Asia: Adventure in Malaysia

I first heard of Malaysia as a 12 year old girl living deep in the heart of Africa. British friends spoke about this unheard of country and the years they spent living in its capital and I never forgot.

It always makes me smile how things from one's childhood re-appear in adulthood. Here I was heading to Malaysia myself!

The church we visited in Singapore hosts a family conference each year in June. Everyone decamps to Malaysia where it is easy to get a reasonably priced facility for everyone. After a 2-hour taxi ride (which included long waits at the border) we arrived at the Le Grandeur Palm Resort. All I could think about was how similar it all looked to Uganda!

Since Michael was the speaker for the week we were upgraded to special rooms (thank you!) which included several sitting areas and an upstairs bedroom.

We arrived a day before the rest of the church so we had a chance to explore.

It turns out there were three other Singapore church groups having their family conferences the same week! How fun is that?!

I loved this more traditional building, and of course I love the palm trees. If it weren't for the ferocious heat and humidity I would have stayed outside for hours.

And the golf course! Where was Rachel when I needed her?! This is the course I want to be riding around on watching her during high school golf this fall.

The resort had plenty of pools -- and they all looked so beautiful.

More palm trees -- there are so many varieties.

The open air seating looked so inviting (again, if only the heat were not so bad).

Over and over again my mind turned to memories of a trip to Mombasa, Kenya when I was young. There were so many similarities, even with some of the food.

 Yes, the pools were beautiful! Even more so with all the palm trees surrounding them. No, I didn't go swimming. I have such a strong allergy to changing temperatures and cold water and pay so severely for indulging that I've finally just about given up swimming. I did attempt to sit outside by the pool, mostly because I didn't want to miss the chance. But, I had to endure the oppressive heat to do so....

The food was so different and fun to experience! So many desserts I could eat! This one was made with coconut milk and tapioca "noodles".

At each meal the organizers made sure I had plenty of food I could eat. At lunch and dinner these bento boxes arrived for me.

Here's another lunch (or was it breakfast?). They both were similar.....

Another dessert based on coconut milk with black glutinous rice. Delicious! I need to make my own here sometime. On the side is a Malay dessert -- I think that one was made with coconut milk as well.

I had a few afternoons to myself throughout the week as Michael spent time preparing for his talks. It gave me the chance to paint, journal, and read.

I even managed to glean little bits and pieces for afternoon tea in my room.

Here's another bento box filled with dinner.

And another sweet dessert soup -- this one made with red beans.

Michael worked hard delivering 6 hour-long talks over the course of the week (which was really about three days).

Another round of Malay desserts -- many based on coconut milk or tapioca or glutinous rice.

This was my painting by the pool afternoon (in the oppressive heat).

And another tea time in my room.

We did have rain and that helped the heat for an hour or two. The rain was heavy and came up quickly. It was always beautiful afterwards.

It was wonderful to have the time to spend working on my painting and journaling. That doesn't happen as regularly as I'd like in "real life."

My last breakfast in Malaysia. I loved all these savory dishes for breakfast!!! If only I could have them in my fridge each morning. There was soup, and curry, and see that pile in the top righthand corner? Those are super tiny dried fish meant to add a nice flavor to your food.

The highlight of the week, of course, was being with each and everyone of the conference attendees, from the little babies (so adorable) to the older members of the congregation. Every meal provided another opportunity to make new friends and share about each other's lives and hear how God is at work on the complete opposite side of the world from where I am. This was a gift!

On Friday we headed back to Singapore in a huge bus, stood in line again at the border, and eventually arrived at the Newton Food Centre where we had plenty to choose from for lunch.

There was the famous Singapore Chicken Rice:

Or all kinds of other dishes (that included foods I shouldn't be eating):

The pancake making stall:

 The cold dessert stall:

And my lunch! Pancakes, roasted duck, chicken rice and pork.

The fruit stall!

And the perfect way to end -- a young coconut!

 So that was our adventure in Malaysia. In the next post I'll take you to a Singapore wedding!

Asia: Arrival in Singapore

Although Michael has been to Singapore and other parts of Asia before, it was my very first time in Asia and there were plenty of firsts for me! First, we flew west, not east! And the flights were so very long -- long enough to have flown from New York to London and back again without stopping. It sounds long and hard, but without children it seemed nearly a piece of cake.

The food wasn't a piece of cake though. I informed Michael on the first flight that I'd ordered him gluten free meals and vegetarian meals for myself -- hoping that between the two there would be something I could tolerate. (I think he was disappointed.) We ate, but I was disappointed too. No points here for airline food.

 But the airline did have decaf coffee (albeit instant). I didn't know when I took this picture that it would be my last cup of coffee for 2.5 weeks -- I guess decaf coffee isn't a thing in Asia.

We flew from Indy to Chicago and then across to Japan where the joys of Airline Lounges were revealed to me. How did I not know about this beautiful, quiet, relaxing place? Probably because it costs a lot to join these clubs and we just happened to have two free entrance passes. If I travelled regularly for business, a pass would be the first thing I would buy!

The lounge had a delightful assortment of Japanese appetizers and treats. Little cakes, fruits, sandwiches, all kinds of drinks, Asian nut mixes, and rice crackers. This helped the layover time pass quickly!

We arrived in Singapore around midnight and were greeted by all the pastors and elders as well as other friends from the congregation there. This was new to me as well -- everyone making the effort to travel all the way to the airport to welcome us (in the middle of the night)! How special!

We were whisked away to the apartment of friends and this is what we saw out the window when we woke up the next morning:

Two of the pastors and their families hosted us for lunch at a mall (it seems most shopping and even a lot of eating is done at malls). The food court held lots of options! There was hardly time to investigate each food:

It would be fun to taste everything! (almost everything)

We let our friends order for us and were given these drinks to try. Delicious and refreshing!

And lunch was so good! There were soups and a "carrot cake" which is not a cake at all but a pancake made with white radish, and we had curries and cooked vegetables like baby bok choi and cabbage. I wouldn't mind a bowl of this showing up on my desk right now!

For dessert one friend bought a large bag of lychees and we all grabbed a handful to peel and pop in our mouths. Such a lovely flavor -- very sweet with hints of floral to it.

After lunch we were taken for a ride on the cable cars that cross over to Sentosa Island which has become a resort island. We could see rain moving in at a distance.

By the time we hopped into our cable car the rain was coming down in torrents!

Out we started over the harbor area and towards Sentosa only to have the cable car stop in mid air. And stay stopped. For 25 or more minutes! The rain beat down and the thunder roared and we didn't know why we were still hanging in the middle of the sky waiting. Once the rain moved on we had a lovely view of the city.

And we spent a lot of time closely examining the fancy water park that was directly below us. Best of all we got to make a memory with new friends!

We finally reached Sentosa Island and I was enthralled to find my beloved frangipani trees in bloom everywhere. I've missed those flowers so much since I first came to love them during my years in Uganda. Smelling one can instantly transport me back in time nearly 30 years.

And bougainvillea was also blooming everywhere! Another old favorite!

 We got to see the Merlion up close! (half lion, half mermaid). This is an iconic symbol of Singapore.
Singapore means Lion City and the name Merlion combines the history of Singapore as a fishing village ("Mer" meaning "sea") with lion, the meaning of "singa."

 We opted not to take the cable car back to Singapore proper but rather the quick and easy train. On our way back through the mall we came upon the most entertaining site: the Baby Spa!

Parents pay to let their baby float around in a bathtub!

The babies love it and the parents love taking pictures!! Perhaps because so many Singapore apartments only have showers the Baby Spa provides a place for babies to experience playing in water? Anyone think we can start one here?

Dinner found us at the home of the senior pastor and his family for a delicious meal followed by more tropical fruits such as "Dragon's Eyes," "Chinese Cherries," and "Rambutan." The yellow and red fruits were in a similar family to the lychee. 

 We also enjoyed meeting "Nemo," the family rabbit.

Looking back that sounds like a very full day to me! We probably needed that in order to keep our eyes open all day and try to adjust to the 12-hour time difference! Next up will be our visit to the Gardens by the Bay.