Marina Bay Sands

I keep wanting to call it Malibu Sands - the beach club where the Saved By the Bell kids worked one summer... But rather its' a posh hotel in Singapore! We booked a room for our last night in town. We wanted a treat - use of the infinity pool & a nice dinner, so worth it!

Amazing to swim in a pool that looks like it continues forever to the horizon and when you do realize it ends - it ends an awesome view of Singapore's skyline!!

We had brunch, packed a bag and checked in - we're on the 18th floor (not that impressive, as the hotel is 57 stories). The room is lovely & overlooks the Garden full of Super Trees. They're giant tree sculptures that light up & play music. Quite the spectical. Laura and I sat inside one of the trees after dinner.

Dinner was at Ku De Ta - a restaurant on the 57th floor with extraordinary food and gorgeous views. We each chose and all and a main & shared family style. Delicious!

The infinity pool was certainly a highlight of the trip - looking forward to spending more time there tomorrow before I fly out! 

Indonesia, Crabs and Slings

Shawn & boarded an early ferry over to Batam, Indonesa. We had a spa day! Massages, facials, mud wrap, (my muddy arm and leg, pictured below), lunch, and more treatments throughout the afternoon.

After going through immigration for the 8th time in 2 days, we went home and got changed for dinner. Met Laura, Christoff and Ashley for some Black Pepper Sri Lankan crabs quite delicious and many other dishes to share family style.

Then off to Raffles Hotel, the home of the original Singapore Sling (gin based fruit cocktail). This post isn't written well, or very detailed... I am exhausted. I'll fix it when I wake up.

Malaysia Day Trip & An Amazing Rooftop Bar

Shawn and I boarded the bus out of Singapore into Malaysia... we cleared immigration 4 times today! Once in the departure hall when arriving on the bus from Singapore - once at the arrival hall Malaysia. Then the opposite on the way back - each time getting off the bus and catching it (or another one) when the immigrating was complete. Fascinating process... no pictures allowed in the government buildings - so you'll have to take my word for it.

We had 3 goals in Malaysia, 1) Eat something awesome, 2) buy some stuff, 3) have our nails done.

Missions accomplished! We ate some great stuff and spent a whole $7.50 on everything. I ordered fries because I always find it interesting to see how different things are served across different countries. Shawn had stolen some ketchup for such an occasion! We also had a noodle dish with seafood, spring rolls, pineapple fried rice, the fries (which come with chili sauce), and 2 drinks.

Shawn did plenty of shopping - some souvenirs, some stuff for himself, I enjoyed the experience but only got a few things, myself.

We also hit a nail salon, a bit of R&R and new polish makes such a diference.

This evening, we met back up with Laura and had a great night out on the Rooftop of the Esplanade complex. Laura likened it to Singapore's version of Lincoln Center back home. It was lovely to walk through, some concerts in progress and some terrific views.

Universal Studios Singapore

I woke up and had a few hours to play with Mai - Christoff's baby! She is incredibly precious!! More photos another time... I didn't start taking photos for a while, I was so wrapped up in playing with her.

Post-baby time, Shawn and I headed back to Sentosa this morning - we discussed doing all sorts of things... a multi-day pass, a multi-attraction pass... 2 for 1 specials, blah blah - you all know how I love a coupon! 

We finally settled on Universal Studios Singapore. Of course, it was decked out for Chinese New Year - even the minions got to celebrate! There weren't many people in the park - we got to ride first car on many of the rides, through the lines so quickly. 

On the Mummy Ride, there were a set of siblings running ahead of us, but occasionally turning back. I started out annoyed thinking, man, whose kids are these?? But ended up asking the little girl if she was okay & asking where her parents were... she said they were outside, they didn't want to ride the ride so she was meant to join her brother. She was so scared because the cave like walls didn't provide much light or direction. I asked if she wanted to walk with us - she shouted "yes!" and immediately grabbed my hand to walk along side. She was a precious little thing, I told Shawn we adopted some children and they joined us on the ride, too. I wish now that I had broken my rule against souvenir photos, because the photo of our car was priceless... I was looking bug-eyed and scared, she was gripping my hand with all of her might with her head buried into my arm and her brother was doing the same on her other side... Shawn was fixing his watch as though nothing was happening (he'd ridden the ride before in Florida - cheater).  [You're right, SB, my life is like an odd SitCom - the strangest things happen to me!]

We enjoyed Universal - the decorations, rides and shows, and photographing the characters, especially Shawn!! He was sad the BattleStar Galactica Coaster was closed, but wanted to take a photo as a Cylon, anyway. We also passed by the TRex in Jurassic Park, I told Shawn "go stick your head in its mouth" - you see what I get for calling him a butthead!! :) 

When we were finished in the park, we saw another Merlion, borrowed some wifi from Starbucks to formulate a plan and headed back to Chinatown. This time just for dinner (a cute Caribbean spot - had lovely fish) and dessert (at a traditional dessert place). We had terrific shaved ice - mine was like halo halo, minus the flan, ube and condensed milk. Delish!

 

Sentosa Island

Off the southern most tip of Singapore, there is a man-made Island - Sentosa. Shawn and I cabbed over with Christoff who showed us a beach club, where we had a lovely brunch and giggled about how romantic the setting would be had it not been for the trade ships in the background... Oil barges, just like the "party boats" off of the SB Coastline (right, UCSB roommies?!)  ;)

We also checked out the S.E.A. Aquarium... saw amazing things that we'd not seen before: 1) A shark embryo, best viewed as a video, 2) a dragon dance inside the tank with the sealife, 3) several species of sealife that I'd not seen in my 30+ years of aquariuming.

We wandered the island, not for sake of wandering, but to find our way back home - we came upon some great things which will likely inspire another visit to Sentosa - if not more than one! Another Merlion (in addition to the one I posted the other day) who can go wrong with a giant statue of a half lion half mermaid - or is it merperson, or maybe merman - since I called it "him"? This one didn't shoot water out of his mouth, but mostly because you can climb inside him and use his mouth as the lookout tower.

This evening we went back to Chinatown for foot rubs and ended up getting a package - neck/shoulder/back massage, foot scrub, foot massage. Then on to the Old Airport Road Hawker Center (read: giant food court) and experienced the myriad cuisines offered by the stalls... too much food, still full so many hours later! Good news is, back to feeling normal and enjoying the trip!!

Rainy Sick Day

I stayed in bed most of the day. It was pretty miserable... still not feeling well, though I rallied late in the afternoon. 

Shawn went to the zoo without me - sad to have missed it, but happy to have had all of the sleep.

This afternoon was monsooning - crazy rain! I took a few photos out of Laura's window. 

I'm now at Christoff's he gave me some lovely chicken soup. I barely got to spend time with the baby - she was just getting up from a nap and ready for a bath when I arrived... Photos tomorrow.

Getting in bed again, now - Hopefully tomorrow will be better!

Sun Poisoned???

Another fun day - though, for the back half of it, I've felt absolutely terrible. I tried very hard to rally, but really need to rest now. 

We had brunch in the Arab Quarter - delicious food, thanks to Laura finding a Top 10 brunch spots in Singapore. We walked around Arab Street and the surrounding area, then took a boat down the river to relax a bit. We had a nice sail, took some photos, sat for a while. All in all, we were on the MRT, a bus, boat, a cabs and on foot today. 

Shawn and I separated from Laura (surprisingly, she didn't want to go to Chinatown for the 5th time - one of which was yesterday). She went home and rested up for our night out. I should have followed suit, as I feel like I over did it and was a nightmare during our night out. I was freezing, even though it was warm, I am sore/achy, but definitely am feeling about 70% better than when we left, tonight. 

But I digress - Shawn really wanted to try a fish pedicure, so we trooped around Chinatown seeking one out. We found one and couldn't get in there fast enough - algae eaters ready to suck the bacteria and fungus off of your feet. It tickles, but luckily, I'm not very ticklish. We sat for 30 minutes, I took loads of photos and a few videos, here's a video that I posted on Instagram, today. 

This evening we were meant to do a lot of things, but I wasn't up for much. Christoff joined us and the 4 of us went to an awesome rooftop bar, I wasn't feeling well, so I sat trying to relax and regain myself. You know I wasn't feeling well, because I didn't even take a single photo!

We went over to see the CNY displays on the Marina, but they weren't lit up - disappointing! We were meant to see the Singing Trees and get Singapore Slings at the Raffles Hotel - their place of origin... but decided to wait until I was feeling better so we could all enjoy them together. 

Hoping to get a good night's sleep! 

Here's today's collage - mostly photos from the boat ride and Chinatown... we also stopped by the Singapore Flyer before the end of the night, which made for some nice night shot photos - though, mine were just iPhone because I couldn't be bothered to take the camera out. Next time!

A Wandering Exploration

After a lovely walk and some breakfast at the Fullerton Hotel, along the river, Laura and I walked down through the financial center and found a metal sculpture of a tree made of people. A lot of the day was exploring via the MRT (read: subway) and found our way to the Chinese and Japanese Gardens. We wandered through the zodiac statues, reading about all of the different symbols and what they mean. It's the year of the Goat/Sheep/Ram this year - my year, so it was decorated for the new year. The Seven Story Pagoda was under renovation, so another photo opp, ruined by scaffolding - Cathy, totally feel ya on this one! 

We crossed some bridges, took plenty of photos and sweat so much that we both nearly passed out before we got some water. My nose is practically fuchsia, even though I used a ton of sun screen, damn sweat! 

We took a detour stop on the MRT based on where my finger landed when pointing randomly at the map - nothing noteworthy... then took a walk through Chinatown, bought some souvenirs and such, took a look at the decor for the holiday. So many shops full of fun things, just like the NY Chinatown, but much more street vendor food - that we didn't eat. 

We spent most of the afternoon relaxing at Boat Quay and in the AC at the apartment, and slowly getting ready for Shawn's arrival. He arrived and was exhausted, so our big plans for Saturday night out in Singapore were thwarted. Those will get shifted to tomorrow night. Tonight, Christoff joined us and we had a meal and some drinks in Boat Quay. I glanced up and caught a couple shots of the light show off of the Marina Bay Sands Hotel. The evening was spent looking over the river and appreciating the breeze. Shawn's first night was very similar to mine.

More adventures tomorrow... 

Public Holiday for CNY

Laura had the day off for the Public Holiday for Chinese New Year - so we had a lovely day of exploring!

We were up early & out of the house by 9AM to meet her friend from work and her daughter to queue jump at the Istana House, the official residence of the President of Singapore. It's only open to the public 5 days a year - on public holidays. It was awesome to be here for such an occasion & to get to jump the line because Sam has a small daughter!

The grounds were amazing - flowers in bloom, beautiful trees, ponds, a fountain and the House itself. Much like our White House, guarded and full of gifts from other country's governments. 

After our tour, we grabbed an iced coffee and took a long and winding walk to brunch. Through a mall, into Laura's office building, through a park, passing an Indian temple, into Robertson Quay (pronounced "key") for brunch. 

Next a walk up the river's edge back to the apartment to shower & get ready for our evening out with Laura's boss. We had a walk through Clarke Quay and stopped to caffeinate. Dinner back in Robertson Quay at a wonderful Persian restaurant... Delicious food, a great bottle of wine, fun company & a belly dancer!

Followed by a wine bar for another glass or two and a walk back up the river to head home. We had 21,000+ steps today according to the iPhone health app!

Too sleepy to download photos, but here's a quick video of the belly dancer!

Chinese New Year in Singapore

Today was an interesting day!

Myanmar traffic made me miss my flight - the ride that is normally 20 minutes was over an hour long today... Just my luck!

I ended up taking the next flight out; arriving 4+ hours after my scheduled arrival, with a connection in Mandalay (another city in Myanmar that I hadn't planned to visit).

I have arrived now though! Christoff collected me from the airport before he started working tonight & dropped me at Laura's apartment.

We've headed out to the other side of the river for our Chinese New Year dinner -Thai food at a very cute place along the river. Pink table cloths, red lanterns and decorations! Such a pretty seen to share our first meal!

Followed by the bar next door, DJ playing, pints of beer and chit chatting away - just like our weekends in New York! 

So excited to be in Singapore!

Ballooning Over Bagan

Another rise before the sun to meet our bus at 5:30AM. The ballooning company picked us up and brought us to the field where the balloons launch. We had a quick breakfast, a lesson in balloon safety, watched them do some tests and fill the balloons.

We were in the air for over an hour, the winds were calm enough. Our pilot, from Switzerland, was explaining that depending on the wind the sunrise ride typically maxes out around 40-45 minutes, so we got quite lucky this morning.

We rode with 2 other companies who had larger fleets. Red, green and ours were yellow. It was quite an adventure - extremely memorable.

Here's a quick collage before I pass out for the night... more when I have time to sort and upload. Jonathan and I look like we're photoshopped into the balloons, but that was actually taken with my camera this morning from inside our balloon in flight. The early morning mist over the temples was breathtaking!!! Definitely a recommended venture if you make your way to Myanmar.

Bagan Temple Tour

Jonathan & I took a very early flight from Yangon to Bagan. A domestic flight within Myanmar... what an experience. The airport was like a barnyard, people wandering everywhere. No signs, no direction, they gave us hand written boarding passes and a sticker to tell which airline should find us so we could board. I was thrilled when my luggage showed up at the Bagan airport!

The flight was short and so was the transport to the hotel. We took a nap once we checked in. Jonathan wasn't feeling well and after waking up at 4:15AM, I wasn't complaining about a bit of downtime.

We got out and started our temple tour. We had a driver take us around. He showed us "the biggest", "the highest", "the most famous"... everything had a grandiose descriptor - it made me smile. I took over 500 photos today. I noted which temples we stopped to visit, so I could keep the photos straight, and know the spellings of their names. I'll post a few highlights of today's trip... editing the 500+ will be a project for another day, as we're waking up at 4:15AM again for our hot air balloon ride over the temples!

Shwedagon Pagoda

Let the tourism begin! 

We checked in and met up with Andre who toured us through the Shwedagon Pagoda. It is being refurbished - so as my luck would have it, it's covered in scaffolding. It's still quite amazing to see - one giant gold structure, approximately 60 tons of gold. Including the jewelry of people who built it & left their treasures to be part of the structure. The whole thing is surrounded by other smaller temples and pagodas. 

I'll upload a full album once I get better wifi, but made a quick collage of some of my favorites... 

Silver Linings Layover

I'm undecided on my favorite part of the layover... Airport lounge with my Amex membership - a clean shower (after wearing the same thing since I left New York on Saturday) or this awesome massage chair!

Could've definitely been worse layover in Singapore. Very pleased with my Amex at the moment!

Temporary Greetings from Frankfurt

Wandering around aimlessly from 1:30-2:30pm in a German airport while they load more food and supplies onto what I think is the biggest plane I've ever seen - 2 stories and 10 seats across each row.

I am well rested. I had a whole row to myself so I got to sleep for nearly 6 hours laying down!! 

Time for reboarding now - next stop, Singapore!

Waiting to Board

Snow on the ground in NY - anticipating 90 degree weather in Myanmar!! Too bad it'll take 31 hours to get there.

I'm not sure when I'll have wifi again, but hopefully I'll post more soon. 

Happy Valentine's Day ❤️

So It Begins... Asian Vacation #2, Here I Come!

I'm Asia bound in less than 24 hours!!

My outbound flight from JFK was delayed 2+ hours, so since then I've spent 3+ hours trying to rebook my connecting flight that I will miss due to the delay. What a thrill this vacation has started out to be!

Fortunately, I was able to have a nice dinner with some friends - Mexican food! ... to take my mind off of the situation while I waited for a returned call confirming I would still get to Myanmar on Monday. Thanks, Oli & Michael!

After dinner, I called back - I was on hold for the better part of 2 hours. Silver lining, I had nothing better to do than put the phone on speaker & finish packing... and ultimately, I'm rebooked on an afternoon flight from Singapore to Myanmar.

For those of you who haven't been subject to my constant prattling on about my trip... I'm headed to Myanmar first - visiting Andre (a former colleague at Cornell whose wife was relocated there - she works for the UN). Also Jonathan, a good friend from NY who has relocated to SF has been galavanting Asia and will meet me in Myanmar on Monday. The trip to Myanmar is short - and now even shorter, since my layover in Singapore jumped from 80 minutes to over 5 hours. 

Once I eventually make it to Myanmar, Jonathan & I will say one night in Yangon, hosted by our tour guide Andre (though, I'm not sure how much touring we'll get done when I arrive late that afternoon). Then headed back to the airport for an early morning puddle jump to Bagan to visit the ancient Buddhist Temples and Pagodas - as old as the 11th century, around 2,200 of the original 10,000 still remain.

Then back to Yangon for me, staying with Andre and Eva for a bit more tourism and a night in their 3 bedroom home - such a change from the tiny NY apartment they had when I knew them here.

The following day, back to the airport again, for a flight back to Singapore. I'll visit with Christoff, (a colleague at Cornell whose family relocated, so he works with us from Singapore) his wife Ashley and their new baby, Mai! And stay with my friend Laura, a wonderful friend in NY, who is working temporarily in Singapore. She has a fancy schmance luxury corporate apartment and somehow was able to score a guest room - perfect for my visit! Shawn will fly in from NY and join us in Singapore on Saturday. No real plans there, yet. Christoff suggested a bicycle ride up to Malaysia and I've been doing some research on a midweek jump to Thailand or somewhere while Christoff, Ashley and Laura are working. We shall see how it all works out! The bones of an itinerary were good enough for how short a time it's been planning this trip.

Now, to get some sleep!