Squatters at Thanksgiving in Asia

Today we are to give thanks for many things. I suppose for John and I, besides being thankful for each other we must also be glad we still have a place to stay in Singapore - although officially we are now squatters in our own flat! Let me explain…

About four weeks ago we realized that our lease was due to expire on November 20th but had heard nothing from our landlord about renewing. Nor had they been showing the apartment to other potential lessees. After contacting our original real estate agent about our concern, he commented it was quite strange but suggested we take the initiative and send an offer to renew to the landlord. Our agent conveniently provided a template which John completed and sent along. Then we heard nothing for several more days. Finally John called only to be told that our landlords partner was away and would need to be consulted. After even more days went by, we started to explore other options, then the landlord called to say he wanted to come over to talk with us. In our renewal offer we had requested that the landlord should touch-up the walls where the paint was chipped or marred and repair a recently leaking toilet. His visit was an obvious attempt to see for himself whether these requests were necessary. Afterwards, he reiterated the need to consult with his partner. Finally the night before the expiration we received an alternative offer to renew at a slightly higher rate. At least this was progress! We discussed this new offer and decided it was within an acceptable range of other apartments in our area and agreed to renew. Of course we promptly replied but now, one week later and after the expiration of our original lease, we still have no new official lease! We heard the partner is out of town again but will return on Monday, just two days before we leave for a trip back to the U.S. Let's hope it gets finalized before then as we don't want to remain squatters through Christmas too!

In the meantime, I have been on a quest to find what I can to fulfill our menu for Thanksgiving. Since it is just the two of us we don't need a whole turkey so I decide to just go for a frozen turkey breast they make available in my usual grocery store. It's pricey (about $35 for a little 3-lb roast!) but I decide it's the best option. I thaw and brine it, a technique I have not used before. It sits resting in it's herbed juices waiting to be roasted… Next I see they have canned cranberry sauce but find fresh at the local market! We will also have mashed potatoes and a veg - neither of those are a problem.

The biggest challenge may be pecan pie. The nuts are very expensive here (over $5 for a small 2 oz package) and I don't want to make a whole pie just for us. After doing some research on-line I find a couple of bakeries to try. In a way this is a treat for me! I get to go out on several different afternoons for pie and coffee to see what I can find that is suitable. At first I can find no pecan or pumpkin for that matter but then, as the holiday nears more bakeries start to advertise pies they don't always carry

Pecan Pie from Cedele's

including pecan. One is just up the street from us! I try their pumpkin (it's terrible) but the pecan looks promising. However on the day of Thanksgiving I go to buy a couple of slices and of course, today of all days they are out of pecan pie! My back-up plan is to get the pie from another favorite bakery I use all the time, a chain called Cedele's. I speak to John during his lunch break and he is able to find one of their shops nearby and confirms he can get the pecan pie there.

John's plate piled high

So now it's Friday morning, the day after our mini-feast. As you can see it was a pretty scrumptious meal in the end! On top of that, our landlord came over last night with a new lease in hand. We haven't signed on the dotted line yet but now it feels like we're going to be legitimate tenants in the next few days. In the meantime, the bathroom light fixture has now quit working and the toilet still leaks but we have a roof over our head and full bellies! Plenty to be thankful for! And here's hoping all of you also had a terrific turkey day or whatever your equivalent is for the occasion.

Weekend in Phnom Penh, Cambodia

Map of Southeast Asia

It's very early on November 1st and John and I are flying to Phnom Penh from Singapore. Cambodia is a largely Buddhist country of 14.8 million. It is a constitutional monarchy with a king as head of state but the government is run by a former military leader who took control in a coup in 1997.

It's an easy 1-1/2 hour flight and upon arrival, we buy our entry visa and breeze through immigration and customs into a taxi for a 25 minute ride to our hotel, The Queen Wood. It's probably a two-star hotel but for $22/night it's clean with friendly staff and well located in the city. Next door is the Feel Good cafe that roasts their own coffee and upstairs hosts a spa that makes its own line of skin care and aromatherapy products. Once we check-in and dump our bags we make our way just down the street to a backpacker's inn where we are told they offer a rooftop bar that's a good place to cool off, meet-up and even eat breakfast which is what we intend to do!

Our friend, Rachel

On this trip, we are supposed to be joining in with a group of about 30 others, mostly from Hong Kong who've come here for a weekend of fun and runs known as hashing. In short order, one of our oldest friends from Hong Kong, Rachel joins us at the backpacker's bar and it's great to catch-up with her. Since I've last seen her she's married a fellow Brit, acquired two dogs,  quit her teaching job for other pursuits and is quite happy. After breakfast, she and I decide to check-out that spa next to the hotel and end up staying for foot massages and pedicures to while away part of the afternoon.

Buy a new watch from me!

Once our toes are brightly polished, we meet up with John and another guy from the group and explore the Central Market, a French designed art-deco structure built in 1937.  From a large central dome, four arms extend outward, each filled with stalls selling everything from jewelry, watches, clothing, shoes, antique coins and a host of souvenirs and food!

As the daylight starts to fade, the whole group gathers in the hotel lobby to find out what the plans are for the evening. John, along with two other guys from the group are the weekend leaders (referred to as "hares") who've spent considerable time before this trip organizing venues and determining the trails for the hash-runs. This evening we are going for a pub crawl that ends at a disco where we can party and dance the night away.

We arrive by boat at the silk island, Koh Dach

Saturday morning we are all to assemble again in the lobby at 10:30 a.m. dressed for a run/walk on a mystery trail that only our "hares" know. From there we are all loaded into a series of tuk tuk's who drive us to the nearby riverside where we then all load onto a waiting boat. The boat is made of solid dark wood and we all find seats as it travels up the Mekong River on flat water.  It's a pleasant ride that takes about 1-1/2 hours before we arrive at a small island in the middle of the river. Later I learn the name of the island is Koh Dach and is known for it's silk-weavers. Once we are all on shore, it's up to us to find and follow the markings the hares have set to mark the trail (usually chalk arrows or blobs of flour). For me and a few others who intend to walk, not run, we set off with John who's handling the task of sweeping at the end of the pack for anyone that's lost their way to help guide them to the end point.

Island villagers with their baby rest in the shade

The island is quite flat and there are scant spots of trees or shade. A few weeks before when John came here to "recce" and plan, the place was flooded after heavy rains. Now it's very hot and dry but we persist and are rewarded with travels through local villages where the children delight at our foreign presence while the many cows are more suspect. Many of the women who weave silk for trade are using their looms in the shaded space beneath their raised houses and we can hear them swishing and clacking as we walk by. There are also several temples and a school we pass through on our route. After about two hours in the heat we are spent but finally reach the end point. The boat has come around to meet us there and we can now relax and try to cool off for a while.

On our return to the city, the boat drops us at a special location where we are to enjoy a meal. It's a local restaurant that has a surprise feature - the whole floor is covered with straw mats over which hang an array of 40 or 50 hammocks! Many of our group collapse into them ready for a nap but soon the staff start to bring beer and food and we sit in two long rows around the mats gorging on a variety of dishes. Finally it's time to head back and call it a night (although some elect to hang out at another disco for more dancing) - foolish souls!

"Hares" in hammocks

On Sunday there is one more run. This time we are organized into teams of four and handed a set of clues that we have to solve in order to find our way to the final meeting place. It turns out my team is very good but too fast for me to keep up with. I fall behind and get lost. Fortunately another woman from our group finds me and we both head back to the hotel together to freshen up. After several hours, the rest of the group returns and after they all clean up the afternoon proceeds with more food and fun. Most of the Hong Kong contingent are returning that night and leave together in a rented bus for the airport; a few of the rest of the pack are staying over into Monday. John and I are among them so we can relax and head for the famous FCC (for Foreign Correspondents Club) for dinner.

John at the local market

On Monday, we sleep in a bit then cruise around the city taking in a few more sites including a local market where we find heaps of fruits, vegetables, dried seafood, meat, rice, grains and even hair salons and barbershops. Unfortunately as we arrive at the palace grounds they are just closing at 10:30 a.m.?! Oh well, we are just enjoying our time together and after we enjoy a cool drink we head to that spa again, this time for full body massages. At $15 each it's a bargain! Then at last it's time for us to pack and head back to Singapore. We both agree that Phnom Penh reminds us of much earlier days of Bangkok, a nice and cheap place to go for a weekend getaway so we are likely to return again. To get a better look at our weekend, check out my gallery of photos here!

Pinnacles and Pottery

In recent weeks I've enjoyed re-connecting with a group of ladies who bill ourselves as the Singapore International Ladies Group. We are an eclectic group of mostly ex-pats from a host of countries including Scotland, England, Finland, Germany, Australia, Russia, France, India, China, Japan, Malaysia and yes, the USA. Well, as you can see, we are from pretty much anywhere including sometimes a local Singaporean. Together we have some pretty interesting discussions but we also go on hikes, meet for lunch or coffee, attend exhibitions or tour different sites here in Singapore. I thought I would share two recent events that might be of interest.

The Pinnacle

One is called The Pinnacle. It's a rather typical apartment building known here as an HDB which is an acronym for a government subsidized apartment unit available to local residents only. What's unique about this one is that for a few dollars you can pay to go to it's rooftop from which you can then walk around for a 360-degree view of the whole of Singapore! And what's more is it's one of Singapore's best kept secrets because hardly anyone seems to know about this remarkable opportunity!

As you view the pictures from that day, besides the expected high-rise skyscrapers, take note of the vast array of shipping containers being handled at it's major port. This will give you a tiny inkling of the constant web of ships that ply the waters through the Singapore Strait and why John's company as a supplier of software solutions to the marine shipping industry must do business here. You may also note the red-tiled roofs of an historically protected area of Chinatown. This happens to be where John's offices are located. Lastly, you may also notice the one hill known as Bukit Timah that stands at an unremarkable elevation of 537 feet; otherwise Singapore is utterly flat. Together, I hope these photos give you a sense of our environment and the tiny but impressive red dot known as Singapore.

Dragon Kiln

The second adventure took place in a remote jungly area in the northwest of the island where about 20 of us ladies went to tour one of the two remaining dragon kilns from Singapore's history as a pottery producer. There used to be 30 of them and there used to be so much pottery created and exported that those kilns ran on a weekly basis. Today, they are fired up no more than 3 times a year. So yes, Singapore has evolved from this industry but thankfully the family-owned business of this kiln has found a way to keep it going and is pursuing it's historical significance in order to ensure some future. Our tour included an informative and interesting explanation of the kiln's past role and how it works when it is fired up (which helps to explain it's characterization as a dragon). And though some of the pottery for sale there is a product of this kiln, much more of it today is actually imported from elsewhere in Asia - quite a reversal from it's heyday in history.

Pottery, pottery and more pottery!

Lastly, just a bit of humor and insight into the local culture is provided in this brief tongue-in-cheek article explaining what we foreigners do to piss off an otherwise pretty tolerant, complacent Singaporean! Intentionally or not, I guess we can't help ourselves...

Botched Up Bangkok Weekend

Not long after our return to Singapore in July, John found himself organizing a business trip to Bangkok with a client there. The necessary work was to take place over Friday and part of Saturday leaving the rest of the weekend free. He thought that I might like to join him armed with my new camera for some photo-shooting and exploration. It's not like we haven't been there before but it's been quite a few years so I was persuaded to take John up on his offer.

Hotel Lobby with Staff

The first surprise upon our arrival was our hotel, the Hua Chang Heritage Hotel. It's situated amid the hustle and bustle of the business district but once inside I felt we stepped into something out of Alice in Wonderland! Besides the oddball, contemporary furniture in the lobby, the staff were all wearing pantaloons with long white stockings and black shoes which only added to the effect. Once we checked in and entered our room, we were greeted to a vision of brilliant white decor in a cloud of pink light created by deep red voile curtains. The bathroom was a glass, chrome and marble spectacle but also sported an old fashioned deep tub. Together it all reminded me more of a honeymoon suite than a businessman's (or woman's) hotel stay. At least the bed was big and comfortable which proved to be a good thing...

Silk Cocoons

John duly set off to visit with his client while I headed to a nearby tourist attraction known as Jim Thompson's House. He fought for the U.S. Army in WWII but afterwards ended up in Thailand where he started a then unique business of organizing local silk weavers to make cloth for export. He was also a prodigious collector of local artisan's work and historical artifacts. Eventually Jim Thompson constructed a home for himself that comprised a collection of six teak buildings put together using mostly authentic Thai building techniques and fittings. Unfortunately while he was on a trip to Malaysia in 1967, Jim Thompson mysteriously disappeared. To this day, there are no clues to explain what happened. Fortunately his home was preserved and opened to the public with the proceeds contributing to various Thai projects aimed at promoting Thailand's artistic and cultural heritage.

Behind the site for Jim Thompson's House runs a canal used for transport and commuting by local Thai's and tourists around Bangkok. Across the footbridge there is an old housing quarter that used to be largely Muslim but now sports a variety of ethnic locals. However, the houses and vendors remain authentically old-style. Despite the fact that it is in the heart of Bangkok, it feels like a very rural community. I enjoyed walking through it and found an abundance of photo opportunities.

Canal between Jim Thompson's House and Old Quarter
with Bangkok Cityscape in background

Later I was invited to join John with his clients for a Thai meal. His colleague provided the name of the restaurant and also conveyed it to my taxi driver.  To my frustration the traffic was so horrendous that it took one hour to get there although it turned out the location was less than 1-mile away! On top of that, the taxi driver acted as if he was mad at me and refused to give me change. Nonetheless the meal was a delicious feast that included a countless number of dishes shared by all. Unfortunately, that also ended up being about the only time we enjoyed together that weekend. Sometime that evening John came down with a viral infection of some kind that left him running a very high temperature and feeling like doing nothing but curling up in that big comfortable bed.

On Saturday, despite John's continuing fever, he felt it necessary to conclude his business. He hoped that somehow he'd get through it and by the afternoon be feeling better. So I went off this time to explore one of the royal wats (temples) that caught my interest in a not too far away locale near Dusit Palace where the royal family of Thailand live. To my relief, this taxi ride took only twenty minutes.

Main Temple (Wat)

Tuk-tuk

As I walked up the steps to the temple entrance standing just off to the side was a large portrait of an older woman and I noticed a number of tables and tents set up in the surrounding area. I determined this must be a funeral ceremony so avoided proceeding inside the temple but explored the grounds instead. Here I enjoyed the striking Thai architecture as well as a number of statues and sculptures of various figures including lions, dragons and Buddhas. At the rear of the property I came upon the monk's quarters and observed a bit of their daily life for awhile. Afterwards I tried to get a tuk-tuk back to our hotel but was put off by their blatant attempts to rip me off with the fare (at least 4x what I had paid the air-conditioned taxi to take me there)! Eventually, now feeling very hot and sweaty I located a taxi and negotiated a fare I could live with (yes, he covered up the meter so that I was forced to pay the negotiated price).

Back at the hotel, I came into our darkened room to find John sleeping. I left him there and went down to the pool for awhile. Later I ate a meal alone. On Sunday John woke up feeling barely human again. He managed to get out and go for a massage at a local spa down the street with me. Then before we headed to the airport we made a stop for a drink at a restaurant along the Chao Phraya River that runs through the heart of Bangkok down to the Gulf of Thailand.

Enjoying drinks along the Chao Phraya

Needless to say, John saw his doctor in Singapore on Monday morning. After many blood tests (to John's horror - he hates needles) they were very concerned that his immune system was quite compromised but it did start to rebound on it's own. No specific virus was determined though the specialist in infectious diseases left the impression it was likely secondary dengue fever (something he did contract earlier this year). He's still a bit on the rebound but has been declared basically healthy again though when (or if) we return to Bangkok again given my frustrations and his illness remains to be seen. In the meantime, you can see a collection of photos from my weekend adventures and the funky hotel here!

Spring into the Bounty of Summer Mixed with Woes

Although generally I've been posting here about our experiences abroad, this time I was compelled to write about our home turf. It was my great pleasure to visit Boston and Cape Cod this past May just as Spring had (mostly) thawed and Summer was coming on.

My daughter and I met at Fenway Park for a Red Sox game against the Indians over Memorial Day Weekend.  Unfortunately the last of Spring weather hung on with a chilly mist that sank through right down to our bones. Finally, teeth-chattering we left in the 8th inning only to find out that the Red Sox had managed to pull out a win in the 9th and final inning. Ah well, it was really about some time together which is pretty rare for us these days.

Tiny Fish

 Otherwise, I enjoyed plenty of sunshine and warmth with friends at Baker's Pond where the water is stunningly pure. See how crystal clear it is with this pic of tiny fish swimming close to shore?  It's an idyllic scene that I never grow tired of.  On top of that is the superb company provided by my hosts, Sue and John. Here's a few more images that tell the story...

Later on, John arrived and while he took care of business in Boston I spent some time "playing" with a new camera in Copley Square (lots more photos here). Here I enjoyed the fresh food market stalls that go up every weekend during the summer although it was tempered by the touching but colorful memorial to the Boston Marathon Bombing that occurred back in April. It was a true reminder of the strength of Boston (as they so imminently conveyed in their search for the bombers and in the aftermath of the support for the victims). And being an ex-pat in Singapore at the moment, I also couldn't help but notice the various tokens from many other countries who had been there to participate or observe but probably like most, had not anticipated such a terrible action at such a re-known international venue.

Boston Marathon Bombing Memorial

Copley Square Farmer's Market

Before leaving the area, John and I celebrated our 30th Wedding Anniversary (other pics here)! It was a bit early of the actual date but doing it this way meant we could share the event with at least some of our good friends in the area. Together with Sue, John, Andy and Mary we enjoyed a scrumptious meal at The Red Pheasant Inn.

The Happy Couple

All in all, a fruitful visit to the place I am rooted to and claim as home (at least part of the time).