Yogyakarta- Part I

We had a WONDERFUL vacation to Yogyakarta this weekend- the perfect relaxing trip before I rejoin the world of the working. Here are the first of many pictures taken in four days- hope you like them! 

We arrived at Borobudur, the ruins of ancient Buddhist temple located about an hour's drive from Yogayakarta and were told that we were both dressed inappropriately (our knees were exposed) and this woman quickly dressed both of us in batik skirts. Dave looks great in a skirt. 

First look at the temple in the morning mist. Dave was thrilled that I wanted to see the temple at first light and dragged him out of the hotel at 5am. 

The reliefs on the walls tell the story of Buddha's enlightenment. I personally like the ones with the elephants the best. 

These no doubt have a deep and important theological explanation-but this is not that kind of blog- we preferred to think of them as Buddha Baskets (or as Dave preferred "Buddha Bells). Each of the bell/baskets had a identical buddha inside- this Buddha broke free. Pretty amazing view from the top of the temple looking at the volcano and mountains behind. 

Practicing the art of self timed photography. A skill that will become increasingly important as we travel together this year. 

Yogyakarta- Preview

Off to Indonesia!

We are off on our first official South East Asian vacation tomorrow- going to Yogyakarta to visit Borobudur and Pranbanan, ancient Buddhist and Hindu temples on the island of Java in Indoesia. Its suppose to rain the whole time we are there- but it will be great to get away for a few days before I start work next week! Look for pictures of our trip next week! 

Ice Cream Sandwiched

Everyone loves Ice Cream Sandwiches... even in Singapore. Unfortunately something has gotten lost in translation...

That's right- they take their Ice Cream Sandwiches quite literally- they serve them on bread. Now its not just any normal bread, its green and pink bread which tastes like... plain ol' bread. I cannot say it was a horrible experience, but it was certainly different. And they don't use bread for lack of cookies and other more appropriate ice cream holding materials- there are cookies and crackers galore in this country- they have voluntarily chosen to use real actual bread. But for S$1 its hard to complain about ice cream on a hot day. 

Picture of the Day

I didn't know there were Zebras in Singapore! 

We have an apartment!

After a rather tedious process of touring the highlights and lowlights of Singapore real estate- I am happy to announce that as of April 2 we will have a real address! We picked a building called the Icon- and will be residing happily on the 34th floor.

Pictures and far too much information about the building can be found here: http://www.singaporeexpats.com/singapore-property-pictures/condo/icon.htm
and here:
http://www.iproperty.com.sg/singaporecondominiums/condominium.aspx?condo=Icon

Looking forward to you all coming to visit soon!

Meet the Merlion

Mr. Merlion here is an imaginary creature with the head of a lion (Singapore- the Lion City) and a body of a fish/mermaid (homage to the Island life). The locals love this little fellow- and while it looks ancient and mysterious- it was actually invented in 1964 to be a symbol of the island nation. I think he is pretty cool- I see Merlion postcards being sent to the US in the near future...=) 

View from the Top

As part of our sightseeing adventure our first day in Singapore, we took the opportunity to take a ride on the Singapore Flyer, a gigantic ferris wheel which they will proudly (and frequently) tell you is taller than the London Eye. Having been too cheap to pay exorbitantly to ride the Eye while I was in London, the whole  giant sky ride experience was new. After navigating the surrounding mall and hoards of Indian tour groups, you make to the loading platform and hop in a tube-like capsule for your brief and "very auspicious" ride around the wheel. Dave and I opted for the audio tour which we were hoping was a where's-where of Sing, but were surprised to find out it was actually Feng Shui 101.  30 minutes later, we were practically Feng Shui experts.  The view from the Flyer is pretty amazing- on one side you can see all the way over the harbour to Indonesia and on the other you get a panoramic view of the whole island to the Malaysian border.

Here are some pictures from the ride:

Know When to Hold 'Em

As you can see from Erin's pictures, Singapore's architecture is a pretty fascinating combination of modern sky-rises in the commercial district, and very well preserved two story shop-houses in Chinatown and Little India, to the shipdocks turned restaurants featured on the quays.

And then there is what Erin and I now, affectionately, call "the spaceship," and what Sings call the IR.  The next great economic development here is gambling, and because somehow casino is a dirty word, this Sands development is an Integrated Resort, or IR.  I am still looking for the best way to describe this thing, it either looks like someone is trying to dock a cruise ship atop three 50-story towers, or like Richard Branson is going to start flying Virgin Galactic flights off the top of this thing.

Perhaps the funniest feature of the casino in Singapore is that there is an entrance fee of S$100 for citizens to enter the casino.  Foreigners? no problem, but the locals will have to fork over some cash before they can know when to hold, know when to fold em.

Life at 12 Orange Grove Road

So people have been asking about where we are staying here in the Sing. Well, below you will find some pictures of the illustrious Darby Park Executive Suites. We are living the high life in approximately 400sq/ft...its spacious to say the least.  

Dave setting up the magic jack in our living room cum office cum dining room. The best part about "corporate" housing is that you have to be plugged in to the modem directly to get internet. This presents two interesting problems for us.... 1) only one of us can be online at a time and 2) we can only access the internet if we sit directly infront of the TV. We have solved the latter problem by rigging the ironing board to function as a desk. Really, a desk in "corporate" housing would be far too much to ask for.

Our kitchen. We did manage to make eggs and kaya toast this morning, which we consider to be a huge success. Kaya by the way is a traditional Singapore jam made of coconut- really delicious- we are becoming big fans. The kitchen is actually not that bad. The funniest part being that there is no coffee pot to be found, but a rice cooker- we got one'a those. We will be testing out the rice cooker this week- we'll let you know how it goes.

So, this is where we are (temporarily, thankfully.) We have been looking at condos for days and think we have found one- planning on putting in an official offer tomorrow. You wouldn't believe how complicated it is to rent an apartment here, more on that later.

xo-Erin

Images from Day 2- From Boat Quay to Little India

Look Mom- They have Long John Silvers... now will you come visit????

An Early Singapore Impression

This week has been a myriad of shock in how "light" Singapore is, trying to adjust to the time and climate, and beginning our apartment hunt.

We landed about 6am Monday, and were quickly surprised to find a 7-Eleven or Starbucks on every corner, as if we had been dropped in any American city.  The shocking thing is how many American restaurants seem to be more popular here than in the U.S.  Other than Cathy, who actually eats at Long John Silvers?  You would expect McDonalds and Burger King, but is our next best burger export really Carl's Jr.?  And seriously, you would be hard pressed to find a Slurpee in New York, but in the fine city of "Sweatapore" they are on every block.

We spent our first day on the HiPPO double decker bus tour--now mandatory for all of you on the Curtiss-Singapore vacation package.  It gave us a decent sense of the major areas of downtown Singapore, and allowed us to be jet-lagged and productive at the same time. There is a thriving Chinatown and Little India, both with their share of fascinating street markets, hawker stands, small restaurants and shops.  We spent the other day wandering around Little India and left with clothes smelling of curry, and some cheap new hangers to supplement our meager supply in Corporate Housing.

As you can see from Erin's pictures (more to come, not to worry) the city is beautiful, clean, almost sterile.  Our temporary housing leaves a lot to desire, but sleeping on a mattress that resembles a brick wall has its perks: we are both up around dawn every morning without a problem.  If only I could put that skill to use at the casinos...

A little piece of America right down the street from our corporate housing....

First Look at Singapore

Dave enjoying the MASSIVE Singapore Air seats. It was a very comfortable flight! 

The HiPPO Bus- perfect way to spend a first jet lagged day in town.

Boat Quay. 

View of downtown from the Hippo Boat. 

Farewell Party!

We hope you will all join us for our farewell party on March 6, at 9:00pm at Shades of Green (15th and Irving). We are looking forward to seeing all of our friends and loved ones before we go!