Singapore from the sky

Vietnam - Day 2

It wasn't all play - Al actually had to do some work on our second day so I tagged along and tried to look 'professional'. The first meeting we had was with a luxury travel company who organise tours in South East Asia. I sat in on that meeting and got really excited about how many places we have to explore in this part of the world. Then we headed to the nearby Park Hyatt for another meeting Al had with the General Manager and his team. When we arrived (both of us in shorts, me looking like a hippie) the GM and about fifteen other people were lined up waiting for us in the lobby. We both felt a little embarrassed about 1) how late we were and 2) that we both looked like hippies. Lucky for me, I was able to skip that meeting and was whisked off instead for a complimentary breakfast and then an hour by the pool. Lovely! The Park Hyatt is the best hotel in the city and is extremely civilised (photos below).

My kind of place

As I was living the high life, Al was being given a detailed tour of every room in the place (nearly) and was valiantly trying to 'warm' her tour guides up - all she wanted was a smile! No luck, so we reconvened back at the Hotel Continental and hit the shops for a small-scale shopping spree. Extremely small-scale.

Another meeting in the afternoon resulted in quite a few changes to the Vietnam plans and by the evening we were both booked on new flights - me to fly back to Singapore, Al to Danang where she was booked in to see the Nam Hai (http://www.thenamhai.com/). So with our plans somewhat altered, we decided to make the best of our last night together. We headed up to the Saigon, Saigon bar for a cocktail. The bar was famous in the Vietnam war as the place where all the journalists would gather after a day reporting in the field. All the big news agencies were based in the Hotel Carravelle below. Across the square is the Rex Hotel, also famous as the CIA headquarters during the war. The bar didn't seem to have changed much and it was an extremely pleasant and breezy place to enjoy a Journalist's Juice (my drink) or a Saigon Sour (Al's) and take in the Ho Chi Minh skyline at night.

Saigon, Saigon bar - it really didn't look like it had changed at all in thirty years

The tall pointy building is the latest addition to the HCM skyline - they built a helipad on the side (just visible) but didn't think to ask whether they could land helicopters on it. They can't!!

Al propping up the bar

After a quick turnaround we headed to a trendy ex-pat hangout right on the banks of the Mekong River. After a few false starts with the cab driver (and wrong turns) we eventually got there and it was a blissful oasis of calm compared to the rest of our trip. Our table was right on the Mekong - we could have dipped our toes in the water - and we sat watching the boats float by and generally felt super relaxed. The photos don't really do it justice...but it was a very special place.

The Mekong at night

Ethnic

We both decided that we need to have a Vietnam War movie marathon when we got home - sitting by the Mekong made me want to see Apocalypse Now, Good Morning Vietnam and maybe even Air America again. Any other suggestions?

I was really sad to say goodbye to Al the next day at the airport. Al has been with me for the last week and a half, exploring Singapore and just generally keeping me company, so being back here without her is weird. But she is off doing much more exciting things - Cambodia today, Hong Kong on Friday!

To summarise my short trip to Vietnam though - I'll be back!

Vietnam - Day 1

I'm back from Vietnam and that bit closer to flying home - but where is home nowadays? Normally I would say where my family is...but that isn't right because it doesn't include Tim. And I am not living permanently in Singapore just yet. So I think I will say that I am 'between homes', which is actually very close to the truth. The house hunt here has lost momentum. We found a place we liked, the owners rejected both our offers, so we are thinking about whether to go for our second choice, or put the whole search on hold until I come back in June. To be decided.

So Al and I hopped on a plane early Monday morning and took a short flight to Ho Chi Minh city (HCM) or Saigon, as the locals call it. Al was scoping out the place for a party and I tagged along for the ride. We stayed in the Hotel Continental (not the Intercontinental, where our cab drivers insisted on taking us, despite our best efforts at clear pronunciation and some use of the international language of sign). The Hotel Continental is in one of the best locations in Saigon and is housed in an extremely attractive French colonial building. But that is where the positives end. It is owned by the state tourist board and they are missing a big trick. The hotel was last refurbed in the early 80s and it was looking seriously tired. Such a shame, as it could be made into something truly spectacular - perhaps it is the influence of the dead arm of the state that is holding it back. Either way, it was good for me to demonstrate to my sister that I don't always need to stay in 5* hotels :)

Our hotel at night - pretty from the outside!

We explored the city on the first day, in scorching heat. I was surprised how hot it was - much hotter than Singapore. I had to make an emergency hat purchase in the Diamond Mall (I hadn't been in a mall for at least 12 hours by that point, so I needed a hit) but it was a case of buy in haste, repent at leisure. Let's just say, the hat won't be modelled outside of Vietnam. Still, it did the trick. After that we walked up a wide, shady boulevard with the Reunification Palace at one end and then headed to a large, smelly and extremely hot indoor market where Al bought three communist hats for a song. By this time, we were both sweating profusely so we headed to a restaurant that supposedly serves the best Vietnamese food in Saigon. Al's dish was good (pork meatballs with rice). I didn't order right. Then it was time for a power snooze.

The Reunification Palace - we weren't really sure what it was all about

The view from the Reunification Palace

Saigon is a hectic place and it turns out that you do need to fear for your life when crossing the road. There are hundreds, if not thousands, of scooters jostling with each other plus buses and taxis. No one looks when they pull out into a main road, no one indicates, they cut each other up and beep their horns constantly but it does seem to work. Apparently, the best way to see the city is on the back of a scooter. If we had stayed in Saigon today that is what we would have been doing. Next time maybe...

In front of the Notre Dame church, with a few scooters in the background

You forget that Vietnam is still a communist country when you see how rampant capitalism is - designer shops are everywhere, everyone has the latest mobile phones, the latest scooters and there are shiny new buildings being thrown up all over the place. But there are also billboards around town that remind you of the communist regime's influence, such as the one below. Even though the government has introduced measures to liberalise the economy, that's as far as they have gone. Did you know, Facebook is blocked in Vietnam? Contradictions abound, but it is a fascinating place and I hope that Tim and I can explore it together soon. It is also the cheapest country I have ever visited!

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Sunset cocktails

This last week has passed in a blur of essay writing and house hunting. I have finished my essay, but we haven't found a house. Tim and I have been narrowing our search criteria the more places we've seen so we do have a better idea of what we are looking for. We thought we had found the perfect place but on the second viewing, visiting at a different time of day, it soon became apparent that the house was totally exposed to the fierce Western sun, which the people here say brings bad luck. To be honest, I'm not sure it brings bad luck, but the afternoon sun is incredibly strong and we would have to close off the front half of the house in order to keep cool. If we did that, what would be the point in having all that lovely space? So the search continues...

My sis arrived on Monday afternoon and so we have had fun hanging out together, doing very Singaporean things like shopping, eating and getting our nails done. We are off to Vietnam on Monday to scope out venues for a party that she is planning there (for a client). Lucky for me, I am allowed to tag along for the ride. So we are heading into Saigon, which by all accounts is a buzzy, hectic city. They say Singapore is 'Asia for beginners' so it should be more gritty - there may even be a bit of litter on the streets! I will update you on that point, and the trip in general next week.

Last night we headed up to the Marina Bay Sands hotel (the one with the ship on top) for sunset cocktails, followed by a Thai meal in a restaurant called Jim Thompsons. It was very busy at the top of the MBS with lots of people in the infinity pool and people like us, taking in the view. And the view was spectacular. From the south side you could see all the ships out to sea...



And from the north side, you could see the sun setting and people enjoying the infinity pool - the highest in the world as you will remember. (Al: 'So, there is something below them isn't there? They can't just fall off the side?')


We had two Bellini's and a beer and spent most of the time taking pictures of each other and the view.

The Thai restaurant was a cab ride away, outside the city centre. We had heard from lots of people how good the food was and we weren't disappointed - although Al and I both needed a lie-down afterwards as they were extremely liberal with the Thai bird's eye chillies. Tim, who must have been Indian or Thai in another life, has a very high tolerance for hot food so was unfazed, although I thought I saw him mopping his brow at one point. But that could have just been the heat...

Get it right!

Not too much excitement to report today. The heat is getting to me so I am back in the apartment trying to rehydrate...and still working on my essay. I have been a little further afield though, and here are some pics of downtown Singapore. I passed the 'Speak Good English' campaign posters, one of which is below, in a cab and got my camera out just in time. They really cracked me up...but the thing is, I don't think anyone is listening!


Otherwise, Tim says he is going to take me to the Marina Bay Sands Hotel at the weekend. It is an extraordinary building, with what looks like a cruise liner perched on the roof (picture below). Tim tells me that there are two infinity pools at the top and I have just done a little research and found out that they are the largest outdoor pools at that height in the world. A-mazing.

p.s. it took us approximately 10 minutes to have our visas processed. Tim was so impressed at the efficiency. I was impressed at how quickly they could fingerprint you...we're on the system now!

Living the expat dream

This morning I had a coffee date with a British lady who has lived here for 10 years. We hit it off immediately and had a great chat and two coffees. She has given me the low-down on: shopping (clothes, food and electronics), where to live and where not to live, renting, spas and restaurants. I feel in a much better place as a result.

After we said our goodbyes, I wandered round the mall where we had met for coffee and discovered some gorgeous little shops, to which I will be returning at a later date. I then made my way down to the food hall and on the spur of the moment ordered myself a chapatti selection (pictured below) with marsala tea. It doesn't look like much, but it was absolutely delicious.

yum!

I then went to do a little food shopping and bought the essentials: milk, chocolate and napkins (I'm my mother's child). For some reason, I am craving chocolate and I don't even like it that much normally. I think it might be because treats have been thin on the ground so far this holiday. And I do like to treat myself.

This afternoon I am off to meet Tim to sort out our residence visas. I'll be official after that.

p.s. below, a little picture of the cereal aisle in the 'cold storage' aka supermarket. Note the branded goods on offer!!

Out and about

It's a beautiful day here, after a couple of cloudy/rainy days so I ventured out this morning to run a few errands before it got too hot (I am also looking for excuses not to knuckle down and write my dissertation...). I hit the ION shopping mall, which is the glass structure in the distance. Every shop you could ever need can be found here, including a lot of familiar brands that make it feel a bit like home.


And this is what it seems to be all about here: shopping and skyscrapers (and food, but we haven't had any good food yet). The ION shopping mall is in the foreground in the picture below - quite an architectural curiosity. The tall skyscraper in the distance is full of 'condos' which is where estate agents assume you want to live if you are an expat. I couldn't think of anything worse to be honest.

And this is a picture of what Treetops, our current home, looks like in the morning sunshine. I haven't been in the pool yet, but it does look very inviting. The sun is very strong and I am very pale so until I am a little more acquainted with the climate, I think we should stay away from each other.


More pics to follow!