Like Mother, Like Daughter

Hello All,

As you can see this blog has gone without posts for quite a while.  My mom was writing it, but I like to think that she started having so much fun in Singapore that she simply didn't have time to post blogs anymore.  As some of you might know I am now in Singapore for the next couple of months exploring Southeast Asia and trying to find an internship or volunteer work to do.  I will be trying to update this blog as much as I can but, like mother like daughter, I can't make any promises.

So far I have been in Singapore for two weeks and am really enjoying myself.  I had a Singaporean interview in which my interviewer only asked me three questions but the interview lasted about an hour and a half.  I have gotten acupunture in which I got needles stuck in my head- and I must say it was quite an enjoyable experince- I have gotten drunk with a bunch of ex-patriots at lunch, which to my understanding is a stable to being an ex-patriot in Singapore and I have gone out clubbing with some Singaporean natives!  Here is the story of my night clubbing...

I have been clubbing my last time to Singapore at Clarke Quay but this time I went with my friend Alvin that I met at a wine tasting and slipped my card. (my card is my business card minus the business as I have no job at the moment.  It also happens to be gold.)  This time I went at St. James, because Alvin said it was better than Clarke Quay as there were less caucasians.  I met up with Alvin and his friends who also work at a wine bar, and we hurried over to the club in hopes that we could get there before 11pm so that we could get in for free.  After spending some time on the smoking terrace, we went to a table, where Alvin told me to sit down, which I did.  It was then that one of his friends leaned over the table and told me, "This table is taken".  Alvin had to tell her that I was with them because I was the only caucasian in the place so I am guessing I stuck out like a sore thumb!

A server came over with five bottles of liquor- two bottles of johnny walker black label, two bottles of henessy and one bottle of belvedere and a bucket of ice.  Being confused I asked if we were just supposed to take shots but Alvin just laughed.  A little later our server came back with glasses and two pitchers of mixers- coke and green tea. As for which is the better mixer I have to say coke, I think green tea must be an acquired taste.  We eventually went out dancing. There was a podium with all girls on it and a podium with all guys on it and they were facing each other and in a way dancing off, which reminded me a little bit of bollywood.  Overall clubbing in Singapore was a lot like the states with a few small exceptions. One thing is the same though- the music.  Lady Gaga is just as good to dance to in Singapore as it is in the US.

Stay tuned for more...

Singapore Botanic Gardens & National Orchid Garden

Dan, Anne and I took a nice long walk on Saturday morning in the Singapore Botanic Gardens.  The Gardens which consist of 157 acres - about 1/5 the size of New York's Central Park - are near the center of the city and are open free to the public from 6am to 12 midnight.  Many Singaporean families come to the park on the weekends for picnics and in the early mornings Tai Chi classes are held throughout the park.

Also in the park is the National Orchid Garden with over 60,000 orchids and some 4,000 species.  All in all some very nice scenery for a little exercise.

Kuala Lumpur - or to us locals - Just KL

Anne and I took a weekend trip to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.  KL is the capital of Malaysia and a very large city with many of the same features of Singapore.  Although Malaysia has a larger Muslim population that Singapore and not as many people of Chinese heritage.  While the hajib is not uncommon in Singapore the Berka is not a usual site.  In KL there were many more women in the full berka and we were advised to wear clothing that covered our shoulders and knees.  The National Mosque in KL is a beautiful building with a blue accordion style roof.  There are also many Hindi temples in KL.  Anne and I visited the Batu caves which are a holy site for Hindus.  With 272 steps, the temple is a the top of large hill.  A giant gold colored god stands at the bottom of the stairs and pilgrims make their way to the top to make offerings to the gods.

We also visited a Chinese temple that is a very popular place for weddings.  Over 10, 000 couples were married there on the very auspicious date of 08/08/08.  Group weddings began at 8:00am in the morning and went until 11:00pm that night!






We took a tour of the Royal Selangor Pewter Factory in KL. Reported to be one of the finest pewter manufacturers in the world, they definitely have the largest pewter beer stein.

The National Monument of Malaysia is a large bronze statue that commemorates the soldiers and workers of Malaysia who won the countries independence in 1957.

There are 13 Sultanates (states) in Malaysia, each ruled by a royal family.  Each Sultan takes a turn in ruling the country with each ruler serving 5 years as Prime Minister.







While KL is not as cosmopolitan as Singapore they do have many shopping malls, clubs and restaurants and of course the Petronas Towers.  The tallest twin towers in the world, they have a sky bridge on the 54th floor.  The towers are only accessible to people who have business in the towers however a limited number of tickets to the skybridge are given out each day.  Anne and I opted not to stand in line for the tickets but to have a drink at the Trader's Hotel Sky Bar and take a photo!

Phuket, Thailand

The kids came for their first visit to Singapore in March.  Luckily for them, Merck paid for the non-stop Singapore Air flight.  It’s 19 hours long but all business class!

We decided we’d like to go to the beach for the first few days so they could relax while recuperating from jet-lag.  The many beaches of Thailand are only a short flight from Singapore and we decided on Phuket.  Phuket is an island on the west coast of the Malay peninsula with the Adaman Sea to the west and Phang Nga Bay and the Phuket Sea to the east. Bangkok is 425 miles to the north.

We stayed in northern Phuket away from the busier beaches of Patong and Karon in the lovely Aleenta resort.  While we were there we decided to take a day-long boat trip to the Phi-Phi islands, Hong Krabi and Phang Nga Bay, the home of the James Bond Island, which is famous for it’s role in “The Man with Golden Gun” back in the 1970s.

Phi-Phi islands are known for their diving and snorkeling areas.  They are also the islands on which the movie "The Beach" with Leonardo DiCaprio was filmed.  The islands are stunning and the snorkeling very good.  Phi-Phi as well as Phuket were devastated by the 2004 Boxing Day Tsunami.  In Phi-Phi the destruction of the unrestrained development was a blessing in disguise for the eco-system of the island.

As we traveled north toward Phang Nga Bay we visited Koh Hong Krabi.  Koh means island and Hong means room and this particular Koh Hong is near the town of Krabi on the Thai peninsula.  It’s called a room island because is has an eroded group of caves in the middle of the island which harbours a large lake with a small passage to the sea. When the tide is high long tail boats are able to enter the ‘room’ and visitors can swim in around in crystal clear water with a depth of around one metre.

From inside Koh Hong Krabi looking out to the sea.

We finished our travels at Phang Nga Bay, home of many other koh hongs and the much visited James Bond Island.  Originally and locally known as Koh Tapu or Nail Island, it found fame in the 1974 Bond film "The Man with the Golden Gun" which starred Roger Moore and Christopher Lee, as the three nippled arch-villain Scaramanga.

Nearby is the village on Koh Panyee.  This is a remarkable village, the whole of it built out over water on stilts with a giant rock monolith guarding its rear.  There are 1,485 people from 315 families who live permanently on Koh Panyee.  All of them are the descendants, directly or indirectly, from one family who were the first people to settle on Koh Panyee some 200 years ago.

Our last night in Thailand we decided to head down to Patong Beach which is known for it’s clubs and bars.  There were plenty of bars, shops and nightclubs all selling beer and other things that I won’t include on a blog that children might read!  We did end up at Molly Malone’s - you can always count on the Irish!  And we were very thankful we had made the decision to stay on a quieter beach.

The Thai people are very friendly and when meeting you make the Wai gesture - hands clasped together as if in prayer with a slight bow of the head. It is used to say hello without speaking but also as an sign of respect.  This gesture is often incorporated with the Thai word “sawatdee,” an all-purpose Thai salutation. No need to distinguish between "good morning" and "good evening", "hello" and "goodbye": sawatdee covers it all. When parting, some say chohk dee, meaning "good luck". Chohk dee also serves as a substitute for "cheers", not in the British sense of "thanks", but in the old-fashioned sense of "may the road rise to meet you, may the wind always be at your back."

Yes, Thailand has McDonald’s and Ronald is in a Thai state of mind!

Chohk dee!

Kamakura, Japan

I’m way behind on posting blogs.  Dan and I went to Japan the week before the kids came to visit.  Needless to say I didn’t get any posts done while they were here.  And since then, well, I just don’t have any excuses.  So here’s the long overdue post on Kamakura.

Dan’s colleague, Kumiko Ota, and her husband were gracious enough to take us to Kamakura during our visit to Japan.  Kamakura is a little over an hour away by train southwest of Tokyo.  Located on the ocean, Kamakura was the capital of Japan’s first military government, the Kamakura Shogunate from 1185 to 1333.  It has been the center for Zen Buddism for hundreds of years and is know for it’s multitude of temples and shrines.

Kumiko and Takeshi first took us to a Shinto Temple where we had a vegetarian lunch prepared by the staff.  Shinto priests are allowed to marry and the priests sometimes stay at temple through many generations.

Next we went to Hase-Dera Temple that overlooks the sea and houses a statue of the Buddhist Goddess of Mercy.  Built in the 12th century, the temple also has a cave that contains a statues of the Seven Lucky Gods of Japan.

We also visited the Giant Buddha that is over 1200 years old.  A 15th century tsunami destroyed the temple that once housed the Great Buddha, but the statue survived and has remained outdoors ever since.You can go in the Buddha and climb to the top, similar to the Statue of Liberty.   

Our final stop in Kamakura was Tsurugaoka Hachiman Shinto Shrine.   Minamoto no Yoritomo, the founder of the Kamakura shogunate, built the shrine in 1191 and invited Hachiman, the god worshipped popularly among warriors, to reside there and guard his government. Cherry trees line the avenue to the shrine. The trees were ordered by Yoritomo as a prayer for the safe delivery of his first-born son.  The cherry trees were just beginning to bloom when we were there and it was quite lovely.  We were fortunate enough to see a traditional wedding procession.

As in almost all Shinto shrines all across Japan, Omikuji can be found. Omikuji are a written predictions about a person's near future. They give general advice about things like which direction is best, travel, business and illness. They are usually left out in a wooden box near the shrine with a sign stating how much for one. After paying, you unroll the folded paper and take a look at your fortune. Fortunes are divided into different levels of luck and misfortune. If you don’t like your fortune, you simply tie the paper to the strings hung at the shrine so the wind can blow the bad luck away.

Our kids in Singapore

Phil and Anne are with us this week in Singapore.  We are so excited to have them here!  Dan and I were in Tokyo last week, arriving back in Singapore just in time to welcome the kids.  We're off to Phuket, Thailand for 3 days and then we'll finish the week seeing the sights here.  I'll have a backlog of posts to get out once they head back to the States but unfortunately I'll have a lot of time on my hands!

A Little Piece of America!

Yesterday I was in the United States! Actually I visited the United States Embassy here in Singapore but while I was there I was on US soil. We had a very interesting tour with a representative from Consulate services and the Head of Security. Here are some of the things I learned:

There are approximately 20, 000 US citizens in Singapore including men, women and children.

The Embassy helps US citizens with things like: Adding passport pages, securing passports for children of US citizens who are born in Singapore, passport applications for non-US spouses, helping with estate matters when an US citizen dies abroad, and notarial services.

Most people who work at the Embassy are not US citizens but Singaporeans.

There are over 28 languages spoken at the Embassy.

Those US Citizens working for the State Department are assigned to a specific Embassy for 2 to 3 years.

All the materials used to build the Embassy were brought over from the US. The marble and granite in this embassy are from New Hampshire and Minnesota.

If the police are chasing you, don’t run to the Embassy gates shouting “I’m an American, I’m an American!” The Embassy will turn you over to the police. That’s just a scene from a movie.

US citizens when travelling or living abroad should register with the State Department. Consulate Services stated that Singapore keeps an immigration record and informs the Embassy with to the number of Americans either living or visiting but not who and where we are.
They encourage all US citizens who travel to register and list their trips on the State Department website so in case of a disaster, natural or man-made, they would know where you are and could look for you to get you back to the US. Otherwise, you have to make your way to an Embassy to receive assistance.
https://travelregistration.state.gov/ibrs/ui/