Peaceful Easy Feeling

A bit more on The Philippines...

Paul likes to steal my thunder and post the best photos before I post a whole album, but at least he was quick about it, wasn't he? He informed me, "This is how it''s done."

Until now, Paul has always worked the local holidays - which Hong Kong had plenty of - and gained the days to use at other times. So this was our first time traveling over such a holiday, Chinese New Year (Starting Feb 3). We chose a destination where they don't celebrate CNY because, though it's very festive, the actual celebration days are spent at home with family so everything else is shut. Also at home with their families on this New Year's Eve: taxi drivers. We couldn't get one at the stand we usually rely on. When that happens, we call for one. I tried about seven different cab companies, at least three times each and no one was answering. It may be the closest I've come to believing we would miss a flight. I simply got lucky on one try, while everyone in the queue surrounding me was still dialing and dialing.

Manila's airport has easily been the least modern, least organized one we've passed through in Asia so far. Even the rather "rustic" airports that we've traversed are most often acceptable. I had not realized that the Resorts World Marriott was a trek from the arrival terminal, but on the upside, it was close to the domestic terminal we needed for the morning flight out.

Before Paul's good fortune at the Blackjack table, I had some minor misfortunes of my own. First, I left my book on the plane. I always check if I've left anything behind but I had completely forgotten that I ever took it out of my bag. At least the book didn't have my rapt attention; it was just to pass time. Then, out of a lightly packed carry-on bag, I wound up with seven stained articles. Don't buy cheap travel sized containers, and then don't fail to check for holes in the plastic bag in which you put containers. Lesson learned. Soon after arrival in Bohol, while sitting by the pool, I had my bathing suit cover-up over the back of the lounger. A well-fed bird flew over and took care of staining another item.

Laundry mishaps aside, I really enjoyed the trip! With limited days to play with, you must decide if it seems worth a second flight to reach your destination. And once a place flickers in my imagination, it's hard to extinguish. I first heard of Bohol back when we went to The Philippines to get our diving certification in 2008. Alona Beach in Bohol has a similar feel to Puerto Galera, perhaps slightly more refined and even family-oriented. Puerto Galera is all about diving, while Bohol also is a diving hot spot, but we encountered quite a few people who weren't there to dive at all. The beach is nice to be near, but frankly I would be disappointed if I went there expecting a perfect beach holiday. The sand is fine and white, but its span is short and fringed with lots of sea grass and coral making it less than perfect for strolling or swimming.

I'm not exceptionally skilled at all factors in travel, but I'll say that one of my better talents is choosing accommodation. For a trip like this, there's no need to stay someplace extravagant, yet you also want a place with a pillow a few millimeters thicker than the bed sheet. I was happy with Golden Palm, essentially a guesthouse, and its grounds were lovely and felt like a private backyard (maybe I just miss green lawns?). To say the atmosphere was relaxed is an understatement; the backyard bar/restaurant also served as the hotel desk. Though the staff should look out for their guests better when they call them a cab and the driver charges triple what it should cost to get somewhere. Just saying.

It wasn't their fault that we shared our room with a gecko the first night, but what an awful sleep. I had no idea that they made such a noise, or any noise. They are surprisingly chirpy. Chirpy at 1 a.m... and 1:22 a.m... and 1:57 a.m. etc. is maddening. I was prepared to be disturbed by roaming dogs barking and possibly a rooster or two, based on our first trip, but not the incessantly chatty Geico gecko.

I especially like The Philippines for diving. Maybe we were just lucky but on both trips the dive centers I chose were well run and the guides were professional as well as kind and patient. We both felt more relaxed this time and when you can ease a preoccupation with technique and equipment function, you enjoy the scenery more and that, in turn, enthuses you to dive more. I consider myself barely mediocre at the whole process, but no guide has ever had to hold my hand for 45 minutes under water - twice! See Paul's description of this person on our second dive day... It felt good not to be that diver. On the first day, there was a dad and his 10-year-old son diving with us. I would have never been able to accomplish such a feat at 10. Good for him.

Diving all day works up an appetite. Our second night on Alona beach, I was happy to browse the string of beach front restaurants offering the catch of the day. Make your selection, park yourself at a plastic table in the sand, order a couple of drinks and enjoy. The fish is simply grilled, fresh and satisfying. We took in some of the mellow nightlife. The band at the Spiced Coconut was on duty again but we went back to the resort for mango shakes instead.

Our second accommodation, Linaw, was even better than I anticipated. It is the sort of place where you unwind just by being there. It was beautifully designed down to small details, warm and tranquil, like a fantastic home with friendly hosts, set on the beach. We were nearly the only guests; others who came to eat and use the pool were actually visiting from other hotels in the area. The only drawback was the sand flies relentlessly attacking when we ventured close to the beach. And this is not exactly a criticism of the music played throughout our stay as I can happily sing along to Air Supply and REO Speed Wagon, but they could switch it up a bit. Hearing Katy Perry's "California Gurls" 16 times does not improve its merit. As for the fabulous seafood, the menu only says Seafood Platter for Two, so we may have overlooked it if I didn't see pictures in reviews on TripAdvisor.com. The couple dining next to us were obviously unaware but on seeing ours, their eyes said they would be ordering it the next night.

Linaw offered the arrangement of all sorts of standard tours but eight hours of touring sounded painful (we're getting the hang of this by now) so we abbreviated the itinerary to the Chocolate Hills and the tarsiers. Among people I talk to in these parts, they know Bohol because of the Chocolate Hills. It's a sight worth seeing, visually interesting and scenic, but it's a long way to go if your only interest in Bohol is the Hills. It took about 90 minutes to drive there and there's only one crowded lookout point. You can't linger or explore up close - and you might have to throw a few elbows among Asian tourists with big cameras to win one photo.

As for the Philippine Tarsiers, I hope we did the right thing. They're endangered and protected, but of course you can still find them caged and available to handle and harass for a few bucks if you're seeking them that way, but this is discouraged. I still think we would have been better off at the Philippine Tarsier Foundation, but the place we went was alright, I think. It worried me when we pulled the car over to a structure on a main road and the driver said, "The tarsiers are in there," but there was a large sign on the front that indicated a particular government code that the facility met, so I hope it meant something. Inside, nothing looked too troubling. There were some trees set up and the tarsiers clinging to them didn't appear stressed. You're asked to make a donation for feeding and you can photograph them, no flash, as close as you like. They're nocturnal so they're nearly motionless in the day. One of the workers told Paul that they are very active at night and they lower netting over the area, not to keep the tarsiers in but to keep predator animals out.

Their classification is tricky - the smallest primate? Smallest of a particular sub-order of primates? Whatever. I hereby classify them as the darned cutest things I've ever seen. Sorry, koalas. They are easily likened to Gremlins with ears like Yoda and the fingers and toes of E.T. I just want to take one and nibble on its ear.

I hope I wasn't repetitive after Paul's post. I just wanted to share my impressions also. I like The Philippines because it's not the first place most people think of for a great getaway, even around here. But it has much to offer and value is outstanding. It's not over-the-top Maldives style luxury that I would seek there. It's a kind of laid back, indulgent yet affordable pleasure that keeps me interested in returning. Really, did you see that seafood platter?

Favorite Signs seen on Alona Beach:

BEST PIZZA ON THE BEACH


BEST PIZZA ON THE BEACH?


7 DAYS WITHOUT PIZZA MAKES ONE WEAK

Rock Lobster

Bohol, Philippines

So on our way to Bohol we had to spend a night in Manila before catching an early flight to the small tropical island. After some quick research we found the Resorts World Casino/Marriott Hotel which was right at terminal 3 of the airport, and even though it cost a little more than we would have liked to spend for a night’s sleep, the convenience seemed worth the expense.

Upon landing we learned quickly that airport was quite dated, the staff not very helpful and we had to wait about 45 minutes to exchange cash at the one and only booth available. Once we finally got outside we fended off the taxi drivers trying to fleece us and found a free shuttle to the resort.

We then learned that terminal 3 was practically in a different town then terminal 1 and the convenience quickly went out the window. However we finally got there and checked in and our luck was about to change.

A little wound up from all of the commuting annoyances we decided to take a walk around before calling it a night, and wouldn’t you know we ended up in the casino where they had blackjack. Figuring it would be a shame not to at least play a little (can heredity pass down from in-laws?) I sat down at a table and ended up walking away up 2,000 PHP!

Okay, okay for those of you in-the-know that’s only about 45 bucks. However, what you may not know is how far that can get you in the Philippines.

One night we decided to splurge on a big seafood dinner for two at the resort we were staying at in Bohol. The meal cost about double the price of any other we had there, but Lisa had seen people post on line claiming it was worth it and we are adventurous in that way. So along with a fair share of San Miguel (local beer) some side dishes, a salad and an ice cream sundae to boot we had the shellfish platter pictured below.

Why yes, those are 4 rock lobster tails on the plate

Total cost of the whole night --- 1700 PHP (about $40). So who’s the big winner now? You’ve got to love some things about the Philippines. The same beer I pay about $11 USD plus tax and service charge in Singapore are $0.90 cents total at a bar in Bohol – some trips are harder to return from than others.

But I’ve jumped ahead quite a bit. After a fairly uneventful commute we got to the Golden Palm Resort at Alona Beach a little before noon. Most of the places on the Island are small accommodations and GPR was fairly new with clean and spacious rooms and attractively landscaped grounds. It was conveniently located just behind the busy beach front residences and restaurants only a 3 minute walk away.

We had a small lunch while they got our room ready and then made our way down to the beach. Our primary goal for the trip besides some R&R was to get in some diving which is a big draw for the island. We found a company Lisa had also reviewed on line and signed up for 3 dives the next day.

Alona Beach is the busiest on the island because of all the restaurants and bars and it is the only swimmable area. But that description is slightly exaggerated as I went in the water after sitting in the sun a bit and not far off shore the bottom becomes covered in sea grass. So we walked in the sand awhile and headed back to our pool.

That evening we were starving and headed back down and found a nice little restaurant and sat outside. The property next door was called The Spiked Coconut and had a sign that they had live music. Lisa questioned where the bar actually was and where a band would play. I guessed right behind where I was sitting and I don’t need to tell you where they ended up setting up about 30 minutes later.

So we had back stage seats to the broken English pop cover band and hung out for little while. They weren’t the best but the stray dogs (and this was the second island in the Philippines we’ve been to, in which neither had any shortage of homeless hounds) didn’t seem to mind as not one but two walked up, looked at me, scratched a bed in the sand and took a nap at my feet.

It was tough to drag myself away from the less than a buck beers, but we had an early boat to catch so we called it quits pretty early to get some much needed rest. But unfortunately that wasn’t in the cards.

In the dark something in our room made a strange and unusual sound. First here … and then there. A bird? A large insect? I thought maybe a bat? Couldn’t say, but he remained hidden and noisy throughout the night.

The next day I could only find a bug not big enough for that noise and a newt – so exhausted we walked down to the beach still perplexed.

The diving in the Philippines was not much different here than where we learned in Puerto Galera about 2 years ago. It does not have the spectacular creatures we witnessed in Sipadan or the incredible vast beauty of the Great Barrier Reef, but it certainly never disappoints. I compare it to swimming in a crowded fish tank. The live corals are beautiful and almost look like they are laid out in a planned landscape and there is every type of colorful fish you’ve ever seen in a pet store everywhere you look. Clown fish, lion fish, neon green things, purple and blue things, sea turtles and on and on.

One took a fancy to Lisa and followed her for about half an hour like those small fish that follow along the sides of sharks. Unfortunately she never got to see it because every time I tried to point it out he’d duck away and underwater charades is much more difficult then you might think.

The outfit we chose to dive with was very nice, relaxed and patient so we set up two more dives with them the next day. Renato, our dive master, demonstrated this patience the next day to a fault as he literally pulled a first time diver the entire 50 minute dive because she couldn’t do anything. Of course she popped up on the boat and exclaimed that “that was great dive!” With our improving skills it was nice not to be the worst ones down there for once – we are actually considering getting an underwater camera before our next trip as we think we can handle it now.

After our first day diving we ended up back at our resort and while sitting outside I heard the noise that kept us awake all night. I looked at the girl at the bar and asked “do you know what that is?” and without looking up she simply said “lizard.” So it was the newt! Later we saw more and caught a few crying out. Strange that we have the same guys in Singapore and in HK but they never make noise. Live and learn. Either way we were fortunate that he must have found his way out the next day and there was no encore performance the following night.

After our second day of diving we moved on to the Linaw Beach Resort, because the GP did not have availability for four nights. This resort was right on the beach but as stated above this was not swimmable, but also as stated above it turned out that it didn’t really matter and the place was really nice with a good restaurant.

Room with a view...

For our last day we set up a shortened tour to see the Chocolate Hills: just a weird naturally hilly area where they look like mounds of chocolate when the grass dies, but taste nothing like it – blah! And a stop to see the local wildlife called a Tarsier.

Well at least Lisa got a good photo for our efforts

There were two options, either go to an area and try to spot them in the wild (Lisa’s first choice) or go somewhere they have them in captivity. An interesting side note is that it was discovered that the excessive human contact was stressing the little guys out and they would become suicidal and smash their heads on rocks. But after barely being able to pick orangutans out of the trees in Borneo I wasn’t going to try and pick out primates the size of hamsters.

Turns out we made the right choice and as the photos show they let you get pretty close to mellow little funky monkeys – but no touching!

The little guys like to nap during the day

Tough life they've got going...

but I paid my 2 bucks.. so it's photo time

this guy seemed happy to pose with Lisa

a little perspective

Afterward it was back to the resort for some relaxing pool time, a mango shake and a beautiful sunset. This was followed up by the previously described seafood dinner which capped off the perfect little getaway.

Going...

going...

gone.

My understanding is that those of you back on the east coast of the US had an equally exciting weekend scraping ice from car windows and playing in the ever falling snow. Can’t say I’m missing it at all, but I can say we are both looking very forward to heading back home one month from tomorrow. That excitement may come and go during the 19 hour flight but we’ll have three full weeks to relax this time and hopefully catch up with everyone.

Gong Xi Fat Choi!

I’ll blog ya’ later…

Walking in My Shoes

What an instigator, that Mr. Cliffhanger, using guilt and suspense to coerce me into writing. Just for that, you get another ordinary post and the fascinating, photo-filled travel posts will come later.

Though he did a fine job of summing up our weekend in Malaysia. The highlight for me was the dinner at Tamarind Springs, a beautiful restaurant in a tropical setting. I'm happy to have seen, in person, the iconic Petronas twin towers, but I'll admit that the sight made me miss New York's own iconic twin towers. Sometimes it's hard to believe that they only exist in memory.

Christmas is all wrapped up, the purple trees of Orchard Rd. disassembled. We completed that dreaded task of removing our home decorations; it was a wistful few seconds. We've retained the $7 tacky tinsel tree that we bought in HK two years ago and it performed just as dazzlingly this year. Its silver 'needles' shimmered in the gentle breeze of the perpetual air-con until the time came to collapse it like a pancake.

We celebrated New Year's Eve at the bar of Oso, the Italian restaurant. There was a fair sized crowd and some noise, nothing too memorable. The next day's event in the season of consumption was Paul's birthday meal at Morton's steakhouse. We were given a cozy corner booth and were asked if we were celebrating a special occasion. A coworker of Paul's recently dined at Morton's and clued him in to the offering of a complimentary dessert if they know it's your birthday, so we shared this fact with the server - since he asked. Paul's gratis cake of choice was American style cheesecake imported from some presumably well-known bakery in The Bronx (I forget the name). As part of the over-the-top service, they took our photo and presented it to us in a Morton's birthday card. Ah, the gluttony. I had to go along with it as Paul's birthday request. I had no choice.

Last thing, I complain all the time about the constant heat and humidity here, but I may keep it to myself after seeing what you all went through the week after Christmas. I had flashbacks of digging our cars out, especially when we lived in the apartment on Grymes Hill, only to have someone occupy the spot seven seconds later. We eventually acquired a house and driveway, but that only solved the parking space anxiety at home. S.I. libraries, where I worked, notoriously lacked parking. Once, I was forced to 'steal' a cleared spot in New Dorp after a huge snowfall and I was greeted with an obscene note upon return. I was probably lucky that it was just a note. Regardless of the conditions, I would still have to get to work in snow, ice, falling snow, falling frogs - whatever the case - as long as the library was open, and the library was always open. And more than once I cursed my own acquiescence as my car would tailspin while I drove 5 MPH in dangerous conditions only to arrive late and be docked the time from my annual leave.

So I'm not rubbing it in when I say how relieved I am to avoid winter, by chance, a couple of the whitest winters ever. I wholeheartedly sympathize. As I write this, it is snowing there again for the third time in two weeks. Surely the cleanup has to be better this time, right? Right? I hope you all have enough milk at home. Did you go out and stock up on milk???

Having said how much I hate snow, a chilly day would be lovely. I miss a change of seasons - even in Hong Kong we got a pleasant break from November to March. I've forsaken half my wardrobe, and I really miss wearing beautiful boots and jackets. It's considered rainy season here, which is difficult to distinguish from non-rainy season, though the rain does seem to fall for a longer time each day and on more days than the rest of the year. On Christmas night, in the pouring rain, it was a brisk 73F/23C, the coolest I believe I've ever experienced here. I've been taking walks/jogs at night and enjoying the cool weather while it lasts. By cool I mean that I sweat but it doesn't actually pool and roll down my body parts. So the grass is always greener in somebody else's hemisphere.

Guilty

So, as Lisa stated in her last posting I actually wrote this before her entry but just the threat of me posting first got her moving. Since it was already written I figured I'd upload it anyway if you have some time to kill.

Who would have ever guessed I would be the one to break the blog dry spell? But for these two holiday weeks things are really slow, so let's see if I can get this going again.
 

It’s been sooooo long since the last posting we’ve actually been on 3! trips of a life time in that period.

· Maldives, which is a series of islands with pristine white beaches and crystal blue water that you see in magazine advertisements or movies and have trouble imagining that someplace like that really exists.

· Bhutan, a mystical and mysterious country near the Himalayan mountains that is somehow frozen in time and so remarkably beautiful that it's often thought of as the real Shangri-La.

· New Zealand, though less exotic than the other two trips, its location in the middle of nowhere makes it quite difficult to imagine getting there from the US (it took us over 10 hour from Singapore). But this was a place both of us always wanted to visit and it lived up to expectations (more so than its more popular neighbor Australia had for the two of us).

Knowing I couldn’t possibly give the proper journalistic justice to such monumental trips with my diminishing memory and limited vocabulary I’ll leave those for Lisa, and I’ll update you on our very last trip of 2010: Kuala Lumpur.

For some reason I got a bug to go somewhere the last weekend before I needed to cover at work for year end. It may have just been a desire to get my passport stamped for the tenth time this year (that’s right double digit trips in one year!). But most likely it was that ten months in, and Singapore still has the same impression on us which is mostly just boring. When you throw in the heat and how expensive everything is, it’s amazing we don’t travel even more.

I know we haven’t written much about our experiences since living here but we are still mostly unimpressed. Nothing is particularly bad outside of the prices and heat, but nothing is particularly great either. We’ve found only one restaurant we frequent which ironically is for pizza. Yes, we found good pizza in Asia! Owned by actual Italians, they make a pretty damn good pie – good enough that we find ourselves there pretty much every Sunday and they know us well by now.

However we do pay for this privilege. Two personal pizzas and one soda cost us about 65 SGD a week (just over $50 USD) and I sometimes leave a little hungry. Also I’ve once again learned the lesson that the grass is always greener after complaining about the price of beer in Hong Kong. A pint of beer here will usually run about 18 SGD (about $14 USD). Plus every place charges tax and a service charge, so if we go out and have two pints each it runs us about $60 USD. Yes, it’s insane and yes, I think it’s time to admit I have a problem because I still drink beer here.

Anyway with little time to plan and only looking to take a day or two away from work we searched for places close by for a quick and hopefully cheap trip. As it is rainy season most places here, eventually we ruled out any beach areas (though Bali was making a case for itself). We also considered Ho Chi Min City in Vietnam but realized we really wanted to plan that in more detail.

So eventually we settled on KL (as it is more commonly known) - The capital city of Malaysia which you may know for Petronas Towers pictured below. It is only about a four hour car ride from Singapore or a 40 minute plane ride. Plane tickets can usually be had with enough notice for as little as $2 to $4 and you pay more in fees bringing the cost up to about 50 bucks. It’s a place we knew we’d eventually get to because we lived so close, though we really had no specific draw to the city.

Day time view of the towers
 

Of course we were booking last minute and near Christmas so the prices were higher and we contemplated taking a bus up (which is common) but decided to just jump on a plane for the convenience. However after we had an hour delay on the runway and a 45 minute cab ride from the airport we realized the bus was probably the way to go. Just because we travel so often doesn’t mean we are good at it.

We realize going some place simply because you feel like you should is not ideal. But as we were just looking for an escape and for a couple of decent meals and reasonably priced drinks, the city didn’t 
have any high expectations to live up to. And that is pretty much all KL did.

Many people go there for the shopping but as we now live in the Country of Malls this was not anything special for us (coming from HK may have been different). Walking the streets we could have been in any other city in Asia with its similar stores and predictable crowds. But we did end up having one very nice meal in a Thai restaurant outside the city, set in the jungle.

Here they are at night - Not many other photo ops in KL
 

We get my corporate rate in hotels in most major cities. The rooms typically have no view, are on low floors and never include breakfast (which is fairly standard in Asia). However we get to stay at 4 and 5 star hotels fairly cheap. We chose a high end chain hotel in Asia called the Mandarin Oriental but after several frustrating attempts to reserve a room we settled on our second choice called Traders.

The hotel has a very popular “sky bar” on the roof around their pool. We stopped up one night to check it out and grab a quick drink. As we sat in our window seat we paused for a minute to think how lucky we were to be discussing a fairly uneventful day in a back drop of one of the world’s most recognizable landmarks in the middle of Malaysia. We’re very aware that we are getting to live a life we would have dreamed of but probably never thought it could be a reality when sitting back in our house in Fords.

So with that let me just wish you all a Happy New Year! and say Thank You! to all of you back home that do so much to make our lives easier as we live out this adventure. From checking on our home, to shipping us the things we need or just really want, or helping keep us entertained. It is still recognized and appreciated as much now as since we’ve moved and all you’ve asked for in return is to include you in our experiences. (So do you think that should do the trick to guilt Lisa into writing again?).

Blog ya’ later!

And here's a few teaser photos from the blogs that should be just around the corner...

What stories lie outside this gate in Maldives?

Only Lisa's tales will tell....

Did we actually hike over two hours to this mountain side temple in Bhutan?

I'm guessing it will be at least two postings before that is answered...

Is this a post card or a photo from New Zealand?

Did I finally get my chance to go hang gliding and live to tell?

Oh well, I guess that is kind of obvious..

But did Lisa have the guts to join me? Only time will tell....

Right Here Right Now

Sssss-stretch... yyyyyyyy-yawn... Huh? I fell asleep. What time is it?

Wait. You don't understand. I have actually written countless blog posts in my head!

We brought the laptop to New Zealand in November and I wanted to write on-the-spot blogs from a (more) distant land for the first time, but internet access wasn't as reliable as I had hoped and we were also constantly moving. When I first told Paul I wanted to blog from NZ, he said, "About what, Maldives?" He's a card. By the way, no one has harassed me about my writer's strike more than my husband. And now he informs me that he's written one himself so I must beat him to publication.

I won't start with any of the three big trips we've taken since you last heard from me. I won't waste time with pathetic excuses either; I'll just get right into what's been happening recently, with about eight hours left until 2011.

I thought the US jumped the gun on Christmas decorations, but they began appearing mid-October in Singapore. Not until December did a minor mania begin to build: extra traffic, extra crowds, sales, songs, shopping. Orchard Road, the main shopping thoroughfare, was decked out in blue and purple lights and lighted trees. A bit more traditional red and green would have been appreciated, but one standout difference here (in a largely non-Christian country) is that signs actually say Merry Christmas. It may be just as commercialized, if not more, but they don't fool around with what idea in particular they are commercializing.

 Orchard Road

For my birthday this year, we couldn't fall back on any favorite dining spots as we haven't labeled any as favorites yet - though I always strive to locate them - so we tried an Italian place in our neighborhood called Oso. I owe a dedicated post to the uninspired yet always overpriced dining, nightlife and other stuff here, but luckily Oso was a cut above and we liked it enough that it's where we are going tonight. I've avoided cheese all day in preparation for the outstanding Burrata cheese appetizer for two. I wonder what Paul will start with. Kidding.

The day after my birthday we tried to get 'in the spirit' and we went to Fort Canning Park to hear Christmas carols by candlelight. Not to sound like a Grinch, but we would have been happier watching Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer on TV at home. It started at 6:30 pm so it was actually carols by sunlight for most of the duration, though we only stayed until dusk, about 30 minutes, because sweating profusely while watching a dance troupe in neon blue outfits is not all that Christmasy. I think we may have been the only couple there without kids. I don't have any statistics but I'm fairly sure there were more children present than adults. Well we tried (can you guess whose idea it was to try?) but tropical heat dampens many ambitions here.

 Carols at Fort Canning Park

Oh yes, we also spent a weekend in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. More on that next time. Lots of Christmas there too, which is a little confusing as it's a Muslim country.

I was privileged to have Christmas visitors this year. My friend Peggy and her family stopped in Singapore on their way from Hong Kong to Perth, Australia for two days just before Christmas. I toured Singapore with them while Paul was at work: botanic gardens, river cruise... one day I will take Paul on these tours that he always misses. The first night Peggy dressed her 5-year-old daughter and her three-year-old son in Santa outfits and we went to Orchard Road. The kids were celebrities! Asian locals and tourists couldn't get enough of two adorable blond Santas. They had to start refusing photos. Oh, I also got to dance inside a purple Christmas tree with the kids. Singapore's decorations may be non-traditional but they are engaging.

Inside the purple tree

By Christmas Eve we were missing home, especially since we got to be there last year. Paul suggested we stay home and cook so we did. This may sound odd, but I miss home more when I grocery shop for items on a holiday. I don't know if it's the crowds or seeing items that I know are only sold for a short time around holidays here but are everyday items back home, like pie crusts. It occurred in Hong Kong too when I picked up something on Christmas Eve and people, mostly marooned expats, were there picking up their cooked turkeys. Here, I picked up provolone cheese, marinated mushrooms, olives - had to settle for manzanilla rather than black, roasted peppers, bread, a packaged 'fresh' mozzarella that I salted myself, fish, shrimp, spaghetti and some brownie mix. I have a small oven so I can bake brownies now... but I've never wanted a cannoli more.

Paul fried the shrimp and fish and I did the rest. It turned out quite well and it really did make us feel a little better about being far away from where half our family would be enjoying such things. The wine helped too. And the music. We created a list of our favorite Christmas songs and made it through the list several times over the Christmas weekend. Thanks to Scott and Slingbox and TBS, we also didn't miss A Christmas Story. Speaking of which, we went out for roast duck on Christmas day. Fa-ra-ra-ra-ra-ra-ra-ra-ra. Luckily we had no other plans since it rained heavily most of the night.

Tonight, New Year's Eve will just be the two of us at Oso. Or should I say, the three of us? That Burrata is hefty.

We hope you've had a lovely Christmas and we wish you a wonderful new year. One thing you have to look forward to is our photos and blogs of our trips from 2010.

And happy birthday to my hubby.

Master of the House

Coming very, very soon. I promise! Technical difficulties...

Deja Vu

We've returned from the 4-day tour of Hong Kong. Paul, the employed one, flew business class on Singapore Airlines while I flew economy on Jetstar - at 6:40 a.m. (yawn). You do what you must for a cheap flight. A smile still found its way to my weary face as I looked out the window to find the green mountains sprawling toward the approach to Hong Kong's airport, just where I had left them. I didn't have much trepidation being on my own because I know HK's marvelous airport intimately.

It was raining when I got there. I had arranged lunch with two friends so I checked in at the hotel and my feet barely grazed the room before I was off to meet them. Over the course of lunch the rain reached "Black Rain" status (there's a description here, probably from June 2008 about black rain; it's an indicator of a whole lotta rain). Good to be back! It was an excuse to linger over tapas. Eventually, the rain mostly subsided and husbands resurfaced from work and tracked us down. Paul met me pre-dinner time after his half day at the office and we ate in Yung Kee, an HK classic. We went straight back to the hotel and quickly surrendered to exhaustion.

The next morning I was a tourist. There's a place, the Chi Lin Nunnery, that I honestly meant to visit for almost two years and, somehow, I failed to get there. I was determined this time. It's quick and easy to travel by train from the city. My friend Peggy met me there before she took off for a trip home to New Zealand. The rain had cleared overnight and it was hot. I know I live in Singapore, a tropical climate. So could Hong Kong possibly be worse - in July and August anyway? It seems impossible, but I boldly say, Yes. Sweat rolled down the sides of my nose the minute I stepped from the train station.

Luckily, the trip was worth the sweat. What a beautiful, tranquil spot in the midst of a bustling world. I've seen lots of temples in my Asia travels, but this one was perhaps one of the prettiest, and all the wood structures were built without one nail. What I found most interesting was the juxtaposition of a scenic retreat against the ubiquitous high-rise apartment blocks and the backdrop of green hills. There was a tea house on the grounds and Peggy and I stopped in for some tea and dumplings in an effort to escape the heat. If any of you ever visit someone else who lives in Hong Kong, I highly recommend a visit to Chi Lin.

 

Later that afternoon I ran off again to meet two friends for afternoon tea. My friend Victoria brought her one-year-old son and my friend Hester is pregnant, as is another friend whom I didn't get to see because she was visiting the UK. Something about that rain...

There are important decisions to make in life. As the dinner hour approached again, Paul and I faced ours. After careful consideration we chose our favorite little sushi place in our old neighborhood of Wan Chai. No regrets with that decision, except that it was so good it makes me wish I could go there right now. Did you know salmon could melt in your mouth? Back at the hotel we stopped in the bar, which we always liked, for some live music. Morning tea  + afternoon tea + a few sips of dinner tea = I know better but I like tea and I'll sleep some other night.

Early the next morning I got my hair done since I haven't yet found anyone too reliable in Singapore. In my non-stop social blitz of Hong Kong, I met a group for lunch at a posh restaurant at the Mandarin Oriental hotel. My friend Leslie made it her noble ambition last year to dine at as many Michelin starred restaurants as possible. I made it to two with her before I left and I was lucky to be present for another on this day. Leslie is in treatment for breast cancer and my visit also coincided with one of her good weeks between chemo rounds. She looks great and has an inspirational strength and an irrepressible sense of humor.

At lunch I also got to see my friend and old J Residence neighbor Maggie who, as of this past weekend, has moved to China. She and her husband were also staying in a hotel since movers packed them up the day before, so I didn't get to visit J Res.

A drink with Leslie then off again to dinner. This time we chose our overall favorite HK dining spot, Wagyu, and my friend Victoria and her husband John joined us. Happily none of our chosen meals disappointed. A final drink in Lan Kwai Fong and then I finally saw the hotel room for more than a few minutes.

On Saturday morning Paul and I did a little required shopping and I had a stroll around Wan Chai before we met one of his coworkers for a dim sum lunch. Then Maggie and her husband Chris met us in Wan Chai for the event I had been waiting for: a foot massage at Siam Thai Massage. I got really accustomed to those massages. Hey, when you can have your feet rubbed for an hour for about $10, it's simply wrong to pass up. Singapore lacks such economical pursuits of relaxation.

Then we got tattoos. You see, I love Maggie, but I don't love her love of theme parties. That night was her and Chris' farewell party and - similar to her birthday last year where everyone had to wear a uniform and I was a Mad Men style secretary and Paul was a chef - the theme was trailer trash. When in Rome... So Paul sported a big eagle on his arm and one on the other forearm: the double eagle. I went for a classy rose on my chest. Let's just say that the tats complemented the chosen outfits. And let's also say that after the party while everyone was hanging out at a bar, someone asked Paul where he was from. When he said NY, the guy said, "No way! You look more like you're from Texas than I do - and I'm from Texas." Maybe it was the handlebar 'stache. My husband dedicated himself to the occasion and shaved part of his face that I haven't seen in about 15 years. My outfit, complete with pink fuzzy pants that I wear to sleep but some people wear in public (often with a logo written across the butt) earned a lot of stares. Trashy costumes: successful. Oh, my friend Kathleen is also pregnant now but not yet pregnant enough to pull off the classic 'pregnant woman in a too small shirt holding a beer can and cigarette.'

I had to leave a little earlier than Paul for my flight home on Sunday. I was sad to leave - again. I miss Hong Kong - again. Everyone asked me how I find life in Singapore and for most, "Fine" was not a sufficient answer. I sincerely don't wish to sound negative or unappreciative, so I managed to provide some details of how Singapore is "fine," but I can't deny that I (we) prefer Hong Kong. I was asked, if we had moved to Singapore first, do I think we might like it more. That's a good question and I think, perhaps, we would. But it's impossible to withhold comparisons now that it is in fact our second home in Asia. As I walked through the streets of Hong Kong, the strangest feeling was that I was not a stranger. We haven't been gone so long and everything remains so familiar that it still felt like I was home, and the only odd part was not staying.