Good to be Home Once More

"We live in a wonderful world that is full of beauty, charm and adventure. There is no end to the adventures we can have if only we seek them with our eyes open." -- Jawaharal Nehru

"Once you have traveled, the voyage never ends, but is played out over and over again in the quietest chambers. The mind can never break off from the journey." — Pat Conroy

I have truly enjoyed our recent travels.  Although we took some wrong turns in trying to find various places, they were truly not wrong turns as they allowed us to experience something unanticipated.  Many people helped us find the right path after we got lost.  But as Lawrence Block wrote, "Our happiest moments as tourists always seem to come when we stumble upon one thing while in pursuit of something else."  

However, I will confess that one of the more amusing moments was while we were trying to find the 10,000 Buddhas Monastery in Sha Tin.  Two Britons overheard us speaking in English and asked us for directions to the monastery.  :-)  I had a rough idea due to my Internet research and invited them to come with us. To my surprise, they were expatriates who had been living in Hong Kong for 3 months. I was shocked that I knew more than they did about the 10,000 Buddhas Monastery.

But before I become too smug, I owe it all to the Internet.  :-)  Without the 'Net, I would not have found out about many of the sights and eateries that we enjoyed.  Heck, without the 'Net, Google Maps in particular, I would not have even been able to find many of these places.

To see our relatives in Hong Kong once more, especially "Gooh Paw", was rewarding.  Finally meeting Daisy, the National University of Singapore's coordinator for the University of California's Education Abroad Program, after many Emails was fantastic.  Seeing new sights, eating new foods, and meeting different people were all part of the mosaic of our voyage.

Gooh Paw waving goodbye at us from the sixth floor

Special kudos to Kacy who went everywhere and tried everything without a complaint.  As this was her first trip to Asia, I am sure she found many of the meals, sights and sounds to be vastly different from what she is accustomed to.  But through it all, she always had a smile and was always in a good mood.  More importantly, she put up with Patrick  :-)

Thanks to Patrick for showing us the many places he enjoyed during his time in Singapore.  With his insight, we experienced Singapore almost as if we were native Singaporeans. Also thanks to his unerring navigational skills as we could have easily ended up lost without him both in Singapore and in Hong Kong.

Many thanks to Teri for ordering for us in the many eateries in Hong Kong that were not used to having English-only speakers as customers.  Without Teri's knowledge of Cantonese, we would have been totally bewildered as to what to order and would not have enjoyed many of the meals that we did.  Last but not least, thanks to Teri for bearing with me as I can be grouchy at times, especially in the morning hours.  :-)

I took many photographs but there are far more images and experiences within my mind.  Although it may sound ostentatious, this most recent journey is but the latest chapter of the book of my life.  As Saint Augustine wrote, “The World is a book, and those who do not travel read only a page.“ I plan to have more journeys and more experiences as time goes by.  But until my next journey, it is good to be home once more.

"No one realizes how beautiful it is to travel until he comes home and rests his head on his old, familiar pillow." -- Lin Yutang

Good to be home among friends and family once more. :-)

The Next Generation

At the dinner with our relatives in Hong Kong, we met the latest additions to our extended family, three young boys.  I can hardly wait until "Parker", my soon to be born grandson, joins them.  :-)

Residual Effect?

Hmmm, you do not suppose the real reason that I am feeling bleary eyed and zoned out is due to the residual effect of consuming copious amounts of beer on our last night in Singapore?

Before I am lambasted for behaving in a drunken manner with Patrick, let it be made clear that Teri consumed the contents of at least one of the cans.  Who knows?  Kacy may have drank the contents of one can as well.  :-)  Thus Patrick and I were not completely responsible for all of the beer that was consumed that evening.  Besides, it takes a stone cold sober state of mind to construct the pyramid of beer cans.  :-)

"Taste every fruit of every tree in the garden at least once. It is an insult to creation not to experience it fully. Temperance is wickedness. "  Stephen Fry

Bleary Eyed and Zoned Out

Today is my second day back from Hong Kong and Singapore.  Even though I am bleary eyed and somewhat zoned out, I am feeling better.  I still get hungry and sleepy at odd times.  However, I am able to catch up on laundry, do some chores, surf the net and periodically post on my blog.  I do have a few more posts to do and will conclude this blog shortly.  I may not be bright eyed and bushy tail but I will be back at work on Wednesday.  I can see myself consuming countless cups of coffee tomorrow.

YMCA Salisbury Hotel in Hong Kong

 The YMCA Salisbury Hotel with the venerable Peninsula Hotel on the right

In Hong Kong, we stayed at the YMCA Salisbury.  I confess that the appellation of YMCA conjures up an image of bunk beds with shared bathroom facilities in a spartan dormitory room setting. However, the hotel is worthy of being considered a three to four star hotel.

The hotel's location is great for easy access to the Tsim Sha Tsui MTR subway station and the Star Ferry, across the street from the Hong Kong Cultural Center and the Museum of Art, and last but not least, an easy walk to 3 different Starbucks.  Starbucks may not be the connoisseur's idea of a good coffee shop but when we landed at 6:30 AM Hong Kong time, we simply wanted caffeine period.

Furthermore, the views from the Harbour view rooms and suites are on a par with those of the world renown Peninsula Hotel.  However, the Harbour view rooms at the Peninsula start at $750 nightly while a room with a comparable view at the YMCA Salisbury starts at $130 while a corner suite with a Harbour view starts at $230.  Needless to say, the furnishings at the Peninsula are far more opulent and the service is certainly far more attentive.  But with the money you save, you can splurge on dinner or on shopping.  :-)  See the photos below of a Harbourview Room and the view from our Harbourview Suite in 2008.  For information, note the following:  YMCA Salisbury Hotel

Millennium Orchard Hotel in Singapore

We stayed at the Millennium Orchard Hotel at 442 Orchard Road, the main shopping area of Singapore.   We took advantage of the amenities afforded by the Signature Club level at the hotel.  Per its website, "The Signature Club rooms at Orchard Hotel, offering you the ultimate boutique resting paradise are exquisitely designed by world-renowned French interior designer - Pierre Yves Rochon. Contemporary and classy, in a design of Oriental decor and European styling, you may revel in the luxurious Regal Red (frankly, I found the Red to be more of a Brothel Red than Regal Red), tranquil Ming Blue or the soothing Celadon Green room. The Signature Club room is a cosy 28sqm retreat filled with modern indulgences for a delightful stay. Enjoy the perfect relaxation with technological refinements such as mood lighting, invigorating rain showers & hydro-massage jets in the bathroom as well as a BOSE wave radio with full iPod connectivity for your musical entertainment."  Among the other amenities, the Signature Club level also provided a free breakfast with eggs cooked to order and a complimentary evening reception from 6 to 8 PM.   :-)  Toss in free laundry for two articles daily (i.e.,  slacks, shirts, etc.), it was quite nice.

We found the staff at the hotel to be very friendly and helpful.  The rate for the Signature Club level room was in line for all of the privileges that were included.  BTW, I requested a Ming Blue room :-)  For information on the hotel, click on the following:  Millennium Orchard Hotel

Belated Post on Yo:Ha and Boon Lay area in Singapore

While in Singapore, Patrick wanted to show us his National University of Singapore student housing, Yo:Ha, short for Your Habitat.  Here are some photos of his home neighborhood while in Singapore, the bakery where he bought one of his favorite snacks, waffles, and the place where he got his haircuts despite not being able to communicate well with the hair cutters.  :-) 

 The Yo:Ha hostel itself and Patrick by the front door to his former apartment

As seen from the floor that Pat lived in for almost 6 months

Belated Post on Little India in Singapore

We went to Mustafa Centre, a 24/7 mall, located in the Little India neighborhood of Singapore.  Specifically, Teri and Kacy wanted to purchase saffron and curry.  All bags have to be surrendered before going into the Centre.  As we did not wish to leave the valuables in our bags out of our sight and possession, Pat and I were standing outside in the sweltering heat and humidity waiting for Teri and Kacy to complete their purchases.  Here are some photos I took of Little India.