Beijing

Forbidden City

We're spending the weekend in Beijing - at least Chris and I are.  Lucy gets to stay with her buddy, Elliot, this weekend, back in Singapore.  Chris is up here on business, so he worked today, while I pounded the pavement, scoping out the Tiananmen Square area, the old Peking area and the Lama Temple.  I am dazzled by the old imposing buildings, the unique style of the architecture and the history.  More later.....

Forbidden City

Lama Temple, Beijing

Forbidden City

Jurong Bird Park

Our friends from Breckenridge, Jim and Dianne, are visiting, so we decided to do some touristy things that we haven't done yet here in Singapore.  We heard alot about the Jurong Bird Park, so since we had a car for the weekend, we all went on Saturday.  Quite a place and amazing birds!  As you can see from the pics, we were able to get fairly close to a few of them - and I don't have a long lens!

Monitor lizard in the 'hood!

Well, Lucy and I just saw our first monitor lizard, just a half hour ago, along our path to East Coast Park (and Starbucks). She inexplicably high-tailed it to that location when we were a few meters away.... (I was thinking, what the....?)... this meter-long slithery thing came out from behind a tree. Thought it was a snake at first, then I saw the raptor-like head...... Of course, I didn't have a camera, or even my iPhone, but thought I'd share a video taken of a couple in the Botanics. Apparently, they are very common here. Glad Lucy was on the leash - not sure what kind of melee would have ensued...http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yGsOEwHOrgU

A Weekend in West Palm

Peruvian Dock on Palm Beach



Chris spent a weekend in Palm Beach with his mom - the first time back in the USA in nine months.  Here are a few pictures... Palm Beach is a place where it's hard to go 15 minutes without a Rolls chugging by.  One of those places where everyone dresses like Thurston Howell III from Gilligan's Island.  and take a look at the private yachts on the left.  There was a good old fashioned Farmers Market in West Palm Beach on Saturday - fewer farmers I suppose and more botique hobbiest selling gourmet dog brownies (for example). At least that means plenty of dogs!   Here, my mom is checking out an orchid stand.  Each strand is about $20 US where in Tekka Market they go for about $1.50 USD.



An organic vegtable hawker - the only farmer to be found at the Farmer's Market





And, it wouldn't be a Farmer's Market without a classic Corvette show!



At the beach...

So, uh, where's the ball????

Lucy and I took our usual Sunday walk down to Starbuck's this morning... yeah, we've posted this before, but today it was a bit different. It was really hot - that's not different, but I decided to walk Lucy down by the beach.  In the past,   we've avoided this beach, because the water isn't that clean, and Lucy tends to swallow water when she's going after the ball.  So I tried it without the ball. Seemed to work.  Indeed, she hardly went in!  She just looked confused....

What the.....?

Some answers....

Hey,  Folks!


Thought I'd answer some questions that came up as a result of the last posting.


A question came up about the "Dog Hash" - this is a wonderful way for a dog owner in Singapore to get out for some fun and exercise with their pooch.  It is held the first Saturday of every month, and more information can be found about it on their website (click on "Dog Hash" above).  Lucy had a BLAST in February, and again, last weekend.  I must say, the dog was amazing, as the course was very challenging - but then, I AM biased....




Drivers license - to rent a car here, one needs only a drivers license that is in the English language.  I think the requirement may change after one has lived here a while, as in years, but I'm not sure about that.  We just showed the rental company our US license, and that did the trick.


Regarding pet movers - the company we used to transport Lucy Blue from the US to Singapore, www.petrelocation.com, moved Lucy from quarantine to our condo - part of the deal.  But there are many local pet movers here, if you don't have that kind of arrangement.  Let me know if you'd like the phone number of a guy with a nice van - he even takes us to the beach!

Weekend on Wheels!

Marina Bay Park opposite business district

Lucy - in the position!

Tekka Market with the fish guys 

Last weekend we rented a car, and since it was a holiday weekend, we had it from Thursday evening through Monday evening.  It was all about Lucy, of course.  We attended our second Dog Hash, and it was so much easier with our own wheels, not having to wait for a driver, etc.  At the same time, we really took advantage of our mobility - drove to Tekka Market and loaded up with Easter dinner goodies (roasted a red snapper in banana leaves), visited Marina Bay Park (I think that's what it's called), Sentosa (beach), Botanic Gardens, and discovered a great dog-friendly cafe Sunday morning, a bit beyond walking distance.  


The car we rented was, well, odd.  I had asked for a fast-back, and this is what we got:  a Daihatsu Materia, tricked out to look like a pimp milk truck, in a pale gray/lavender with running lights on the doors - can't believe this company would actually rent out a car looking like this!  I guess we looked the type!  But it had alot of room in the back for The Princess, and substantial headroom in the front for Chris. Chris drove most of the time, but I drove enough to consider it mastering a huge challenge.  We discovered that driving with right-hand drive wasn't as much of a thing as driving in Singapore traffic.   I've driven in big cities before, where one must adopt a defensive stance, but this was a whole other ball game.  We're thinking that renting a car the first weekend of every month may be the ticket - much less than renting a car for the entire month, and we don't really need it, anyway..... and we'll have a car for the monthly Dog Hash!   

Tekka Market in the veggie section

At Loysel's Toy Cafe

Wall art at Loysel's

Botanic Gardens