Chapter 6

Culture, cravings and a Clewlow reunion........

We decided to tick off something on our "Bucket List". The ballet!
We attended a performance of "Sleeping Beauty" by the Singapore Ballet Company.

We were a bit apprehensive about this. It's not that we don't enjoy classical music, it's just our preference is to see more contemporary productions.  
We had really good seats, in yet another outstanding auditorium, called the Esplanade Theatre.  The building sits on the edge of Marina Bay, and is likened in appearance to the Durian fruit.  Costuming, set design, choreography and interpretation of the story were excellent.  We would like to see Swan Lake now!  There were many "princesses" in the audience looking for their Prince Charming! This is the only princess picture we could take without looking too obvious.

We did a return visit to East Coast Hawker Village, as we were craving the BBQ Calamari we enjoyed previously . We upped the size to a $12 serve this time, it was so good.  Our new taste sensation was a carrot cake, a Singapore delicacy. This dish is called Chai Tau Kway, and confusingly contains no carrot and is not a cake. It is finely diced Daikon or white radish in an omelette mixture with prawns. Good gamble.  

It's communal outdoor eating, so we sat with 3 lovely locals.  After chatting for a while, we found out that one of them, called Uncle Foong, was a massage therapist.  He grabbed my hand and after some pressure point analysis and manipulation, told me I had issues with my knees.  True!  When he took Philip's arm and pressed his forearm, it made his middle finger stick out, and concluded that he did not need Viagra!  True or false?   We have his business card now, and will make an appt for a longer consultation.  Who knows what else we will find out.  
We attended a dinner at the American Club, with Vivek and Gauri, (Varun and Nicola's family)  who reside here in Singapore. This is a private club that was established after the war in 1948 with about 100 American members. Today it has a diverse membership totalling 3600.  It encompasses everything that you would expect, including tennis courts, pools, gyms, bars, restaurants, coffee shops, business centre.......
The meal was outstanding, and we appreciated their generosity as hosts.
They ironically are off to Australia the day Laura arrives, and are due back the day Sasha and Tim arrive.  
Thursday saw us at another Hawker venue called Chomp Chomp. Much smaller than others that we have been to, but well patronised.  We ordered while we tried to find somewhere to sit. 

Every time we eat at a Hawker place we keep saying how Alan Gerloff would love it. We enjoyed a number of dishes before heading out to Changi to collect some precious cargo.
Laura and Trent arrived at 9.30 pm

We are so excited to have Laura in our nest, and we are now ticking off the days till Sasha and Tim arrive!  We are very good at counting now.
Laura and Trent headed off to Universal Studios the next day, and had a ball. Dinner was at Clarke Quay where we had some Tapas (a rest from noodles) followed by a walk past a huge swing which we stuck L&T in...

After they collected their stomaches, we continued walking and Trent announced that the tapas didn't quite fill him up.  So we went to Lau Par Sat - another hawker food place, and had some satay and Singapore noodles.

Saturday we met with our friends, Chris and Sal, who had arrived the night before, and went for a spin on the Singapore Flyer. This is the largest observation wheel in the world, and the birds-eye view of Singapore, as we slowly rotated, was really enjoyable.

We had lunch after this at Sky on 57, all 6 of us. Good value for lunch. It would be even better value if we didn't drink! Consumed another 1.5l of Whispering Angel French Rose.

Food as good as it looks...

Laura and Trent headed off to explore on their own, while the oldies took a leisurely Bumboat ride down the Singapore river. Marina Bay Sands to Clarke Quay.

Newton Circus was the dining choice for the evening. A good introduction for the new arrivals into Singapore Hawker food.
The next day we explored the Battle Box. Again this was an oldies event! (Laura and Trent headed off to Sentosa to explore) This is located at Fort Canning, and is a bomb proof bunker that was Britains HQ, Malaya Command, during WW2. It is 9 metres underground and was the site that they made the decision to surrender to the Japanese in 1942. 

We learnt a lot about this time in history. Gordon Bennett was involved in this, and now we know where the saying comes from.
He interestingly, was born in Balwyn, where Philip and I grew up.
Dinner this night was at a place called Chijmes.  Many diverse eateries built on what used to church grounds, around a beautiful church. 

Another craving for a wood fried pizza saw us at an Italian restaurant.
Well, today is Christmas eve, and Santa comes tonight, so we will try and be good all day, so he leaves something under our tree.
Next blog we will be 5 kg heavier after our Christmas lunch.
Merry Christmas to you all. We love you and miss you.
Love
Annie xx