Exploring here and there

01/10 Tuesday
John left this morning for Beijing, China. He will be there until Thursday night and leaves Friday for a conference in Hawaii. It's for work, not fun and games. He then will stop in Tokyo before coming home 10 days later.

We took the #16 bus to Fort Canning Park to visit a World War II Battle Box. This is where the allies had an underground 26-room bunker used for coordinating the Malayan defense against the Japanese attacks. On February 15, 1942, the British surrendered after 10-days of bombardment. It was the first British surrender of the 20th century. The battle box was 20+ feet underground and had just been rediscovered in the late 80's and opened up to the public in the 90's. They have very life like figures in the various rooms depicting the military personnel. Again, another example of senseless war and it's devastating effects.

The Singapore National Museum happens to be a short distance away. Their current exhibit is "Dreams and Reality", a impressionist show including Cezanne, Monet, Manet, Morisot, Degas, Renoir and several others. A knowledgeable docent described many of the pieces for us and we saw several that we had never seen. It is always a thrill to see Van Gogh's "Stary Night". Our guide told a great deal about the lives of the painters, which added so much.

We will return next week to learn more about the history of Singapore, another permanent exhibit that we started, but 45 minutes was only a beginning. A vast improvement from the Singapore history that we saw over 15 years ago. It is now housed in a beautiful building and done in a very interesting manner.

Sinapore Friends and parties

01/13, Friday
We walked around Malacca a bit before going to the bus station and checked out the progress on a gigantic dragon that is going up by the river and go to a historical museum. It was built in the 1600's as the governors home and town hall. It is a very large, striking building and stands out since it is deep pink in color and a market area surrounds it.

It will be crowded this week-end for Chinese New Year. We also take a trishaw ride back to our hotel, but we ask not to have the boom box blaring. They seem to compete and the noise level can be deafening. They are all colorfully decorated and the whole square is lively and picturesque.

Traffic on Friday evening in Singapore is like all big cities...bumper-to-bumper and slow. Our return bus takes 5 hours.

John and Yuko have dinner plans for all of us at a friendly family-style place as soon as we are off the bus. It features Indian food that was very good. There was a play spot for kids so the girls were busy. The area is always crowded and takes people watching to a whole new level. We will probably try taking the girls there when John and Yuko are gone, since it is walkable and they like it. Ordering Indian food might be tricky since we always leave that to Yuko and John.

John has to leave tonight for a week's trip to Hawaii via Tokyo. His flight leaves at 11:45pm, arriving Tokyo at 6:45am, a long layover there, not arriving in Waikiki until late Saturday (loosing a day).

01/14, Saturday
Emma has a tennis lesson at 10:00am, after which we play two sets of Scotch Doubles and jump in the pool to cool off.

Andy and Claire have invited us to their home for outdoor grilling. They live in old government lodging known as "black and white" houses. John and Yuko lived in a similar home 14 years ago which we had never seen. Today we got to see it on our way to the grill-out. These homes were used for military families in the 1940s. Judging from the interior of Andy and Claire's, they were/are very comfortable. They incorporate a courtyard for outdoor activities including showering and cooking.

As always, we enjoyed meeting new friends in the group...Sebastian, Peter, Bruce, Mo, Michael, Carolyn, Pang, Lumoi, Ravi, Kai, and their various children...Adain, Jo, Michael...and several others whose names I can't remember. Their layout is perfect for a gathering and everyone enjoyed themselves. Lots and lots of food. Dick and I brought apple crisp which seemed to be a hit.

01/15, Sunday
Tennis morning and biking afternoon. Again went to the water on the East Coast and rented bikes, but went in a different direction. Stopped for some cooling milk ice with mangoes that was tasty. Always a pretty sight to watch the many large boats coming into the harbor. Singapore is one of the busiest ports in the world.

More Malacca Exploring

01/12 Thursday
First-class Gentleman's Street (Heeren Street) is one street over from Jonker Street. There are some nice hotels on Heeren to visit. We find a totally restored shop house called Baba Nyong, literally meaning "man woman", but generally used to refer to the Malay culture.

Shop houses are just that, a shop on the first floor and living quarters for the owner-family on the second. Because taxes are assessed on the front footage of a building, a shop house is narrow, but deep with one or two light wells as you proceed to the back. This particular shophouse belonged to a family that traded in spices. It must have been a good business, because the house is very large and elegant. Even the underside of the winding staircase has gold gilding. Family lived here until 1942 and then turned it into a private museum. Chinese guide explained the ornate furniture, exceptional huge embroidered tapestries and life there in general. She also had memorized several jokes that were cute.

Lunch of chicken rice balls at Famosa restaurant prepared us for a short walk to the reconstructed Sultan's palace and gardens. Constructed entirely of wood without using any nails, the palace was used as living quarters by the Sultan's family, and as the administrative HQ where the Sultan conducted the business of his empire. One Sultan divorced his wife, so a friend (?) could marry her. Rather strange. A large beautiful garden with walks and ponds is located in front and was a play yard
for a princess. They had an enormous display of the clothing the sultans and others wore. All looked very hot !

Christ's Church, originally a Dutch Reformed church, is located on the main square. Our visit there is prolonged somewhat by a sudden downpour. The Church is devoid of any ornate decoration, no stained glass windows, plain wooden pews, and unpainted walls.

In an attempt to find the Saint Peter church, we get pretty lost wandering along streets of the modern city. Giving up our search, we follow the river back to the old town and our hotel. The town has used wall art as a means of dressing up the riverfront buildings, without which they would be boring and ugly.

More Malacca Exploring

01/12 Thursday
First-class Gentleman's Street (Heeren Street) is one street over from Jonker Street. There are some nice hotels on Heeren to visit. We find a totally restored shop house called Baba Nyong, literally meaning "man woman", but generally used to refer to the Malay culture.

Shop houses are just that, a shop on the first floor and living quarters for the owner-family on the second. Because taxes are assessed on the front footage of a building, a shop house is narrow, but deep with one or two light wells as you proceed to the back. This particular shophouse belonged to a family that traded in spices. It must have been a good business, because the house is very large and elegant. Even the underside of the winding staircase has gold gilding. Family lived here until 1942 and then turned it into a private museum. Chinese guide explained the ornate furniture, exceptional huge embroidered tapestries and life there in general. She also had memorized several jokes that were cute.

Lunch of chicken rice balls at Famosa restaurant prepared us for a short walk to the reconstructed Sultan's palace and gardens. Constructed entirely of wood without using any nails, the palace was used as living quarters by the Sultan's family, and as the administrative HQ where the Sultan conducted the business of his empire. One Sultan divorced his wife, so a friend (?) could marry her. Rather strange. A large beautiful garden with walks and ponds is located in front and was a play yard
for a princess. They had an enormous display of the clothing the sultans and others wore. All looked very hot !

Christ's Church, originally a Dutch Reformed church, is located on the main square. Our visit there is prolonged somewhat by a sudden downpour. The Church is devoid of any ornate decoration, no stained glass windows, plain wooden pews, and unpainted walls.

In an attempt to find the Saint Peter church, we get pretty lost wandering along streets of the modern city. Giving up our search, we follow the river back to the old town and our hotel. The town has used wall art as a means of dressing up the riverfront buildings, without which they would be boring and ugly.

Off to Explore Malacca, Malaysia

01/11 Wednesday
Today's destination is Malacca, Malaysia, about 4 hours north of Singapore via bus. It is exactly 2°12′N 102°15′E according to Wikipedia, whereas Singapore is 01 22' N, 103 48' E. It is the capital of the state of the same name, population of around 800,000.

We're passing along a 4-lane highway surrounded by hills and plains of green tropical trees and foliage. It's an overcast day, a bit less humid than in Singapore. We saw parts of Malaysia on Saturday when hiking in the wetlands and actually heard the chanting of prayers. Malacca has been made an historical site and we have looked up several " must see" places. We need to get some Malaysian Ringgit currency!

Our hotel is on Jonker St (in Dutch, meaning "second class gentleman's" street) in the historic district. Malacca has been part of Portugal, the Netherlands, and The United Kingdom over the past 600 years. Malaysia has been an independent nation since 1957. It's location on the coast is at the narrowest point of the Malacca Strait making it a good shipping port. Singapore, of course, has usurped Malacca's former #1 port in Asia.

Our room has big windows overlooking the busy street and an outdoor stage. All kinds of decorations are going up for the Chinese New Year, which is the year of the dragon. Our room is decorated quite dramatically and comfortable.

After a quick lunch right next to our hotel we start walking the famous street. We tour the oldest temple, Chengdu Hoon Teng, in Malaysia. Then it is on to a mausoleum and a mosque before reaching the river. We see a great collection of past governors uniforms, metals etc, learn about Malaysia independence in 1956 and even a well restored 1956 white Chevy at the Governor's museum.

Then it is up a big hill to the ruins of St. Paul, a great view of Malacca and the Malaysia straits and most important enjoy a cool breeze. One would think I'd be dropping /sweating off a few pounds, but it isn't happening. St. Francis Xavier preached here in this church for many years in the 1500's. Three European powers, the Portuguese, Dutch and British occupied Malacca until 1957 and this church was used by all of them.

Stopped for a drink before heading back to our hotel for a rest. Kind of funny since I had a Singapore Sling and haven't had one in Singapore yet. It was way too sweet.

After putting our feet up and the AC on for awhile we walk down to the river and take a 45 minute cruise at 8 pm. It is a delightful evening with a nice breeze. The boat goes by old shop houses, churches,a Malay village and under several unique bridges.Lots of lights and activity. We see several cafes from the boat and walk back to one for dinner. The locals call their food Pernanakan and it is a blend of Malay and Chinese. They use lots of herbs,spices, coconut milk and lime. It is very unique, spicy and flavorful. We tried several dishes and a local dessert and all were good. The cost was about $15.

When in Singapore, Enjoy the Weather and the Outdoors

01/06/12 Friday
Sandy just looked up the weather on The Weather Channel. Singapore is 88F, feels like 94F. It's 6:30pm. No rain so far today, but always very humid. Occasionally, we get a nice cooling wind. The swimming pool provides a convenient way to cool down. We play a set of tennis every few days, usually before noon in the shadows from the condo building. Then, swim.

Vivo Center is our destination for dinner after the girls are off to bed. The first restaurant, Shabuya, is strangely not taking diners after 8:00. Our next choice is a German "tapas" style place called Brotzeit (bread time). It's really great food, with lighter variations on standard German fare, and good German beer. We have a table outdoors overlooking the river and occasional fireworks at Sentosa. We took a double decker bus to Vivo Center and rode up front on the top deck, which was really fun. The building lights were great and John pointed out all the sights, most that didn't exist when they lived here 15 years ago. Singapore is an exciting city and all the different architecture used really makes it interesting.

01/07 Saturday
Kranji Countryside, a nature area, is about 15km at the northwest side of Singapore. In fact, you can see across the strait to Malaysia, and hear the Muslim prayers being chanted, it's so close. This area has 10 or so small green businesses. John, Yuko, the girls and us cabbed to a Nature Preserve there. Quite impressive area and their saying is, "We believe that going back to nature is the future." Hard to believe they are busy with land fill projects just a few miles away when you walk through so much jungle like areas. They have very nice boardwalks and we climbed a tower to view the entire area.

It is remote from the city, with lots of open space covered by tropical flora. Sungei Buloh (meaning River Bamboo) is a wetlands operated by the state, only Sg$ 0.50 entry fee. As we walk the trails, we encounter lots of exotic fauna and flora, too. Mangrove tree's root systems protect the wetlands from erosion. When the tide is out we can see the tangle of roots among the muddy sandy bottom.

Along the trail, sometimes in the trail, we come across lizards, some 5 feet long. They are familiar with people, so they don't skittle off into the bush. There are flying fish, walking fish, snakes (well, we saw one small skinny one that even Sandy wasn't afraid of), heron, possibly a crocodile (we didn't see it), and lots of migratory birds.

Poison Ivy Bistro, also located in the Kranji area, was our late lunch destination. Ivy is a native 62-year old Singaporean of Indian background. She is a gentle warrior of high caste. She is called "poison" because she has never cooked. She and her husband started a green farm, Bollywood Veggies, 10 years ago, and added the cafe later. It featured organic, very healthy food and we were all hungry after several hours of exploring. We had just enough time to wander into the funky garden before catching a bus back.

The building going on in Singapore is incredible and huge cranes are constantly working on major landfill projects all up and down the coast. They are changing some major freeways and seem to work 24 - 7.

01/08 Sunday
Tennis is the first item on today's agenda. It's cloudy and cool (only 78 degrees), perfect weather to be on the court. We got in a couple sets and a swim before it started to rain.

The Start of the New Year in Singapore

12/31
The last day of 2011. Our activity for today is bicycling along the coast and Chiangi Airport for lunch at Chiangi Village. About 10 miles of level riding for 1 1/2 hours in 90 degree temp.Very nice bike path along water, parks, golf course and one runway of the airport. Emma biked the whole way, no complaints other than not wanting to wear a helmet. We were bushed afterward, and napped for awhile at home. Then, a short swim at the pool.

Eight o'clock, we're off to pick up cakes that Yuko had ordered for Carolin's birthday on 12/31 and NewYears. Then, to Pasha's, a Moroccan-Indian restaurant for the evening into the new year. We were outdoors on a rooftop under a tent, drinks and buffet. Nice people, very good food and a fun evening. It certainly had a festive atmosphere and very nice bringing in the new year with John and Yuko.

January 1, 2012
Lazy morning since we didn't get to bed till 2am. Then we played some tennis and had lunch by the pool and enjoyed soaking up the sun. Took a nice walk to a busy area with lots of stores, restaurants and a new mall. We ate at an outdoor Chinese place and had lots of different dishes, including sting ray and pepper crab. Great people watching. Then we had ice cream at the new mall and took a bus home. A very nice way to start 2012. It is so fun and relaxing being in Singapore and spending time with Emma and Nicky is special. I am amazed at Nicky's vocabulary. She went from hardly speaking to carrying on a delightful conversation in such a short time. Emma read me a story and she is an excellent reader.

01/02/12
It's time to de-Christmas the house. Yuko is busy removing ornaments and lights from the tree, putting them away for another year. Had a very nice afternoon at a friend's condo, Judy. Her complex has an enormous pool, jacuzzi and beautiful outdoor area. Of course it is used all year !

Judy treated us all to lunch and a special cake called galette de roi (royal cake). It's filled with almond paste and covered with filo dough, sweet but not too sweet. Inside the cake is baked a small ceramic object like the baby Jesus, or Mother Mary. Whoever finds it in his or her piece is crowned the king or queen. Aidan, Judy's 5 year old son, was king.

01/03
A day of shopping at the Parkway Plaza Mall...food for dinner and Doctor's office for prescriptions for Dick. It is unbelievably easy and cheap to get a Doctor's prescription which I needed to release medication from Singapore customs.

Yuko prepared another incredible meal that we enjoyed after the girls had gone to bed. Then, a movie, "Kissing Jessica". (Yuko and I fell asleep while Sandy and John finished watching.)

01/04
Nicky started a new school today, kindergarten. She was very courageous without a whimper. Sandy and I were off to the PP Mall for several items, including a haircut and medications at the pharmacy for me. I haven't written about the trials and tribulations of getting meds from the USA to me, both in Croatia and Singapore. Matt has been very persistent in getting them to me. With John, Yuko, and Sandy's insistence and help, I think we have procured all my meds for the next 6 months.