Continuing the post-Rita catching up with my blog. This entry is beginning Wednesday, 21 September. After a quick ride into the city, I’m dropped off at the Conrad Centennial Singapore. Conrad is Hilton’s “high end” brand. This is my first stay in one. Stylish and elegant. Like everything I’ve seen so far, spotlessly clean. I ask one of the porters if the hotel is new - he says no, “It’s nine years old.” I’m shocked - it does not look any older than a year at best. Try to check in. Wham - my first introduction to Asian ser [View Full Entry]

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There's something about ice cream. Haagen Daas is great (really great in fac t) but really there many viable options here. I have sampled about 9 (hahahaha) of them so far...macadamia nut ripple in a green container thingy is the best so far...but we are a long way from claiming to have tasted it all... I am going to have to run my little butt off to work this stuff off! Went to Orchard road (the main shopping street) last night. Had a Rice burger (!) for dinner, it's essentially the same as a normal burger - just made out of [View Full Entry]

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I have seen the future, a giant shopping mall interconnecting small residential enclaves, parks and roads. The mall reaches in every direction, polished floors gleam, shop fronts sparkle, a temple to consumerism, every need and desire can be met by the purchase of a 40inch plasma screen TV or a computer so smart it doesn't need an operator. The streets, those that are not part of the mega-mall-opilis are clean, empty of all but traffic which flows orderly, controlled by lights indicating lane and speed. People are well behaved, come from many different ethnic origins, speak in a variety of ton [View Full Entry]

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Second posting on sunday night... Have spent an awesome day being shown around singapore by Stevo. Had such a good time, went to an open air 'locals' place for lunch, had dumplings and this stunning noodle soup and sampled some of Steves stuff. The place we had lunch at was really simple, i had a sugar cane drink, fried dumplings. It was a cool place and the variety of food on offer was staggering. Saw the LAI team at the Slam 'n Jam champs, photos and handshakes and we were off again. Went on the MRF (?), train just as the [View Full Entry]

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Picture this; its a roasting hot day here - mid 30's & humid as a sauna, i had just checked in with this thingy, been for a big walk all morning, i was fed, watered and ready for some R&Rn by the pool.... But then i met these Oz oil rig guys who were on a bit of R&R too...it all went downhill from there, they had to offer me a drink, i had to accept. Suffice to say; four hours later we were watching the Aussie rules final (Sydney won) drinking some stuff (?) out of a bottle that none [View Full Entry]

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Singapore: Sept. 24-30 Singapore is a beautiful city with state-of-the-art architecture, the best of the Western world and Eastern world and a wonderful multicultural mix. Due to the diversity of the people, English is the language chosen to communicate among themselves making it incredibly easy to travel in. The city is incredibly clean due to strict littering laws and you’ve never wanted to chew gum more than where they cane you for doing so. Between getting over jet lag which hits you harder than you would think, especially Zachary who doesn’t quite grasp the concept of [View Full Entry]

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22/9/05 - Uncle Robert is fun to have around at airport security checks, because he has metal pins in both his hips, he sets the alarm bells ringing every time. Our flight from Sydney was as much fun as economy air travel can be. Lorenza was sitting next to Peter, a very friendly and talkative guy from the Riverina District of NSW. He is a wine producer; in his own words he produces “bulk wine, but not quality wine”. He kept us entertained with a brief life history, including having run as an independent candidate for the Riverina in a few [View Full Entry]

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Holy smokes - this thing looks mean. I'm obviously very concerned. Judy seems reasonably calm, and she does have our good friends the Weavers and the Bullocks very nearby to help as necessary... But, I'm still worried. Looks like mid-day Thursday Houston time will be the deciding point for most residents of The Woodlands (Where we live - 45 miles north of Houston.) to stay or go. Judy tells me that some in The Woodlands have gone, and many are playing a wait and see game. Many thanks to Pearce and Rick for your help! Pouring down rain here on Thursday [View Full Entry]

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Have arrived in Singapore eventually. Flight had to make emergency stop in Darwin as someone was taken ill. This means I've missed my connecting flight and now don't get in to Heathrow until 7.10 tonight instead of 3.30. Home soon though! [View Full Entry]

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I left the safety of Australia, on an all night flight to Singapore, arriving at 4am. This wasn't such a good idea, because I'll too tall to sleep on flights, and NOTHING is open at 4am. I waiting till 6am for the first train into the city, and met up with a German guy, Dom, who was on my flight. We found the first open place to sleep (which was a bit of a hole) and crashed for a couple of hours. My first experience in Singapore was buying a new camera. It doesn't work the same as NZ. The prices [View Full Entry]

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