Paradise, Utah

Tuesday, June 25, 2013

We had a great day traveling north to Paradise, Utah.  We did make a stop in Brigham City to see the new Brigham City Temple.  Then on to Paradise, which is in Cache Valley, to arrive at the 'country' home of our friends Carol and Nick Nielsen.  They served their mission in Visakhapatnam, India at approximately the same time that we did.  So, we are never short of "war stories" and we enjoy catching up; talking about the great people, interesting places and memorable events.  We admired their garden flowers, neighboring farm fields, the 'forever' views and the cool air.  After a great lunch, we spent the afternoon at The Golden Spike National Historic Site.  Fortunately at 4:30 we were able to experience the power of the #119 as it was returned to the engine house with steam, puffs of smoke and its loud toot.   

Brigham City Temple, Utah

Golden Spike National Historic Site, Utah

National Park Service

The Central Pacific Railroad, from Sacramento and the Union Pacific Railroad, from Omaha  built railroads to tie the West to the eastern states.  They met at Promontory Summit on May 10, 1869 with the Jupiter and the No. 119 facing each other and the golden spike was symbolically tapped into place to connect the rails.  They had crossed 1,776 miles of desert, rivers, and mountains and employed 8,000 to 10,000 workers.  What used to take 6 months by ox-drawn wagon would now take six or seven days by train.

The #119; one of two engines on display is an exact replica of the original.

Our good friends, Carol and Nick Nielsen from Paradise, Utah

The #119 being returned to the engine house at the end of the day.

Day 38 - Singapore to SLC

Wednesday, June 12, 2013

Singapore to Tokyo to Los Angeles to Salt Lake City

It's time for us to go -- return to reality.  We will be leaving from the Changi Airport in Singapore and returning to Salt Lake City -- on the same day!  Because we are flying from west to east, it is the same day on paper but it will actually take two days!  

The only thing that we can remember about the flights is how long they were.  Singapore Airline does feed you well, and they provide earphones for the movies and music. You will find a blanket and pillow on your seat and they hand out hot towels.  On these flights we had someone in a seat next to us, so we couldn't spread out.  We did have to get off the plane in Tokyo so they could clean it.  But that also meant that we had to debark, go through security and then wait to get back on the plane.  After arriving in Los Angeles, we had to endure immigration, retrieve our baggage, and go through customs.  Then we had to re-check our luggage for the LA to SLC flight.  We finally arrived in Salt Lake City in the late evening and we took the Trax from the airport to within one block of our condo.  It only took 20 minutes and not even one person asked to see our tickets!       

a rainforest and waterfall feature in Terminal 3

Changi Airport, Singapore

check-in area

waiting area - plenty of seating

our plane from Singapore to Tokyo, then on to Los Angeles

It holds 471 people and takes one hour to board everyone!

One more bathroom picture!

The "excellent" bathroom at the airport in Singapore.

Day 37 - Singapore

Tuesday, June 11, 2013

Our last full day in Singapore.  The Singapore Zoo is very popular and well known.  It is a total ecological adventure with over 2,800 animals inhabiting a lush tropical rainforest.  It is so different than any zoo we have ever been to.  

Allison, Parker, McKenna, Madison and Sarah

Singapore Zoo

a new resident, the polar bear, at the Frozen Tundra

McKenna, Parker and Madison

feeding carrots to the giraffes

butterflies munching on fruit attached to a tree limb

flying fox inside the Fragile Forest

Kent's new best friend, a ring-tailed lemur in the Fragile Forest

What is that emergency number?

white tigers

we arrived just in time to watch them being fed

Now I know why the kids were wearing their bathing suits under their clothes!

This is the water park called Wet Play, and its also at the zoo.

Great anticipation!

When the bucket becomes full, it tips over and everyone gets soaked.

This friendly octopus gives showers or rinses off your feet.

this is called Tug Boat

We can see who's not helping!

faster! faster!

Oh no, another bathroom picture!

There are mirrors over the sinks, but the back wall is open to the outside.

We were so glad that Sarah made peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, which we ate at the water park.  After returning home, we finished our packing and cleaned Madison and McKenna's bedroom and bathroom that they were so nice to loan to us.  For dinner, grandpa brought home Canadian Pizza.  What a treat!  Then, the hot water heaters were turned on and everyone got a shower before bedtime. 

Day 36 - Singapore

Monday, June 10, 2013

We had not seen Chinatown and thought that this should be added to our itinerary before we left Singapore.  Chinatown, or Niu Che Shui, had been settled by merchants and farmers from China from before 1330.  It is a popular tourist destination with shops, food streets, a night market and a wet market.  It is of historical and cultural significance having shophouses, Chinese temples, Muslim mosques and Hindu temples.

Pagoda Street is closed to traffic

street architecture combines Baroque and Victorian

preserved pre-World War II shop houses

Chinatown Heritage Centre

Pagoda House

Sri Mariammon Hindu Tamil Temple, 1827

It is the oldest Hindu temple in Singapore and is important to Singaporean Indians 

and is known for the statuary above the entrance.

Buddha Tooth Relic Temple and Museum

Surprisingly, this building was completed in 2007 in the Tang Dynasty architectural style and built to house the tooth relic of the historical Buddha.

The tooth relic is inside of a two-meter tall, solid gold stupa which is housed in a secure chamber on the 4th floor.  No photos were allowed.

There are two chambers on the first floor.  Below is the first chamber.

"The One Hundred Buddhas have the ability to help the world and whoever recites, copies and makes offerings and expounds the hundred holy names with reverence will have his greed, hatred, ignorance and fear purified." 

The main hall, ground floor.

Maitreya Gaus

A gau is a portable shrine in which a Buddha statue is kept.  Vajrayana practitioners usually carry their gaus with them for protection and spiritual practice.

chanting monks, ground floor

 10,000 Buddhas Pagoda on the rooftop

Tibetan-style prayer wheel (inside the pagoda)

2 of the 10,000 Buddhas

10,000 Buddhas (on the wall)

rooftop orchid garden

On the third story is the Museum of Southeast Asian Buddhist Art

a chariot

Avalokitesvara

contemporary art piece, of bronze, country of origin: Taiwan

Avalokitesvara is the embodiment of compassion of all buddhas

Temple Street refers to the many Chinese and Hindu temples

residents hang out their wash to dry on poles attached to their windows

 tiles on the floor of the Chinatown metro stop

After returning to the house, we did some packing and then put on our bathing suits for swimming and dinner by the pool at the naval base.  

McKenna

Parker

Madison

Allison