Travel diary: Do what you feel like day

It sounds weird, but one of the great things about travelling with mum is we have a similar energy threshold - she gets tired because of her knees and I get tired because I do. So it's good because you both need to have little rests throughout the day and you don't care much for ticking things off on an itinerary.

Another good thing is we have similar interests and we decided not to do anything we didn't feel like doing. If we wanted to laze around the hotel all day, that was perfectly fine (well if you're paying for it you may as well enjoy it, right?). Though lovely as it is, we didn't just stay in our room for the whole day...as if we would!

We started today with a rather expensive but delicious hotel buffet breakfast, one of the better ones I've had actually. Side note: one thing that I like about hotel breakfasts (in Asia anyway) is they always seem to have pink guava juice. I would never buy it at home but I really like it on holidays. So there you go.

We then took a leisurely stroll up Scotts Road and Orchard Road. The shops are insanely swish on Orchard Road, and there are multiples of high end shops like Prada, Louis Vuitton, etc, almost opposite one another (because heaven knows you wouldn't want to have to cross the road to buy your luxury goods). The buildings are massive, shiny temples of consumerism. It's quite staggering.

We only really went in to Tangs department store, again because it had been somewhere we used to go when we lived here. I think it's much ritzier than it used to be, but then everything seems to be around here. Or maybe I didn't pay as much attention to the ritziness when I was a kid. It was just what it was. Anyway, we wandered through the beautiful makeup section and I wish Elsie had been with us, she would have loved it.

After what was a fairly leisurely stroll up and back again, we were hot and bothered so it was time to hit the pool. It's nice being here mid-week as it's pretty quiet around the pool; there was only one other person there for most of the time we were there. After a deliciously refreshing dip I fell asleep in the sun reading Danielle LaPorte's the Desire Map (incidentally, I feel quite conspicuous toting around a book with a bright pinky purple cover and 'desire' in huge type on the front. But I'm enjoying it, and I probably need to get over the idea that anyone else is even looking).

Our timing was all out and we had missed lunch, and, well, it was afternoon tea time. How could we resist high tea?

After a nap we headed back out and caught the fast and efficient MRT to Gardens by the Bay, a sprawling place with various themed zones (eg Chinese garden, Indian garden, etc) two cooled domes (one growing flowers from all over the world and the other called 'Cloud forest', showcasing rainforest and high altitude plants) and the supertrees, which are gorgeous structures that collect energy in their solar panels and made me feel like we were in Avatar or something.

(Those are part of the supertrees on the right and the Marina Bay Sands complex in the background - that zeppelin-looking thing on the top has restaurants and an infinity pool. From the ground, it is impressively large and a little scary actually.)

Dinner was at Satay by the Bay, a hawker centre within the gardens. We had satay and popiah and lots of fresh orange juice. We were seriously flagging by this point. We ended up doing a lot of walking, but I was proud of us that we didn't give in and catch a taxi back to the hotel but managed on the train and walking.

Then Ben and Jerry's in the hotel room and turning in to read and blog and just be quiet. This holiday thing is pretty rad! I should do it more often...

(PS If you want to see more photos of the gardens, check out my Flickr photostream)

Travel diary: Up and away!

I love travelling. Maybe it's partly because I have been doing it since birth, with family living in another country and moving overseas during primary school.

I like good airports. I like getting on planes. I love the rush of the takeoff. The squished into your seat bit is less enjoyable, but the plane we were on yesterday (a Singapore Airlines A380) was pretty comfortable, the food was actually tasty, the cabin crew were really polite and efficient, and there was lots to watch (I was remembering what it was like when there was only one screen up the front of the cabin (or worse, a couple of TV screens mounted above the aisles), and the entire cabin had to watch the same thing at the same time. That wasn't so fun.).

I watched the Lego Movie - how is it possible for such a silly idea to be so perfect? - started American Hustle but found it far too depressing (I didn't want to spend any longer with those unpleasant people), laughed out loud at repeats of Miranda, loved Tangled and can't decide whether I prefer it or Frozen, so I watched the first hour of that again as we descended in to Singapore. I also listened to Lorde and read and enjoyed the ribbon of sunset that seemed to go on forever as we headed north west.

I realised I was quite energised when we got off the plane in Singapore. Mum was wiped out, and I had expected to be, but I was taking it all in. A country that I loved growing up in and yet is almost unrecognisable to me. 

We are staying at the Goodwood Park Hotel because this trip is kind of mum's semi-retirement celebration and she decided she wanted to stay somewhere absolutely lovely. I remembered coming here for high tea when we lived in Singapore, my first high tea fancy playing ladies experience, I think. Mum said last night part of it was also that this hotel was one of the few things she remembered that she could rely on to still be here - everything changes so fast in Singapore. She hasn't been here for 20 years, but even in the year or so since I've been here, things move on at a rapid pace (and last year we were basically at Sentosa and didn't see any of the rest of the island).

And the travel fairies were on our side, because we got upgraded without even asking (not that I ever ask, unless there's a major problem) - to a junior suite! We have two bathrooms! And a sitting room! This is so great.

And now I am starving and we are going to go and enjoy an expensive breakfast. Semi retirement celebration, hurrah!

Thursday - Singapore and homeward bound

We woke early and because breakfast wasn't included in the room tariff, Dad decided we'd go out somewhere for breakfast. Unfortunately (and I thought he would have realised this), nothing was open until about 10.30am except Starbucks and Maccas. So for the first time on my entire trip, I had McDonalds.

The heat was thick and intense, and because I've been in a cold climate and had packed very light, I had to wear my jeans and a t shirt. Even though we were in air conditioning most of the time, I think the climate got to me. We walked over to Sim Lim Square, an enormous building with six or seven floors absolutely jam packed with little electronics stores. Dad was checking out something to do with his home cinema and of course had to go and ask at all the different shops for prices, and haggle, and get the spiel (in the end he didn't even get home cinema stuff, he got a GPS).

At first I revelled in my gadget-headry, but after a while it got really exhausting. The place was packed, as today was the Labour Day holiday, and I forgot how tiring it is just pushing through the crowds of people in Asia. Having said that, I was glad to be in Singapore for the day; it still feels like home to me, even though I haven't lived here for over 20 years (eep). Dad was filled with consternation at every turn and kept saying "They've changed everything! They've changed everything!" This is an understatement in a place like Singapore that is constantly under development and never stands still, but he seemed to take it as a personal affront.

Dad bought me a portable hard drive for my birthday (yay!). I had something bordering on a migraine by this stage, so we left and had noodles (still no satay, but the noodles were good). I also had an almond bubble tea, and Dad ordered the same. After a couple of sips, he remarked "Elmon is an acquired taste." It took me a while to work out he meant almond, and then he said, "It reminds me of the bugs we used to squash as kids." Janice tried the drink and nodded, "Yep. Bugs." I have no idea what bugs they're talking about...crazy almond bugs...

We managed to get a late checkout for my room, so I had a bath and then lay sprawled on the bed, still unable to nap. For afternoon tea, Dad and I went downstairs to Swensen's, an old childhood favourite of mine that still has the Earthquake on the menu (a massive bowl with all their ice cream flavours and toppings in it, and dry ice in the middle to create a smoking crater effect). We didn't have that though, we had two sundaes that were probably a bit too sweet, but I wasn't complaining!

Dad drove me to the airport, and stayed with me til I checked in. It was good to see him; despite everything I do feel a great affection for him. I meandered through customs, bought some iPod speakers in duty free, and now I sit here...waiting for the gate to open. Apparently it's going to be another full flight, but somehow that doesn't matter so much when you know home is at the other end.

When next I write, hopefully it will be from my house!

Wednesday - London to Singapore

Well what a turnaround from my flight over to Europe. I was down the back of the plane, in the middle, once more expecting to be jammed in. But as the flight started to fill up, the rows around me remained sparsely populated. I didn't even want to hope that I might have a spare seat next to me so I tried not to think about it. Then the doors were closed, I looked up from my magazine, and realised I had the entire row to myself! After 'dinner' (which was...actually I don't know what it was...I usually don't mind the inflight catering, but this was pretty ordinary) I put up all the armrests, gathered my four pillows and stretched out. I slept for nine hours of the twelve hour flight, which I think was pretty amazing!

On arriving at Changi I got a text from dad saying he couldn't pick me up but to head straight to the hotel. I got a taxi with no problems and had a very friendly and chatty taxi driver. Example of conversation:

Driver: (as we approach a large electronic toll sign with ERP written on it) You know what is E-R-P?
Me: No. Tell me.
Driver: Every-Road-Pays. (laughs uproariously)
Me: (encouraging this terrible dad joke) That's great.
Driver: (suddenly concerned) That's not really what it stands for.
Me: I know, but I think your version's better.
Driver: (beams)

We arrived at the Pan Pacific Hotel, I checked in and zoomed up to the 16th floor where I was greeted by dad and shown my room. Ah, but the Asians do top-end luxury well. Everything is grand and opulent. The bed was absolutely huge. The shower - oh! the shower! - was like having a massage. It was all extremely comfortable and grand. After sloughing off the detritus of the flight, I met up with Dad and his fiancée Janice, and we wandered through to the mall to find some dinner.
I really wanted satay, but for some reason we got Japanese instead. But that wasn't a bad thing, the food was delicious. For example, what I think looks like the sushi lochness monster (it was very tasty):

It was great to see Dad again, but not long after this the fatigue set in. I was grateful for my enormous bed and my quiet room, although I woke up at 4.30am and was unable to go back to sleep.