China Day 1

Saturday October 4th:  Not an exciting day as it was a travel day.  I guess the exciting part for me was that what I believed to be a 7 hour flight was only actually 5 hours!  Bonus!  Woo hoo!  We flew Sing Air and really enjoy this airline.  Reason?  We get to choose our own movies or tv shows to watch on demand.  Love it.

 We arrived at our destination without incident, gathered our luggage and met our driver.  We knew it would be an interesting trip by two things that happened in this time span.  One:  the boys and I got an eyeful of a guy digging for gold with gusto while waiting for his luggage, and Two: as we were walking out, an Asian gentleman couldn't help himself and touched my son Jim's face.  You'll see.  This became common.  We're celebrities in Beijing.

We opted to stay at the Ascott Beijing.  This was a perfect choice for us.  The place was spacious!  Two bedrooms, kitchen, dining area, daily housekeeping.  Also cheaper than two hotel rooms.  What's not to love?  It was great, and I highly recommend this option for traveling families.

We arrived at the Ascott around 4 - 5 pm exhausted and hungry. The hotel property comes with a Starbucks, Subway, Japanese restaurant, Singaporean restaurant, and an Italian restaurant.  We thought we'd hit the Subway and rest up for tomorrow.  Unfortunately we were informed at the front desk that the Subway was closed for the holiday. (China celebrates Golden Week in the fall.  We were hitting the last weekend of this holiday.)  But luck was on our side!  A nice man I call Tex overheard our plans and directed us to Grandma's Kitchen restaurant which was a 5 minute walk away.  I quickly agreed.  I had this restaurant on a list of recommended spots from John's first grade teacher who had lived in Beijing. 

We dropped off our stuff, unpacked, and braved the walk to Grandma's kitchen.   The Kitchen was home-y and quaint and decorated all  "country style".  We all ordered and enjoyed our first night in Beijing.  During the meal, I noticed a peculiar look on Joe's face.   It was the look of relief.   Can you see it?

Poor kid.  He is such a picky eater.  He won't even eat steamed rice.  We had been warning him over and over that he wouldn't find much to eat in China if he wasn't willing to try new things.  I think he took that a bit too much to heart.  He was so happy here.

Impressions of the day:  

1.  Beijing is really pretty at night.  The sun would set each night around 6 pm and was up each morning before us.  We were getting up around 6 am every day.

2.  Traffic is really scary. Crossing the street was a mild adventure.  Not horrible, but interesting!

Coming tomorrow:  Qing Tombs.     (Qing = "Ching")

Whine

I'm so tired and I have to pack for China!

Ugh!  It's not right!  Why do I have to pack for 4 and Jim only has to worry about himself.  I'm so over it.  Grrrrrrr.  I just want to sleep!

I'm just too tired and fighting a cold (probably walking pneumonia) and don't have the energy tonight.

When I was in line to pick up our visas, I was looking around the DMV-esque room and taking it all in.  The embassy has an entire wall made of stone that is carved into a Chinese mountainside with waterfalls and Chinese-looking trees and it is just gorgeous.  I stood looking it over closely, getting more and more excited about the trip.  Will the views from Mutianyu be as glorious as I've read?  I was imagining the family running and playing along the wall and stopping to take pictures with the breeze gently blowing.

Then the older "Auntie" hocked a lougie on the floor of the Embassy right in front of me and brought me crashing back to reality.  I will still be in a foreign country where things like spitting anywhere and everywhere is perfectly normal.  Huh.

Somebody go pack for me.  I'm having a glass of whine. ;)

It's hard to be six.

John got into a spot of trouble after school today.

It's Thursday, and we normally meet at the covered play area to spend time after school with friends.  The boys run around, play soccer, chase each other, do the play equipment, and just generally have a great time expending all that pent up energy.

Davis came up and announced that he was going to the restroom.  John decided to tag along.  Somewhere along the way they ended up in the girls' wash room putting toilet paper in the toilet and flushing until it backed up.  They were caught red-handed by a teacher who marched them over to us.  I swear they had only been gone a minute but it must have been longer and we didn't realize it.

The teacher said the principal was in a meeting but would be coming out to talk with them and if we couldn't stay until then, he is going to pull them out of class tomorrow.  John was mortified.  Absolutely terrified.  His story is that he was strictly watching and not participating.  In that case, it's guilt by association, and he has to learn that lesson too.  I'd be angry with him, but he's hurting enough as it is.  Seriously.

We waited until after 4:00 and then took the boys to the office to see if the principal was coming out or what....and his meeting was scheduled to go until 4:30.  We couldn't stay.  John has to face the music tomorrow.

He's already asking if we can leave Singapore.  And he's been truly sorry and sobbing.

Tomorrow is going to be a tough day.

Mustafa

I even love the title: Mustafa!  

Today I had an outing with friends to Mustafa.  

Mustafa is Singapore's version of Target or Walmart.  It's 6 floors of stuff located in Little India.  We met at Jenni's house early and hit the road by 9:15 at Jenni's advice.  Mustafa can get really crowded and with the crowd come some, er, interesting scents.

First off, here's a photo of the crew who ventured out today:  Melanie, Jenni, Aracelli, Joann, and me.

This was taken post Mustafa at the local "hygenic" buffet across the street where, yes, we did partake of the food.  I use the word hygenic because that was listed on the Restaurant flyer.  The food was actually very good and the place was clean.  It has an "A" rating in Singapore.  So they've earned the right to use "hygenic" if they choose, as far as I'm concerned!

Here is Mustafa from the street.  Looks pretty normal actually:

The street in Little India.  The decorations are already up for Deepavali which is in November.  We came for our "look-see" during Deepavali last year!

And finally, an advertisement on the wall of Mustafa.  It's for some device that you attach to your toilet to give it a bidet effect.   You can feel "shower fresh."  I love that you can choose warm or cold water...and just in case you aren't sure this is for you,  you can go to the fourth level for a "trial sample."

 

 Hey, we just might need it after eating at the hygenic buffet.  You never know.

Lines

One month since I last posted!  Time slips by very quickly here.  We are keeping busy with school, football, tennis, and soccer.  And Bunco and Mahjong.  Yes, Mahjong.  So fun.

Today I had my adventure to the Chinese Embassy. 

We are leaving for a planned holiday in Beijing Oct 4th - 11th.  Our airfare is booked.  Our hotel is booked.  Our itinerary is roughly drafted. 

When you visit other countries for work or play, you must first obtain a visa.  I went online and downloaded the visa applications for China as well as the requirements.  We have to provide our passports, green cards, airline confirmations, and hotel booking confirmations.  Copies of everything.  S$190/per person. Plus a passport photo for each of us.

Ugh.

This required another visit to the photo shop to get yet another set of passport pictures.

Anyway, I drove down to Tanglin Mall and parked, grabbed my things, and walked the quarter mile to the Embassy.  The line was out the door and down to the sidewalk.  This is pretty much standard procedure at the bigger Embassies.  At least it has seemed that way to me.  The Chinese Embassy is nicely landscaped and sorta blends in with the scenery.  If the line hadn't been out the door, I may have walked right on by.  Nothing like the American Fortress, oops, I mean Embassy.  It looks like an enormous, imposing, granite prison.

I felt very conspicuous in line.  There were no signs showing me that I was in the right place.  I wasn't sure the line was going where I needed to go, and I didn't have a friend nearby to ask.  I really stood out as the lone Caucasian.  It was unnerving to be wondering if I was wasting precious time in a line I didn't belong.  It was hot and everyone smelled of dirty laundry.  Sweat was trickling down my back.  Bleh.

The line shuffled forward slowly and into the building.  Still no signs that I was in the correct place.  Plenty of signs for no cameras, phones, food, or lips. (I assume that meant talking. Or lipstick. Or librarians.  I'd show you a picture of it but no cameras allowed, remember?  Plus I was really worried about pissing off anyone at the Embassy.  What if they make me leave?  "No Visa for you!" )

I shuffled along that line for 50 minutes until it came to a small counter.  Still no signs.  I showed the lady my completed visa forms and my passport.  She inquired if I had my hotel and air confirmations with me, which I did.  She gave me a number and moved on to the next in line.

I was #388.  Luckily the counter was adjacent to a large open room that resembled the DMV back home.  I quickly found a seat and began to look over my Visa applications and forms again, nervous that I wasn't organized appropriately.  My number was called in 2 minutes.  Seriously.  One hour line.  2 minutes for service.  Things were looking better.

I went to counter 10 and handed another lady my stuff.  It was then I realized I left Joe's green card in the scanner at home.  Shit.  Maybe she wouldn't notice.  Maybe she wouldn't need it.

She asked for my confirmations after looking over the passports and matching them up to the applications.  She then asked if she could keep the confirmations.  

Sure.  Anything.  She smiled.  I think she could tell I was nervous.  

"Okay, Friday." 

"Friday? I can pick up my visas on Friday?"

She confirmed Friday, and I left past the long, long line of sweaty people.  Considerably lighter.  I feel so naked without my passport.  BUT WE'RE GOING TO CHINA!  Oh my goodness, I can't wait!

Forest Adventure

At the end of last year, I came across an advertisement for a place that looked really different and fun: Forest Adventure.

What is Forest Adventure?

"Singapore's first and only tree top course.  Forest Adventure is an aerial course through the trees comprising ladders, bridges, swings, nets, trapezes and slides where participants move unaccompanied from tree to tree 5 metres above ground.  Unique to Forest Adventure are 4 zip lines (flying foxes!)...

All zip lines are built over water and measure between 125m and 200m!..."

Doesn't it sound great?!!  I couldn't wait to take the kids!

Friday August 8th was the start of Singapore's National Day Holiday, which is a bit like our American Fourth of July.  Jim took the day off so we could do something fun with the boys, and I quickly looked into and booked Forest Adventure.

We were told to arrive 15 minutes ahead of our scheduled time slot and to allow for the 10  minute walk from the car to the base camp.  The kids were not excited.

That's right.  Their reactions ranged from, "what are we doing?" to "I don't want to walk this far...when are we going to get there?"  "I'm hot!"  "I'm thirsty!"

Ugh.

Can we just call it Forest Frustration because it definitely started out that way!

Also, let me just say, "forest" is a bit of a misnomer.  It is adjacent to a large reservoir and it does have some trees, but not at all within a heavily forested area or anything like I was picturing.

We finally arrive at base camp only to find out that it won't quite work as I hoped.  I planned to have Jim and the 2 older boys do the adult course while I stayed with John on the kids course- if allowed (or I'd watch him safely from terra firma).  The older boys wouldn't accept this.  They didn't want to do the adult course with Dad and a guide.

We had to form plan B:  the three boys would do the kids' course together and we would watch.

Here's a quick photo after they got hooked into the safety equipment and in line to climb up.  We could help but laugh at the height differences between our kids and the local kids in line ahead of them.

The smaller Asian children ahead of our kids were quick.  Soon John was up the ladder and on to the first challenge:

 Unfortunately this isn't a close up of his face.  The poor kid was so excited and his excitement quickly turned to abject terror at the height!  He soldiered on and didn't want to be called out by his brothers.  This perspective also give you a semi-good look at the height.  They were up there!

 As soon as they finished with all the challenges, they ran to get in line again and do it all over. John was no longer afraid and was yelling because he didn't get to go first again.  The ticket allowed for two times on the course.  It's too bad they didn't enjoy themselves at all!   The zip line at the end of the course was the highlight.  Our camera ran out of battery by that time with all the photos we took of the ear to ear smiles.

We've already decided to return when we can and leave John with a friend so Mom and Dad can join in on the fun.  If you ever get a chance to try something similar, I think the boys would highly recommend it. :)

Return to Spore.

So I've done it.  I've finally called Singapore by it's more familiar nickname, Spore.  I've tried to pass it off as Sing to myself and even managed to make Sing the nickname of choice among my friends, but let's call a spade and spade.  Spore just fits so much more appropriately.

We're back from summer home leave.  I still won't say "we're home".  It's not home.   It never will be.  I came to that more clearly over the summer after about 2 weeks away from here and I decided I didn't want to come back.

????

What the .........?  I really, really liked it here last spring.  I really, truly enjoyed our time here in March, April and May.  I wasn't even sure I wanted to go home on summer leave!  I was enjoying myself too much.  I sincerely wonder if I would have chosen to go home at all if the majority of folks didn't already clear out every summer like clock-work.   But I did.  And I came to be so happy at home again.  One big ball of comfort and ease again.  Parking lots instead of parking decks.  A huge yard with forest creatures instead of slate and chlorine and mosquitos.  Target.  Need I say more???

I cried.  I got it out.  I had to put on my resolute face that I have to at least finish this out for one more year.  Then I can re-evaluate the situation.  

And here we are!

And I'm happy again!  The sky is annoyingly cheerful with sun!  The flowers are blooming everywhere and the palm trees are still in my front "yard"!  The kids and I have eaten lunch at the club twice this week and saw friends that I was so excited to see again!  I missed this!

Return to Spore.  It's much easier than I thought.