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Published: January 27th 2018
Singapore-dinner with Kay and Karunna
First night in Singapore out out to a delicious supper with friendsIt’s time to start my travel ramblings..... so put your hands over your ears if you don’t want to hear! This year I’m planning a gentle, relaxing time away and hoping to replenish body and soul. I’m planning to do a lot of walking, eating, reading and resting so it may be a bit boring for you, the reader. But I like to do it and it helps me to remember where I’ve been and what I’ve done ..... otherwise the days melt into each other between leaving and returning.
Pat dropped me off at Malvern station to get the train to Birmingham International. I’d left Lottie-dog at home with Ruth, who’s going to look after her and the pigs and the house while I’m away.
My flight to Zurich was delayed by 40 mins, and I was concerned that I’d miss the onward flight to Singapore, but Swiss efficiency meant that we were all swiftly sent to relevant departure gate in transit, and I was soon on the night flight to Singapore.
We arrived in Singapore just after 6pm, and a very chatty taxi driver drove me to Kathy’s. I learned all about his past and aspirations for the future.
The Singapore roads were busy with traffic, but as we turned into Sunset Way the residential streets were quiet. I tackled the stairs leading up to Kathy’s apartment on the fifth floor ( ten flights of stairs) dragging my suitcase and bumping it up the stairs, with an occasional hoist to get it around the corners. I was rewarded on the fifth floor when Kathy flung open the door to reveal Ausaf and his daughter Hani also waiting to greet me .I had arrived just in time because we’d all been invited for dinner with Kay and Karunna at their home. No problem for me because my body clock was telling me that it was only noon in the U.K. and the excitement of being back in Singapore was buzzing through my brain.
Kay is a wonderfully accomplished cook ( in fact she has traveled the world spreading her skills far and wide) so we were in for a treat.: delicious melt-in the mouth fish, vegetarian curry, beetroot and melon salad, Thai coconut chicken and homemade tofu patties. And the conversation turned, as usual, to all our mutual friends from ‘the old days’ in the 70’s and 80’s. Karunna, Kathy
and I all worked in the same school during those years. It was Ausaf’s last night in Singapore before flying home to Gail and the rest of the family in Hawaii. Hani has been working in Singapore for over a year now , and really enjoying her life here. She came over to Kath’s apartment for breakfast next morning so she could go to the airport with her father. I joined them, bleary-eyed. I couldn’t get off to sleep that night, and at 6.30 in the morning my body was telling me at it was 10.30pm and time to sleep. We waved goodbye to Ausaf and Hani and went back to bed for a couple of hours. After a shower I felt refreshed and we went to the nearby hawker centre and I was able to tick off one of my ‘must eat in Singapore ‘ dishes -Hainanese chicken rice. We went around the corner to Kathy’s Local hairdresser for a wash and blow dry, which always includes not only a head massage but also a serious shoulder massage. Just the thing after a long flight!
We had another little rest and then went to my mother-in-law’s house and spent
Singapore-dinner with Kay and Karunna
A cross eyed tiger in Kay and Karunna’s home. I love him........ and his eyes follow you around the room! a pleasant afternoon chatting with her and my two sister-in-laws. My niece came home with some of the delicious little Nonya cakes -very difficult to resist, even though we knew we were going out for a Chinese dinner with other family members. I thought that my mother-in-law looked stronger and less tired than she was last year.
We went to one of their favourite restaurants in the old racecourse grandstand. I wonder how long before this prime land will be given over to high rise housing.
Several delicious courses, one following hard on the heels of the other and deposited on the turntable in the middle of the table. Starting with the shared mixed salad which everyone at the table participates in by tossing the mixture together with their chopsticks and calling out good luck/good health blessings for all those present. I had thought this was a Chinese New Year Cantonese custom, but my sister-in-law Penny, who lives in Hong Kong, said that they don’t do it there. Maybe only in Singapore.
Every dish was delicious, but my favourite was the Chilli Crab, or rather the sauce which can be mopped up with little steamed buns. We were all very
At Kathy’s place
Morning tea on the balcony at Kathy’s flat full, but could still manage to share a dish of the little red bean pancakes garnished with sesame seeds.
Said farewell to family and made our way back to Kathy’s, where we sat up talking until late. But I still couldn’t sleep. Felt I’d never sleep ever again! Read my book and checked emails through the night
and fell into a deep sleep at about 6pm. I got a few hours of sleep before getting up for a good mug of tea and to check e mails. I had a worried message from my cousin Janey. Her 18 year old son is traveling alone for the first time between leaving school and starting university, his journey beginning in Thailand. So far so good, but Jane’s just had a phone call from Tom to say that his passport has gone astray in Krabi. So I’m on standby for a while to see if there’s anything I can do to help him. Luckily the passport reappears at the hostel and the possible emergency disappears into thin air.
Kath and I went to Holland Village to have lunch at the hawker stalls. Today it was nasi lemak : rice cooked in coconut
Singapore-family dinner
Tossing the salad for good luck milk with fried egg, crispy Ikan billis , otak,vegetables and peanuts -all served on a banana leaf. A little walk about was necessary after that , and with Kathy’s encouragement I found myself buying a red linen dress ( got two weddings to go to in July) and having a lengthy conversation with the shop owner about retail and the economy. Phew! Kathy put another ticket on her car so we’d have time for orange and cranberry cake and coffee before we went back to her apartment. We decided that we didn’t need any more food that day, but managed to chat and share a bottle of wine and polish off some tasty things from her fridge. And another sparse night’s sleep . Next day I reorganised my luggage and Kathy dropped me off at theMRT station to get the train to the airport.
Off to rest and recuperation in Chiangmai! A two ( or is it three?) hour flight, a busy but familiar airport with long queues at Immigration and then out to get a taxi. The easiest instruction for the taxi driver is to direct him to Rimping Condominium, a grand tower block of superior apartments opposite
Singapore Family dinner
Grandmother and Grand-daughter stirring the salad my homestay, Baan Songjum. Usually I manage with flapping of hand and “s-top, s-top!!” To get the taxi to deposit me on the street outside the block, so I can scurry across the street and duck and dive down the narrow alleyway opposite to arrive at BaanSongjum. The alleyway is only wide enough for one vehicle and no turning space unless they open up the double gates into the house and that involves scooping up dogs to get them out of the way.
But to my embarrassment the taxi driver ignored me, and thinking he knew better, he swung into the entrance of the Condominium , up the ramp to the front doors where an eager doorman leaped to attention and despite my protestations, proceeded to unload my bags and head for the foyer! I swiftly cut him of and with lots of smiles and thank you’s , I grabbed my belongings and hurried back the way we’d come and back onto the street. They were bemused until they saw me weaving through the traffic to cross the road. Then I think the taxi driver got a bit of a scolding.
Never mind. Dragging my suitcase ,rumbling over the rough
Singapore Family dinner
Nephew Daryl and sis in law Veronica surface behind me I walked down to the gates of the house, overhung by a cascade of bougainvillea. As soon as I started fumbling with the latch the dogs started barking, and Nui, Kong and Penn rushed towards me, helping with my bags and opening the gate. Warm and friendly greetings. Who would have thought a year has gone by since I was last here! “Are you hungry? What are you doing for dinner? Share with us!” So lovely to sit with them under the old house and exchange stories of the last year. It seems that the flu and cold bugs have been busy in Thailand too, and Nui is just getting over a cold and cough, while her adopted son, Penn is just coming down with it. There are also three people staying here that I’ve met before : Michel and his lady-friend, Marie-Noelle and the English dog behaviourist, Philip, who seems to spend half his time here and half in Japan. It’s a bit like The Marigold Hotel! But there are a few young people to even things out. There are the lovely dogs, Lanta and Frankie and a new puppy, a sort of Ridgeback. His name
Singapore Family dinner
Brother in law, mother in law and niece is BamBam and he’s certainly keeping the two older dogs on their toes! And I had a good night’s sleep. Maybe the end of jet lag or just exhaustion from sleep deprivation!
“What are you going to do this year?” my Thai friends asked. “Nothing but read, rest and eat”, I replied. An answer that seemed to meet with their approval.
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Elaine Beckham
non-member comment
Love both your posts and photos Sue! Enjoy your time, which I hope will be really relaxing.