Drama, drama, drama
Two sentences uttered today — BY THE SAME CHILD — that pretty much sum up our day...
"I hate the round-the-world trip — I'd rather be at school!"
"Now I remember why we're doing the round-the-world trip — seeing awesome things like this!"
We started our first day of sightseeing in Singapore with a free (tip-based) walking tour of Little India, followed by lunch at the Tekka Centre (hawker centre) and the afternoon and evening at Gardens by the Bay. All in all, today was an excellent introduction to a whole array of travel dramas, which I'll outline here for your enjoyment...
Drama 1: No time to find/eat breakfast before the walking tour.
Solution: Figured we'd be able to eat during the tour. Didn't have an opportunity to do so until an hour into it. Boys didn't like the Indian donuts we tried first, so we got drinks and steamed dumplings next. See drama 3.
Drama 2: J lost his backpack in the hawker centre during the tour.
Solution: B rushed around looking for it. Then we all went around looking for it and asking vendors if they'd seen it, aided by the second tour guide who stayed at the hawker centre to help us while the rest of the tour moved on. Then I found a photo I'd taken that helped us pinpoint where he'd left the bag. Found the bag on the counter at the vendor we'd ordered the Indian donuts from (not where he'd left it, but someone must have put it there in anticipation of our return).
Drama 3: F dropped some of his steamed dumplings on the ground (pretty much at the same moment as we realised J's backpack was missing).
Solution: Comfort, reassurance that they were very cheap, and buying more food!
Drama 4: Kids weren't coping well with the walking tour due to the heat, no breakfast, dropped dumplings, lost backpack stress and general lack of interest in long monologues on Singaporean history.
Solution: Ditched the walking tour with an hour still to go. Tipped and thanked the second tour guide and stayed at the hawker centre to get more drinks and a meal for the boys to share. Thankfully this decision turned the day around very quickly!
Drama 5: J lost his MRT card.
Solution: We bought a new one.
Drama 6: Credit card wasn't working to add money to F's MRT card.
Solution: Got cash out of an ATM and added that to the MRT card at a kiosk. Talked to a service desk attendant and discovered this type of MRT card can only be topped up by local credit cards. Tourists are meant to have a different type of card, but we haven't found anywhere we can buy that type since leaving the airport.
Drama 7: Lost the boys in the Cloud Forest Dome at Gardens by the Bay FOR AN ENTIRE HOUR.
Solution: Hung out for a while at the spot near the entrance where they'd mentioned going ahead. Then started walking through the dome, still not too worried, stopping to take photos etc. Got increasingly worried so started walking faster and not taking photos. Asked the staff member at the exit whether she'd seen them leave. She hadn't, but noted their appearance and our phone number. Then we found the boys, waiting in one of the theatres after apparently having gone through the dome five times looking for us! We were all very relieved. Told the staff we'd found them and spent a little time exploring together but couldn't get back into the main awesome area I would have liked to experience a stress-free exploration of!
Lessons learnt today (well, reinforced, really — we DO already know these things!)...
Breakfast is vital.
It's okay to bail on something we've booked if it's not working out.
If we agree to separate, make a plan to meet up at a particular time and place.
Things have to work for both parents and kids or no one will be happy.
Tough moments don't last forever.
As I type this, B and I are hanging out while the boys play in the splash park at Gardens by the Bay. We're waiting for nightfall so we can see the Supertrees all lit up. Gardens by the Bay is magnificent — we highly recommend it!!! More photos to come...