.  The boys did great on the 8 hour flight.

We decided to stay at Marina Bay Sands which is a beautiful hotel in a great location.  The best part was its rooftop infinity pool overlooking the city.  We experienced a good bit of rain while in Singapore but took advantage of the pool when we could.  The hotel is also attached to a mall so we mostly shopped and dined on site.  We ventured out to Chinatown one afternoon where I did some shopping while Lincoln took a nap on a picnic table.  That night we checked out Gardens By the Bay which was also right next to the hotel.  They had a Christmas Lights show and carnival so the boys really enjoyed it.  After we headed back to our hotel for their light show on the water which was one of the coolest shows I have seen.  Our last day we took the train to Sentosa.  Everything was overpriced so we headed back to the hotel for lunch before going to the airport for our evening flight to Thailand.

First afternoon at the hotel was overcast and the pool was chilly

That view!  The boys got in but I watched from the side.

Dinner at Gordon Ramsey's Bread Street Kitchen.  We sat at the bar and the bartenders gave the boys Lime Shots.

We finally got some sun the next morning!

See I was there!

The most expensive Pina Colada I have ever had...but also the best. ($24)

The boys enjoyed lunch at the Superhero Cafe

Chinatown

Gardens by the Bay

Our hotel in the distance

The lights changed colors to Christmas music

Marina Bay Sands Light Show on the water

Merlion at Sentosa

We didn't get to our hotel in Thailand until after 10:00pm so we quickly settled in and went to bed.  Our first day at the resort, Katathani Beach Resort, we hung out by the pool in the morning and headed to the beach for the afternoon. 

Linc loved the kids pool play area

The boys played well together

This pool was closer to the beach...and the beach bar

Daily breakfast with an awesome view

Ice cream on the beach....and sporting our new Ray-bans....I'm sure they are totally legit!

This kid can play in the sand for hours

While these two catch waves on the boogie board

We enjoyed many beautiful sunsets

Day Two in Phuket we had signed up for a day trip with Vitamin Sea Co. through our hotel.  We decided to do a speed boat tour to Phi Phi Island.  The boys loved this because it is pronounced pee pee and they could get away with some potty talk all day!  We departed the Boat Lagoon Marina and headed to Bamboo Island first.  We had about an hour to enjoy the beach before getting back on the boat for a snorkel session.  We cruised by Monkey beach and saw some monkeys and then had a lunch buffet on Phi Phi Island.  Last stop was Maya Bay which was the setting for the 1999 film "The Beach" starring Leonardo DiCaprio.   

Ready to ride

Speed Boats are fast!

Bo at Bamboo Island

The boys

A & E

Family pic

Watching for monkeys

The boys on Phi Phi Island

Vaillant Fam on Phi Phi

Back on the boat and checking out the head

Maya Bay

Headed back to the marina...the boys were pooped!

The next day we took a taxi to Phuket Elephant Sanctuary where we would spend the morning with the elephants.  This was a new sanctuary that claimed to be the only true sanctuary in Phuket.  They allowed you to feed and interact with the elephants but there were no rides or bathing with the elephants.  I don't see why you'd want to bathe an elephant anyway but they want to keep their habitat as close to what it would be in the wild.  All the elephants were all rescued from very bad working conditions.  It was a hot day but the boys really enjoyed it.  They also provided a delicious vegetarian lunch overlooking the grounds.

Feeding the elephants watermelon

And cucumbers

Family feeding

Walking the grounds

Meet our new friend

Watching the elephants bathe themselves

Lunch view

We took a break from day trips and spent the day around the resort.  The boys rented a paddleboard while I chilled "On the Rocks".  We later took a tuk tuk into the nearby town to do some shopping.  We finished the day off at our favorite restaurant and saw a  rainbow at sunset.

This little bar on the hill was a great spot to watch the boys go out on the paddleboard

One with my boys

Both boys sat on the front of the board.

Tuk Tuk'ing

Rainbow over the resort

The next day we decided to go out with the same tour company to do their James Bond Island Tour via speed boat.  It was a little windier so the ride was much rougher.  The boys were a little scared at times but it was still a great day trip.  I was pretty sore the next day.  This trip included a stop on Khai Island with snorkeling, sea canoeing around Hong Island, a buffet lunch at a fisherman's village on Panyee Island, and sightseeing on James Bond Island (named after the filming of the movie "The Man with the Golden Gun").  Our favorite part was definitely the canoe trip!  

Snorkeling on Khai Island

Surrounded by fish!

Here we go!

Selfie!

Big and little Vaillant

Me and Bo

Through the cave to a lagoon

Back on the boat family photo

Pulling up to the Fisherman's Village.

James Bond Island

Mangrove/Joan's Cave Tour

Our last night in Thailand we had dinner at the resort (where we ate 5 out of the 6 nights).  The staff knew us well by the end and had the margherita pizza cued up quick for the boys upon our nightly arrival.  Having another beautiful sunset was a great way to end our time in Phuket.  We had an early flight back to Singapore in the morning.

Photos at our favorite restaurant

Back in Singapore we were hoping to only stay one night but we ended up staying two waiting on a Space A flight out of Paya Labar.  We stayed at a new hotel in the Katong neighborhood called Village Hotel.  It was a cute little area to hang out.  The first afternoon Eric took the boys to see the new Star Wars movie while I chilled at the hotel.  The second day we found a park we could walk to and played on the beach before grabbing lunch.  It was nice to have an extra day to chill but we were all ready to get back.  

At the park playing

Our hotel

Chillin by the pool

This place was across the street and had a wide variety of food.  Bonus half off special on their $17 beer!  Pretty much the cheapest we could find anywhere in Singapore.

The cafe where we had lunch had a pool!

The boys enjoyed swimming while we waited for our lunch

The next morning we made it on the flight and got back to Yokota around 5pm.  We had this awesome sunset view of Fuji as we were landing.  I always get a little choked up when we land back in Japan.  Coming back never really feels like coming home.  It was a little harder this time because of some news we got only a couple days into the trip.  More on that to come...