Reporting from the slopes

This morning it seemed that somebody had stolen the mountains - all in thick snow, couldn't see more than 20 meters. Anyway, the locals are used to it and the ski school was on, so we went up the mountain as well to give it a try. Not great visibility but better than expected. Also we couldn't ski quite as fast because of all the fresh snow. Then had a run down the small slope with the kids before lunch break. And the sun came out and it was beautiful. The whole village smelled of vanilla sauce and "Kaiserschmarrn"! Yummyyyyyy!
By the time the break was over the valley still had sun but in the top we were in a thick cloud. We skied down and went over to the other side, that had a little bit more sunlight. That was really magical with clouds below us and on the top. It kept changing rapidly. For the last run the sun had come out just a tiny bit over the tops on the other side, so the tops of the mountains peeked out from a thick snowcloud. Then further down the clouds were so thick, we could hardly see a thing and it was so still like being stuck in a big ball of cotton wool. As we came down to the Startbahn, the boys were up there! They had their first day today going up with a proper lift and coming down a proper hill. They did so well and were so extremely proud of themselves. And Beatrice - she had gone up to 2500 meters with the big Kaiserbahn Gondola and came down all the way, part of the slopes being red and really tricky. Absolutely fantastic! Afterwards the ski school had a little party with drinks and their mascott Cow and music and dance.
Tomorrow we hope to do a little skiing before the school starts, so that all can make the most of the last day. Before the "Weihnachtsmann" (Santa Claus) comes...

What a scare

Yesterday the skiing went much better already although the afternoon was cloudy and suddenly everything was so white that you couldn't see anything at all - not where the slope ends or starts, not if it goes up or downhill. And the last Glyhwein didn't help but we got home safe. Then the promised sauna adventure took a bad turn. Started off really well but as I waited for two guys to get out of the showers before I could go out I probably overstayed. Anyway - tryed the snowrub outside which was nice and then into the shower which was not very nice as I felt I was going to pass out. Somehow managed to grab a towel and sit down. One fellow sauna-goer, a German gentleman helped with another towel and there I sat and it just didn't get any better. Don't know for how long. Finally Robert got fed up being in the pool with the kids and came looking for me. Then I really had a blackout, probably not having to try so hard to stay concious. Only after he carried me to the pool area where the loungers could tilt ones feet up did it get better and after a while I could go back up. I guess it was a combination of the altitude, dehydration, too long sauna and then the steep drop of temperature outside. Not to mention the Glyhwein. Somehow alcohol has a different (read "stronger") effect at 2020 meters above sea level.
So I took it easy with the wine at dinner, which was very casual last night, only 6 courses! Skipped the wine and dessert and much better today.
The weather has changed and it was around 0 degrees today. Had to strip off, so hot! But it was also sunny and such brilliant skiing. Have become more daring by the third day and tryed out some new RED!!! slopes today. Really a great skiing day. And Beatrice went up the lift as well with her school. All kids really enjoy it and are making good progress.
Will probably give the sauna a miss tonight, just dig into the Tiramisu!

Snow paradise!

Now I will make you all green with envy! It is absolutely fantastic here in Kyhtai. We are 2020 meters high, white winter wonderland with bright sunshine and blue sky, -16 degrees yesterday, today feels a bit warmer. But because of the dry air this temperature actually feels warmer than 0 degrees in the rainy and windy Croatia.
Now just taking the break from skiing and letting the kids have a rest before their next session in the ski school.

We were so lucky to have driven to Zagreb a night before the outbound flight. As it turned out on Saturday morning Zadar airport was closed and we would not have gotten to Zagreb in time for our connection. Stayed in a small hotel near the airport, there was lot's of snow and very cold. A very funny place with colourful rooms and huge light fittings, just according to my idee fix about slavic taste! But friendly service and very quiet, we must have been the only guests. Then Saturday morning dragged our luggage through snow to the airport, at least 500 meters!
From Munich we took a train to Innsbruck in Austria. Innsbruck is a real gem in between mountains with small pretty lanes in the old town and several Christmas markets. After a stroll there and a hot punch got to our taxi and off to Kyhtai. It was starting to get dark already and it seemed that the temperature dropped with every km we passed as we were slowly winding upwards between the high peaks. It felt remote and a bit scary. By the time we reached the hotel the car thermometer showed -17 degrees celsius.
Got here just in time to settle and to get the kids registered for ski school and off to dinner. That was much more upmarket than we had expected. With a traditional Tyrolean buffet for Saturday night, the chef in Lederhosen serving meats and cracking jokes non stop.
As it was Beatrice's birthday they had decorated our table and made a cake for her with sparklers and all.
Yesterday then was the first proper skiing day. Kids delivered to school and off we went, me more on the bum to start with and sooooo embarrassed seeing all these 4-year-olds whizzing past! It was the perfect weather, the trouble was Robert dragged me to red slopes assuing that they are all quite flat. But then I had to get down no matter what. There I was falling down 10 times, loosing skies and trying to get them back on while the snow cannon was blasting straight into my face and all these crazy snowboarders whizzing past! All the blue slopes somehow still end with steap red bits and you have to get back down.
Then picked up the kids for lunchbreak, delivered them back and off we went again. This time had even a Glyhwein up in the "Kaiser-Maximilian-Hytte" and it went downhill like mad. But touch wood nothing hurt.
After skiing comes the best bit of our daily routine here - pool and sauna! And you must imagine Roberts delight to find out that it's a mixed sauna everyone in the nude! The Germans are really very liberal. So I sat there with my bathing suite and felt like an awkward Britton or something! I guess tonight it's gonna be off with the covers!
Kids have made friends in the hotel already, it is very child friendly with extra playroom and lovely kids menues (not just chips and nuggets!). Last night they served another feast - Gala dinner with 7!!!! courses. I only managed 6 though, had to roll myself to the elevator before cheese. To work it off we should really be doing 40 km cross country skiing. But just as our table neighbors from Germany consoled - we will all go running after this is over. Anyway they served meat from local young bulls that was the best meat I had ever tasted. Just no matter how many calories it all made up.
Now it's time to go and deliver the kids to school. They all seem to enjoy it a lot although Raoul can't wait to get to the big mountain. And I will try to convince Robert not to got to the steapest slopes just yet. Although it did go much better this morning already, didn't have to dig myself out from the deep snow under the blasting cannon. That's my scariest bit. So wish me luck!!! And I shall report back later about tonight's sauna experience...

Snow chaos

These few mm of snow that fell yesterday were enough for us to have snowball fight outside but unfortunately also to stall air traffic out of Zadar. We don't want to risk missing the connection from Zagreb tomorrow morning so will have to travel up there today by car. Such a beatiful bright sunny day today but quite crisp cold in the wind. Most of the snow is gone but puddles are still covered with thin ice.

Croatia

We are on the sunny island of Ugljan now off the Croatian west coast town called Zadar. Except that it is not sunny, in fact it is snowing now so that we cannot even see the small island that just an hour ago used to be some few 100 meters away. Not to mention the city of Zadar or the Croatian mainland mountains in the background.
We travelled last Saturday - a trip that felt almost as long as the whole way from Singapore. The trouble is that now in the winter there are no direct flights to Zadar from anywhere so we had a 5 hour stopover at Munich airport, then 45 min flight and then another 4+ hour stop at Zagreb airport. Munich was not too bad as there is lots to do. Beatrice and Raoul even went ice-skating! They have set up a small Christmas market in the outdoor area between 2 terminals and there is an ice rink. Also my old university friend came to the airport to see us, so we had a good few hours to chat while the kids were playing in the McD playarea. I hadn't seen Anja for 10 years now, so there was a lot of catching up to do. By the time we realized we need to get our connection we were really in a hurry already. I hadn't calculated in the time for passport control etc but of course we were leaving the EU!
Zagreb airport was a different story of course. A bit like Tallinn airport in the early nineties. The main restaurant reminded me of something even older. But it helped to kill the time. And of course we spent some of it on the playground in front of the airport building. Freezing cold and dark! A motorcade with blue lights passed through between the park and the terminal building at some 100 km/h. Don't know what dignitaries it transported but the speed certainly was impressive. The connection was delayed by a good half hour and it was after 9 already and I was worried that we might miss the last ferry from Zadar so I would end up looking for a hotel there at midnight. Luckily we made the ferry and got "home" just before 00.00. That made our total journey time to be 18 hours, 30 minutes!
Kids were excited to see daddy. I hadn't realized how especially the boys had actually missed him.
Robert had Sunday off and it was nice and sunny so we went to the top of the mountain here on the island to see the ruins of an old monastery. Verey exciting to go the last bit up hiking. And so good to see the sun after a week of darkness and grey skyes in Tallinn. The views are really pretty with lots of small islands dotted in the sea, hilly and green. There are millions of olive trees, the rest covered by big pines, palmtrees, oranges, lemons, wine. Beautiful clear water. Many marinas along the coast with most boats anchored for the winter. The island is very laid back, no big hotels, just small guesthouses, mostly people just let a few rooms in their houses for holiday makers. It looks all very meditarrenean and I could easily take it for an Irtalian village if they would change the signs. Of course out of season now and very quiet. Only a few restaurants open but food is good. They still smoke in the restaurants here so not very inviting with kids.
Sunday afternoon we took the ferry over to Zadar to have a wander around the old town. Very prettily located on a peninsula surrounded by a nice promenade. There is a water-organ - something we had never seen before - some holes in the pavement of the promenade and apparently the waves come in underneath and make sounds by pushing air through the holes. That way it produces a melody of the sea.
The other days have shown a more typical Croatian winter weather with wind and rain. So we have mainly stayed indoors and watched movies and played lego and games. A few trips to the playground but usually it is so cold in the wind that I start wanting to go back as soon as we get there. And today it is snowing... but it is the wet kind of slushy snow so no good for anything really. Forgot the cable for the camera so unfortunately cannot download any photos now.

Relocation

I should probably start a new blog now as the Singapore adventure is behind us but would not want to loose all of you, so will keep this one running for the time being.
We left Singapore after quite hectic few weeks on the 5th of December. Squeezed in a few hours by the pool and the boys Taekwondo on the last day and Beatrice delivered her hamster to the new owner.
The handover of the flat was quite a scrutiny - every lightbulb counted, AC remotes batteries, etc. I had had the whole place painted the day before and thoroughly cleaned but the agent still wasn't pleased. We'll see how much of the deposit we get back. They are real sharks. Even my Singaporean friend Corina was surprized at this level of meticulousity.
The last weeks in Singapore had been very rainy so the plan to make the most of the pool didn't really work as hoped. But the kids still got out quite a bit and there was always someone under our windows calling them out to play. That was really the best bit of living in a condo like Cavendish Park - not too big and it was easy to make friends, for the kids as well as for me.
Corina, Pat and the kids took us to the airport and shared a farewell currypuff after check in. It was really kind of them and a good warm feeling to know that in these less than 2 years we had made such good friends.

KLM was a good flight. Kind service and good entertainment unlike our last longhoul experience with Lufthansa. They had even upgraded the kids playarea in Schippol airport so that our wait didn't seem that long and unbearable. The boys were still a bit unsure where we were and which country and so on.

Arrived in Tallinn in early afternoon to be greeted by +1 degrees and grey skyes. We had a lucky coincidence with flight times so could meet our swedish grandma on the airport - she was on her way back home and had already checked in. So we had a half an hour at the airport. Then headed to the appartment that we had bought this automn without having seen it at all. So far I haven't discovered major hiccups, just small things that need to be fixed. But that's all minor. Main thing - location and size are good and having spent a week there now it feels quite good. Not a home yet as all our things are still on the way and we are kind of camping but nice enough.
We have had to struggle with jetlag this time more than before - due to the lack of light I guess. First morning kids got up 3.30 am and it was dark until 10 am. Already 3 pm dark again. So by 4 pm one feels that it is time to hurry home, have dinner and go to bed. A real struggle to stay up until 8 or something.
The main challenge for the week was to get Beatrice's school sorted. Most schools that I had emailed had given negative replies - no spaces. Luckily after lots of interventions Vanalinna Kool (The Old Town School) has accepted her. Now having been to my old school that is actually very convenient for our flat and Vanalinna kool there is no doubt in my mind that this is the best possible option for Beatrice in Estonia. She knew it immediately after the first visit and didn't even want to see any other schools. Therefore she never opened her mouth while in my old school. This one has better test results but clearly the general attitude is still old-fashioned and "factory-like". In fact mos schools at the top of the results list just aim for their ranking in the annual tests and don't pay attention to the individual abilities of the kids. Everybody has to finish the program regardless. Vanalinna is really friendly. Beatrice spent an hour with the psychologist there and I could see from afar that she was relaxed and happy. It has been abit tricky for them to establish which year she should join as the curriculum is so different from the British one. There will be even two girls in the school who went to Beatrice's school in Singapore for a little while.
Also went to see the boys kindergarten. The class is going to be much bigger than before and the schedule so different. As they can spend the whole day there they are expected to take a nap, which might turn out to be a problem. Otherwise it looks nice and clean, big outdoor space and near home.
We did have a hint of the snow one day and everyone was keen to take the sledge out already. It wasn't quite enough for that but at least for a small snowball fight.

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Concert

Very busy day yesterday. Had Beatrice's friend here for sleepover after concert rehearsal on Friday and the girls had a whole Saturday for playing together before the concert in the evening. We had to go there early for another rehearsal, so the night was long as well. Had a glass of wine with two other mums while we waited for it to start - kind of like a girls night out! Then finally finally they were on! As the first act of the show, must have been quite daunting. The girls already had butterflyes in taxi! They did remarkably well though, considering that some half of the choir were new kids and they had only had their once weekly rehearsals since the last 6 weeks. Some were wriggling a bit but that was quite sweet really. Just a few last high notes came out unintendedly multitonal!
The rest of the concert that we had to sit through was a big mix. Didn't start very promising - a ladies choir that wasn't much betterthan Dover Court's but lacked our sympathy factor. Rather painful really. And more of the like. Japanese ladies choir in the second half was even worse and probably due to the Japanese associations big donation they were allowed to do 4 long pieces! But there were also a few quite nice things - the absolute highlite the Japanese ladies drum performance - the Daiko. Very powerful and in a way masculine. I had always thought that it's menm who do the drumming in Japan unlike KOrean lady-drummers. But these were women that you would coke across shopping at Isetan and Takashimaya and never even emagine that they could do anything like that. Big drums, big sounds, big coreography. That alone made it well worth suffering through the rest of the concert. But of course it was for a good cause - the hospice care - so everybody appreciated the efforts. The kids joined the rest of performers at the grand finale after having waited for 2 hours. They were so hungry and exhausted when it finished at 10.40. But nevertheless Beatrice up at 7 am as usual and our Sunday is full on ...

Still in Singapore

Have been such a bad writer and it's not because there is nothing to write about here! But it has taken a while for us to get a clear view of the situation we are in - moving or not and if then where? Now at least we have our leaving date fixed and will be heading back to the cold Estonian winter in the beginning of December. For good.
It makes little sense for us to stay in Singapore if Robert is working half way around the world and the extended families are so far away as well. Even though we have made good friends now here and kids are so happy in school.
For the next 2 months will have to make the most of the warm weather and the pool and spend time with friends here. That's what we have been busy doing already.
A few weeks ago had a great experience at the Forest Adventure (well the setting is more a park really). Beatrice had been there for a birthday party already and enjoyed it so she talked us into it. The boys are tall enough now to go on the kids trail with ropes and harnesses and helmet etc. Beatrice finished at monkey speed, surprizingly both boys quit before finish. They might have been braver if I would have stayed and encouraged them more but I was already hooked up and dangling 10 meters above water on the zipcord! My first time on the flying fox - had to be 39 to get there... The first ride was quite daunting about 200 meters long over the Bedok reservoir, high up. The whole course had 4 of those! But really enjoyed it and the whole climbing business. At first the hooks and ropes seemed very confusing but got the hang of it quite quickly and it felt like a great adventure. Especially as I was reading the Jeffrey Archer's book about George Mallory conquering Mt. Everest at the time. (An artistic exzageration that of course.) My friends and neighbors did quite well also (that "also" being a clear Singlish influence). Although they were impressed by my speed, ha ha. I guess the hours in the gym and sweating in yoga have to pay off somewhere.
I probably haven't even written since my birthday, so haven't reported on the nice day my friends made for me. Corina and Patrick took me out for an early lunch of Indian fish head curry to a very local curry house. You are really expected to eat with your fingers scooping up the sauce with rice but for "ang moh's" like me they do provide fork and spoon. It looked rather impressive - the fish head the size of an average chicken. Nice and spicy tomato based sauce, excellent veg and other sides. And of course the lime juice to go with it. Just yummy!
From there I went to town to pick up a birthday cake from Mariott - a kind present from the bank to Robert's birthday which he couldn't retrieve of course. And then to the bookshop - Dan Brown's Lost Symbol was released on my birthday - what a nice present!
In the evening we got together at the BBQ pit with neighbors, Corina had baked a cake as well and decorated it with the kids really nicely, candles and all. Really sweet!

Today was the UN-Day at Beatrice's school. After having done that last year this time felt much less daunting. Beatrice was very confident and proud marching alone in the 30+ heat in her thick full length woollen skirt! And as all the materials from Estonia had arrived too late for last year we had plenty to diplay this time. Played a DVD of the Tantsupidu (this summer's big Dance Fest), had a puzzle and booklets to give away etc. Raoul was a very good border guard - sat nearly an hour and stamped the Dover Court passports of the children. So that I actually could nip away and have a quick wonder around the other rooms this time. The stall was still manned! Most people of course didn't have a clue where Estonia was but there were a few who had been there - our class teacher's partner 6 times! the school's headmistress 3 times! Hopefully a few others will go. Beatrice and Roisin were excellent company for eachother and went around the rooms together. They even brought some icecream back for the boys from USA! Very kind indeed. Some had made incredible efforts - like the African room, all dark and full of fantastic displays.
Now Beatrice has a choir rehearsal for a charity concert tomorrow so I am rewarding the boys for their good work this morning with a few hours play at gogobambini until we go and pick up Beatrice and her best friend for sleepover.

Back to Singapore life

We have been back here now just over two weeks and it was such a strange homecoming. Robert is working in Croatia on a project for a few months to come and there really is no reason for the kids and me to stay in Singapore. Other than that this project came up on really short notice and we didn't manage to make other arrangements for schools and also had extended our lease for the appartment here. So we came back to either wrap up things here or see if something comes up in the meantime.
Our dear neighbors had made the coming back a bit nicer for us - the flat aired and fruit and milk in the fridge! Beatrice wanted to go and play with her friend immediately and the boys and I went to the pool!
By now we are well into our routine again. Beatrice started school immediately - now in juniors, new teacher, new building, classes mixed up. Lot's of new things to get used to. Luckily two of her best friends are in the same class. We have already had one here for a sleepover and went together to theatre last Saturday. Fun as usual. Raoul really likes her and wanted to sleep in the girls bedroom again.
Beatrice is also back to her piano and does recorder and choir at school, so lot's of music this term. Not too keen on tennis now, but we still keep that up.
The boys have had a while to settle back in as their school term will only start on Monday. The first thing we did was to go and buy new bikes. Karl was still a bit unstable so we let his support wheels on. Maybe not such a brilliant idea in hindsight as it slows him down compared to Raoul who rides like on tour de france. Also no incentive for Karl to learn it properly although he should be able to do it just as well as Raoul does. Nevertheless we have gone on bike rides along the canal with me running or sometimes also cycling.
Luckily when we went to school to pay the fees at the end of last term last week, the principal saw us and invited them to come to school for the last 3 days of the term anyway. An offer that the boys were very happy to take on. It is always so nice to go to their school - all staff and kids are so kind and welcoming, hugs and kisses, a really warm atmosphere. This week was official school holiday but they went to holiday camp for three days at the same place like in June. Did fun stuff - picnic in a park with huge playground, theatre, cooking.
And it gave me a chance to get back to yoga earlier than I had hoped to. The first time back after more than 2 months was a real pain. I survived it but was in so much pain the next day. Second time much better already.
Other than that busy with catching up on paperwork, looking for plots of land and appartments and houses in Estonia. Haven't really started with schools yet, as this is going to proove a big headache.
Today a typical Singaporean Saturday - morning by the pool, quick lunch, boys taekwondo, art exhibition, pool.
Thanks god for skype - that is probably the closest we get to daddy for a while. When the kids saw where he is staying all wanted to go there immediately - a small island in the Adriatic sea, appartment with seaview, olive trees, fishing boats. Maybe not as inviting in December when we get a chance to go ... .

Leigo

Summer accounts

Have been back in Singapore now for 10 days but still have to give a brief account of the rest of the summer.
We went for a short break to London with the kids. I thought as the GBP has dropped so much probably nobody will have money to come and see us and if we want to keep in touch with friends we'd better go and see them. We had a fantastic week staying with Susanne, Anna and Seung Hee. Firts it felt really strange like it had been ages ago that we lived in England. My boys and the smaller kids didn't really remember eachother but fortunately that didn't hinder them becoming "best friends" again within 10 minutes. Karl was very fond of Cluny especially because of their shared interest in Ben 10. He even slept in Cluny's bed but on the third day still asked what his name was. And little Anna had expected the boys being babies still even though they are older than her by 6 months. From Suzanne's we travelled to Redhill by train and it was actually a pleasant experience - still the old nice English ways rule as I didn't have to lift my big suitcase off the train once! Always someone to give a hand. (If it happens here, it must be a british expat!) Redhill shows signs of the global downturn as most shops in town center have turned into poundshops, also still the same old faces hanging around town - now-not-any-more -teenage-mothers with a few more tattooes, piercings and new kids in tow. Not the hit really. But it was so good to stay with Anna and Nicola and see a few old friends. So grateful to Sue for giving us a lift to Carshalton after all kids were quite tired and Beatrice was a bit sick after her sleepover.
Robert came for the weekend to join us at Seung's and David's and we had a great time together. went in to central London with all 5 kids in tow - Covent Garden, Italian lunch, museum and the whole lot... I just still love this city so much! On Sunday we packed a picknick and headed to the Oaks park, which took us probably a good hour to get to. Enjoyed the lovely food and wine and pretty landscapes. Did some football matches and other games with the kids, don't remember which team won though.
And then on Monday onwards to Sweden.
But I want to say a great big THANK YOU!!! to Susanne and Colin, Anna and Nicola, Seung Hee and David for hosting us and letting us feel at home again. It was a fantastic week for the kids to play with old friends and for me it felt as if I'd never been away at all.

The week in Sweden was busy as well. Luckily we timed it so that many cousins who live far away were visiting at the same time and others had just returned from their holidays. Discovered a beautiful lake near Robert's mum's house that gave our morning runs a whole new dimension. Still miss it. We took the kids to Liseberg, which is like a smaller version of Disneyland but quite old and pretty. Although weekday it was very busy and had to que long time for many rides. Otherwise the timing was just right for the boys - they are both just over 110 cm that is the minimum for many rides. They were on a few occasions much more daring than Beatrice and of course I was forced to go on rides that I would otherwise not volunteer for. Then we met the kid's newest cousin, little Helmi, the sweetest thing! Went swimming in the sea one day, I got sunburned, it was so hot, the water still max 19 but it felt very good. It was funny to see how the boys tryed to find swedish words when on playground. Beatrice still can speak a bit but the boys really don't and were always trying with Estonian or English and it rarely worked.
After that we were back in Estonia for 2 more weeks. Ventured south this time for a music event at Leigo. It is basically a totally rural area, where the owner has started a classical music festival and has managed to establish it really strongly by now - with two stages built in the middle of two lakes surrounded by rolling hillsides. We went for the second day that featured Neeme Jarvi conducting Beethoven's 9th and the Battle of Wellington. It was absolutely fantastic - big professional orchestra, opera stars, big choirs, sailing boats, fireworks, you name it. Just for the grand finale it was late at night and very cold already so we had wrapped ourselves in everything possible. Next time should bring a tent and sleeping bags. But really so worthwhile this symphony of music, nature, fires.
From Elva we ventured towards Hiiumaa the next day - a trip that took us most of the day with a few stops along the way. Got to Kalana in the evening. The peace and quiet there with just the sound of the crickets and the sea is the best. The last year has brought a few changes though - by the small harbour they have opened a hostel, a coffee shop, boat and bike rental, etc. Also the EU has financed some 300 meters of stonepaved road where a gravel track used to be. It looks really funny. On the first morning when I saw it during my run I had tolaugh out loud. It's not an eyesore or anything but just seems so out of place as if it just fell down from the sky. So there is no stopping of civilization. They call it the "promenade" in the village.
Kids were all very well catered for - the neighbors were there with their kids and Beatrice and Karl spent most of the time playing in the "Barbie world" in their shed's attic. Raoul managed to find a bicycle that fitted him and could borrow it for the few days, so he was always on the bike, riding to the harbour (via promenade) and back and me or Robert or both with him. Then there was the obligatory bus-shop on Monday and we went for a few dips in the sea as well. To the most beautiful beach in Estonia - big waves, lovely sand.
On thr way back in Tallinn I had a chance to go and see the president - he gives a reception every year on the 20th of August - the re-independence day - for all sorts of cultural figures. This time Jaanus, my sis's partner was invited, so they went together and I joined my old friend Kadri, who has become one of the leading experts in international affairs. It was a great evening in the rose garden and felt a bit like school reunion - so many old friends from Tartu University were there. Some I hadn't seen for nearly 20 years. Haven't had such laughs for a long time.

Moors and forests

We have spent the last few weeks trying to outsmart the weather here in Estonia. Really tricky - not horrible but not exactly bright and sunny most of the time either. Probably have had just a few really hot days. Last Sunday spent at the beach of Karepa with lots of friends and that was really nice. The beach was very busy although normally there are just a few people but this time everyone was trying to take the chance and make the best of a rare sunny day. I still found the water too cold but the kids swam in the sea and in the river (and nobody got sick). They made new friends and the boys started a mud-war against the girls who were in the minority and had to retreat soon. Beatrice was happy to play with her old friend Leena and to look after her little brother as well. Raoul was also a good babysitter.

Then last week one day we went to see a buffalo-farm here nearby. Had heard that there are some activities going on but as we got there it turned out there is a "family day" on Sundays only. However the boss whom we ran into told us to go to the stables anyway after we had already made the effort to come and have a look around. There we found a lovely girl who showed us around and let hold little chicks and feed the rabbits and touch the goats and turkeys and all sorts of animals she was taking care of. We stayed nearly 2 hours! Will go again on Sunday to see the activities.

Then another day we went to a little seaside village of Ka"smu that has become really pretty but still in the lovely old style of white wooden "captain's houses" with big verandhas overlooking the bay. There is a small maritime museum and just now there was a small stage built on the sea for an outdoor play. A few boats inspired us for a good hour's play of pirates, great big stones for climbing in the small yacht harbour. Then found a cafe with another pirate-ship playground. On the way homeward stopped at a nature information point in the national park and discovered a small museum about woods and forests including an old "cone-drying hut" with working equipment. There is also a beautiful watermill that has been privately restored now. The lady from the centre recommended the beaver walk nearby, so we did that afterwards. Didn't see any beavers but very clearly their "work" in the river.

Today did another nature trip - to a moor this time. I have wanted to bring the kids to a moor with a boardwalk for some time and now I found one not too far away with a nice track that was not too long. It said on the map a bit over 5 km but it felt soooo much longer. Very pretty landscape though - most of the track went on a sand-dune that surrounds part of the moor with light pine forests and soft moss on the ground. Also the boardwalk through the soft moor was exciting. There were resting huts and a tower with a 360 degree view along the way. Found lots of chanterelles and porcinis that gave us a fantastic dinner. Loads of blueberries, some cloudberries, the cranberries are not ripe yet. But mostly I enjoyed the quiet and the beauty of the landscape. Surprisingly all kids did really well. Beatrice was most of the time far ahead with my dad although usually she is the one who wants to go back after the first 200 m. Raoul ran most of the time and only started to moan at the end when the mozzies attacked. Karl was lagging behind a lot but mostly because he was busy with bugs. His basket was not for mushrooms but for creapy crawlies and these were not so easy to catch. With the picknick it probably took us well over 2 hours. Such a great experience! Beatrice made a great comment a few days ago "why is it not like that in Singapore, here in Estonia it's nature, nature, nature all the time. But actually I do like nature". She has started a herbarium and has learned a lot of plants by names. Wants to become a vet!

In Estonia

We have been in Estonia now for 12 days already. The flight was not pleasant - I thought individual screens are standard now even in economy class but not so on Lufthansa. So there was no entertainment for the kids. Imagine then 12 hours ... We got to Frankfurt very early in the morning and as we had a long wait for the connecting flight, went to town. I hadn't thought there was an old town in Frankfurt at all but there is a small one and it was quite a nice walk, a very nice and sunny day. Finished in a Children's Museum about underground life - everything that goes on underground from worms and moles to pipes and trains. 

Got to Tallinn in the evening and the whole airport was already like a mini song festival - lots of people arriving for that from all over the world, many old Estonians from overseas, very busy but somehow an elated atmosphere.

Got to my parents' place about 8 in the evening and it was so light! The light nights of the midsummer are just so amazing. One evening I realized at 11 pm that we were sitting and reading and still didn't have lights on. We haven't been here at this time of the year for such a long time now that it seems truly magical. Kids don't want to go to sleep because it is still light at 9 or 10 and of course it is light and bright already before 4 am again. Somehow this has worked it's magic on jetlag - we didn't have any! The nature is all so light-green as well, still early summer. Outside the house we have a 280 degrees view of light green fields of rye and bright yellow rape-seed. The sky is huge, clouds dramatic. Big yellow full moon at night. The strawberries in the garden have the best crops ever, we are eating kilos every day.

The first day here was quite nice and warm so we decided to take the chance and went to beach. However there it was so windy and the water was probably 16-17 degrees, so Robert was the only one who swam and we didn't last much longer than 1 hour. And next day the weather changed and it was typical nordic summer again - rainy and cool. So we went to the water-spa-centre here and warmed ourselves up in 10 different saunas.

Then on Saturday was the first day of the song festival. We got there in good time and even managed to get seats but the start was delayed such a long time because the parade was late. And by the time the concert started the first drops of rain fell as well. It was still quite magical to see the light go up to the tower and to see the 30000 + singers on the stage. The rain fell on and off and by 10 pm we were too wet, tired and exhausted, so we left and watched the last few bits at home in TV. This was actually artistically the best bit - they sang Verdi and Carmina Burana of Carl Orff. Neeme Jarvi had to shake the water off his notes. A shame the weather!

Robert met an old friend from Gothenburg and we joined their crowd in the hotel where they had been staying an partying so that all beer in the bar was finished. We left about 2 am and the sky was already getting lighter.

Sunday morning we invited us to my sister's place. That was a good chance to see them because they are so busy preparing for Jaanus' exhibition that opens on the coming Thursday. Also Robert's mum hadn't been to their flat which is all but standard. Then on the second day of the song festival the crowds were even bigger. This was a daytime concert with a lot of popular songs that everybody knows and no artistically challenging program. There must have been at least 100 000 people. It was even hard to move around and we had to use all tricks to get some seats on the benches. But the atmosphere was really fantastic. It was my first "laulupidu" after the independence 1991 and it was just so amazing to see all these flags and people joining in the songs. Then the singers at the top of the stage started a wave of hands going up and everybody joined in and we could see it travelling all the way to the back of the slope. And they kept going on and on. Also many songs were repeated. The weather was nice and sunny too. I hope to get the DVD before going back. It really is something so special.

Batam

In spite of the boys holiday camp I have been so busy that have not been good at updating the news here. I used their last week at camp to get an interview done with the Eu Yan Sang people and it was a truly great meeting. Learned a great deal and am trying to put it into some kind of form now. But with the boys being off school and off camp a bit tricky.

Last Friday we went over to Batam to see where Robert is staying. Quite a hassle the getting away from here - a lot of running around in the terminal and many checks and very busy with people. Also on the other end had to get visas for everyone etc. So this way the trip takes considerably longer than just the ferryride of about 1 hour. But we got there. It was dark when we arrived so didn't see much of the island. The resort where he stays is very funny though - Harris. It is by the seaside with own beach but facing the Singapore Straights, so wouldn't want to go into water there. But they have a great big pool and masses of activities. Robert has a junior suite there and they had kindly put in beds for kids. The kids are always so excited to go to a hotel anyway! All the staff are so happy and friendly all the time even though Robert complains that things don't work perfectly. I found the friendly and personal attitude makes up for that any time. The manager is a round happy Greek guy from Cyprus who is always around greeting people, answering phones, shaking hands, joining in karaoke and line dance. On the BBQ night the boys had their first go at karaoke with "twinkle twinkle".

Saturday morning Robert went to work and we explored the resort. Soon Beatrice discovered the kid's club "nanny" and was not to get away. They played outside, indoors, went fishing. There were two other kids from Singapore in the club for most of the day and all played really well together. And "nanny" Rofi is a real Mary Poppins - she really joins in the games and is not superwising the kids. So I didn't almost know what to do with my day! Got a lot of work done on my article, went to the gym and foot reflexology (ouch!!!). There is also a nice roof top spa that I will plan in for next time! In the afternoon we all went fishing with the kids club - just to a pond outside and funnily they all caught lots. Karl thought he won as he was the first one to catch a fish but later Raoul took one after the other. He thinks he caught at least 10. Beatrice got 6. We released the fish afterwards. (And when they went fishing the next day almost nobody caught anything at all - the fish knew already!)

The resort was very busy on the weekend - lots of local groups for daytime activities (a great attraction among others is a long "flying fox" that starts from the roof of the hotel and goes over the pool!) and a few big church groups for their gatherings. That ended in very loud and extremely bad karaoke style singing until late night under our window. Couldn't understand much apart from a few halleluja's from time to time but otherwise sounded like some really bad chinese pop. Well, I was so tired of my busy day that it didn't really matter.

On Sunday met Robert's big boss at breakfast, he was very nice and friendly to us, talked about his 4 kids and let Robert have a day off. Not that it mattered much because the kids just wanted to go to kids club anyway. With bribes and threats we managed to drag them away for a little swim and lunch in between play. Beatrice had been keen to go bowling - there is an alley at the resort - so we went but after 5 rounds she had had enough and ran back to play. Karl followed soon. Which left Raoul, Robert and me bowling for all 5 of us. Raoul carried the heavy balls bravely and was happy with his strokes no matter if he hit. Well at least great stamina. But we are all rubbish at bowling and really only went because Beatrice wanted it!

None of us got sick or had any problems at all. So I guess Robert must have been really unlucky with his Batam belly and that gave him very hard time for the first couple of weeks. Hopefully better now.

So we didn't manage to do any sightseeing at all. Next time I'll know and just send the kids to club and go shopping on my own. On the way back to ferry could see a bit of the surroundings. It is really still a developing country in spite of it's proximity to Singapore. Many many wooden huts on roadsides, just like some remote corners of Bali. Roads full of holes, buildings broken or unfinished. It will take ages to catch up even with Malaysia. But people seem to be very laid back and happy.

We will not have to move which is really good news. I would hate to do it again so soon. So now just looking forward to going to Europe in 20 days time!

Meanwhile the boys have started a holiday camp at a preschool near us. At first they were not really sure if they liked it and told me they wanted to go to their own school instead. But as their school is closed and doesn't have a camp there is no choice. By now they have started to enjoy it actually. They have been doing lots of nice things - going to museum, theatre, big new indoor play, butterfly farm, baked gingerbread and pizzas etc. The teachers there were surprized after their first day that the boys could speak Mandarin. Next week will be Mandarin camp so we shall see how that goes. But I am really excited about them learning it. Hopefully they will get a good strong base by the time we leave Singapore.

I have my mornings off and can continue Yoga classes and other stuff I need to get done. Last week we had some interesting encounters here. There was a group of Estonian entrepreneurs visiting Singapore for what they call "innovation seminar" which is organized by a management magazine in Estonia. I know some of the organizers and got involved with the project a bit. Helped to arrange a meeting with the oldest and biggest traditional chinese medicine company in Singapore and could attend that meeting as well. It was very interesting to learn about the company but even more to taste some of their herbs that were integrated into a special lunch. They had created a special menu together with Conrad hotel's chefs and used many traditional chinese herbs. Each course had two dishes using the same ingredients - one a western version, the other a chinese version. Very exciting and interesting tastes and textures. Some I knew and use regularly but some were completely new for me. So my shopping list will be more adventerous from now on. Also great was to talk to the people in the group. I find it always very inspiring to meet somebody who has achieved something due to own smart ideas and creativity. My circle here is mostly limited to other mums and  there is not much brainfood in this interaction with a few exceptions. Hopefully I can keep up the momentum and take up some writing again.

Day after that we joined the group at dinner at Samy's curry which is a Singapore institution - at the otherwise posh Dempsey Hill, very simple and basic but great food. Later Sonny invited some of the group to his house and there were very interesting discussions, especially as among the guests was an Indian sikh from the University's School of public policy and he provoked quite a discussion about cultures and values, democracy etc. Must have been such an eye opener for the Estonians that our values of individual freedom and democracy are not that important here.

Robert has been working in Batam now for over a week and it is a different world, still very much a developing country and the working culture is very different from Singapore. In addition to that fighting with the Indonesian microflora that is new for his system. Not easy.

Change is no change

It was quite a rollercoaster week, the last one. As we are getting towards June we were planning our move away from Singapore and have already cancelled schools, apartment etc. On Thursday went to boys school for parent teacher conferences and said all the emotional goodbyes. Everybody was really sad as the boys have made so great friends at school and have really thrived there. Especially Raoul has found a lot of confidence and seems to gel really well with his teacher. In fact the way she describes Raoul makes me feel that he is a completely different child there and she has found a way into him that I have yet to discover. Karl is a bit naughtier in class although academically brighter and faster. He got a lot of praize from their Mandarin teacher - always hand up and wants to particpate and quick at picking up the language as well. Raoul in Mandarin class is more like the one I know at home - stubborn and only does what he wants to.

They even got farewell presents and all. And I thought I really don't want to take them away from this school.

Then Friday afternoon Robert had a meeting about a job here and on Saturday signed the contract. Which means we will be staying for a little while longer. Hopefully the market will have improved by the end of this project. Anyway, we are discussing all sorts of practical matters now like trying to lower the rent here or move to another flat as the prices have come down so much in the last year. That also means, that Robert will be with us in Estonia for only a week this time yet again. 

He is working in Indonesia in fact, but on the island of Batam which is just a 40 min ferry ride away. He'll commute weekly and some weekends we might go over and stay with him like a mini holiday - he stays at a resort with pools and kids club and all. So all set for a while, hopefully the landlord will be generous enough and we can save the hassle of moving!

Rawa pics for those of you who can't open picasa

The real paradise island

We just got back from Rawa Island in Malaysia and that must be pretty close to a paradise island - very small, just one resort, absolutely pristine white sand, turqoise sea, corals right by the beach and amazing underwater world to top it up. It is on the east coast of peninsular Malaysia and only a few hours drive from Singapore plus a 20 min boat trip. What drags the trip a bit is crossing from Singapore to Malaysia - tight controls on both sides of the causeway, people have to get out of buses and carry all luggage through airport style security controls etc. All that takes at least 30 minutes. The rest is really smooth. We had a minivan pick us up at home at 5.30 am so that we would be on time for the 9 o'clock boat. There are only two trips daily so you really don't want to miss it! And this way we had a whole long day on the beach already on Friday. There is a water slide on the jetty which proved very popular with the kids. Quite a ride especially at high tide. There were also so many colorful fish right at the jetty and around the slide that the kids didn't have to swim out to snorkel at all. We did a few trips though to see some special things. The coral started so close to the beach, especially at low tide so that didn't have to swim out at all. The coral and fish life was quite different from Bali. There were many sea anemones in Rawa and of course clown fish in them so that was a pretty sight and we went to look for Nemo a few times. Once at low tide I was so close that two clown fish swam strait into my hands and I could have easily caught them. Karl and me saw a blue spotted ray on Friday. And I saw it again yesterday at the same spot digging away in the sand. Then together with Robert we chased a cuttlefish for quite a while. That was a sight - it kept changing color according to the sea floor - really light when above sand and much darker and patterned above coral. When it stopped Robert dived down and touched it and it gave him a very angry look. It swam very close to where the kids were playing but while Robert went to get Karl to come and have a look I lost sight of it and couldn't find it again. There were lots of beautiful parrot fish very close to the jetty and then some funny little stripy ones that swam very close and started a fish spa business nibbling away on us. Until a big white one wanted to join the feast. We didn't like that!

The rooms were pretty basic so we spent most of the time in the sea, in hammocks, reading, kids playing with their new friends and the rabbits. A very laid back and pleasant feel all in all as there were lots of families with young kids, mostly expats and many scandinavians among them. Beatrice made friends with some danish and swedish girls and we didn't see much of her except from far away or at mealtimes. The boys made some friends as well and ended up being brothers in crime with another set of brothers as they managed to break a rubber boat that they had "borrowed". The owner was not too pleased. Raoul had an extra boating experience - he and Robert went on a kayak around the island. He was also excited to see how they were trying to dig a stranded yacht out from the sand. 

On the second day all the kids got so brave that they started to jump down from the jetty - several meters into the water. I would not have dared.

Food was simple but fresh and tasty. Luckily no desserts on the buffet!

Singing sands of Bintan

Bintan

Last weekend we went for a short break to Bintan, which is an Indonesian island very close to Singapore, practically almost part of Singapore because all the resorts there are run by Singaporean companies and Singapore dollar is the currency. The ferry ride takes 1 hour but there are lots of formalities on both ends as you are technically crossing borders etc. We stayed in a place called Bintan Lagoon, mainly because it has 2 golf courses and Robert had a first chance to play while here in Singapore. As we went together with the boy's friend and his parents we were well able to entertain ourselves while the dads played. The hotel is huge, almost like Bali Hyatt but by far not as luxurious. The beach was very nice though with funny singing sands - lovely and white and when you stepped on it hard, it made a squicky sound. I did some snorkling but had to swim out quite far for that to get to some rocks where there were fish to see. That was too far for the kids. Karl came with me once but after I had been pointing to fish for a while for him I looked up and saw he didn't even have his goggles on, so back we went. They enjoyed the pools as well with waterslides and all. On Sunday morning there was a cooking event for the kids on Mother's day, so they made some banana fritters for me. That was a funny choice for kid's cooking class - deepfrying something in hot oil! I would have thought decorating cupcakes would be safer... .
The hotel was not really the greatest hit, to be honest. Our friends had been before and said there would be a mattress/daybed in the room. Now after renovation there was none and the housekeeping insisted it was not ment to be. We had only booked one room for all of us so would have been in trouble. Luckily found a mattress standing around in the hall and just like in old holiday camp days just "borrowed" it for the night. So it worked out rather well.
Food was miserable unfortunately. Nobody fell ill but it just didn't taste at all. And the resort is so far away from all other places that you are really stuck with their restaurants. So all in all would not recommend that hotel. Ok for just one night. Still golf was good and beach nice so did ok for a mini holiday.

After that we have had an intense movie-going week. There is the European Union Film Festival here so we went to see the Swedish movie (Vargen) on the opening night and the Estonian movie (Magnus) last week. The last one must have been so shocking for the Singaporeans as most of the time it showed people who were doing drugs or just high - all of which comes with death penalty here! The rest of it was about suicide plans, porn etc. - also not very public subjects here. And to make the things more curious, the movie is forbidden in Estonia and the EU due to a privacy lawsuit. So we were really lucky to be here where we could see it. Especially as normally movies are under quite strict cencorship rules here!
Then on Saturday went to see Angels and Demons. So much better than the previous one - Da Vinci Code. That was an exciting evening for the kids as well - we couldn't get our regular babysitter so instead my Singaporean friend's 18-year old nephew came to babysit. Karl was so excited, asked him "are you a boy?". They are still confused about the fine line from when a boy becomes an "uncle". But I guess in case of Jia Ming they defined him as a boy. Karl keeps asking where he is and when he can play with him again.
Then yesterday we finally managed to get some Estonians together here to play the Estonian trivial pursuit that we have planned for ages but never managed to find a weekend suitable for enough people. We were just 5 players but it was great fun especially as one was an Italian who doesn't speak any Estonian at all. But he still read the questions out very well and gave us great laughs and as a result came second in the game. Obviously had to translate the questions for him. And guess who won? .... A good fun afternoon finished off with the best pizza in Singapore!

Nipah Palm fruit

Busy in Singapore

Life has suddenly become even more busy now that Robert's project is finished and we can do more things here together. I was not very used to planning trips and things far ahead so as we got back from Bali suddenly discovered there is a Labour day long weekend coming up. By that time it was far too late to find anything at all - no flights, bus tickets, ferries, hotels. So there we were - stranded for 3 days. Had to find alternatives here and decided to go to Pulau Ubin - the island on the north east coast of Singapore that we sailed around in September.

Of course when we got to the boat terminal we found out that there were a few more people with the same idea - a few thousand to be precise. But the long long que moved surprisingly fast as they had foreseen it and there were tens of bumboats coming and going all the time. The trip only takes about 10 minutes. And of course it was very busy on the other side as well. Fortunately the bicycle rent shops were well stocked and we finally found a constellation of bikes to fit us all - boys in kids seats and Beatrice on her own. We set off towards Check Jawa, which is a wetlands reserve maybe 3 km from the boat jetty. It was pretty busy on the roads as well. But quite a nice ride until tarmac changed into earth path that was bumpy and hilly. After we had had a little rest and snack Beatrice fell going too fast downhill on this bumpy road. And she had no helmet! It was quite bad but luckily no major bruises and there was no point going back from there either. So after a while we continued towards the destination. She was not keen to ride. It was probably her first fall on the bike ever.

We did the boardwalk in Check Jawa but didn't see a lot of wildlife because it was too busy with people, just many small crabs and mudskippers in the mud. There were some interesting palm trees though - Nipah palm - the only type that grows in mangroves with very funny shaped fruit (hope to get a picture up here soon!). The view from the tower was good. Part of the boardwalk is over water, nice and breezy. The way back was up and down the hill - both ways too steep to ride so there was a lot of pushing especially as Beatrice was being extra careful after her fall. We passed a quarry with strange dark blue water and made a small detour to the north coast of the island to have a look at Malaysia - through high fences in the water to keep illegal immigrants off Singapore soil. There were small farms on the way, all making a good business on that day selling cold drinks. There are still a few hundred people who live on Pulau Ubin - a lifestyle nothing like the rest of high tech Singapore - bicycles to move around, water in wells, electricity from generators. Very much like a Malay village it used to be. Although a taxi driver told there are plans to develop the whole island with high rise apartment blocks and extend the metro there ... . I think it would be a shame but Singapore thinks they need to grow in order to stay competitive and as there is so little space where to put all the new people, they have to use every square meter.

Well, anyway we made our way back to the main centre and were thirsty and hungry and had a nice early dinner of fresh local fish. Then back with the bumboat. I guess it would make a great day out, or even a weekend as you can camp there and stay over night on any other weekend of the year. The 1st of May was just a little too busy.

Bali III

On our last day in Bali we still had the whole morning to add to our sunburns. But the coral reef and fish in there were too tempting for not to go in for a last glimpse. So did that as our Life in Amed routine, packed up, had lunch at Sails one more time and off we were. As our flight was late night we had time to explore some more on the way back to the airport. Our first stop was at Besakih temple. The driver had warned that it will be very busy because there was a special ceremony going on. And indeed it took us ages to get there but the road was spectacular - again winding up steep hills and some scary looks down into deep gorges, beautiful rice paddies, lush greenery. At one point we had 3 trucks in front of us and were creeping uphill at 5 km/h. But we made it finally. Balinese religion is hinduism but their temples and ceremonies are quite different from the traditional Indian ones. Besakih is considered the mother temple. It sits high up on the hills and the views are spectacular. It is also a bit cooler up there. It was very busy indeed. There were busloads coming down when we went up but still people arriving as well. The parking lots looked like rubbish tips and from there it was a good km uphill walk to get to the temple past people trying to sell us sarongs (you have to wear one to go inside), offering guided tours and motorbike rides uphill. There were people coming down and going up, all prettily dressed in traditional costumes, carrying bamboo boxes with fruit and other foodstuffs on their heads. People coming down still had the boxes, so they probably just have them blessed in a ritual and take back home instead of leaving at the temple as offering. The complex consists of 22 temples and there were thousands of people. Some wanted to take photos with our kids but the boys were too shy. It was quite a drive and quite a walk but so worth it. To see all this hustle and bustle, smell the incense burning, hear the sounds of bells, drums and chanting and enjoy the view down the rooftops of the temple and far away to the horizon was quite an experience.

From there we took a shortcut to one of the volcanoes and the biggest lakes on Bali - lake Batur and a volcano with the same name. We had great views as the road passed the lake high up on the hillsides. Also looked at the volcano from far away, could still see the lava on one side, it blew up last time only ca 40 years ago and apparently you can sometimes see smoke  coming up. None when we were there though, just clouds covering the sides. As the guidebook said the vendors up there were all quite fierce and aggressive, not very nice.

It got more and more busy on the way to town and airport. we wanted to look at some furniture but managed just one shop - probably the most expensive in Bali as the only other visitors apart from us were Russians. In general, just as in Vietnam there were a lot of Russian tourists especially in south Bali's expensive resorts. Didn't see any in Amed (too cheap for them!). Even signs in Russian and heard some indonesian tour guides speaking Russian too.

Bali II

Life in Amed was the total opposite of Hyatt - 8 bungalows by the beach, very laid back and quiet, no phone in the room, not to mention a broadband connection. There was a TV though in one bedroom but as we had warned Karl that there won't be one at all, we didn't exactly show it to him to see how he will cope a few days without his beloved Ben 10 series. Just on the last day a few minutes before we left we suddenly "discovered" the TV. He was not too upset.

The villa was lovely and spacious right by the beach. With open air balinese shower and from the toilet we could admire the coconut and papaya trees of the neighbors. And listen to the sounds of their chicken and pigs! They were all eager to make friends and sell their services of course. So on the first whole day we took a boat trip with Bobo to a neighboring bay to snorkel around an old japanese shipwreck. The trip was lovely and snorkeling very good although the current was a bit too strong for the kids to go on their own. So we took them with us in turns and the boys had life jackets on. There were quite a few divers at the site as well. Raoul was later a bit upset about the divers and kept telling that they are the bad guys and take the fish. In the end we figured out that he associated them with the diver in "Nemo"! So tried to explain that they don't really all take little fish babies and are not bad guys at all. Must have been a fascinating sight for the kids - all that gear and bubbles going up etc.

For lunch we decided to explore the village. It turned out to be probably the most remote and rural place we've ever been to. Apart from our hotel there were only fishermen's huts, a bike repair shop, a little shop that sold water and sweets and a schoolhouse. And lots of friendly people greeting and smiling. A few minutes walk outside the village we discovered a very nice restaurant on to of the hill - "Sails". Looked very mediterranean - whitewashed, very simple straight lines, kitchen behind a big window, nice breeze and fantastic views over the bay. And the food was great and cheap - the most expensive dish on the menu - beef tenderloin - cost just as much as an orange juice in Hyatt! Also they had great Sumatran coffee. So we went there for every lunch because we enjoyed it so much. Grilled mahi-mahi in banana leave - yummi! Didn't quite dare to take the walk with kids in the darkness though with many motorbikes on the curvy road. 

Next day we decided to try the snorkeling in our bay and it turned out to be the best of all! Just had to swim out 10 - 20 meters and there was the coral reef with amazing fish life. A bit further out we found fantastic coral forests of huge structures and all kinds of shapes. Saw a lot of different kinds of butterfly fish, parrotfish, some squid, boxfish and many many others that we couldn't quite identify in the book. Beatrice did proper snorkeling, boys swam out with Robert using their goggles. Just had to watch out for the fishing boats when they returned. Sea was calm and quiet and I could have stayed there for the whole day. I find it totally amazing that there can be something like that under the sea surface! Lift your head and there is just water, stick your head under and a different world. Just the sun got very hot and we managed to get the "snorkeling sun burn" on the back of legs! So had to seek shade for a while. Kids splashed in the hotel pool for a change and it was all very relaxing. In the afternoon the brother of a hotel receptionist took us to the neighboring village to his restaurant and shop. There was a bit more civilization in that village - dive shop, internet cafe, more restaurants and shops in general. And black volcanic sand. Boys went for a swim with some little local boys while Robert enjoyed a massage. Then while the kids had dinner I had a massage. It was quite interesting to talk to the lady as well. It turned out to be a great family business of brothers and cousins - one has the shop, one has the restaurant, all extended family lives and works there together. Both she and her husband and his brother were called Made. And our driver on the way back as well. It has something to do with being the second child but then I don't quite understand how could two brothers both be considered second children and called by the same name. 

Bali

We have been back from Bali for a few days already but so far no time to sit down and write it all down in peace and quiet. Now a lazy Sunday afternoon - Robert in the gym, Raoul napping, Beatrice and Karl at the playground, so I'd better take the chance.

It was a great trip and I am happy about the way we put it together - using recommendations of two very different neighbor families. Stayed at the Grand Hyatt in Nusa Dua (South Bali) for the first two nights - a huge luxury resort of 600 + rooms, like a town in itself with 5 or 6 restaurants and pools and a long sandy beach. There was a spa, night market, shops etc. In the room Raoul discovered a "sauna" - a walk in closet with a bamboo suitcase shelf! We just relaxed and enjoyed the facilities there, mostly the water slide and river-like pool with an occasional plunge into the "penguin pool" with 12-14 C water when the nordic genes kicked in! In spite of the resort being huge apart from breakfast we never saw lots of people. Kids spent an hour in the kids club and were the only ones there while we had the huge nice gym just to ourselves at the same time. No idea where everyone else was (probably still digesting their buffet breakfast). In the evening headed for Jimbaran beach for a famous seafood dinner with sunset. Great food and views and dance performances.

Then the next day we travelled to other parts of Bali to see the real life. Like anywhere in SE Asia traveling time is long even for small distances - to get the 50 km to Ubud, the art capital, took us nearly 2 hours. So had to start canceling other potential stops! Roads are busy or very narrow and curvy. Lucky we had hired a car with a driver. If self driving we would still be lost somewhere. Ubud is very famous as an artists colony. There are palaces and temples and museums. All colorful and pretty. We had lunch at the Lotus cafe that is next to a pond (full of lotus plants) and a temple. Very pretty setting. All in all though I found it a bit too touristy with lots of selling and pushing going on. Couldn't take two steps without offers for taxi rides or something to buy. 

We headed further east for what seemed like hours passing pretty sights and landscapes and more temples and stopped at an original balinese village at Tenganan. Apparently a lot of people who live on Bali today are actually from Java, so just a few areas of the "natives". That was more rural and quiet. Just a few visitors although the village these days seems to make a living of tourists - selling the cloth that they weave there and more souvenirs. Their Ikat cloth patterns are quite interesting - reminded us actually of finno-ugric patterns. One cloth that I looked at had white snowflakes on blue background! The shop lady could not understand when I tried to explain that it looks like snow. Obviously. Quite sobering after 5 star luxury to see how real balinese live - cattle and chickens and dogs all around. We saw a lot of colorful cocks in cages waiting for their turn in fights and saw an actual cock fight as well. Some of them have dyed feathers - pretty in pink. Kids ran after chick, made friends with a puppy and a monkey. Then after another long drive through more rural areas and dramatic landscapes with roads winding up the hillsides with hundreds of meters of steap drops, rice paddies, sea views we finally reached the east coast and Amed already in darkness. 

To be continued ...

Have been caught in serious tropical thunderstorms two days in a row now, really silly not to learn. The weather is getting hotter and that brings quite extreme afternoon rains. Yesterday with kids while waiting for taxi and today on my own on Orchard Road after yoga class - I was so soaked as if I had jumped into the pool.

Beatrice has school holidays now for nearly 3 weeks, boys are at school. Today she went to friends house and tomorrow another friend is coming over. Easter will not be a big deal as Robert will still be working every day until the 15th. Then on 16th we will head to Bali for a short break. He will probably collapse after having had to get up 5.30 every morning since months with no day off. In fact last Monday he never even came home because they had to run tests on the rig until 5.30 am! Then had a short nap onboard and a new meeting at 7.

We have already had an Easter party with Beatrice's class and parents and siblings and that was very nice - on two classmates' condo with pool and BBQ and great egg hunt, face painting, egg painting etc. Karl was very good at egg hunt and highly motivated after he saw a boy draw a Ben 10 toy from the gift emporium. Unfortunately he didn't get anything Ben 10 related and was very upset about it for a while.  It was way after dark that we got home, so missed the earth hour at 8.30 completely.

The kids have been going to the pool a lot more now that it is warmer and all have improved so much. (In fact they are in the pool now and I am sitting here with the laptop - wifi reaches just far enough!) Karl can swim the whole length now unaided and Raoul is nearly there as well. All locals are amazed because their kids all have to take swimming lessons. But then they don't come down when it is "too cold", someone has a runny nose, too windy, too sunny or anything else really ...

I had a new experience last week - Beatrice's friend's mum is setting up a Reiki practice and she did a session on me. I had never experienced it before and it was quite strange. I started seeing all sorts of colors with closed eyes and in the end drifted off into half sleep with lots of dreams going on. Funnily when she reached my throat area she said there is a very strong voice of a women's rights activist on the right side. She didn't know anything much about my background or political involvements in the past. She claims the voice is still there although it has been very quiet for the last 10 years... at least publicly. It is a bit like psychotherapy except that she doesn't tell much and all issues that someone has come up from inside and start to shift. It left me very deeply relaxed and kind of in a protective bubble for a few days. I guess in the daily life we are so preoccupied with the reality that we don't even take time off to reflect on it not to mention the bigger picture. So have a go if you get a chance!

Dark side of sunny Singapore

This place still has some surprises left, it appears. Only yesterday I learned from a newspaper that Singapore doesn't use caning only in prisons as I had assumed until now but also in schools! In the news about criminal cases I have read that one part of the punishment quite often is caning -  a few strokes, I think maximum I have seen probably 6. Yesterday there was a letter in the paper about caning in a primary school. It happened in year 6, so the kid was about 11 years old. His offence - had chased and hit another boy who didn't want to give him his password for an online game. The caning took place in front of the whole class apparently with the consent of the offenders parents. To make matters worse the schools "discipline master" went into detail to describe the canes used in Jakarta prison stating that those were 4 times as thick as the one he was using at this school. Robert has talked to a former cane-master (turned taxi driver) who elaborated that most people who get this punishment choose the thinnest cane which is a mistake because it hurts a lot more than the thick one. I am almost speechless after this. I knew that the local schools value discipline highly and inquiring minds are not encouraged. The kids are loaded with mechanical homework and are not expected to ask too many questions. But this kind of physical punishment in the 21st century in a place like Singapore that looks so modern and western is quite unbelievable. And there they go wondering why their excellent school system doesn't produce creative spirits and sharp minds.

To keep it cultural - on Sunday we went to a theatre performance with the kids which was great fun. Together with Leenu and Ingrid. The play was in the old parliament which is a beautiful building from the colonial times. The chamber is just like it used to be, set up like the British parliament, so we sat in big leather armchairs facing each other with actors sort of in the middle. The chairs even had the names of the ministers of a former Singaporean government written on them. The play was by a group from Vancouver about trolls who were retelling and re-enacting some stories of HC Andersen. The trolls were huge and were wearing scary masks (Raoul probably had nightmares that night) but the play was very good - very interactive and involved the audience. One of the trolls while playing prince grabbed Beatrice and they danced around, Leenu was picked to be the "mechanical nightingale" with a costume and everything. The girls really enjoyed it and the boys had fun as well.

Then as if Saturday wasn't enough we went back to the Art museum so that Ingrid and Leenu could also see the Korean exhibition. The rest of the day was a play day for the girls at Leenu's. Boys had a good afternoon devoted to Lego and were incredibly well behaved for a very long time - proving the point of Ingrid's husband that 3 kids is easy-peasy!

On Monday we had another theatre performance with the boys in the morning. Went together with a neighbor - probably the part the boys enjoyed most - driving a big jeep. The play was nice but more for a bit younger kids, quite short, no text at all, lots of gadgets and lights. A bit like teletubby humor. 

All these theatre and museum visits gave me a bad cold that I have been fighting the whole week. On Tuesday the boys went to play at their Korean friends house and I went to yoga hoping that would help me with the cold but it only got worse. However we were so lucky as Yeo Yoo's mum treated us to a great Korean lunch and being as generous and kind as Korean friends always, packed for us doggy bags with bulgogi and chapche that Robert enjoyed so much the next day.

Cultural weekend

We started off very culturally on Saturday - there was a Korean modern art exhibition in the Art Museum with a special event on that day. The kids joined the arts competition, tried on Korean national dress. There was a music performance and various displays that we enjoyed. To my big surprise however the actual exhibition turned out to be the biggest hit - not really an obvious combination - kids and modern art. But there were so many interesting pieces in that exhibition that we all really enjoyed it. Of course comments like - is that art? it is just a square!? One artist had 4 real size people portraits that looked like paintings from far away but turned out to be negative reliefs - which meant that when walking past them, it looks like the people in the pictures are moving with the viewer. Really cool - and we walked at least 10 times. Also quite fascinating were the digital pictures by another artist - he used traditional Korean landscape or bamboo motives on LCD screens that changed all the time. The weather, time of the day, even time long term. One of them looked like the skyline of Hong Kong with mountains in the background and boats in the front and then after a while from the fog appeared skyscrapers lit up in the night. The picture next to it was similar but with a small island and a temple on it. This one also changed so that all of a sudden there appeared a city of high rise buildings behind the mountains. Also the small fishing boats sailed from one picture into the other. Really fantastic! Then there was a whole big wall of colorful tiles with all sorts of object stuck to them, toys among them, so it was great for the kids to look for different objects that they recognized. Another great work was a glass floor with thousands of small people holding it up while standing very close to each other. We liked it so much and as it was the last weekend of the exhibition, sent messages to many friends and urged them to go and see it.

After the exhibition there was Korean food as well. And to complete the very Korean day boys had taekwondo class straight after!

A whole year

Today a year ago we arrived in Singapore and it seems quite unreal. The time passes quicker and quicker. Even Beatrice asked recently how come that time goes much quicker now that she is older. Just so very busy. 

It has been such a great experience for all of us to be here. The boys have turned into real Singaporeans - especially Karl's English sounds more like Singlish now. So if you were to hide his blond curls and blue eyes he could easily pass for a little Chinese boy. All kids have made really good friends and have gained a lot of independence - being able to go to their friends houses or the playground by themselves. That's the greatest thing about living on a condo.

The attraction of the swimming pool has worn off after a year and whereas we had to spend whole days in the pool at the beginning, now I have to drag them out once a week.

The boys had a great day out yesterday before the start of their 1 week school holiday. They went to Sentosa island with the school for a day, visited the aquarium and saw the dolphin show. Raoul was worried that the "dolphins would eat his friends" but luckily none of that happened. So now we have a week to fill with entertainment.

Swimming

The busy weekend made me forget about Beatrice's swimming gala last Friday. It was quite an eye-opener for me to be honest. I had somehow assumed all kids here can swim as at least in her school most probably live on condos with pools. It turned out to be a wrong assumption. The whole year 2 was divided into 3 groups, the first of which swam across the pool in the shallow end with floats and noodles etc. And there were kids in this group who have lived here all their lives! Second group did some more advanced widths partly unaided and only the third group swam whole lengths of the pool showing some great technique and speed. Beatrice was in the third group and all other kids from her class in there are the ones who have regular swimming lessons in addition to school swimming. Beatrice is not keen on lessons although I can clearly see now that having learned most of what she can now by herself she could be a really great swimmer if she had proper training. We keep trying to convince her that she will have to represent Estonia in the Olympics but so far no success. I even dragged her to the pool on Sunday when the coach was here but she just refused to join in, neither bribes nor threats worked. Probably she just doesn't see a point if she is one of the best in class anyway. But what a wasted opportunity as it would be so easy to train here - no need to go anywhere far away, can just go down to the pool every day and even the coach comes here. Who knows if we are ever going to live in a place like that again. And I bet she will want to have lessons if that means driving to a pool half an hour through snowstorms.

As a great follow-up to the independence day Beatrice has found a new Estonian friend - Leenu, who is also 7 years old and also a trilingual kid. If I would walk into her on the street I would suspect this is an Estonian girl - so strong genes from her curly blond blue-eyed mother. The girls had a first play date and clicked very well. I listened quietly behind Beatrice's door and yes indeed they did speak Estonian! Now we are looking forward to a theatre morning next weekend. 

We had a busy weekend with theatre, taekwondo, play at Ikea, shoe shopping, play at friend's house, concert in the park and dinner at an Italian. Theatre was great for the boys but probably a bit boring for Beatrice already, not as much story lines and action as Toothfairy and also quite short. The boys enjoyed burping jokes of the Bear and Chicken. They are still puzzled why the tooth fairy didn't come this time though. (Well she did come to our house Sunday night, as Beatrice has lost her other front tooth and has a huge hole now!)

On Sunday after a play day we went to the Botanical gardens for a concert. Only managed to listen to the first part which was an australian folk group. Interesting instruments - all made from gourds (pumpkins). And the feeling was a bit like Viljandi folk - so Beatrice and me enjoyed it. Was good for Robert to get out a bit as well, he could finish a little earlier at work and join us in the park. Afterwards tryed an italian restaurant that Leenu's italian dad recommended as serving the best pizza anywhere outside of Italy. And so right he was! And as we didn't break any glasses or caused any other damage this time we will definitely be going back.

Our kitchen has turned into a hunting ground recently. There have been visits from a rat to our fruit basket and even after the neighbors caught a rather large one, there must have been one more. I have borrowed their massive trap but no luck so far. Only today a poor gecko got stuck in the sticky trap and I feel so bad because he was my favorite one. Used to live behind the coolbox and make me jump every time I moved the box. I tryed to get him out but the sticky stuff is so strong that I could't save him.

Independence day

The honorary consul invited local estonians to his restaurant on the 24th to celebrate Estonian independence day. It was a great little party - just under 20 people, quite a colorful bunch. A few young girls who work in restaurants, a few bank, IT people, students etc. All in all an adventurous bunch, well travelled and enthusiastic. We found a few families with kids as well, even same age, so looking forward to a play date on Sunday. Also met finally the girl that my hairdresser has been talking about, however she had only been to him once. Just to prove the good fantasy of hairdressers because my impression from him was that she is a regular. And just last week a neighbor had given me a card from an estonian girl who works as a restaurant manager. She was there as well. 

Hopefully there will be some more regular get-togethers as the group got into quite a good mood and great relaxed atmosphere - well wine was flowing and we had a few shots of vodka to toast the Republic. 

The restaurant is very nice - an old colonial black-and-white house that has been renovated really nicely in fabulous garden setting with ponds and paths between the different seating areas. It is just tucked away from the main traffic and a bit hard to find so it doesn't get any passers by clients, just people who know about it. Which might be a bit hard in this economic climate. But hopefully it can keep going. It was just awarded the best new restaurant title recently.

Yesterday we had an event of the century - a rainbow! For some reason rainbows are extremely rare in Singapore and it caused a lot of excitement on the condo in the evening. For many kids it was the first time they saw one. 

Sorry, I have become such a bad writer, just so busy suddenly...

Robert works every day now and I have to entertain the kids on the weekends as well. Have been to the zoo again and everybody had a great time. On the weekend before that Robert had taken a day off and we planned to go to Pulau Ubin which is the last unspoilt island on the north coast with bicycle tracks and mangroves and wetlands to explore. Unfortunately Karl was not well so nothing came of it. Then as a minimum program we decided to go out for lunch and that turned the unlucky day into a catastrophic day - went to an italian and probably 15 minutes after leaving the restaurant as soon as I got home I was so violently sick like never before. Had to use all my willpower not to be sick in the lift with a pregnant neighbor. There was something wrong with my fish obviously because Raoul had had a few bites from it and was sick later as well. So much for a long awaited day off. I guess now we will have to wait for the next chance when the rig is finished and project all done.

Meanwhile I have become an addict of Bikram yoga. The manager at the yoga centre agreed to change my membership from the general one to Bikram and I have been going there a few times every week now. It is fantastic exercise - you have to work really hard and because of the heat sweat like on a treadmill. The first half of the class really feels like an intense cardio workout. Very tricky all the balancing and trying to contract every muscle and pull and push all at the same time. Second part is a bit more relaxing between the floor postures but in every posture you still work with every muscle very hard. It is really rewarding, afterwards feels like you have had a real proper workout but at the same time it gives you a strange "high", quite different from the normal post-gym adrenaline rush. So I'll go 3 times this week! Each instructor has a slightly different style and different tips and details, so really good.

Chinese new year

The Chingay parade (pictures below) was probably the closest we got to celebrating the Chinese new year although it is huge here and very much present everywhere you go. The parade was great - fantastic costumes, floats, special effects with smoke and fire. All very colorful just like Singapore itself with its many different cultures, most of which were in the parade with their costumes, music and dances. The dragon on one of the photos was spectacular - dotted with smoking incense sticks and fire spitting men walking around it. Very fierce. Our highlight was the Korean display as our taekwondo school took part. The boys were so excited to see their coaches and Karl said he wants to join next time so that he can wear this cool headband. He was very good at collecting all the stuff the paraders were giving out - leaflets, fans and sweets of course. Obviously as I explained with the photos the parade is a celebration on the Chinese new year and Chingay means masquerade in Hokkien. There is no connection to a gay parade whatsoever as homosexuality is forbidden here (although existing of course undercover) and carries prison sentence.

Apart from that the kids have had cny concerts at school and have been practicing some of the songs we hear in every shop these days. Beatrice was the lion's head in their performance, unfortunately the boys school didn't invite parents but we have seen some of the dance moves and heard the songs here. Also some neighbors have been kind and invited us to try their new year goodies like pineapple tarts and barbequed pork etc. And the kids have received quite a few of the famous red packets - hong bao's - with a few dollar notes. There are no presents at chinese new year, just money. Locals spend a lot of time with families eating and gambling and it all takes about 4 weeks - 2 before and 2 after the new years day. All the auspicious foods like raw fish and seafood go up in price before the holidays and restaurants cash in properly as well. On the new years eve it is apparently good to keep the children up late - the later they stay up the longer their parents live. We did not quite manage to follow that idea, should have gone to Chinatown for some excitement together with 200 000 Singaporeans. But as Robert has to get up 5.30 every morning late nights mingling with crowds are not really high on the priority list.

Now I am rushing off to my second class of Bikram yoga - 90 minutes in 40 degrees C. The first class last week was very good although I was quite nervous and didn't know what was going to happen. See how it goes today.

Gong Xi Fa Cai!