A new chapter for our blogging

Thank you so much for checking out our blog these last couple of years!

Since putting our passports away (except for the more usual short vacations these days), we’ve been working on building a more permanent life in Singapore.

That said, I’m still keen to keep up my blogging so have started a new one called “Singapore Flings and Slings”. It’ll be about stuff I enjoy doing, seeing, eating and drinking in Singapore, as well as vacation trip reports. Check it out at: www.singaporeflings.wordpress.com.

Thank you again for all of your support and hope that we’ll have a chance to dust off this blog in the future…you never know what life will bring or when our travel bug bites again!

Singapore techy infrastructure, driving and other observations

Sorry for not posting for awhile! It has been a busy couple of months in Singapore. But here are some cool things to share based on a few more months of settling in.

First, there is really smart technology built into the infrastructure, which you don’t find in North America or Europe.

My favorites that I’ve experienced so far are:

1. Cash card for parking lots and toll roads: You just put a pre-paid card into your car’s reader, and most parking lots and toll roads automatically deduct from the stored value. So, no need to take a slip when you enter a lot or toll area, or queue up to pay & fumble for your wallet when you exit. When you’re low, you can top-up at 7Elevens or ATMs. Yes! ATMs…

Settling into 400 square feet!

After a couple of week staying with Elvin’s parents, we finally found a spot to call our own. This is a temporary 2 month rental, so that we can get a better feel of the neighborhoods and figure out what we’re doing professionally, before committing to something longer-term. We love that it’s in the heart of the city, very close to the main shopping area (Orchard) and business district. It has a great pool and gym. It’s close to good food options too. The only catch is…it’s really small. 400 square feet small.

Chinese New Year Snacks – Singapore Style!

We are celebrating the arrival of the Year of the Snake in Singapore. Hooray for the end of our year of travel – we are settling down for good here!

Yesterday, lots of family descended on Elvin’s parents’ condo. It was a joyous, packed and noisy affair!

Just in time for the holidays…or your new year’s travel resolution

Now that our trip is coming to an end, here are some great products that deserve our thanks. Tried and true, they have served us well this past year. We would highly recommend them for all of your own travel adventures!

1. Fluxus nomad travel scarf: Amazingly soft and thin, this looks good draped around your neck in hot or cold climates (drape more tightly for warmth). But it is also big enough to use as a blanket for cold flights, and it is very very multi-functional. Here are just a couple more things I’ve done with this baby: dress-up shawl, umbrella, picnic blanket, beach blanket, sarong, smelly city mask, head scarf and towel. Oh, and it’s made of cotton so it’s very easy to wash.

My favorite sights in Rajasthan

We spent a total of 30 days in India, which is the maximum for someone who obtained a visa on arrival. (thank you, Singapore passport!) We started off in Delhi, Agra and Kerala (see Catherine’s earlier post) and then flew back up to Rajasthan for a grand tour of the great cities of Jaipur, Jodhpur, Jaisalmer and Udaipur. This was then capped up with a relaxing week in Goa with lots of meditation, yoga and vegetarian food – the best I’ve ever had!

1. Jantar Mantar

Since Astronomy 101 at Penn, I’ve developed a soft spot for stars and constellations. The Jantar Mantar observatory in Jaipur was right up my alley – basically what you get when you give a astro-fanatic a lot of money and power.  He commissioned a number of ingenious contraptions to view the stars and tell time ; all on prime land in the city, right next to his magnificent palace

2. Amber Fort

This fort near Jaipur is located on a hill. We got up there via elephant, which was actually quite fun even though it felt cheesy at times. The folks here were very commercially minded. The elephant ‘driver’ demanded tips, and budding photographers took our photos on the way up (even though we said no and looked away). These photographers were very persistent, following us all the way to the fort entrance and even waiting for us two hours later when we came out of the fort!

Procession of elephants

Lovely window screens for ladies of the harem to look out without being seen

View from the fort – the walls feel a little like the Great Wall of China

3. Desert Safari

We went on a desert safari near Khuri, and slept under the stars for a night. Not the most comfortable, but certainly memorable!

Happy camel

Kid running the camel

Desert sunset

4. Jodphur Fort

This was one of the most enjoyable parts of our Rajasthan trip. Catherine found out about this flying fox (zipline) experience that was offered at the fort ; I was a little skeptical but it turned out to be fantastic. There were 6 ziplines in all and the scenery was just breathtaking. Each line was really long, and the price also very reasonable – just ~US$20!

Family portrait – kudos to Daddy and Mommy for being so brave!

5. Jain temple near Ranakpur

Set in the hills of Ranakpur, this level of craftsmanship in this temple made from marble was simply amazing.

Intricate carvings on the ceilings- there were lots of these in the temple.

1.5 weeks in, some pictures from India

We are just over a week and a half into our trip in India. It’s been hard, noisy, and dirty, but also incredibly colorful and rewarding. Here are some of my favourite pictures so far, in no particular (and definitely not chronological) order…

Arriving after midnight at Delhi airport. Yay we’re in India!

Elvin’s (mock?) yoga pose, after we reach the summit of our Munnar hike:

Silk Road Adventures 2–Kashgar to China / Pakistan Border

From Dunhuang, we took an overnight train to Urumqi and caught a flight to Kashgar which is in the far west of China, in Xinjiang province.

Kashgar is also the cultural center for the Muslim Uighur minority in China. Our first stop in Kashgar was the Grand Bazaar, where Catherine acquired a Uighur (faux) fur hat.

Besides hats, stoves are also available for those interested in staying warm for the winter.

Chillies are another alternative.

On a more serious note, people buy and sell all kinds of things there. I think it is also a wholesale market for the region– below is a (overloaded) truck full of goods purchased from the market by dealers in smaller towns and villages. If you look closely at the bottom of the truckbed, Pepsi has a commanding presence in this town.

.

We also checked out the Sunday livestock market in Kashgar, where one can buy and sell camels, donkeys, sheep etc.

The highlight of our time in the Kashgar region was a 3 day / 2 night side trip to Tashkurgan and the China / Pakistan border. Really amazing, unforgettable scenery and people.

The Chinese-Pakistan border

We stayed near Lake Karakul on the second night, with a community of Kirgiz herders.

These sheep were kicked out of a pen after they were found to have the wrong identifying marks.

On our last day, the skies cleared up and we were able to get some amazing photos of the lake. The lake seemed to be ‘breathing’ – you can see the vapors.

Cat’s photo of me taking the previous photo.

Have you ever seen a mountain by a sand dune by a lake?

Silk Road Adventures 1 – Lanzhou to Dunhuang

We dedicated the last week of our China adventure to following the ancient Silk Road that runs from Xi’an in Central China to Europe. We’d both been to Xi’an before so we decided to give that a miss and start from Lanzhou city in Gansu instead.

First stop, Lanzhou, capital of Gansu province. Gansu is home to the Gobi desert where lots of fossils are found, and hence this provincial museum has some excellent original (not replica!) dinosaur skeletons. The dinosaur exhibit unfortunately has a very annoying mechanical T-rex ‘greeter’ set to max volume.

Some of the dinosaurs have funky names

We then took an overnight train from Lanzhou to Jiayuguan. We were able to reserve deluxe soft sleeper berths with a private WC – very luxurious by China standards, and usually reserved for government officials. [Tip: reserve 12 days ahead at the official website  http://www.12306.cn to get best seats at lowest prices]

Jiayuguan was the border for Ming dynasty China, and is home to some stunning sections of the great wall.

Next stop was Dunhuang, home to some amazing Buddhist grottoes. Photos were not allowed at the original grottos but we were able to take some photos at the replica caves and in the museum.

Dunhuang is also home to cheesy tourist activities on the edge of the Gobi Desert. You can ride camels, 4x4s, toboggans, ATVs, even gliders. How could we resist?

Orange shoe covers are all the rage in Dunhuang.

Nice nose ring, don’t you think?

Camel ride gymnastics.

View from the roof of our hotel in Dunhuang

Labrang Monastery (Tibetan: བླ་བྲང་བཀྲ་ཤིས་འཁྱིལ་)

After our amazing horsetrek/homestay, our next stop in Tibetan-dominated Gansu province was Xiahe town, home to Labrang monastery.(Wikipedia) This monastery is one of the six great monasteries in Tibetan Buddhism and unfortunately ground zero for many Tibetan self-immolations in 2012. Thankfully the town was peaceful and uneventful while we were there, though there was a highly visible Chinese security presence with many Public Security Bureau vehicles and policemen patrolling the streets and squares.

Tibetan pilgrims are very devout – it was not uncommon to see them prostrate themselves around the perimeter of the monastery. For example, this lady would get up, shuffle a few steps to her left, then prostrate herself agin. – incredible given that the complex is enormous.

Many Tibetan temples have prayer wheels along the perimeter – it is good luck to give them a spin.

Peeking into the main hall of the monastery during lunchtime – over 1000 monks inside

Like everyone else, the monks had to leave their shoes outside before entering the main hall. How do these shoes (which all look alike) find their owners?