Brooks came for a two week visit this month and we had a great time. He was the only one of the kids who could get away for that long this summer, so we enjoyed having a little taste of "home" over here! Since last summer we kept him busy sight-seeing the entire visit, this time we were a lot more low-key and just relaxed and enjoyed ourselves. He and I spent a day in Singapore going to Chinatown, the Merlion, Little India and the new Marina Bay Sands Resort and Casino. The day we were in Singapore was overcast with light rain, so it was actually perfect for walking around. It can be HOT and steamy when the sun is out. The Casino was just being built when he was here last summer, so it was fun to go into it and see the results. They have a "high rollers" room in the casino called the "Ruby Room"! Obviously we weren't allowed to go in:)While in Malaysia we did some shopping and a lot of eating out. We took him to "the sticks" (I've written about it before), great Chinese food and out in the middle of no where built up on sticks. As usual, the tide was down and the view is "scenic" in a surreal kind of way! We also took him to the marina about 15 minutes from our house for lunch and a walk about. Brooks walked with us in the evenings (or mornings on the weekends) and we saw a lot of monkeys. I think he enjoyed reading Clive Cussler, watching DVDs and sitting out by the pool.
The second week of his visit we flew to Borneo (Kota Kinabalu) and stayed at the Pacific Sutera Hotel and Resort. It has a Marina on the property and we all enjoyed looking at the yachts, sailboats and catamarans. We took an excursion (about 20 minute boat ride) out to Sapi Island where we spent the day snorkeling. The coral and fish were beautiful! Brooks is a fish and he spent half his time free diving down to get a closer look! On the same island we were able to book a Sea Trek Underwater Helmet Walking Adventure. This is MY kind of diving! You get to see the bottom of the sea and never get your hair wet:) It was fun and they gave us a CD with still shots, a video of our walk and a certificate of participation--sweet! I know it wasn't that exciting for Jeff and Brooks since they actually dive, but it was a fun experience for me.
Next day we went into Kota Kinabalu town and walked around the dock and the local market where you could buy local foods and crafts. It was HOT, but we managed to get a few souvenirs. That evening we did the Sunset Fishing trip in the South China Sea off Mamutik Island. We didn't catch many fish and they were small, but it was a cool evening and the ocean was calm and sunset spectacular! A good time.
We hated to let Brooks go home--wanted to keep him all summer--but I know he was anxious to see his wife and get back to his REAL life:)
