Flowers, fog and dragons and a little bad behaviour

We took another walk through the famous local flower market this morning – it is beautiful and smells divine. There seems to be an odd mixture of orchids and very British flowers like dahlias on display. I wonder if all of those orchids are imported from here?

We got back to the hotel, t be greeted by the dragon dancing. It is apparently traditional after the eighth day of new year. It was pretty athletic. There was also a table containing all kinds of meats, which were apparently being offered in some kind of ritual. All pretty amazing!

We took a funicular up to Victoria Peak today – we had to wait about two hours, but we got the fare for half price by using our Octopus cards – HK’s answer to the Oyster card. There was a great view from the top, but it was a little foggy so we didn’t bother paying the extra to go up to the viewing platform.

This is an odd place, in that people push and shove a lot in public places and on public transport, but everything is still intact thank goodness – only one tugging incident! Up at the peak I wanted to take some medication, and there was nowhere  to sit down unless you were eating or drinking, so we ended up sat on some stairs. Suddenly there was a whooping noise – a bit of an explosion apparently. I had managed to ‘get’ a small boy in the face, and also spray the rest of his family, sat some metres away. Oops!

We were going to head to the harbour for the light show tonight,  but by the time we came out of the tube, it was raining so we will defer!

We ended up in a mahoosive mall again on our way home, but if really wasn’t my thing – I don’t care if there’s no tax – I’m just not into designer brands!

Found the swishest loos in the posh mall!

I have a foot massage booked at the hotel in the morning, and we will decide what to do afterwards.

 

 

 

More Musings in the Mugginess

Catching up on Singapore, from my room in Hong Kong, where we seem to have been enveloped in a kind of smog for the last couple of days. We spent most of a day in Singapore at the Gardens by the Bay. It was a real lovely spot, in the middle of the city, with lots of free gardens to see and 2 big domes.

We also walked up on a kind of walkway between the light up trees. We went to the harbour in the evening to see the lights, but it didn’t seem that great so we jumped on a tube and went back to the Gardens by the Bay, where they have their own sound and light setup.

Mmm is it the year of the dog by any chance?

Singapore just struck me as a really orderly, safe place, although horrifically expensive! £10 for a couple of coffees in Starbucks! It is cheaper, now we are in Singapore!

The flight from Singapore to HK passed without incident, although it was a shame that we couldn’t check into our hotel until 3, after arriving here at about 12.30. Good job our hotel is in a shopping mall and on top of an underground station. I do think that shopping is a bit of a pastime here though, with ‘our’ mall not even making the top 15 malls on the island!

A bizarre site – a blow up butterfly farm in a Singapore mall!

HK has been very foggy for the last couple of days, which kind of detracts from the views of the skyline! It is due to rain tomorrow, so we have decided against going up in the cable car to the top of the mountains tomorrow! Disappointingly Hong Kong’s previous British heritage does show somewhat, in its lack of incorrectly translated signs, like in China, although the ‘Wanko’ ladies clothes store did amuse me (excuse the childishness)!

‘We’ ate hotpot tonight – Its S’s favourite and she was keen for us to try it. Irritatingly it was a buffet style affair, and so they insisted in charging me too. At least I did have a drink, and tried the purple sweet potato ice cream, which tasted very nice first time around!

Bored of the fog.

Not every day you spot a Buddhist monk taking a selfie😂

Day 1/2

Little india

Clarke’s Quay

New Year Entrance

Arrival / Day 1 in Singapore

We arrived at the airport after an amazingly sleepy flight. Met our taxi driver who seemed a little aghast ant the sight of all our luggage. ‘It’s for my Wife’s medical condition’ K starts to explain; ‘where is your wife’ he asks? Oops he thought K was with his 2 daughters😳

So it’s very hot and sticky here, but we are mail the most of the air conditioned metro system.

We spent our first day in the Gardens by the Bay. Lovely gardens and great view points. Air conditioned greenhouse bubbles.

Every other corner here seems to be hosting some kind of mall – many of them offering very fancy designer shops. Today we even managed to come across a mall, home to its own canal, complete with gondolas!

S and K dines in a burger joint tonight. Astonishingly the menu proclaimed an extra charge of a dollar per glass, if you order your juice without ice! Talk about tight! It’s not as though you are going to find budget dining here, it is a pretty expensive city. K balked at paying $15 for a glass of cider!

I will add some photos when I can get them to share to my iPad!

Day 2 – Sunday

This morning found us in Little India. The parts we saw seemed more residential than anything else. We then moved on to Chinatown. I can’t help enjoying looking at all the weird and wonderful food, although I was pleased to see that it was all dead. I’m not sure I would be that keen to try the fried fish skin, or any of the pig attributes on offer – namely snouts, ears,

We were left in no doubt that it is he start of the Chinese year of the dog? They were everywhere, along with the festive lanterns, satsuma and pineapples. Lots of flowers everywhere too.

We have come back for a bit of a siesta now, before heading out tonight for one of the city’s light shows.

Eatwell Asian Adventure Part 2 – Singapore and Hong Kong – The Night Before – ‘Stuff’

Stuff

Well, due to populate demand (at least two people) I am resurrecting my travel blog. I have been deemed too unsafe to travel solo, so K is coming with me and China is out of bounds. It will be nice to have some company on the long flights, and wonderful to catch up with Sian, who has the whole of February off school. Disappointingly, I somehow seem to have arranged a trip to Singapore and Hong Kong at Chinese New Year, whilst managing to miss the celebrations in each country.

When I am due to fly, I invariably feel anxious about waking up in time in the morning,but since our flight is at 6.30pm, I can’t use that excuse for not sleeping! I don’t think I will be able to relax though, until I have got through security at Heathrow! Nowadays we do have to have ensure that we turn up with plenty of time to spare, in order to get through the varying security checks. I don’t mind – I’d like to think that everyone is checked, but it is surprising how the level of checking varies, depending on airport etc.

As I lay in bed in the middle of the night, writing this, we are nearly packed, but oh boy we have a lot of ‘stuff’! My PN company have sent lots of IV fluid, which is neatly packed into three large polystyrene cool boxes. I have my tubing and other medical supplies in a suitcase, I have my everyday rucksack, I have a cabin-sized case full of more ‘stuff’, a handbag with more ‘stuff’ and another full sized case with a few clothes, lots of medication and more ‘stuff’. K has yet to pack anything; I do hope he leaves room in his suitcase for the rest of my ‘stuff’.

Paperwork

Never has a trip involved so much ruddy paperwork! I almost have more paperwork than ‘stuff’. Having read about Brits languishing in foreign jails for carrying dubious substances, I decided to do my research, and I entered the realms of paperwork purgatory. Did you know it’s illegal to sell chewing gum in Singapore – you can face 2 years in jail! Since she is sharing a hotel room with us, Sian will be pleased to know that it is illegal to walk around your own house naked in Singapore <mental note to self, to investigate how to get in the shower in the morning!>

Anyway, I am getting sidetracked. Much of my ‘stuff’ is paperwork. I was shocked to discover that codeine is a controlled drug, and that I would need a licence to take it into the country. I dutifully filled in my application form and was rather impressed to receive my licence back some fourteen minutes after submitting the form! I have had to list the exact quantities of painkillers I will be taking into the country. It will be somewhat ironic, if my order of liquid dihydrocodeine still hasn’t turned up at the pharmacy tomorrow!

The Hong Kong Department of Health has also issued me with a drug import licence, although this one doesn’t have the exact quantities on it. Both pieces of paperwork do, however mandate me to go through the red channel at customs – something that I have never done before. I do hope that they don’t want to examine all of my ‘stuff’, and that a simple browse through my paperwork mountain will suffice!

Serenaded by stereo snoring, my alliteration knows no bounds; still not able to sleep. Lying here, pondering the morals of stopping my gently snoring pussy in the same way that I would stop the snoring man next to me. I just can’t bring myself to do it!

Instead I will just ponder my ample ‘stuff’ as I desperately try to get some sleep, so I will be raring to go in the morning, ready with another update.

Stuff

‘Stuff’ is taking over my life, or my house at any rate. As I lay in bed on the night before my next Asian adventure, sandwiched between two snorers, I ponder life, the universe, snoring and ‘stuff’.

The snoring, K on one side, Willow on the other, might lull me to sleep, were I feeling that way inclined, but unfortunately my brain seems to be overflowing with ‘stuff’.  The house is full of ‘stuff’ for our travels – mainly my medical ‘stuff’ but I can’t help dwelling on it, wondering if I have the right paperwork, have I forgotten anything vital…..

The human snoring I can deal with – a gentle, well placed kick can work wonders, but  who can bring themselves to kick a gently snoring puss?

Anyway, back to my stuff. As I lay here, I cannot help but analyse it – is 70kg of ‘stuff’ too much, do I have the right paperwork, have I forgotten anything……

Some hours and a few bags later……..

Needn’t have bothered getting the licence to import didydrocodeine into Singapore – went to collect my script today, having been assured that it would be in today, only to be told that they are having manufacturing issues again; grgh! Thankfully the licence wasn’t a complete waste of time, as there are actually other things on it!

Made it through checkin with a few grumbles, and through security in record time! Must remember not to take my little scissors in my hand luggage when we leave Singapore though – the security lady here told me thay will be confiscated.

Now sitting down to a much needed coffee, before the first leg of the flight, to Zurich. Then around 90 minutes before we head on to Singapore. I am looking forward to a much needed snooze.

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