Our kids in Singapore

Phil and Anne are with us this week in Singapore.  We are so excited to have them here!  Dan and I were in Tokyo last week, arriving back in Singapore just in time to welcome the kids.  We're off to Phuket, Thailand for 3 days and then we'll finish the week seeing the sights here.  I'll have a backlog of posts to get out once they head back to the States but unfortunately I'll have a lot of time on my hands!

A Little Piece of America!

Yesterday I was in the United States! Actually I visited the United States Embassy here in Singapore but while I was there I was on US soil. We had a very interesting tour with a representative from Consulate services and the Head of Security. Here are some of the things I learned:

There are approximately 20, 000 US citizens in Singapore including men, women and children.

The Embassy helps US citizens with things like: Adding passport pages, securing passports for children of US citizens who are born in Singapore, passport applications for non-US spouses, helping with estate matters when an US citizen dies abroad, and notarial services.

Most people who work at the Embassy are not US citizens but Singaporeans.

There are over 28 languages spoken at the Embassy.

Those US Citizens working for the State Department are assigned to a specific Embassy for 2 to 3 years.

All the materials used to build the Embassy were brought over from the US. The marble and granite in this embassy are from New Hampshire and Minnesota.

If the police are chasing you, don’t run to the Embassy gates shouting “I’m an American, I’m an American!” The Embassy will turn you over to the police. That’s just a scene from a movie.

US citizens when travelling or living abroad should register with the State Department. Consulate Services stated that Singapore keeps an immigration record and informs the Embassy with to the number of Americans either living or visiting but not who and where we are.
They encourage all US citizens who travel to register and list their trips on the State Department website so in case of a disaster, natural or man-made, they would know where you are and could look for you to get you back to the US. Otherwise, you have to make your way to an Embassy to receive assistance.
https://travelregistration.state.gov/ibrs/ui/

Robinson Crusoe Never Had It So Good!!

This weekend Dan took me to Nikoi Island for my birthday. It’s not your usual beach resort but one that we certainly enjoyed. Nikoi is a privately owned island off the east coast of Bintan, Indonesia. The island is only 15 hectares (about 37 acres) and has just 15 bungalows so there are never more than 50 people staying on the resort.

After reaching Bintan from Singapore on the ferry, a car drove us to a small village about an hour away where we boarded the boat for the 30 minute ride to Nikoi. I’m not sure what I was expecting but the fishing boat with a couple of wooden sofas on the deck wasn’t what I had imagined, but along with the island staff and supplies, we had a smooth journey.

We arrived at a beautiful white sandy beach where we were lead to Yogi’s Bar for a welcome drink before going to our bungalows. Yogi is famous for his drinks and I must say he lived up to his reputation. And yes, those are a bunch of bananas hanging from the rafter, ready to be eaten!

The bungalows are lovely thatched roof structures that are almost completely open-air and they seemed to be made of all natural materials with the beams, railings and steps appearing to be drift wood that was used in construction.

There is no air-conditioning but with the cool island breezes we slept quite well. There’s also no TV, internet, or dress code and you can feel the pace of life slow way down. A Kenny Chesney song comes to mind!

Meals were served in large open air pavilions at long communal tables. The food was delicious and made from ingredients that came over to the island that day. The fruit was especially good as many of the pineapples, coconuts and bananas are grown on Bintan. We also enjoyed sitting by the ocean, feet in the sand and drinking a nice bottle of wine. The full moon last weekend was just an added bonus!

They have a lovely pool and deck that looks out over the ocean towards iPod rock, so named because it looks like an iPod sitting in its charger. There’s also snorkeling equipment, kayaks and sailboats that can be used. The snorkeling is good as there’s a reef that keeps the water around the island nice and calm. We walked around the island at low tide and next time we visit we plan to kayak around as well. The beach cabanas look like Robinson put them up himself.

All-in-all, it was a fantastic way to spend a birthday and when we go back we’d love to take our U.S. visitors with us!