Is This Really Asia?

So lazy days are here again. Today I called it a low day and hung with the boys in the apartment. David had meetings from 1pm onward till about 6, so we thought we’d go grab some quick lunch at a hawker stand and buy a bottle of wine for Brandon, so show our appreciation for all his time and kindness during our time in Singapore. I let the kids nap while Dave took off, and then when they woke up I ushered them into the car so I could try one last run for a couple of baby items. I had looked in the phone book and found a store that purported to have lots of baby stuff. So onward we headed. Only I didn’t realize how far away it was—like 20-30 minutes from the apt. When we pulled up it looked like we pulled into an industrial shipping complex. I didn’t see a store front and became weary. It seemed for naught, as Declan was melting down the entire cab ride over, and I had reached my “fit” threshold for the day. But the cabby assured me that his place did have stores, and told me that according to the address it was on the top floor. I didn’t want to try and find a cab way out here, so I asked him to wait while I ventured upward. So I drug a screaming and crying toddler and Dashel (whom I wore) up 6 flights of stairs (no elevator) to look for a store I wasn’t sure existed, and to my great delight actually found it. Declan literally cried and screamed the whole way up. And I knew I couldn’t carry him, given I was already wearing the baby. So I drug him up. I picked up a few things and headed back out, so happy to be going back to the apartment. Ever have one of those days with a toddler? (I’m sure my mom is nodding in agreement for all the times I did the same thing to her!)



When Dave got home (just a few minutes after us), we piled back into a cab and went to eat at a restaurant Brandon had recommended and made reservations for us at, down on the waterside. So we headed to a place called Palm Beach in an area called One Fullerton Place. There are lots of restaurants there facing the promenade where there are outdoor tables overlooking the waterfront and the Singapore skyline. It was really lovely. Palm Beach is known for their Chili crab, of which I could have none, because it’s made with egg. This whole trip I’ve had to watch what I eat because Dashel is very allergic to eggs, nuts and corn (other things, too, just not as bad). And I’m finding that egg hides it lots of food. So we ordered a lot of food, and I let Dave partake of the chili crab—a Singaporian national dish. Declan tried dried anchovies with sugar on top and a sweet chili sauce for dipping. He tried fried Calamari steaks with a fresh pureed pineapple sauce. He had a hoot of a time with a prawn he named and had dance around the table. At the end of the dinner he finally let Dave crack him open and ate some of it. It reminded me of the time when I went to Louisiana with my mom to visit her friend, and they had a crawfish boil, and just dumped bags and bags of crawfish on the table, and I wouldn’t eat it. I just played with a crawfish and made him dance. Anyway, Declan added to his palate today, and had a fun time, too. We walked around Merlion Park on the waterfront after dinner. The Singaporians belive the Merlion (part lion with a mermaid tail) founded the island of Singapore. Just local folklore. So we let Declan play in the spray of the Merlion (it shoots water from its mouth into the river), and marveled at the number of cranes in the Singapore sky—much like Dubai. Because of Singapore’s size, a lot of building happens upward into the sky. Most people live in highrises, not freestanding houses. So there are always new highrises going in. The total population of Singapore is 4 1/2 million (tiny when you think Southern California has 17 million people) and 500,000 of those are Expats. And really, tonight Singapore felt no different than the US. Dave even commented that LA’s Chinatown was more “asian” than Singapore.

We headed back to the apt from the usual taxicab stand. They have taxicab stands all over Singapore where you go to catch a cab. You can’t just hail one down on the side of the road like you do in New York. You have to go to a preset place to catch one. And I can see the benefit in this—a lot less cars holding up traffic, picking up people who need a cab. And what I found really funny was how clean all the taxis are here. REALLY clean. They have signs that say no food or drinks in the car (which made me think of growing up with my dad, who also didn’t allow food or drinks in his cars). And in the trunk of each car (we used the trunk a lot to store the stroller) was a cleaning organizer with cleaning products in it. No lie. Every one of them. I don’t know if it’s state mandated, or if people just take a lot of pride in how their cars look inside and outside (which wouldn’t surprise me given how success and appearance oriented they are).

You know, I’ve been thinking of this blog and how I’ve been writing about different cultures, and I’ve been wondering what it would be like for someone to spend like 2 years traveling through the US writing about our culture. Like the Frenchman de Touqeville did in the 18th Century. What would they say about us? I think about this a lot.

So that was today. Pictures to come in a few days. Tomorrow we fly out, so the rest of tonight we pack.