All Things Spicy - Phuket

Greetings all,




Kafil and I have just returned from a fabulous five days in Phuket. Given the recent takeover of the airports at mainland Thailand, I was a little concerned about even getting to our island escape.

However the troubles did not affect our holiday in Phuket. Security at the airport seemed a little tougher than we would have expected in a regional airport, but it did not make a big impact on our trip.

We had booked 5 nights at Karon Beach, selecting it as it seemed a more genteel location than the thriving Patong, or commercial centre of Phuket central. Our hotel was set in a luscious tropical garden, little bungalow rooms surrounded by verdant palm trees and colourful foliage. We were just moments from a stretch of pristine beach.

Overlooking the beaches is a 45 metre tall Buddha which we could see from all around, in the distance.


Phuket was everything we hoped it would be; a beautiful friendly place to relax and explore.
Kafil and I fell in love with the food of Thailand all over again; it really is our favourite cuisine.
The freshness of all the food was amazing.

We chose seafood from the iced trays on display and then had it cooked in flavours we fancied. Phuket lobster with asparagus, garlic and lemon grass. Huge tiger prawns, with basil garlic chilli and shallots. Both dishes were cooked to perfection. We also enjoyed many tasty curries, crisp salads stir fries and soups. Drinks were a lot cheaper than here in Singapore, so I had some lovely cocktails, and Kafil enjoyed a cheap and plentiful supply of the locally brewed Singha Beer.

We ventured out to visit some interesting and colourful temples at Wat Chalong and Wat Pratong, the temples are well visited and are not just tourist traps. There were plenty of locals, offering incense and praying as we took in the colours and ceremonies of the temples.

Wat Pratong has a head and shoulders of a huge golden Buddha, thought to be buried on this sacred site, the temple was built around the Buddha and the followers come in and put gold leaf onto a copy of it and 7 or so other smaller Buddha's in various poses.

Wat Chalong Wat Pratong

We went for a jaunt on an elephant; it was great. Elephants are very tall when you are propped on top of them. They lumber up and down the pathways and its quite a rocky ride. We were taken through the jungle where we saw rubber being collected from the numerous rubber trees.
The butterflies were colorful and large, and the foliage lush and green. On our jaunts around the island it was not unusual to see Elephants being used as Beasts of Burden. Phuket is quite hilly and elephants make access to hilly building sites easier than land moving equipment.


We managed to do a little shopping as there are beautiful artifacts, embroidery, fabric and silver jewellery. Luckily we did not get to the main markets, or our luggage would have been severely over weight. Next time I go I will be leaving more room in my suitcase, as unlike Singapore the Thai people cater for large sizes in clothing and shoes, so we will go prepared next time.

I will put some photos here of our trip it was great. the weather was beautiful cool breezes in the mornings and evenings, and warm days, but not too hot and humid, made for a very comfortable few days. Such a contrast to the always steamy Singapore. I never would have expected to go to Phuket to enjoy the coolness of the weather!


Cheers and best wishes.

greetings to all

Hello everyone,

Well what a week its been, a new President of The USA a collective sigh of relief was palpable as news filtered through that Barak Obama was made President elect. The world feels a safer place already.

Well we continue were we left off in steamy Singapore. It was great to be back in Melbourne a whirlwind of social activities and lots of chatting drinking and wining and dining. It felt great to sleep with a doona to snuggle up to, to drink red wine without breaking into a sweat and of course to catch up with dear friends family and the enthusiastic Mali boy. A big thankyou to Kirsten for looking after our home and for caring for Mali. He seemed very happy to have us back but also very comfortable with his new routines.

Three weeks went by in the blink of an eye and I was really glad we were able to get back for the fabulous fiftieth birthday celebrations for our dear friends Sue and Phil. We heartily recommend the party experience of the Queenscliff Blues Train. It was a hoot, dancing, debauchery drinking and telling stories. Spending a weekend in the serenity of seaside Queenscliff was a welcome change from our urban lifestyle here in Singapore.

We also managed to get to see Leonie and Hans at their rural hideaway, it was great to spend some time in the bush with dear friends and enjoyed the open fires, the walks in the bush and of course the laid back company. Mali loved it too he bounded around loving the space and freedom the Eldorado property gave him.

I managed to see some live music whilst in Oz. the Guild League who are a lovely melodic Melbourne group complete with trumpet sax and cello, great way to spend a sunny Sunday Arvo. Seeing Michael Franti play at the Forum was fantastic, he put everything into his show, he is so charismatic energetic and such a free thinker, if he started a religion I think I would sign up. He played for 2 1/2 hours a huge set where he played with his band Spearhead and also some solo numbers. The Forum is a great venue spacious and resplendent with its Grecian figures gazing down from the domed roof top.

I loved that we were able to catch up with some many friends and family thankyou everyone for making time for us during our fleeting trip home.

Well Singapore continues to be hot and steamy. As I gaze thru the window, the rain is pouring down , lucky I missed it whilst I was on a long walk down to East Coast Park.. They say Melbourne's weather is changeable only 2 hours ago I was sitting under some palm trees looking at the water as the sun shone down making it look like hundred of fairy lights had been scattered across a stretch of water. No chance of a drought here the rain is frequent and copious in its intensity.

Well the five a side soccer season is about to start, and I have been invited to join a team. I think once I belong to a team it will be easier. Training is getting busier with numbers in the 20's instead of the handful who showed up in September. There is even talk of a sponsor to pay for our uniforms. OH my God, who would have thought that I would be part of a sporting team, it may be the first time in my lifetime!! Since arriving back from Melbourne Kafil and i have been walking most mornings for about 45 minutes, this seems to help with dealing with the heat later on in the day. I have also started 10 pin bowling there is a group of women who meet weekly for coffee, bowling and lunch I was very disparaging when first invited, but I thought why not, I am terrible at bowling I seem to have a defective arm which shoots across ny body and sends the ball hurtling down the gutter. Most discouraging, however I guess persistence may show some improvement, and its a fun group of mainly older women. ( im the only one who bowls and trains for 5 a side soccer!!).

Last week Kafil and I went for a Sunday saunter around the Perekan ( traditional malay) area of Joo Chiat, it was interesting and the guide book directed us to a great lunch spot as well as some interesting buildings and street scapes.

Kafil has his end of year bash for work tonight on Sentosa Island, its got a Rio theme, so it gives him an opportunity to wear one of his loudest floral shirts. His boss Wayne has banned his loud shirts from the workplace much to Kafil's dismay.


Melbourne Cup seems to be a big day for expats here, and I joined a group of women for a great lunch on the riverside, the venue is very new and the owner kindly donated some bubbly to drink to get the party started. I got 2nd in the sweep which was a bonus,it was a little surreal being in Singapore watching the Cup especially as it was only midday here. Some of the women went all out withhats and fascinators, but the rest of us just got a bit fancier than usual.

Cant think of any more new so until next time.
Warm wishes

Kerri

More musings from Singapore

Greetings all,

Kafil and I have now been in Singapore for 10 weeks, my time has flown. It feels like I have never lived anywhere else and yet. ..I am now contemplating the fun and games that will ensue on my return to Melbourne in just 4 more sleeps!! Can't wait to catch up with as many people as possible, and to give my Mali boy lots of walks and hugs.

Kafil and I have been busy getting to know our new home and its surrounds. We have been to Chinatown, exploring the streets and enjoying the less modern and sterile environment that feature. Funnily enough one of the highlights of Chinatown, is a beautiful Hindu temple.


This temple is very much used by the local Indian population. The Sunday we went there was a group of musicians practising their percussion on big old drums. In the opposite corner were a group of women of varied ages going thru some dance practice.

In the other corner some labourers worked at preparing the trunks of banana palms to be used as poles within the temple.



Indian temples are very colourful with lots of statues of various multi limbed gods, and sacred animals. Enjoy the photos of Sri Mariamman temple.


We ventured out to a nearby suburb Eunos for a meal at the local hawker centre, we were the only westerners amongst the largely Chinese and Malay locals. Sometimes living in the burbs makes us objects of curiosity as most Expats seem to live around the Orchid Road area. Whilst we were there we noticed a religious celebration.


I have met some great people here and have made 3 lovely women friends who are happy to meet for a meal or a drink or....... Yesterday I met a friend and we had a great Indian meal at a local shopping plaza. She then took me to have my feet nibbled by Doctor fish. This is a therapy where you sit with your feet in a tank of hundreds of little fish, and they eat the dead skin from your feet. It sounds weird but after the initial giggles and shrieks from me I sat back and enjoyed the experience. The fish are a type of small carp from Turkey. She and I attracted a lot of other interested passers by as we sat in full view of passing shoppers.




Last week I ventured to Malaysia by local bus with an English friend Corrine. JB is only 45 minutes from Sing Central, and is a great place to buy DVDs and "designer" handbags. It was an interesting day out and the contrasts in fortune of people from Malaysia to Singapore was quite obvious. Singapore has a lot of millionaires whereas more people struggle financially in Malaysia.
The buildings there are quite different because of the higher percentage of muslims.



I also met up with my friend Sally and joined her and her mum Betty at the swish Fullerton hotel for High tea. It was very posh with multiple tiered plates of sandwiches, cakes and scones. We drank our coffee and tea from fine china, and it was quite a contrast to the hustle and bustle of Boat Quay where the hotel is situated on the river.


I then ventured into the Asian Civilisation Museum to admire and learn from the many exhibits on show. They had a great exhibition of Vietnamese artifacts, which reminded me of our fantastic 5 week holiday in northern and middle Vietnam earlier this year.


I have started training for 5 a side women's football (round ball). It is the only time of the week when I am surrounded by people who are as hot and bothered as I am. It's fun although my lack of knowledge of the game is one of my many barriers ( you can guess the rest) It is a league of nations with women from India, Singapore, Switzerland, NZ, Brits, Malays and of course Ozzies, all getting together to run around. The season starts at the end of October. Kafil and I even went down to the local park for him to coach me on the weekend. It was great to get out and do something energetic, although I really felt it in my legs the next day.

There are a whole array of religious festivals celebrated here, and tomorrow (Kafil's Birthday) is a public holiday. We have invited a few people to join us for a seafood meal down at East Coast Park. He feels pretty special having a public holiday on his birthday. Singapore embraces and accepts its multi cultural population, and has days off for Buddhist, Muslim, Hindi and Christian religious significant days.

Enjoy all the photos of the temple, some unusual foliage, and some of the delicious culinary delights we have enjoyed.

FYI, for those who don't know, you can click on the pictures to get a full screen view "Hint from Blog Assistant Kafil"

Until next time.
Kerri

Random ramblings

Greetings all,
I thought I would catch you up with some of our leisure pursuits here in Singapore, the last couple of Sundays Kafil and I have ventured out to East Coast Park. It is an 11km part skirting the sea, and only 3 bus stops from our home. It is said that the park is where people play, and its true. Hordes of people young and old, with children or not gather together. ECP has more than 6o barbecue pits following the length of the park. There is a bike and roller blading track, running parallel to the walking and jogging paths. People stay overnight in small tents, fly kites, water ski , swim& build sand castles together. It is a little weird as it is on the ocean and not far out you can see the myriad cargo ships going about their business. The Park also has it's fair share of restaurants, cafes and pubs so there is something for everyone. This weekend there was a Chinese lantern festival happening, and once it was dark the Chinese were releasing large paper lanterns into the evening sky.

It is a lovely place to visit on the weekends and everyone is in relaxed mode when they go there.
The first time we went we walked for hours and watched the goings on. This week we went to lunch at a renowned seafood restaurant Jumbo, the food was fantastic, and so cheap when Kafil and I saw our meals we thought they had given us the large serve mistakenly but the bill confirmed it was the small dishes. We had great scallops wrapped in taro, which gave a lovely creamy texture to the outside of the scallop. We then had mussels in a tomato, garlic chilli sauce, the dishes were delicious, we will have to have crab or lobster next time we go.

Until next time
Best wishes Kerri

A photographic catch up

Hello Out there in Cyber Space, Greetings and Salutations,

I thought I would take this opportunity to catch you up with some of the photos we have taken since arriving in Singapore.

I am happy to forward our address and home and new mobile phone numbers by personal email if you would like them.

So on to the photos - beginning with our arrival at the Changi airport, complete with teddy given to be by Bronte at school, and Kafil with his huge cigar given to him as a work farewell by colleagues.



The next shots are of the breakfast dining area and swimming pool at our centrally located serviced apartment. We loved the convenience of city living, however after 4 weeks the lack of space was really getting to us.


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The helliconia at the Botanical Gardens were spectacular as you can see.





And on to our Maria Avenue home, we have already had a couple of barbecues in our cosy front garden. We installed a ceiling fan under the verandah, to ensure the of enjoyment some outside time.


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Most people live in flats condo's and apartments here, so the house is a bit of a novelty amongst our new friends.


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The down stairs rooms, as you can see spacious light and airy.


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The main bedroom and the landing. I had to call on the services of a handyman to put up our pictures and such, as the solid brick walls, were too difficult for Kafil and I too mess with.

I am still loving being a lady of leisure, I just finished reading a brilliant book "three cups of tea"
written by Greg Mortensen. He was an American mountain climber in the 80's and spent lots of time in Northern Pakistan trying to conquer K2. He started to build schools in remote areas in an effort to provide education especially to girls. The book is inspirational if you have time give it a read. He is not your typical "missionary" type do gooder.

Until the next time we meet
Kareema