Weekend in The Parks

It's budget time, which means long hours of work for Ben.  Even the weekends are reserved for work, so Ak, B3 and I went on a little adventure all our own on Saturday.  They both love the bus and train, so we took one of each to get to Pasir Ris Park.  Singapore has a large network of parks, and this one looked worth investigating.

The beachfront park was full of tents and bicycles and walkers.  There's a network of boardwalks through the Mangroves, and AK's keen eyes spotted a crab hanging out on a treetrunk.

We ooh'ed and ahh'ed and wondered why he was up a tree (high tide, we think).  Little did we know that spotting this little fellow was much like the Great Pronghorn Spotting of 1984; he was just one of many.  Before long, AK wouldn't even slow down to look when I announced that I had found another one. 
"They all look alike...and I'm hot..," she growled.

I kept stopping as she kept walking.  B3, our little Border Collie, couldn't stand it.  He ran back and forth shouting our names. He wants all together at all times. 

The seashells covering the trunks were also intriguing. 

After two months I've finally realized the two things necessary for an outing (especially solo) with these kids:

1. Low Expectations
2. Lots of Snacks

So, when we found some shade, the snacks came out while we enjoyed the view.

After a few hours in the park, we set out to find some lunch.  On the way, we passed an amusement park.  At least, that's what they called it.  If you're picturing Six Flags, you can now stop.  Instead, picture the carnival that randomly appears in the old K Mart parking lot.  The one you wouldn't ever dream of taking your kids to, because it doesn't look safe and you're running low on hand sanitizer anyway. Yeah, now you've got the image. 

 Once the Ferris Wheel was spotted, I caved - all in the name of wasting more time so Daddy would have more quiet hours to work in peace.  Four dollars later, we were climbing aboard.  At least if we were going to be maimed in an unfortunate carnival mishap, it would be at minimal expense.  We were walking towards our little, swinging capsule when the operator (who looked 12) informed me that AK would have to ride solo as B3 and I would be in a separate car. Stunned, I simply said, "OK...".  I didn't think to tell her to sit still.  To not lean or rock or stand up or, heaven forbid, look out the open (as in no glass, no bars, no barrier at all) window.  Fortunately, she's either not very brave or is very sensible, because she sat completely still, in the middle of the car, and never even glanced towards the open window.  I probably wouldn't have worried about her at all, if the operator hadn't looked at B3 as we sat down and said, "Just make sure he doesn't fall out, okay?"  Fabulous.

We survived, and AK was thrilled. 

It was a fun day, and we'll definitely keep Pasir Ris Park on our list of inexpensive places to go.  I just think we'll skip the Ferris Wheel next time.