Tuesday, October 23, 2007

Sleepless in Singapore!

For some reason, the travel from Europe to Singapore caused me to experience severe jetlag - doesn't make much sense to me, especially given that it's a very similar time/timezone change as traveling from LA to London... anyway I managed to finish quite a few books in my wide awake night-time state - even trying large quantities of bacardi for medicinal purposes of course, didn't work.

Highlights from my 4 day trip to Singapore include:



  • Use of the first class lounge at heathrow (thanks to airline status, not my ticket type I hasten to add) - great facilities and pink champagne!

  • A 2-hour delay at heathrow - not due to the normal weather, traffic etc but this time because a passenger from a different flight but with the same name as someone on our flight managed to board the plane and then surprisingly couldn't find a seat!!! Not only did he board the plane, but so did his luggage... so much for increased security measures :)

  • Wandering round Chinatown - somehow I managed to get off the track of the suggested walking tour - I'm sure the book must have been wrong - nothing to do with my inability to follow instructions...

  • Snapping up some great bargains in Chinatown - and then finding a post office to be able to ship my 'excess' baggage straight home

  • Stopping off in Little India for a great curry

  • Taking a trip to the night safari next to Singapore zoo and traveling around in the darkness trying to spot the various animals and then taking lots of black photos because no flash was allowed!

  • Taking the cable car over to Sentosa island and taking a wander through Singapore's equivalent of Disneyland

  • Drooling at all the shops on Orchard Road - but maintaining control... if I buy it I have to carry it!

Next it's on to Sydney and the start of my Australian Adventure...

Thursday, October 11, 2007

European Vacation...

OK - so how American have I become... when I rent a car in Spain - only to be shocked that it's as small as a rollerskate and has a manual transmission.... doh!

My last couple of weeks have been spent relaxing in Spain with my folks and taking a quick trip to Belgium to catch up with my good friends Marij, David and Samuel. Having spent most of the time relaxing I have very little to report - highlights included:

  • My folks picking me up at the airport and seeing the Jeep in its new home in Spain - it fits in pretty nicely - after completing its transatlantic crossing at the beginning of the Summer!
  • Buying a great pair of jeans for 12euro - ~$15 - I know Amanda will not approve ;)
  • Preparing and painting all of the garden walls at my folks' villa - including trying to put my spanish to use buying the paint, brushes, filler etc - all of which is not generally contained in the basic spanish class vocab!
  • Having several 'menu del dia' lunches for 10euro or less - including 3 courses, drinks and coffee - what a bargain.
  • Working out a running trail through the local rambla and learning all the 'interesting' words to the rap music on my ipod courtesy of Jenny - and then accidentally singing them in company!
  • Creating my own 'tri-althon' - running, swimming and the hot-tub!
  • England beating Australia in the Rugby Word Cup quarter finals - I wish I'd had a bet on that one!
  • Meeting Samuel who is 3 now and was only a few weeks old when I last saw him. He is a great little guy. I was a little worried about how I would communicate with him since he speaks Dutch and French - but it was no problem - he quickly corrected me when I was making the wrong noise to imitate his toy frog - 'ribbitt, ribbitt"!
  • A quick shopping trip to Antwerp and the next day just catching my flight in Brussels after getting a little caught up in all the new airport shops... (i think there's a pattern here)

Next it's on to Singapore for a few days ... I hear it's a shopper's paradise...I can hear my amex card squeaking already :)