Our family went to Singapore recently. We like that it’s safe and easy to navigate, many speak English and public transport is reliable. Tourist spots are near each other, and many cuisines cater to all tastes, diets and budgets.

However, hotel-wise, it’s the priciest of Southeast Asian destinations. Fortunately, we got to stay at my OFW husband Jason’s condo and got a taste of living like a local. Singapore also has no real beachfront, which can be jarring to Pinoys spoiled with the world’s best beaches.

A friend who lived there sent a page with over 70 places for kids to visit. My 12- and 8-year-olds chose what they were interested in, and we based our itinerary on their wish list.

They skipped the usual Universal Studios, zoo, night safari and aquarium. I’d like to think they have somehow imbibed vegan values by selecting cruelty-free attractions. And thankfully, they mostly chose wallet-friendly places.

Free admission

The Jacob Ballas Children’s Garden at the Singapore Botanical Gardens is said to be the first public garden in Asia devoted to kids. Its theme, “Life on Earth Depends on Plants,” promotes and infuses a love for nature with space for adventure and play. The kids liked the playground, treehouse, zip line and hedge maze. We saw some fish, turtles, butterflies, stingless bees, a Malayan monitor lizard and a family of chickens. The farm and orchard looked dried up, but the forest, with its stream and ponds, was fun to explore.

The Far East Organization Children’s Garden at Gardens by the Bay has something for everyone. Kids 1-5 years old will like the Toddler Play Zone with a swaying bridge, fish fountain and water tunnels. Six- to 12-year-olds will dig the Rainforest Tree Houses and go through the rope maze, ladders and challenging dips along a forest trail. There’s also a Water Play area (bring swimsuits and a change of clothes).

Walking endlessly and taking public transportation didn’t tire out the kids. The Imbiah Hiking Trail at Sentosa was another sweaty endeavor the children enjoyed immensely. The mere possibility of encountering certain animals, as indicated in the environmental signages, was enough to keep them engaged. We saw another lizard and some bugs but just heard the macaque monkeys. The kids giggled at the manmade falls with the fake boulders.Animal- and family friendly

Wild Wild Wet is one of the top 10 water parks in Asia. Sadly, the place looked ragged and entailed a 20-minute walk in the heat from the last train station (not fun when you’re also lugging heavy bags).

Ever the thrill-seeker, Jason took the plunge down a near-vertical drop on one of Asia’s longest free-fall water slides. My son Jack liked the other exciting rides, while my daughter Juno and I bobbed along the lazy river. (Entrance fee is about P800 for kids, P1,000 for adults.)

Jack was eager to try indoor skydiving in a wind tunnel at Ifly Sentosa. The whole experience, including training, took less than two hours, but the actual dive was less than a minute. Watching the two batches before his, we were impressed by the performances of trainers Danish and Darryl; it was like watching ballet in a blender. They would also take their students all the way up and down. So I was disappointed with the trainer of Jack’s batch as he just held each student over his head and took none of them up high. It was our priciest spend at about P3,700 for the first dive (said to be one-fifth the cost of a tandem jump).

The kids marveled at riding an amphibious vehicle, so we took the Duck Tours. We rode in a cramped open-air jeep-boat that dove into a river and crawled back out onto land to show us views of the Singapore Flyer, Merlion statue, Gardens by the Bay, Helix Bridge, Marina Bay Sands, Esplanade and other monuments. Jason won a pack of duck stickers for correctly answering the guide’s trivia about Formula 1 as we passed the building. It cost approximately P1,900 for adults and P1,500 for kids.

Adjustments

We had a newfound appreciation for the Philippines, where we get complimentary water when dining in and aren’t charged for wipes on restaurant tables. We are not made to feel rushed out of dining establishments and can use shopping carts freely, unlike in Singapore.

I also had to explain things like “outrage of modesty,” voyeurism and “if you molest, we arrest” to the kids because such messages were broadcast often on the subway. Such pamboboso and panghihipo occur on our shores, too, but our advertising spaces don’t focus on them.

It was precious meeting up with old friends who live there now. Despite the adjustments, they appreciate all the benefits of living in Singapore, most especially the quality of education and their children’s safety. It was also special seeing our children’s former nannies once more; for them, I am forever grateful. —CONTRIBUTED INQ