Today Bryan had to work till almost 3 pm - he was on the phone talking incomprehensible things, so I decided to use my Sunday wisely and went and got a pedicure. This was quite an experience, I have to say, as when I arrived at the Snails spa in the Mandarin Gallery, they put me in a chair and offered me a MENU of services, which included, among others, a hot SAKE bath for feet or a CAVIAR feet rub... I settled for a more modest lemongrass and honey relaxing pedicure, and still had to cough out close to the US price for a deluxe pedicure... Well, but they did a very good job and I did not have to sit around in the apartment, on my computer char - as Bryan is occupying the couch with a telephone at his ear and a computer on his lap - and listen to him utter clusters of sounds in a language that I could only refer to as the language of Routing... After he got done with his calls we decided to go to the Botanical Gardens. Another must-do in Singapore, according to my guidebooks. I am really trying to be diligent here, and enthusiastic, regardless of our sad excursion to another must-see - the sad Chinatown as of yesterday.
The Botanical Gardens of Singapore turned out to be all one could imagine and MORE. It's a beautiful, enormous park... There are walking trails everywhere and huge tembusu and kapok trees that go up as high as 30 metres and have giant roots that spread out above the ground. We did not manage to see all of the Gardens today, naturally. But we will be happily going back there. Today we spent most of our time in the National Orchid Garden. It's breathtakingly beautiful and hosts over 3,000 orchid species and hybrids in gorgeous surroundings of the most luscious greenery I have ever seen. We walked around for hours, taking pictures and admiring the nature. We still have to go back to visit the Ginger Garden and many more things. It was a true escape from the hectic busy big-city Singapore and a well-deserved relaxing day for both of us. Afterward we had dinner at our favorite Vietnamese restaurant - the Orange Lantern, and now we are watching Germany vs. England. Would I prefer to be in Bali? Sure, but it's been a weekend I cannot complain about. Even more so because Bryan has just booked our next long-weekend trip: to Angsana Resort on Bitan. Yay :).
As for other note-worthy things that happened last weekend: first of all, on Friday we went to have sushi at a Japanese restaurant at ION Orchard (Itacho sushi restaurant). The sushi was really yummy, although the overpriced and allegedly out-of-this-world Blue Fin Tuna did not really stand up to our expectations. Otherwise - delicious food and not overpriced. We will definitely go back there. And as for the learning experience - we were told there (there was an instructional video shown on a screen and information printed on your plate mats!) that traditionally sushi is eaten by hand and if you want to use soy sauce you should only dip the fish in the soy sauce, never the rice side (if eating nigiri sushi) and then you put it in your mouth - i have to say it - upside down, i.e. fish facing downwards. Try doing that using chopsticks. Dip the fish in the soy sauce and NOT the rice and try putting it into your mouth like that. Bryan tried, of course, I did not even bother. As long as the rice does not fall apart on me I am going to keep dipping it in the sauce and be happy. I have survived all these years apparently eating sushi the wrong way... but I think I don't really care. It was, however, an educational visit to a sushi place :).
And as for the weirdest thing that happened to us this weekend - we were stopped in the middle of the street by three young girls wrapped in fabric from head to toe, in a very traditional Muslim way, and asked if they could take a photo with us. Not if we could take a photo of them, if they could take a photo WITH us. We sheepishly agreed, caught by surprise, so they took turns taking pictures with us. That was REALLY weird. I do realize that we are blond, bigger and taller than them and not wrapped in fabric, but seriously - why would you like to stop strangers in the middle of nowhere, with nothing but a busy road behind you and take pictures WITH them? That immediately got to the top of my list of weird things people do here.
The coughing is still at the top of the Things I Hate the Most About People in Singapore list. People here cough. Wherever you are, be it an escalator, an elevator, a train, a store, a pedestrian crossing - there is ALWAYS someone passing by, walking behind you and COUGHING right on you. I think since they are forbidden, by law, to spit, they take revenge by coughing. I am soon going to develop a phobia. Every time someone coughs on me, I think Bird Flu. I think SARS. I think EBOLA virus and all other epidemic diseases that I live in serious fear of contracting... No wonder that diseases spread so quickly in Asia, since people constantly COUGH at each other here... I think that it is certainly related to their love of AC and them blasting the AC at the lowest temperatures acceptable to a human body without the risk of freezing right there and then... Then they get congested infected and they COUGH. I just wish they would not cough on me.
That was a random stream of thought but sometimes these need to be written down, too. Just in case I do get seriously sick, at least someone can read here that I actually predicted that I may be exposed to some serious health hazard every time I am in a crowded place here. Surprisingly, no one coughed on me at the Botanical Gardens. There, the air is clean, full of oxygen and not cooled to the limits. The Gardens will see a lot of me in the coming months of our stay here. BTW, more pictures from the Gardens (and Chinatown) at: http://gallery.me.com/anna.boyet#100037
The Botanical Gardens of Singapore turned out to be all one could imagine and MORE. It's a beautiful, enormous park... There are walking trails everywhere and huge tembusu and kapok trees that go up as high as 30 metres and have giant roots that spread out above the ground. We did not manage to see all of the Gardens today, naturally. But we will be happily going back there. Today we spent most of our time in the National Orchid Garden. It's breathtakingly beautiful and hosts over 3,000 orchid species and hybrids in gorgeous surroundings of the most luscious greenery I have ever seen. We walked around for hours, taking pictures and admiring the nature. We still have to go back to visit the Ginger Garden and many more things. It was a true escape from the hectic busy big-city Singapore and a well-deserved relaxing day for both of us. Afterward we had dinner at our favorite Vietnamese restaurant - the Orange Lantern, and now we are watching Germany vs. England. Would I prefer to be in Bali? Sure, but it's been a weekend I cannot complain about. Even more so because Bryan has just booked our next long-weekend trip: to Angsana Resort on Bitan. Yay :).
As for other note-worthy things that happened last weekend: first of all, on Friday we went to have sushi at a Japanese restaurant at ION Orchard (Itacho sushi restaurant). The sushi was really yummy, although the overpriced and allegedly out-of-this-world Blue Fin Tuna did not really stand up to our expectations. Otherwise - delicious food and not overpriced. We will definitely go back there. And as for the learning experience - we were told there (there was an instructional video shown on a screen and information printed on your plate mats!) that traditionally sushi is eaten by hand and if you want to use soy sauce you should only dip the fish in the soy sauce, never the rice side (if eating nigiri sushi) and then you put it in your mouth - i have to say it - upside down, i.e. fish facing downwards. Try doing that using chopsticks. Dip the fish in the soy sauce and NOT the rice and try putting it into your mouth like that. Bryan tried, of course, I did not even bother. As long as the rice does not fall apart on me I am going to keep dipping it in the sauce and be happy. I have survived all these years apparently eating sushi the wrong way... but I think I don't really care. It was, however, an educational visit to a sushi place :).
And as for the weirdest thing that happened to us this weekend - we were stopped in the middle of the street by three young girls wrapped in fabric from head to toe, in a very traditional Muslim way, and asked if they could take a photo with us. Not if we could take a photo of them, if they could take a photo WITH us. We sheepishly agreed, caught by surprise, so they took turns taking pictures with us. That was REALLY weird. I do realize that we are blond, bigger and taller than them and not wrapped in fabric, but seriously - why would you like to stop strangers in the middle of nowhere, with nothing but a busy road behind you and take pictures WITH them? That immediately got to the top of my list of weird things people do here.
The coughing is still at the top of the Things I Hate the Most About People in Singapore list. People here cough. Wherever you are, be it an escalator, an elevator, a train, a store, a pedestrian crossing - there is ALWAYS someone passing by, walking behind you and COUGHING right on you. I think since they are forbidden, by law, to spit, they take revenge by coughing. I am soon going to develop a phobia. Every time someone coughs on me, I think Bird Flu. I think SARS. I think EBOLA virus and all other epidemic diseases that I live in serious fear of contracting... No wonder that diseases spread so quickly in Asia, since people constantly COUGH at each other here... I think that it is certainly related to their love of AC and them blasting the AC at the lowest temperatures acceptable to a human body without the risk of freezing right there and then... Then they get congested infected and they COUGH. I just wish they would not cough on me.
That was a random stream of thought but sometimes these need to be written down, too. Just in case I do get seriously sick, at least someone can read here that I actually predicted that I may be exposed to some serious health hazard every time I am in a crowded place here. Surprisingly, no one coughed on me at the Botanical Gardens. There, the air is clean, full of oxygen and not cooled to the limits. The Gardens will see a lot of me in the coming months of our stay here. BTW, more pictures from the Gardens (and Chinatown) at: http://gallery.me.com/anna.boyet#100037
We're totally trying the "right" way to eat sushi on our next Imperia outing! :) Bring the hand sanitizer!!
ReplyDelete