Visiting Lindsay in Japan

My overall impressions of Japan:

Clean & orderly, no trash on the streets or highway
A very efficient railway system but time consuming.
People were friendly and helpful
They love to recycle.
Osaka was crowded with lots of traffic, bikes and people dressed all sorts of crazy ways.
Fukui was quiet with few people or cars on the streets. Planters of flowers on the streets. A very nice town.
If I had to describe Japan with one smell it would be FISHY!

We started our trip at 1:00 a.m. on a Singapore Airlines flight to Osaka. We got to Osaka about 9:00 a.m. Of course Rick was able to sleep most of the way; I on the other hand watched movies and ate! After we gathered our 5 and I mean 5 large bags we headed out of the airport to find the 1st train station. This was easily done despite the 2 huge suitcases full of Lindsay’s close, a full size futon mattress crammed into a bag and ducked taped, our 2 suitcases and a camera case. We looked like the Clamppets (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Beverly_Hillbillies).


We arrived in Osaka-Shin train station after an hour and attempted to get the next train bound for Fukui. The next train was full so we had to wait an hour for the next train that would take us the 2 hours to Fukui. At this point we decided to look for some food. Wound up in a Starbucks no less and ordered some sandwiches & iced teas. Not bad. We sat on our mountain of suitcase on the platform waiting for the train. We did not learn until later that this was probably causing a spectacle as the Japanese do not think it is too polite to eat out in public view. Oh well we’re crazy American’s so we can do it!

6 hours after landing in Osaka we finally arrived in Fukui. Lindsay was waiting for us with her tiny Fred Flintstone car. Actually its quiet cute. We loaded her two suitcases and futon into the miniature car and she and Amanda headed off to her apartment. Rick and I took our two suitcases and walked to our hotel. It was an exhausting day but we made it and Lindsay was thankful not to have to go fetch us. Apparently most of her friends were impressed that we embarked on this journey without her assistance. Are we such good parents?


Eating was an adventure! At two of our three dinners at least one item got lost in translation. On the first night we ended up with one item we didn’t ask for and missing one that we had pointed to on the menu. The second night we ordered a 2nd plate of “spring rolls” but forgot to ask for them as “fried spring rolls”. We got spring rolls but they weren’t fried. That same night I was happily eating a noodle dish when Amanda realized that the garnish in the dish was Brine Shrimp with little black eyes (you know SEA MONKEY’S). After that I couldn’t eat my dish. For breakfast in the hotel one morning we ate “French fries” for breakfast because they were on the buffet and because there was little else palatable. Another morning we had to eat scrambled eggs with chopsticks!! Talk about a challenge! Poor Amanda has not mastered the art of using chopsticks and was very frustrated.
Three surprising things: We found a Mexican Restaurant in Osaka and celebrated Lindsay’s 22nd birthday. The food was great!
While walking through a market in Osaka we came upon a Shakeys’ Pizza Parlor. Rick and I both have such found memories of Shakey’s Pizza. I even had a birthday party at the one that used to be on Rockville Pike. We didn’t eat there but Rick and I kept marveling that there was on in Japan.

Kimono’s we saw at least half a dozen women in the traditional dress, right down to the white socks and wooden sandals. Apparently this is a display of National Pride. It was really cool to see these women on the streets.

It was a wonderful trip the weather was in the 70’s with a nice breeze. Lindsay apartment was cute albeit tiny. She looked great and seems to be adjusting to her new home. I look forward to visiting Tokyo & Kyoto in the future.

Hugs,

Cassie

Hungry Ghosts Festival & ER visit

About 2 weeks ago we started to notice cylinder cans spread around Singapore. One was even set-up in the parking area of our condo.  Then we noticed oranges laying in groups on the ground and bags of snacks opened laying near the oranges and burnt incense like sticks around the food.  Turns out in late August - September the Taoist Chinese believe that during the seventh month of the lunar calendar the souls of the dead are released from purgatory to roam the earth for 30 days. In order to appease the ghosts they feed them food, incense sticks called joss sticks are burned and prayers are said.  Paper money is burned in the cans we see all around the city. 

HOSPITAL VISITS
Last Thursday I went to Gleneagles Hospital for an "Executive Physical"  That included a complimentary pap, mamo & mamo ultrasound.  After you check in you are given a robe to put on.  Men & women have the same robes.  You go for blood work, ekg, chest x-ray etc.  All the while going up and down elevators and walking through the MAIN LOBBY dressed in a robe and flip-flops!  All this fun took 2.5 hours and afterwards I was famished from fasting.  I taxied over to the Takashimaya Shopping Mall to pick up a Mahjong book at the bookstore.  I had never been to this mall but was impressed the enormous bookstore.  I ended up in the basement at the food court.  I walked the entire area looking at all the food stalls and wondering what to eat.  Not much appealed to me but I forced myself to be adventurous and ordered some shrimp tempura from a Japanese stall.  The tray came with 4 shrimp, several cold veggie type items & rice.  I found a place to sit and picked up my chopsticks.  While I was eating I was wondering what the "stuff" was but thought to myself I needed to be open minded and ate it all.

Guess what?  By Friday a.m. my tummy did not feel so good.  I went about my morning but by lunch it was obvious something was not agreeing with me.  Friday evening was no better and Friday over night was miserable!  Fever, chills, achy body etc.  Rick had to get up and get me socks and a big blanket.  I knew that was ridicules, we are in Singapore!  Saturday just go worse and Rick was getting nervous.  He was leaving on Sunday for London for several days and he was 1. worried about me 2. worried I had something he would catch and have in London.  We decided it must be either: virus, bacteria or H1N1.  2 of the 3 would need medication so I said I'd go the the ER.   We taxied over to Gleneagles and to the "triage" area.  Now I was having flashbacks of Chinese hospitals in Guangzhou.  This was NOT the same area of the hospital I had been in on Thursday.  It was not for "executives".  The best way to describe the "triage" area is a walled in porch, open to the outside.  They took my temp. and gave me a mask to wear because I had a fever and could be contagious.  I should have had Rick take a pix of that but honestly I was too sick to think of it.  Have you ever worn one of those paper masks.  Well in 90 + degree heat it is stifling and them room the lead us too was NOT airconditioned!!!  Give me a break!!  So I had to sit in a hard plastic chair, in the sweltering heat with a paper mask over my mouth and nose and wait my turn.  I thought I was in hell! 

Once I got to the examination area it had AC and the doctor diagnosed a Bacterial Infection from something I ate on Thursday.  He said they'd give me IV fluids, antibiotics and meds to stop Montezuma.  After about an hour of being rehydrated they released me and gave us 4 filled prescriptions to take home with us.  Rick was thankful he wasn't going to "catch" it. It caught we so off guard since not once did any of us have "issues" with something we ate in China.  But I was very careful with what I cooked and where/what we ate.  I guess I need to be more picky here too!

My excitement this week is to prepare for 4 Navy sailors whom will be coming over to hang-out and eat a home cooked meal.  The Nimitz Battle Group is in port and the Navy League and American Association were looking for hosts.  Of course that was right up our alley and I signed up.  I'm meeting the guys down on Orchard Rd. the big shopping district and brining them back here to swim, use the wireless, take a long hot shower and eat some good home cooking.  3 of them have been emailing  me so I'm looking forward to meeting them in person. 

To be continued!  Hugs,  Cass

Smelly Cats & other stuff

Not sure if I have mentioned the feral cats that live on the street behind our condos. There are at least 6 of them but 2 we see every day. One all black and the other apricot. They live on a wall between the plants next too a swimming pool. This is at the condo complex that "goat girl" lives out. I'm mentioned her before. Turns out Amanda friend Megan lives there as well. Any how the longer I live here the more I realize everyone in our condo complex knows these cats. We have to pass them every time we walk to the market, post office, shopping mall etc.

It is no secret that Rick & I are not big cat fans. They shed for one but mostly you have to deal with a litter box and we just don't "do" that. These cats are fed daily by folks, I've seen food even in our complex set out for them. We've seen chicken bones on the wall etc. For a while there was street construction on that road and a white wicker chair appeared for the old Indian construction worker to sit in the shade when he took is break. Most times when I walked by the 2 main cats would be sitting on this wicker chair. Now that the chair is gone the cats are usually sitting on the wall in between the plants. Did I mention none of these cats have tails! Apparently they are a certain breed, very strange looking. If I liked cats the tail would be the body part I liked the most so this just looks so wrong. The point of all this is the stench from these cats. It's so bad that I must hold my breath when walking that block or walk in the road. It is so...............dreadful! Because they have a huge outdoor litter box along the wall and it's so hot/humid here you can imagine. It reminds me of the song from Friends every time I walk by. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZSs6Xm36h0w

I knew it. I knew I'd get cheated sometime, of course it was when I wasn't on top of my game. Wasn't feeling well on Friday and I had gone out to SAS (Singapore American School) to check out a volunteer opportunity. I took the MRT (subway) out which requires a 45 min. ride and about 20 min walk. By the time I was ready to leave it was raining and I felt crummy so I phoned a taxi. If you phone for a taxi they charge a fee for this. So the guy was getting extra money just by me stepping into his cab. The cab fare was 14.90, I gave him a 20 and asked for just 5 back. He handed me a five folded and I got out. Once I came up to the apartment and looked at it, it was a Malaysian 5 dollar bill. He got me the SOB! It's only worth about 1 sing dollar so he cheated me 4 bucks plus I tipped him the .10. Which to Americans isn't a big deal but this is NOT a tipping society and most of the taxi drivers are retired but the govt doesn't give them the equivalent of social security until they are 80 years old. So they are trying to make a living and giving them anything extra is a big deal. Makes me mad because I'm always nice to these guys and mostly tell them to keep the change whatever the fare comes too. NOT anymore. One the bright side Rick goes to Malaysia frequently so he can use the 5 there!

$90 dryer vent! I think I have complained before about how our dryer vents into our non air conditioned laundry room. We'll after looking at 4 places and then consulting some existing expats I finally found a place that sells dryer vents. I sent Rick out to get it, our plan was for him to rout it over the top of the dryer and out a window. When he came back he had a smile on his face and said to me "how much do you think it was?" Knowing everything is outrageously priced here I said $50 he was like "nope". It was over $90 sing dollars BUT they guy threw in the brackets for free and a bit of extra length so he wouldn't have to sell a tiny piece.

In the end I'm very happy to now have the dryer vented out the window. I no longer have to wait until the coolest part of the day to use the dryer! Next post: ER visit & Festival of the Hungry Ghosts.

Singapore Trivia: 4 Official languages are: English, Mandarin, Malay & Tamil

Hugs,

Cassie