Singapore

The jet lag is wearing off and I am anxious to share my recent trip to Singapore. I feel so fortunate that Greg and his parents made this trip possible for me. I think the kids were so happy to have Granny & Grand Dad visit, they barely noticed I was gone for 10 days.

On Friday morning, I left Nashville at 9:10am. I traveled through Chicago & Tokyo and arrived in Singapore at 12:25am on Sunday morning. Singapore is 13 hours ahead of US Central time. Needless to say my body was very confused. Mary and I sat up until about 2:30am talking before heading to bed. I was up at 8:00am. Here's the view from Mary's condo on the 10th floor - the colorful bridge.

On Sunday, I had a great desire to not sleep through the day - after all it was my first day of vacation! I went with Mary to the "wet market". I was relieved that Eastern life has not changed Mary's diet too dramatically - as we passed by stands selling frogs, turtles, sea life of all kinds available to take home & eat. Mary purchased chicken breasts (not the feet, hearts, livers, or heads you see in this picture) and some fruit.

After lunch, we headed to Chinatown. "I must stay awake," I kept telling myself. It was actually easy to do since we were in shopping & bargaining land. "Everything 3 for $10!" "Everything here $2 each!" etc, etc. I found child-sized chopsticks for Rachel and David, scarves (yes, 3 of $10), beautiful table runner, and a skirt that I bargained down the price of.

I took this picture in Chinatown. So fascinating to see paper lanterns decorating the street of old buildings and homes and then a 5 series BMW parked there. Old world China meets modern-day Singapore.

On Monday, we headed out for a 3 hour walking tour. I learned a lot of Singapore history and gained some perspective on how the World Wars impacted this part of our globe. I believe that Singapore is a melting pot of cultures and histories - a very diverse nation that prides itself on allowing people of great differences to live together. Fascinating stuff that really opened my fairly narrow, American mind. The tour ended at the famous Raffles Hotel. It was never a question of whether or not to order a Singapore Sling at The Long Bar where it was first created.

It was a very, very, very good drink, but I highly doubt I'll ever drink another. I can't imagine any other bartender in the world combining that many liquors together and making them taste so darn yummy. If you want to try to replicate it yourself - good luck!

30 ml Gin
15 ml Cherry brandy
120 ml pineapple juice
15 ml lime juice
7.5 ml Cointreau
7.5 ml Dom Benedictine
10 ml Grenadine
Dash of Angostura Bitters
Garnish with a slice of pineapple and cherry

When the calculations are done, the awful (or glorious?) truth is that a Singapore Sling contains 70 ml of spirits (1/3 the volume of this refreshing drink) yet it tastes benign when perfectly made. Nevertheless, it’s the equivalent of consuming a half bottle of wine, so be cautious.

We relaxed by the pool for the remainder of the afternoon before Elizabeth & Megan got off the school bus. After a good dinner, Mary and Brian took me to Feetness. The foot reflexology stop across the river from the condo. Oh, this would be a weekly addiction if I lived in Singapore. The lady working on my feet quickly noticed that my ankles were swollen beyond belief from the flights. Apparently they were SO swollen, she pointed them out the lady who was working on Mary's feet...all in her native language. (Isn't that nice?) Regardless, I walked out of there feeling good! Having de-bloated my ankles, I crashed at 8:45pm when we got home.

In many ways, Mary's life is just as it was in the US. The life of a mother of 3 adorable girls, each with her own personality and giggle. In other ways, living in Singapore is much different. The biggest & most obvious is her ability to have a live-in helper. I was quite impressed by how different life can be with a helper! For example, Delia watched how I made my first cup of coffee on Sunday morning. From that point forward, my coffee was poured & doctored up to my taste for me each morning when I woke up. Eggs were made to order for breakfast, plates were cleared, laundry was done, errands run....never before had my shorts been ironed. (And I liked it!) In this aspect, life in Singapore is very nice indeed. Ok, this is #2, item #1 has to be foot reflexology spots on every corner.

On Tuesday we headed for Ion, one of 200 malls in this country of 4.5 million people. Within 3 city blocks, I saw 2 of the 5 Louis Vuitton stores. We ate lunch at the "food court" in the one of the underground levels of the mall. It was bizarre - how can I really describe this? Each vendor sold a unique style of food with a unique seasoning. Even breads and beverages were purchased at separate stations.

Here's what we ate for lunch - everything covered in, sauteed in, or accompanied with a sauce. Don't ask me what anything is - except for the spring rolls at the top left. (Which we apparently got the wrong sauce for. I learned that by watching the facial expressions & hearing the tone of voice of 2 natives who were obviously talking about what was on my tray.) Even more bizarre, as I ate this sauce-covered food in a meticulously decorated food court with chandeliers over my head, is that they provide NO napkins. Mary pointed this out and then I looked around and saw how the women around us carry napkins in their purses!

Alright, back to the food vendors....those serving anything with meat must feel obligated to the meat-eating public to show what they are serving you. Here's a picture, from left to right, of chickens, duck, pig, slab of cow, slab of lamb (?), and goose. Honestly, someone should tell them that it's not appetizing to see the full body of meat with head & hoof/claws still attached immediately before you sit down to eat.We mostly window shopped; although I couldn't resist buying one pair of shoes. It wouldn't be normal if Mary & I went shopping without purchasing shoes- just ask our husbands! The quote outside this store was a must have for the photo album! "Wednesday was a perfect day to lay by the pool, so that's what we did. Ahhh. That evening we went to the Bungy Bar (yes, you can bungy jump there) and listened to Jai play some tunes. Brian brought his pick and strummed a little Tom Petty.

On Thursday we packed our bags and took a 1 hour ferry ride across the South China Sea to Bintan, Indonesia. In route to the Angsana Resort, wild monkeys crossed the rode in front of us. Outside our hotel door was jungle. I mean serious, can't see more than 10 feet into it, jungle.We stayed on the resort property and enjoyed what we could of the view of Tanjong Said Bay. The weather was misty and rainy the majority of the time, so I got a good flavor of what "rainy season" must be like, which officially starts in mid-October. The weather didn't really stop us from our mission = relaxation. We made spa appointments and lounged under umbrellas by the pool. On Friday morning we joined Mary's friend & her sister for a snorkel trip out to a nearby reef. We were surrounded by fish - quite impressive and a little scary/overwhelming at times. We got about 30 minutes in the water and then the rain arrived again. After drying off, we enjoyed a good lunch and Indonesia's own Bintang beer. Our ferry got us back to Singapore in time for dinner at Brewerkz at Riverside Point. Brewerkz is microbrewery where the price the beer based on the hour of the day and is located in one of the prime nightlife/social scene spots along the Singapore River. (Our after 8pm beers were S$24, approximately US$17 each.) It was a familiar meal - we shared onion rings, assortment of brats/sausages, hot wings and slab of ribs with our beers.

We had a lot to cram into Saturday before my 10:40pm flight home. We started heading to the Singapore Zoo in the rain, hopeful that it would clear up. We lucked out and decided to go in. Mary kept telling me how impressive the zoo is --- that the whole environment is so natural. There are no visible barriers between us and the animals. At the gate, we were held back from entering for 10 minutes because of an "emergency situation". We never got any further explanation, but I suspect that the "natural barriers" may not be barrier enough!?

Once inside, I quickly agreed with Mary that it truly is an awesome zoo. Within an hour or so, we saw polar bears, tigers, and lions being fed token meals. Elizabeth (Mary's 3-year old with little fear and an amazing sense of adventure) and I fed carrots to a giraffe and we all rode an Asian elephant. Perhaps you can tell by these pictures, how close you get to the animals!

Mary thinks the poor rhino missed the bus to evolution!
The hippo spends 90% of his time in the water but can't float or swim because his body is too dense. Legs must get tired, huh?
After the zoo, Mary and I took a taxi ride over to The Singapore Flyer - the world's largest/tallest observation wheel (aka, super gigantic ferris wheel - going 165m high). We rode in a capsule that fit about 20 people and it moved slowly, never stopping, for about 30 minutes. The weather was not perfect, but good enough to take in views of Singapore and its large port. Even got a good view of the floating soccer field and multi-building casino that is under construction.
When our ride on The Flyer was finished, we walked along the Singapore River back to Mary's condo - about a 20 minute walk. We passed some unique architecture, some old and some new. Every bend of the river provided something else to see.

And I guess that sums up Singapore the best - it's unique. An incredibly small island with a unique list of bizarre laws (no spitting, no gum chewing, however, people are allowed to clip fingernails in public!?) and moments in history...and also a massive amount of store fronts!

I enjoyed every day of my visit and especially just spending time with Mary. I couldn't ask for a better friend and I will always treasure this week we had together. I can only hope that now, after seeing her home and life in Singapore, she won't feel so far away.My flight for Tokyo left Singapore at 10:40pm on Saturday. It was a 7 hour flight plus 5 hour layover in Tokyo followed by a 12 hour and 15 minute flight to Chicago. Lastly, a brief 2 hour layover and 1 hour flight home to Nashville. The local time was 12:45pm on Sunday when Greg & the kids greeted me at baggage claim. Home Sweet Home.

You think I went a long way? I guess that's just where 25 years of friendship can take a girl -an adventure, no doubt.

Mary and I shared a music stand in 6th grade woodwinds class. Each of us learning to master the clarinet while successfully goofing off. Mary, wouldn't you say that describes it best? That was August 1984, and now it's September 2009. Yes, that's a long way to go. We have only lived in the same city for 13 of those 25 years (1984-1988, 1998-2005). We can not possibly add up the amount of notes we passed in school hallways, the $ we've spent on phone bills, or the number of emails we've sent. In 7th grade, Mary once passed me a note saying she's not a psychiatrist, and told me after class how proud she was that she spelled it correctly. Well, Mary that's exactly what you are. You're my best therapist - my share-all, laugh-all friend. You are the sister God meant for me to have.

During my visit, we joked that it makes us sound old to admit that we've known each other for 25 years and met in 6th grade. I smirk at our idea to start telling others that we met 25 years ago in preschool. Shh...hee-hee! We can laugh about it and remember every year. Quite honestly, I really don't care how old we are - as long as you're my friend. Love you & thanks for a trip of a lifetime! TJ