Loved it All

This is my final post about our Singapore/Thailand trip and it is a long one . . .but at least it should be clear as to what we "loved" about our trip. . . EVERYTHING!
The reason this whole adventure took place was because Hunter planned it for our 10th anniversary.  And how smart of him to plan it around Valentine's Day too. What could be better than staying at a 5 star resort in Thailand on Valentine's Day?

The grounds of the resort were breathtaking. . .

My favorite was this pool that was was surrounded by a gorgeous lagoon.

We arrived in Asia on the last day of Chinese New Year, which is the biggest holiday in Asia.  And we were lucky enough to start off our trip by seeing Singapore's Chinese New Year Parade ... it was by far the best parade we've ever seen.

At the end of the parade they had everyone come back through with lanterns. .. then they shot off confetti and fireworks. . . I was surprised as I never saw one piece of dirt on the streets of Singapore until they shot off the confetti. . . I'm sure they had it cleaned up in minutes :-)

 Singapore is home to many cultures all of which were represented in the parade and throughout the town.  I loved walking through the Chinatown, especially to see the architecture. . .

Singapore definitely knows how to build amazing skyscrapers...

This hotel/casino was my favorite. . . I felt like I was in Las Vegas.

The grandness and display of Singapore was quite the contrast compared to our bike ride through the streets of Bangkok.  We were able to see things that most tourists don't see on this 4 hour bike ride as it took us through communities, schools, and markets of the locals as well as through a preserved jungled that is in the heart of Bangkok.

 

The people in the boat are picking up garbage out of the river . . .what a job!

This school was under the freeway in the middle of a make-shift shanty town . . . parents only have to pay 30 cents a day for the care to enable the parents to work.  The kids seemed happy - hope they are!

On the boat that took us to the jungle side of the river. 

"S" was our tour gide and she did such a wonderful job giving us a brief overview of Bangkok, Buddhism, and the Thai culture.

Another favorite adventure in Thailand was the floating market. . .we took a boat through canals where people were selling merchandise and food from boats and from shops built on the banks of the canal.

At the floatng market and at the night markets, you had to barter for everything . . . good thing my brother was there to teach us the ropes. . .

The last day of our trip was in Singapore . . .and we packed in a fun day with my brother and his entire family.   The brave ones did the mega zip line, which Hunter has been wanting to do since he saw it on Amazing Race.  Actually I was the only "chicken"; Sarah was nice enough to stay back and observe from a far with me.

Then it was time for some fun in the sun . . . Hunter is such a good uncle. . .playing with the kids in the water as I relaxed on the beach.

And then last but not least, the night safari!  Taking a tram at night through a zoo is a really fun and unique experience.

 

As you can see, we packed our days from sunrise to sunset so we could get the most out of our 9-day Asia experience.   Thanks Hunter, Mateo, Sarah, and Grandparents for making it possible!  As much as we loved our trip, we loved returning home to see our kiddos.