SAM @ 8Q

The last time we went to SAM @ 3Q was a few years back. We went with ah yee and my brother's family then.

I saw on fb that there are some exhibits for kids and headed down with the Chan family.

On the 1st floor, there was some foam blocks that are really popular with younger kids. I had to chase our kids away. They were a danger to the other kids.

The walls leading to the other levels were covered with doodle. They are super nice.

On the second floor, short clips were screening. The kids enjoyed the clips so much more than a few years back. Can you spot them in the dark?

On the third floor, we get to make some craft with strings.

On the fourth floor, some jigsaw puzzle thingy.

Then, hanging candies on tree.

The best thing of all? The entrance is free for all Singaporeans! Free and so much things to do. Totally worth it.

Mummy Lim

Like Pappy

Lil Isaac said that he wanted to be like Pappy.

Haha, a super mini and skinny version.

Mummy Lim

Ho Chi Minh Day 7 - Home Sweet Home

It was a short day. Our flight was at 12.35pm, which will mean that we had to leave for the airport at 9.45am. There basically wasn't much time to do anything after bfast. Well, we did manage to squeeze in some bathtub time while mummy did some last minute packing.

We boarded the cab at almost 10am after checking out and paying the balance. It took me awhile to check, the hotel bill came up to VND 27 million. So many zeros, have to check properly.

The kids played very well this trip and even sat together in the 30 mins taxi ride to the airport.

The plane ride went fairly well too. It would have been perfect without the turbulence. There was quite some shaking at some point and I was worried that the trays would start flying. Luckily it wasn't that bad.

Overall, the Ho Chi Minh trip turned out fairly well, our very 1st experience to a developing country where most people do not speak English. I think we are still not that ready for such trips. I had a few realisation this trip too. 1st of all, I really don't do very well when the weather is too hot. 2ndly, our kids could be well entertained if there is TV, ipad, bathtub and swimming pool, so maybe we should head to a beach resort (one with a fantastic kids' club) next. 3rd, we should have stuck to our golden rule of only 1 ah mah per trip. Well, there wasn't obvious quarrels but let's just say that they aren't and will never be the best of friends from now on. I know my mum isn't the easiest person to get along. My mil has plenty of peculiarities too. I am somewhat glad that our trip has ended. Any longer, I am worried that they would start clawing at each other.

Would I miss Ho Chi Minh? Well, it isn't as dangerous as what I had thought it would be. God blessed us and we didn't meet any snatch thief or lost any valuables. The traffic is interesting though. Accordingly to Tina (guide), it is legal to take 2 adults and 2 kids below 7 on the same bike! See the little boy squashed between 2 adults? This is a common sight and I even see kids sleeping while on the bike. Steady lah.

I am amazed at how cars and motorbikes get to the sides that they wanted at a busy X junction without traffic light. Everybody seemed to be weaving through the traffic. And the stuff that they carried on motorbikes! I have seen a man riding with one hand and the other holding a 2m long metal rod!

Once back on Singapore, I have to tell you how much I appreciate clean and sweet smelling toilets. Let's just say that in Ho Chi Minh, some of the toilets are indeed an eyeful and noseful too. Lol.

Our hectic life starts once again. I am quite confused with all the holiday week and makeup classes. Daddy Lim sent Lil Shauna for her maths class to realize that it was cancelled. Did the teacher tell me? Oh gosh, I can't remember. Haha. Too many things, I need another holiday. Hehe.

Mummy Lim

Ho Chi Minh Day 6 - Vietopia

We had intended to bring the kids to a theme park - our almost must do whenever we travel. We were still trying to decide which one. There are mixed reviews about the 2 main theme parks. However, my Vietnam colleagues advised us to skip the theme parks. They said that USS is 100x better. They recommended Vietopia instead. It is similar to Kidzania and Taipei's Baby Boss. Lil Shauna isn't a fan of Baby Boss after 2 visits but didn't reject the idea of Vietopia too much.
We woke up early for bfast and a taxi to Vietopia. It was located in District 7 and the taxi costs about VND 70k.

The tickets to Vietopia us very affordable at VND 190k (about S$13) per kid and VND 45k (about S$3.5) per adult. We were given this tag.

Vietopia!

Our 1st stop. Some lab sponsored by Yakult. They each get a free bottle of Yakult at the end of the work.

2nd job was that of a mechanic.

 3rd was a wall painter. Hard work indeed.

Next, A&E. This was quite interesting. Nut only did they get to ride the ambulance, they also attempted to revive a collapsed patient. She was declared dead bcos Lil Isaac kept saying that he can't hear her heart beat. Lol.

Then, some art studio thingy.

Ice cream making. After the ice cream was made, I was worried. I had been careful to avoid ice for the kids since I don't know what kind of water was used.

So I was glad that they were almost immediately lured to the dental clinic.

Then, milk making. They had to carry hay to feed the cows 1st before milking the cows then going to the factory to learn how milk is packaged.

After milk was coffee.

Then catwalk! Lil Shauna refused to dress up though.

After lunch, the kids made their own Pepsi. I am quite sure that what they eventually received wasn't what they made bcos I saw the staff loading real Pepsi bottles into the machine. Haha.

Then, Holick making. They received this mini drink and get to play kinnect alike game that the boy loves.

Choco pie making.

 And finally, some snacks making.

We left Vietopia at almost 4pm, when it was closing.  Lil Isaac had to miss his favorite fireman bcos it was so crowded. Lil Shauna refused to do all jobs that were crowded. She said that the local kids looked at them funny. The fireman was one of those jobs. Then, Lil Isaac refused to do any of the jobs without jiejie. Zzzz.

Overall, it was great. It was really cheap for the almost whole day fun. The place was spacious and less crowded than Baby Boss. The waiting time was so much shorter and many times none at all. There are many jobs too, some quite different from Baby Boss. The equipment and facilities are really new too. The only complaint that I have is that the staff aren't too kids friendly. I was telling Daddy Lim that Baby Boss staff were very entertaining. Oh, the $$ earned do not exchanged for anything too. We had to use real $ to buys something for the kids from the gift store to reward their hard work at the end of the day. Haha. Nevertheless, it was a great experience and the boy was so tired that he knocked out at 8ish.

Mummy Lim