Anne and Claire come to visit!

How exciting to have friends visit us in Singapore! It was such a delicious treat! It was Claire's spring break, and the Miller boys willingness to fend for themselves for a week, that allowed Anne to journey with Claire half way around the world to our home on Leonie Hill. Their visit was short, but special.

Yes, we toured around the island, taking in the sites, smells and tastes of Singapore. But most importantly, Leah was able to share her daily life in Asia with a friend. The weather, her school, our local mall/movie theatre, and getting around (independently) via bus, MRT or taxi. All quite different from life in Newburyport. Claire was a trooper-eating local foods, enduring Little India and taking a solo taxi ride to meet Leah at SAS. The squatty potty was about the only "culture" she refused to try.

I too was thrilled to have a friend from home share my routine. Anne and I spent time at the American Club, walked my favorite morning exercise route along the river, drank tea, went to book group, met friends of ours and toured four art galleries. It was just great!

To escape the hustle and bustle of city life in Singapore, we took an island getaway to Pulau Ubin. This little island is only a ten minute bumboat ride and costs $2.50 per person. There are no scheduled departure times to and from Ubin, as bumboats set off only when there are 12 passengers. The island is a throwback to Singapore in the 1960's. There are about a hundred villagers living in kampongs. Ubin residences rely on wells for water and generators for electricity. We rode bicycles through fruit orchards (coconut, banana, mangostein and jackfruit) and rubber plantations. We walked through the mangroves at Chek Jawa. We enjoyed the wild life, rustic charm and the cold local beer with our lunch.

It was so much fun having our friends visit. Our three year contract is up in June 2010, so if any one would like to explore this part of the world and hang out with us, please know you are all welcome and we would love to see you. Maybe you could ask Anne or Claire about their holiday...

We miss you all~
Lauren