Along the Singapore River with Kids - Otters Spotting


What better way to use up the kids' pent up energy than to bring them out for a long walk?

The same route, different adventure. With the promise of a scrumptious dinner at the end of the walk. The 3 boys were up for the challenge, including the little one, who walked a good 3km before his legs gave way and had to sit on the stroller the rest of the way.





It was a pleasant surprise to find a family of wild otters frolicking in the waters.





Come evening time, the Quays area is lively, buzzing with people.






A great evening workout, followed by a wonderful meal, and the kids absolutely conked out when we got home. 😁


Comments

Post a Comment

You might also like:

Braised Chicken Pumpkin and Mushroom Chinese recipe

Image
Pumpkin is very versatile and can be cooked in many different ways. Whether it is roasted or stewed or stir-fried, it always tastes fantastic. On top of that, pumpkin is rich in antioxidants, vitamins and minerals. I love pumpkin and always stock up on them whenever I do my grocery shopping. Pumpkin is so rich tasting that I don't need to put all sorts of seasoning to make it flavoursome. A little soy sauce is all I need to bring out the lovely flavour of this dish. Braised Chicken Pumpkin and Mushroom Ingredients: 500g boneless chicken thighs - cut to bite-size pieces 500g pumpkin - cut to bite-size pieces 100g shitake mushrooms - quartered 3 cloves garlic - minced 2 shallots - minced salt and pepper 1 tbsp. light soy sauce spring onions Instructions: Heat cooking oil in a wok over medium-high heat, add garlic and shallot, fry till fragrant Toss in chicken, season with salt, pepper, and light soy sauce, fry till bro...
Keep reading

Kids Craft - Folded Paper Drawings

Image
Following the fun the little brother had with his growing caterpillar  drawing, the 2 older brothers quickly made their own versions. This was their idea but I had to draw it as it was tricky to get the proportion just right. All is not what it seems in the sea... The rest were drawn by the 2 of them. Psyduck that turned into alien. Hidden family. And if I have to pick one FAVOURITE, it will have to be this one below!! Lol. 💙
Keep reading

Kids Craft - Easy 5 Ang Pow Red Packets Lantern

Image
This is the easiest lantern we've ever made. The 2 boys managed to make it by themselves with no help at all. It only requires 5 ang pow packets. Fold the 4 corners so it forms a diamond. Staple each packet to the next at the top along the folded edge. Do all 5 and form a circle. Bend and puff the middle then staple the bottom part. Before you staple the last 2 ang pows together, put a ribbon/string in, which has been stapled to a piece of paper so it doesn't slide out. This is for hanging the lantern. Join the 2 corners of each ang pow and staple in the middle to form a curved top and bottom. Done and hung up in their room. This is the last lantern we are making this year. I think we've had quite enough. The rest of the lanterns are here: 1. CNY Ang pow lantern - lucky star 2. CNY Ang pow lantern - lucky eight 3. CNY Ang pow lantern - Chinese coin 4. CNY Ang pow lantern - wheels of fortune/ flower 5. CNY Ang pow lanter...
Keep reading

Ikan Bilis (dried anchovies) Stock recipe

Image
When I want a tasty soup but don't have the time to make chicken stock, I turn to this ikan bilis stock recipe. Unlike chicken stock that requires 1-2 hours of boiling, this stock only needs 30 minutes of boiling time. This is fantastic as a soup base for steamboat and other soup dishes, or to be added for cooking whenever stock is required. I got these tea filter bags from Daiso and they are great to put the ikan bilis in and discard after boiling. This saves me the hassle of removing all those black residue left behind by the ikan bilis. But if you don't have them, just pour the stock through a sieve after boiling. Ikan Bilis (dried anchovies) Stock Ingredients: 100g ikan bilis (dried anchovies) 1 inch ginger - bruised 2 litres water salt Instructions: Rinse ikan bilis then put them into tea filter bags (I used 4) Bring water to boil in a soup pot, add ikan bilis and ginger Simmer for 30 minutes Discard ikan bilis and ginger Add salt to...
Keep reading

Semur Ayam (Chicken in Sweet Soy Sauce) Indonesian recipe

Image
Semur Ayam is an Indonesian home-cooked dish that I grew up with. It is a classic chicken and potatoes combo, stewed in a lovely thick and rich sauce of nutmeg and kecap manis - which is an Indonesian sweet dark soy sauce. Indonesian food uses a lot of kecap manis, and this dish is no exception. It gives a distinct flavour of sweet with salty undertone, a lovely colour and thick consistency to the dish. I usually stock up on Bango kecap manis whenever I go to Indonesia as they give the most authentic flavour. Chicken wings are used here because my kids just love wings, but you can use any bone-in chicken parts cut to small pieces. For a wholesome meal, I like to add some hard-boiled eggs and serve with white/brown rice to soak up all the delicious sauce.  😋 A true comfort food indeed! Semur Ayam (Chicken in Sweet Soy Sauce) Ingredients: 10 pcs chicken wings - winglets and drumlets separated 2 potatoes - cut into big chunks 5 hard-boiled eggs 5 cloves gar...
Keep reading

Mak Nyonya Beef Rendang Sauce review recipe

Image
Hubby has an aunt who is an incredible cook. Every now and then she would invite us all to her house to have a meal where she would cook up a storm of classic Indonesian fare. Beef rendang is one of her specialties. She told me it required at least 14 different spices pounded in the mortar and pestle to make it! It definitely is not an everyday dish. Unfortunately I don't have the time nor the skill to make my own rendang spices from scratch. When my craving for some Indonesian food strikes, I check out our local supermarkets to try out the different sauces and spices available. Today I am using Mak Nyonya Beef Rendang sauce. This sauce gives an authentic rendang flavour, very rich and aromatic! You can use either beef or chicken, simply fry it with the sauce, add coconut milk and simmer. I opted to fry some garlic, shallot and chilli first to make it even more fragrant but this step is optional. This rendang sauce is very easy to make and bursting with flavour...
Keep reading

Running Route along the Singapore River

Image
My favourite running route at the moment starts from Zion Riverside Food Centre, off Kim Seng Road, that goes along the Singapore River and passes Robertson Quay, Clarke Quay, and all the way to Boat Quay. It offers stunning views of numerous high-rise condominiums, gentle river and dense greenery. This loop along the river and back is a good 6km long. Perfect for a morning boost of energy! Running along the Singapore River, with the water flowing beside me, and the air crisp and cool in the morning is extremely calming. And the myriad of sensory delights along the way makes the run enjoyably effortless. At the end of the route, there is a great range of dining options, plenty of quirky cafes and eateries, to rest your feet and reward yourself. But the best thing about running here is that there is NO exhaust fume! The smell of fresh air is something that we don't ...
Keep reading

CNY Chinese New Year Craft Ang Pow Lantern

Image
I made more CNY decorations over the weekend. There's something about creating something with my hands that makes life fun. And therapeutic! These are my ang pow wheels of fortune. My little one insists that they are flowers and not wheels. They do look like flowers from below. I made 3 of them as I happen to have 3 sets of these ang pow packets in different colours. Since we are learning about lucky/unlucky numbers , 3 is also considered a lucky number in Chinese as it sounds similar to "birth" (sheng) in Chinese. There are 3 important stages in a person's life: birth, marriage and death. Chinese culture stresses upon family and children so this number is seen in a positive light. These ang pow packets are horizontal so they are great folded in half with the pictures still visible. I used 10 ang pow packets for each lantern. Fold them in half. Put 2 ang pow packets together and staple them, on the top and the bottom, somewhere in the m...
Keep reading

Taipei Xinyi district - Shopping at Eslite Bookstore and Mitsukoshi Dept Store

Image
Xinyi district  is a prime shopping area in Taipei, with numerous entertainment, shopping, and dining complexes. It is also home to the famous Taipei landmark - Taipei 101 . With 101 stories, it is one of the tallest buildings in the world. Visitors can visit the 89th floor observatory deck which offers spectacular views of Taipei. A multi-level shopping mall adjoining the tower houses hundreds of stores, restaurants and clubs. I particularly enjoyed Xinyi's chic and upscale vibe, with its extensive collection of unique food and cafes. There are many large malls at Xinyi, but the more noteworthy are the Eslite Bookstore and Shin Kong Mitsukoshi Department Store. Eslite Bookstore is amazing. Don't be fooled by its name - it calls itself a bookstore but it has so much more than just books! Firstly, it is huge. There are 7 floors up plus 2 basement floors. Secondly, it sells everything from books to clothes to home furnishing to foodstuff and many ...
Keep reading

CNY Chinese New Year Ang Pow Craft Lucky Eight

Image
I enjoy doing art and craft with the kids. I guess it's me trying to connect with them in some ways. As they grow up, they are much more interested in their gadgets and books or Nerf guns and Lego and all those other boy stuff that I find we are spending less and less time with each other. Doing art is my rare moments with them when we can just sit down and work together and chat. Since we are doing Chinese New Year decorations, the boys have lots of questions about the Chinese traditions and superstitions. I have to admit I don't know most of the answers so Google has been very helpful here. As we were making the lucky number Eight wall decoration, the boys were asking me why the number eight and not any other number? 8 is considered the most auspicious number in Chinese culture. Number 8 is read as "ba" which sounds like "Fa" which means wealth and prosperity in Chinese. So the Chinese usually try to incorporate 8 whenever they can. The boy...
Keep reading