Some Sites, Plants, Foods & Animals in Singapore

At Singapore Botanic Garden

Well camouflaged

Catching some rays

Lush greenery at Fort Canning Park

Seafood, chicken and beef all in one meal, washed down with fresh guava juice

Juicy fruit

Chinatown shops

Street decorations in Chinatown

Merlion - noted Singapore monument

Marina Bay Sands Hotel and ArtScience Museum

Where the Singapore Sling originated - in Singapore $$!

Gardens by the Bay

Preparing dumplings

Dumplings ready to enjoy

Orchard Road Christmas Day Concert

Singapore Zoo (see note below)

Now I know why Olive finds me attractive!

Entertaining the crowds

Fascinating tram ride to observe wildlife at night

Fire-eating show

Singapore Part 1

As planned, we arrived in Singapore the evening of Dec 4 and checked into the OMF (Overseas Missionary Fellowship) guesthouse, a lovely and affordable (especially by Singapore standards) haven for international workers and another wonderful opportunity to meet new people and hear more fascinating stories.

Singapore Botanical Garden

Singapore Hotel/Casino and Flyer (by day)

Same location at night

On Dec 7 we boarded the Costa Victoria cruise ship for an 11 day trip to ports in Thailand and Malaysia including Kuantan, Koh Samui, Malacca, Penang, Phuket and Langkawi. Highlights of the trip - soaking in the sun on some phenominal beaches, spending countless hours reading, getting caught in a monsoon downpour and huddling inside a small shelter with a Norwegian man and several Thai folks, eating all the seafood I could possibly want and just experiencing the culture in these countries. The only downside, Olive was briefly seasick on the trip up the eastern side of Thailand.

Phuket, Thailand (cruise ship in background)

Chaweng Beach in Koh Samui, Thailand

On Dec 18 we returned to Singapore and after spending another 2 nights at the OMF guesthouse, we have now moved into an apartment for the next 2 weeks in which we are house and pet sitting for a British couple who have returned to England for Christmas. We are taking care of their cat, Alfie, a 12 year old white and black feline rescued from a shelter in Malaysia. Of course to be understood, we have readily learnt some common Malay phrases which roughly translate as. ... quit using the couch for a scratching post; no, you can't have a treat until later; and, would you prefer to be scratched behind the ears or on your belly?

If you can believe it, we have now been travelling for just under 3 months and up to this point all of our meals have been prepared for us. However, that will now change and fortunately there is a supermarket only about a block away from the apartment and lots of nearby eating places. We are looking forward to spending Christmas here and hope to take in some Christmas church services.

As those of you who have spent Christmas in a hot climate will know, it seems strange to hear "I'm Dreaming Of A White Christmas" as we wandered down Orchard Road, an elaborately decorated street that has choirs and musicians performing free outdoor concerts. At one mall, in addition to reindeer and a Santa Claus, the mall has foam generating blowers that blast out fake snow to the delight of youngsters and admiring adults.

We wish all of you a blessed Christmas and a happy new year. If you are on Skype and would like to have a face to face over the holidays let us know, we would be thrilled.

Our plan is to stay in Singapore until Jan 3 and then head to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Chiang Mai, Thailand

Yesterday (Nov 29) it was raining, not just a short heavy burst, as we have experienced a couple of times since arriving in Thailand, but prolonged heavy rain. Our cottage has windows all across 3 walls and all are usually wide open so the sound of pouring rain filled the room. Olive was able to start writing again after getting her computer back from several days in the shop. The operating system was upgraded and we hope some glitches have been repaired.

While the computer was under repair, we used the time to do some more exploring. We made friends with another Canadian couple from Banff who are in Thailand visiting international workers and spent one day zip lining with them and another day traveling up to the Golden Triangle.

The zip line was a first for both Olive and I. Built high up in a mountainous jungle setting and over fields of rice and sugar cane, the zip line consisted of 35 platforms including 16 zip lines, 4 abseiling (rapid drops of 10, 15, 20 & 40 meters), 2 sky bridges, and 1 each of the following: bamboo bridge, hill tribe ladder, Kung Fu walk, monkey bridge, spiral staircase, zigzag walkway, climbing net, a flying skateboard, monkey ladder, a spider web, timber balancing beams and a zodiac bridge. Wisely, they start you off on a couple of short zip lines to allow you to "get the feel of it" and then they progressively get longer and more exciting.

The trip to the Golden Triangle took a full day and ultimately brings you to a vantage point at a bend in the Mekong River where you can see into Laos and Myanmar while standing in Thailand. 

We took a small riverboat across the Mekong and spent a short time in a Laotian market near the border. We did not cross into Myanmar, as it is a little more complicated getting a visa. 

On the return trip we stopped at another temple, this one called the White Temple (for obvious reasons).

We mentioned previously that one of the highlights of our travels is the people we are meeting and the opportunity to share life stories. We are so amazed and inspired by the stories we are hearing. Here is a brief review of some of the people we have met:

·      A couple from the US who live in Japan (and raised 5 kids there) who work with an agency that promotes parenting programs (similar to Focus on the Family in North America).

·      A New Zealand family of 4 living in an isolated town in Myanmar teaching English to locals.

·      A Swiss family of 5 who are doing consulting work in Pakistan.

·      A family of 4 from Mexico who are running educational programs in northern India.

·      A woman from England who has faced much heartache (loss of her son at age 26, husband who has had several strokes and is now in a care home) here for some personal renewal time.

·      A family of 5 from Singapore who live in Cambodia where he is a physician and councilor for other international workers.

·      A woman from Australia who along with her husband and 3 young children, lives in Bali, Indonesia where they provide surfing lessons to locals, and

·      As we mentioned above a couple from Banff who are on an exploration trip to find further direction in their lives. Those of you from Foothills Alliance may remember Norm and Leona Derkson. Norm was youth pastor at FAC years ago.

Some of these people are very isolated so a week or two at the guesthouse provides much needed rest, focused family time, and an opportunity to visit with other internationals at meal times.

We plan to stay here until Dec. 4 when we leave for Singapore.

Bangkok, Thailand

What an amazing 5 days in Bangkok (Nov 13-18), well more like 2.5 amazing days, as it took us 2.5 days to adjust our body clocks. The guesthouse that we stayed at has nostalgic memories for us as we stayed here 25 years ago when our kids were both under the age of 2. The place has not changed a lot. It was comfortable then and was certainly a great place to stay at again.

Courtyard at Alliance Guesthouse in Bangkok



We have enjoyed Bangkok. No, not the gridlock of traffic or the humidity, but the rides up and down the river on the river boats, the variety of foods always available and the associated aromas as they are being prepared in sidewalk stands, the abundance of fresh fruit (you can buy a small plastic cone-shaped bag of sliced mangos, pineapples or papayas for about $.65), the smell of incense wafting through the air from the shrines or temples that are everywhere, the sounds of ringing bells so common in Buddhist temples, the greenery and flowers, the over-crowded markets (where you can buy everything at a bargain price), the roosters and birds waking you at 5 AM with their crowing and singing and being here to see the people celebrate one of their religious festivals called Loi Krathong. This festival is held on the night of the full moon in Nov or Dec and this year happened to be on Nov 17. In Bangkok, crowds of people flocked to the riverside where they enjoyed a meal then after a time of prayer or meditation, they lit candles and sticks of incense which were placed in the centre of a flower arrangement and this was all carefully lowered into the river and gently set afloat. Many of the same people also purchased paper sacks attached to a metal ring with a centre piece holding wicks soaked in fuel. These were lit and then the sacks were lifted into the night sky as lanterns. The whole event was very colourful, lively and celebratory; we were pleased to be able to see it.

Yes, we did also visit the Grand Palace and several temples (you can't be in Bangkok without seeing at least one of the many temples with a sitting, standing or reclining Buddha) and we were amazed at the architecture.

Amazing temples and manicured grounds

At the Grand Palace

 

 As seen from Wat Arun

Wat Arun at sunset

 

Reclining Buddha

Sellers on Khao San Road

View from River Taxi

Flower Offerings for the River

Lighting Lanterns

Floating Flower Offerings

On Monday, Nov 18 we caught the morning bus for Chiang Mai. The ride was 10 hours long with a lunch break and several bathroom breaks along the way. Loved seeing the countryside; lush green rice paddies, sugar cane plantations, bamboo forests, banana and coconut trees and many varieties of flowering trees and shrubs.

 

We are currently staying at a guesthouse called The Juniper Tree and are in a cottage that has a fan, air conditioning, a fridge, a comfortable bed, hot showers. The grounds are beautifully kept and there is a good sized pool. All of our meals are included so it really is a wonderful place for Olive to focus on her writing and for me to go for long walks into the old town and explore.

Our cottage at Juniper Tree Guest House

With a few days of writing and reading under her belt, Olive and I took yesterday (Nov 22) off to be tourists. We booked a tour to go to an elephant farm (includes an elephant ride and show), an ox cart ride, a ride down the river on a bamboo raft, a great buffet lunch and a visit to a hill tribe village where some of the women place rings around their necks and gradually add more and more rings until it appears that they have very long necks. They do some beautiful weaving and Olive purchased a scarf here.

 

Although you can't tell, we are riding an elephant

Budding Artist

Finished product

Peaceful float down the river

One of the fascinating things about staying at the guesthouse has been the people we are sharing meals with each day. This guesthouse, like the one in Bangkok, is intended to be primarily a place of refreshment for international workers who work in Thailand and neighbouring countries. As a result we have met people from many countries and enjoyed hearing their stories.

We plan to stay in Chiang Mai until Dec 4 when we will head for Singapore