Last But Not Least

It’s fitting that the very last guests to visit Singapore before the move back to the US would be Raye’s brother Jack and sister-in-law Laurie. We had been encouraging a visit for some time and were thrilled when it finally happened! In fact, on May 2nd, the same day that we arrived back in Singapore after house hunting in California a second midnight trip was made to Changi to pick up the weary travelers.

Paul took Monday off of work and we wasted no time seeing all that Singapore had to offer. Of course that included lunch at a hawker center in Chinatown. The owner of the stall where we got lunch was very proud of his food and sounded more like a gourmet chef than a hawker stall keeper. Jack and Laurie loved it and also loved lime juice which has become a universal favorite and one of the things we will miss the most!

Our tour of Chinatown included a visit to the Buddhist Tooth Relic Temple and the wet market as well as mango shaved ice, the Hindu Temple and street shopping along Pagoda! Laurie scored some original water colors and was able to meet the artist!

No trip to Singapore would be complete without a cruise down the Singapore River! It was a beautiful day to see the financial district, Fullerton Hotel, new integrated resort (i.e. casino), and Merlion from the water, followed by a wonderful tapas lunch along Clark Quay.

One night had to be set aside to visit the Night Safari. It’s a favorite of Raye and Paul and proved to be the same for Jack and Laurie. The bats and flying squirrels did not disappoint!

Probably the favorite attraction was a stroll through the orchid garden in the Singapore Botanic Garden. A photographer’s delight indeed and Jack did not spare the disc space in his camera!! The best thing about that is that they now have dozens of souvenirs that didn’t take up suitcase space!

The other fun adventure was a trip to the Battle Box. Jack is a real history buff so this was fascinating! The Battle Box was a bunker that served as a British command post during WWII and is where the order to surrender to the Japanese was given. That difficult time in history was re-enacted with animated figures made to look like the officers that were present at the time.

We have been so lucky to have made some wonderful friends over the last two years and two couples included Jack and Laurie in going away dinners for us. The first were our neighbors Scott and Carolinn Sheely who coincidentally have a house in Texas and were born and raised in Ohio.

The second amazing evening was at the home of our good friends Nazima and Nazeem Mohammed who very graciously invited all four of us for a terrific dinner. Paul’s going away gift was durian (a perfect present for him!) and mine was a book on Singapore. And Laurie got her chance to "dare the durian" and did OK for a first time encounter.

The visit ended all too soon but we will always share the memory of it and that as the Master Card commercial says is priceless!!

The Pin Trader

There are collectors and then there are COLLECTORS. My cousin David G is clearly in the latter category. And what does he collect? Lots of stuff. But the big-time main things he collects are Hard Rock Cafe pins. And in the world of Hard Rock pins, all the good collectors are also Pin Traders. And this is a serious bunch. What Laura Croft is to Tomb Raiding, these folks are to pin trading. As in no place too remote. And they all have secret identities (i.e. day jobs) that fund their explorations: David G is an assistant Fire Chief down in Alabama.

So when David G alerted us that he would like to come for a two-week visit, we knew darn well that he wasn't planning to spend it all with us in Singapore. It's not that he wouldn't be happy to see us (and us him), it's just that Singapore (which is about to have two Hard Rock Cafes) is just too good a place to serve as a base for visiting even more interesting (i.e. remote) places that just so happen to have Hard Rock Cafes.

Like Kuala Lumpur & Penang (Malaysia), Jakarta (Indonesia), Macau, and Hong Kong. And what was amazing to us was that he knew people in each location and had arranged to rendezvous with fellow top-ranked traders while he was in town.

In between these side trips, we were able to give Dave an updated tour of Singapore. He'd been here before, so we wanted to show him some of the new things in town. And of course, we brought him around to many of our favorite places to eat. Like the River Valley Nasi Padang near Great World City shopping mall. The place doesn't look like much, but wow - do they serve up some great Indonesian food. The beef rendang (a dry beef curry) is really terrific, and they make a hot-spicy pineapple side dish that is wonderful (if you like spicy foods, ...not so much if you don't).

And we made the rounds in Chinatown. It's one of our favorite places to take our visitors. There's always something interesting to see and experience. The Buddha's tooth relic temple is remarkable place to visit. The old-style architecture deceives that it was completed just in 2007 (at a cost of over S$60M). It is a busy place, with sutras being chanted, the smell of incense always in the air, and thousands of little Buddha statues on the walls.

Food wise, we made a point of trying the new twin-flavor snow ice confections at Mei Heong Yuen. The mango-strawberry won over the coconut-black sesame.

In the end, our visiting Collector deemed the trip a success. Not only was he able to secure some additional pins, we all were able to add to our collection of shared experiences and memories. It's nice that way when family visits!

Autumn in March

When one is living in SE Asia for a finite period of time, the goal is to get to as many interesting places as possible. That being said, it is not at all surprising that Raye and Paul would take a four day weekend and run off to Australia! Deciding exactly which part to visit took some time but Sydney won out at least for the first go around! There were great resources from friends who had lived there so creating an itinerary was fairly easy. It was quickly decided to spend half the time in Sydney itself and the other half in Hunter Valley to get a feel for Australia’s wine country.

After 24 hour flights to the US, an 8 hour flight to Sydney actually seemed short and flying through the night made for very efficient use of time. A quick transfer at Brisbane still yielded a late morning arrival in Sydney with plenty of day left to explore! It was an absolutely beautiful early Fall day with not a cloud in the deep blue sky. The bridge climb was scheduled for 4:15 so there was ample time for lunch and exploring the Rocks section of the city beforehand.

Up (way up!) on the Harbour Bridge

The bridge climb is a truly unique experience. It is incredibly well organized much like a well oiled machine! Our group was ten people plus our guide Michael. Everyone was outfitted with bridge climbing overalls and everything that could possibly fall off was tethered including the people to the bridge itself!

It wasn’t a physically difficult climb but who cares—we got to climb a bridge-how cool is that!! And, the view from the top (or summit as they called it) was indescribable! We lucked out and got a day with almost no wind and not a cloud in the sky. Raye and Paul were lucky enough to be at the front of the line so got to maximize bridge height time. For many the Sydney Harbor Bridge will just be a way to get across the water but for Raye and Paul it will always be just a little like Mt Everest without the snow!

Bridge climbing can really build up an appetite so dinner that night was spent at Sydney landmark The Australian. It was a wonderful suggestion from friend Ari Fox who said to try one of the really unusual pizzas. We had trouble choosing between Emu, crocodile and kangaroo because all seemed equally adventuresome and delicious. We had to pick one so we chose Emu and decided to save the other two for another time. It was yummy especially when coupled with their home brewed beer. After dinner, we took a walk over the bridge to take in the night views and check out Luna Park.

The next day we took the train and a bus to Bronte Beach and then spent several hours walking along the coast to Bondi Beach. The coastal landscape was rocky much like Hawaii and the water a very deep and absolutely gorgeous shade of blue! Once we got to Bondi Beach we walked along the edge of the water on the sand. We tested the water temperature which was way too cold for any more than wading, although there were plenty of brave people swimming and of course surfing! We noticed hordes of jelly fish on the beach and wondered why people weren’t more concerned! Before heading back to town we had a light lunch in a cute little restaurant that overlooked the water. Since this was our last full day in Sydney we packed in as much as we could.

After getting back to the city from the beach we boarded a ferry that took us under the bridge and around the harbor. It was a great way to see everything from a slightly different perspective! We took a slight detour from our ferry ride to take a somewhat different ride—on the Wild Mouse-an amusement park ride that we found in Luna Park that dated back to the 60’s and was a favorite of both Raye and Paul.

We decided that dinner that night would be a real treat so we made a reservation at a restaurant called Est, another recommendation from our friend Ari. We both agreed that it was one of the best meals and service we had ever had. Right in the middle of our dinner all the lights went out for the annual lights out hour but there were plenty of candles to create just the right atmosphere.

We got up bright and early the next morning, checked out of our hotel and picked up our rental car for the two hour drive to Hunter Valley. On the way out of the city we got to drive over the Harbor Bridge and gave a little wave to latest set of summit seekers.

The trip to Hunter Valley was fun and relaxing and we were glad to have had almost two years of driving on the left practice! We found our bed and breakfast (Spicers Vineyard Estates) without any difficulty and were very warmly greeted. We checked out several wineries and made some kangaroo sightings before having yet another amazing dinner.

After dinner we soaked in all of the serenity and beauty that surrounded us. The sky was very clear and for the first time ever we were able to see the Southern Cross constellation above us. It was just sitting there in the sky the way the Big Dipper is in the Northern hemisphere. It reminded us that we weren’t in Kansas anymore!

After a good night’s sleep we enjoyed a delicious home made breakfast and then we packed up and took in a few more wineries before heading to the Sydney airport and our flight back to Singapore. It was a short but very sweet vacation and really gave us an appreciation for the land down under!!

Singapore Speedcubing

We just never know what we'll see when we talk a walk down Orchard Road. This time, on a trip to the Killiney Post Office (probably the only post office with a bar upstairs), we walked through Orchard Central, one of the newest malls in this remarkable shopping district.

That's where we stumbled into the 2010 Singapore Open Speedcubing competition.

It's hard to believe that the commercial version of the Rubik's cube is 30 years old. Introduced by Ideal toys in 1980, the Rubik's cube was invented in 1974 by Hungarian professor of architecture Ernő Rubik. Solving it at all turned into "how fast", and the first global competition was in 1982. Thus speedcubing was born.

We watched the teen in this picture solve the cube one handed in 26 seconds. The scoreboard for the semi-final round of the two-handed competition had the top 15 competitors solving cubes in average speeds 17 seconds or faster.

Apparently the world record is just over 7 seconds.

Alongside the competition was an attempt at the world record for the largest Rubik's cube mosaic wall. (OK, we didn't know there was such a thing, much less world records to be broken.) This construction was impressive and consisted of 4,992 cubes. The media was there shooting video and taking pictures.

Speedcubing and Rubik cube mosaic walls, we just never know what we will learn next on a Random Singapore Walk.

Move Over Liz Gilbert - A Very Memorable Trip to Bali

On Feb 24^th after a nine year hiatus Raye’s college roommate Sheri came to Singapore for a visit. But , there needs to be a little background before the tale of our adventure begins. The truth is that Raye was a little uncertain about moving to Singapore , crazy as that may sound, and a phone call to Sheri turned all that around. “I’d move there in a second” was the first thing out of her mouth, followed soon after by “Bali is the most beautiful place on Earth”! Fast forward almost 2 years, Raye has been loving life in Singapore and waiting patiently to see Bali with Sheri through her eyes. After 2 days of showing Sheri the sights of Singapore and introducing her to friends, the two boarded a plane in route to paradise!

The whole trip was made even more intriguing by the fact that friend Hazel had given Raye a copy of the book Eat, Pray, Love before moving to SE Asia so Bali, for that reason, was a place of intrigue. Paul found a wonderful resort nestled in the quiet town of Ubud which just so happened to be the place where Liz Gilbert hung out in the book!

We arrived after a very pleasant flight and were greeted by a driver from the resort-Kamandalu. When we got there we learned that we had been upgraded to a villa so from the very beginning this trip was going well! We wasted no time in signing up for excursions from the hotel and were very surprised to learn that our first guide was the grandson of Ketut liyer, the healer from the book! Just like with Liz, we found ourselves being delivered almost literally into the lap of this amazing man. Our guide could not take us to see him that day because it was a festival honoring the God of Knowledge and he as swamped but promised to deliver us the next afternoon. Which he did and just like Liz we went to his house and sat with him on his porch while he read our palms and told us our fortunes. Sheri and Raye are apparently both going to live very long lives so there’s plenty of time for more adventures!

The festival for the God of Knowledge was a wonderful surprise and gave us an opportunity to witness Bali’s version of the Hindu religion. The festival lasted three days and was filled with colorful pageantry complete with women carrying the family’s offering of fruits and vegetables on their heads to the temple and then, once presented, carrying them back home for the family feast! The prayers were of gratitude and performed with such grace that we felt honored to be able to witness them. The temple celebration also included traditional dances with colorful and elaborate costumes-a show that we would have gladly purchased a ticket to watch!

At one point with the help of a different guide we visited an ancient temple location and were able to perform the ritual of pouring holy water from a natural spring over our heads! To make the day even more meaningful, on the way out we came upon an artist who made beautiful carvings out of cow thighbones and we each got one depicting the God of Knowledge. Now we have beautiful art that will remind us not only of our trip together but of this fascinating culture!

During our daily strolls through the market and side streets of Ubud Raye was still hoping to see the other person Liz befriended in Bali—Wayan. We were told that her café was next to the post office and one day we happened upon it! It was just as amazing as meeting Ketut Liyer because except for one woman who Wayan was treating we were the only ones there. When she finished we requested a session and each got one-complete with palm reading and herbal remedies, not to mention a delicious organic lunch for $6!

Our Eat, Pray, Love dream had come true. This was a vacation of a life time! The daily $8 massages, trip to the monkey sanctuary (monkeys are sacred in Bali), and drinking coffee at a local’s house from coffee beans that they grew in the back yard were only icing on a very scrumptious cake!!

The Gianormous Singapore Travel Show

To many people we know, Singapore is somewhat of an exotic destination. It's a far away tropical island with a wonderful blend of interesting cultures, foods, and scenery. It's a place the people want to come to.

But from what I saw at the NATAS travel show yesterday, for Singaporeans and others living here, Singapore a place that a lot of people want to get away from. And especially so, if there are opportunities to travel on a discounted package. I can tell you the members of the National Association of Travel Agents Singapore (NATAS) were out in force to help make that possible. As were we residents of Singapore: the queue to pay your S$4 entry fee was as long as the length of a football field just after lunchtime.

The size and scale of the show was really, really impressive. This photo is just one travel agency's booth area (click on it to get a better look). There were many just like it. Airlines were represented; countries were represented (each region of Australia had a separate booth); there were cruise companies, resorts, travel insurance providers, and bus lines.

Bus lines? Say what!?

Yup. No Greyhound or Trailways low-ball transport here. We're talking first class Transtar coaches to Malaysia! Spend those 5 hours and 15 minutes to Kuala Lumpur in high style, enjoying reclining leather seats, personal audio/video/games, meal service, and an on-board steward. How much for this luxury? S$61 (US$43) to get there, S$42 (US$30) to return. That compares to S$28/S$24 for "ordinary" coaches. Interesting "feature"-- no bathrooms on board; the itinerary includes 2 bathroom breaks.

Everywhere you turned, people were handing you multi-page brochures listing the book-now specials available only during the show. There were also two sets of newspaper supplements. There are endless configurations of trips and tours to China, Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, Australia, New Zealand, Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Egypt, Turkey, the UK, continental Europe, South Africa, Korea, and Japan (especially during the upcoming cherry blossom time). It was fun to see the USA marketed as a travel destination, with "best of" itineraries for the east and west coasts.

There was one particularly surprising destination (see photo). Not the first place I think of when I think of "holiday."

No sale for me. I left with a canvas shopping bag full of interesting information and ideas to consider. Australia in the fall sounds good, but who knows? That bus trip to KL might be fun, too -- to add to my collection of interesting bus journeys...

Howie & Patti's Visit

Exactly one week after Raye returned from the US Dallas friends Patti and Howie Fields ended a two week SE Asian cruise in Singapore. They were traveling with their long time friends the Pekays so it was Paul and Raye’s pleasure to be Singapore ambassadors and tour guides. Equipped with subway and bus passes the six set out to see the best that Singapore could offer.

Of course Chinatown, Little India, and Arab Street were big hits - as were the Merlion and the Quays! And, no tour would be worth anything without incredible food along the way! Taste buds were challenged but the rewards were many, not the least of which was an incredible seafood dinner along the East Coast sitting outside overlooking the water! And since it was around the time of the Lunar New Year, we enjoyed tossing the traditional fish salad ("Yu Sheng") for an auspicious year ahead.

After dinner, the Pekays went to their hotel in preparation for their early flight the next morning back to Chicago. Howie and Patti stayed with Raye and Paul and enjoyed another day before heading back to Dallas.

Sunday was a relaxing day of visiting and sightseeing. We walked past synagogues, Buddhist temples, and Hindu temples - all within 2 blocks of each other.

We stopped by the National Museum to see the video wall and pick up some souvenirs. And of course eating more local food!

By the end of the weekend the Fields had a good sense of what Singapore was like, and the Kochs had an amazing visit with good friends!