We’re at the Changi Airport in Singapore…

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As a renowned international business center there are many high rise office buildings.

I was apprehensive about the long walk to our gate. Based on my Fitbit it was almost a mile long. I made it ok, albeit rather slowly, while Tom maintained the slow pace with me. Each day, I’m a little better.

Singapore has a wide array of interesting buildings, both old and new.

Since we’d paid our hotel bill yesterday, checking out of the hotel was quick and easy, with the taxi van driver grabbing our bags. He talked all the way to the airport explaining laws in Singapore that its citizens are pleased to obey and have in place. His accent was thick and hard to understand so we only picked up bits and pieces.

Once we arrived we checked the three bags, only having to pay SGD 32, US $23.75. We couldn’t complain about that. We’d purchased a number of necessary vitamins and toiletries in Singapore that may have been hard to find in Vietnam or Cambodia surely adding to the weight. It’s the way it is.

The old and the newer.

We never went out for dinner last night after we decided I needed to rest. We ate the balance of the cheese and nuts, never giving it another thought. There’s a complimentary meal on the plane but most likely Tom will eat both of ours. 

The airlines can’t ever accommodate my multitude of restrictions. It’s either gluten free with lots of starches and sugars or sugar free with lots of fruit and carbs. No matter. I won’t have any trouble waiting until dinner in Hanoi tonight, hopefully somewhere close to the hotel.

Street after street with shops.

We’d planned to do some sightseeing on the first three days in Hanoi before the beginning of the cruise tour. Most likely, more rest and light walking will be all I’ll be able to manage in an effort to prepare for the intense walking and activity ahead of us when the tour begins. We both accept this reality. Wherever we may be when injury or illness strikes, we’d be missing out on something.

This reminded me of New Orleans.

Just wanted to post this short post to say hello to all of our loyal and thoughtful readers who continue to write with warm wishes for improvement. Depending on the time we arrive and get situated, this may be today’s only post.

For all of our family, friends/readers in the US, have a safe and enjoyable 4th of July and we’ll be looking for your fireworks videos on Facebook. We’ll be back soon! 


Photo from one year ago today, July 5, 2015:

Viking Mekong Itinerary, Current Position, Ship Review | CruiseMapper

The Viking Mekong. For more, please click here.

Scroll for total final expenses for one week in Singapore…Tomorrow, an early morning flight to Hanoi, Vietnam…Tom’s haircut in Singapore…

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Historical building.

We sorry we weren’t able to explore Singapore as we’d intended based on my injured spine during our entire week in this lovely country. It’s unlikely we’ll return when we still have so much of the world left to see.

The street outside Chinatown at dusk.

Right now, our biggest concern is getting me able to handle walking for several hours a day based on the many tours upcoming on the Mekong River Cruise beginning in four days. 

The bright lights in Chinatown at night.

Of course, we have a backup plan. If I’m only able to walk only short distances, we’ll go on the shorter excursions and decide at the time for the all day excursions which as of today, I can’t imagine being able to manage.

A popular eco friendly office building.

However, each day there’s a little improvement. Tom’s been a huge help literally waiting on me for absolutely everything, whether it’s filling the tub with hot water for me to soak several times a day (which really helps) or pouring my iced tea, he’s “Johnny on the spot” with never a scowl or complaint for getting something for me one more time. This makes recovery a whole lot easier.

Sunday morning we took a walk through a section of Chinatown before the crowds.

I want to thank all of our readers who sent emails wishing me a speedy recovery. My inbox was full this morning with suggestions, prayers and good wishes. I managed to respond to each before beginning today’s post which contributed to yet another late posting.

Its appealing to some business professionals to purchase clothing in Singapore but prices were high although the service was quick.

We went for our final breakfast in the hotel which has been quite a treat each day. On several days, we were so filled by the huge and delicious meal, neither of us were hungry for dinner and only nibbled on our cheese and nuts into the evening when we felt like a little something.

Most of the locals wear flip flops on casual days. Tourists purchased this shoulder bags.

We’re disappointed not to have dined out more often, but when I think back to our old lives, when one of us was under the weather, we never thought about going out for dinner. 

Many products for sale are wrapped in plastic, most likely imported from China.

We’d stay “home” continuing to nurse back to good health.  Same here. The thought of going out most nights wasn’t appealing, although we did do so on a few evenings. Rest has seemed to be the most logical solution at this point.

These popular plastic chickens scream. Why? We never quite figured it out.

Luckily, when we arrive in Hanoi tomorrow afternoon, we’ll still have three days to continue my recovery before the cruise/tour begins. During that period, we’ll head out to get our final visa needed at this time, Indonesia, for the upcoming return to Bali in a few months. 

There are areas that reminded us of the French Quarter.

There’s no way we want to go through that awful three days of travel back and forth to Lovina for the visa extension in Bali if we can avoid it. With the three days in Hanoi, we should be able to accomplish it, plus the cruise includes two more days in Hanoi for sightseeing. This gives us a five full days to get the visa and for me to recover if necessary.

Tom was thrilled to get a haircut at long last.

Sure, it will be disappointing if we can’t go on the tours in Hanoi, but what else can we do? It’s the way our life is. We accept it fully. Tom, bless his heart, never for a moment has made me feel badly over money we may lose not taking advantage of our location. We’re together. I’m improving each day and we continue on with love and hope in our hearts.

A good cut by a stylist in a pricey salon.  The haircut was SGD 44, US $32.74 which included a 20% discount and was more than he paid anywhere in the world thus far.

Based on our late return to our hotel room after breakfast which included a lively conversation with a lovely couple from the US that we met in the restaurant and sorting out our hotel bill today instead of tomorrow morning, it was a late start.

Lots of tourist trinkets.

Our taxi will arrive at 6:45 am tomorrow for the 30 minutes ride to the Changi airport. Our flight is at 9:20 am, almost four hours on Singapore Airlines. We should arrive at our hotel in Hanoi by 1:00 pm.

Insect jewelry. 

Once we’re situated in our hotel room in Vietnam we’ll prepare a new post with a few photos of Hanoi we’ll have taken during the taxi ride. Thus, you won’t see a post until several hours later than usual. 

Colorful statues atop the Sri Mariamman Temple.

Here are the total expenses for the seven nights we spent in Singapore. Included is the cost for the visas we acquired for Vietnam and Thailand. 

Our food expenses were considerably less than average travelers may spend based on the fact we only dined out for dinner a few times and for breakfast everyday. (Please excuse formatting issues on char below).

Expense
SGD –
Singapore Dollar
US
Dollar
Hotel – 7 nights                 2108.03                            1568.00  
Airfare –Bali to Singapore                   223.10  $                            165.95
Taxi                    177.53  $                            132.06
Visa Extensions (2)                    562.07  $                            418.10
Tips/Laundry/Misc.                          –    
WiFi                          –    
Groceries                      36.11  $                              26.86
Dining Out                    320.85  $                            238.67
Clothing                          –  
Pharmacy/ Dental                    217.68  $                            161.92
 
Total                 3,105.34  $                        2,309.92
   
Avg Daily Cost-7 Days                     443.62  $                           329.99

See you tomorrow after our arrival in Hanoi!

Photo from one year ago today, July 5, 2015:

The Cattana Wetlands in Australia offered excellent expansive views. For more photos, please click here.

An unusual city…An unusual experience…Surprising cost of owning a car in Singapore…Three days and counting.

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The Chinatown Point mall contains more restaurants than apparel shops.

Singapore is unlike any city/country we visited in these past 44 months of world travel. For the enthusiastic shopper, food and wine aficionado, and avid tourist this location has it all.

Yesterday, we grabbed a taxi for the final trip to the Thailand Embassy to pick up our visa extensions. Two down, with one more to go in Hanoi. Arriving on time, we waited in a short queue on the sidewalk outside the official compound to all be let inside at 2:00 pm.

Most food items contain starches, sugar, and grains.

We didn’t wait long once inside. Singapore is known for short queues with little waiting time wherever one may go and we observed this as entirely true over these past few busy days.

Also, the traffic is light. The reason for fewer vehicles on the roads is due to  governmental regulations making car ownership beyond the financial realm of most residents.  

Of course, we stopped to eyeball the sweets. Tom didn’t order a thing. He’s always looking for donuts which few countries outside the US offer.

In order to limit vehicle ownership, the Singaporean government imposes fees and taxes in a successful attempt to keep their beautiful country clean, smog-free, and uncrowded on the roads. As a result, there’s little traffic even during peak hours.

Most residents and visitors use public transportation and reasonably priced taxis. Most of our trips to and from the embassies haven’t exceeded US $10, SGD $13.46. Tips aren’t expected and are refused when offered.

Taxi drivers have explained that only natural-born citizens of Singapore can acquire a license to drive a taxi and that the management of fares and services is strictly monitored by the government. 

Added to these realities is the uniform attention to detail, cleanliness, organization, and efficiency one can see in all areas of business. The citizens of Singapore are proud of their homeland and its evident in the smiles on their faces and their willingness to assist visitors in their pursuit of an extraordinary experience.

The displays with menu options are meant to whet the appetite.

Generally, we didn’t do much shopping but yesterday, we found ourselves at Chinatown Point, a relatively new indoor mall located in Chinatown. When we arrived, we expected there to be mostly tourists and visitors.

Instead, we found it filled with what appeared to be mostly local shoppers. Also, surprisingly, most of the shops in the huge mall were restaurants, bakeries, candy shops, and Asian health products shops with very few apparel shops as one would expect in a mall.

There are numerous malls packed with major brand and designer clothing, but Chinatown Point appears to be a mall specifically for the needs of the locals. We had a list of products we needed from a pharmacy and stopped to check out the grocery store to purchase some cheese and nuts for snacking.

There were a number of appealing sit down restaurants in Chinatown Point.

We were thrilled when we were able to find a shop similar to a traditional pharmacy (if there is such a thing) with over-the-counter products we needed, including such items as coconut oil, contact lens solutions, pro-biotics, Vitamin C, Vitamin b and such.

We found everything on our list, although the prices were twice as much as we’d paid in other countries. We walked out the door having spent US $200, SGD 269, not unlike we may have spent in the US, London or Paris.

Food, food, food, everywhere in Chinatown Point. Neither of us was hungry, so we decided to wait until dinner.

In the evening, we wandered the streets, enjoyed the scenery, and had dinner in a busy local Asian restaurant in Chinatown. Tom ordered sweet and sour pork with rice and I had steamed shrimp with veggies.  It was a good meal and reasonably priced.  We’ll continue to try different restaurants each day.

Many dishes are prepared with noodles.

This morning we had another fabulous breakfast at Tartufo Restaurant, next door to the hotel. As we write here now, we’re still stuffed and just may decide to just snack tonight on the nuts and cheese we purchased at the mall.

To our family and friends in the US, we pray you have a safe and enjoyable Fourth of July weekend. To everyone else, have a lovely few days off, if your schedule allows.

We’ll be flying to Hanoi in three days on to the next adventure!

Photo from one year ago today, July 3, 2015:

The flock of Cockatoos was busy foraging for food in Trinity Beach Australia. For more photos, please click here.

Medical issue kept under wraps until today…Time to come clean…More Singapore shopping photos…

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Live crab.

It was only as a result of an extraordinary amount of pain relief from an anti inflammatory diet over these past five years that allowed us to begin to travel the world.

Chronic pain would make traveling to this degree unbearable and impractical. Over these past five years I haven’t had back or neck pain since the steps collapsed under our feet in Belize on the night of our anniversary in March 2013 and I banged my delicate spine and neck on the broken wood. Here’s the link to awful event.

It was a full two months until I began to feel pain free again as the injuries finally healed. From there, my strict adherence to living an anti inflammation lifestyle served me well until…

The grocery store has both local and western type foods.

About three weeks ago, while living in Bali and working out in the pool, I slipped and banged my neck and spine on the stone lip and edge of the steps leading in and out of the pool. 

At the time, I experienced a horrible pain in my spine, but didn’t say a word to Tom to keep him from worrying. But, I couldn’t keep my secret long when I began icing using our traveling ice pack. In telling Tom about the injury I dismissed the severity of the pain which escalated over a period of days.

OMG, I thought. Will this be our undoing? When will the pain subside? After a few days of rest, I decided to continue gently walking in the pool, albeit more carefully, and walking about the house for five minutes every half hour in order to stay mobile.

Lots of fresh fish reasonably priced.

I deliberated over walking on the tile floors knowing stone floors are hard on the back, but I had little interest in walking on the road or beach more than a few times a week to take more photos.  As for sightseeing, it wasn’t a remote possibility.  

I tried everything I knew from years of experience to relieve severe back and neck pain from making a homemade heat pack using a plastic bag with a damp heated-in-the-microwave cloth on the inside, to a series of very gentle stretches. Nothing has seemed to help.

It all boiled down to time…enough time passing for the injury to heal with the hope I’ll return to my usual pain free existence. Have we considered medical care? We have. 

A vegetable cutting tool presentation at the market.

Although, certainly not in Bali with less than stellar medical care. Also, knowing that major surgery is the only real long term option if the pain continues indefinitely, there’s no point in pursuing this option.What would they do anyway?   

Need I say that the harrowing five hour drive from West Bali to Denpasar was quite a challenge?  Ouch.

We’ve certainly had to curtail our activities in Singapore. I’m grateful we’ve already handled two of the three visas we needed. With our upcoming long flight to Hanoi in two days, I’m a bit apprehensive about sitting on the plane so long but I made it through the one hour shorter flight from Bali to Singapore and I’ll do the same for the upcoming flight. 

Tom was in line paying for cheese and nuts.

We get out as much as I feel I can and continue to take photos to share. I’m saddened over the fact that we aren’t able to do some of the sightseeing we’d hoped in Singapore. When one doesn’t have a home and lives in the “world,” recuperating from any medical issue is required wherever we may be at any given time, thus we may miss out on some opportunities.

Why didn’t we bring this up sooner? I suppose it was my attempt to “tough it out” to avoid complaining. I suppose any of us retirees have bad periods where we’re under the weather in one way or another. Even the younger generation becomes ill from time to time. Its a part of life.

With the sharing of our daily lives of travel we attempt to stay upbeat and positive in our posts.  Although, I must admit its been tricky over these past weeks. 

The mall aisles weren’t crowded since most visitors were eating.

We’re forging ahead with all of our plans over these next few months. Its comforting to know we’ll have a six week restful hiatus at the house in Phuket beginning on July 22nd. Hopefully, by then my recovery will be much further progressed.

That’s the scoop folks. This morning, Sunday, once again we went out to breakfast and walked through Chinatown without the usual weekday crowds. The walk was good and now we’re back at our hotel to rest until dinner.

We’ll be back tomorrow as we wind down to less than two days before departing Singapore to head to Hanoi.

Photo from one year ago today, July 3, 2015:

It was fun to take photos of wild cockatoos in Trinity Beach, Australia. For more details, please click here.

Food and shopping attracts tourists to Singapore…

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Tom likes these “wienie wraps!’  These are SGD 1, US $.74.

Breakfast is an easy meal to accommodate my restrictive diet in most countries when eggs, vegetables and bacon of some sort or another are readily available. For this reason, we’ve been having breakfast each morning over these past few days since we arrive in Singapore.

An evening meal is more challenging. Having perused menus from many restaurants both while out walking each day and online, the pickings are slim for my way of eating.

Three long rows like this one shown here at the Maxwell Road Hawker Centre, a short walk from our hotel.

There are dozens of local restaurants that would be able to accommodate my diet, but most of these would be in the range of SGD $269, US $200 for dinner, drinks and the always included 17% taxes and service fees.

There’s no meal that’s worth that type of expenditure for us. Subsequently, I’m left with being creative with more modest options at mid range establishments. Tom’s picky taste buds also limits his choices when he’s adamantly opposed to unfamiliar spices and seasonings. He almost gagged over a cardamom roll he purchased in the open market.

Many vendors were selling unique items used in Asian cooking.

Last night, we decided to try the local and highly popular open food market, Maxwell Road Hawker Centre rated #38 of 8067 in TripAdvisors reviews for dining venues in Singapore. For the typical tourist and local citizen this is the place to eat.

Prices are unbelievably reasonable with a typical meal at SGD 4, US $2.97, although, there higher priced options. The huge draw for tourists in the popular establishment is the famous “chicken and rice” dishes which is often boiled or sautéed chicken atop a bed of tasty fried rice.

There are no chicken parts wasted in Asian cooking.

Tom, off his diet over these next weeks, has no interest in boiled chicken and rice. He’s ravenous for starchy, fried Asian foods with minimal spices and sauces. That’s tricky in itself. 

Last night’s boiled chicken, bean sprouts and steamed cabbage didn’t quite do it for me last night.  The boiled fatty chicken (with the skin) without being able to include soy or oyster sauce, made it bland and uninviting.

Tom, unable and unwilling to try something new especially when he saw a number of dishes made with intestines and chicken feet, resorted to ordering  several sausage stuffed rolls (kind of like “wienie wraps” of the 1970’s) and the cardamom bun that caused him to gag.

Had I not been on this way of eating, I would have loved most of these items.

As we perused each and every stand in the enormous marketplace, there were no other dishes I could try when all were made using sugar and sauces made with flour with rice as a foundation.

Going forward, we’ll continue to experience the midrange restaurants located in Chinatown and see what we can accomplish. No, we don’t like it that we both have limitations; my issues revolving around health and Tom, the simple fact of his picky taste buds.

The prior day Tom had one of these shown blueberry muffins which were sold out when we returned last night.

This reality doesn’t bother us. We seldom become frustrated or complain about our limitations. It is what it is. We enjoy perusing the wide variety of restaurants and dining venues, curious as to unusual products used, methods of cooking and presentation. It’s more visual for us. 

Tom always call me a “food voyeur.” No doubt, this is true. I never walk past a bakery or candy shop without stopping for a look. Oddly, Tom, who could try something if he wanted to do so, seldom makes a purchase. 

The central city, where we’re located, is filled with business centers. It was obvious many workers stopped here for lunch, returning in the evening for takeaway.

Recently, the only time he expressed enthusiasm over food was when we drove past a Dunkin’ Donuts shop in Denpasar on Tuesday. We didn’t stop. Most likely, in Bali those donuts weren’t the typical US variety anyway. 

However, I did notice him to be somewhat enthused this morning at a breakfast buffet when he buttered four pieces of white toast with his bacon and eggs. Yesterday, I dug out the scale and put it on the bathroom floor. So far, he hasn’t gained back an ounce which surprised us both.

Soon, we’re out the door once again to return to the Thai Embassy to collect our visas. As mentioned yesterday, we won’t be getting the Indonesian visa until we get to Hanoi next week, where we’ll have five days to get it accomplished.

Two days in a row, Tom ordered several of these hot dog filled buns shown on the center rack. They smelled amazing, reminiscent of a similar item I made for my kids in the 1970’s.

After we’re done at the embassy, we’ll have the taxi driver drop us at the far end of Chinatown and we’ll walk back to the hotel in time to relax for an hour and then we’ll be off again to walk the streets of Chinatown at night hopefully finding a good spot for this evening’s meal.

We’ll be back tomorrow, with nighttime photos of magical Chinatown and the results of our dining experience. 

May you have a magical day!

Photo from one year ago today, June 30, 2015:

At AUD 64, USD $49.26, all of these items which includes a huge Barramundi filet, two pieces of made-without-sugar smoked fish and two containers of crab meat which we used to make low carb crab cakes resulted in four meals.The cost per entree resulted in a cost per day of AUD 16, USD $12.31, not bad for such delicious fish and seafood. We struggle to be motivated to go out to dine when we do so well at home and have just as good a time.  For more details of our trip to the wholesale fish market in Trinity Beach, Australia, please click here.

Singapore is unlike any other city…10 laws punishable by fine and jail in Singapore…

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Sri Mariamman Temple, which we’ll tour in the next few days.

It’s expensive in Singapore… in restaurants, hotels and for products and services. We realized this fact, prior to booking a one week stay when we had a gap to fill in the itinerary and hoped to apply for necessary visas.

So far, we’re doing well staying within our daily dining budget of US $100, SGD 135 per day.  We’re reading online reviews on local restaurants as well as walking through the area to check out endless menus posted outside a wide array of restaurants. This is an adventure in itself!

Shoes left outside the Sri Mariamman Hindu Temple.

With the two embassies we visited yesterday and this morning, we weren’t able to have breakfast before heading out, nor did either of us have coffee or tea, fearing we’d have to make to bathroom stop. We’ve been on a mission to get as many of these three visas knocked off.

Hindu temple rooftop adorned with the revered cows in India.

By noon, we’d returned from today’s two embassy visits with the much needed completed Vietnam visas we collected first thing this morning. From there, another taxi ride to the Thai Embassy where again we applied for another visa for the upcoming  six-week stay in Phuket. 

Soon, we’ll tour the Sri Mariamman Temple in its entirety.

Efficiency and organization is of the utmost importance in Singapore, we weren’t surprised when the process at the Thai embassy would be seamless as it was at the Vietnam Embassy. 

We were well prepared with all of the required documents, including passports and extra passport photos, copies of airline tickets in and out of Thailand accompanying both completed signed applications with cash fees of SGD 100, US $74.14.

Chinatown is a very exciting area to scout.

On the return drive to our area, we stopped at a restaurant for a somewhat mediocre brunch/lunch. Currently, we’re back at our hotel preparing today’s post and documenting all the receipts we’ve accumulated over these past few days.

Each business has its own unique storefront.

Once we’re done with these tasks, we’ll make a plan for the remainder of the day, most likely heading back outside to walk more of the exciting streets surrounding us. We chose a perfect location allowing us to walk to one amazing area after another.

At dusk, the streets began to fill with hungry tourists and locals.

Based on timing, we won’t be able to apply for the Indonesian visa while in Singapore. With a morning flight on Tuesday and the fact the Thai Embassy has our passports right now which we’ll collect tomorrow between 2:00 and 300 pm, the required time slot, we won’t have time to apply for the Indonesian visa with its two to three day processing.

The number of dining options in our immediate area is astounding.  We’ll try a new spot each night.

As a result, we’ve decided to wait and apply for Indonesia once we’re in Hanoi arriving next week for a five night stay. The Indonesian Embassy in a 10 minute drive from the Hanoi hotel allowing us ample time to get it done with relative ease, we hope.. 

The evenings activities begin at dusk in Singapore with lots of cars, taxis and pedestrians. 

With peace of mind intact, we’ve begun to relax a little to fully embrace this short period in Singapore as long as we observe some of the peculiar laws in this country which may result in fines and jail time:

On our first night we wandered through Chinatown at dusk.  Diners had yet to arrive for the evening rush.
1.  The sale of or chewing gum is strictly forbidden anywhere in the country.

2. No walking naked in one’s own house.

3. No jaywalking.

4. Failure to flush the toilet in a public venue.

5. No urinating in elevators.

6. No public displays of kissing or cuddling.

7. Gay and lesbians couples are not allowed to live in the country.

8. It is illegal to come within 50 meters of a pedestrian crossing marker on any street.

9. It is considered illegal to enter the country with cigarettes.

10. Singapore is not a place for lefties. It is considered rude to eat, wave and greet with your left hand because it is associated with using the bathroom.

Interesting historic buildings are seen throughout the city as well as modern high rise hotels, business centers and residential properties.

Of course, there are serious consequences including public canning for failure to observe these and all laws.  As a result of the strict laws, there is little crime in Singapore. In addition, there are no typical slum areas. Every area is clean and maintained to perfection.

Also, there’s no “countryside” in Singapore. The entire small country is built and developed into one of the most influential business meccas in the world. So far, we’ve met and spoken to many business travelers from many countries.

The exterior our hotel, the Scarlet Singapore.  Its quite a steep walk up or down the road.

Mandarin is the primary language although many service providers speak some English. Many locals have a thick accent and with Tom’s bad hearing, I’ve been “translating” for him as needed.

More on Singapore as we continue to explore this country over these next few days.  With the high cost for tourism here, a one week visit will prove to have been ideal for our needs. In the interim, we’re enjoying every moment.

Photo from one year ago today, June 30, 2015:

After leaving the beach we drove to a high point in the Yorkey’s Knob area of Australia with this expansive view.For more details. please click here.

Arrived in Singapore…Oh my, this city is over the top!…

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We’d expected the Vietnam Embassy to be guarded and much larger. As often is the case, many embassies are converted larger homes.

It’s spotlessly clean, low in crime, meticulously managed and literally filled with unusual shops, restaurants, boutiques and hotels that literally take one’s breath away. Although we’re not city people, it’s impossible for us not to be totally entranced by this magical place.

Upon entering the iron gates we walked this driveway to the Vietnam Embassy receiving fast efficient service.

Our flight was relatively uneventful from Denpasar, Bali to Singapore’s highly rated Changi Airport. We flew on one of the cheapest airlines on the planet, Jetstar, with a good safety record, but without even a glass of tap water included.

There were no pillows, no blankets, no movies, nor a nut or a cracker available for a cranky traveler. The seats are a little tight, but were leather and more comfortable with more legroom than on most US airlines

Desk area in our upgraded hotel room at the Scarlet Singapore, a boutique hotel, affordably priced. This is now cluttered with all of our extension cords and plugins. We’ll post final expenses on our last day.

In any case, our plane arrived safely without incident and once again, we were grateful for a good overall flight to another foreign land. Once off the plane, we quickly made our way through immigration, customs and baggage pickup.

The bed and bedding are extremely comfortable.

In no less than 20 minutes from touching down, we were in the taxi queue again without a wait.  Within a half hour we arrived at our hotel, The Scarlet Singapore, a Paris influenced boutique hotel, quite similar to the boutique hotel in Paris in 2014 where we spent two weeks.

We’d read that hotel rooms in general are small in Singapore. Once we checked in we asked to see the room we’d booked before having our bags moved. It was as tiny as a balcony cabin on a cruise ship. 

The French style furnishings in our upgraded room are typically in boutique hotels. 

I asked for an upgrade which we rarely do.  We can manage a tiny room on a ship, but the first hotel room we inspected was simply too small at 174 square feet, 16 square meters. For an additional US $344, SGD 435, we were upgraded to the sweetest Parisian hotel room one could imagine, roomy and with every possible amenity including free WiFi and free minibar.

The flat screen TV has multiple English speaking channels. It’s good to be able to watch world news.

After a good night’s sleep, we grabbed an 8:20 am taxi to the Vietnam Embassy to begin the process of acquiring the three needed visas while in Singapore including Thailand and Indonesia (for the upcoming second stay in two months).

I can’t wait to use the tub when we have a little more time in the morning. Few vacation homes have bathtubs.

Getting the timing to work is tricky when each embassy requires to keep our passports for a few days. The process is only applicable on weekdays. We’re here only until next Tuesday, not leaving us enough time to accomplish all three.

Instead we decided to apply for Vietnam (double entry) and Thailand which are most imminent.  We can apply for Indonesia while in Hanoi for five days starting next week. 

There’s also a spacious shower as well as fluffy robes.

The taxi ride was 30 minutes from our downtown location and surprisingly the traffic wasn’t as busy as we’d expected at rush hour. Arriving at the embassy a few minutes early allowed us to be first in line with our documents. 

We opted to pay the SGD 660, US $489 fees for both visas in order to be able to collect our passports and visas first thing tomorrow morning when we’ll be on our way back once again. From there, we’ll head to the Thai embassy to start the next process. If it goes as smoothly as it did this morning, we’ll be very grateful.

The room has adequate lighting and ample amenities.

Last night, we wandered the safe streets of Chinatown to scout for a restaurant. We found a cozy gourmet spot with a Michelin star rating. Tom’s full lobster tail risotto was delicious, but my 4 ounce, .11 kg slab of boney, Barramundi on a bed of greens was mediocre and certainly not enough for an entire meal. 

The complementary mini bar, restocked daily have everything we need. There’s even a bottle of Pelligrino in the fridge, my favorite bottled water. It’s safe to drink tap water in Singapore.

On the return walk to the hotel we stopped at a Seven Eleven to purchase raw nuts to fill in the blanks for me during our stay. In both Paris and London, nuts were a lifesaver for me when many of the items served in restaurants aren’t sufficient as a filling meal. 

After perusing menus of dozens of restaurants, we have a plan to try many anyway and see how they’ll accommodate my diet. Steamed or sautéed veggies, chicken, pork, fish and seafood will certainly work in any case. I’m not concerned it will work out well. More on that as time progresses.

Tom’s lobster risotto from Cato Restaurant last night.  He said it was delicious containing an entire large lobster tail draped across the top under a pile of pungent Parmesan cheese.

This city is conducive to lots of walking which we’re sure will be our primary means of checking out this amazing location. As for major sightseeing, we’re holding off until we get at least tomorrow’s embassy visit accomplished. But, we already have dozens of city photos we’re looking forward to sharing.

We’ll be back with more tomorrow, again a late posting after we return from the two embassies.  In a few hours we’ll be taking off on foot once again to explore this eclectic and fascinating city.

Photo from one year ago today, June 29, 2015:

A pretty restaurant on a corner on the Esplanade in Palm Cove, Australia.  or more photos, please click here.

Singapore, here we come!…Exceptional hotel and meal in Denpasar…Photos!

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Charming Chef Suhaimi spent considerable time discussing my menu options and creating a meal I’d have loved even if my restrictive diet wasn’t necessary. Also, we shared travel stories with him when coincidentally, he’s from Singapore where we’ll be arriving later today.  He also lived in Thailand (where we’ll be in three weeks) and then in Dubai which we visited in 2013.

Our expectations for the Hilton Garden Inn in Denpasar, close to the airport, were few. At IDR  817,705, US $61 per night, we assumed it would be as basic as a hotel room could be. 

My crab and avocado salad was crispy and tart with a lemon,garlic olive oil dressing Chef Suhaimi made especially for me.
My buttery dish of salmon and vegetables with a tangy tarragon sauce Chef Suhaimi had prepared was flavorful, fresh and seasoned to perfection.

The fact we’d be at the hotel for less than 24 hours, it wasn’t necessary to stay in an upscale hotel. If it was clean, with free WiFi comfortable bedding and a few amenities, we’d be content.

Tom, 21 pounds slimmer than when we arrived in Bali two months ago, couldn’t wait to tackle this bread. 

Little did we know that we’d find ourselves in a hotel befitting a nightly IDR 2,681,000, US $200 or more price tag for the low price we’d booked at this Expedia link on our website. 

Tom’s mushroom soup with a Tepenade Crustini.

We left the villa at 9:45 am, stopped for fuel and for Butu to purchase a SIM card for directions on his phone, as well as one quick restroom breaks (yep, that on the floor toilet again which I figured out how to use this time!)  We didn’t arrive at the hotel until 2:45. It was a long five hours in traffic.

Tom’s lemon chicken entrée with mashed potatoes, and roasted vegetable.

What a relief it was when we finally pulled into the hotel to see it was considerably more appealing than we’d expected. With security checking both us and our bags and only a few short minutes at the check-in desk, we were on our way up to our room on the second floor.

Tom’s Oreo Raspberry Cheesecake dessert.

After we settling into our room, we explored the property taking photos and checking out the dinner menu. After the many hours on the road, we had no interest in taking a taxi to dinner and hoped we’d find good options in the hotel.

We were surprised the reasonable bill for our dinner. Tom had the fixed price meal, the “Set Western” which included a cocktail of his choice. He chose a frozen Marguerita. This total of tour dinner was IDR 744,150 was US $51.50 including 21% in taxes and gratuity. 

We’d read several excellent reviews at TripAdvisor for both the hotel and restaurant inspiring us to give it a try. We weren’t disappointed at all, especially when Chef Suhaimi couldn’t do enough to make an exceptional meal for me. 

Outdoor dining area.  It was cloudy and we opted to dine indoors.

He also spent time chatting with us as we each shared some worldwide experiences. He made the suggestion that we take a photo together as shown here today. We gave him one of our cards so he can check out today’s post.

Interesting artworks are highlighted throughout  the hotel.

The courses were well paced by a conscientious wait staff, the food fresh, seasoned well, hot and beautifully presented. We never felt rushed or, a sense of waiting too long for the next course.  Timing is such an integral aspect of a finely served meal. Without this element, even great food can seem mediocre. 

The swimming pool is much larger than most hotel pool.

This morning, we decided to try the hotel’s buffet breakfast with made to order omelets, eggs, bacon, waffles and a variety of Balinese dishes. Tom was in his glory when they had donuts, white toast and pastries along with pork bacon and fried eggs. 

View from second level to the bar.

Of course, Tom has no intention of staying with our way of eating over these next weeks until after we settle in Phuket on July 22nd when I’ll begin cooking again after a three month hiatus. I zipped it up and didn’t say a word.

The hotel hosts business events providing many ample seating areas for conversations.

For breakfast I had a delicious fresh egg omelet with veggies, chicken and cheese with a side of bacon, a few bits of gourmet cheeses and steamed broccoli. Once again, we were thrilled with an excellent meal and good service.

I reached out to touch these beautiful orchids in the lobby to ensure they were real.  They were.

The total bill for breakfast was IDR 242,000, US $18.30 including tax and gratuity. Having prepaid the hotel for our reservation at time of booking all we had to cover was the cost for the two meals at a total of IDR 986,150, US $69.30.

The hotel’s public areas are tastefully decorated.

With plenty of Indonesian rupiah remaining, this morning after breakfast I visited the desk to pay the balance in cash and confirm our free shuttle to the airport at 11:45 am. 

The king sized bed is comfortable with fluffy pillows and quality bedding.

Although we’ll be back in a few months, there is no point in carrying rupiahs to other countries.  We have enough rupiah remaining to pay for beverages at the airport during the wait for the flight. 

The bathroom is well appointed and designed with upscale soaps and lotions.

Tomorrow’s post may not be available until approximately six hours later than usual since we’ll be leaving our hotel by 8:30 am on our way to the Vietnam Embassy to apply for the first of three visas.  However, if we find we have time tonight it will appear at our usual time. Please check back! See you soon!

Photo from one year ago today, June 28, 2015:

This was one of our favorite spots located on William Esplanade in Palm Cove Beach in Australia. The vivid colors reminded us of the village in Placencia, Belize from so long ago. For more details, please click here.

Off we go!…Final expenses for two months in West Bali in an exceptional property…Final favorite photos…

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It was business as usual with Tom wearing a sarong as the required dress to enter the temple. He had a hard time managing the steps.  He just didn’t have the same experience as women who’ve worn long dresses, knowing when to hold up the hem for ease in walking.
Me, at the monkey temple wearing the required sarong.

“Sightings on the Beach in Bali”


The flow of the river at low tide. 

This is our last post from the West Bali villa.  Soon driver Butu will arrive to drive us on the harrowing four hour trip back to Denpasar which is only 74.5 miles, 120 km, where we’ll spend tonight in a hotel prior, flying to Singapore tomorrow afternoon.

This is where we dined each night with views of the pool and the sea.

We’re excited for the upcoming two months in Southeast Asia, especially once we’ve completed the process of acquiring  the three necessary visas hanging over our heads while we’re in Singapore for a week. 

The entrance to the villa.  Water spouts from the trunks of these elephant statues.  There are Koi pools in front of each statue.

The packing went well especially since we’re able to leave the duffel bag behind in the storage room awaiting our return, saving us hauling an extra 25 pounds, 11 kg, of items we won’t need in the heat of Southeast Asia. 

These two chaise lounges provided us with shade for part of the day.  Later, we’d move to the shade of the cabana.

After completing the packing yesterday, we weighed our bags only required to pay US $19.39, IDR $260,000 for the excess online.  That was good news.

The villa from the beach side.

Yesterday, Gede stopped by to say goodbye. We presented him with a generous tip for all he’d done for us.  This morning we tipped the two Kataks and Ribud.  They were grateful, graciously acknowledging the tokens of our appreciation. Interacting with the four staff members six days a week had been delightful.


The infinity pool and Jacuzzi view from the second level.

Also, yesterday was  our last day poolside.  It rained in the morning with the sun not peeking out until around 11 am.  Once the sky cleared we couldn’t get outdoors quickly enough to sit in the comfy shaded chaise lounges on our last day at the villa.

By early afternoon, it rained again driving us back indoors while it rained into the evening and again this morning. Overall, we’ve had very few rainy days during these past two months.

Kingfisher sitting atop a palm frond.

As we prepared the final expenses, using all the data we’d previously entered on the spreadsheet we were astounded to see how affordable the two months in Bali proved to be. 

Four buffaloes passing on the beach.  Its amazing these young kids can handle these large animals which obviously know them and cooperate.

Once you peruse these numbers, you too may be surprised at the reasonable cost of living in this fabulous property with a full staff to attend to our needs.  We can’t thank the staff and owners enough for the finite attention to detail in this property and anticipate our return with happy hearts.

Dragon fruit, a popular local item. 

Here’s the numbers which are among the most reasonable we’ve seen in our 44 months of world travel:

Expenses for 59 nights:  US Dollar to IDR Indonesian Rupiah

Vacation Rent:   US $ 4,648.03  IDR $62,330,082.30
Airfare:             US      579.96   IDR     7,777,263.60
Taxi:                 US     403.00    IDR     5,404,230.00
Visa Extension:  US     122.57    IDR     1,643,663.70
Tips/Laundry:    US     435.22    IDR     5,836,300.20
Wifi (SIM card)  US       20.32    IDR        272,491.20
Groceries:         US     935.00    IDR    12,538,350.00
Restaurant:       US       60.00    IDR         804,600.00
Hotel:               US       61.00    IDR         818,010.00
Pharmacy:         US      28.00     IDR        375,480.00

Total:                             US $ 7,293.10  IDR $97,800,471.00
Average Monthly Cost:  US $ 3,759.80  IDR $50,418,918.00  
Average Daily Cost:       US $    123.61  IDR $16,576,279.17


Flower market in Lovina. 

The above referenced grocery total included the cost for all the items purchased by the cooks for our meals plus all items we purchased on our own.  The above mentioned restaurant amount is an estimate for tonight’s dinner in Denpasar.

Beach views.

We couldn’t be more pleased with this Bali experience in its depth and breadth of what we’ve learned about the Balinese way of life, the affordable cost of living, the luxury and ease of living in this beautiful villa and the wonderful people we’ve come to know and love. 

Beach views from second story at high tide.

We’ll be back tomorrow with comments after dinner in a restaurant and the night in the Hilton hotel in the capital city of Denpasar!

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Photo from one year ago today, June 27, 2015:

One of many quaint outdoor/indoor restaurants along Williams Esplanade In Palm Cove beach in Australia.  Please click here for more details.

Mother Nature says goodbye for now on our last full day at the villa in Bali…Romantic notions…Villa review…

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This favorite photo bespeaks the beauty of this West Bali location and the divine pleasure we experienced daily overlooking the pool and the sea.

 “Sightings on the Beach in Bali”

This morning’s sighting on the beach. Wow! Was that intended for us?

Early this morning, shortly after 7:00 am as the sky began to clear after a rainy night, we stepped outdoors to see this rainbow. There was a smaller second rainbow at its side, although faint and hard to capture in the photo.

Was it Mother Nature saying goodbye to us in those short few moments when it was visible?  It disappeared in less than a minute as the trade winds between us and Java wafted away the awe inspiring view. We could easily have missed it. Tom called that rainbow “safari luck.” It was the first we’d seen in Bali.

Although the mountains in Java obstructed the final setting of the sun, we were able to capture a portion of its beauty. 

In a romantic way we believe it was intended for us. Many of the intense pleasures of traveling continuously revolve around “signs,” coincidences and optical illusions perceived in our minds as having a special meaning.

Some vacation rentals lend to the perception of romance more than others. Today, we wanted to share a few romantic notions we experienced in the Beach House West Bali, where we’ve lived for the past almost two months. It’s truly been a lover’s Paradise and a traveler’s dream come true.

View from the second floor veranda at low tide.

This special property could easily serve well as a vacation home for a family with its four large bedrooms each with an en suite bathroom with two additional water closets on the main floor, one intended for staff located in the garage and another other in the large foyer/dining room.

We didn’t use the expansive second story at all where two of the four bedrooms are located including a living room and enormous veranda with views we captured in many photos. 

Creepy looking sea crustacean that “borrows” this shell for protection.

Common in many countries, steps and stairways are often constructed without a full railing  Also, the riser of each step is much higher and different than we’re used to, which could easily result in a fall if not paying the utmost of attention when taking each step. This may not be ideal for seniors. 

Not previously posted Praying Mantis reflection on the edge of the infinity pool.

As a result, we opted to stay on the main floor.  Besides, we prefer to hang out on the main floor where all the action is! For two or more couples or a family, this type of arrangement could be perfect.

The kitchen, which we only used for making coffee, refilling our iced tea and a bit of prep on Sundays when the staff is off, didn’t attract much of our interest with the two Ketuts on hand to prepare our delicious meals. 

Tom took this photo of an enormous grasshopper yesterday. Each day we rescue many that were drowning in the pool.

With a comprehensive three-meals-a-day menu for guests, even the pickiest of diners can find the options they’ll enjoy. The only restriction is that everyone at the table must order the same menu items (except breakfast) with a few exceptions as described below, although they may chose to swap favorites among themselves at each meal. It’s explained verbatim (rough English translation) as follows in the menu:

“All dishes are made by the staff themselves of local fresh ingredients. You need as a companion during lunch and dinner, to match the dishes with each other. It is therefore not possible to opt out of a individually dish for lunch or dinner! This applies to both the appetizer, main course and dessert. From four people, you can choose a second dish. Breakfast can be chosen individually except bubur ayam (a Balinese chicken dish).”

Here’s our link for Part 1 of the villa’s menu.
Here’s our link for Part 2 of the villa’s menu.

Workers harvesting rice.

Our special diet was easy for the cooks to accommodate especially when we only eat one meal a day. We requested our usual coleslaw salad, the stir fried veggies and a protein source. 

Each meal was prepared and seasoned to perfection.

Over the past three weeks we included an added one cup of cooked rice for Tom once we noticed he continued to lose weight even when it was added to his meal a few times a week.

Yesterday, Ribud cut the grass with a grass trimmer/weed whacker while one of the Ketuts swept the grass into piles to be cleared. 

As for the cleaning and upkeep of the house and grounds…it couldn’t have been accomplished with more grace and ease, never making us feel as if our privacy was impinged upon. Kindness, consideration and discretion was observed at every moment by the gentle and conscientious staff. 

The house itself is in excellent repair, having been built four years ago and is continuously well maintained. The recent falling crown molding we described in an earlier post is inevitable in this highly humid environment. 

Tom’s charging buffalo story of a few days ago will always be remembered.

Any deviation from perfection is addressed immediately and resolved with the least convenience to us. As a matter of fact, any concerns are promptly and meticulously addressed to satisfaction.

Our only issue during these two months has been the quality of the WiFi signal which apparently will be improved by the time we return, although over the past several days we’ve had an improved connection. Gede promptly contacts the provider when we have an issue which may or may not promptly resolve the connection issues based on the circumstances.

Flowers were placed on the sides of the track as a Hindu offering for a safe and successful race.

For us, the most romantic and ultimately enjoyable aspect to this property (and also the property next door owned by the same party) has been the outdoors where we’ve spent most of our waking hours, beginning as early as 7 am, ending shortly before dinner when we shower and change to dine.

From the impeccably maintained infinity pool, the comfortable cabana, the multiple seating and lounging areas with hut-type umbrellas, to the chaise lounges we’ve used daily which are freshly “dressed” each morning with custom made fitted covers and over-sized fluffy towels comparable to what one would find in an upscale resort.

The buffalo race was quite an event!

In fact, living in this fine property is not unlike residing in an upscale resort with every possible amenity available at our fingertips. Yes, there are some drawbacks mainly as a result of being so far from a bigger city:  no nearby restaurants (who needs restaurants with the fabulous cooks at our disposal?); less immediate sightseeing opportunities; limited supply of local grocery stores carrying few western type products; and, the often poor WiFi signal.

Even vegetarians get tarter on their teeth.  He needs a cleaning!

There are always trade offs. Over the past several days as our first round in Bali comes to a close, we decided we’ve been easily able to accept the trade offs while living in this fairly remote location. 

If this villa was closer to the airport, as most popular resorts appear to be, the price could easily be five times this daily rate. End result for us? A better “bang for the buck” and ultimately a fine property we’d never been able to fit into our budget. 

Buffaloes trying to keep their heads above water while cooling off in the river next door.

In our world travels, its imperative we decide which appeals to us more; quality of location or convenience. In many cases, we opt for the quality  of the property at times sacrificing convenience, mainly since we stay so long.

The look on this monkey’s face made us howl with laughter.

A beautiful environment, often with a certain romantic appeal and its creature comforts and amenities are important to us over the long haul. In Beach House West Bali, our expectations have been met as we anticipate our return in two months with even a greater degree of enthusiasm than prior to our first arrival.

As for tomorrow’s four hour harrowing drive to Denpasar, where we’ll spend one night? It’s all a part of the experience. Tomorrow, we’ll be back, posting prior to leaving the villa with the final expenses in Bali!  Please check back for the surprising details!

Photo from one year ago today, June 26, 2015:

Scout Island as seen from Trinity Beach, Australia doesn’t look too inviting and isn’t inhabited. For more details, please click here.