The end of our visit

Madi in Hanoi, having a great time, even though she has about four layers on Nana andMadi playing together
Our Nature Reserve walk
Our well deserved Pedicure
Our Farwell dinner

We had a few more days in Singapore with my parents before they had to pack up and go home.
We went out to Holland Village and got a pedicure together and then went and bought our new cameras! We had a beer on the patio and decided to buy Steve a new Canon powershot for travelling and buy me a small camera to carry in my purse for candid shots.
This was great because my parents gave us money for Christmas to put towards new cameras and we would have never been able to buy them without them. So we had fun checking out all of the new things that both cameras could do.
Then My parents took us out for our last Farwell dinner together. We went to Dempsey Road and had dinner at a very nice Italian restaurant.
The next day we stayed at the apartment and made sure that everything was packed up and enjoyed the last few hours of each other’s company.
We left for the airport at 2:00 and got to see the brand new terminal three. My parents got the seats they wanted and we looked around while waiting for their departure time.
It was so sad to see them go. It was so wonderful to have them here and share our lives with them.

Hanoi

New Year's Eve, Vetnmes cocktail for man and vietnamese cocktail for woman
The water puppets (or the people for controlled the water puppets)
Dad asleep during the water puppet show

Mom and Dad in the cyclo ahead of us
Halong Bay

Madi and I in a cave
Steve and I at the top of a five hundred stair climb...great view

Okay, so it has taken me a long time to finally sit down to write about our trip to Hanoi with my parents at the end of December.
We left on Boxing day after a wonderful Christmas day. We arrived in Hanoi and got to our Hotel, we were staying in the French Quarter, sounds nice eh…hmmm, it wasn’t awful, but it doesn’t come close to what images that ‘french quarter’ conjure up in your mind!
Anyway, we got settled and went to bed as it was late.
The next day we hopped in a ‘cyclo’ and took a tour of the area, very nice way to travel and see the sights. The poor guys that had to bike us around though, they sure earned their 5 bucks!
Hanoi was about 16 degrees, so quite chilly compared to Singapore’s 30+ degrees. We had checked the weather before we left and it said 25 degrees and sunny, so we packed shorts…we all wore the same pair of pants everyday! Madi wore her pajamas everyday as those were her only pants.
Anyway, we spent the next four days exploring the area. Hanoi was the most authentic place we have been in to date. It really felt like we were amongst the local people, seeing how they lived. There were a lot of touristy things and a lot of tourists, but still the daily lives of the Vietnamese could be seen. This was nice and shocking at the same time.
We ate at some great restaurants and got a few great treasures. My Dad had a suit made and we bought a silk duvet cover.
We spent a day on Halong Bay, one of the most beautiful places in Vietnam…but it was overcast and freezing, so we are sure it is prettier in the summer, but still nice. We got to explore some neat caves and kayak and stuff, so that was fun.
We spent New Year’s Eve at an authentic Vietnamese restaurant…it was an interesting experience…then we were off to the famous Vietnamese water puppets…hmm…an experience, yes, really excellent entertainment…I’m going to say no.
All in all we did enjoy ourselves, we had a wonderful time with my parents exploring the area and experiencing Hanoi.
We arrived back in Singapore on January first, a great way to begin 2008.

Chrsitmas 2007

Madi is enjoying her new present...drawing away like an expert

Our family Christmas toast at our beautiful brunch
Madi with Santa...she was terrified, holding on for dear life!
Champagne and Orange juice!
Me and my little Angel
The pillow and mattress room..Madi having a blast!

our little elf...giving out gifts on Christmas morning
Enjoying her new music mat from Santa
Another present
The five of us on our way to brunch
Christmas day among palm trees

Christmas eve
Madi in her Christmas dress
Christmas eve dinner
Christmas morning, Madi with her stocking
Our silly little girl in her Christmas hat

Well, Jack frost was not nipping at our noses and there were no chestnuts roasting on an open fire but we did have a wonderful and very Merry Christmas here in Singapore. We spent Christmas Eve day on Sentosa island, splashed in the water on the beach and walked around. We then went to a place called Chjimes (pronounced Chimes) for dinner. A very nice setting, sitting outside on the patio. After dinner we walked over to church for a 9:30pm mass. We ended up not staying as it was jam packed and sweltering hot. We came home and watched Christmas movies.
Christmas morning we woke up to find that Santa had come…smart man knew we had moved to Singapore!! Madi had a blast opening up presents and playing with her toys. Santa brought her an easel with a white board on one side and a backboard on the other..she loves to draw! She also got a mat that lays music when she dances on it, Santa must have known that Madi loves to dance!
My parents bought Madi a new pair of white gold earrings and they got us money for a new camera!
Steve bought me a beautiful new chest, dark wood with nice looking hardware on it, he had it delivered while we were in Bali so it was a wonderful surprise when we returned!
After opening up many presents we got ready to go and we went to five star hotel for a champagne brunch. The brunch was the most decadent display we have ever experienced, from the food to the service, it was all unbelievable. They even had a ‘napping room’ for Madi filled with materesses and pillows that she had a blast playing on. We ate and drank for three full hours and went home very, very full!
We had a really wonderful time together, I cannot even imagine Christmas here without my parents! We are soo Thankful that they came.