Singapore 8/15/2006

The taxi driver from the Bintan Ferry Terminal takes us to the SE Asia Hotel after we tell him we are looking for a hotel room for a few days.  They only have a family room left @S118 ($75).  On to check 2 more hotels, way too expensive.  We check the Beach Hotel which has reasonably priced rooms and it is full.  The 81st Hotel, a newer one, and still too expensive.  We finally check the 7th Story Hotel and they have one for tonight but full tomorrow night so she calls several other hotels to find us a room.  I finally tell her we'll take this one.  Get checked in and up this old big elevator with a man operating it and accordion metal doors to close us in.  The room is very nice with a view of the park and a huge new beautiful art deco building right across the street from our window.  We are nicely located and I lay down on the bed not wanting to move.  It's late now around 9:45p.m. so we need to find a place to eat.  Ask at the desk and she's not too helpful.  The driver has told Janeen about the chicken and rice place next door and luckily for me it's closed.  We walk thru the vacant lot and past a party being catered here.  There was a puppet show going on and they were raffling off items, probably a benefit of some kind.  We see nothing open so walk towards Bugis Shopping area and thru it.  There is a bakery that Janeen is interested in and I go into Starbucks.  Many people are sitting outside and it is very busy.  I;m about to order here and I ask the girl if there is a place near open to get good food.  She tells me across the street and thru this shopping center is Breko Cafe.  It's quite nice so we have dinner here.  I have salmon with a very nice sauce, wedges and a salad with Caesar's dressing.  It was very good for about $12.  Janeen gets breaded pork chops, mash and salad with thousand island dressing.  Walk back to the hotel.  It's a beautiful night.  I try to watch TV and do see the market report on a ticker tape and a little news.  We're looking for a report on the failed terrorists attempt in London and the train incident in Malaysia.  I cannot stay awake any longer and fall asleep.  Janeen closes the curtains and shuts the TV down.  Awake about 8 o'clock.  Get up slowly.  Pushed by the need to possibly find another hotel and mail our packages.  Janeen calls the desk and we can stay in the room.  YEAH!!!!  Big relief.  Now to the Internet and mail.  I write the last article on AU so now I can send back the journal with the package I need to send home.  The hotel's Internet service is very good although you have to feed it S1 per every 15 minutes.  It's also right outside our door and very convenient.  I have several emails, Deb, Erin and Jen with the lorid details of Nancy and John's affair.  Erin and Nancy's friendship has ended.  I hope only momentarily till this mess blows over.  They have an apartment or something in Michiana Shores now.  Amy has the table from India and likes it although comments on the height.  She has found 4 bar stools that are sharp at a garage sale and has fixed them up that go well with the table.  I've spent 2 hours on the Internet, never checking the bank, just blogging and reading.  We decide we'll mail the packages tomorrow and head to lunch at P Cafe out on Dempsey Road that Cheryl who we met in Bintan had told us about and hire a taxi to take us out there.  We pass the Singapore Botanic Gardens near the cafe.  The area of the cafe has several shops selling antiques, rugs and furniture.  The taxi driver has a hard time finding the cafe and finally we see it.  Pay the driver and get out.  The cafe is closed and there doesn't seem to be anything open except the shops.  Kind of a strange area but the shops are intriguing.  I would have loved to look.  We are starving and I have a headache.  Ask a worker about a place for lunch and he says they're all closed.  We walk out of this shopping complex to a busy road and flag down another taxi to take us to the Botanic Gardens and we'll lunch there.  The Gardens are lovely.  We have lunch in a food court with selections of Asian food only.  Wander thru the Gardens and it is fabulous.  The orchids are superb.  Sitting outside the entrance to the Orchid Garden and eating my coffee rum raisin float, I spot Yo and Eve from Holland and our neighbors at the Mana Mana on Bintan Island.  I call their names and they come over.  We greet each other, have some conversation and take each other's pics at the entrance to the Orchid Garden.  I write out my personal information and we say goodbye.  They have paid S1 student fees to get into the garden and we pay the same for pension fee (retirement).  The orchids are just stunning.  We wander thru and I take lots of pics of the orchids.  Shop here also buying some really cool batik shirts for Bob, Franz and Mark and also 2 cute Singapore small cloth dolls with clothes in a carrying case for Sage and Sienna.  They are just darling.  In fact, Janeen gets one for herself.  It's getting late so we head out.  I have the need for a toilet and use the facilities here.  I'm having some cramping in my stomach.  Get a taxi out to the zoo.  In the taxi I get the sick feeling of vomiting and ask the driver if he has a plastic bag.  The feeling passes, thank God, and we arrive at the Night Safari of the Singapore Zoo.  Buy our tickets and get some photos with the cool animal eyes sign.  You ride thru the park on a tram in the dark and observe the animals in their natural habitat.  You can get off half way thru and walk trails to observe the animals also.  We do that and walk all the way back to where we got on the tram and missing the last show @ 10p.m by mistake.  We get back on the tram and ride the whole trip.  Get off and leave the park.  Taxi back to Chimes, which is an area around a church not presently being used where there are several restaurants similar to Channelside in Tampa.  We stop a couple to question them and tell them we want to try a Singapore Sling.  They say we should go to The Raffles and their Long Bar.  The Raffles is a very famous old hotel here in Singapore and quite a distance from where we are and we don't want to spend more money on a taxi.  We go to Le Baroque where they have just been and have our Sling and I get a caparihna too.  We both have veggie nachos.  They were OK and a strange thing to order in Singapore.  Walk back to our hotel and go to bed immediately.  Very tired.  I'm up early to get my package stuff together.  I send some things home from my case, the green/blue outfit, heels, khaki capris, black capris made in India, black bathing suit bottom and brown too.  Hue sandals.  I have 2 bags of stuff.  The snokel, pjs bought in Hue, sandals for the girls, the small wooden cats from Langkawi for the girls, Mark's Langkawi hat and information paper and maps from where we have been.  We go to breakfast and can't find a place open we like.  I eat at Starbucks and Janeen at Mickey Ds.  UGG!!!  We walk to the post office and pick up a box to mail stuff from the street en route.  I buy some tape and paper to wrap around the box.  The post cost me S97.40 ($62) and will go by sea arriving in October to November, weighing 7620 grams.  Back to the room to check out, it's noon.  I did call Amy around 7:30 a.m. which was p.m. for her and no one was home.  I left a message.  Then called Margaret, same thing, left message.  Then called Mark on his cell and talked for a bit.  It was good to talk with him.  He says everyone misses me.  Likewise.  The calls were from the room and S.39 a minute, $6 not too bad.  At the post office I got stamps for 10 cards @S.50 each.  I have my stuff out of the room and Janeen is still "getting it together".  Her cases are not as organized as my set up.  It's more difficult for her.  I go check the Internet for the banks, MBNA and yahoo.  The SS check was deposited 8/16, yippee as I thought it wouldn't be in there till 8/19.  Saved me!  Have another email from Jen with more details of Nancy's sored life!  I write Amy, Erin and  Roger, Amy in detail and the others I'll need to finish later.  Janeen is out of the room and goes on the Internet.  Now it's 2 p.m.  I walk to the river to see the Singapore (Lion City) fountain.  Singapore got it's name as the legend goes, when a Sumatra Prince came to the island and saw a lion, thus the name Singapura meaning Lion City now Singapore.  I get lost in a concrete jungle trying to get to the river.  Did pass The Raffles famous hotel and where the Long Bar serves the famous Singapore Slings en route.  Lovely old hotel with Indian doormen dressed in full costume.  Would like to stop for a "Sling" but get lost in the return and overshoot my target.  The fountain is beautiful and I only observe it from across the water.  It's a huge lion in this park on the water spouting water from his mouth and a very famous landmark here.  I'd have to cross the bridge and walk out to it and my time is too short to do that.  Get lost again but see the DHL balloon in the sky and go in that direction.  Back to the hotel @3:05, early.  Was to meet Janeen at 3:30p.m.  Get out my cases, put on my money belt, pull out my ticket and wait.  Janeen returns and we get a taxi to the airport.  Checked in and the case now weighs 22.6 kilo or so.  We are good to go.  Janeen's is about the same.  We have reduced the weight shipping all that stuff home.  We go downstairs and find the Le France deli and I have lunch, she has eaten in town.  Janeen has changed her money and I spent it.  Upstairs in duty-free I spend the last on chocolate.  My Singapore money is all gone!  We have been able to check out bags all the way to Johannesburg, get out boarding passes for both flights and seat assignments.  The flight to Hong Kong I sit alone in 3 seats.  I lay down and sleep most of the way after dinner and 3 glasses of wine!  Into Hong Kong 3 hours, 15 minutes.  Now we have some time in Hong Kong's new beautiful airport.  There is an Asian woman playing the piano for entertainment.  We sit at a cafe killing time and having a coffee and dessert.  A black man approaches us and tells a story of his ministry and that he is stuck here at this airport with no money.  I take pity on him never knowing if his story is for real and give him $20 from my visa fund in my money bag.  We head for the transfer area and make our connection easily.  Now I'm sitting with Janeen on the Cathay Pacific flight to Johannesburg.  They serve dinner and a glass of wine.  I go to sleep while Janeen has her light on and watching TV.  I awake some hours later to use the john and get some water.  Janeen is sleeping.  Back at my seat the flight attendant comes by with a basket of snacks.  I w4rite and catch up on the journal.  Now it's Friday, August 18, 2006 and we have landed in Johannesburg, South Africa, after a very long flight.......Johannesburg.........