Western Australia

Western Australia was a wonderful and easy trip to make from Singapore. We got in after midnight on Monday and took a shuttle to our hotel/motel near the airport. Got up in the a.m. and got a taxi back to the International terminal to pick-up or rental car. Perth has 2 airports a domestic and an international and they aren’t next door to each other, who knew? As luck would have it our rental car was at the domestic terminal. We had to pay a taxi to take us there and I had a not so friendly conversation with the travel agency. In the end we got upgraded to a little SUV and after wasting 1.5 hours were on our way. We were in luck a new highway had just opened in September and we easily got on it and started heading south towards Margaret River & wine country. We made a lunchtime stop in the quaint town of Mandurrah. We had an hour long boat tour of the canals, estuary and million plus dollar homes along the waterway. Walked around the waterfront and had a nice lunch before continuing south.

We arrived in Margaret River at 5:01 pm. & everything was CLOSED. I mean everything. We had no map (rental car place did not have maps to hand out/ what’s up with that?) and no cell phone (mobile phone as people on this side of the world call them) reception. As luck would have it some kind tourists let us use their phone to call our inn keeper and ask for directions. We found our way to Margaret River Waterfall Cottages and spied several “mobs” of kangaroos (kangaroos travel in mobs/groups). Our cottage was cute on the outside and modest on the inside. The grounds were wonderful! We took a quick walk before dark and saw several kangaroos, especially a very large male! Amazing, the roos in Australia are like the whitetail deer in the USA. Literally everywhere and you must be careful not to hit them. Made me think of Sparta, NJ and the bazillion deer we had there!

Tuesday I booked us an all day scenic and winery tour. Rick was pleased not to have to drive & I was even more pleased not to have to ride with him! Yes, the Aussie’s drive on the opposite side of the road and car as we do. I won’t tell you how many curbs Rick bumped into. Let’s just say I was very patient…..YES I was !!! but closed my eyes a lot . Adam our driver took us to a Lake Cave where we saw some great stalactites & stalagmites. It was not for the faint of heart as there were over 200 stairs to walk down into the cave & back up (killer). After that we toured the Marri, Karri & Jarrah forests in the area. The Marri & Karri are gum trees and the Jarrah is like mahogany. We visited Surfers Point and saw the beautiful Indian Ocean. We then went to Voyager Estate Winery and had a marvelous lunch & tasting. We toured 3 other wineries, had a barrel tasting at Moss Brothers, then visited a cheese factory & chocolate factory.

Wednesday day Rick drove us down to Cape Leeuwin Lighthouse, where the Southern Ocean and the Indian Ocean meet. Cape Leeuwin Lighthouse is the longest lighthouse in Australia. We also toured Jewell Cave; thankfully it did not have as many steps as Lake Cave. We had a picnic lunch along the shore with the lighthouse in view. Beautiful! Last we stopped at the Augusta Historical Museum & visited the Colonial Brewing Co, tasted some great and some not so great beer. While driving to our cottage Rick was amazed to see a Kookaburra sitting in a gum tree. NO lie he was sitting there plain as day. Later we did hear his unique call. Anyone remember the Barney song “Kookaburra sits in the old gum tree”?

By the 2nd day with no cell or internet service and the streets rolling up at 5:00 p.m. every day I was getting a bit antsy. We did enjoy watching some American TV shows that we don’t get in Singapore and had two amazing meals at the Arc of Iris resutrant in Margaret River. Love BYOB restaurants! We had to go out and buy jackets, although it was summer the Margaret River area is cool in the evenings and there was no humidity. What a pleasant change from Singapore!


Thursday we got up early and drove north to Cape Naturaliste Lighthouse. We hiked around the lighthouse and saw the devastating damage caused by a brush fire a year ago. Brush fires are a real danger in WA. We were able to tour the inside of the lighthouse and had great views of the Indian Ocean. We continued north and pulled over for lunch on a lovely deserted beach. By 3:00 p.m. we were at our friends Deborah & Kelvin Bray’s. They live in a pretty suburb SW of Perth. We met while living in Guangzhou, China and have stayed in touch these past 11 years. Their son Morgan was a friend & classmate of Lindsay at the American International School Guangzhou. Kelvin drove us all around the suburbs and through the port city of Fremantle. Fremantle hosted the 1987 American’s Cup. We ended our stay at a restaurant on the river in Claremont; a dolphin swam right up to the window as we were eating!

Our impressions of WA: BEAUTFUL, dry vegetation, not crowded, people love to be outdoors walking, boating, kite surfing, biking etc. Abundant waterways and breathtaking views of the ocean. Deserted beaches, CLEAN, hardly any trash anywhere!! Great quality of life with most people coming home from work at 5:00 and spending time with family. WOW the American’s could sure learn a few things from the Aussie’s  We’d go back in a heartbeat!

Thiapusam: Hindu Festival of Thanksgiving

Rick having just returned from India at 7:40 a.m. was game to join me on a Thaipusam Tour. Thaipusam is a religious festival of great significance to Tamil speaking Hindus. The festival was brought to Singapore and Malaysia in the last century by immigrants from South India and Sri Lanka.

The principal deity in whose honor the festival is celebrated is Lord Murukan. In Hindu Mythology, Murukan is said to have originated from Lord Siva’s third eye (the eye of wisdom) and hence is worshipped as Siva’s son. To Hindus, Murukan is the personification of wisdom.

The most popular legend to explain the origin & purpose of celebrating Thaipusam is that Lord Murukan took on Taraka an evil chieftain who was too powerful to be subdued by other gods, and killed him in combat. He used a vel (spear) to kill Taraka. The vel has become the symbol of victory over evil. The skewers that pierce the tongue and body of the devotees on Thaipusam are in the shape of the vel (spear).

We boarded a bus down to the Little India area of Singapore and headed for the Sri Perumal Temple to see the devotees getting ready for their celebration and walk. We saw many men preparing by getting hooks and spears attached to their backs, arms, face and tongues. Many of the men carried Kavadi’s or “mini temples” on their bodies. Once the devotees are ready they go into the temple where they dance and then start the 5k walk through the streets of Singapore to the Sri Thandayuthapani Temple. Once through this temple they get to take off the kavadi’s and all the hooks and spears on their bodies.

There are some women that participate; they carry heavy pots of milk on their heads. Some men even wear shoes of nails. It was an amazing sight. We were amazed that there was not more blood. It was not a bloody experience. After the hooks and spears came out of the body an ash like powder was dusted onto the body and they sucked on limes for the wounds in the mouth.

The entire experience was fascinating and I will definitely go again next year.

CAMBODIA

Cambodia was wonderful! I loved everything about it. Rick, Caitlyn and I took a 3 day trip. W had 2 days of sight seeing. This one of my favorite places in Asia. Siem Reap has only been open/safe for tourists for about 10 years. They have about 115 hotels and a “downtown” market area and Pub Street. What they have accomplished in the past ten years is commendable compared to many of their surrounding neighbors. The Khmer Rouge and Pol Pot basically decimated this country. You can see the strength of spirit & determination in these people. They were lovely!! Literally and figuratively.

The temples are amazing and I predict in the next 10-20 years tourists will not be able to see, walk & climb where we went. There are several nations that are helping the Cambodians preserve these wonderful temples. Eventually for preservations sake I don’t think people will be allowed to get as close as we did.



My impressions were; the airport is nice, clean and modern. Transportation is cheap; it’s cost $10 USD to get to and from the airport and $1 per person to ride on a “tuk-tuk” around town. We were able to take a “tuk-tuk” from our hotel into the market area for dinner and shopping. Although they have their own currency they prefer U.S. dollars so that made it really easy. Shopping was cheap and they had interesting items to sell; silk scarves, art-work, jewelry, clothing, etc. Cambodians must love dogs because they were everywhere. All the dogs we saw were lying in the sun sleeping! The people were beautiful, sweet and friendly. The children were endearing. I had taken some small toys and candy to hand out. Most of the children were so appreciative bowing and saying “Thank You”. Very sweet!! There were some beggers…..mostly children; I had been warned about this. Mostly they just wanted to sell you something around the temple area.

The first day we toured 4 main temples and watched the sunset from atop one f them. There were monks all over the Angkor Wat area. We even saw young boy monk. He was interested in getting some children to play with him. We also saw Aspara traditional dancers at our hotel. There are many carvings of Aspara dancers at the temples.

The 2nd day we went on a boat ride on the largest fresh water lake in Southeast Asia. Wow! Most of these people were Vietnamese who had moved to Cambodia. It was apparent the Cambodians did not like them. They were very poor people living on boats in floating villages. They had a church, school, basketball court & restaurants all floating in the water. This is where we experienced the most beggars. The children would come up to you in little metal tubs and beg for 1US dollar. Some would get visible upset and shout if you didn’t give them money. I gave them my candy & toys. The people did everything on the water; repaired boats, planted flowers, kept pigs and chickens, had dogs as pets. It was so interesting how they lived in floating villages.

After that we toured a school for the deaf. The students were taught trades so they could make a living. We also visited a museum; saw the royal place and a temple dedicated to the Cambodian people whom lost their lives at the hands of the Khmer Rouge. During our visit we saw the visible effects of the landmines that were left behind. Many people are missing legs or arms.

Both nights we took a tuk-tuk to Pub Street and ate Mexican food. If you know my family you know they LOVE Mexican food and can sniff it out anywhere we go. We’ve had great Mexican food in Japan and now in Cambodia! It was a wonderful trip and we had some quality time with Caitlyn. I’m learning as my children are growing up we are spending less time with them but when we are together we are spending quality time and making great memories

Hey Hey for the Monkey's!!

On December 26th we all decided to go hiking at Mac Ritchie Reservoir here in Singapore. They have a Tree Top Walk that Rick had been wanted to hike. The 6 of us piled into 2 taxis’s and headed to the main gate. It was sunny, humid and hot….imagine that! From the looks of the map we had to hike 7k just to get to the start of the Tree Top Walk. Can you say; “Cassie was not happy with her bum heal to have to walk that far” But she went…ever the good sport! (That’s for you Lindsay & Caitlyn).

We found our way to the entrance of the trail and were greeted by a band of monkeys. They had babies that were adorable but these monkeys were just roaming around the park, like squirrels or dogs or birds. And there were a lot of them. We all had a ball taking pictures of the cute but wild monkeys and then started up the trail. One baby monkey decided to climb on Rick’s shoe. The little cutie then proceeded to pull on the hair on Rick’s leg and play with his shoe lace. Then all of a sudden the little guy tried to go up Rick’s shorts!!! It was amazing and really funny. Rick finally got the baby monkey off him and we stared our trek.

Did I mention it was hot & humid? It was, thankfully I had bought Rick & I these scarf like neck ties that you soak in water and it keeps you cool for up to 3 hours. We tried them out for the first time and they did work at keeping me from getting totally red in the face from all this exhaustion and heat! After a really long while we got to the end of the trail and had to get onto another trail just to get to the entrance of the Tree Top Walk. Caitlyn was leading the way; she must have thought it was a race. Amanda was her buddy, then the two lovers (Lindsay & Ryan) and last Rick and I the old slow people. Him with is bad back and me with my plantar fascitis.


Finally, after seeing a few more monkeys we made it to the start of the Tree Top Walk. It was a suspended swinging bridge that only was supposed to hold 30 people at a time. As our luck would have it the guy monitoring that didn’t give a shit and I know we had more than 30 people on the bridge at once. Several of us were a bit uneasy or shall I say panicked!! Unfortunately for us the family in front of us didn’t care that there were over 30 people behind them and took their time taking loads of pictures and walking slow. Did I mention the bridge was single file? Well except for the Asian family that decided to stop in the middle and we all had to navigate around them. No Lindsay I will not get on my soap box and tell the world all my stereotypes about Asians.

We made it to the end but I’m not sure it was worth all the hiking and sweating it took to get there. Then we had to trek all the way back the way we came! Needless to say we walked over 10k that morning. Why can’t I seem to lose weight when I’m doing all this walking and sweating? This makes no sense to me! Can someone explain this and no family don’t tell me it’s because I eat ice-cream or chocolate!!!

We found our way out and Rick phoned for 2 taxi’s, but alas the taxi’s couldn’t find us and we got to wait in the sun & heat. Ryan, Lindsay & Caitlyn got the first taxi that came our way and Rick, Amanda & I had to walk out to the main road to hail a taxi. Overall it was a good family activity and seeing the monkeys made it worth while. Next time I’ll just go to the head of the trail and see the monkeys and then taxi home. Think I’ll skip the hiking. Rick says he’ll go there and run when Amanda & I are in the U.S. this summer. Good for him.........

Don't they look HOT?

24th Anniversary Weekend in Indonesia

On Saturday December 19th Rick and I took what was supposed to be a 45 minute ferry ride from Singapore to Bintan, Indonesia. The 45 minutes took 1.5 hours, (something about not having a berth for us in Bintan). I guess that means we were in a holding pattern like on an airplane for at least 30 minutes. There are 2 classes of seats, economy and 1st class. 1st class is twice the price and since we had never taken the ferry before I booked us economy seats for the ride over and 1st class for the return on Monday. Actually, there were only 1st class seats available on Monday. I figured that way we could try out both and then decide what was best for future journeys.


The day was dark and rainy…….as soon as the boat got underway it started pouring and was generally very nasty out. The boat was rocky and reading was making me queasy. While I was queasy the poor old Indonesian man across from us was visibly sick. He was retching up a storm, sputtering and coughing. I can’t tell you how many sea sick bags he used. Brought back fond memories of the Navy for Rick and of his roommate Erne.


We finally arrived and were met by a driver who took us in the torrential downpour to the Banyan Tree Resort. Our room was not ready so we decided to have lunch first. This was a beautiful 5 star resort but……….to get anywhere you had to take a golf cart. We waited for our golf cart and were driven to lunch. We had a nice lunch over looking the South China Sea. Then we were driven back to the lobby and were able to check in. To my amazement for no reason (Rick said it was my good Karma) our room was upgraded to a 2 bedroom villa. It was AMAZING, we have stayed in some nice places but this villa takes the cake so far. We had our own private infinity pool and hot tub. Both overlooked the South China Sea! It was still raining to beat the bands but it didn’t matter our room was spectacular! Later in the day when the rain died down some we were able to get into the hot tub. Which was amazing in and of it’s self because for the past several months were have been sweltering in the Singapore heat and would never dream of getting into a hot tub. It was actually cool enough to want to get in the hot tub. So there we sat over looking the sea in a drizzling rain and were so………relaxed.

That evening we were sitting in the outdoor living room reading and ordered room service. We kept hearing these loud bangs on the roof of the living area. Rick looked up and there on the high ceiling were like 20 fruit bats. No lie, it was an entire neighborhood hanging out there for the evening and they kept dropping their fruit!! After dinner in the outside dinning room we also noticed a rat running across the floor……….These creatures prompted me to decide NOT to be using the outside tub that was off our bathroom!

See the BATS!

Sunday December 20th was a wonderful day, the sun came out and the trade winds were blowing hard that it was actually almost cool. We spent the day lounging around our pool, enjoying the hot tub and Rick had his first ever massage!! We had our 1st ever couples massage. That night we had an enjoyable dinner at the resorts Mediterranean restaurant. In fact I thought it was one of the best meals I have as so far in Asia.

View from our pool/hot tub.

Monday the 21st was our 24th anniversary. We spent 2 hours at the beach pool before taking the ferry home. The 1st class seats were very nice; leather, you had a separate waiting area, got to board the boat first and didn’t have to hassle with immigration. Not sure if it is worth double the price, but at $40 sing dollars each it was still a bargain.

Waiting for a taxi at the ferry terminal during rush hour was another story! NOT fun, we finally got a taxi and headed home.


For our anniversary dinner we took Amanda, Caitlyn and Ryan (Lindsay’s boyfriend) in search of the best burgers in Singapore. I think we found them at a little street bar were you sit outside, drink beer and can order juicy BEEF (gotta make sure what you are getting) burgers and yummy French fries.


Rick and I both agree this was our best anniversary trip! I keep thinking how are we going to top that next year for our 25th!!

You know you are in South East Asia When............

You go to the hardware store to buy paint that is advertised and they tell you they only sell white paint. They send you across town to the store that mixes colored paint.


You go to the store that mixes paint and place your order. You don’t get a complimentary paint stir or opener. When you ask for the paint stir they give you an old one with dozens dried paint on it. You forget about asking for an opener!

When you start painting you realize they didn’t mix up the correct shade! You give up and use it anyway……


Using public ladies rooms you have to make sure you go into a “sit down” stall and not a “stand up” stall.

You have to carry your own “tissue” to use as toilet paper because not all public toilets supply paper.

You know your toilet is clogged because water starts coming out of the drain in the floor of the bathroom.

The fruit flies flying around the bathroom are NOT fruit flies they are “Shit Flies” because your toilet has a clog in the line.



The plumbers use a mop handle to “clear” a clog and not a drain snake. They look at you like you are crazy when you suggest they put a drain camera down the drain and make sure the clog is gone! They also act like they don’t understand English you when you ask why they aren’t using a drain snake.



If your shower has only cold water then you probably forgot to turn on the single hot water heater connected to your bathroom upon entering.


Calling Dell to order printer ink, the one and only ONE person in all of Singapore cannot be found to take your order. They must phone you back when it’s convenient for them. Sometimes you the customer must supply Dell with the product code! They then hand deliver your order to your home in 2 days!


You hobble out of bed each morning because your heels are so bruised from walking on hard marble floors.

You can’t shop for anything in the morning because the mall stores don’t open until 11:00 p.m. Forget about getting errands done in the morning!

You can go to 3 different locations of the same grocery store chain and find all different items in each store. The items either rotate or are hit or miss………..so it’s a mystery which store you might find a block of cream cheese or lump of cracker barrel cheese any given week.

Some taxi drivers refuse to take you where you want to go. You then have to find another taxi.

You can only cash a local check at the bank in which it was issued. Forget about cashing or depositing a U.S. check.



Each room has its own air conditioning unit with a separate control. There is no such thing as central air. These units must be cleaned by a “professional” every 3 months!

There are at least 3 types of electrical plugs but only one type of wall plug. You have to buy a ton of adaptors just to plug appliances in.



Your condo number is 29-10 meaning tower 10, 29th floor and lobby 7???? WTF? The problem is the 29th floor is all your bedrooms and the 30th floor is your living area, people don’t want to come to the front door on the 30th floor because your address says 29!!


Dry cleaning takes a week. I’m thinking they send it to Malaysia & back?


When it’s hazy outside it means the farmers in Indonesia are burning their fields. It will be hazy for days……before it clears.

Being an expat can be a daily challenge! 


 

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