Ask any expat about the advantages of living in Singapore, and undoubtedly one of the answers you will get will relate to its proximity to other desirable travel destinations. So, to not to be left out of the travel opportunities as well as to avoid a lonely Thanksgiving eating overpriced turkey, we booked some tickets to nearby Bali, Indonesia and enjoyed a few days of relaxation on the beach.
Of course, traveling in Asia is not quite as worry-free as in the U.S. Originally, we were considering traveling to Phuket, Thailand, but decided against it due to recent anti-government protests. This turned out to be a good decision as the Bangkok airport was shut down by protesters for eight days including the Thanksgiving time period. And many expats were nervous about traveling to Bali after the "Bali-Bombers" were executed a few weeks ago. The U.K. and Australian governments actually warned their citizens not to travel there due to the risk of retaliation against westerners by terrorists. But the U.S. government did not issue a warning. So after some deliberation and discussion with other more seasoned travelers, we decided to continue with our travel plans and had an uneventful and relaxing trip. Of course, during this time were the bombings in India, which is also in this corner of the world.As far as our t
rip, we pretty much stayed at the Grand Hyatt and relaxed. The girls rented boogie boards in the mornings and played in the waves and spent the rest of the days between the beach and the large meandering pool. The grounds were beautiful and the weather very pleasant, despite a few rain showers. We did have a very nice turkey dinner with all of the trimmings on Thanksgiving night with two other Cat expat families at the Ritz Carlton, but somehow it just didn't really seem like Thanksgiving. However, we were very thankful to be together in such a beautiful spot, to arrive safely back in Singapore, and for Darrell's good job during these difficult times. 
rip, we pretty much stayed at the Grand Hyatt and relaxed. The girls rented boogie boards in the mornings and played in the waves and spent the rest of the days between the beach and the large meandering pool. The grounds were beautiful and the weather very pleasant, despite a few rain showers. We did have a very nice turkey dinner with all of the trimmings on Thanksgiving night with two other Cat expat families at the Ritz Carlton, but somehow it just didn't really seem like Thanksgiving. However, we were very thankful to be together in such a beautiful spot, to arrive safely back in Singapore, and for Darrell's good job during these difficult times. 
And I have to mention this very smart bird. He and his relatives hung out in the ponds surrounding the hotel lobby and restaurant. One morning, Anna tried to throw him a couple pieces of bread leftover from breakfast. He quickly took the bread, tossed it in the water and then plucked out and swallowed one of the unsuspecting fish who tried to eat our bread. He then immediately repeated the entire maneuver to eliminate any possibility he had just gotten lucky the first time!
