Sunday, May 08, 2011

Sunday Selections


Kim from Frog ponds rock invites bloggers to post up photos on Sunday that they haven't used yet.


You may have forgotten that we booked a family holiday to Singapore over Easter. Having the news of our move to Switzerland a mere two weeks before heading off to the tropics with brother Rob and Sis-in-law WC, it was a mixture of exhaustion, interest, excitement and bewilderment for a few days and I still don't know how to write about it in a way that properly shows what a wonderfully intriguing and lovely place it was.

It's not just a stop-over to journeys in the northern hemisphere and nor is it the tacky 'Singapore is a fine* city' t-shirt slogan beloved of drunk bogans everywhere.

However, I'll post these pictures up for now when I should in fact be sorting through my wardrobe, filling in my residency application, downloading the international drivers' licence forms and getting stuff ready for Saturday's garage sale.



Not sure of the appropriateness of the 'i Heart Sex' shop right next door to Kids World in Bugis market. SpongeBob SquarePants looked particularly creepy in that context.










222 Drunk Sit, just off Orchard Road. At least they're honest about it.














I was fascinated by the high-rise clotheslines - wooden poles stuck out of their windows.












The name is wrong. The food was delicious and is a favourite lunch spot of my sister-in-law.




After a steamy morning of walking, sightseeing, shopping and eating, everyone needs a can of Kickapoo: the original joy juice to cool off. Considering the name, it was a relief to discover that it tasted a bit like Passiona.




'I wish Ko Phone get back his original size' - Hindu temple on Kusu island. Make an offering and write down your hopes. Most concerned exam results and wealth but one person did write that they wished to be taller. I suspect that Love Chunks wrote something about improving the win-loss ratio of the Adelaide Crows.




I think that the Lesser Bird of Paradise should seek legal compensation for decades of public humiliation, misunderstanding and dreadfully hurt feelings.




The only 'copy' I found, Bali-style in Singapore. Then again, we weren't actually looking for it.




Couldn't do duck tongue, feet or (on another sign) gizzard. Did do sweetcorn ice-cream, durian-topped ice kechang, avocado donuts, sweet Chilli crab (of course), banana leaf fish slice, kaya toast, yin-yang blend (coffee and tea mixed together), mock meats* and aloe vera jelly juice. Yes, and a very expensive Singapore Sling at Raffles hotel.






Our hotel pool had a glass wall that was right by the lobby lounge. People sitting there waiting for the bar to open or a taxi to arrive would therefore be treated to the sight of Sapphire and her uncle doing water ballet, Six Million Dollar Man running and various poses.






The infinity pool on top of the city's largest building, the Marina Bay Sands. We plebs got a bit of a look into main part of the deck which is just for hotel guests. I'm not sure that I'd want to pay a small fortune to stay in seven star luxury where plebs could gawk at me in my bathers.....




SafeWork in Singapore is a serious business. Many tragic injuries have occurred from soggy grass in office blocks and an inability to comprehend the ramifications of walking upright.







* There are fines for everything - gum chewing, loitering, littering etc. Maybe that's why their city is clean, safe and friendly...?
** What did the chicken say when it went to the vegetarian restaurant? 'Mock mock mock!' (that might work better aurally than in writing because it slayed 'em in the aisles at the time)

11 comments:

Elephant's Child said...

Thank you. I was wondering/hoping that you had an amazing time. Going by the photos you did. And (perhaps because I am a vego) I loved the Mock, Mock, Mock joke. There is a restaurant in town here that makes mock almost everything, but only makes mock lobster in season (huh?).

Kath Lockett said...

EC I'm having a shocker of a time trying to put spaces around these photos correctly, so it makes my day that you like my 'mock mock mock' joke!

Better go and sort through my clothes and paperwork now.... :(

Anonymous said...

I liked Singapore when I really didn't expect to much. It is nice to go to an Asian country where things just work.

You might be able to make something of the WV, bichemic.

River said...

Ew, the one thing I don't like is glass walled swimming pools. It just seems a little creepy to me to be able to see everyone's legs like that. I don't like glass top tables either...
I'm intrigued by the highrise washing lines, I'm guessing there is some sort of anchoring device that prevents them from just falling out and down. I would hate to think poor old mum just sat there holding on until things were dry!
Mmmm, chilli crab.

Plastic Mancunian said...

G'Day Kath,

I've been to Singapore twice - once on business (for two weeks) and once on the way back from Australia.

It is such a fascinating and clean city - or a "fine" city.

It's a great place but I prefer Hong Kong.

:0)

Cheers

PM

Pandora Behr said...

Ah Singapre - that wonderful place where the leaves fall from the trees by government order only. Some great shots there.

Marie said...

The thought of that glass walled swimming pool gives me the willies. Just imagining all those people pulling out their wedgies ... *shudder*

I quite liked Singapore, though I hadn't really expected to. It lacked a little soul, but that was perhaps because we were carefully herded and steered to the areas they wanted us to see. But yes, it was clean and the kids just loved it all.

The Mock joke made me laugh. We were as poor as church mice when I was growing up and mum made mock everything - mock raspberry jam (from the satsuma plums), mock fish (basically grated potato cakes), mock cream (mostly copha I think) - I promised NEVER to serve mock anything.

You didn't find any "genuine imitation" Fendi bags? I'm shocked. I adore the phrase "Genuine imitation" - perhaps I could substitute it for mock.

Spring has sprung here in the great north - it should be ace when you get here :-)

Kim (frogpondsrock) said...

I thoroughly enjoyed these Kath, thanks heaps for posting them.

Kath Lockett said...

"It is nice to go to an Asian country where things just work." You're spot on, Andrew, and having 'local' tour guides made it ten times better.

Bichemic - the mysterious chemical reaction that makes exotic foods taste delicious when sampled in their native country, but taste like utter shite when brought back home. See Greek Ouzo for an example.

River, they do have anchoring devices because sometimes they slipped and injured people.

PlasMan, I've only been to Hong Kong once and that was in 1992. Need to remedy that....

Marie, the local tour guides (sis-in-law and my brother) made the city an amazing place to be. Rob was genuinely disturbed at having to pay tourist prices for his meal at the night zoo because we'd been eating with locals at hawker stalls every other time. No 'sanitised' views, but real people and WC's terrific family.

Thanks Kim - it's your brilliant idea after all!

Helen said...

It looks like a fun place to visit! And I'm glad you got a bit of a break in all the moving madness!

Hannah said...

Love love love travel snaps! Thank you for sharing! The I Heart Sex shop's placement reminds me of how, in Tokyo, my brother and I spent an hour or so exploring a seven story kids' toy store then walked out into the street to find a store called Condomania blaring its wares.... fascinating wares...