Singapore Suitcases: Week 32 - Of yet another 'bestie' reunion, our first inter-country bus trip & the many faces of Malacca!

1. The other bestie - Snehi, arrived from Mumbai this week. Having recently started work with Facebook, she was in Singapore all week long for training. Her husband and daughter joined in a couple of days later as well, making this into the perfect summer vacation for themselves and a very lucky streak for me - who got to see all the three of them in our neck of the woods for the first time ever!

2. We took a very drowsy Snehi for happy hour drinks to Kinki (a fun rooftop Japanese bar in the Customs House area). While Snehi wasn't really sure what we were up to going to a place named like that, she seemed happy it was nothing more than just drinks, going by her jet-lag from the previous two weeks, spent in California. Our other local-expat friend who we've recently met through our other house-guest, joined in too and the evening was spent hashing out (No prizes for guessing this...) another series of start-up ideas and business plans. Hubster had a very participative and attentive audience to his 'new ideas' talk and the happy hour - which was a welcome "2-for-1 drinks" special, helped keep us animated in our discussions for the rest of the evening.
Post-drinks we walked over to Sabai Thai, a few steps away from Kinki, for a fine-dining Thai experience. (After having had splendid and reasonably priced Thai restaurants in NYC all these years, at our beck and call, finding similar set-ups in Singapore has been a challenge of sorts. You would think one would easily be able to find good Thai places here, it being Asia. Perhaps one can, it's just that we haven't come across any "incredible" Thai restaurants here yet - other than the usual Thai food stalls at the various food courts which do a great job with the cuisine, nonetheless. Besides as is always the case - once you've tasted 'real' Thai food off of the streets of Thailand, it gets difficult to accept anything else that does not match-up!) 
The food at Sabai Thai was delicious and came close to being pretty authentic, so we were happy with our choice of place, for the evening.

3. Snehi, Atit & Ira came over for dinner at our place on Thursday night. Ironically, in all these decades of being good friends, this was the first time they were coming over to our place. Until now, we had always been their guests, considering our frequent trips to Mumbai.
Zoe had been prepped in advance - for Part Deux of her 22m birthday celebrations with her yet another beloved Maasi & Little Ira. One day, I know she's going to look back at these pictures from her monthly birthday celebrations of the first two years of her life and love the fact that so many different people were part of her 'candle-blowing cheer' every month. In my own way, this is how I'd like to include all our family and friends in being part of her big day celebrations. With so many of them spread all over the world, it is going to be difficult to get everyone to be part of her annual birthday celebrations. Hence these monthly madness sessions at our place, which ensure that everyone gets to see a very excited Zoe blow out candles repeatedly on her birthday desserts and help make tiny memories in the big picture, of the first two years of her life!
The evening passed by too quickly, for friend's who've known each other for life. We indulged in a humble spread of Cous Cous Salad, the omnipresent guac & chips at our place, a smoking, spicy and hot Thai Red Curry Stir Fry & the Sticky rice with Mango dessert - all cooked by yours' truly for her special guests. Snehi said she has more work trips to Singapore coming up in the near future, so for now we are keeping our fingers crossed that she visits us often, while we are still based out of here.

4. The Weekend was a long one, as Friday was the 'Vesak Day' Holiday. This annual holiday observed by Buddhists all over the world, especially in Asia (also known as "Buddha Purnima" in India) commemorates the birth, enlightenment and death of Gautam Buddha. We packed our selves in an Inter-State bus to go to Malacca, Malaysia for the three day weekend. This was our first 'road-trip' after ages, considering most trips in this city-state are really 'air trips'.
Going to Malacca from Singapore takes about 3-4 hours by bus, depending on the time taken at the two immigration posts that one needs to alight at, for visa clearances. Still, this trip is best made by a bus as against a private car/ taxi or even train, since the lines for buses are shorter and quicker when it comes to paperwork processing.
On leaving the Singapore border, one senses the beginnings of another country, with the uncontrolled, dense foliage that suddenly sprouts up along the highway. Even though Singapore is more than 50% green, there is a marked difference in the wild, unmanicured foliage that greets one, as you exit the city-state to enter into Malaysia. The drive is beautiful, as it winds through many plantations and tea-gardens, all of which provide a scenic backdrop enroute. The bus seats are extremely comfortable (flat-bed in some buses and almost flat in most others) and even have more leg-room and unlimited baggage requirements, when compared to low-cost airlines. Besides for most budget travellers it is a win-win on account of cheap fares. No wonder then the bus is a more preferred option when visiting Malacca from Singapore.

5. Malacca State is the southernmost state of Malaysia, next to the Straits of Malacca (as you might recall from your history/ geography lessons in school). The Malacca city centre has been listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, since July 2008.
Malacca is a mixed pot of religious and cultural assimilations - It used to be part of a Malay Sultanate, was founded originally by the last 'Raja' of Singapore who was Hindu, colonised by the Portuguese in the 1500's, later seceded to the British in the 1800's and also served as an important port for Chinese trade. This city has thus historically been a confluence of multiple cultures, making for some interesting influences that can be seen in it's food, art, architecture and people.

6. We spent our two days in the city, visiting various points of interest that I had researched to draw up a customised itinerary for ourselves. These included small bits and pieces of the various cultural influences that can be found here - such as St. Paul's Hill & Fort A Famosa (Portuguese forts), Melaka Chinatown (a blend of Moslem-Chinese surroundings), Villa Sentosa (A living museum owned, run and inhabited by a grand old lady, who grew up in the house and has frozen it in time to convert it into a cultural walk-through experience of sorts), Red Square (A Dutch-style city square with a clock tower to sit and relax in, in the middle of the city) and the infamous Jonker Street (the quintessential must-do on a visit here, especially for antique shopping, late-night weekend markets like those that can be found only in Asia and some quirky modern-day curio picks). We also took the Melaka river cruise, that navigates through the Melaka river, winding it's way through it's various inner hubs. The high point of this cruise is how it provides for an art-gallery like experience, as one makes their way through multiple homes, shops and eateries all happily displaying huge, large-scale murals on their facades. Melaka being a small city, the cruise is a great way to cover the maximum length and breadth of the city, if constrained for time.

7. Random observations made on this trip were -

a) Almost everyone seemed to have a 'Note' or an 'Ipad' on them, clearly thrust in our faces each time people held up these massive devices to take pictures. (I find it hilarious when people take pictures using their Ipad's BTW). These gadgets were so omnipresent I began questioning their originality. But then again this was Malaysia - a booming economy may possibly have led into newer indulgences, perhaps? Having said that what with Asia's buzzing marketplace that thrives on fakes and 'Made in China' goods, there was a big chance that not all of these were the 'real thing', too.

b) Among the regular demographic that one can expect to find in Malaysia, the one that stood out over all others was that of our very own Sardars! At first we thought, we probably just happened to be in an area which had a 'gurudwara' in it. (Gluttonous images of 'langar' popped up in our heads, in no time). 
Our taxi driver told us that this weekend was also a celebratory one for the Sikhs, who from all over Asia (Indonesia, Thailand, other parts of Malaysia, Singapore etc) had flocked here to one of Asia's largest gurudwara's to offer prayers. And sure enough, on both the days that we spent in Melaka, we saw large and small groups of 'Sikhs' all over the city. While we were aware that this is a demographic found frequently in every part of the world, it was still a little surprising to see Sikhs abound in Malaysia of all the places, where the only kind of 'desi' one expects to encounter are really Tamils.

c) Speaking of which, the Tamils living in Malaysia have their own little unique identities as well. Most Malaysian Tamils are successors of Indian or Sri Lankan Tamils, who migrated here during the British colonial period. The Tamil Muslims and Malacca Tamilians (called as the Chittys) abound in Malacca.
Tamil is the educational language of Malaysia, meaning there are a lot of schools that have their premier medium of instruction as Tamil. That explains the number of Tamil school children we encountered over the weekend, that were out on educational day trips with their school teachers. Also, a South Indian 'dhaba' equivalent across the street from our hotel, was reflective of a hard-core rural eatery straight out of a Tamil Nadu village (on the outskirts of Auroville or Pondi, as I recollect from my time living there).

d) The Chinatown in Malacca is probably one of the most unique Chinatown's that I've been to this far. It was as non-Chinatown-ish as it could get, if you know what I mean. The lack of vendors thrusting fake goods in your face, as one encounters in the American Chinatowns' was evident. On an Asian level too, this was a quaint Chinatown that seemed to take pride in it's age-old dwellings and shop-houses that abound on it's inner streets. As we wound in and out of these, the everyday life of old Chinese-Malay men and women was on display for us, right outside their front doors. As we walked past them, peering in and trying not to intrude, they sat right peering out and happily waving out at us. Traditional Chinese temples abounded in these streets and now and then a quirky little contemporary store would pop up, conveying the dynamism of this quaint little neighbourhood.

e) Malay food is delicious as hell, but as is known to most, extremely fatty. The ingredients used in most of their dishes are loaded with butter, lard, coconut milk, thereby making for sumptuous fare, but the kinds that ranks high on the calorie-consumption chart. A lot of Malay food is also a beautiful blend of various styles of cuisines - as experienced by us when we ate the Mutton Biryani (Indian/ Mughlai influence), the Chicken Rendang in Coconut gravy (Thai/ Bangla/ Malay blend) or the mouth-wateringly delicious Laksa with Assam fish that Hubster ordered, which was really the most soulful bowl of non-vegetarian 'rassam' - with a snapper in it. And of course the classic Malay coffee shops abounded everywhere we went - the 'Kopitiams' that are probably Malaysia's single most famous cultural exports to their neighbour - Singapore!

f) It amazes me to see how English has lent itself as a 'starter' language for so many other languages in the world. Malaysia is one classic example, where one sees signage in Malay which liberally draws upon the English alphabet and even vocabulary largely, to craft their own words.
Examples of these are as follows - Bus is 'Bas' in Malay, Lorry is 'Lori, Immigration is 'Imigresan', Taxi is 'Teksi' and so on and so forth. There are other languages that take off from English too - Spanish and French are classic examples as well, but atleast they add their own 'accents' (as in the 'acute', 'circumflex' etc)
Being an English language Nazi, it sends shivers down my spine to imagine Malay children learn in school, what can easily be construed as 'Broken English' in the other parts of the world.

g) The pleasure of travelling in Asia is how light everything on the pocket is, when you compare it to the Western world or the Western currency for sure. The Malaysian Ringitt is another one of those currencies, that does not hold it's own in front of the US or Singaporean Dollars, thus making this another country where one's dollars go far.

h) The Trishaws - a.k.a one of the oldest forms of transport in Malaysia, captured our intrigue, what with their overtly gaudy and crowded decorative embellishments and loud music that blared from speakers kept under them, in specially designed racks. These are tiny 'rickshaws' with bicycles attached to their lateral sides (as against in front of them as seen in some Indian towns). Trishaw rides are fun, but cannot be sustained for long distances especially as they can get a bit too tight (a family of two and a half barely fits in one). Racially discriminated yet again, this time too our Trishaw driver automatically played his 'Bollywood' CD the moment we sat in - hoping to make us feel at home. Having had this 'treatment' meted out to ourselves several times before on our travels, we are now used to it and actually do not mind it anymore! Besides nothing makes the daughter groove more than a pukka desi number, so why not? is our logic! Sure enough, half way through the trishaw ride, we had her shimmying to 'Kuch Kuch Hota Hai', much to the entertainment of everyone around us. Traveling with a public entertainer, we always are!

Two very hot and fun-filled days later, we got back into Singapore, via road. It being a long weekend, our return journey took longer than expected and was different - in that, we rode a SBS Transit bus (Local Singaporean transport bus) all the way from Johor Bahru (just across the Singapore border, on the Malaysian side) to Woodlands MRT station. There on, it was the ever-dependable Singaporean Comfort cab that brought us back home, by 6 pm on a Sunday evening.
The weekend was still not done though...to be continued in the next week's update....so stay tuned!!
Love,
Shweyta

Singapore Suitcases: Week 31 - Of Breather Weeks, Hubster's (so-called) lucky mouche & pretentious Singaporean speakeasys!

1. Hubster left for Hyderabad on Monday for the entire week, which means I am on 'Single Mom' duty all week long. This is when staff at home comes handy the most. I still get to have a life and keep my plans, whether or not Hubster is in town, if I choose to - something that would need prior planning in The States. Going by just the number of times I bring up this aspect of life here in Asia, you probably already know by now, how much I appreciate it, right?
It is indeed an issue of great importance for many young parents, as I've realized through the many discussions I've had with various friends/ acquaintances here. Among them are some couples who choose to continue living here only for these lifestyle conveniences; something they know for sure they won't find, in most other parts of the world, where they have been offered other job opportunities. It's amazing how one's thought process changes in a matter of a few months - I, for example, was highly skeptical of hiring someone to live with us full-time and take her up, as our complete responsibility. It is probably just a wee bit short of adopting someone to make them family, except of course in this case, they are already grown-up adults with established characters and personalities. If you're lucky enough to find someone super, this is the ideal set-up, as we've found out over the course of the past 6 months of having Janet live with us, as Zoe's nanny!
We consider ourselves lucky to have found someone like her who is well-educated, sincere, smart and simple - who has easily assimilated with us to become an integral part of our family. In fact, we like her so much, we are hoping to take her with us wherever we go, here on! While that sounds ideal on paper, it might not work out easily when it comes to immigration laws etc. Yet, the thought has crossed our minds and we are willing to go the distance we possibly can, to make it happen! Let's see how that goes...

2. 'Breather Weeks' like this one - are meant to take care of basic formalities that involve our present day globally-mobile lifestyles - bills that need to be paid here and in the previous/ future homes, swapping of currencies, filing expenses, bank formalities and most importantly newer visas that need to be sought. A life lived simultaneously across countries, does not come without it's own paperwork and maintenance, that needs to be looked after on a regular basis. Perhaps in that sense, it is much tougher than a life lived in one country when you don't have many permanent ties with another country. When you can easily say I've moved out of there and now live here! In our case, it's more like we live 'there' really, are temporarily based 'here' and on to moving to another country for the next few months or so! A lot of flux exists which is exciting nonetheless but is accompanied by a lot of planning and paperwork, to say the very least!
Traveling to different countries almost always requires Visas out of Hubster and I (Thanks to our Indian passports) and a lot of research on hotels, things-to-do, modes of transport to and fro and in between, airplane/ train/ bus tickets etc. Breather weeks hence, are full of tremendous amount of research and time-planning for the short-term, in addition to the usual long-term rigmarole of moving house/ schools for the little one in the near future! A transient phenomenon this one, of our current state of affairs - hence to be treasured and appreciated while it lasts! I know I'll miss having these 'Breather Weeks' when we return to our previous lives - what we now consider 'conventional living' - i.e living in only one country at a time - a phase that happily seems to be lurking far away from now!

3. Hubster got back a day earlier from India, (too early on a Thursday morning) - to surprise us. And surprise us he did - not on account of his early timing as much as, on account of the faint trace of a moustache growing on his face!!! What the ....?
He defended it saying, he was trying on a new look! I suggested he get rid of it almost immediately! His colleagues from work on the other hand, encouraged him to keep it, while their negotiations were ongoing, with a certain company, for the next few days! Now, with a successful round 1 of negotiations behind them, the team has come to believe that Hubster's mouche brought them all the luck they needed! Really???
While Hubster obliged my requests and shaved off the mouche the next morning, he made it clear that he intends to grow it right back the next month, for Negotiation Round 2 at work! It's a lost cause, so I've given up for now! Will probably just disown him for those few days!

4. The weekend came and saw us dining and wining at some more new places in the city. With the same entourage as last weekend, we decided to check out a Tapas Bar that we had been eyeing in Singapore's swanky Duxton Hill neighbourhood for quite some time now. The restaurant called Sabio has some mean Tapas and Sangria's to offer along with a live music band on weekends. With a long weekend in sight in a few days, conversation ranged from more travel planning to start-up ventures talk.
(It's a given in Singapore - that when you meet people socially, there will almost always be talk of new start-up ventures and travel itineraries! A marked difference from the social conversations one has in NYC for example - where everyone always talked of their jobs and/ or hobbies or activities that they indulged in outside of work. Most travel plans were to the usual destinations - Europe/Mexico/Canada/ India/ South America at the most, that too usually on 'long weekends' or in summer or over Xmas/ New Years. And of course there was a lot of 'culture-centric' talk - like the latest exhibits at The MOMA or other art events, Off-Broadway shows, movies and film festivals.....none of which are topics of social discussion here in Singapore, simply because not a lot of that 'culture stuff' happens here! 
In NYC, with most people working 'jobs in companies' the work-related discussions were at a different level. In Singapore, with everyone interested in setting up their own shop, the social talk scene is full of heads brimming with ideas and animated exchanges of 'business plans'. Singapore welcomes small-businesses, simplifying it to start-up something here relatively easily, so naturally many people decide to try their hand at their own venture while being based here. Besides, with it's proximity to India, this is yet another opportunity for Indians to start new operations that can be based in both countries.)
Since we were already in the area, we thought we'd take the party from Sabio to another Modern Mexican Taqueria and Garden bar (straight out of NYC, this one) called Lucha Loco! The fish tacos here is like none other we've ever had before, as recommended by our friends who took us here. Another must-revisit kinda place that has a great mix of good drinks, good food and excellent ambience with the right mix of people (Read: eye candy for men and women alike)!
Post-dinner drinks were at a Singaporean speakeasy (Yes, that prohibition phenomena is now a trend in Asia as well) called The Library! One needs to walk into the store next door and ask for the password, which gets one into the bar! Since we got there post 11 pm, the store was closed. But other guests leaving the speakeasy happily blurted the password out when we asked them for it. A somewhat pretentious phenomena this one - which in NYC probably still makes sense as it sticks to the relevant historical context. In Asia, it is a ridiculous plug-in - this 'make-believe' aura of suspense and mystique for a bar, which could really have just been there by itself, welcome for whoever to walk into. When you go to a speakeasy in NYC, such as PDT or The Back Room for instance, there is that discreet aura that surrounds you, making you feel like you've traversed a secret and are now in a space with others who've done the same, adding a 'clique-ish' charm to the whole act. In Singapore, all it makes you think is - "What really? I did all that 'password-digging-rubbish' for this?".
I don't know, I am not against plugging-in Western concepts if they work well, in the non-Western world, but when you 'faux-contextualize' things and then don't even offer an 'authentic experience' out of it in the end, is when I start having a problem! The plan for the next few weekends is to go exploring some more speakeasy's in town. Let's hope at least some of them know what they are talking about!

On that note, Breather Week was done! The next one is action-packed with more house-guests and travel!
Until then, take care and Thanks for reading!
Love,
Shweyta

Singapore Suitcases: Week 30 - Of global re-unions, contextual cooking at home & more weekend gluttony!

1. We got back from HongKong late Tuesday night and welcomed our dear friend Nicky, who was coming all the way from Phoenix, Arizona via Bangkok and Jakarta to Singapore! Such is life these days. We have the pleasure of having house guests who had never visited us in NYC, for the past decade that we lived there, inspite of being only a short flight away (Nicky is a classic case for this one. Having lived on the West coast of the country for all the years that I lived on the East, she hasn't once visited me in NYC, while I've visited her twice in her Californian & Arizonian homes). So clearly this was going to be a first for us - hosting her at our place and making her a part of our daily lives, even though it was only for two days.

2. Nicky is one of my oldest friends, part of a school girl group that celebrated it's 21st anniversary this year (We call ourselves 'The Nuts'.....Shhhh..Don't judge!) and is still going strong. You know the kinds who've not lived in the same city for over a decade, but have stayed in touch forever and still pick up exactly where they left things off, the last time they met, somewhere in the world! That's 'The Nuts' in a nutshell for you!
Although we had barely two nights in our hands during her visit here, we decided to make the most of that time, catching-up over non-stop chatter. This month was 'Global Re-union Month' for our girl gang - Nicky and I were meeting in Singapore this week, she and two others were meeting up in San Diego, CA next week and then Snehi (another one from the group) was going to visit me the week after! In this entire global criss-cross, the only two who were not going to meet this month were the best friend (Raga, who lives in San Diego) and myself. But otherwise, it was to be an extraordinary rest of the month for all of us, considering there were a lot of 'first times' involved here! Hopefully soon enough, we'll be able to organise a meetup when all of us can physically be at the same place at the same time - as conventional re-unions go!
With Nicky Maasi (What Zoe calls her) in town this week, naturally Zoe's 22nd month birthday was to be celebrated with her. The other half of this month's birthday will be with Snehi Maasi, Ira & Atit when they visit in a few days as well. Lucky Zoe gets to have multiple celebrations as she counts down to her 2nd year birthday! This Birthday Girl, couldn't be more overjoyed, from what I can tell!

3. I have started indulging in a lot of Asian cooking offlate. Having collected various sauces and teas from our recent travels across the continent, the pantry in our kitchen looks more exotic and oriental now, with it's assemblage of different types of fish/oyster/chilli sauces etc. We might need a mammoth larder in our next kitchen - the rate at which these sauces are springing up in this one! It's like a whole new world of cuisine just opened itself up and has now become a part of our daily diets at home. While some of it is obviously healthy (soups, sauteed green Asian herbs, steamed fish and the likes..), there is also an unhealthy yet delicious Asian 'twang' to some others (coconut milk or cream, condensed milk etc). But overall, it's been nice to incorporate our present context in our home-kitchen and serve up these Asian delicacies to ourselves and our guests as well!

4. We took Zoe to the Jurong Bird Park this week. Clearly she loved the bird park more than she did the Zoo. It makes me wonder if this was the case because birds are closer to her scale than animals are? Seeing animals in books, she has always "Awww"..ed away at rabbits, mice, hamsters and other little creatures. Perhaps that is why she appreciated the bird park more as she went "Parrot....Crow....Macau....Penguin..." etc rattling away bird names one after the other, as she saw them. The Jurong Bird Park, like the Singapore Zoo, is easily seen and experienced thoroughly in an afternoon, thus making for an ideal Sunday post-brunch trip. Having checked both off our list, we (Hubster and I) believe we are now done with wildlife fauna in Singapore, at least for the near future!

5. Having Global Health Insurance makes life pretty smooth if you travel as much as we do these days. It gets easier to see a Dentist in one country, go to a pediatrician in another and get a Health Check-up done in the third, without having to work around our schedules. This week Hubster and I went for our annual Health screenings - for the very first time in Singapore. Having had them previously in the US and in India, we were amazed at the technologically forward medical testing machines that our nurses employed for our various tests, here at the Mt. Elizabeth Medical Centre in Singapore. Trust Singapore to have state-of-the-art machines in their hospitals, what with even their governmental offices (post offices etc) being so hi-tech!

6. Weekend nights have been spent wisely, checking out of various restaurants and clubs that the city has to offer. With our days here being numbered hence forth, we figured we'd put our weekend nights to good use and help the Singapore F&B industry prosper even more than it already does. So a few of us went to dinner to Relish by Wild Rocket - a place that prides itself on it's modern Singaporean style cuisine (called Mod-Sing cuisine). Hubster had taken his team to their sister restaurant Wild Rocket, a few weeks ago and proposed that we try out this place. The five of us who went, loved the place. Situated in a quaint shop-house style of a building, close to where we live, this was another culinary treat. The loft-like ambience of the space lent itself well to the modern menu. With an extensive brunch menu that sounded irresistible, we've now decided to return here for a weekend brunch sometime.
The night continued at Nektar - a bar that prides itself on it's mixology, also located close to our place. We had been meaning to check this one off our list for a while now, having received rave reviews from friends. For a Friday evening, it was surprisingly not-too-packed. It's outdoor back garden, where we sat, gives the place not just an 'open air' feel literally speaking, but also brings in a casual lounge-y atmosphere, as if one is seated in one's own backyard with a good bartender serving up the drinks. The bartender did live up to his repute and served up some spectacular concoctions to those of us who decided to customize our own drinks. Another recommendation I would make for anyone looking for experimental cocktails in this city!

7. Lunch with Khyati - my lunch buddy of the past few months, was special this week as she announced her new gig - She is taking up a full-time job at NUS - The National University of Singapore. That also means, that since her workplace will be further away, our weekday lunch rituals might cease to exist in the near future, making way for some Friday evening post-work happy hours instead. We decided to give yet another Mexican restaurant a try - Casa Latina. Inspite of being run by two Indian owners (something we learnt of only when we got there. Not that there's anything wrong with that, but it does lift up the radar somehow!) this place had delicious Mexican fare, a rarity in Singapore, so with our cravings satisfied we were two happy lunchers that afternoon.
Here's wishing Khyati good luck on her new gig and hoping to keep our weekday lunch conversations going over weekend drinks here on!

That's all for this week! See you on the other side of the next!
Thanks for reading!
Love,
Shweyta

Singapore Suitcases: Week 29.5 - Of HongKong and why I could live there - Part 2!

1. HongKong was special for many reasons, mostly though because this was the first international trip where Zoe and I were going a-gallivanting all by ourselves! Hubster was here on work, so for two out of the four days that we spent here, the little one and I, day-tripped around by ourselves.
Hubster had spent the weekend with us, when we practically saw all the islands in this fantastic dynamic city and scaled all it's ups and downs (literally speaking), as we went about doing most of the 'must-do's' in this city.
On Monday and Tuesday, Zoe and I packed ourselves off early after a heavy breakfast, to go explore the 'other' side of the city. I had researched quite a bit and compiled a list of things to do in HK, with a baby in tow, making sure it listed stuff that would interest me and her, without being too 'baby-ish' (Read: No Zoo's, Bird parks, aquariums, theme parks etc). We have fantastic versions of all those in Singapore thankfully, hence they were first on our 'avoid-list' on this trip.
So we started our Monday with a long train ride, changing 3 trains as we went along, to go visit the Chi Lin Nunnery and the Nan Lian garden, both next door to each other. I was prepared for a lot of 'weight lifting' going by my experience from the previous two days around town in HK, knowing for sure that there will be an unwelcome set of stairs that I must encounter at least once in my journey with the little one. Usually, releasing her from her stroller (Yup, releasing is the right word there) so she can walk up the stairs with me, is the easiest solution in such situations. But a bird once freed does not usually like to be caged again! (For lack of a better analogy, but all you Mommies with similar monkeys for children, you know the feeling). 
Anyhoo, the nunnery was beautiful, like a solemn spot of quietude in the middle of the city. Having been built in the 1930's this temple complex with wooden architecture, houses several statues in gold, clay and wooden statues of Buddha and bodhisattvas.
Frankly speaking though, it was the outdoor landscapes that interested me more than the divinity within the temple. It took me back to Bryant Park - Yes, you read that right! Bryant Park in Manhattan! The city's very own oasis of green between the high-rises that surround it. All major American cities, especially in their densest urbanity, have a park like Bryant Park (LA, SF, Chicago, NYC etc). The Chi Lin Nunnery and the Nan Lian Gardens across it, are HongKong's very own ode to Bryant Park!
The tranquility in the nunnery calls for a similar response from it's visitor - something even Little Zoe realised, who seemed to have decided that she'd be on her best behaviour while here. As we walked around the landscaped areas of the nunnery, glancing at the statues at times but more so looking around us at the tall HK buildings that peered into this oasis, we probably knew that silence of this degree doesn't often come into our lives. The 'Zen' that emanated from the nunnery was only interrupted, that too if at all, by the soothing sounds of the water falling in the courtyard or the fish blowing bubbles in their pond nearby. (Yes, it was that quiet here!) No wonder then my research had revealed this to be a top-spot for Mommy-Baby outings in this city. It seemed to be the perfect 'pacifier' (in more ways than one) any Mom would be thankful for!
The Nan Lian Gardens were across the street from the Nunnery. Located in the middle of Urban Kowloon, these gardens further the experience of tranquil that one experiences in the Nunnery. Here, deliberate attempts have been made in the landscape to place noise barriers that shield the gardens from the sound of traffic outside. This is a classic example of a traditional landscaped Tang-Style Chinese garden. Another oasis of sorts, one sees dynamic backdrops here. Scenic mountain ranges of Lion Rock, Tate's Cairn, Temple Hill and Kowloon Peak are all visible from here. With features such as the Chinese Timber Gallery, a Lotus Pond with a stunning gold pavillion, it's own Rockery, multiple bridges and galleries this is one place to spend an ideal afternoon in, especially appealing to curious adults and kids alike.
The Garden also has it's very own Vegetarian Restaurant - The Chi Lin Vegetarian Restaurant (managed by the Chi Lin Nunnery across, hence the name) which we fell upon during our stroll here, almost exactly at lunch time.

2. HongKong surprised me in it's Vegetarian cuisine. Having heard of the recent new spate of bird flu in the city, I'd made a conscious decision to try to stay vegetarian/ pesceterian on this trip. Hence, these gems of Chinese style Vegetarian restaurants that I came across almost every where I went in the city, were happily welcomed. The Chi Lin Vegetarian restaurant is a family-style eatery, where like in the case of other similar places, one can pick a pre-fixe multiple course menu or order a la carte. Zoe and I went a la carte, choosing to try some sauteed tofu with bean curd, vegetarian shu mai and a clear glass noodle broth packed with the freshest of vegetables. As we both slurped away, I had a tough time trying to convince her eager self that the chopsticks weren't really going to be as easily manageable for her, as a fork. Finally she succumbed to the idea and gave in to being fed by me, using the chopsticks of course! I like to believe it was her way to assimilate in the surroundings! She did prove me right as she comfortably ate out of our chopsticks throughout the trip. In fact, as part of her 'Asian assimilation' process, I've recently bought her and all my besties' kids (my little nephews and nieces), pairs of 'training chopsticks' so they can eat Asian meals the Asian way!

3. Post-lunch we wandered along a bit more, Zoe trailing random birds and babies in the garden while I went shutter-happy with my DSLR. I was letting her run around and play for a while, so that she'd be ok sitting in her stroller for the next couple of hours, as we took more trains to head out towards HongKong's many specialty markets.
Our first specialty market was the 'Flower Market' - very reminiscent of Dadar's Flower Market in Mumbai or a rather run-down, Asian version of the Chelsea flower market in NYC. The street began and ended with flowers. It was like a dream full of flowers of every possible kind. As I successfully maneuvered the little one's stroller through the narrow sidewalks, I realized I had quite the skilfull 'flower-plucker' on my hands here. For at the end of the street, when I turned down to look at her, Zoe had created her own little flower-arrangement that could beat the one's being displayed in any of the gazillion shops that lined the streets of this amazing floral market. Thankfully, this was not Singapore and we would not be put behind bars for taking what is not ours!
At the end of the Flower market was our next stop - the Yuen Po Street Bird Garden. While researching I had expected this to be a nice, quaint, back-garden of sorts, tucked away at the end of a noisy street market, where I could perhaps find a patch of green or a bench to sit down on with Zoe, as she munched away on her afternoon snack. But this place was for from that. A revelation of sorts - the Yuen Po Street Bird Garden was our first initiation at what the rest of our afternoon was going to look like. It is a marketplace to sell captured birds! As we strolled through it, cage after cage, in every possible variety of design, appeared before us, with exotic birds within them, shrieking away, cacophonously as if asking to be set free. At first I was not sure what to make of it. And I wondered why this was on the list of things to be done with children in this city. But then I reminded myself that there was tradition rooted in this place. An age old Chinese hobby - of old men taking care of their exotic feathered song-birds in return for their melodies and tunes, was what was on display here. This long, rectangular garden serves as a short-cut crossing for many regulars, who walk past it on a daily basis perhaps, en route to work. But for first-timers such as Zoe and myself, this was more than just a garden. It was history frozen in time and we were no one to judge!

4. Once Zoe was done snacking away to the sounds of beautiful songbirds, all of whom she happily yelled out to calling "Birdyyy..Awww....Birdyyyy" and pretending to cajole and careen with her hands, we left to walk a bit more, towards the next specialty market on our list. This was the Toy Street - Fuk Wing Street, where 'Made in China' toys screamed aloud from stalls stacked next to each other, endlessly all along the length of the street. Another high point for Zoe, who was clearly having a great time, what with all her senses coming alive one after the other. HongKong used to be famous for it's Toy manufacturing until recently when all that got moved to the Mainland. For now, it's just streets like these which keep that memory alive for it's many 'toy-collector' citizens.

5. The next market we walked across to was the 'Goldfish Market'. This is a 'pet-store' on steroids, possibly the largest and most diverse pet-store I've ever seen, that too out on the street (unlike a Petco in The US, for example). What starts off with 'goldfish' in individual transparent water-filled bags, moves on to reptiles/ turtles/ tortoises, rabbits, hamsters, cats and dogs in glass boxes, packed one on top of the other, incessantly voicing their disapprovals at being kept on display this insensitively. Again, I reminded myself to not judge, but just keep calm and carry on. My DSLR seemed upset with me and refused to point and shoot any longer, after a point, when all I could do was walk past store after store, wondering if there was even a more 'sensitive' way of carrying on this animal trade? The daughter too, who started off exclaiming in delight at the little "Goldfishyy's" and "Tortoise's" that she kept seeing as we walked on the street, eventually subsided and just plainly stared in horror at little kittens and puppies that were kept captive, to be presented to potential buyers. In my mind, I had brought her to yet another Zoo, the kinds that one can see only here - in China! While it was important to walk along these corridors to understand and assmiliate ourselves in their lives and trades, what was probably unexpected for us, was this sudden feeling of sadness that clouded around. The same feeling which after a point, made me put my camera down with shame and made her go suddenly quiet, while looking at the caged animals. I could bet the puzzled looks she gave me were to say - "Mumma, why are they inside and not running around everywhere, like in my books?" In a way I am glad she could not ask me this verbally, for I would not have any answer to give to her. All I could have then said to her, which is what I did sooner than later is - "Let's go home Zoe."

6. The evening cheered us both up a bit, as Hubster returned and the three of us decided to take a post-dinner walk around our hotel - at Times Square, HongKong! It wouldn't be fair to compare the two, so we didn't bother - the real Times Square and this fake Chinese one. All we did is walk around, taking in he night lives of the millions of HongKongers or HongKongese (depending on if you felt like referring to their British or Chinese legacy, respectively), marveling away at the multiple street food stalls and the crowds that ate at them. Street-side eating has got to be Asia's favourite way to eat! Age-old slim and slender, tall trams alternated with double-decker buses, creating a wonderful collage across time and space, of the past and the present, of the colonizers and the colonized.

7. The next morning, Zoe and I set off once again, this time after having 'checked-out' of our hotel room and leaving our bags with the concierge, for Day 2 of a-gallivanting around the city. We were hoping to go to HongKong Park for some light-hearted recreational fun. HongKong Park has among many other regular park-features a small aviary and the Flagstaff House Museum of Tea-ware, which was of particular interest to me (What with my new-found love for everything 'tea' since we moved to Asia). But as it turned out, my wonderful ex-colleague and good friend Cho (who had spent Sunday with us, showing us around town with his wife Jin) insisted that Zoe and I have lunch with him and then visit his brand new work space- an office he's set up on his own in HK, since the past 3 years now. We couldn't possibly decline, so the HongKong Park also makes it way to the list-of-things-to-do-the-next-time-we-visit-here.

8. Zoe and I met Cho at the 'Tai Koo' MTR stop. By now, I was getting used to remembering Chinese-sounding train station names. Singapore gives you good practice for stuff like that, somehow, although the eventual Malay names do ease up the effort one needs to make, in Singapore to remember difficult and similar-sounding Chinese station names. In HK for example, one can find train stations that baffle a newcomer such as - Tai Wo, Tai Fu, Tai Wo Hau, Tai Wai, Tai Koo, Tai Shui Hang....and the list goes on. There is a station called Wan Chai just as there is one called Chai Wan. And of course there are the welcome-break providing British names that English-speaking tourists such as myself, appreciate and remember best - such as Diamond Hill, Prince Edward, Admiralty, Olympic, Jordan, Causeway Bay, Fortress Hill etc. Another reason why I am tempted to live or visit here more often - is to get comfortable enough with the Chinese dialect (Cantonese and Mandarin) so that I could differentiate and more importantly appreciate the similar sounding names of places, without actually reducing them down to mere 'Chinese' names only. Living in Singapore sort of does that - acquaints and familiarizes one enough with a few Asian languages, their sounds, meanings and dialects, so that one understands and gets one tongue used to pronunciations that one hardly ever had to botherwith before, living largely in a world where everyone spoke or understood English!

9. For lunch, Cho suggested an "amazing' sushi place he frequents, close to Tai Koo station, for old times sake (When Cho and I worked at 14 Wall Street in NYC, we'd often go eat sushi lunches close to work). Besides, he got me all excited to use this as an opportunity to introduce sushi to Zoe and see what she thinks of it. So we went to Sen-Ryo where we picked freshly made sushi traversing before us on a conveyor belt, onto our plates. My experiment was fruitful and Zoe happily munched away at bits of sushi with rice, sea weed and semi-sauteed salmon on it.
(I've been asked often, why I am so experimental with a two year old - giving her 'alien' foods, street foods this often. My logic has always been, if other kids her age are eating it somewhere in the world, she can do it too. Besides I think that is Zoe's logic too, since she's always asking to eat, what other's eat in front of her, so it's all good so far!)
Zoe didn't think much of the egg roll though, which I realized later was sweet!!! Not a particularly delectable sushi offering even to my taste buds, I must say, that one! Next up was a clear bowl of Udon soup, that Cho was having, which Zoe insisted on 'force-sharing'. I had a wonderful baby-sitter in 'Uncle Cho' that afternoon, who ordered a separate udon soup just for his new little friend and happily fed her it's entire contents with his chopsticks. My first experiment at Japanese cuisine with the young one, was checked, making me a very happy Mumma that day!

10. Cho's lovely office was a short walk from the sushi place, where we spent the rest of the afternoon, discussing his work, other international architectural projects, competitions and our fun times together. We planned a tentative re-union with the entire team that worked together on the design and conception of the Mumbai International Airport Project, hoping to make the reunion happen in Mumbai, before the end of this year. That will certainly be something to look forward to, especially as the airport opens it's doors the public soon. Cho's architectural firm is working on projects in Korea and on some other international competitions. Inspite of being South Korean, he chooses to base himself in HongKong, so as to be in the 'Centre of Asia' at an easy access and vantage point for international projects on this side of the world. Here is his firm's website - http://theeae.com/home.htm.
Hubster's HongKong office is close to Cho's place of work, so Hubster walked over to spend some time with us there. Zoe who had taken it upon herself as a personal project to colour every sheet of paper placed before her by Cho, with his multi-coloured markers, was pleasantly surprised at seeing "Papa" albeit for just a few minutes, appear out of nowhere, in the afternoon.
Soon it was time to bid goodbye to 'Uncle Cho' who will be sorely missed, especially each time Zoe needs to be fed efficiently and quickly with chopsticks! With a promise to meet again soon, in Mumbai or Singapore this time, Zoe and I, waved our goodbye's to Cho and took the train back to the hotel.

It was time to leave for the airport, where we would meet Hubster again, at the ticket check-in. Another beautiful, and especially memorable trip had come to an end! HongKong had captivated all of us and we knew when we were leaving, that we were not done with it yet. Perhaps at some point in the future we might return to visit or stay a bit longer - which of the two it will be, we don't know yet, but what we do know for sure is, We 'll be back. For many many reasons but most of all because Zoe only knows how to say "Nee Hao KongKong" and hasn't yet learned how to say 'Goodbye' to this city, in it's language yet!

Singapore Suitcases: Week 29 - Of HongKong and why I could live there - Part 1!

1. Everyone who heard I was heading to HongKong this week, for the very first time ever, presumed I would love the city.They were right and how!
Few cities have the spark in them that ignites my fire -enough to have me say those famous 4 words - "I can live here!" This week I am happy to announce Hong Kong is one of them!
Going from swanky, posh, squeaky clean and super-new Singapore, HongKong obviously came across as the good ol', grungy, rough-edged, gritty, hard city - the characteristics in an urbanity that I am so much in awe of. It's weathered, well-seasoned look reeked of a historic colonial past, something it shares with Singapore as well. Yet, in Singapore that past peeks at you from behind sanitized clean buses or train stations that all look alike. HongKong lets it's urbanity co-exist with it's colonialism - every train station looks different, there is no trace of an overall all-encompassing stroke of uniformity over the city as is strikingly evident in the face of Singapore. And in HongKong, people abound, possibly in a quantity that would only be yielded if you put all the New Yorkers and Mumbaikars together. HongKong has hills and mountains and tall towers everywhere. Towers on flat lands and towers on mountains, making it the tallest vertical city I've ever been to; where even a hard-core Manhattan-ite would sprain their neck out of arching it so much, to find the top of a tower, from the street level. It's insanely packed density lends it an equally insane (in a nice way) energy, a spectacular drive and enthusiasm that inherently puts a spring in one's first step and an immediate leap in the second. Although not as cosmopolitan as Singapore, being mostly Chinese due to it's allegiance to the mainland, the city projects a global air like none other - none of it's Western counterparts for sure! Sometimes I wonder if people like me who've spent over a decade of their lives in NYC are just so taken by living there that we do not realize how narrow and 'West-centric' our world-view really becomes. Cities like HongKong make one realize that there are a few other places in the world, where multiple worlds collide and co-exist, without actually melting into each other. So while it may be called Asia's New York, I wonder if New York will ever be able to match-up, to be called America's HongKong someday?

2. The weekend was spent visiting Lantau Island by cable car, much to the delight of the wonder-eyed Zoe, who pointed to the glass floor of the cable car, as it soared above the hills and the ocean, yelling "Look Mamma, Trees...Look Mamma, Water" underneath. The glass-floored cable car ride (as against the opaque-floored cable car ride) is a must-do on a visit to HongKong. This cable car takes one across several hills and forests, looming over the South China sea, sailing into the clouds, all the way up to see the World's Tallest Buddha aka Tian Tan Buddha at Ngong Ping on Lantau Island.
On most days HongKong is misty and dewy and the Saturday afternoon we were up there, was no different. For many Buddhist devotees this is a real pilgrimage and as goes with most pilgrimages, the path to the destination is often as important as the destination itself. While in the cable car, we could sight a few people hiking their way up endless stairs, all the way up to the Buddha, on what seemed like a beautiful trail that wound through thick, lush rainforests and multiple shades of greens, going up and down mountains.
A friend who's lived in HK for a few years now, had advised us to eat lunch at the 'Vegetarian Kitchen' - the cafetaria of the Po Lin Monastery, where the monks prepare a simple yet delightful vegetarian lunch - the kinds one can only get at a monastery. It was one of the best tips ever on this trip. The three of us (baby included) savoured the three course meal, (which might seem bland to some at first but then the freshness of the ingredients makes up for it), as we washed it down with sips of warm comforting green tea - a perfect culinary experience to go with the place and the temperature which had slightly dipped with an increase in altitude.
There are about 260 steps from the base of the Buddha statue to the top and fortunately we are at a stage now where our eager toddler insists on climbing at least 80% of these, what with going up and down stairs/ escalators being one of her favourite activities during transit. The funny part was when she reached the top and strained her neck upwards to look up at the Buddha Statue that sat serenely perched with one hand in a 'blessing' pose. In Little Zoe's books, where words such as 'blessing' and 'prayer' do not exist, this was just another 'Uncle' seated up there, engaging her with a mighty "Hi five" to which she respectfully retorted - "Hi five" causing much amusement among the tourists and locals alike! At least this wasn't half as embarrassing as when she pointed out to the gleaming white head of the Laughing Buddha in Vietnam and yelled out "Mumma...Look Moon" making her Mumma break out into silly, sheepish smiles suddenly!

3. Our hotel - The Excelsior Mandarin Oriental was nicely located in Causeway Bay, close to the MTR station (It's funny how trains all over the world play around with their acronyms - MRT somewhere is MTR someplace else).
We were welcomed with what can possibly be called one of the most delicious cups of green tea I have ever had in my life yet (And I've had quite a few of them, given my recent fascination for collecting natural teas on all our travels). Contrary to some mass-churned out 'Welcome drinks' that we've had on our earlier travels, this one stood out in utmost sincerity, pledging it's allegiance to the place and people, like none other. I was already sold on the idea of living here, given the chance - with a basic green tea being so soul-stirringly delicious, who wouldn't want to?

4. I have always believed the best way to a see a city is by traveling through it, like it's middle-class does - using it's public transport, traversing edges like the common man, striking up conversations with random strangers/ co-passengers sitting next to you. HongKong gave me ample opportunity to do exactly that - what with it's diverse opportunities to ride a tram/train/bus/taxi/ferry/ cable car in the 4 days that we spent there.
Unlike in Singapore, we took the train everywhere we went to, in HK. Even the two exclusive 'Mommy & Zoe' days we spent there, were entirely traversed around by train, hopping between islands, train stations, escalators and turnstiles.
The train systems in Asia are relatively newer than in the West, making them that much more efficient and (signage-wise) more advanced to use. All exits are called out as letters of the alphabet (A,B,C etc) and sub-exits within larger exits are broken down further into A1,A2,A3 etc, so one knows exactly where one needs to go, unlike the NYC Subway for instance, that only calls out sub-exits as per direction (Northeast/ Southwest etc).
The 'Octopus card' works like a charm, being accepted anywhere and everywhere you go (shops, restaurants, trains, buses, taxis) just as the 'SMRT' card works in Singapore similarly. In fact at the end of your stay, the Octopus card can also be returned at train stations for a credit for the leftover amount on it, sans a 'processing fee', which is a highly effective system to facilitate ease in public transport.
Station platforms are quite narrow, but railings put up everywhere around escalator landings, make it easy for people to circulate uniformly across the length of the train, versus crowding at certain 'door' spots alone. For a change, unlike in Singapore, it's nice to hear train announcements in just two (Chinese & English) and not four languages (Mandarin, Malay, Tamil & English). I know I am going to miss this multi-lingualism in public announcements, when I move back to The States next year!

Trams that look like slender, slimmer versions of BEST double decker buses, with a romantic colonial air still navigate the busy streets of HK. The street-scape of this city is as dynamic as the people walking on it are. I went on a happy shutter-frenzy clicking away at streets - trying to capture all the modes of transport on them often. Fortunately I managed a few shots with trams and buses criss-crossing each other in narrow lanes, as red rustic taxis sped past expensive high-end cars.

My only qualms about the public transportation system in HK were - Well none whatsoever actually! My qualms about the public who were using the transportation were - that not many wanted to help me - a lady wearing a backpack pushing a stroller with a child in it! I am not the mother who expects help usually, especially when the system is designed for me to be independent enough. But when it is not and I have to haul a stroller and a pretty heavy kid up a long flight of stairs, I think I'd be happy with some helpful intervention!
It's probably a cultural thing, I know, but with all the multi-ethnic living we are doing in big cities these days, surely there's been a sprinkle of this 'etiquette' around too? In HK, as I found out, not as much!
That is how I believe the West spoils you - Having become a mother in that part of the world. I've pretty much taken for granted that random strangers will help mothers-with-strollers-standing-at-the-ends-of-staircases, like me. My interaction with locals all over Asia this far has taught me clearly that "When in China, don't expect help"...... So I knew I was pushing my luck when I stood lazily at the end of a long flight of stairs, pretending to look all lost and forlorn with a 'How-will-I-do-this?' kinda look on my face, while Zoe peacefully snored away in her stroller.
As in Singapore, where I usually just squat like a Sumo wrestler and weight-lift the stroller in it's entirety with Zoe sitting in it, in HongKong the terribly long flights of stairs from the underground train stations to the street levels above brought out the sheer 'lazy' in me. 5 out of the 6 such times that I stood at HK stations, I must confess, help did come to me. But always after a good 5 minutes had been spent by me, standing there, waiting for it to arrive. And when it did arrive, it was almost always in the form of a young Chinese/ European/American man - clearly one who had acquired this 'nicety' of helping a stranger from having lived abroad.

5. Unlike most of Asia, HK is blessed with seasons and a topography that is so dynamic, that it creates temperature dips. We welcomed the dip in temperature we faced, when we went up to The Peak - one of HongKong's most popular vantage points. Reminiscent of San Francisco in an odd sort of way, the Peak is another must-do on a short or long itinerary to this city. It can usually be accessed by a 120 year old railway, called - The Peak Tram. Unfortunately, the lines for the Peak Tram were long and winding and with no patience to wait it out for over 2 hours, we took the easy way out and flagged a taxi down, to go all the way to the top. We knew we were giving a classic HK experience a miss as we were doing this, but in our hearts we thought this was the perfect excuse to plot a return trip here sometime - just to experience this magnificent, almost-vertical train ride, that rises 1,300 feet above sea-level and for that reason alone needs to be taken, at least once in a life time!  

6. Language was not a problem in HK. Well not as much as it was in Vietnam at least. Most people spoke/ understood English. Those who didn't, understood what I meant, through my incredibly expressive dumb-charade acts that I have now successfully mastered over the last 8 months of being an expat-traveler in Asia. They are such an ingrained part of my personality now that sometimes the Hubster needs to remind me, that he does understand English and I can do without the 'descriptive handy-work' in his case!
*If you do visit hard-core ethnic restaurants in neighbourhoods such as Sham Shui Po though, you might need to know some Cantonese or alternatively be really good at dumb charades, to explain to the wait-staff what you'd like for supper! 

7. My ex-colleague from NYC and his wife, both Koreans, now live in HK. They were gracious enough to spend their entire Sunday with us, taking us around Kowloon (the island across from HongKong island), through it's crowded markets and heritage structures. With them we took the famous Star Ferry from Kowloon back to HongKong island, walked the Kowloon waterfront, window-shopped through the 1881 Heritage area, ate lunch at a random local Chinese eatery called Tam's Yunnan Noodles in the Sham Shui Po  area, where we ordered a deliciously vegetarian fare entirely through gesture-making and later had the most delightful mango, rice, red bean, matcha & green tea Asian desserts at HoneyMoon Desserts. We also strolled along the famous Ladies Market - buying and bargaining our way through Chinese fare, while the little one partially slept, partially sang her way all afternoon long, keeping everyone entertained throughout!

.....To be continued!
The remainder of the trip crosses over the weekend and into the next week. Stay tuned for more, in next week's update!
Shweyta