sleepless in singapore

Out of Africa

2009-09-28T22:16:00.000+08:00

After 14 days, over 50 elephants, a dozen lions, and countless World Cup 2010 billboards - we are back from a fantastic vacation in South Africa.

We tried springbok steak, slept in a home guarded by three ostriches, drove 800 kilometers on South Africa's superb highways, saw our first wild elephant (and rhino, lion, leopard, Cape buffalo, hippo, and hyena). I had a dinky point-and-shoot camera with a 25mm lens and just 3x zoom, so thankfully the animals cooperated by coming up close to the vehicle to get their pictures taken. John was ready to zoom off if inquisitive giraffes came too close, but we wondered whether our car rental insurance would cover elephant damage.

We successfully resisted the touristy urge to cram tons of sightseeing into our two-week trip, and visited just two places: Johannesburg, and the area around Kruger National Park. In our too-short stay, we visited friends, took in a good dose of South African history, and saw an amazing number of wild animals up close. I can now identify lion tracks and elephant poo - or rather, "spoor" and "dung". Our ranger would be horrified if he heard me call it "poo." And I'm still far from being an expert at classifying antelope.

Johannesburg was an interesting mix. Posh and cosmopolitan in Sandton City; semi-abandoned and in need of revitalizing in the old downtown; still relatively quiet and full of bird life in the suburbs, where Kathy's good friend Mathew offered us a guest room at their lovely family home. World Cup 2010 posters were everywhere! John scoped out the stadiums and moaned that we were a year early.

South Africa has great roads (that is, except for the areas undergoing roadwork for the World Cup). After being car-less in expensive Singapore for the past four years, it was refreshing having a smooth highway all to ourselves. In fact, this Africa trip may end up costing us a lot if it entices John into buying a car! We opted for a practical Corolla instead of a high-performance BMW - I figured we'd save on speeding fines, and anyway typical game-viewing speed is below 30kph on Kruger's unpaved roads. We got one speeding ticket in 10 days of driving... and that, only because John overtook a queue of 3 light vehicles and an agonizingly slow truck, uphill, on a highway bridge, while passing a parked police car. No hope of getting out of that one.

(John says - at least it wasn't curved, at night, and raining!)

We booked a variety of places - a lodge at the exclusive Sabi Sand private game reserve, a cozy guesthouse with two resident hippos, and regular bungalows at Kruger National Park. The view from our room:

But the absolute highlight of our trip was the Wolhuter Wilderness Trail that we booked in Kruger. We spent three nights out in the bush, in a section of the park that is closed to regular tourists. Eight guests doing the walking trail, two armed rangers, one great cook. Oh, and Corlia, our ranger's wife.

Living in a tiny city-state, it is hard to comprehend the vastness of the African bush. On our wilderness trail, we had just our group (and the resident Section Ranger), alone in a wilderness section more than half the size of Singapore. No other sign of humans or human habitation in sight. And that section in turn was just a fraction of the total Kruger National Park, which is over 350 km long and an average of 60 km wide... close to two million hectares. How many hectares is Singapore? About 60,000.

We saw a tiny corner of a tiny pocket of Africa. It left us humbled and feeling very small... insignificant in the thousands of hectares of African wilderness, and the tens of thousands of years that humans and animals have co-existed on this planet.

More stories to come.

Thank you, Africa

2009-09-23T23:03:00.004+08:00

We've just returned from a fabulous, amazing two weeks in South Africa. We spent about 10 days out in the African bush - and it wasn't nearly enough.

More stories to come... but in the meantime, our deepest thanks to:

Kathy, for inspiring us to go
My parents, for raising me with a spirit of adventure and a friendly familiarity with elephants
Mathew for being a fantastic host and introducing our taste buds to South Africa
Tita Birgitta and Tito Carl for graciously welcoming us into their home, and for patiently staying up to hear our excited stories about Kruger
James, Corlia, Philemon and Johannes for an unforgettable introduction to Kruger's Wolhuter Wilderness Trail
Our very good-humoured trail companions - it was a pleasure evading rhinos with you
Wayne and Connie at Elephant Plains for finding us 4 of the Big Five on our first game drive
All the staff of the Kruger National Park

And most of all, to the two hippos of Gardenia Hide... for making Africa personal, and memorable.

Climbing Mount Kinabalu

2009-07-09T21:28:00.001+08:00

Mount Kinabalu is often described (not entirely accurately, I might add) as a "beginner's mountain".

That's because it doesn't require special technical expertise. Anyone reasonably fit and determined can walk to the summit, the highest in Southeast Asia at 4095 meters. So when our friend Alex invited us on a Kinabalu climb with her sister's friends, we said "Sure!"

However, like any mountain, Kinabalu deserves plenty of respect... starting with a good training plan before you go.

I was a little too taken in by the brochures ("anyone from 7 to 70 can climb!"), busy with work, and perhaps a tad overconfident after having survived our trek in Nepal. So we were lax in training for KK... a few enthusiastic running sessions when we started out, eventually tapering off into a short hike up Bukit Timah (a whopping 165 meters high) every other week.

Moral lesson: when travelling with a group, always check out your tripmates before you go.

I knew I was in trouble when we got to the airport and one of our travelling companions was wearing a Singapore Ironman 70.3 km t-shirt. Not just any Ironman shirt, a FINISHER's shirt.

We spent the night at a lodge in the national park at the foot of Mount Kinabalu. Early the next morning we set off via Timpohon Gate. Naturally the glossy ads failed to mention the pouring rain. It IS a tropical rainforest, after all...

Luckily there were no leeches.

We reached Laban Rata rest house after a 5-hour climb. Grueling for me, an easy jaunt for our fit mountaineer companions. Why is it we always end up on trips with semi-professionals?

We spent the afternoon resting and pondering our crazy itinerary for the following day. Our group originally planned to hike up to the summit first thing in the morning, and then do the Low's Peak Circuit via ferrata and descend by the longer but more scenic Mesilau trail.

One thing we've learned from travelling is that we have limitations. John and I made it up to the summit (slowly) but decided to skip the via ferratas, saving energy for our descent. Alex took the easier Walk the Torq ferrata while her sister Caroline completed Low's Peak Circuit. In the end all of us descended via Timpohon -- after learning that Mesilau goes down into a valley and finishes with a 2 km uphill walk!

Our advice: If you're planning on the Via Ferrata, we recommend planning a more relaxed schedule with two nights on the mountain instead of one. That way you can see sunrise on the summit and then take your time with enjoying the breathtaking views on the Via Ferrata -- instead of rushing back down to safely descend off the mountain before dark. Apparently it's quite common for groups to be over-ambitious and end up scaling back their ferrata plans or dropping them altogether. When the expeditions agent tells you that the ferrata route is strenuous and difficult... believe them.

Even though we didn't do everything we'd planned, it was an exhilarating experience watching the sun rise from Low's Peak. During every step of a trek, we always swear we'll never do this again. But on our ride back to the KK airport -- safely recovered from any vestiges of altitude sickness -- we were already thinking of our next climb.

Tips for climbing Mount Kinabalu:

Train properly - cardio and stair-climbing twice a week and a steep 3-hour hike each weekend, starting 2-3 months before you go.
Know your limits and go slowly. This also helps reduce the risk of altitude sickness.
Book early. Accommodation fills up really fast.
Spend two nights on the mountain if you are planning the Via Ferrata.
Bring earplugs. Unless you're a sound sleeper who can rest with snorers in the same dorm!

Life: A Doublebill

2007-11-25T15:40:00.000+08:00

Last night I went to see Life: A Doublebill at the Drama Centre Black Box. Both plays, Implosion and Just Late, were good - funny scripts and good delivery. This was the first play I've seen in Singapore that didn't have a Q&A session at the end!

I'm looking forward to seeing more plays by the same creative teams: Lionel Chok (director) and Suzanne Choo (writer) from Implosion, and Christina Sergeant (director) and Dora Tan (writer) from Just Late. I enjoyed watching Shem Teo's portrayal of a Tourette's sufferer and Jasmine Yong's filling in as Anita. She was so funny - and to think she stepped into the role at the last minute because the original actress was ill. And Dick did well too, of course, as the doctor with a slight obsessive-compulsive bent himself.

It's always great meeting more people who like going to the theater. Anna and I were there with Ash, who was there with her friends because of Dick, who was acting in Implosion. It was complicated trying to explain to Ash's friends how I'd met her!

Anna, Ash, and I have common friends who all play in the same band. When we say that, people always ask, "So, do you play any instruments?" It's funny. As if hanging out with someone who's musically inclined means some of their talent rubs off on on us. :)

Ash and friends are going to catch Lord of the Flies in December, hope I can free up enough time to join them.

GV Gold Class Cinemas

2007-07-29T14:11:00.000+08:00

GV's Gold Class cinema may be expensive, but it was worth every cent. We went to see Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix at the Gold Class Cinema at VivoCity last week. The plush red La-Z-Boy-style seats recline to just the right angle, and the blankets are perfect for keeping warm in the cold theater.

Since we were watching during off-peak times, we paid just S$25 for each ticket instead of the regular S$30. Our Gold Class experience started downstairs at the Golden Village ticket counter, where a separate area is roped off (complete with red carpet) for Gold Class viewers. We were handed our tickets in a glossy Gold Class envelope, and then directed to the lounge upstairs to wait for our screening to start.

The lounge is essentially a bar and cafe just outside the Gold Class theaters. The lounge staff welcomed us, then handed us a menu and a glossy little envelope containing feedback cards. While waiting in the lounge, you can watch TV, flip through a stack of Vanity Fair issues and other magazines, and pore over the menu. You can pre-order food to be served inside the theater. The set dinner looked yummy and was reasonably priced - S$25 for an appetizer, a main course, dessert, and coffee or tea. We'd already had dinner so we decided to go straight to dessert, but in any case I imagine it must be difficult eating an entire meal inside a dark theater. Plus, the cinema tables are a tad small for a full meal. So you may be better off having your appetizer and main course in the lounge, and then asking them to serve your dessert during the movie (as we did!).

We pre-ordered the warm chocolate brownie with vanilla ice cream, a couple of drinks, and a bucket of popcorn, then settled in with a couple of film magazines until the movie was ready to start. They handed us our credit card slip and receipt in yet another glossy envelope - by now we were accumulating quite a stack of them.

Once inside, we had fun playing with the motorized reclining seats and finding just the right viewing angle as trailers flashed on the screen. As usual, we booked late and ended up with center seats in the very first row! That would normally be a painful, neck-stiffening experience in any other theater, but at Gold Class it was made bearable by reclining our seats almost all the way down. The whole experience was a bit like being on an airline - complete with a little concierge button to call someone over in case you want to order more food.

The theaters are pretty cozy, with maximum capacity ranging from 24 to 48 seats. Seats are arranged in groups of two, which makes it a bit awkward if you're a family of five or a group of three friends - I guess Golden Village is primarily catering to the couple crowd. Spacious aisles and low seating capacity eliminate the mad rush to the exit that happens at the end of each screening in regular theaters.

The sound quality wasn't so great in the particular theater we tried (GV Gold Class 3 at Vivocity), but picture quality was excellent. I wonder if the sound would have been better if we'd sat a little further back.

Overall, the extremely comfortable seats and blanket more than made up for any hiccups in the experience. While I don't think we can afford to catch films at Gold Class every week, we will definitely be back.

Contact Information and More Details

Golden Village's website is at www.gv.com.sg - you can check showtimes, reserve seats, and buy tickets online.
Gold Class cinemas are available at GV VivoCity (Harbourfront MRT) and at GV Grand (Great World City, 1 Kim Seng Promenade)
Ticket prices for Gold Class films generally range from S$25 for weekday and off-peak screenings to S$30 for weekends.

What others are blogging about GV Gold Class cinemas

"So comfortable and accommodating" - Momo Land
"I even took off my shoes and snuggled up" - MiCHEING iN ACTioN
"Made me almost fall asleep" - Jaschocolate

Did you like this post? Check out my other posts about our adventures in Singapore.

Chocolate Tasting

2007-07-06T18:30:00.000+08:00

A small box of Laurent Bernard chocolates was waiting for me at the office when I returned from Ko Phi Phi - a token of appreciation for a good quarter.

I liked the chocolates at Laurent Bernard's Chocolate Factory when it opened (although the service was another story), and this box was as good as the first one.

My home's nowhere near a good chocolatier, so I have to ration my goodies carefully - which is tough when there's two of you raiding the fridge! The orange-and-marzipan Alhambra nearly seduced me into eating the whole box at one go, but the strong cinnamon flavor of the Balthazar choc abruptly restored my self-discipline. Call me uncultured, but I like my cinnamon in hints - not heaps.

Speaking of chocolate, the National Museum is holding a Know Your Chocolate lecture on September 15, 2007:

Can you tell the difference between a good chocolate bar and a great one? Does having a higher percentage of cocoa in a chocolate bar necessarily translate into a superior taste experience? Is single estate chocolate merely a marketing ploy?

This lecture traces the origins of our favourite deep, dark indulgence and teaches you how to tell the difference between different kinds of chocolates. As part of this sinfully rich course, participants will be treated to a chocolate tasting.

The lecture starts at 3 pm at the National Museum, and admission is S$35 per person.

The Food and Culture series runs from July to December and includes talks on local herbs and spices, the art of the high tea, and classic cocktails. Participants can book online at the National Museum web site.

I'm still a little skeptical about this one - I'd rather spend my S$35 on chocolate - but will think about going with some chocoholic friends.

What others are blogging about the Food and Culture lecture series

"A really fun project that S has been spearheading is the development of a new series of public programmes for the National Museum of Singapore." - Chubby Hubby
"despite of what i said about the NM in an earlier entry, i am actually a fan of it after its revamp!" - faizis

Liked this post? Read my other food stories!

Tom Yum Goong and Phad Thai on Phi Phi

2007-07-03T23:58:00.000+08:00

When we arrived at Ko Phi Phi, we had lunch at Jasmine's on Laem Tong beach, where we were surprised with an interesting variation on tom yum goong – it had coconut milk. The food was good, but the addition of coconut milk was a bit unsettling. If you're ever there, try the deep fried banana fritters with honey. Yum.

Dinner was at posh Zeavola's beachfront restaurant, with elegant votive candles and perplexing but delicious octopus ink bread. Steph had a gorgeous glass of strawberry-topped house iced tea. Of course, this luxury came at a price – tom yum goong here cost about four times what it did at Jasmine's. Zeavola's tom yum was a tourist-oriented version, low on chili but made flavorful by galangal and lemongrass. The shrimp were huge!

We had grand plans for the next day. We would work up an appetite snorkeling, have a leisurely lunch at Ruen Thai restaurant up on the hill, and then relax with a massage at Wana Spa. The snorkeling worked fine, but we hit a snag when we disembarked at Phi Phi Island Village and walked up to the bar to make a reservation for Ruen Thai.

"What time would you like to book, ma'am?" the bartender asked, consulting a large reservations book.

"At 12," said Steph.

All she got in reply was a blank, puzzled look.

"12," she repeated, pointing to her watch. "Now. Can we go now?"

It turned out Ruen Thai is only open for dinner. The bartender must have thought we were crazy, wanting to eat at midnight!

So instead we had phad thai and tom yum goong at Marlin restaurant. The food was good enough, but I felt it was overpriced. When the menu quotes you prices in euros along with baht, that's generally not a good sign.

Our next new find was our cheapest, and in my opinion, the best. On our last full day on Ko Phi Phi, we took a longtail boat to see Ko Phi Phi Ley and stopped in Ton Sai on the way back for lunch. The phad thai at Leon restaurant was packed full of flavor and had just the right level of chili for me. Okay, so it's a stretch to call it a restaurant – it's a bunch of folding tables and plastic chairs in the middle of the souvenir market. The place might also have been called Sammy or Mr. Soda – the menus had all three names so I can't be sure what its real name was, but you can't miss it: look for the billboard full of scrawled backpacker recommendations, the large "thank you" sign, and a handwritten sign advertising "the BEST papaya salad!".

The tom yum goong woke us up and cleared our sinuses, a sharp contrast to the cool refreshing fruit shakes. We had a filling meal for three, two perfect fruit shakes and a cool glass of orange juice – for about 50 baht per dish.

Now if I can only find someplace in Singapore that serves great phad thai for 50 baht…

Contact information and more details

Jasmine is on Laem Tong beach, Ko Phi Phi – sandwiched between Erawan Palms and the Holiday Inn. Price range: 70 to 80 baht per dish. Rating: 3 out of 5, because of the coconut milk in the tom yum.
Zeavola is also on Laem Tong beach. Their Tacada restaurant is most definitely a date place. If your budget doesn't extend to dinner at Zeavola, wander over for an after-dinner drink and soak in the ambience. Price range: 300 to 400 baht per dish. Rating: 4 out of 5, for the atmosphere, the excellent service, and the deliciously unusual bread.
Marlin and Ruen Thai are at Phi Phi Island Village at Ao Loh Ba-kao. Price range: 350 to 450 baht per dish. Rating: 2 out of 5, didn't think it was worth the price.
Leon eatery (or Sammy, or Mr. Soda) is at the open-air market in Ton Sai, a short walk from the pier. Wander among the stalls until you see the big "Thank You" sign. Price range: 50 to 60 baht per dish. Rating: 5 out of 5 – best value and best flavor, how can you beat that?

Read the previous post or check out the rest of this Krabi and Ko Phi Phi trip series.

Loving Ko Phi Phi's Low Season

2007-07-01T02:09:00.000+08:00

With tourism bringing crowds to ever more remote places, low season is today's version of 'the less traveled road'. And it’s a blessing to the cash-strapped - if you don’t mind a little rain now and then, you can enjoy many beautiful parts of the world at very reasonable prices, with no crowds.

May through October marks low season on the Andaman coast. At Ko Phi Phi, we stayed at Phi Phi Erawan Palms resort, which offered double rooms for 1,800 baht (when booked through Sawadee.com) – this goes up to a whopping 4,500 baht at the height of peak season.

We had the beaches at Laem Tong and Ao Loh Ba-Kao all to ourselves.

Hin Klang Reef, Bamboo Island, and Mosquito Island were pretty much deserted when we got there – it was just us, dozens of parrotfish, and a small but menacing community of black sea urchins. Our sole human contact, other than with our boatman, was with a family of three Americans who briefly gushed "beautiful reef, beautiful fish!" before setting off... once again leaving us to the silence of the Andaman sea.

The wind was blowing too strongly for us to see Ao Maya, a magnet for day-trippers from Phuket anxious to see where The Beach was filmed. Ah, the sacrifices one must make to enjoy the low season. We swam for a while in the lagoon at Ao Pileh before distant lightning strikes and arriving day-trippers prompted us to scramble out of the water.

After crossing the inter-island swells in a tiny longtail boat, the ominous grey clouds on the horizon were enough to make us flee to our favorite rainy-day pastimes: eating and shopping. Note to self: low season water travel requires a strong stomach!

Ton Sai was backpacker central even in the off season; I can just imagine how packed it must be during peak. I stood for ten minutes on the main alley and watched wave after wave of Caucasian shoppers and backpackers walk by, with few Thais or even other Asian tourists in the mix. While cheap rooms were available in Ton Sai for a fraction of what we were paying at Erawan Palms, the hustle and bustle of "downtown" just didn't fit with our idea of a relaxing vacation.

Back at Laem Tong, we scouted around for evening activities. Even at low season prices, I can’t afford to stay at luxury resorts like Zeavola, with rates ranging from 5,500 to 11,000 baht a night. But for the price of a cold cocktail, we were able to indulge ourselves, lounging on cushioned beach beds that would otherwise go unused. Staff are at their friendliest when there’s no one else waiting to be served, and instead of rushing us at dinner they cheerfully brought us a second serving of their delicious octopus ink bread and let us soak in the relaxed ambience of their romantic beachfront restaurant. If we weren’t so perplexed by the bread’s color, I would never have guessed its ingredients included anything more exotic than toasted cheese.

The other benefit of low season is discounts on the ultimate in pampering – spa treatments. At Wana Spa at Phi Phi Island Village, we booked a two-and-a-half hour package that included a milky jacuzzi soak, a scented body scrub, and a relaxing aromatherapy massage for about 2,700 baht per person. Okay, so it was an indulgence that was over ten times more expensive than the humble Thai massage we got in Krabi town for 250 baht, but I consoled myself with the thought that the same spa package in Singapore would probably set me back at least 6,000 baht, if not more.

Tourism authorities all over the world are doing their darnedest to market rainy season tourism, quoting euphemisms like "fruit season" or "green season" to dress up the cold, wet truth. I’m half-hoping they’re unsuccessful, so that we can keep low season the exclusive province of knowing travelers with a penchant for cut-rate trips.

Low season optimists know that weather forecasts that predict a 50% chance of rain can be flipped around and read as a 50% chance of, well, no rain. Here’s hoping we continue to stay lucky.

Contact information and more details

Sawadee.com hotel reviews and bookings - www.sawadee.com
Phi Phi Erawan Palms resort - www.pperawanpalms.com
Phi Phi Island Village resort - www.ppisland.com
Zeavola resort - www.zeavola.com
Longtail boats can be booked by trip or by the hour with the Chao Ley (sea gypsy) cooperative, which sets standard fees. You can also book through resorts at a slightly higher rate.

Read more about Ko Phi Phi

"swam for 45 minutes with three 15-20ft manta rays swooping around us" - Schiavoni Files
"tonnes of farangs running around but somehow, the whole place doesn't seem as shamelessly touristy as say Patong" - unkster
Rock climbing at Ton Sai tower: "At the top of the routes, you overlook Ao Ton Sai and Ao Lo Dalam, which are the two bays in the skinny part of Ko Phi Phi." - All Thai-ed Up
Post-tsunami cleanup report by Project Aware

Read the previous entry or check out the rest of this Krabi and Ko Phi Phi trip series.

Singapore to Krabi for 20 SGD

2007-06-29T20:45:00.000+08:00

Where would we be without budget airlines? Stuck at home, probably. Last Saturday, we flew Tiger Airways to Krabi for a round-trip fare of about 20 SGD, not much more than the cost of a taxi to Changi airport. Plus airport taxes and various fees, of course, of about 100 SGD – still cheap.

Having just spent the last eight weeks working days, nights, and weekends, Steph and I were sorely in need of a break. The call of Tiger’s low-cost fares proved irresistible. John carved a few days’ vacation out of his busy schedule and we booked the night flight to Krabi.

Fares below ten dollars are usually only available if you book several weeks to three months in advance, but because it’s low season we were able to snag cheap flights just five days ahead of time.

Tiger’s stopped doing free-for-all seating. They now offer seat selection (for 5 SGD) or automatically selected seats. They also offer exit row seats with more leg room (for 25 SGD), extra baggage allowance (for a fee), and special arrangements for oversized sports equipment (you guessed it, for a fee).

Passengers are not allowed to bring their own food. Tiger Airways claims this primarily is out of concern for the delicate sensibilities of passengers who may not be thrilled about durian or curry scents wafting about in an enclosed space, but at least they’re honest about pushing up revenues from chips and cup noodles ("Please don’t deprive our cabin crew of commissions..."). Rebel that I am, I discreetly snacked on my barbeque-flavored Pringles while leafing through the in-flight magazine (which is still free – so far).

Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong flew Tiger Airways back from Hanoi last November. I wonder how much he paid for his fare, if he ordered any of those cup noodles, and whether he paid to request more leg room. Not that he would have had to worry about depleting government funds by opting for an exit row seat - Temasek Holdings, the Singapore Government’s investment arm, owns 11% of Tiger Airways.

Tiger travelers may pay humble fares, but we’re in prestigious company.

Information and Contact Details

Tiger Airways is at www.tigerairways.com
Phone: +65 653-TIGER (9 am to 9 pm daily)
Partner Octopus Travel offers special hotel rates for Tiger passengers
Hostelworld.com does the same for hostel bookings

What others are blogging about Tiger Airways

The Tiger Airways Australia blog at Wordpress is tracking Tiger’s progress towards launching Australian domestic flights in December 2007. I’m looking forward to seeing those 119.99 SGD one-way flights to Melbourne.
Don’t expect Changi’s regular conveniences, as there's "nothing much you can do inside the budget terminal" - Life Snapshot
"Yes, you do pay less than half the normal fare... but no food????!!!!" - wagg

Check out the rest of this Krabi and Ko Phi Phi trip series.

Chinese New Year Lo Hei in Singapore

2007-03-04T23:31:00.000+08:00

Tonight is the last night of Chinese New Year, which started on February 18. You've got to love a culture that celebrates New Year for two weeks!

This year I did my first lo hei - in fact, three lo heis in the space of four days, ranging from a casual get-together with Ash's friends to a huge ballroom affair sponsored by Microsoft. By the last one I was a certified expert at tossing raw salmon salad with a pair of chopsticks.

Lo Hei, pronounced "lo hey", is a focal point of Chinese New Year celebrations in Singapore and Malaysia. A salad made of julienned vegetables, prawn crackers, chopped peanuts, plum sauce, and strips of raw fish, is placed on a plate in the center of the table. Everyone gathers round and then uses their chopsticks to toss the salad as high as they can for good luck... while yelling out wishes for the new year. I have to say, don't wish for a new job at your company's lo hei or you might find your wish granted sooner than you'd like.

The salad itself is called yu sheng or yusheng, which literally means "raw fish". It symbolizes prosperity - like many other Chinese New Year customs. Top-quality yu sheng tastes pretty good, even though I'm generally not a fan of either raw carrots, raw salmon, or plum sauce when taken individually.

Funnily enough, most of my Singaporean friends describe lo hei as an imported custom from Hong Kong and mainland China, while my Hong Kong friends look at the salmon-tossing in amazement and say they've never done anything like it. According to Wikipedia, yu sheng salad in its current form was popularized by a Singaporean chef in 1964.

I'm told Singapore Airlines has served yu sheng on board its flights and I was briefly taken aback by the thought of hundreds of airline passengers tossing julienned carrots over their airline trays and yelling "Good luck! Big bonus!". No, my traveller friend clarified quickly, they didn't do any of the tossing - just served the salad neatly on the usual airline plate.

My vote for the best yu sheng I had this year goes to... Pan Pacific hotel.

Read more about Chinese New Year in Singapore:

Lo hei off the tabletop - Kitchen Crazy Daffy
Modern-day yu sheng originated at Lai Wah restaurant, where it's "definitely worth the $20 price tag!" - Foodie Paradise
Can't stand messy strips of raw fish? Try Lo Mein Lo Hei instead - The Feast Crusade

Check out other food experiences I've had in Singapore, or posts about
Singapore life in general.

Café Mary Grace at Serendra

2007-02-23T23:22:00.000+08:00

Last weekend I had a sinfully rich hot chocolate, with just a hint of vanilla, at Café Mary Grace at Serendra. We'd flown to Manila for the Chinese New Year holidays (when everything in Singapore is closed!) and spent Sunday night catching up with Carl, Kathy, Diane, Dex, Issa, and the kids.

The eponymously named Mary Grace Hot Chocolate is one of several varieties on the menu. It's so rich I practically had to eat it with a spoon... but it's smooth, and not at all cloying or bitter.

Besides the hot chocolates, we tried the pastas, the iced teas (one pitcher of Hibiscus iced tea, and another of Apple and Cinnamon), and the dessert squares. Ironically, nobody ordered any of the famous ensaymadas.

Mary Grace's daughter Chiara introduced her to us - she was very nice and so motherly, we felt more like houseguests than customers.

Dozens of letters to Mary Grace peeked up at us through the glass tabletops. We read a few, and then Diane and I slipped in a couple postcards of our own. I wonder how long before someone discovers them?

A dozen meters away from Café Mary Grace, Xocolat sells hot chocolate from a small stall while waiting for their main store to open up. And with Cacao right at the entrance, it looks like Serendra is shaping up to be a chocolate lover's paradise.

Information and Contact Details:

Café Mary Grace is at Serendra, Bonifacio High Street, Bonifacio Global City, Taguig
Phone: +63 (2) 856-0308

What others are blogging about Mary Grace and Serendra:

Pictures of the café, by one of Mary Grace's kids
Photos of the ensaymada, cheese rolls, lemon tarts, and Food for the Gods by their food stylist
Anton's Best of Serendra Restaurants at Our Awesome Planet

Related posts? Compare this to Singapore hot chocolate, where I've had to make do with Starbucks and Spinelli...

Strawberry Ice at Rakuzen

2007-02-21T21:59:00.000+08:00

We decided on a Japanese dinner for Valentine's, which in hindsight was a great choice because it's hard to eat steak with a broken arm!

You can usually count on Japanese set meals to be beautifully arranged, and Rakuzen's were no exception. Their sushi and sashimi sets looked tantalizing. We opted to keep it simple, though - I ordered the tencha set (tempura on rice with soup poured over it), John ordered several yakitori dishes, and we both had maguro sushi and tekka maki as appetizers.

The sushi was good, although the yakitori was bland.

My favorite part of the meal is... dessert. We ordered Strawberry Ice, which is a trio of frozen strawberries filled with something that tasted like vanilla-marshmallow pudding.

We chose Rakuzen because it's at Millenia Walk, about 15 minutes from City Hall MRT. Getting a cab is a nightmare on Valentine's day, so John and I met at the MRT station. He surprised me by showing up in his barong - an amazing feat for a guy in a cast. I was very impressed.

Information and Contact Details

Address: Millenia Walk #01-14, 9 Raffles Boulevard, (S) 039596
Phone: +65 6333 1171
It's said to be affiliated with Sushi Tei

What others are saying about Rakuzen

"Rakuzen flies in fresh fish from Japan every Tuesday and Friday" - AsiaOne
"The best endamame (sic) I have tasted" - Singapore food choices, Lah!
A poor review at Makansutra's Food! Food! Food! forum

A Broken Arm

2007-02-20T14:46:00.000+08:00

John broke his arm! Or, more specifically, he fractured a little bone somewhere at or near his elbow. He got taken down while going for a header. At least he got the ball... his soccer team went on to win 4-2.

We got yet another taste of Singapore's famous efficiency at Tan Tock Seng hospital's emergency room... to save time, the ER asks you to line up and pay while waiting to see the doctor. :)

I had to present my identity card (or a work permit) to register as a visitor. I guess they're afraid patients will get undocumented guests? The screener stuck a blue paper bracelet around my wrist, marking me as a visitor so I wouldn't get accidentally treated. Or, more likely, so I wouldn't get accidentally charged ER fees.

Kidding aside, Tan Tock Seng really is efficient. John arrived alone while I was at capoeira class, so by the time I got there he was already somewhere in the maze of treatment rooms and patient waiting areas. In Manila I would have had to wander around describing John to nurses and peeking under partition curtains to see if I could identify his running shoes anywhere. Here, I gave his name to the friendly Filipina nurse at the registration counter, and she looked him up in the system to check his current status.

"Oh, he's in consultation," she told me. "Room 8."

I sat and waited while he went through x-ray and got a cast, and then we walked over to Novena Square for a nice hot meal.

Things we've learned you can't do with a broken arm:

Tie shoelaces
Play Xbox
Peel shrimp

Filipino Food in Singapore

2007-01-28T21:46:00.000+08:00

We held a Pinoy Potluck farewell dinner for a friend last Friday. As cooking has never been one of my strengths, the only way to survive hosting a dinner party was to order food from a nearby restaurant.

This involved a quick trip over to Lucky Plaza, shopping mecca for all things Filipino. Most of the Filipino food places at Lucky Plaza aren't impressive; Kabayan and others are more cafeteria-style karinderias than anything else. So I opted for GP Asian Restaurant on the fourth floor, a pricier Filipino place that also serves Thai cuisine. The P&G expatriate Filipino community hires GP to cater for unofficial functions, so I'd tried some of their food before.

The best part is, they deliver. The food arrived hot and about fifteen minutes early.

GP was a good choice. Their lumpiang shanghai got good reviews from Jill and Karen. As usual, I ordered too much food and guests brought even more, so we had lots of crispy pata and lechon manok left over for everyone to bring home.

We made sure to save plenty of space for dessert... Donna's delicious home-made turon and Mina's yummy flourless almond chocolate cake.

I don't often go out for Filipino food in Singapore, preferring to eat chicken rice, wonton noodles, or chilli crab (when in Rome...). But the next time any of us gets a craving for bagoong or daing, we're going to GP.

Information and Contact Details

GP Asian Restaurant is at 304 Orchard Road, #04-50/51 Lucky Plaza
Delivery charge was S$10 for an S$85 order.
Phone: +65 6733 2723
Fax: +65 6733 6947

What other people are saying about the Filipino food at GP...

Pictures of GP's sisig, crispy pata, and sinigang - picturing_food
"I've eaten here many times previously, and I can testify for the awesometitude." - Raymond Angelo, having halo-halo
"the best crispy pata hereabouts..." - Jet David

Find out more about Filipino food

Names and descriptions of common Filipino dishes at WikiTravel
See what lechon and other dishes look like at the Pinoy Food Photoblog
Filipino recipes at www.filipinofoods.info
Filipino delicacies at pinoycook.net

Our Best Stories of 2006

2007-01-14T22:16:00.000+08:00

Happy New Year from John and Ching! Here are the funniest and most fun things we did in 2006... click on the link to see the full story.

1. Our Bungy Jump

"You booked the tandem one?" asked the lady at the AJ Hackett Bungy counter. "You're crazy."

2. Fox Glacier Heli-Hike

Fox Glacier Heli-Hikes are billed as a once-in-a-lifetime experience. That’s partly because after paying our tab we were too broke to consider a second go. Kidding aside, the glacier was amazing.

3. Our Scary Bed and Breakfast Stay

There was a huge closet in the bedroom. It was large enough to hold a person and I was afraid to open it for fear that it did.

4. Capoeira, Football, and the Standard Chartered Marathon

We did a lot of sports this year - Ching sparred with Brazilian guys on the sidewalk on Orchard Road (imagine that), while John played football with Pirates FC and finished the 42K Standard Chartered Marathon for the second year in a row... despite swearing after last year's marathon that he'd never do it again.

5. Trekking Toa Payoh

Yes, I know... suburban Singapore isn't exactly the height of death-defying adventure. But given the scarcity of mountain peaks and ocean depths within walking distance from our apartment, beggars can't be choosers :)

Many more stories and a ton of pictures are up on my blog at makati.blogspot.com

May you all have a great 2007! Keep in touch!

Cheers,

Ching and John

Day 9: Last Day in Christchurch

2006-12-31T08:39:00.000+08:00

This was our ninth and final day in New Zealand, the end of a great vacation.

We'd planned on the weekend market at the Arts Centre as well as the International Antarctic Centre for this day, but we decided to sleep in and have a leisurely breakfast instead.

After packing and a quick shower, it was across the street to the bus stop and off to the airport!

All in all we had a good nine-day itinerary, it was a fabulous trip around the South Island.

We enjoyed our stays in Christchurch, Fox Glacier, and Queenstown. Lake Matheson, Mount Cook and Lake Tekapo provided glorious views, our tandem bungy jump was the experience of a lifetime, and we'll have to come back someday to see Milford Sound and go kayaking at Abel Tasman.

Anyone else have good New Zealand travel stories to share?

Read the previous entry or check out the rest of this New Zealand trip series.

Christchurch: Summers B&B at Knowles Court

2006-12-30T11:50:00.000+08:00

Our cab pulled into an empty gravel driveway surrounded by a nondescript brick wall. There was no one in sight, although I’d briefly caught a glimpse of a shadowy figure through the old house’s windows.

"Are you sure this is the place?" John asked. We could see lights in the living room, so we walked cautiously through the garden to what looked like the front door. Knock, knock.

A few minutes later our host appeared in the doorway. He was large, imposing, and the very picture of a proprietor of a grand old Christchurch manor home. He gave us a hearty welcome, and on finding out we lived in Singapore, regaled us with stories of his excellent Chinese cooking. Yes, multi-course Chinese dinners complete with proper rice vinegar. No wonder Summers B&B is popular with Asian students and teachers.

Knowles Court is a registered Heritage Home. Sounds good, right? It was built in 1910, and if you wander around I suspect you can still see some of the original plumbing. Clawfoot tubs may look luxurious in pictures, but ancient showers and toilets are certainly something else.

We entered our apartment just as darkness started to fall. Our host gave us a short tour and turned on the heat. Then he left, shutting the door with an ominous thud. We were on our own.

The bed was simple and somewhat old, clearly not the luxurious queen bed with fluffy down pillows and sumptuous duvet that I’d conjured up in my imagination when making our booking. There was a huge closet in the bedroom. It was large enough to hold a person and I was afraid to open it for fear that it did.

The living room was sparsely furnished and had a small TV. An empty candlestick stood on the windowsill, instantly transporting us onto a real-life set for Cluedo. "Colonel Mustard in the living room with the candlestick!" We looked at each other and laughed nervously.

We explored the dining nook, where we found a length of twisted curtain tie on the shelf. "Mrs. Peacock in the dining room with the rope!" Our overactive imaginations manufactured an atmosphere of general creepiness and we scared ourselves silly.

We stayed awake for as long as we could watching TV, and then gingerly crawled into bed. We pulled out one of the headlamps we’d brought to Nepal, pulled the chain to turn off the room light, and slept with 4 bright white LED lights keeping us company.

The one redeeming factor of our stay was the delicious cooked breakfast, served to us in our private dining room by our host’s wife.

The apartment lost most of its sinister atmosphere in the bright morning sunlight. "You have no power over me!" I crowed happily, feeling triumphant until I opened the bathroom door and gazed sadly at the sub-par shower. As you can imagine, I am not generally keen on bathroom fittings that may be twice as old as I am.

As we left, John looked back at the house and quipped, "We never did find out what was in the cellar..."

Lessons I've learned on how to choose a bed and breakfast:

If you are booking in a home built at the turn of the last century, check to make sure the plumbing isn’t as historic as the house’s foundations.
Don’t get carried away by good-looking websites. Be wary if photos focus on details like lampshades and table corners instead of showing the entire room.
Always check reviews. I got lucky with Ropatini’s, but I’ll be a lot more cautious booking unreviewed B&B’s in the future.

Summers B&B may well be a terrific choice for New Zealand breakfasts and Chinese dinners, and I understand the house is being steadily though slowly fixed up. Until our favorite creature comforts are in place, though, I think we’ll stay somewhere else next time...

For the less-easily scared, here is their contact information:

Summers B&B is at Knowles Court, 274 Papanui Road, Merivale, Christchurch; a few minutes by car from the airport.
Web site:www.summers.net.nz
E-mail: stay@summers.net.nz
Phone: +64 3 355 1145
Rates range from NZ$60 to 120 per double per night with breakfast

Bloggers tell tales of scary stays in other places:

“We were both awaken (sic) by a thrashing sound of something flying." - Iloilo City Boy, in Iloilo
“I kept visualizing this enormous spider (the size of a grown man's hand) crawling out from behind the mattress and on to my pillow." - dcb, in Cairns
A Haunting in Hugo: Old Johnson House Inn, also built in 1910 (Coincidence? Ha, I think not) - Open Magazine

Read the previous entry or check out the rest of this New Zealand trip series.

Day 8: Queenstown to Christchurch via Mount Cook

2006-12-30T11:10:00.000+08:00

Day 8 was another road-trip day, going from Queenstown back to Christchurch, again via Newmans coach. We left Queenstown a little past the scheduled time of 8:20 AM and arrived in Christchurch around 6:45 PM. For the first time on our nine-day trip, the skies were grey and rain poured the whole day.

Well, almost the whole day. The sun peeked out for 10 brief minutes at Mount Cook, just enough time for us to take this picture.

The coach stopped at Mount Cook Village for lunch. Instead of crowding into The Hermitage with the rest of the tourist crowd, we borrowed a huge umbrella and walked over to The Old Mountaineers' Cafe.

One day we'll have to come back and try their kayak tours.

We stopped again at Lake Tekapo for pictures of the Church of the Good Shepherd. This chapel is one of my favorite churches, along with Caleruega in Tagaytay, the Abbey of Our Lady of Montserrat in Manila and Sainte-Chapelle in Paris. Small and intimate, the church has a large picture window right behind the tabernacle, with a beautiful view of Lake Tekapo.

What other people are blogging about Mount Cook and Lake Tekapo

"350 km there and back, but what a trip." - World Signia
"Reminded me of Helms Deep in The Two Towers" - drmnsd

Read the previous entry or check out the rest of this New Zealand trip series.

Queenstown: Southern Laughter

2006-12-30T09:50:00.001+08:00

I'm a compulsive reader. Give me a piece of printed text, however mundane, my eyes are irresistibly drawn to the letters. So it was heaven wandering around Southern Laughter where every last inch of the place is plastered in poster-sized Far Side cartoons and jokes of all sorts.

And these beds! The bed in the double room was so comfortable it was hard to get an early start.

What I like most about Southern Laughter is the crowd. In the winter, the hostel serves free soup at 6 pm. People gather in the common room with their soup bowls, swapping stories and laughing at re-runs of Friends. I figure anyone who can stay in a hostel wallpapered with Gary Larson cartoons has to have a good sense of humor.

The rest of the facilities are pretty good. They've got a couple of spacious kitchens, and lounges with video libraries where we scared ourselves watching Stigmata late at night. The hot tub is fabulous after a long day of canyoning, if you don't mind making new acquaintances while getting your soak. Alternatively, if you'd prefer to meditate in the hot tub alone, 6 pm is the perfect window of opportunity while everyone else has rushed off to the soup pot.

The staff was friendly and efficient, except for the one new guy whom we stumped on his first day by asking him about white-water kayaking. He got a little flustered after that. Turns out nobody offers white-water kayaking in Queenstown because it's too dangerous for the inexperienced.

My only complaint about Southern Laughter is - you guessed it - the bathrooms. The showers are fairly decent, although nothing like the superb ones at The Old Countryhouse. It's the sinks I can't stand. This hostel deserves to be in the Guinness Book of World Records for the world's smallest hostel sinks. There's barely enough space to wash your hands, let alone brush your teeth or wash your face.

You also need to watch out for the fire station across the street... but Queenstown is small enough that I guess practically all the hostels have to deal with either bar noise or fire engine noise. We opted for the fire station because at least we know the sirens won't run every night!

Minor quibbles aside, stays at Southern Laughter are bound to be cheerful ones. And that definitely gets my vote.

Information and Contact Details for Southern Laughter Lodge

Web site: www.southernlaughter.co.nz
Rates range from NZ$23 per person for a share dorm over 4 beds, to NZ$54 for a double with shared bathrooms/showers.
Address: 4 Isle Street, Queenstown, New Zealand
E-mail: southernlaughter@xtra.co.nz
Phone: 0800 5284 4837 (local toll-free) or +64 3 441 8828 (international)

What others are saying about Southern Laughter

2.5 stars at BUG
"open-minded, fun, and altogether wonderful people staying here" - one of several user reviews at Hostelz
"funny cartoons are framed everywhere...even in the toilets!!" - A Kookie in a Nutshell

Read the previous entry or check out the rest of this New Zealand trip series.

Day 7: Canyoning in Glenorchy

2006-12-30T09:00:00.000+08:00

I woke up slightly dazed after a late night out. The previous morning, we'd done a tandem bungy jump, and in the evening watched a local band perform at Altitude. The combination of alternative rock and country square dancing in the same set was a strange quirk that we put down to the diverse audience.

I hauled myself out of bed and contemplated what we'd signed up for. Four to five hours of wilderness fun, promised the brochure. Climbing cliffs, sliding down waterfalls, and jumping into icy pools. Although I'd previously been all gung-ho to go canyoning, in the cold morning light that prospect seemed somewhat less appealing than it did the night before. Did I mention that I'm afraid of diving into dark rocky pools?

Our guide drove us from Queenstown to Glenorchy. We were a motley crew of four, all first-timers: a visiting American hopping over from her business trip to Australia, a Kiwi Experience driver, John, and me. We signed the requisite waivers releasing Twelve Mile Canyoning from any responsibility in case we, oh, fell off a cliff or something.

We pulled on our full-body wet suits, padded vests, helmets, and life-jackets. By the time I was fully dressed I looked like a neoprene version of the Stay-Puft Marshmallow Man. Hiking around Mount Aspiring National Park in a padded wet suit is no joke!

I have no pictures of us canyoning, for obvious reasons. Our camera is neither waterproof nor shockproof, although we were ready to submit ourselves to conditions our camera would never survive. Suffice it to say that a few hours and several waterfall jumps later, we were tired but happy. A plunge into ice-cold fresh water is one heck of a way to wake up.

Jump off a rocky outcropping into a freezing pool? Bring it on.

Information and Contact Details for Twelve Mile Delta Canyoning

Web site: www.xiimile.co.nz
E-mail: canyoning@xiimile.co.nz
Phone: +64 3 441 4 468

Canyoning all over the world

"I started my abseil with a slip and ended up hanging upside down" - Clare and Dan, at Empress Canyon
"35 metres of insanity!" - Sarah and Dave, in Ecuador
"The excitement of the jump trumps the coldness many times over" - Spark, off Piha

Read the previous entry or check out the rest of this New Zealand trip series.

Day 6: Kawarau Bridge Bungy Jump

2006-12-29T19:50:00.000+08:00

"You booked the tandem one?" asked the lady at the AJ Hackett Bungy counter. "You're crazy."

Having your sanity questioned isn't exactly the most confidence-building start to an extreme activity, but we took it all in stride. The AJ Hackett folks had written our jump site, Kawarau Bridge, on the back of one hand just before we boarded the shuttle from Queenstown. They now wrote our weights on the back of the other hand and sent us off to the bridge.

Kawarau Bridge was the first commercially-operated bungy site. I didn't know whether to be comforted by their 18 years of experience, or alarmed by the thought that some of the original bungy ropes might still be in use.

A burly jump coordinator walked us through the obligatory safety briefing as he harnessed our ankles together. "Make sure you jump forward and out, not down," he warned us, "otherwise you'll end up going too deep in the water. Oh, and don't forgot to smile at the camera."

We shuffled nervously onto the platform. With our ankles firmly bound, it took our best penguin impressions to get us to the edge. We knew a single mis-step could mean falling ignominously down 43 meters to the river below, far too early for any souvenir photos.

Finally we stood at the edge of the platform. The cold blue-green waters of the Kawarau river swirled ominously below us. I suspect this was not the vantage point at which the Lord of the Rings film crew were standing when they chose this river as their River Anduin.

"Ready?" asked the burly jump coordinator. "Put your hands together like this," he explained, to keep us from knocking our heads together as we jumped. "I'm going to count to three..."

The tandem bungy jump is a sure-fire cure for bungy jump panic. When the guy counts to three, there is no room for last-minute hesitation. Jumping off a 43-meter bridge is nothing compared to what your significant other will do to you if they jump at the count of three and their ankles (bound to you, of course) stay frozen on the platform.

He counted, "One, two, three..." and we were off. "AAAAAAAAHHHH!!!!!" we yelled on the way down. "AAAAAHHHH!!!" as we bounced back up. On our next bounce down, John had enough breath for complete sentences. "I married a crazy woman!!" he yelled.

Finally we stopped bouncing, and started swinging madly from the rope in an effort to catch the long rubber pole that would lower us the the waiting raft. Or, as I discovered later, I was madly trying to catch the pole while John was actively avoiding the pole to get more hang time. Which would explain all the swinging.

We eventually dropped into the raft, got ourselves untied from the rope, and started the short trek back up to the bridge. Behind us, we could hear the exhilarated screams of the bridge's next victim. "I can't believe we paid a couple hundred dollars for that," John mused. "Want to go do the 134-meter one?"

Information and Contact Details for AJ Hackett

Web site: www.ajhackett.co.nz
E-mail: bungycentre@ajhackett.co.nz
Phone: 0800 286 495 (toll-free local) or +64 3 442 4007 (international)
The classic Kawarau Bridge Bungy
In Queenstown, AJ Hackett also operates the 134 meter Nevis Highwire, and The Ledge Urban Bungy and Sky Swing.

What others are saying about their Kawarau bridge bungy jump

"My heart's left my body at this point and has ran off back over the bridge, the coward." - Grimbo
Pictures of the jump: "bungee / bungy / bunjee / whatever" - Aniel.Net
"What a rush!!!" - goddess_jen

Read the previous entry or check out the rest of this New Zealand trip series.

Day 5: Fox Glacier to Queenstown

2006-12-29T19:41:00.000+08:00

Day 5 was a road-trip day, going from Fox Glacier to Queenstown via Newmans coach. We left Fox at 8:45 AM and arrived in Queenstown a little after 4 PM, with lots of picture-taking stops and a brief pause in Wanaka. I love the Newmans coach drivers, most of them have a great sense of humor and a good spiel - freshwater sharks in Lake Hawea, anyone?

When we got to Queenstown, we checked into Southern Laughter, booked our tandem bungy the next day, and headed off to get some dinner.

We had pretty good pizza - I think it was at Q Lounge, on 53 Shotover Street. First pizza we had in New Zealand. And of course, John had to have his ginger beer.

There were no live bands playing that night... it's a small town, after all. So we walked around the shops until it was time to call it a day.

Information and Contact Details

InterCity Co. runs both Newmans and InterCity coaches. The web sites provide route maps, timetables, and online booking.
Passes are a convenient way to get around and can be purchased at significant discounts if booked early.
E-mail: info@intercitygroup.co.nz
Phone: +64 9 623 1503

Other NZ Bus Companies Recommended on ThornTree
Disclaimer though, I haven't tried these...

Read the previous entry or check out the rest of this New Zealand trip series.

Day 4: Fox Glacier Heli-Hike

2006-12-28T19:14:00.000+08:00

Fox Glacier heli-hikes are billed as a once-in-a-lifetime experience. That’s partly because after paying our tab we were too broke to consider a second go. Kidding aside, the glacier was amazing.

Having previously had a taste of mountain walks in Nepal, I was by no means keen on walking an entire day just to catch a glimpse of Fox Glacier. Friends of ours highly recommended taking the heli-hike instead, a spectacular – albeit expensive – option for those of us who have more enthusiasm than endurance.

With just two days in Fox Glacier and little allowance for re-arranging travel plans, we booked in advance, paid our 50% deposit, and prayed that the weather would hold. The skies were ominously cloudy the day before, but the day of the heli-hike dawned bright and clear.

Trish served us a huge breakfast spread and then drove us over to Fox Glacier Guides for our pre-flight briefing. Ever paranoid, I’d brought three layers of warm clothing and my not-really-waterproof Clima-Fit pants, only to be greeted by a guide dressed in shorts and a short-sleeved shirt. I later learned that Fox Glacier is famous for being a tropical glacier, ending at just 300 meters above sea level. Despite the low altitude, the ice doesn’t have a chance to melt because it rushes along so quickly: on average, a meter each day. This translates to positively balmy temperatures on top of the ice. Much more comfortable for hikers than the freezing cold one normally associates with glaciers.

We attended our briefing, laced on the boots and boarded the helicopter. After a scenic flight through the valley, our helicopter pilot deposited us on the glacier face where our guides walked the twelve of us through the process of strapping on crampons and reading slide lines.

The pictures tell the rest of the story...

The entire experience was like a walk in the park – the polar opposite of our equally memorable Nepal experience. John kept wishing for bad weather to liven up our hike, looking forward to being stranded on the glacier and hoping the guides would have to break out the rescue equipment they keep cached up on the ice. I, on the other hand, glanced at our troop of twelve tourists and sized up the lone slice of plastic-wrapped carrot cake our guide was carrying... clearly, being stranded overnight would not have been a pleasant experience.

Thankfully, our Vertical Limit visions remained just that – fantasies – and all too soon we were back on ground level at the hangar, unlacing our boots and picking up our “I Climbed Fox Glacier” certificates.

Information and Contact Details

Web site: www.foxguides.co.nz, providing trip information and online booking.
Fox Glacier Guides is on State Highway 6, Fox Glacier, near the intersection with Cook Flat Road. Click here for directions and a map.
E-mail: info@foxguides.co.nz
Phone: 0800 111 600 (local toll-free) or +64 3 751 0825 (international)

What other people are saying about Fox Glacier heli-hikes...

"Our chopper pilot was a bit of a showoff" – 2headedturtle
"I even went swimming in a little lake..." – Paul Notte

Read the previous entry or check out the rest of this New Zealand trip series.

Fox Glacier: Ropatini's B&B

2006-12-27T14:43:00.000+08:00

When we travel, we try to avoid huge chain hotels... not that there's much chance of a sprawling hotel complex in Fox Glacier, population 258. This time, our search for a charming place to stay led us to Ropatini's, a garden homestay bed & breakfast about 10 minutes' walk from Fox Glacier's main intersection.

Trish and Collin were gracious hosts. They shared colorful stories of their life in New Zealand and the visitors they get trooping through Ropatini's. Before opening up Ropatini's, Trish worked at heli-hike operators Alpine Guides (now Fox Glacier Guides) and both Trish and Collin ran the local backpackers'; lots of interesting tales there.

Trish's sideboard table was constantly laid out with freshly-baked muffins, bread, and chocolate chip cookies. It was the first B&B I've stayed in that welcomed us with afternoon tea... perfect after the long bus ride up from Greymouth.

We loved the postcard views of Mt. Cook and the Southern Alps from their picture windows. Terry the Thar (complete with plastic nametag) presided regally over the dining room as we breakfasted on boiled egg, toast, jam, cheese, muffins, orange juice, and tea.

The guest rooms set an equally high standard, with comfortable beds and spacious, well-lit bathrooms. I'm particular about my showers and these were heaven. The two Garden Studios stand side-by-side in a free-standing cottage a few steps from the main house. Guests also have a choice of two rooms in the main house; an ensuite room with a super king sized bed, and a queen room with a shared bathroom.

Plan lots of extra vacation time if you book at Ropatini's, as getting out of bed will be a challenge! The in-room TVs were tiny, but who goes to Fox Glacier to watch TV? They also offer free wi-fi, if you've got your laptop with you.

Restaurants in Fox Glacier stop serving dinner fairly early - around 8:30 pm. Every evening Trish would call into town to see which cafes were open that day and who was still serving meals. All her recommendations were excellent. My favorite was The Plateau, beside the glow-worm forest.

Trish and Collin made us feel more like family than visitors. We had a great stay and I will happily go back any time!

Information and Contact Details

Ropatini’s is at 87 Cook Flat Road, Fox Glacier.
Directions: They’re between the school and Sunset Motel; ask the coach driver to drop you off in front of their driveway.
E-mail: ropatinis@xtra.co.nz
Phone: 0800 009 644 (toll free local) or +64 3 751 0779 (international)
Rates during low season range from NZ$130 to 200 per double per night with breakfast for a one-night stay, with a NZ$20 or more discount per night if you stay multiple nights

Read the previous entry or check out the rest of this New Zealand trip series.

Day 3: TranzAlpine and Lake Matheson

2006-11-18T00:57:00.000+08:00

I'm embarrassed to admit I fell asleep on what is reputed to be one of the world's great scenic train journeys. That feat probably ranks right up there with eating a full dinner before visiting a restaurant with three Michelin stars, or taking an Antarctic cruise and spending the entire duration confined to your cabin with the measles. That’s what I get for staying up too late the night before!

I woke up in time to catch these spectacular mountain views. The TranzAlpine runs from Christchurch to Greymouth and vice-versa, over New Zealand’s Southern Alps. Passenger cars are outfitted with large scenic viewing windows, and there’s an open-air viewing car in the middle of the train for those who’d like to take pictures or get some fresh air.

Well, sometimes it’s fresh air. We were blanketed in train smoke during each of the tunnels – the route has 16 in all. There’s not a trace of pollution anywhere else in New Zealand, as far as we can tell, but they’ve got the equivalent of Sumatra’s multi-country haze concentrated in these tunnels.

And sometimes there’s too much fresh air. When we took our trip in late October, chilly spring winds and grey skies meant we were numb with cold a few seconds after stepping out on the platform. Still, it was a great view. And besides, by our third day in New Zealand we were used to being bone cold!

At Greymouth we paused to watch the Greymouth Motorcycle Street Race and nearly got left behind by the Intercity bus to Fox Glacier. Breathless after running with all our luggage, we discovered we weren’t allowed to eat lunch on the bus. Luckily, the bus stopped at nearby Hokitika for an hour’s break.

Arriving at Fox Glacier, we checked into cozy Ropatini’s B&B and had afternoon tea with our hosts, Trish and Collin. Trish drove us over to Lake Matheson to see the famous lake reflections of Mt. Cook and Mt. Tasman. She generously offered to come back for us in an hour, which we thought was plenty of time – until we saw the signboard saying the lake circuit takes one and a half hours. Time to sprint again... this was turning out to be a distinct trend in our New Zealand vacation.

TranzAlpine Information

Web site: www.tranzscenic.co.nz, providing online booking, fares, and schedule information
Daily trips from Christchurch to Greymouth and vice-versa, 4.5 hours each way
Timetables

What other people are blogging about the TranzAlpine...

Nice photos - Chrispie33
"Never to be forgotten" – Tales from Tawa

What other people are blogging about Lake Matheson...

An early morning view - Helen and Phil
"The solitude is inviting and the silence magical" - Smart Traveler

Read the previous entry or check out the rest of this New Zealand trip series.

Day 2: Whale Watching in Kaikoura

2006-11-15T21:40:00.000+08:00

Our Kaikoura whale watching trip kicked off to an ominous start. Our tour coach was over twenty minutes late, it was cold, and it was starting to rain.

John stood sentry at the roadside while I rushed back into the hostel to ring the tour company. A voice answered, interspersed with sounds of rushing vehicles. Hmm, the driver must be doing double duty. I said, "We're ready for pick-up at The Old Countryhouse."

There was a long pause, followed by, "I'm sorry, who is this?"

They'd lost our booking. We stood on the curb and shivered for another ten minutes until the coach came by for us.

Three-and-a-half hours later we were on a boat, bobbing up and down on the high seas. Kaikoura Whale Watch informed us that "the swell is a little high today," but they failed to mention it would feel like the nautical equivalent of Disney World's Space Mountain ride.

Our first two sperm whale sightings had us rushing outside the boat and watching in awe until they dove back down into the ocean. By our third whale, John was watching the computer simulated whales on the boat's large plasma TV instead. This is a state-of-the-art whale watching boat, using hydrophones to listen to and locate submerged whales. Nothing like the flimsy banca we hired on the cheap for watching dolphins in Bohol.

While I normally love rollercoasters, by the fourth whale I was feeling like an extra in The Perfect Storm, and I left my comfy seat for the fifth whale only because I realized we hadn't taken any pictures.

Organized tours do lunch at Aroma Cafe immediately after whale watching, so cafe staff are used to dazed tourists wandering in without much of an appetite. It's better than doing lunch before heading out on those boats, right? A note to future visitors: book the tour without lunch. That way you can split the gargantuan lunches with an equally seasick friend, instead of having to struggle through one on your own.

On our drive back we parked by the roadside and took pictures of these large, sleepy fur seals. All I had was a dinky point-and-shoot digital camera, so it was a toss-up between getting a decent picture and managing my irrational fear of the seal lunging into my lens. As an added bonus, at these close quarters we were enveloped in a distinctly fishy fragrance.

Midway to Christchurch we stopped for wine tasting and a sales pitch at a local vineyard, where John and I sniffed knowingly and exercised our expert wine knowledge, gleaned entirely from Sideways. I briefly considered lugging a bottle of wine all over the South Island and back to Singapore, but saving $5 just wasn't worth the risk of merlot-soaked clothes in my backpack - it's really not my color.

The rest of the trip back was quiet and uneventful... the effects of free wine samples combined with residual seasickness to lull most of the tour passengers into a nice, sound sleep.

What other people are blogging about Kaikoura and its whales...

"I fell in love with the place" - Mindspill
Whale watching by plane - LisaRTW
Whale watching pictures - SunBurntBadger

Read the previous entry or check out the rest of this New Zealand trip series.

Christchurch: Home at The Old Countryhouse

2006-11-11T21:25:00.000+08:00

I admit it - I'm choosy about my bathrooms. While I love bunking down in a hostel, I'm always nervous when I make my reservation. What if this hostel's got the bathrooms from hell? You know what I mean - grotty tiles, decades-old shower curtains, awkward communal shower rooms. I even pack a pair of flip-flops in case I can't stand the shower floor. To top it off, John loves his five-star business hotels and is highly skeptical of hostels... so this Christchurch hostel stay was set to be pivotal in deciding our vacation accommodation plans for the next twenty years.

Well, for our stay at The Old Countryhouse in Christchurch, those flip-flops could have stayed home. Ensuite bathrooms and shared shower rooms both featured modern shower enclosures with plexiglass doors and smooth, clean shower trays. The shared shower rooms were real individual rooms, not just shower cubicles in a large common area. Although we enjoyed our spacious double room, we could have skipped the ensuite bathroom and saved ourselves NZ$12.

Hallways and room floors were carpeted, yet another reason to leave my flip-flops snugly packed in my backpack. There's a photo album and journal of sorts in the lounge that follows the hostel's history as the owners restored and renovated the houses. You can see they've put their hearts into fixing up and maintaining the place... with good results.

The hostel was quiet and had lots of garden space. There's a number of food places around the corner; we recommend the pizza at Memphis Belle and the souvlaki place just across it. There's also a supermarket just down the road, which is very convenient. Give Murphy a wave on your way out the door - he's the owners' friendly black lab.

One disadvantage of The Old Countryhouse is that it's about 2 kilometers from Cathedral Square. That's a brisk 10-minute jog or a leisurely 25-minute walk, which can feel like a very long time when there's a cold wind blowing. Buses to the city stop across the street from the hostel. Check the timetable if you're travelling on a schedule, or you might find yourself sprinting downtown like we did. As you can see from the photo of the bus stop, someone had a little too much fun with one of those shopping carts...

Clearly not a party place, the hostel had a friendly home-like feel to it, and catered to a late-20's to 40's crowd while we were there. It has a spacious kitchen, comfortable beds, good water pressure in the showers (my bathroom fixation's showing again) and won John's approval - hostels of the world, here we come!

Information and Contact Details

Web site: www.theoldcountryhousenz.com
Prices and online booking
Location map and directions
Reception hours: 8 am to 8 pm. 24-hour access to the hostel is through a separate door.

What other people are saying about The Old Countryhouse...

"Every bed has its own reading light, plenty of hooks..." - one of several user reviews at Hostelz
88% score averaged from dozens of ratings at hostelworld.com
Mixed reviews at BUG
"They even make fresh bread for your breakfast" - Blah Blah Blog
"Tonnes of character, and a very amusing dog" - Migrant Roo travel blog
A picture of "our wonderful room at the Old Countryhouse" - There and Back Again

Read the previous entry or check out the rest of this New Zealand trip series.

Day 1: Late Night Laughs in Christchurch

2006-11-02T18:13:00.000+08:00

It was a cold and windy night. We'd given up waiting for the bus and were sprinting seven long blocks down Gloucester and Worcester streets to catch an improv show at the Court Theatre. Called Scared Scriptless, this improvisational comedy series is performed every Friday night by the Court Jesters. I rarely jog - let alone run two-and-a-half kilometers! - so the sole thought propelling me down the pavement was, "This had better be good!"

And it was.

The concept is charmingly simple yet effective. Two teams of four actors each, going head-to-head in a comedy face-off. That night they were competing for, well, a bunch of bananas. The MC decides each round's rules ("Perform the same scene in 3 minutes, 30 seconds, 7 seconds, and 1 second!"), and the audience provides a flurry of suggestions that determines the theme and style of the performance ("Snakes on a Plane? We want Aardvarks on a Monorail."). The monorail conductor's rendition of being bitten to death by aardvarks was hilarious. Never mind that aardvarks normally defend themselves with their claws - I could almost see the mad little critter tearing at the conductor's throat.

Improv is theater's equivalent of a dice roll - one scene may bring the house down and the next fall somewhat flat. Scared Scriptless was no exception, but had a lot of great gems. Performer quality was good although uneven, and by the end of the evening we'd developed definite favorites among the actors. The show's pianist was amazing - improvising spooky, serious, or slapstick soundtracks as the scenes progressed.

A good improv show is a great way to start a trip. We got a lot of mileage out of our $15 tickets - 1856 miles, to be exact - because quips from the show became humorous catchphrases for us throughout our South Island travels.

Check out the Court Jesters' performance of Scared Scriptless every Friday night at 10 pm. They perform at Court Theatre in the Arts Centre, right in the cultural heart of Christchurch. You can buy tickets at the box office or book ahead by calling 03 963 0870. $15, free seating.

Learn more about this fascinating and funny theater art form:

TheatreSports - comedy as competition
Whose Line Is It Anyway? - a classic favorite
Improvisational comedy on Wikipedia
Improv Everywhere: We Cause Scenes - imagine this in Singapore

Read the previous entry or check out the rest of this New Zealand trip series.

New Zealand's South Island in 9 Days

2006-11-01T01:17:00.000+08:00

A guide to seeing the South Island in 9 days... or, what to do when you can't take enough time off work!

Day 1: Arrived in Christchurch

Watched Scared Scriptless. Stayed at The Old Countryhouse.

Day 2: Whale watching in Kaikoura

Day 3: TranzAlpine to Greymouth, bus to Fox Glacier

Took in the views at Lake Matheson.

Day 4: Fox Glacier

Day 5: Fox Glacier to Queenstown

Day 6: Bungy jumping in Queenstown

Day 7: Canyoning in Queenstown

Day 8: Queenstown to Christchurch via Mount Cook and Lake Tekapo

Day 9: Flew out of Christchurch

Preparing for the trip

Pack the right clothing for the time of year you are travelling. We recycled our Nepal packing list, sans rubbing alcohol as we weren't expecting leeches this time. As usual, I brought far too many shirts and John didn't pack enough warm clothing. Learn from our mistakes and don't forget to factor in wind chill when you pack!

Glacier heli-hikes and Kaikoura whale watch tours can fill up quickly, so it's best to make your reservations for those before you arrive in New Zealand. Particularly when you've inadvertently planned your trip during a New Zealand holiday weekend, like we did.

As anyone who's ever tried to redeem frequent flyer miles knows, it's always advisable to book frequent flyer redemption tickets well in advance. Like weeks, months, or even years. You never know when one airline (*cough* Air New Zealand *cough*) is going to stop flying between Singapore and New Zealand, causing the remaining direct airline's flights to be booked solid. Thankfully we managed to squeeze through at the last minute. Whew.

It was a great trip.

Read the previous entry, the next entry, or check out the rest of this New Zealand trip series.

New Zealand

2006-10-28T22:59:00.000+08:00

We're back from New Zealand! Glacier hiking, bungy jumping, canyoning, whale watching, and one looooong road trip. And we met a few interesting characters along the way.

Trip posts will be up soon. In the meantime, here are a few of our favorite shots...

If you're reading with a newsreader such as Bloglines or Google Reader, please bear with the repeated updates over the next couple of weeks as I edit posts, adding and fixing links.

Check out the rest of this New Zealand trip series at del.icio.us, as posts come up.

Amazing Alegria

2006-10-14T23:04:00.000+08:00

Update: the time for the Taka street roda on Oct 21 has changed to 4 pm.

Cirque de Soleil says, "Alegría is a mood, a state of mind."

Translated into English, Alegría means joy -- and it's an apt nickname for one of my capoeira classmates.

I'm continually in awe of her high spirits and fortitude in class. Faced with frustrations or taking the occasional punch, she comes with a determined smile.

We're in the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, so Alegría is fasting. But her abstinence from food and water doesn't seem to make a dent in her capoeira training. She still trains as hard as anyone and doesn't cut herself any slack, other than rushing straight to the electric fan during our infrequent breaks. Whereas if I miss lunch before class, I feel as if I'm ready to die by the time we finish our warm-ups.

Today, her roda game was absolutely on fire. She spent more time in the roda than out of it, and she nailed several very well-timed moves. It was a beautiful game to watch. You rock, girl!

Upcoming capoeira activities

Argola de Ouro is having an open street roda on the sidewalk in front of Takashimaya on Saturday, October 21, from 4 pm to around 5:30 pm. This also marks a farewell to our French Brazilian guests, Cabeça and Bruno.
Training details for regular classes are in this post. Classes at Substation are cancelled on the 21st, because of the holidays - the street roda at Takashimaya will take the place of Saturday's class.

Starbucks Signature Hot Chocolate

2006-10-13T22:35:00.000+08:00

Starbucks is currently serving its Signature Hot Chocolate line, with options for caramel or hazelnut flavors in addition to traditional hot chocolate.

It seems richer and sweeter than their original hot chocolates, with a slight hint of bittersweet dark chocolate flavor. I was tempted to add a little milk to temper the richness... hmm, would that have made it a ghetto chocolatte?

At S$6.40 for a Caramel Hot Chocolate, the price is pretty rich too.

Bakerzin serves Valrhona hot chocolate accompanied by three huge marshmallows (yum!). Unfortunately, the rest of their new menu was disappointing, so we won't be back there any time soon.

Come on, Starbucks, break out the marshmallows!

Related reading

Ask for Fair Trade Coffee: the Starbucks Challenge.
See results of the Starbucks Challege at del.icio.us
Hot chocolate archetypes and the search for the perfect hot chocolate
The Chocolate Factory at Robertson Quay
and, of course, a list of Starbucks stores in Singapore and their opening hours

Blogger Buzz About Google Docs

2006-10-11T21:13:00.000+08:00

While neither Google Docs - formerly Writely - nor Google Spreadsheets are particularly new, their combination into Google Docs & Spreadsheets (how creative) has spawned a flurry of blog posts with commentary on what people think about the two apps.

What people are saying about Google Docs & Spreadsheets...

Writely's "all gone Google on the interface" - Simon Wakeman

"The document writer however doesn’t seem as good as fckeditor or some of the other online rich text editors." - Paul Bain

"Google Grows Up, Gets An Office." - GigaOm

"Note to Google: next time please invite me to your blogger previews! What am I, chopped liver?" - Read/WriteWeb

"Forget the world. Google wants to take over peoples’ lives." - m1ne.wordpress.com

Thanks for bearing with my temporary Google fixation, we'll be back to our regular food and travel programming shortly...

Google Docs

2006-10-11T13:04:00.000+08:00

Update: I've just learned that owners can indeed restrict collaborators from inviting additional collaborators. Strangely enough, this feature only works for Spreadsheets, not Documents.

Google has combined access to its Writely word processor and Google Spreadsheets into a single dashboard - docs.google.com

I like Writely and Google Spreadsheets, and use both extensively. I like the integration that's gradually taking place across the various Google apps, and that's probably the biggest factor that's kept me using Google services instead of the offerings from 37signals.

However, both Writely and Spreadsheets need a whole lot more work in several areas... including encryption, access control and edit conflict resolution. I also miss the powerful formulas available in Excel, but I recognize most users would probably prefer a lighter, simpler spreadsheet application.

First off, security has a long way to go. It would be great to have encryption for these documents. And, as MAG pointed out to me, more granular access control - instead of giving everyone "collaborator" access with full capabilities to edit and share the document, we should be able to designate "editors" who can edit the document but aren't allowed to publish it or invite other collaborators or viewers.

Better visibility on changes currently being made by other people would be nice too - maybe different-colored highlights for the sections being edited? A couple of times now I've had edit conflicts with a collaborator making changes at the same time, and lost my edits. It was frustrating, but when you're talking on Gtalk while editing the document, the live collaboration is more convenient than the all-or-nothing lockout imposed by traditional check-in / check-out. We're working around it by using Gtalk or the chat window to tell each other which part of the document we're editing, but we've still lost a couple of edits here and there.

Google has a good track record of improving their products based on user feedback, so I'm looking forward to seeing what they'll offer next. I'd love to see Writely become the default text editor for Blogger posts, for example.

The Art of Cartier

2006-10-10T01:56:00.000+08:00

It's not often you see men sporting two-hundred-carat diamonds and a turban.

One of the most intriguing pieces at The Art of Cartier exhibition is a heavy multi-strand necklace created in 1928 for the Maharajah of Patiala, Sir Bhupinder Singh. The 960-carat necklace was crafted from a trunk full of jewels, and topped off with the majestic 234.69 carat De Beers diamond.

In 1948, the necklace disappeared and eventually turned up in London fifty years later, stripped of all the larger stones. Appalled, Cartier immediately bought the skeleton of the necklace and embarked on a quest to restore it to its former glory.

Several rare jewels, including the one-of-a-kind De Beers diamond, have been substituted with synthetic gems - a first in Cartier's history - to enable Cartier's jewelers to recapture the original design of the necklace. A short film at the exhibition shows the intricate restoration process, with jewelers setting aside modern technique and putting themselves in the shoes of their 1928 counterparts. In the meantime, Cartier continues the search for the missing gems.

The recently renovated National Museum of Singapore is hosting The Art of Cartier exhibition as part of its preview season, before the museum formally opens to the public in December 2006. This is the first time the exhibition has been displayed in Southeast Asia.

The building is a beautiful mix of the historic and the modern, with extensive glass panels letting sunlight into the airy corridors.

Directions

The National Museum is at 93 Stamford Road, across the street from the YMCA. It's a short walk from either Dhoby Ghaut or City Hall MRT stations (map to the museum from StreetDirectory.com)

Tours and Admission

The Art of Cartier runs from September 30 to October 17. The exhibit is open from 10 AM to 6 PM. Guided tours are available from Monday to Friday at 10:30 am and 2:30 pm, and on Saturdays and Sundays at 11:30 am and 2:30 pm.

Admission is free... but don't touch the glass jewelry cases, or you may not make it back out.

Further reading and key pieces

Evolution of a Fabled Necklace by Suzy Menkes, International Herald Tribune

A Chance To Ogle, Covet And Dream by Herbert Muschamp, The New York Times

Jean Cocteau's sword

The mystery clock and its history

Cartier history and trivia at FashionTribes

Taka Roda Revisited

2006-10-08T11:12:00.000+08:00

Last night's street roda and capoeira demonstration at Takashimaya was a lot of fun, drawing a crowd of 50 to 60 spectators and brimming with axé. One grandfather got carried away and was energetically clapping to the atabaque's beat the entire time.

This month's roda coincided with Singapore Sports Council's Women's Day Out, bringing a party feel to the whole area.

Bruno and Cabeça showed off with aerials, back handsprings, and back flips, so I happily entered the roda with a round-off of my own. It'll be a long while before I can follow that through with a back handspring on concrete, and somehow I can't see myself lugging gymnastics mats to Orchard road just so I can do a few flips.

With all these stunts going on, at least I didn't have to watch out for a cabeçada (headbutt) to the stomach as I did my cartwheels!

Mooncake Madness

2006-10-08T10:57:00.000+08:00

This week marks the end of the mid-autumn mooncake festival, during which restaurants throughout Singapore sell dozens of varieties of mooncakes in elaborate (and expensive) gift boxes.

We gave our French Brazilian visitors their first taste of mooncakes last weekend after capoeira class. Alex and I were overflowing with endorsements: "You've got to try these, they're good!" Unfortunately for Cabeça, we didn't realize that one of the mooncakes was a durian mooncake... you can imagine his surprise at the first bite.

Silvano described durian to Cabeça in Portuguese. We could see his eyes widening and his grimace deepening with each word.

No amount of encouragement would get him to try the green pandan mooncakes after that experience, although they were a big hit with the rest of the group.

Our apologies, Cabeça!

Takashimaya Roda

2006-10-06T20:58:00.000+08:00

Tomorrow (Saturday, October 7) at around 6 pm, the Association of Capoeira Argola de Ouro is having a street roda on the sidewalk in front of Ngee Ann City / Takashimaya. If you'd like to watch a capoeira demonstration, this is your chance!

The street roda normally starts around 6 pm. To find the roda, just look for the small crowd and listen for the sounds of clapping, singing, and berimbaus.

Usually street rodas are held at Takashimaya on the first Saturday of each month, around 6 pm; sometimes a second roda is also held later in the month.

For details of scheduled training classes, please see my previous Capoeira post.

Bishan 13 Chicken Rice

2006-10-06T20:19:00.000+08:00

Continuing our exploration of Singapore's "heartlands", we set off in search of a Bishan chicken rice stall emphatically recommended by a local taxi driver.

With no map, no address, and no stall name, we set out armed with only the name of the road - Bishan 13. If it's famous we should have no trouble finding it, right?

Our first inquiry, at the Bishan MRT customer service booth, failed to turn up any leads. Guess those booth controllers don't get out much.

The location map told us Bishan 13 was just behind the MRT and bus station, so we walked around a bit. Progress was quick. We picked up the tantalizing smell of good hawker dishes and could hear the metal clink of utensils against woks. But where was the shop? All we could see were dark walls and an empty old lot.

It turned out we'd walked into the back parking lot of the neighborhood food court. Making our way over to the front, we found several stalls with few or no customers... and one stall with over 30 people lined up waiting to be served. Hmm, any prizes for guessing which one was our quarry?

We resigned ourselves to the long wait that's synonymous with every well-known hawker stall in Singapore. It was well worth it, though. The chicken came in huge servings, easily more than twice what shopping mall food courts normally dish out. Rice was flavorful and tender, without being too oily. And it was cheap, too - S$2.50 per serving.

The chili was good but I missed the fresh ginger that Wee Nam Kee serves. Still, I liked this place better than the Boon Tong Kee chain - and as far as value for money goes, it beats Chatterbox by miles!

(Bugis Street) Ming Kee Chicken Rice is at Kim San Leng food court, Block 155 on Bishan Street 13, close to the bus interchange and 5 minutes walk from Bishan MRT.

Haze Days

2006-10-06T19:48:00.000+08:00

A thick haze hangs over Singapore this week, the result of forest fires in South Sumatra. Whenever I open a window the acrid smell of smoke assaults my senses. Visibility is noticeably affected, as if I've suddenly been transported to Silent Hill.

This is definitely not a good week to be outdoors. Neighborhood joggers have given up their runs or taken to treadmills in air-conditioned gyms. I'm not wishing for Typhoon Milenyo, but a little rain would be great right now.

Of course Singapore, as always, is thoroughly prepared with an official Haze Action Plan.

Buying Outdoor Gear

2006-09-23T10:28:00.000+08:00

Hani wrote to ask for recommendations on buying outdoor gear in Singapore, for a Nepal trek. I started off squeezing a few tips into the comment box and then finally decided this was long enough to merit its own post. Here it is...

First, you've probably already got a list of gear you need. It helps to consult with an experienced friend to write up the list, if you don't want to be making six trips back to the outdoor stores like we did!

If you've got a couple of days in Kathmandu before you start your trek, you might want to consider buying a few things there instead. Some outdoor gear is much cheaper in Kathmandu than in Singapore, and you'll have a wider range of choice.

Items better purchased in Kathmandu include waterproof jackets; warm external clothing - fleece jackets, hats, gloves, and even fleece pants if you need them; and trek poles.

Next, hiking shoes. These are best bought early because you'll need time to break them in. We bought ours two weeks before our trip, which was cutting it a bit close. I wore the boots everywhere those two weeks, even to the office! We bought our boots from Camper's Corner. The staff there are friendly, knowledgeable, and will patiently offer advice while you try on different pairs of boots to help you get exactly the right fit. The shops at Peninsula Plaza also sell a limited range of hiking boots and shoes.

Campers has a wide range of trek pants and thermals, and if you buy a lot of gear from them they'll give you a nice little discount.

Then, bags. Sports Connection at Funan mall, Plaza Singapura, and Peninsula Plaza is a good source for a wide variety of backpacks and day packs. I liked the branch at Funan because they, again, patiently helped us out with fitting and trying day packs to get the right fit. The store proprietor loaded three day packs with books so I could try how they felt when loaded, and let me browse around the store for half an hour carrying different bags to test them out. In addition to our bags, we ended up buying our Nalgene bottles, Camelbak-style water bladders, and a bunch of other stuff from here.

Regular sports shops like Royal Sporting House, World of Sports, and the many stores at Queensway are also a good source for bags.

Our entire list of sources:

Camper's Corner - boots

Sports Connection - bags

Sportslink - general sports gear

Peninsula Plaza - several outdoor shops here too

Adidas and Nike flagship stores at Suntec

eBay Singapore

We sold some of our gear, like the trek poles, on eBay after we got back.

Enjoy your Nepal trek, tell us all about it! I love the anticipation of planning for trips.

Settlers in Singapore

2006-09-22T20:41:00.000+08:00

Carl and Kathy are visiting this week, and they've brought over a present guaranteed to cut our sleeping hours in half: the Cities and Knights expansion pack for Settlers of Catan.

The original Settlers game was a Saturday night staple for us back in Manila, and we've now learned that everyone else has since moved on to Cities and Knights - leaving us woefully behind. A situation soon to be rectified!

We started playing at 10 PM, with Carl explaining the rules as we went along. Knights, barbarians, commodities and city developments add more depth to the Settlers game, and the wide range of progress cards (replacing development cards) gives players a lot of flexibility. Carl's sheep and wool factory eventually propelled him into first place, but John put up a good fight... I sense a re-match in our immediate future. The game took three hours in all; as we become familiar with the new rules, games should go much faster.

Thanks, Carl and Kathy! It's great having you here, our home is always open to you and all of our friends.

Trekking Toa Payoh

2006-09-20T08:38:00.000+08:00

On Monday we decided to slow down and see more of Singapore on foot. So we started out from Thomson Road, stopped at Wee Nam Kee Chicken Rice, walked past Balestier, past the vast green space of the Singapore Polo Club, and then stopped at a cluster of flower wholesalers whom I'd always seen from bus windows but never visited.

It was a good decision. The chilled storage areas where they keep the cut flowers were a wonderful relief from Singapore's muggy weather. Better yet, I discovered a great source for cheap flowers. At Far East Flora I picked up a bunch of 10 orange tulips for S$15 or so; they had roses for about S$1 each, and huge bunches of mums or orchids for S$10. They also sell flower food and supplies - baskets, floral foam, the whole range. Much more comfortable than going to Divisoria, I have to say.

After paying for the tulips and a vase, we continued in the direction of Macritchie Reservoir and stopped in at Mt. Alvernia Hospital to give the flowers to a colleague recovering from appendicitis. Unlike Manila hospital rooms which turn each hospital stay into a small party, this Singapore ward was a no-nonsense affair: no couch for visitors to stay overnight on, and they kick everyone out when visiting hours end! I extracted two tulips so that the remaining eight would fit comfortably in the vase.

From Mt. Alvernia Hospital, taking the bus back on our normal route seemed like a cop-out, so we decided to keep walking in a direction we've never been before. This gave us a first-hand view of the Circle MRT line being constructed, and a heart-pounding moment when we walked under a half-finished overpass protected only by a flimsy wooden panel that looked like it wouldn't protect us from a heavy rain, much less falling concrete.

We walked up Braddell Road ("Does that sign really say 'Ang Mo Kio'? That's far!" "See, that's the highway entrance going to Ang Mo Kio." "Oh."), debated left and right turns at intersections, and slowly got hungry. We could see the lights from HDB coffeeshops and hawker stalls, always two blocks away behind a tall fence or unfordable canal. So near and yet so far. We consoled ourselves with the thought that those hawkers probably served pig's organ soup or fish head curry anyway - not our favorites at the best of times.

Finally, a familiar bus number. 56! But, 56 going in the wrong direction, coming from our neighborhood when it should have been going towards our home. If we kept walking we'd circle all the way around and emerge somewhere near Little India. The route map at the bus station indicated that Toa Payoh Central was somewhere in our not-too-distant future. Note to self: if one is ever lost in Singapore, the bus station route maps are lifesavers for navigation.

At this point we were starting to enter the outskirts of Toa Payoh, where the streets blur into a maze of similarly-named passages snaking between anonymous HDB blocks... Toa Payoh Lorong 2, Toa Payoh Lorong 4, Toa Payoh Lorong 6. We decided to walk four more bus stops, get something to eat at Toa Payoh Central (at this point, we joked that even a McDonald's would have been welcome) and then board the MRT at Toa Payoh station for the ride home. Of course, we still had no idea where we were at this point -- in the space of two blocks we saw signs to "Toa Payoh Central" pointing in three different directions.

Finally, after passing yet another anonymous lorong, we stopped to check out the route map at the bus stop. No route map. Hmm. It was time for another momentous decision - take the bus or keep walking? At this point bus 56 pulled up, all brightly lit and shiny. It was a sign! We boarded the bus and my walked-out feet thanked me.

John made a crack about how funny it would be if the Toa Payoh mall were the next stop. As we rounded the corner... you guessed it. A big red McDonald's sign welcomed our bus to Toa Payoh Central, followed shortly after by half-a-dozen food places, a FairPrice supermarket, and a Popular bookstore. Ah. So much for touring suburban Singapore malls.

Bus 56 deposited us, intrepid urban trekkers, a short distance from our house... proud owners of two very well-travelled tulips.

P.S. I looked Toa Payoh up while writing this blog post and can't believe what I've found. The Singapore tourism board actually has a page for Toa Payoh. And you can also read Toa Payoh's entry at Wikipedia. Er, how fascinating. ;)

Capoeira in Singapore

2006-09-03T22:41:00.000+08:00

I've recently resumed training capoeira, a Brazilian martial art (and a very artistic one, at that), with Mestre Ousado. He leads the Association of Capoeira Argola de Ouro, which is the first capoeira association in Singapore.

They recently performed at WOMAD. The group often also does demonstrations / street rodas on the first or second Saturday of the month, 6 pm or so, on Orchard Road in front of Takashimaya.

Batizado is coming up, September 11 to 14 at NUS. Interested members of the public are welcome to join the workshops from September 11 to 13 - even those with no prior capoeira experience.

Regular classes are held at The Substation on Saturdays (4-6 pm) and Sundays (3-5 pm); and NUS on Wednesdays and Fridays (7-9 pm both days). You can check out class details and contact information here.

New students interested in joining the class should show up at either venue about 15 minutes before class start time, and speak with Mestre Ousado.

The Chocolate Factory

2006-09-03T22:20:00.000+08:00

We tried a few chocolates from Laurent Bernard, chocolatier (at The Chocolate Factory at Robertson Quay), after dinner at Irene's place.

What can I say... those dark chocolates are heaven. Even at the whopping price of about S$38 for a dozen chocolates. You really do get what you pay for.

The Chocolate Factory sets aside a chilled walk-in room to display its chocolates, sort of like the walk-in chiller at Corduroy & Finch. You take a plate and a pair of tongs, pick out the chocolates that you want, and take them to the counter for serving or packing.

In addition to chocolates, The Chocolate Factory also serves a range of cakes and tarts - mostly chocolate-based, of course.

Be warned though - the cafe is small and staffed by a tiny crew. That means your order gets personalized attention from the chef, but it also means a loooong wait for your order to be filled.

Max Brenner's has a new rival for the distinction of being my favorite chocolate spot. I just love competition.

Summitting Everest

2006-05-20T23:57:00.000+08:00

Congratulations to Romi Garduce for reaching the summit of Mount Everest yesterday, May 19! Romi has been planning and training for years to climb Everest, and he finally reached his goal. We're so proud of him.

As you might know, Romi was the friend we accompanied on an acclimatization trek in Nepal last year. Wish we'd been at Everest base camp to congratulate him as he got back!

Read more about Romi's adventures at:

the official media blog

Romi's much more colorful personal blog

So what's next... the Sahara desert, or the Seven Summits?

Wakeboarding

2006-05-14T12:10:00.000+08:00

Over the past two three-day weekends, Hui Wen introduced me to my new favorite sport... wakeboarding!

I've gone for two lessons now and I'm hooked. I've been learning how to edge, having fun with my status as the group newbie while watching Hui Wen and Terence practice their jumps. The water at Ponggol Marina Country Club has been just perfect. And those surfing lessons at the Gold Coast sure came in handy when it came to keeping my balance.

My first ride was under the watchful eye of William from Pro Air Watersports. Last Saturday's ride was behind the boat of national rider Suter Tan of Ten Eighty Wakeboard Academy... he is very good and has a great knack for coaching.

My upper back and shoulders were a little stiff the day after that first ride, but a Swedish massage at the spa was the perfect cure for sore muscles.

Looks like tennis lessons will have to take a back seat for a while!

Delis and Other Places for Good Food

2005-11-01T13:31:00.000+08:00

I've been looking for a deli to replace Sänti's as my source for party food. A concerted search over a few afternoons turned up the following:

The Cellar Door Deli

I didn't buy anything from the deli in the end but it was still a great find, if only for the delicious food in their restaurant. I ordered a basketful of bread chunks served with two dips. There was basil pesto, which I loved, and hummus, which was a little bland for my taste. I stole the pile of parmesan slivers (more like small slabs, really) from John's lamb pasta, and had it with the pesto and bread.

The deli has a lot of choices, ranging from dips (basil pesto, tomato tapenade, sundried tomato & basil pesto, and the aforementioned hummus) to bread, to limoncello at S$45 a bottle.

Prices are a little on the high side though. The same box of wafer twists selling for S$8 at Cellar Door goes for just $5.90 at Market Place at Paragon. Speaking of which...

Market Place

It's known as "the expat supermarket", and rightly so. This is where I picked up the bulk of my supplies. Fresh basil, bright red roma tomatoes, basil pesto, sundried tomatoes, sliced black olives, stuffed olives, maraschino cherries with stems, cocktail toothpicks... you name it, it's bound to be here somewhere. Looking at the wide variety of imported food on sale, you'd never guess these upmarket stores are run by the Cold Storage supermarket chain.

For the lazy, Market Place also makes up party platters and rents wine glasses, although I've never tried booking with them.

Marché

Jill and I happened to be at Marché for lunch, so I picked up 4 loaves of foccacia bread on the way out.

Lazy Gourmet Deli

In hindsight, it should have been obvious that Lazy Gourmet would be on the outside of Shaw Centre, facing the street and directly across China Black. As it was, Steph and I wandered around Shaw Centre mall and searched in vain for the non-existent second floor of Shaw Centre building before finally being directed outside.

Lazy Gourmet sells vacuum-packed soups and full meals. Not exactly cocktail party fare. We did have a yummy afternoon snack though; try the mushroom quiche, which is delicious, but avoid the too-sweet rum cake.

Espirito Santo Latin Deli

On the day of the party, Steph brought over yummy slices of various hams and delicious mushrooms from Espirito Santo. I've got to make my way over and check that place out sometime...

Corduroy & Finch

A few days after the party, John and I wandered over to Sixth Avenue for dinner. With Brazil packed to the rafters, we opted for Corduroy & Finch instead. The mushroom soup was good but came in a tiny portion size. Their beef tenderloin turned out fairly well, and the chicken penne pasta was okay - subtly flavored by dried herbs. For the price, though, dinner was nothing exceptional... but it's just fun going to C&F to browse through all the things they have on sale. The selection seemed heavily dominated by German deli items this time around, and their intense chocolate mousse was nowhere to be seen.

Getting There

The Cellar Door Deli - 619 Bukit Timah Road, 6463 5296

Market Place and Jason's - Paragon, Tanglin Mall, and Raffles City basements. Click here for the full list of branches.

Marché - #B1-01 and #01-03 at The Heeren on Orchard, 6737 6996

Lazy Gourmet Deli - 1 Scotts Road, Shaw Centre, #02-01 (at the back, facing Pacific Plaza / China Black. 6333 8722

Espirito Santo Latin Deli - 376 River Valley Road, 6256-5070

Corduroy & Finch - 779 Bukit Timah Road, 6463-8038. Near Sixth Avenue.

Langtang's Leeches

2005-10-13T21:00:00.000+08:00

In the movies, intrepid heroes only pick up leeches if they've been wading through murky swamps (and normally, leeches are the least of their worries).

In real life, though, leeches come to meet you on the trail. Every overhanging vine, every shrub lining the path - they're all potential launching pads for these little invaders.

We inadvertently accumulated several leeches just walking on the trail (one girl picked them up during a bathroom stop - don't ask). If it's just been raining, you can expect a lot of them to be crouched in the vegetation waiting for unwary trekkers to walk by.

Over two separate days, I removed one from under my shirt (just above the waistband of my pants), one from my wrist (under my watch strap, which was under my jacket), one from my pant leg (where it was trying to make it through the fabric of my pants), and a tiny one from between my fingers. If I had to put salt in all those places I'd be a walking salt pillar.

On the first day, John was wearing black trek pants and looking cool and comfortable. By the second day he'd switched to khakis for easier leech detection!

Apart from a hyperactive imagination (where I feared every little twitch signaled a leech under my clothes or in my boots), it turned out to be not as bad as I feared. Typically a quick squirt of rubbing alcohol made the leeches curl up so they could be easily flicked off - no blood pouring out of the bite, just a little red mark on my skin to show where the leech was attached. The sherpas guiding us had two-foot-long sticks with small pouches of salt attached to the ends. Instead of squirting alcohol, they just touched the salt pouch to the leeches and voila, the leech would fall off.

Of course that all depends on somebody sighting the leech in the first place. Paranoid lot that we were, we stopped pretty often to do a quick check and make sure our clothes and skin hadn't been breached by the little critters. They're neither painful nor particularly dangerous, and they fall off by themselves once they've had enough. But still - when you ask someone to check your back, the last thing you want to hear is, "Too late... there are two well-fed leeches back on the trail somewhere!"

The scariest part was trying to fall asleep after having found two leeches in our teahouse bedroom. My more knowledgeable mountaineer friends told us that we brought those leeches in with us (riding on clothes, bags, or shoes), so perhaps a more thorough check would have allowed us to sleep peacefully. Every so often a yell would ring out from either our bedroom or the adjacent one, followed by a frantic search for rubbing alcohol and finally a spirited argument between the occupants about who was going to transport the leech outdoors.

Thankfully these leeches can't survive above a certain altitude. I was never so happy to have seen high altitude in my life!

Nepal pictures

2005-10-10T18:17:00.000+08:00

John's side of the story is posted up at roadtoeverest.blogspot.com - together with Nepal pictures, courtesy of Jonjon Villareal. Enjoy!

Back from Trekking

2005-09-04T23:07:00.000+08:00

We’re alive!

After 10 days of walking, rain, cold, altitude, and magnificent views (not necessarily in that order), we’re finally back from our Langtang trek in Nepal.

In those 10 days I saw my first yak, detached my first leech (and was bitten by two others), saw my first glacier, reached my highest altitude ever outside a plane, did my first kora, had my first taste of dal bhaat and a surreptitious sliver of fried yak meat, and saw my first glimpse of the Himalaya.

My eternal thanks go out to the manufacturers of my waterproof boots, quick dry clothes, shock-absorbent trekking poles, and Ariel enzyme-powered detergent.

It was a great trip. And the air is marvelously clear at 4400 meters. But if I never see another pack of instant Rara ramen soup again, it’ll be too soon.

Our sherpa guide warned us that the first morning of our trek would be a sharp ascent, but then it would be flat the rest of the day. Apparently, "flat" for sherpas must mean the trail goes up and down in equally steep proportions. I couldn’t tell you what the view looked like on that first day... all I remember seeing was the trail in front of me, as I concentrated on putting one foot in front of the other. If our group didn’t have porters helping to carry our main backpacks, I would probably have quit well before lunch!

Thankfully, it did get easier from the second day onward, which is why I’m still alive to tell the tale. And which is also why we haven’t pitched our friend Romy down the side of a cliff... "just long walks", huh? Somebody forgot to mention several hundred meters of up-and-down trudging required to eke out a couple of hundred meters’ altitude gain.

At the end of the trek we chucked our budget out the window and recuperated at the Kathmandu Hyatt, which at $60 a night was a splurge in Nepal but a steal compared to Singapore hotels. After 10 days of teahouse living, it was refreshing to be in a place that had consistent hot showers (I was happy just to have the showers in the same building!), Western-style plumbing, and actually provided guests with complimentary toilet paper instead of selling it by the roll.

I’m glad we went on the trip and grateful for the chance to have seen both the lush green hills and the snowy peaks of the Himalaya.

Romy is now on his way to Tibet to climb Cho Oyu, the 6th highest mountain in the world. We wish him luck coping with his upcoming 30+ days of altitude, grueling climbs, and camp food!

More stories to come...

Off to Nepal

2005-08-19T19:40:00.000+08:00

This is it! We're flying to Kathmandu tomorrow for two weeks of trekking in Nepal. I still can't believe I signed up for walking 4 to 6 hours a day. This from the person for whom a beginners' yoga class is significant physical exertion.

Preparing for the trek has taken two months of admittedly haphazard fitness training. Actually - that was six weeks of intending to go to the gym, and two panicked weeks of "serious" training consisting of 5-hour walks every few days. John wasn't too keen on my suggestion of doing our training walks in the airconditioned shopping malls at Suntec, so instead we broke in our new boots on the NUS brisk walking route from MacRitchie reservoir to Bukit Timah.

Bukit Timah is Singapore's highest point, at a whopping altitude of 164 meters above sea level. Not much preparation for climbing Yala, which is only... oh... 33-and-a-half times as high.

Nepali summits, unlike Singapore ones, don't come equipped with a chicken rice and fried bee hoon restaurant at base camp. So I'm taking along a plentiful supply of trail snacks - chocolate covered raisins, Snickers bars, gourmet apple & cinnamon trail mix bars, and packaged champorado from my dwindling stash. I packed my backpack last night and one-third of it was occupied by food.

Shopping for trekking gear was more challenging than picking out snacks. Apparently, outdoor sports in Singapore are largely a male preserve. And I really do mean large - it was almost impossible to find good waterproof jackets and pants for women, much less in small sizes. After searching everywhere, I managed to snag the very last pair of small-sized Nike Clima-Fit pants in all Singapore. I opted to buy a blue-grey kids-sized jacket from Adidas instead of settling for the garish bright magenta Nike ladies' jacket (yes, there's a reason that last piece has never been sold).

You know how in mountaineering pictures, the group at the summit is always dressed in all colors of the rainbow? I thought that was due to personality quirks of alpine climbers, but as I shopped for gear I quickly realized that those color schemes are a product of necessity. Forced to choose between coughing up 200+ USD for a pair of very stylish black Arc'teryx three-season trekking pants and spending less than a third of that on equally functional no-name trekking pants (in fatigue green, oh well), I just couldn't bring myself to buy a pair of pants that cost more than a 4-day vacation in Phuket. I am now also, against my will, the possessor of a fatigue green vinyl rain poncho and a fatigue green sunhat. With my Nike shirts and bright daypack, hopefully I won't be mistaken for either army soldier or Maoist rebel.

After two weeks of frantic shopping I've finally assembled most of my gear. I've spent so much time in camping shops, I can serve as a fill-in salesperson when the regular staff is busy. "See, what you really need is the midweight base layer shirt... here... try this one..."

My only condition for agreeing to go on this trek was that we find a REALLY nice hotel and spa to recuperate in on the last day. Thankfully, Kathmandu has its share of four- and five-star hotels - visions of these will keep me going when I start ruing the day I ever heard of the Himalaya.

Two weeks from today we'll doubtless be back in safe and sunny Singapore, loaded with knit yak wool socks, Maoist "donation" receipts, a ton of pictures, and a renewed appreciation for the MRT. Until then, wish me luck!

Walking From MacRitchie to Bukit Timah

2005-08-09T19:14:00.000+08:00

We spent Singapore's National Day walking from MacRitchie Reservoir to Bukit Timah, breaking in the new Montrail boots we bought from Camper's Corner (which is an excellent shop, by the way).

This was our second attempt to follow the brisk walk route posted by the NUS Habitat group. And unsuccessful again, I might add. We keep missing a turn on Rifle Range Road, and ending up at the Bukit Timah Visitor Centre instead of on Catchment Path to the Bukit Timah summit. This time I'd built up some endurance and had enough energy to walk up to the summit of Bukit Timah, instead of copping out and heading straight for the restaurants nearby.

The walk took us about 3 hours, including the visit to Bukit Timah's summit (which is Singapore's highest point, at the grand elevation of 166 meters).

Route:
1. We start off at the MacRitchie reservoir bus stop, where Thomson Road turns right to Upper Thomson. Walk past the car park to the start of Lornie Trail. Take a look at the MacRitchie map for details. Lornie trail is the yellow trail, Rifle Range Link is the pink one.

2. Follow Lornie Trail past the golf course and Jelutong tower.

3. Continue past Jelutong tower. You'll see a fork in the path, with the right fork going to Sime Trail (and the HSBC treetop walk), and the path straight ahead continuing on to Rifle Range Link. Take the route to Rifle Range Link.

4. Eventually you'll reach what appears to be a dead end at the end of Rifle Range Link. The wooden sign to Bukit Timah Nature Reserve points diagonally away from the Rifle Range Link trail; the path goes up a short but steep slope is and apparently blocked by a green metal railing. Just step over the railing and continue on. The pink trail markers will continue on the other side of the railing.

5. Keep following the pink trail markers. Eventually you'll reach Rifle Range Road. Follow the road until it crosses Bukit Timah Expressway.

6. This is where we diverge from the NUS Habitat Group's brisk walk route, somehow. We kept walking down Rifle Range Road until we saw clearly marked trail signs. You have two options: the first one, 100-200m longer, is take the first trail to the left, leaving Rifle Range road at the sign marked "Kampong Trail". Bring a copy of the Bukit Timah map, or look at the map signs posted along the trail. The Bukit Timah Visitor Centre is 2.2 km from the point where you leave Rifle Range Road to head for Kampong Trail.

7. The second option, which we took this time around, was to continue walking down Rifle Range road all the way until Kampong Trail crosses Rifle Range Road. At that point you can turn right onto Kampong Trail and continue following the pink trail markers (and the most well-worn trail). Whenever you see a sign pointing to "Bukit Timah Visitor Centre", follow it. Eventually you'll emerge onto Hindhede Drive. Civilization!

From there you can turn right to the Vistor Centre; or turn left, walk out to the main road, cross, and eat at Boon Tong Kee just down the street from Courts.

Zouk and Phuture

2005-08-08T22:13:00.000+08:00

After a leisurely weekend in Phuket, we returned to Singapore.

Spent our first Friday back meeting up with classmates and teachers from my exotic dance class. John came along too - imagine one guy at dinner with four girls, all talking about great exotic dance routines or horrendous salsa partners. One of Linna's gay friends joined us later - he's one of the two gay men who generously serve as practice partners during their lap dance workshops.

Dinner itself was nondescript. My chicken risotto was ok, not outstanding. The decor at the Gallery Hotel's Zenden restaurant reminded us of an airplane lounge. Hmm. They've got interestingly shaped glasses though, and decent chocolate coffee cake.

Our next stop was clubbing at Zouk. Or, rather, the Zouk complex. I can see how having four clubs in one location can facilitate bar-hopping for the sobriety-challenged. However, it does have its disadvantages... through some fluke, our party of six ended up split between Phuture, Zouk, Velvet Underground and Wine Bar. I never even got to meet up with the friend I was there to see!

The dance floor at Phuture was literally packed wall-to-wall with people. Nevertheless, we bravely plunged into the crowd. We squeezed our way along the side of the dance floor over to the bar. Now I know how people get crushed in stampedes - there was one point where my feet almost lifted off the floor. Thankfully John was holding on to me and helped me keep my balance.

Zouk was much roomier. In fact, it had plenty of space for dancing. Of course, that may have been because the Zouk music that Friday left something to be desired...

After a while we thought of looking for our other friends at Velvet. Too late though - since we'd entered and paid at Phuture, our stamps got us admission only to Phuture and Zouk. We'd have to pay again if we wanted to enter Velvet; so at that point we decided to call it a night.

Getting There

The Gallery Hotel is at 76 Robertson Quay.

Zouk is at 17 Jiak Kim street, beside the Grand Copthorne Waterfront hotel. Entrance was S$25 per person, on a Friday night after 10 pm.

Furry Friends in Phuket

2005-08-04T22:37:00.000+08:00

Where'd all the bananas go?

Richard, a ThornTree regular, took us to visit his pal Charlie at an elephant trekking outpost on a hilly road between Kata and Rawai. He brought a bag full of fruit as a present. A health nut? No, Charlie's a gibbon with a fondness for mangosteens.

We started off leisurely peeling mangosteens and bananas for Charlie and another resident gibbon. Then one by one, the elephants returned from their trek. Eager trunks started snaking their way over to the table, attempting to snatch the entire bunch of banana. I was hastily breaking off chunks of watermelon and feeding them to the elephants as fast as I could hand them over, in a vain attempt to ensure that the goodies were equitably distributed. In a few minutes most of the fruit disappeared into those cavernous mouths... leaving two still-hungry apes, batting away trunks as they savored the last mangosteen. Four friendly elephants. My dad would love this place, gotta invite him next time.

Charlie was chilling out, enjoying being groomed by bemused visitors. Apparently, Richard tells us, groom a gibbon for a few minutes and you’ll be accepted as part of the family.

This is part 3 of a series on Phuket. Read part 1 and part 2 on other pages of this blog.

Phang Nga Bay by Kayak

2005-07-31T22:38:00.000+08:00

Part two of a series on Phuket. Links to part 1 and part 3 .

I've always wanted to go on a kayak tour. My two previous attempts (Palawan and Australia) were scuttled by poor weather or lack of participants, so I wasn't going to pass up the chance in Phuket.

The vast majority of advertised tours were mass-market paddles sandwiched between snorkelling off the beach and tours to James Bond island. Not my cup of tea.

The other end of the range was made up of serious multi-day sea canoe expeditions. Camping. Hmm. Maybe next time.

Finally I settled on a day trip visiting the various hongs (lagoons) inside the islands in Phang Nga bay. Again, on the advice of the ThornTree folks, I booked with John Gray - who is well known for his ecologically responsible tours and who pioneered exploration of the hongs.

We weren't disappointed. John and I (my husband John, not our tour leader John) had an excellent time kayaking through the caves and the lagoons. Normally, the tour company provides a guide who paddles the kayak for you. John claimed I was an Olympic kayak competitor (I doubt anyone believed that for a second!) so we took an extra paddle and struck off in our double-engined kayak.

Turned out that was a great idea. We entered most of the lagoons well ahead of the other kayaks, and enjoyed a beautiful view in unbroken silence. Our guide, Golf, pointed out crab-eating macaques, crabs, mudskippers, and a lazy water monitor.

We had a good Thai seafood dinner on board the support boat. We got about two shrimp each (in tom yum goong soup), and the rest was yummy chicken and fish. John Gray is a fervent environmentalist and doesn't support commercial shrimp farming.

We stayed out in the bay until well past sunset, and paddled back through the caves and into a lagoon after dark. We brought traditional Thai krathongs, lit candles, and floated them in the caves. The lagoon was pitch-black, the darkness broken only by the occasional firefly or the swirl of bioluminescent plankton in the water.

Finally it was time to return to the support boat, with the guides collecting the floating krathongs along the way. We got back to our hotel, tired but happy (and hungry, in John's case) at around 10 pm.

Note: There are a number of kayak and sea canoe companies offering tours in Phuket. Some are much more professional (and more ecologically friendly) than others. You'll pay a bit more if you go with a good tour operator, but it's well worth it - we've heard stories of cheap tours where eager guides pull out baby mangroves to show tourists their roots... sigh.

Prices and reservations

Tours can be booked through the John Gray Sea Canoe website (http://www.johngray-seacanoe.com) or via phone. The Hong by Starlight tour, for 3450 baht per person, includes hotel transfers, beverages, lunch, and dinner. The web site states they'll serve "a light lunch", but don't be fooled - it's quite substantial. You can pay online via credit card, or via cash or credit card at the pier.

Phuket Post-Tsunami

2005-07-30T21:06:00.000+08:00

(Or, flying to paradise for S$14.95)

Just got back from a much-needed four day vacation in Phuket. Apart from the dearth of tourists, a little construction, and stacks of tsunami survivor t-shirts in Patong shops, there was very little sign of the tsunami that hit last Christmas. Most of the Patong, Karon, and Kata area was either undamaged or already restored.

Phuket "local expat" residents hanging out on the Lonely Planet ThornTree message board showered us with recommendations on where to stay, where to eat, and what to do. The consensus was that we should avoid over-developed Patong ("We call it the zoo," quipped one expat) and spend our time elsewhere. Kata beach was still touristy, looking at the number of tailor shops lining the main road, but it was quiet enough in the low season. We counted one bored backpacker waiting for his girlfriend to get her blond hair beaded, a German couple in their sixties, and one newly-arrived Irishman still acclimatizing to the humidity.

Rawai was laid-back and the beachfront mats were filled with Thais enjoying a family dinner. Apart from our host Richard, there was only one other Westerner on the beach.

More on our adventures in future posts... I’ll stop for now by saying it’s an excellent time to visit Phuket. Zuji is advertising 4-day, 3-night flight and hotel packages with airport transfers and a free Thai massage, for just S$128 via Tiger Airways. Even when you add in the S$79 Singapore airport tax, it’s still a good deal.

Other blog entries on Phuket:
Phang Nga Bay by Kayak

Furry Friends in Phuket

Surviving Singlish

2005-07-16T13:13:00.000+08:00

You’ve just got to love how organized society is here. There’s an initiative for everything, accompanied by big posters on the buses and in the MRT stations. Does any of it actually work? Well, when you combine the "Speak Mandarin" campaign with the "Speak Good English" campaign, here’s what you get...

First of all, there are Chinese words and non-words creeping into all parts of the conversation hor. Speak straight English also cannot do, what. And don’t forget the accent. At lunch, stand in front of the hawker auntie looking very blur when she ask me question. What? What? Oh... "eat in or take-away?" I so pai seh, very embarrassed!

Aiyah, too much, cannot tahan any more. Been here six months liao, still blur. Each time get in a taxi, very kan cheong. What if taxi driver dun understand, drive drive never reach?

Take MRT no better lah. The queues! Everyone so kiasu, always standing right in front of the MRT door. You want to grab the sole remaining seat, is it? Never mind, just stand lor.

Lah, ah, lor, hor, leh, meh. Wah, who can keep them straight?

But I very on the ball one, now understand Singlish ooooso caaan! Otherwise how to survive in Singapore ah?

The rest of us non-Singaporeans can decode this using The Coxford Singlish Dictionary.

Dharma's and the Treasures of the Vatican

2005-07-10T07:50:00.000+08:00

On Friday night we went down to the waterfront and had drinks and dinner at Dharma's Kebabs, musing about the blue patch in a sky full of grey. I've got a love-hate relationship with Dharma's. Their kebabs and breads are wonderful. The curry sauce is a little on the mild side, but still great. The chicken and beef are unbeatably tender. But this Friday, the whole dish was just served cold.

How could it be? They'd just started serving grilled items (at 6 o'clock, when we ordered), and nobody else was having kebabs. I guess they were too busy filling beer glasses to bring over our plate. Oh well. The calamari appetizers weren't bad, though.

Throughout dinner we gazed at the Asian Civilisations Museum across the Singapore river. Posters all over town have been announcing the arrival at ACM of pieces from the Vatican Collections, in an exhibit entitled "Journey of Faith".

Entrance to the museum is half-price ($4 from the usual $8) on Fridays from 7 to 9 pm. We breezed through the Southeast Asia gallery, tinkered with the interactive kiosks, searched the China gallery for Tang dynasty porcelain (in remembrance of Mr. Croup), and finally stood in awe at the foot of paintings by Raphael and Veronese.

It was interesting seeing carved pieces of early Christian catacombs up close. We felt like we were walking around a Dan Brown novel, or an Indiana Jones movie. The exhibit displays narrate the necessary Biblical and historical context, for those who aren't familiar with Peter's stewardship or Paul's life (and the great difficult they had in seeing eye to eye).

Closing time overtook us before we could explore the South Asian gallery.

Capped the night with a drink and Rosanna & her jazz players at Bar Opiume. Nothing like a plush sofa after walking all evening...

Update: While writing this up I discovered that Dharma's Kebabs is owned and managed by McCraic Holdings (who also owns Father Flanagan's). No wonder it felt like an Irish pub.

Au Jardin by Les Amis

2005-06-29T23:03:00.000+08:00

John and I had a romantic dinner at Au Jardin the night I arrived from Manila. Maybe I should go out of town more often! :) (Just teasing... I was only gone 4 days, after all - and we do go out to dinner for no reason, too).

Au Jardin, in the Botanic Gardens, is rated one of the best restaurants in Singapore. It's in a beautifully restored colonial home which reminded us of Jinpukaku in Japan.

The most intimate seats in the restaurant are the two tables on the small balcony overlooking the garden. Our waiter confided that the man seated at the table next to ours was proposing to his fiancee over dinner that evening. Apparently those tables are very popular and must be booked 2-3 weeks in advance.

We don't normally eat in posh French restaurants and were somewhat at a loss when it came to navigating the courses and cutlery. Our bread arrived with delicious French butter in a small dish, a bread knife, and a small spoon. Hmm. What to do with the spoon? Were we supposed to use it to spoon butter onto our bread plates?

After 5 minutes of nervously looking around at other tables, the mystery was finally solved. Our waiter brought us shot glasses filled with tomato foam and diced watermelon. Tomato foam?? Good thing we hadn't touched the spoons.

The razor clams were delicious. So was the garden green salad with truffles, which was liberally sprinkled with flowers doubtless taken from just outside the window. I guess that's one of the advantages of being located in the Botanic Gardens. :)

John's order of spiny lobster was absolute heaven. It had just a slight sprinkling of curry powder, which helped bring out the lobster's taste.

As for my entree... well, let's just say I'm never ordering roasted or poached pigeon again. :) I am nowhere near as culinarily adventurous as I was trying to be. Well, it was a choice between that and venison. Thankfully, the lobster serving was huge - one whole lobster plus a second lobster tail - so there was more than enough for both of us.

I had persimmon confit with sorbet for dessert, which was very good. The chocolate ice cream cylinder John had was a bit too rich. We capped the evening with petits fours and tea, and then took a stroll around the beautifully lit garden.

If we weren't already married, I would have loved to be proposed to in that place!

Reservations

Call +65 6466 8812 for reservations. The regular three-course dinner menu is S$108++, while the tasting menu (Dinner Dégustation) is S$150++.

Greenbelt Dinner, Drinks, and Dessert

2005-06-28T23:00:00.000+08:00

Note: For those who haven't read the previous post, I was in Manila this week... so all of these places are in Makati, not Singapore :)

Saw some very good friends on Monday in Makati, and went on a food trip at the same time. Pia organized lunch at Racks... yum, I didn't realize I missed their barbeque sauce so much.

In the evening I walked over the Greenbelt and saw some friends who couldn't make it for lunch. Diane was the first to arrive, so we met at an old favorite - Cafe Breton. The crepes are as good as ever. Saving room for restaurant-hopping, so... no dessert crepe for us.

Two friends later, John Q arrived and came up with the brilliant idea of moving to the Ayala Museum Cafe. I'd been meaning to go but had never been. The menu offerings are, to say the least, interesting. We decided to pass on the jackfruit desserts and cucumber & sake cocktails. The brazo de limon was delicious though, and the lychee & lemongrass cocktail was not bad.

With dinner and drinks over, our next stop was the chocolate fondue at Max Brenner. Another favorite. Four more friends arrived to help finish off the food. Sadly strawberries were out of season so we had to make do with apples and marshmallows. Jon Co had a field day finishing up the bananas, which nobody else wanted to touch. After all, between marshmallows and bananas there was just no contest. :)

Diane is wonderful. Before we all parted ways for the evening, she handed me a care pack with my Philippine food essentials - several packets of champorado! So even though I didn't get to do any shopping, I still got my must-have groceries.

Finding Nemo in Cebu

2005-06-28T22:58:00.000+08:00

I decided to take a couple of days off and fly back home to the Philippines for the weekend. I hadn't been back since we left in January and Kathy was organizing a post-Father's Day surprise - that seemed like a good reason to go.

If I'd waited another month I could have saved about S$40 each way on my Jetstar tickets... but we have some other stuff planned in July.

Anyway, four days was much too short! Between dinners with friends, one day in the office, and a weekend at the beach, there was no time to go shopping or visit the spa.

Anybody who's met my family knows that my dad likes making spur-of-the-moment out of town trips. This time, he had the great idea of flying us all to Cebu - so I spent Friday afternoon making bookings on Philippine Airlines for the 5 AM flight Saturday morning. We were supposed to pick up the tickets from the PAL ticket office at 3 AM, but at 3:15 we were still parked outside the Asian Spirit / Seair offices at the domestic airport checking to see if there were seats available for Boracay. As expected, the Boracay flights returning to Manila were fully booked - this meant a rush to the PAL ticket office and then to the check-in counter. When I got to the front of the line, the PAL check-in agent took our tickets and then put up the counter closed sign! Whew.

In Cebu we stayed at Alegre Beach Resort, 1 1/2 hours from Mactan airport. I liked it - it was quiet, secluded, and had a great reef within swimming distance from the beach. Kathy and I aren't the world's best swimmers so we borrowed a kayak, went out to the edge of the house reef, and took turns snorkelling and sitting in the kayak. The water was clear and there were tons of large fish.

We saw several large parrot fish and chubby blue starfish. And Kathy found Nemo!

Late afternoon we boarded a boat to go on a sunset cruise. Saw a few dolphins and (sadly) a small oil slick far off shore.

The food at Alegre leaves something to be desired, although their spa is excellent. Kathy and I both had traditional one-hour massages. We were so tired from the kayaking that we dozed off halfway through - but woke up feeling great.

The cabanas are comfortable and well-decorated. I love the bathrooms. The bedrooms were almost as nice as those at Alona Palm, and I liked the Alegre bathtubs much better.

Before flying back to Manila, we drove into town and had dinner at a new Italian restaurant in Cebu city. It's called Uncle Henry's - not a particularly Italian name, maybe because the owner is Chinese! Henry Uytengsu. Ambience was good, the bread was delicious and so was the food... but then Kathy came down with a slight case of food poisoning afterwards so I don't think we'll be recommending the place anytime soon. (You hear that, Chip Childers? :) Just kidding...)

We capped the weekend with a night at the Manila Doctors' ER while Kathy was under observation.

At least I got my massage and my great beach weekend.

Corduroy & Finch

2005-06-21T20:47:00.000+08:00

I brought home a chocolate mousse from Corduroy & Finch today. Whoa. The flavor almost knocked me out.

I'm a big fan of desserts and rarely like to share, but the dark chocolate taste of this one was so intense I could only eat a third of the single-sized serving. Not to worry, the rest of the mousse isn't going to waste... I popped the rest into the fridge and will probably consume it over the course of the week.

The mousse isn't sickly-sweet the way many rich chocolate mousses (mousses??) can be. Normally I hit my sugar limit before the chocolate does me in. Try it sometime. But keep the paramedics close by in case you pass out from chocolate shock.

Corduroy & Finch also sells wine jelly, sun-dried strawberries, fruit syrup for mixed drinks, and a lot of other good stuff.

Getting there

They're at 779 Bukit Timah Road, S269758. Just around the corner from the Bukit Timah post office (which isn't on Bukit Timah, it's on Sixth Avenue - but that's another story).

You can call them at 6762 0131 or 6463 8038, if you're planning dinner in the cafe and want reservations.

Kebabs and Fajitas

2005-06-18T21:36:00.000+08:00

Had appetizers at Boat Quay and dinner at Chijmes last night... here's the verdict.

I have to say, Dharma's Kebabs at Boat Quay has very good bread. They also have decent chicken tikka kebabs, though a bit bland and in need of more spices - I guess the dishes were westernized to suit the tourist crowd. Appetizer platters serving 4 or 5 people cost about $25, and the chicken tikka kebab plate was $14. Not bad.

At Chijmes, we decided to bypass Esmirada and try a new dinner spot. After walking all over Chijmes I settled on Maracas. In hindsight, maybe we should have stuck to our usual place (where the chicken kebab is yummy!). John says the beef fajitas were good. I thought they were a bit dry.

Nachos were ok. The serving was huge, probably enough of an appetizer for 4 or 5 people.

Maracas was a good place for dinner conversation. The tables could seat 4 to 6 people but most tables were occupied by tourist couples relaxing after a long day - so, low decibel level.

Walking MacRitchie

2005-06-16T20:04:00.000+08:00

Finally managed to get ourselves up and about early one Saturday morning for a long overdue walk around MacRitchie reservoir. We knew we'd never make it if it was just the two of us... luckily Donabel and Mia showed up to provide some much needed incentive.

There are several trails to choose from. Route 4 (orange on this map), which we took, is roughly 12 km. It circles the reservoir and a good chunk of forest, with a stretch of golf course thrown in for good measure. The walk was pleasant and not too difficult if you’re in shape. You'll be sore the next day though if you aren't used to walking! Lots of people jogging, a few were walking (like us). At our pace the walk took about 3 1/2 hours. Trails are well marked and there are maps at major junctions.

Monkeys hang out on some sections of the trail. They usually scatter when people approach, but if they just sit there watching you and you’re too scared to pass, grab a nearby dead branch and use it to wave them away. There are also lots of turtles in the water and on the banks sunning themselves.

We started off at the Thomson Road bus stop, just where Thomson curves into Upper Thomson. From here we proceeded to our left and followed route 4. In hindsight, we probably should have gone in the other direction because the HSBC treetop walk on Peirce Track is one-way (Peirce Track to Petaling Trail) – that added a couple of kilometers to our circuit, and by that time we were pretty tired.

Mia jogs regularly at MacRitchie and knew all the best routes, so all we did was follow her! 2 km before the end of the trail, John got tired of waiting for us fitness-challenged girls and decided to run the rest of the way.

Bring lots of cold water as drinking fountains seemed few and far between. An enterprising Filipino guy was selling cold drinks along Island Club road... smart. And wear a hat – the sun can really beat down on you when you reach the golf course section of the trail.

Next time I’ll try kayaking. The Singapore Canoe Federation rents out kayaks and gives classes at the reservoir.

Getting there

Buses 74, 93, 130, 132, 156, 157, 162, 165, 166, 167, 605, 852, 855 and 980 all go to Macritchie reservoir (get off at Lornie Road / where Thomson Road turns right and becomes Upper Thomson Road).

Shopping for Supplies

2005-05-09T20:37:00.000+08:00

I'm on a quest to find best way of managing grocery-shopping without a car.

I stopped by our neighborhood mall today for dinner on the way home. It was a choice between picking up milk and bread, or buying discounted novels from the booksale stall. As you might guess, Imogen Edwards-Jones' wickedly funny "Tuscany for Beginners" won out - which means I'll be eating strawberry yogurt for breakfast again for the second straight day...

John and I have tried having groceries delivered by NTUC, which works quite well if you buy enough to make it worth staying home the next day to wait for the delivery guy (and staying home again three days later while they exchange a stray can of cream-style corn for the whole kernel corn you ordered). The only problem is we now have enough canned goods to last us 3 months, but we quickly ran out of milk, corn flakes, and bread. If I bulk-order milk and corn flakes it will probably fill the whole apartment!

So my second option is Cold Storage. Unlike NTUC, they also deliver fresh food. So I can get them to bring cheese, cream, orange juice (those cartons are heavy), and fruit. They pack chilled and frozen food in dry ice, so even ice cream will survive the trip. On the other hand, Cold Storage's minimum order value is $60 per location. That's a lot of orange juice.

Hmm. Supermarkets in Singapore aren't made for carless DINKs* like us. We just don't eat enough to make the delivery services worthwhile. Taking a cab works, although we do feel a bit silly taking five minutes to load groceries, two minutes to drive to our place, and another five to take them all out of the cab's trunk.

I live too far away from the supermarket to smuggle a fully-loaded supermarket cart two blocks away. And I'm too thin-skinned to take the funny looks from other pedestrians at the crosswalk.

So I mostly shop when John is around to help me, and when he's busy I've resorted to swinging by Cold Storage and picking up what I need when I need it (resulting in a flurry of tiny NETS charges - I must be the only person in Singapore who regularly charges $15 or less to her debit card). When John is off travelling, my dinners rise a notch on the gourmet scale... I eat fresh button mushrooms instead of canned because they're lighter. (At least I can pretend the reason I shop daily is to get the fresh stuff)

After I got settled in the routine of lugging home a liter of milk on one day and a carton of orange juice the next, I finally realized why Singaporeans shop so often... and why they're so fit.

* DINK: Double Income, No Kids

Exotic Dance

2005-05-08T20:19:00.000+08:00

I finished my first exotic dance course today! We had six weekly sessions, each lasting 1 1/2 hours.

We had a lot of fun. Linna, Sarah, Sophie and Audrey (our teachers) did a great job of explaining the techniques and using humor to get us dancing well. Linna patiently took us through each new move, exaggerating any bad habits she spotted in our dancing to show us how unattractive it looks if you slouch!

The class is all-female (of course) and is conducted in a screened-off studio to give you lots of privacy. There were several first-time dancers in the class and it had a vibrant, easy-going atmosphere.

Linna is obviously very comfortable with her body and isn't afraid to laugh at herself. She's able to bring this same confidence out in her class (slowly!) and by the end of the second session most of the girls were moving fairly well.

It was great making some new friends in the class. Seeing the same faces each week makes us more comfortable with each other, and there's an indisputable camaraderie that comes out of struggling through those first few body waves together. In addition, Jes is a superb dancer so whenever I got lost I'd look over at her for the next move. :D

thebodytalks has a whole slew of classes available (3 levels of exotic dance classes, body rock, and exotic cardio, plus their salsa classes), so we spent a few minutes at the end of the class excitedly discussing our next choice. Unfortunately Bindi is flying to Taiwan for six weeks on holiday, so she won't be able to join us. She was pleading with Jes to wait for her return before signing up for Exotic 2, but we don't think we can go that long without our next exotic dance fix!

This must sound like a total advertisement for Linna and her crew. Her classes as a little more expensive than regular jazz or hip hop dance classes, but the quality of instruction makes the higher fee worthwhile.

I have to say - after six weeks of dancing on stiletto heels, walking on them is a piece of cake.

How to Join

Check out thebodytalks for schedules. Or, better yet, e-mail them at info@thebodytalks.com.sg for the latest.

thebodytalks holds classes at Jitterbugs at Millenia Walk, DanceHub (14A Murray Terrace near Tanjong Pagar / Chinatown), and a few community centers around Singapore.

Dinner Al Dente

2005-05-03T23:15:00.000+08:00

Had dinner at Al Dente at Boat Quay.

Although I'd seen the restaurant mentioned in magazines, I was mainly drawn in by the huge UOB 1-for-1 dining promotion poster outside. There were two of us (plus one little girl), so my friend and I decided to try it.

The four-cheese pizza was good although somewhat mild. Crust was nice. Kylie had fun looking at the wood-fired oven while her mom and I were waiting for the food to arrive. The lasagna was OK, nothing to rave about.

Service quality varied. The waiter and waitress who served us dinner were pretty good. However the waiter who welcomed us in and seated us misinformed us about the promotion. He insisted we'd have to pay for two dishes to get a third one free. Me: "So that means it's not really one-for-one then?" Waiter: "No, it's not." Luckily we asked a second waiter for a clarification.

Our bill for a lasagna and a four-cheese pizza, after the promotional discount, came to $22. Not bad considering it's in a great location. Not sure I'd go without the discount though.

After dinner we hopped on a bumboat and took the river cruise. Fullerton Hotel looks quite grand at night. I've added two more items to my list of things to try - the bars and restaurants at Empress Place, and Fullerton Hotel's chocolate buffet. We got off at Clarke Quay after the cruise and stopped for gelato before heading back home.

Getting There

Al Dente Trattoria is at 71 Boat Quay. Call 6536 5366 for reservations.

Bumboats can be boarded from both Boat Quay and Clarke Quay. Ticket stations and boarding platforms line both sides of the river. Cruises cost $10 per adult.

Hot Chocolate at Spinelli

2005-05-02T15:35:00.000+08:00

John and I stopped at Spinelli yesterday for a slice of cake. It was grey and drizzling outside, so he decided he wanted a cup of tea. I ordered a hot chocolate. It went perfectly with the cake - although the texture of the hot chocolate was rather thin, the flavor was full-bodied.

Spinelli's black, white & brown cake was just right. It's a gelatinous chocolate mousse, not really a cake. Which meant it was refreshingly light compared to the blocks of fudge that cafes normally serve.

Yum.

Hawker Fare

2005-04-29T21:47:00.000+08:00

Some cities are best explored serendipitously. Singapore, all orderly and efficient, is made to be explored determinedly - searching every nook and cranny for scraps of character and the authentic spirit of Singapore. Otherwise you're doomed to wander aimlessly through faceless chain stores and a maze of airconditioned little food courts, all alike.

Which is why in the past couple of weeks I've made pilgrimages to hawker spots around town - Newton Food Centre (delicious but overpriced and touristy), Maxwell Food Centre (filling) and a hawker centre on Victoria street beside Allson Hotel. This last place is refreshingly breezy, which is good because the mouthwatering smells wafting from the next table make my peanuty kway teow taste better than it is. Next time, more spice.

Directly in front of me, a weathered, tanned Chinese man sits alone with five dishes and four large ice-cold Heinekens. Surely he can't mean to consume that all himself? The frosty beers make me want to go get a drink.

I end up with one of those harsh artificial lime juices. Awful stuff, but it goes with the peanut taste and washes away the oil better than a gourmet lemon sorbet.

My mind begins making up stories to explain the spread at the other table. Could he have companions coming? Why just one mug for four bottles of beer? Is he a travelling gourmand and Heineken fan?

The man bites into something spicy. As he waves air out of his mouth, he catches me looking in his direction. Too busy to care, he stuffs a wad of tissue between his lips, and then takes it out and waves some more.

His cell phone rings. He talks, stands, and then gestures broadly, giving directions. Ah, part of the mystery is revealed. Someone is coming.

I continue eating my kway teow. Is kway teow even supposed to have peanuts? Maybe it's peanut oil.

After a while he pushes the half-eaten dishes to the other side of the table and lines up the beers in front of him like a firing squad. He's well on his way to finishing his second bottle.

Phone rings. He speaks into the phone again, now angrily. They aren't coming. They're late. They've already eaten. I can only guess. He hangs up, shakes his head in exasperation, and calls a cleaning lady to take away the food. Some of the dishes have barely been touched. That last plate heading for the trash bag looks like chilli prawn. Nooo!!!!

Every now and then he glances my way. I can see he's just as puzzled about what I'm doing there, writing away beside a heaping plate of kway teow. Am I a student? A spy? Hawker food stall reviewer? Private detective sent by his wife to tail him?

Phone rings again. My imagination translates both sides of the Chinese dialogue. "We're almost there, just 10 minutes away! So sorry we're late!" "Sorry, sorry, too late lah! Food all gone. Throw already." He gets up, gives directions again. Walks to the front of the food centre and, still on the phone, points to the signboard (no doubt his listener will know exactly which one he means).

I finish my meal and he's still here, waiting. I was right about one thing though - he drank all four Heinekens.

Body Rock

2005-04-26T22:56:00.000+08:00

I tried out a new Body Rock dance class today - it's a mix of exotic-style hip hop dance moves mainly meant for clubbing. Bodytalks is launching two new classes, Body Rock and Exotic Cardio, so they're offering trial sessions this week.

Overall, the Body Rock class was fun. Not as fun as Exotic Dance, of course. ;) I found it intriguing - if I watched carefully I could tell the exotic dance girls apart from the clubbers.

The teacher was male (didn't catch his name - Jean? John?) but had some of Linna's same teaching style and humor. He explained each move and took us through it slowly before adding music. First he had us do the footwork, then add shoulder movements, hip movements, and finally a body wave. I never imagined I could move so many muscles in so many different directions at the same time.

I like the way Bodytalks teaches dance - they're much better than the instructors of the cookie-cutter classes at the big gyms. Those guys demonstrate a move once or twice, have their faithful regulars follow, and then you're left to sink or swim on your own! I guess the mass-market gym teachers get newcomers every week and need to do it that way so they don't bore their regular students.

The new 6-week Body Rock session starts next Tuesday, May 2 at Dancehub. They're also planning a class at Jitterbugs (3/F Millenia Walk) on Sunday afternoons.

To register, send an e-mail to info@thebodytalks.com.sg

Getting There

Dancehub is at 14A Murray Terrace, 2nd floor, Murray Street S079530. Murray Terrace is just across Maxwell Food Center... I mean, Food Centre. It's also near Tanjong Pagar MRT.

Classical Stand-Up

2005-04-05T23:31:00.000+08:00

It's not every day you see an international artist traipsing through a theater lobby in shorts, snapping pictures of the usherettes.

We did, last Saturday. John and I were hanging out in front of Jubilee Hall spending a lazy afternoon, trying to decide whether to watch Rainer Hersch that evening. He was billed as a classical music stand-up comedian doing a one-act play about a Danish pianist, and we weren't quite sure what that really meant. The usherette set up a table outside the theater but wasn't selling tickets yet. If this was Manila I would have given up hope of getting in, but we've learned that in Singapore shows never sell out. My theory is, too many shows, too small a population.

Rainer popped out the theater's double doors, chit-chatted with the staff, and started taking souvenir pictures of the usherette and the theater manager. That did it for me - I figured any international comedian who is down to earth enough to do that is bound to be funny.

I wasn't disappointed. Rainer started the show with an impression of Victor Borge, the Danish musical comic. Don't worry, I hadn't heard of him either. The impressions soon had us rocking with laughter, and so did his twists on famous classical pieces. It's amazing how well a piano can deliver punch lines.

Rainer's humor has a distinctly European flavor. Self-deprecating (he's half-English) and delivered deadpan (he's half-German), Rainer poked fun at everyone from the Welsh ("Never play Scrabble with a Welshman. He'll look at a rack of seven consonants and think, 'Oh, I've won.'") to the Danes and the Germans, noting that Americans have no clue where Denmark is until you tell them it's two days by Panzer from Berlin.

I had a couple of slow moments along the way - at least one musical piece I didn't get, a joke that flew over my head, and a weak encore having to do with opera - but overall it was an enjoyable show.

This was his second visit to Singapore, he explained, adding, "My agent says you play Singapore twice in your career, once on the way up and once... never mind." Who knows where we'll see him next time.

A Leisurely Afternoon

2005-04-03T01:01:00.000+08:00

Some hotels are both historical and culinary landmarks. In Singapore, the grandest of them all is Raffles Hotel.

We celebrated John’s birthday by going for traditional English high tea at the Bar and Billiard Room. Graceful chandeliers hung from high ceilings, giving the room an airy feel. We sat back on our cushioned chairs and tried to catch a glimpse of each other through the three tiers of loaded tea trays.

Raffles has an extensive tea selection. John picked a good one, the ginger and herb tea. The fragrance and taste both evoked our favorite spas – don’t ask us how we can imagine how a spa would taste. I had the peach blossom tea which was very, well, peachy.

Every so often a pair of tourists would wander in, happy to be out of the heat and the humidity.

We analyzed each piece of pastry, trying to figure out what was what. John accidentally picked a scone with raisins (he dislikes raisins) so he swapped it for my orange scone. I took his slice of fruit cake (I actually like fruit cake, and this one was good). Now I know why high tea service runs for two hours... that's how long it takes to finish off all the sweets you're served.

We got tons of amusement value out of the silver teapots. John accidentally popped his tea strainer open while investigating his teapot, spilling tea leaves into his tea. Good thing we were done by then!

The Tiffin Room around the corner also serves high tea. The buffet there is popular with tourists, and we felt the long lines didn’t quite fit with our plan of a relaxing afternoon tea.

One day I'll come back and try the Writers Bar in the lobby. We strolled through and paused to listen to the pianist; next time we'll stay longer.

Reservations

The restaurant wasn't full the day we went. If you're the type who likes calling ahead (we did), you can make reservations by calling 6331-1612.

High tea is served from 3:30 to 5:30 pm Mondays to Saturdays, and 4:00 pm to 5:30 pm on Sundays. Dress code is smart casual, although we did spot a tourist or two in walking shorts.

Prices

The Raffles Set is priced at S$32 per person, plus tax and service charge (an additional 16%). The Sarkies Set is slightly less. You can order champagne with either set for a few more dollars.

Getting There

Take the MRT to City Hall and then walk through Raffles City mall, past the Swissotel Stamford.

Forbidden Art

2005-03-30T23:22:00.000+08:00

Topless girls in g-strings, gyrating on stage. Hard to believe I'm seeing this in straitlaced Singapore - where even normal tabletop dancing was, until recently, illegal.

Donabel and I went to see the Forbidden Art body painting performance by Yaari at Indochine's Forbidden City. The models started off skimpily dressed in a bandeau and mini-skirt, and then progressed to wearing nothing but a thong as Yaari painted them. Quite racy at the point between disrobing and getting enough paint on...

At first I wasn't too impressed. I mean, really, we could have painted those random colored stripes ourselves! As the paint layers increased, the body designs started to look more and more creative. Then the models stepped under the black light and we all went, "Aha!" It was neon body paint and looked pretty good on the dance floor.

The body paint exhibition was followed by a fashion show, also by Yaari. He designs clothes specifically for clubbing. In other words, they may look boring or uninspired on the rack or on the street, but they're made to shine (literally and figuratively) on the club floor under the black light. Of course, many of the dresses were so translucent and scantily cut, you'd be hard-pressed to try and wear them while travelling to and from the clubs. I did like a few of the designs, maybe if he had slightly less outrageous versions I would try some.

Surprisingly, Indochine wasn't packed. There was a crowd about two deep in front of the stage, but that was it. We had a clear view of the stage's left side from across the room where we were comfortably settled on cushiony soft divans (gotta get me some of those).

As far as art goes though, Botero was still more my style.

The House Jacks

2005-03-27T20:31:00.000+08:00

The House Jacks performed last night at Fort Canning Green. We'd listened to a capella rock songs before (courtesy of the songs on my sister's Ipod) so we thought we knew what to expect from a band that "sings" instruments. Well, watching The House Jacks perform in person was really something else. On top of being talented vocal percussionists and singers, they've got a terrific sense of humor.

My favorite number was "The Lion Sleeps Tonight", done in the style of... Chinese opera. That was hilarious. Their U2 rendition ("All I Want Is You") was also good, although their "Harder to Breathe" was a tad too fast. They did about a dozen unpracticed requests but, sadly, weren't familiar with "Ants Marching".

While each of the House Jacks had distinct (and cool) personalities, the crowd favorite was bassist Bert Bacco. Donabel bought a CD on the way out, and we'll probably see them again the next time they visit Singapore.

We walked down Orchard Road and stopped at Round Midnight for a nightcap. It's a pleasant place to chill out; the choice of music makes it more of a Latin piano bar (is there such a thing?) than a jazz bar. The singer was a couple of songs late for the first set - it's our theory that she was watching the House Jacks and got stuck in the crowd buying CDs.

We were pleasantly surprised to discover that Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays are ladies' nights at Round Midnight, so Sarah, Donabel and I were treated to free cosmopolitans. The waiters were extremely efficient at refilling drink glasses and snack bowls, which meant our cocktails were constantly being topped up whenever we paused for breath.

Lost in Translation

2005-03-26T09:22:00.000+08:00

The Kyoto train station was, as always, huge and remarkably efficient. The signboard posted outside the central gate had a neighborhood map which showed the Tourist Information Center location just across the street. I hadn't been to Kyoto for a while, so we crossed over to the TIC.

Or over to where the TIC was supposed to be, as it turned out. The building's exterior didn't show any signs of a tourist information center, and neither did the ground floor. Finally we asked one of the shop ladies which floor it was on.

She pulled a printed sheet of paper off a stack and highlighted a spot inside Isetan, explaining that the tourist information center moved back across the street.

Amazing. When you're travelling in less developed countries, you're usually lucky to get someone who even knows there's a tourist center in the area. An efficient place might have storekeepers who can give you exact directions. But a printed map custom-made to show you the new location, stocked by ground-floor cigarette sellers... only in Japan.

The following day we took a bus to Yonago, a small industrial / rural city in Tottori Prefecture. Most of our friends didn't know where Yonago was, and none of them could understand why we'd want to go there, until we explained that we were visiting the host family John stayed with as an exchange student.

Turned out there was a bus directly from the Kobe Bay Sheraton to Yonago. What are the odds of that? John and I were the only passengers boarding at the Sheraton, but the bus driver still insisted we sit in our assigned seats, 12 and 13 (promptly bringing back memories of that gate attendant from Meet the Parents). We realized why when the bus filled up at Sannomiya.

On arriving in Yonago we promptly spent the next three days being toured all over and being fed all sorts of Japanese food. I ate everything from sweet bean paste jellies (taken with green tea) to umeboshi (pickled plums - been there, done that, never again!). The highlights of the trip were a visit to the seaside onsen and to Tottori Sakyu (sand dunes); watching fifty-something-year-old Okaa-san walking off down the steep sand dune was awesome.

John and Otoo-san were wondering how I managed in the onsen since I spoke extremely limited Japanese and Okaa-san spoke no English. Well, we managed - just like we managed the rest of the three days. Which meant half the time I gave Okaa-san a confused look until she said, "ah, wakaranai", smiled, and gave up. The other half of the time I got it (or most of it).

Getting there

I bought my tickets from zuji.com - cheap and efficient. Zuji adds a service fee on top of the airline fare, but since I was pressed for time and it was after hours, the convenience of booking directly online and having the tickets delivered a day or two later was better for me than coordinating with a travel agent via e-mail. I saved about S$600 by flying Malaysia Airlines instead of SQ.

Live music at IndoChine Orchard

2005-02-28T21:46:00.000+08:00

What I’ll miss about Manila:

Having a Ministop convenience store right next to my building

Crossing the street whenever and wherever

Gorgeous narra and Philippine mahogany furniture

Vibrant crowds

The band Still Oz

What I adore about Singapore:

Having a Cold Storage supermarket within 15 minutes’ walk from our place

Crossing the street without fear of death or dismemberment

The one-stop convenience of IKEA

Safe streets late at night

The band inside IndoChine Aquadisiac at Wisma Atria (helping me fend off Still Oz withdrawal symptoms)

Dindo (band leader / keyboardist) gave us all a ride home after the IndoChine band finished up last Friday. Before dropping Sarah off at her apartment in Geylang, we stopped at Ho Kee Pau for a post-midnight snack. The chicken pau was delicious. Apparently Ho Kee Pau is famous and supplies numerous other restaurants with siopao – or "siew pau" as it’s known locally. The grass jelly was a little bland, but adding sugar syrup fixed it. The chicken feet are not for the faint of heart.

When and where to find the band

Boyz with Toys plays at Aquadisiac inside IndoChine Wisma Atria every evening from Monday to Saturday. First set starts at 10 pm. They play music from several different genres... all in the same set. Last Friday we had “She Will be Loved” by Maroon 5, immediately followed by Toto’s “Africa”, and then songs ranging from the jazzy to the almost-heavy-metal. Strange, but surprisingly it was ok. At least there’s something for everyone. Now, if only they would play Dave Matthews...

Take the MRT to Orchard Station and exit at Wisma Atria. You’ll know you’re in the right place when you see the huge aquarium with sharks and other marine denizens – except this month when the fish are away on Chinese New Year vacation.

There’s also an acoustic band that performs outdoors at Indochine.

Getting to Ho Kee Pau

Take the MRT to Aljunied or take bus 13 to Sims Avenue. Walk to Lorong 27 Geylang. According to the posted sign they close at 12:30, but we arrived just after that and thankfully were still served.

Botero on Bras Basah

2005-02-10T21:11:00.000+08:00

There’s an ongoing Fernando Botero exhibit at the Singapore Arts Museum on Bras Basah Road. I’d never even heard of Botero until a high school friend mentioned we should go see his work, and I’m glad we went. Watch out for the side effects though; now I can’t walk down Orchard without imagining everyone rendered as rotund Botero-style figures. The voluptuous, er, voluminous sculptures and Renaissance re-interpretations were my favorites.

We came for the paintings and sculpture but found a pleasant surprise: Russel Wong’s photographs of Asian and Western celebrities. One room showcased richly coloured shots he’d taken on the sets of Crouching Tiger, Hero, and House of Flying Daggers. I wanted to take one of the gorgeous red Zhang Ziyi prints home but settled for the version in the museum brochure.

My favorite was the marked-up set of pictures of Joan Chen, tongue-in-cheek work done for the Singapore Tyler Print Institute.

One of the TV screens showed Russel during his celebrity shoots. Imelda (Marcos, of course) never stopped talking throughout her entire portrait session.

We almost didn’t see the photos, actually. John had said, "Look, it’s Jackie Chan!" on our way to the Botero gallery, but I thought he was kidding. =)

Getting in: Entrance to the museum is $3 per person, and free on Fridays from 6 to 9 pm. It’s also free during the open houses held on selected public holidays, including Chinese New Year – unfortunately, the open house is today and not yesterday when we were there! One of the free ZoCard postcards on the rack in the lobby offers 1 for 1 on entrance: present the card at the front desk and bring in a friend for free. Of course, having come in the back entrance, we didn’t see the card until we walked out the front door.

Opening hours are 10:00 am to 7:00 pm daily, with extended hours on Fridays. Call the front desk at +65 6332 3222 so you don't miss out on museum promotions.

Getting there: The museum is at 71 Bras Basah Road. Check out Streetdirectory’s handy route finder for bus routes from your nearest landmark to the Singapore Art Museum. Don’t forget to check the route back to find your return bus stop, since Bras Basah is one-way.

Clubbing at Clarke Quay

2005-02-08T22:16:00.000+08:00

Kiko volunteered to show us around Singapore’s night life, so last night we all trooped over to Attica at Clarke Quay. According to our friend Cindy, this is the place to see and be seen. The waiting lounge by the river is a great place for sitting around and talking – we were almost tempted to stay there all night. It’s a place for privacy rather than people-watching since you’re screened from the queue by a green wall of plants.

There’s no drinks list and the waiter says they’ll offer to make whatever drink you order. In practice, this means you get to name any drink you like then watch the waiter look puzzled and head back into the club to consult with the bartender about whether they’ve got it. Regrettably, they’d never heard of Tequila Rose, so I had to settle for a frozen margarita. Maybe we should set up a liqueur importing business…

Inside Attica we spent a few minutes beside the dance floor waiting for our drinks. I’d forgotten what it was like to go to a bar where people smoked! With the fog machine running at full blast indoors, it was a pleasure to make it out to Attica’s open air courtyard. That’s the best place to stay – comfy wooden furniture with cushions, lots of people milling around, and just enough music (from inside the club) to keep things lively.

There’s not much dancing at Attica. For that you’ll have to head over to Gotham Penthouse around the corner.

How to get there: Attica is at Clarke Quay just beside Indochine. Best time to arrive is around 12:30 am. There’s a one drink cover charge when you enter, which for the five of us came to a total of S$56. This is in addition to any drinks you may have ordered at the waiting lounge.

Where to eat before your night on the town: Jumbo, beside Cafè Iguana at Clarke Quay. The waiting times can be long, but they’ll take down your mobile phone number and give you a call when your table’s ready.

We were hanging out at the riverfront while waiting for our table, near an interesting sculpture of four abstract people on a bench. A bunch of slightly drunk young Mexican men ambled by and asked Cindy to take their picture as a group, and then took turns having their picture taken with Cindy (may kasama pang akbay). One sat beside Steph pleading to have his picture taken with her but eventually backed down after she told him she wasn’t Chinese. Apparently, he was looking for a Singaporean Chinese girl to have his picture taken with – Steph is Filipino-Chinese but we weren’t about to explain the distinction.

Once you’ve got your table, try the chilli crab, fried prawns with cereal, and buns. Yummy! The waitress’s eyes nearly popped out of her head when the five of us ordered two buns each ("Ten? Are you sure?"), but that turned out to be just the right number.

Sleepless in Singapore

2005-02-05T19:23:00.000+08:00

As of this month, we've officially moved to Singapore. So I guess I should change the title of my blog...

What I'll miss about Manila:

fresh Philippine mangoes

no-smoking ordinances in bars

Tequila Rose

What I adore about Singapore:

fresh peaches in the supermarkets

labelled bus stops, and the MRT

chicken rice and yummy Indian food wherever you turn

And we picked a good time to move, too. Chinese New Year is just around the corner. I bought a few Japanese handmade sweets at Taka's basement, to give away at work - they were in the shape of little oranges, which were perfect for new year's.

What a Week! Well-deserved Desserts.

2004-11-19T17:54:00.000+08:00

On stress-filled days, a yummy mango crepe is a sure pick-me-up. In Makati, two places I go to relax over dessert are Cafe Breton in Greenbelt, and Teazann on Valero street. Cafe Breton's La Pinay is served with ice cream. Teazann's crepe is stuffed with whipped cream. Both are delicious.

The lime iced green tea at Teazann is also good, but avoid the strawberry iced tea. It tastes like cough syrup, phew.

Another favorite dessert destination is Max Brenner's Chocolate Bar, also in Greenbelt. Strawberries are coming back in season, and Max Brenner's now serves a bright red pile of them with their chocolate fondue. Here's a tip: when ordering the fondue, ask them to skip the melted white chocolate and give you two pots of the dark chocolate instead. Mmm...

Directions

Teazann is in Salcedo Village, Makati. It's beside Pancake House, near the corner of Valero and Sedeño streets.

Motorcycles and Massages

2004-11-11T21:12:00.000+08:00

Last weekend I took the basic Motorcycle Riders Course at the Fort. That's a story for another time; suffice it to say I learned a lot - including what not to do!

The class consists of 4 hours' lecture, and 2 half-days of riding practice. Although bike riding wasn't physically demanding, by the end of the first practice day I was sore all over from all the exercise! Probably because I didn't stretch before the class started. Who knew?

As soon as class let out, John and I escaped to our favorite pampering place, The Spa. The Jupiter street branch is convenient for Ayala office workers and Makati residents, and avoids the need to brave stress-inducing traffic on your way to your relaxation zone.

Like its larger cousin in Acropolis, The Spa in Bel-Air has a steam room, hot and cold pools, and a spacious lounge. Our Swedish massages left us both feeling as good as new.

While sipping ginger tea in the lounge, I leafed through a lifestyle magazine and spotted a handful of intriguing places to try out:

The Filipino-themed Mabuhay Spa at the Makati Golf Club on Malugay street.

Luxurious-looking Antulang resort in Negros.

Callospa in Antipolo (once I figure out where it is).

I've added all three to my to-do list of places to go someday.

I also read that The Spa in Acropolis now has a couples' massage room - time for us to check it out!

Reservations

For the Motorcycle Riders Course, call 550-1453 or 0917-460-2429, or visit their web site.

For The Spa, call 895-5858 or 895-6868.

Directions

The Spa is located at 50 Jupiter street, Bel-Air, Makati. If you're on Makati Avenue coming from Ayala, turn right on Jupiter (in the direction of Gerry's and Krokodile Grill). The Spa is just past Kaya.

Intimate Dinners for Fourteen

2004-11-11T19:59:00.000+08:00

We often have high-ranking management visitors from all over, and our local leadership team is rapidly running out of good food places within walking distance from Ayala Avenue. Besides, I figured, our guests should see more than their hotels and the office.

So last night I broke from the hotel-restaurant mold and trooped everyone over to Gaudi at Greenbelt 3, where we had a fabulous steak dinner. Gaudi's speciality is chuletón, slices of extremely tender beef which you can grill on a terra-cotta hot plate sprinkled with rock salt. The unusual serving method is a lifesaver for groups, since you can choose your own portion size and everyone can do their steak exactly the way they like it.

Don't get too carried away talking, though, or you'll wind up with a charred lump... which nobody will admit they own.

Gaudi has plush chairs and rich, warm decor. It's perched on the fourth floor of Greenbelt 3, overlooking the park. Most people don't even know it's there. No crowds. A handful of tables. It's easy to forget you're in a huge mall in a busy city.

The result? Instead of a stuffy business dinner we had laughter, lively conversation, and a leisurely meal.

Recommendations

The chuletón ranges from 800 to 1000 grams and usually serves four. You should also try the langostinos, the spanish cold cuts and cheese platter, and the bread pudding.

Reservations

Call 752-2710. You can also contact Gaudi at gaudi@skyinet.net

Prices

The chuletón is priced at P2,200 per 1000 grams. For appetizers, a steak and seafood dinner, dessert, and drinks (no wine), we spent roughly P800 per person.

Recipe for a Food Trip

2004-10-18T15:18:00.000+08:00

So you’ve eaten at Sonya’s and at Antonio’s. You’ve hauled home buko pie from Colette’s. And you’ve been to Josephine’s more times than you care to count. Where to next?

Ingredients:
1 free day
1/2 tank gas

Wake with the dawn to beat the Sunday morning exodus from Manila. Drive down South Expressway, exit at Santa Rosa. Drive to Tagaytay and turn right at the junction. Keep going past the rotonda, past Taal Vista Lodge, and past Mendez. Just after the commercial area of Mendez, you’ll see Bag of Beans café on the right side of the road. You can park right in front of the café.

Take the stairs down to the garden. The best place to sit is in the little yellow room, to your left as you come down the stairs. There’s a couch and coffee table where you can relax with a magazine while you’re waiting for your food.

Bag of Beans is an English café and serves a whole menu full of pies: shepherd’s pie, steak and kidney, steak and mushroom, chicken, and a handful of others. They have several excellent breakfast choices. We had the porterhouse steak, which was good, and the blueberry cheesecake, which was fabulous. The chilled cheesecake has a wafer-thin graham cracker crust and is topped with delicious cream and blueberries. Take your time over dessert – you don’t want to be too full when you get your massage.

Buy a loaf of banana bread on the way out.

Turn back the way you came and drive to the rotonda. Turn left and drive through the fastfood-filled area (you’ll pass a Jollibee and a Chow King). Drive down Aguinaldo Highway towards Silang, roughly 1.5 km.

Watch out for Recuerdos Crafts on the left side. Just before Recuerdos Crafts, turn left into Barangay Maitim, then follow the road past Villa de Oro and turn left just before Tagaytay Memorial Park. Keep following the road (and the occasional sign) until you get to Nurture Spa.

If you’ve been pacing yourself well, you should arrive ready for a massage. We called two days before and booked the Romantic Interlude package (an hour-long Masing-Irog couples’ massage, two facials, a spa set meal and four hours in an Ifugao hut). Have a leisurely massage and then have lunch or take a nap. The soups are all good; we recommend the Pollo Tagaytay and the herb-crusted grilled blue marlin. The mango slush is yummy and tastes exactly like an iced version of the fresh mango you’ll be served at the end of the meal.

Wrap up your visit with a facial and you’re ready to go!

Visit highlights: We both relaxed with our facials, done outdoors. The treatment started off with honey for cleansing; every once in a while a curious bee buzzed by wondering what its honey was doing on my face. Next up was an almond scrub that smelled uncannily like cream cheese. Then I chilled out with a cool mask of sliced cucumbers (talk about vegging out!) while John had his pores minimized with a protein mask. Hand and arm massage, a quick nap, a fine scented mist, and then jasmine tea. All tucked into a corner of Nurture’s garden - beats those marble and tile spas any time.

Extended food trip: Pack a picnic breakfast and spend the morning enjoying the view. Have an early lunch at Bag of Beans (11:30 AM), go slow over your courses so you finish around quarter to two. Drive to Nurture and check in (book a 3:30 pm massage in advance, and book your facial for 10 AM the next day). If you’re lucky, someone will have checked out early and you can nap in one of the Ifugao huts; if not, settle into one of the comfy chairs in the outdoor pavilions. Wake up in time for the massage, finish in time for another nap. Have the spa set meal for dinner, sleep early. Wake up at 8 AM, enjoy the set breakfast. Settle yourself in an outdoor pavilion and read a book until it’s time for your facial. After you’re done, head back out, turn left back onto Aguinaldo Highway, and drive in the direction of Silang. Stop at Gourmet’s Café for lunch, then continue down Aguinaldo Highway and the coastal road back to Manila.

Bag of Beans Café: 3650 Aguinaldo Highway, Mendez Crossing West, Tagaytay City. Phone (046) 413-2724.

Nurture Tropical Spa and Café: Pulong Sagingan, Barangay Maitim II West, Tagaytay City. Phone 830-0876 (reservations) or 0920-910-6522 (Tagaytay). www.nurture.com.ph

Blissful Bali, Land of the Spa

2004-09-21T20:30:00.000+08:00

She looked at me, shook her head, and pulled the sarong up from my waist to my chest. “No,” she explained, “you wear it here.” I guess the patterned tube top was meant to be underwear, not a blouse. Standing there in a rich red Indian-inspired dressing room, I was introduced to the intricacies of Balinese spas.

Some people travel the world looking for the most pristine beaches, or the most challenging mountain treks. My husband John and I have a humbler goal: the most heavenly massage.

Every hotel and street corner had a spa. Choices ranged from cheap massages on the beach, to little wooden signs tacked on telephone poles, to the Ritz-Carlton proudly proclaiming itself “the #1 spa in Asia” (according to CNN).

Our tour guide offered to take us to get a traditional massage at a nice spa for $40. Judging from the overpriced touristy lunch he foisted on us the previous day, we were skeptical about his ability to provide us with good value for money.

We totaled up our cash, checked the limits on our credit cards, steeled our nerves and called the Ritz for reservations. It was going to be a once-in-a-lifetime experience. “Do you have a two or three hour package?” No, the minimum was four hours. Whoa. And they were fully booked for the day, no surprise.

We may have missed our chance to plunge into the Ritz’s plush aquatonic pool, but we saved ourselves enough money to get a massage every weekend for the rest of the year. I picked up the phone and called the Prana Spa instead, where we could get a luxurious massage, a lulur scrub and a floral bath for less than half the price. Prana was happy to have us and sent a van over to pick us up. (I later learned that the van driver was the same dressing room attendant who assisted John when he entered the spa. Amazing.).

One thing was clear: our spa indulgences in Manila still left us woefully clueless about how to behave at Prana. While I was struggling with my sarong, John shocked an innocent spa attendant as he disrobed for the hot and cold plunge pools. She rushed him into a dressing room and handed him a pair of shorts before anyone else could walk in. We discovered why when I arrived – the plunge pools were unisex.

The pools were surrounded by the four high walls of the red Rajasthani spa rooms, and opened up into the cloudless blue sky. Top marks for ambience.

Eventually we made our way into the massage room, had our feet scrubbed and bathed in rose petals, then stretched ourselves out for our massage. After walking all over Jalan Legian that morning, we certainly needed one!

The next stage in the treatment was a lulur scrub, warm and fragrant. The spa menu promised a “mixture of five spices, including turmeric” – now I know how marinated chicken feels while waiting for the grill. Yum. The mixture was left to dry, and then rubbed off to exfoliate. We were instructed to stand up and were then slathered with cool, white yogurt. Add a lettuce leaf, wrap me in a pita and I’m ready to be served!

We rinsed off in a cubicle with five shower heads, one on top and two on each side. Then we lowered ourselves into a floral bath and relaxed with a cup of jasmine tea. Or at least I tried to relax, while ducking the frangipani flowers and red rose petals John catapulted in my direction.

Two and a half hours after arriving, we were comfortably ensconced at the spa reception, waiting for our driver to finish folding towels in the men’s dressing room and drive us to dinner. On this island with its dozens of beaches, scores of hawkers, and thousands of Australian surfers, we found our little pocket of paradise.

Bohol

2004-09-09T19:54:00.000+08:00

I arrived in Bohol not knowing what to expect. A high school friend lived in Bohol and offered to show us around, so we put our schedule in his hands and packed our bags.

I always imagined Bohol as a sleepy provincial town, although I had heard a lot of interesting stories about tarsiers and diving. The Chocolate Hills intrigued me each time we flew over Bohol en route to somewhere else, but it was a fleeting thought and often forgotten after landing in Boracay.

My first clue that Bohol wasn't just a sleepy little town was the difficulty of getting plane tickets. The flights were booked solid every weekend I tried - May, June, weekend after weekend. We finally got reservations for two months away.

Next question, where to stay. Luxurious villa? Cheap bamboo hut on the beach? In the end, the mouthwatering pictures of Alona Palm Beach Resort won out. We went for the villa, and it was a wonderful choice. It's definitely not for the adventurous - their spacious, well-designed rooms are guaranteed to tack at least an hour onto your sleeping time each day, and it's a struggle pulling yourself away from their infinity pool so you can get to the beach.

Upon arrival, I was pleasantly surprised to find you can actually drive to Panglao Island (duh, I'm such a clueless city person). In fact, you can see Panglao Island from Tagbilaran, it's just across the bridge! Alona Palm is a 30 minute drive from the airport, smooth road. You're there almost before you know it.

Four days. Strolling down the beach. Eating calamari. Getting a massage. Waking up early for dolphin watching. Snorkeling at Balicasag Island. Watching fish, fish, fish. Looking enviously at the divers descending down the ocean wall at the edge of a marine sanctuary. Hanging out at the bars (or, rather, bar - several were open but only one was alive).

On the last day we took a road trip and drove to the blood compact monument, Baclayon church, Loboc river and a tarsier viewing station, and the Chocolate Hills at Carmen.

If you get withdrawal symptoms and begin craving airconditioned malls, stop at the Buzz Cafe, run by the Bohol Bee Farm.

Getting there and away
Philippine Airlines offers reasonably-priced PALakbayan packages for most of the popular resorts in Bohol.

Where to stay
Splurge and try out Alona Palm Beach Resort.

What else to do
Take a look at the Bohol web site.

Swiss weekend

2004-07-05T19:58:00.000+08:00

I decided to surprise my husband John with a weekend away, since this is the first Saturday in two months that their band doesn't have a gig. We drove up to Vieux Chalet, a Swiss restaurant in Antipolo owned by the Hassig family.

In addition to good food and a great view, Vieux Chalet also offers overnight packages for couples. This includes an overnight stay in a breezy little room surrounded by trees, use of the pool and sauna, a Swiss brunch, and a massage for each of you. The massage normally lasts 3 hours, although if their primary masseuse isn't available, you can get a 1 hour 45 minute massage from their alternate masseuse, Mavis.

I called Leslie Ann at Vieux Chalet on Friday to confirm our reservation, and she faxed me a map. We got lost a couple of times, but never for very long.

We spent the afternoon having a massage, reading, napping, and generally relaxing in the huge house; we had it all to ourselves. For dinner, we had some very tender tenderloin (with Cafe de Paris, a butter-and-herb sauce), mashed potatoes (a little too creamy for my taste), mango shake, lemongrass cooler (yum!) and topped it off with two orders of chocolate parfait (a mix of ice cream and chocolate mousse, with a hint of mint - double yum!).

John played the piano after dinner. Turned out one of the other guests was the lead vocalist of a local band. She sang along - terrific voice. After all the dinner guests left we sat down with Flo (who helps her mom Susan manage the restaurant) and her friend Me-ann, and had a great time swapping favorite funny movie quotes and listening to spooky ghost stories.

Breakfast, or rather brunch, was a Swiss deli platter - ham, bacon, sausage, egg, cheese and bread. Lunch (can you guess this was a food trip weekend?) was Fettucine Padilla (like Alfredo, but with ham and mushrooms), garlic baguette, and more lemongrass cooler.

Finally, appetites slated, we packed up, waved goodbye, and drove off home feeling extremely refreshed (stopping at Crescent Moon Cafe in Barangay Dalig to buy some pottery from Lanelle Abueva Fernando's studio).

Vieux Chalet is celebrating their 20th anniversary at the end of August.

Reservations

For Vieux Chalet, call 697-0396 or 0919-237-2140. For Crescent Moon Cafe, call 630-5854.

Prices

Meals at Vieux Chalet will run between P700 and P1,300 for two people, with dessert. Servings are generous - a medium-sized steak was just right for the two of us, while we had one full serving left over from the medium-sized pasta dish we ordered.

Overnight stays at Vieux Chalet are P3,500 total for two people. Without the massage, stays are P2,100 per couple.

A square plate from Crescent Moon Cafe will cost around P220.

Directions

Vieux Chalet is on Taktak Road in Purok Sampaguita, Antipolo, Rizal.

Crescent Moon Cafe is on Ascension Road, in Barangay Dalig, Antipolo, Rizal. GPS waypoint coordinates here.

Call ahead to ask them to fax you a map. Once driving:

Take Ortigas extension going towards Rizal. You'll pass Cainta Junction (marked by a big Robinsons' mall) and Ever. Just keep driving until you reach a big fork at the end of the road. You can't miss it - there's no way to go straight at the fork, the road "ends" at a large Jollibee billboard. The sign on the left fork reads "To Antipolo". Go left and drive up the winding mountain road towards Antipolo. You'll pass Beverly Hills Subdivision and Evergreen Village on your right side. This is the Circumferential Road.

Just past Evergreen Village, you'll see a pocket park (Hamaka Park) at another fork. The pocket park is surrounded by red brick, so it's easy to see (and there should be a sign indicating that Antipolo church is to the left). Turn left at Hamaka Park and drive down P. Oliveros street. You'll get to another red brick plant box (with just a tree in it this time) at an intersection that has a USA88 gas station. Turn left again here. That puts you on Taktak Road. Then just keep driving up (and down) Taktak Road until you get to the gate for Purok Sampaguita (other resorts in the compound include Villa Christina and Villa Mari - watch out for their signs). Once inside Purok Sampaguita, follow the Vieux Chalet signs until you get to the restaurant.

If you miss the left turn at Hamaka Park you'll see Ynares Center on your left side. That's a sign you should turn back or stop and ask for directions to Taktak Road.

To go to Crescent Moon Cafe, coming from Vieux Chalet, drive back down Taktak Road and P. Oliveros street until you get to Hamaka park. Turn left to get back onto the Circumferential road. You'll pass Ynares Center on your right side (and that's a good sign, this time!) then keep driving up the Circumferential road for several intersections. You'll pass a Flying V gas station on your left side. After that, watch out for a Shell station on your right. Almost right after the Shell station there's a small road on your right, with a tiny Crescent Moon Cafe sign posted at the corner. Turn right following the sign and drive down the road, you'll eventually see Crescent Moon Cafe on your left. I think the cafe is only open for lunch, but the pottery shop is open until 4 pm.

Dave Matthews Band in Makati

2004-05-23T21:34:00.000+08:00

I discovered today that Rustan's supermarket (at least in Greenbelt) sells fresh cut pineapple. Yum! It's just the right size to last you two or three days, and much more convenient than buying a whole pineapple and cutting it up yourself.

Last night I was at Coco Cabana listening to some friends play a couple of sets. They have an acoustic band (currently called Oz), featuring a singer, a keyboardist, a violinist, a guitarist, a saxophone player, and someone who plays a kahon (cajon?). If you're anywhere in the area, and you like Dave Matthews or U2 music, check them out:

* Thursday, May 27 at Old Manila Coffeeshop on Pasong Tamo Extension (across Nissan)

* June 5 and 19 at Coco Cabana on Kalayaan, near Rockwell

* June 12 at Soleil at Greenbelt 2.

The first set at Coco Cabana starts around 8 pm; at Soleil, around 9 or 9:30.

Disclaimer: I'm married to the saxophone player. :)

Fruit stands in car country

2004-05-04T01:06:00.001+08:00

Good place to buy mangoes - Sun gee on Pasong Tamo Extension, just across Nissan. Yummy! I bought two extra-large mangoes there last Saturday for P55 a kilo.

They deliver to selected locations on Sundays, but only for minimum orders of P500. I just don't eat that much fruit. :)

Tagaytay - tinto verano at Antonio's

2004-05-04T01:06:00.000+08:00

Yesterday we had lunch at Antonio's in Tagaytay. We arrived at 10:30, an hour too early for the lunch seating, so we drove over to Sonya's Garden and took a quick tour of the grounds.

It was a luxurious meal in every sense of the word... delicious food, wonderful garden surroundings, a long leisurely 3 1/2 hour lunch - and a price to match. :)

The six of us started off with two appetizers, fresh oysters, and portobello mushrooms with balsamic vinegar and garlic. We ordered a pitcher of tinto verano (merlot, lemon, and soda), which tastes like a light, refreshing version of sangria. Antonio himself came by our table to welcome us, and told us about getting his idea for tinto verano from Spain. See, sangria is too heavy and too sweet for the middle of the day.

Antonio's serves a choice of several main courses. We ordered the rib-eye steak (marvelous!) - it comes in 500g servings to be shared between two people, and a choice of mashed potato, rice pilaf, or potato gnocchi. One friend had the foie gras ravioli (topped with scallops). Another friend ordered sea bass, which she said came with the best tomato she ever tasted.

The onion bread, salad, and vegetable soup by themselves are enough to make a light meal. They're just the beginning though... We somehow made our way through the main course (raving the entire time) with just enough room to spare for dessert. Four of us had the double chocolate soufflé, two picked the creme de menthe parfait. I have to say the soufflé was the better choice (lucky me!).

Reservations

Reservations are a must. I got lucky and found a vacant table for the same week that I called, but I have heard stories of 2- or 3-month waiting times to get a table. Call or text +63 917 899 2866 for reservations. They'll send you directions when you reserve, and then a confirmation (and a list of payment options :) ) on the day itself.

Lunch seating starts between 11:30 am and 1:30 pm. Dinner seating starts between 5:30 pm and 7:30 pm.

Prices

Fresh oysters: ~P300
Portobello mushrooms: P~P450

Pitcher of tinto verano (two rounds for six people): P1250

Four course meal with salad, soup, dessert and choice of entree:
Rib-eye (good for two) - P2,200
Foie gras ravioli - P1000+
also includes brewed coffee or tarragon tea.

Directions

Drive down the South Luzon Expressway. Take the Santa Rosa exit, and then follow the road all the way to the Tagaytay ridge. When you reach the end of the road, turn right. Continue down past the Rotonda, Josephine's, Taal Vista Lodge, and the market. When you reach the radar (you can't miss it), turn right at the Antonio's sign and just follow the signs to the end of the narrow road (about 8 minutes from the radar).

If, like us, you arrive too early, drive back out and keep going on past the radar until you get to Sonya's Garden. Buy a few things from the shop, or, if you get lucky, see if you can squeeze in a massage.

Escola Brasileira Capoeira

2004-05-04T01:05:00.000+08:00

Capoeira is great. It's an excellent workout, and a lot of fun for people who aren't too keen on 'serious' martial arts. There is also an advanced class that runs from 8 pm to 9:30 pm (just after the beginners' class) and costs P300 per session.

Lessons learned today: if you are planning to go to Bohol, book about 8 weeks in advance. Whoa! We were trying to book for the May 15 weekend and all the flights are full until at least the third or fourth week of June. I guess we'll miss the whale- and dolphin-watching season this year.

I heard that Lago de Oro has a promo going on for a day of wakeboarding and an overnight stay. Need to check that out sometime...

Books for Less

2004-05-01T01:01:00.000+08:00

If you're looking for a good source of secondhand hardcover books, Books for Less has branches on Valero St. (across the post office, near Shell House) and on the first floor of Greenbelt Garden Square (beside Haagen-Dazs, where Flavors and Spices used to be).

Sentro Flamenco on Kalayaan Avenue in Makati (near Rockwell) offers classes in Capoeira, a Brazilian dance / martial art form - Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays. Beginners classes run from 7 pm to 8 pm, with advanced classes starting right afterwards. Classes are P250 per session, or P2,400 for 12 sessions if you pay in advance.

Food, food, food - and a massage

2004-02-17T15:21:00.000+08:00

Latest finds...

The yummy tiramisu for only P190 at Caffe Caruso, 210 Nicanor Garcia (Reposo) St., Bel-Air Village, Makati. 895-2451. The penne pomodoro is good, and they also serve vongole with olive oil, but the tiramisu is the best offering on the menu.

Princess Carmen (a dessert that comes in layers like sans rival) at Le Souffle at the Fort.

Hainan Chicken for ~P600 at the Westin. Also, the new couples' room at the Westin Spa. Heavenly! They have three packages ranging from P3000 (about 30 mins in a private jacuzzi, and a 45-minute massage, all in a wood-and-white-cloth Asian-themed room) to P7,500 (jacuzzi, massage, champagne, chocolate, and a gourmet full-course set meal).

Don Juan de Ateneo

2003-11-25T14:23:00.000+08:00

* If you like theater costumes, watch "Don Juan" by Tanghalang Ateneo. The play is in Filipino and isn't the traditional depiction of Don Juan, but the costumes and the sets are fabulous.

* Il Ponticello on Valero Street serves a delicious ciabatta loaf with garlic butter for P25. You can get the ciabatta to go (they'll slice it for you), and they'll pack the garlic butter for you in a little container. Yum!

* Did you know that Säntis sells fresh blueberries? P358 for a small plastic container, about half the size of the usual strawberry containers sold in supermarkets. It's nice as a treat, but for that price, I think I'm better off with blueberry jam or pie filling.

Flute Wine Bar

2003-11-16T14:21:00.000+08:00

Flute Wine Bar - in addition to being a bar, Flute is a decent place to have dinner. If you go early (around 7 pm), the restaurant is well-lit and cozy. Plus, smoking is banned thanks to that city ordinance.

It's also reasonably priced. Order cream of mushroom soup (packed with mushrooms) for P85 and ask them to split it between two people, as the soup servings are pretty large. You can have beef tapa with garlic rice for P95. The rice servings aren't large, but just right for light eaters.

Update: As of January 2005, Flute is closed and has been replaced by a Thai foot massage parlor. Haven't tried the new place, though.

The Sushi Memo

2003-11-16T02:21:00.000+08:00

Guide to the freshest sushi in New York - courtesy of the sushi memo. Check out the NY Times article, Legal Research? Get Me Sushi, With Footnotes.