A trip home: London 2012

Unless you’ve been literally living under a rock the past month, it won’t have escaped your attention that my fabulous home city of London just played host to the 2012 Olympic games. Having been excited about it since it was announced 7 years ago that London would be the host city, there was no way Will & I would be missing out on being part of it. After a  bit of drama actually getting our hot little hands on our tickets (combination of moving abroad and the fact that Locog would not let us change our delivery address months in advance of delivery), we managed to pick them up from the post office when we popped back in June.

We were still in Singapore for the opening ceremony but we managed to watch quite a few events before we left, such as seeing Bradley Wiggins win gold in the road race time trial. There was something magical about seeing a British athlete winning gold, cycling through areas that I’d grown up in, around Hampton Court and Bushy Park. It actually got me a little choked up and definitely pining for the UK.

Before long though, we were back in London and, despite having landed at 5am, were heading up to Wembley arena to watch Mexico play Senegal in the football. We met up with our friends Adrian & Camilla, who also had tickets to the same game.

Inside Wembley Stadium

Will it be a goal?!

Our stylish tickets

After watching Mexico beat Senegal in a surprisingly action-packed match, we headed down to Hyde Park to experience one of the free to enter Fan Zones. The Fan Zones were spread over London and allowed people to come together to watch the different events. Well, we picked a great evening to go down! It was the evening that saw Mo Farah win the 10,000 metres, as well as Jessica Ennis scoop gold in the heptathlon, finally proving to all her critics that she was indeed worth all the hype. The atmosphere in Hyde Park was incredible – the crowd roaring and cheering, the tension watching Mo Farah creep up to the front of the pack, the sudden rush of adrenaline when we realised he was going to win – amazing!

The next few days passed in a blur of seeing friends and family, and soaking up everything London and the UK has to offer. It was so wonderful to be back on familiar territory. Will managed to go to Hyde Park with his sister, to watch some of the triathlon (she competes in triathlons herself), but I was up in Yorkshire seeing my Granny!

Thursday saw our next dose of Olympic excitement, with a visit to the Olympic Park over in Stratford. We took one of the high-speed Javelin trains from St Pancras to Stratford which was great fun. Luckily the sun had come out, so the whole park was bathed in glorious sunshine.

Welcome!

Anish Kapoor’s striking ‘Orbit’ tower

I really loved the Olympic Park. It’s vast with the aquatics centre, velodrome and the main athletics stadium. The landscaping was really pretty, with lots of green spaces filled with wild flowers. There was something really ‘British’ about the whole place. We had a good wander around, as we’d arrived super early to soak up some atmosphere. This included eating a traditional British curry (!) down by the riverside, as well as enjoying some English cider in the sunshine. We met some terrific people, who we just got chatting to, who were incredibly friendly – they even bought us drinks … this NEVER usually happens in London! I think one of the things I loved most about the Olympics was how happy and friendly everyone was. The volunteers did a superb job of being really cheery but hugely helpful, and all of the members of public that we met were so excited and happy to be a part of it. It was like all the cynicism and British whining had been sucked away! The patriotism blew me away as well – there was barely a single person who wasn’t wearing some kind of team GB t-shirt or who didn’t have a Union Jack transfer stuck to their cheek!

Union Jack trainers!

Will gets his paws on some Team GB merchandise

Before too long, the sun had started to lower in the sky and it was time for us to head into the Olympic stadium for some athletics action! We got really lucky with the session we went to, as we got to see Usain Bolt compete, and take gold, in the 200m final. We also saw some of the closing events in the decathlon – javelin and 1500m. We also got to see a World Record be broken by David Rudisha of Kenya, in the men’s 800m.

The stadium was full of noise the whole time we were there – everyone was cheering on all the athletes, regardless of what country they were representing. During the track events, there was a ‘wall of noise’ that followed them around the stadium. I can’t imagine what it felt like competing there, but I got some serious goosebumps at times! I don’t think I’ve ever felt so proud of where I come from. Can you imagine what I would’ve been like if we’d won a gold that evening?!

Inside the Olympic stadium

That’s Usain Bolt in lane 7!

Jamaica take gold, silver, and bronze in the 200m

The Olympic flame

Being a part of London 2012 was one of those ‘once-in-a-lifetime’ moments for me. Congratulations to all the athletes who competed, in particular to Team GB of course! Best medal haul yet!

I’ve never felt so proud to be British, and a Londoner, and I really want to say thank you to everyone who made it a reality – you did an incredible job and these memories will stay with me forever.

Policemen and kids doing the ‘Bolt’

Thank you London

You can see more photos from London 2012 over on my Flickr set by clicking here. 

24 hours in London & a Tuscan wedding

Back at the end of June we took a trip back home, and then to Italy to see our gorgeous friend’s Tony and Jacquie get married. I had been looking forward to this trip so much – I was going back to England! Only for 24 hours but still… better than nothing.

After touching down at Heathrow at 5am (ouch) we were suddenly sitting in a taxi going down the M4, towards Will’s parent’s house. All around me was the beautiful English dawn, fields either side of the motorway, and SHEEP (how long has it been since I saw a sheep?!). I just couldn’t help the tears that sprang to my eyes – all of this was so beautifully familiar – it was totally overwhelming. I found myself with such an ache in my stomach as I realised just how much I had missed my green and pleasant land. We spent the next 24 hours in the company of family – talking, laughing, catching up on news. We also went to visit the money pit flat, which actually was starting to look like it could be a home again, rather than just a pit of money with damp, crumbling walls.

I can’t tell you how much of a delight it was to see my Mum – to sit and eat lunch in one of Brixton’s gorgeous little eateries, and chat away like no time at all had passed. We then went back to Will’s parent’s place to sit and talk some more. Then my little brother arrived! I will embarrass him now but I have missed him very much indeed. We sat and ate proper English sausages, gorgeous English strawberries and drank cider. It was probably the most blissful afternoon I had spent in a long time. But all too soon it was time for them to leave, and for us to go to bed. My familiarity tank (thanks KJ!) had a much-needed emergency top-up.

The next morning left no time for wistfulness – we were straight back to Heathrow, this time to fly off to Rome. After security we went to find our friends Phil and Sat. Boy can those two give good hugs! It was so great to be back with people you’ve known for years – chatting and bantering away like we’d been away for no time at all. Phil used to live in Australia so he totally gets the expat weird thing which I love. After a short but bumpy flight we landed in Rome. I had forgotten how much I love Italy – the last time I was here was when Will took me for my birthday after I’d finished my finals, so some time ago.

We were in Rome just for a day – time spend eating and wandering around the city, before bumping into more of our friends by the Trevi Foundation (so strange to just be walking in a foreign city and then spot familiar faces).

Will & Phil enjoying a cold beverage in Rome

Trevi Fountain

That evening saw us meeting up with the bridal party, and enjoying some delicious Italian food, before watching Italy make it to the final of Euro 2012! This was followed up by much singing and dancing in some of Rome’s bars.

The next morning, a bit sleep deprived and hungover, we took the train down towards Pienza, where the wedding was going to be held. We were staying in a little agroturismo nearby to the wedding venue. It was a great option for our large group, as we all had our own rooms with en suite, and many of the units had kitchen/living rooms as well.

What a view!

That evening we went out into Pienza town, which is really picturesque. It kind of clings to the side of a hill, meaning you get the most spectacular views from the town wall. There are lots of twisty little paved streets, and apparently a great cheese shop (although I didn’t make it there myself). It was great just hanging out with friends, enjoying the view and a glass of perfectly chilled white wine.

View from Pienza

The next morning we headed over to La Bandita (the wedding venue) early, as Will was doing a reading and they needed him for a run through. I had a great afternoon getting ready with the bride and bridesmaids.

The wedding itself was gorgeous. La Bandita is set up on a hillside, with a big infinity pool – you can see more photos on their website here. They had set up the aisle outside, with a beautiful covered area next to the house where we ate dinner. We had a fantastic time, listening to all the readings and seeing our friend’s pledge to be with each other forever. There were definitely tears (I always cry at weddings!). I will leave you with some photos.

The bride and groom

Will & I all scrubbed up

A date to remember

Makansutra Food Safari

Hello folks. I have decided to take a little break from work on job applications to write a long overdue blog post! I am still job hunting but I have a couple of opportunities on the go which, fingers crossed, may lead to my being gainfully employed again. I will keep you posted…

Anyway, back to the important stuff – the Makansutra Food Safari. Thanks to my pals over at notatourist I got invited to go along on their latest food safari with KF Seetoh. I was lucky enough to meet KF Seetoh back in December last year when I went on a cooking masterclass, but this time, it was all about discovering local food. I really enjoy a lot of Asian food, but sometimes I can get a little bit overwhelmed by all the choice on offer at hawker centres, and also not really knowing what some things are, so I was really looking forward to having my eyes opened and trying some unusual things. I invited along my friend Anna, who will try anything once!

Our first stop was the Lucky Valley Food Court, up near the East Coast road. We tried the Muah Chee, which are tiny rice flour dumpling cooked in palm oil and then rolled in different types of chopped nuts. The stand is tiny, tucked away and looks like nothing on first appearance. I suppose I shouldn’t judge a book by its cover! The owner here takes pride in that each dumpling is hand pulled. He starts with a bowl of dough and then uses a ‘plucking’ motion to create the dumplings. We tried the peanut and black sesame versions.

Peanut

Black Sesame

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The dumplings were delicious and moreish. They were warm, sweet, nutty and crunchy. Each mouthful is bite-sized, meaning that it is really easy to eat lots in a short space of time. While we were there, we also got to sample some Cheng Tng. I’d never heard of this before, but its a light refreshing soup, made with a list of ingredients as long as my arm! All of the ingredients are said to have cooling qualities, and it is served cold. The soup is sweet with rock sugar, and then ginko nuts, wintermelon, sago balls, longons, persimmons and sweet potato is added. There were other ingredients but I can’t remember them all! I enjoyed the soup – it was something really different and unusual. It is odd to a Western palate to have a cold, sweet soup, but it was  very refreshing, and Anna & I agreed that it did a great job of cooling us down, on a muggy evening.

Sweet, cooling Cheng Tng

You can try both of these dishes at Bedok Avenue 3, Block 69

After enjoying some sweet treats, we headed off towards Geylang, to visit Guan Hoe Soon Restaurant. This restaurant is dedicated to serving authentic Peranakan cuisine, and has been doing so since 1953. First up, we tried some otak otak, which is a kind of fish cake, which is made by mixing fish paste with things like garlic, chillies, lemongrass and coconut milk. It is then wrapped in a banana leaf and steamed until its cooked. It was soft, fishy and spicy – a great starter – although I would’ve liked it with something fresh and crunchy to add a little contrasting texture.

Otak otak

After that, we tried a really special dish – Ayam Buah Keluak. This is a chicken dish that is served with the Buah Keluak nut. This nut is actually poisonous and needs to be soaked at least overnight before being served. It has a black shell and to make the dish, the nut is soaked for 24 hours, then cracked open. The contents is then mixed with minced chicken and spices, before being stuffed back into the nut shell. It is then cooked with the chicken in a stew. The nut has a very distinctive earthy flavour – KF Seetoh described it as tasting like eating mud! It’s definitely earthy, but I actually found it very tasty and I’d like to try it again.

Ayam Buah Keluak

You can try both these dishes at Guan Hoe Soon Restaurant, 38-40 Joo Chiat Place. 

Our final stop was the East Coast Lagoon Food Village. I’d not ever been up to East Coast park for food before, except to eat chilli crab at the Jumbo’s up there with Will’s sister. I had no idea there were so many eateries to be found there. When KF Seetoh had said we would be eating chilli crab, I think we all rolled our eyes slightly. Despite being one of Singapore’s famous dishes, I’ve not been overwhelmed with chilli crab. I enjoy it, but I don’t think I’d eat it all the time as I find the sauce a bit sweet and lacking in kick. Boy, was I about to be proved wrong.

We went to another innocuous looking stall – Leng Heng BBQ Seafood & Claypot Deluxe. We tried the chilli crab and … OMG. The sauce was full of chilli! It was super spicy and even two Singaporean guys that ended up on our table said it was spicy for them! The sauce tasted completely different to any chilli crab I had tried before. Apparently this is because they are one of the few places that still make their sauce from scratch, and don’t buy it bottled. I know understand why chilli crab has such a legendary reputation – the sweet crab with that super punchy sauce gives a massive taste explosion in the mouth.

Chilli crab, with actual chilli!

You can try this yummy chilli crab at Leng Heng BBQ Seafood & Claypot Deluxe, 1220 East Coast Parkway, Stall 6, East Coast Lagoon Food Village

Before trying this dish, I’d never really understood the Singaporean thing of travelling all the way across the island to enjoy what they think is the ‘best’, but I have to say I’d definitely make the journey out east to try this again.Whilst we were eating our dinner, Anna & I made a new friend of the granddaughter of the stall owner. A budding photographer from the looks of this shot!

The next David Bailey and Anna

Thanks to notatourist and SingTel for the kind invitation, and for the lovely Anna accompanying me and sharing some of her photos. She has actually just launched her own styling company, Polished Presence, complete with its own gorgeous blog which you can check out here.

Beerfest 2012

First of all – an apology. I went to Beerfest way back on the 9th June, but then due to my camera having suffered at the hands of a foam finger, requiring a brand new lens, I am only posting this now. Anyway, back to Beerfest.

Beerfest Asia is now in its 4th year, and is held at the Marina Promenade (near the Singapore Flyer), which is also part of the F1 track. It plays host to a huge variety of beers, but also includes ciders, wines and spirits. So there really is something for everyone. But of course, the main event is definitely the beer. There were 350 different beers from around the world on offer! Although we couldn’t possibly sample all of them (I think that would have involved an ambulance if we’d even tried) we certainly had a lot of fun trying out lots of the ones that were on offer.

View of the Singapore Flyer

I was lucky enough to receive a pair of VIP tickets, and we had also won a pair of complimentary tickets at a pub quiz a couple of weeks previous, so it meant a few of us were able to go along and get beer sampling! Being a VIP meant we had our own dedicated bar, free-flow of beer, and a VIP goody bag to take home.

VIP Beerfest cup

We tried a whole host of different beers that were on offer. I opted to try some of the fruit beers that were available, having enjoyed some in London in the past. I found the strawberry beer a bit too sweet for my liking, but there was a grapefruit beer that I loved – not too sweet or too sharp, just nice and refreshing. We also tried a couple of different types of Pilsner and the Kirin beer.

We then settled in to enjoy the Beerfest atmosphere – it was probably one of the most raucous evenings I’ve had in Singapore! Everybody seemed to be in a good mood and we really enjoyed the live music that was going on. It was great to be with friends, drink good beer, and let it rip on the dancefloor!

Check out the hair!

We then had even more hilarity as the competitions started on stage. My friend Mark won the competition for doing the loudest and longest ‘Beerfeeeeeeeeeeeeessssssssssssssssttttttttttttt’ (Go Mark – woohoo!) and Nav managed to win ‘Hairiest Chest’, which I think he clinched by doing some topless Bollywood dancing! I won’t shame them by putting photos up…instead, here’s me in my Fruli hard-hat!

Fruli hard hat

Watch out! Camera killers!

I think without a doubt, our evening at Beerfest was one of the best evenings I’ve had in Singapore. If you get the chance to go next year, I would thoroughly recommend it as it really is a good night out, and I’m sure if you are more of beer connoisseur than I am you will appreciate all the choice on offer.

The Beerfest 2012 gang

Thanks to notatourist and SingTel for the invitation and our VIP passes. 

Lunching at Five and Dime

My little beloved ‘point and shoot’ camera has suffered a little mishap at Beerfest (there was a flying Jaegermeister foam hand involved – I shall say no more) so it has been recuperating at the camera hospital (aka the Sony service centre). So, I thought I would take this opportunity to post some things that I’ve been capturing with my iPhone recently.

A couple of weeks ago, my friend Fiona and I decided to make the most of a free lunchtime and pay a visit to Five and Dime. Five and Dime is a cute, quirky little spot tucked away on River Valley Road. It’s only been open since the start of the year, but has already gathered a big following amongst Singapore foodies for its laid back vibe, friendly staff and good food.

Lunch at Five and Dime

We both ordered the Eggs Benedict, as it was a bit of a wet and windy day outside and we were in the mood for something comforting. The lunch menu comprises a varied selection of dishes, including other breakfasts, fish and chips, burgers and pasta. The Eggs Benedict came served on brioche toast, with some pan-fried potatoes and fruit salad served on the side. For someone who can’t turn down eggs benny when I see it on a menu, it was nice to have one that at least gave the impression of being healthy (yes, I am well aware Hollandaise is basically just melted butter…).

Our Eggs Benedict

This is quite a heart dish, with the potatoes and the toast, but it was a satisfying if slightly indulgent lunch. It was nice to finish on the freshness of the fruit salad. After our eggs, we ordered lattes to wash everything down. They came out small but perfectly formed, and I loved the coffee art!

Love the coffee art

Five and Dime is a great spot for lunch, and I think it would be fantastic for brunch as well. It’s not a big place so if you were a large group you might struggle. It is also open for dinner and I can imagine that it would be a lovely spot for a laid-back evening. Don’t go expecting culinary fireworks but you certainly will get decent, well-cooked food, served with a smile.

Inside – there are lots of quirky details that I loved

You can find Five and Dime at 297 River Valley Road, 238338. For reservations call (+65) 9236 5002 or check out their website.  

Exploring Geylang

Inspired by my friend Claire’s photo post on Little India, we hatched a plan to go exploring other parts of Singapore together, and take photos to document all the interesting things we found along the way.

One of the places that neither of us had been to before was Geylang. For those of you not familiar with Singapore geography, Geylang sits just east of the Singapore river, along the East Coast. When people say Geylang, they are usually referring to the area that sits between Kallang and Paya Lebar MRT stations. It is the old Malay district, and there are still strong Malay flavours in the area, with loads of Malay cuisine for sale. This part of town has a bit of a colourful history and is still well-known as Singapore’s red light district.  I’m not sure how the area changes at night, but during the day it seemed like a vibrant part of town, with lots of beautiful traditional shop houses (which I later learnt are protected to keep the area’s character), and plenty of hustle and bustle.

(Please note that I intelligently forgot my camera – seriously ‘doh’ moment – so all my photos are taken with the iPhone)

Pretty shophouse front – I love all the intricate detail

Sleepy street life

HDB hallway

Post box

Beautiful old tiles

By exploring the random little Lorongs (side streets) we came across some unusual little sights.

Not sure if this is a shrine? But it was fascinating

Shrine

We also stumbled across this gorgeous little shop selling  Pau – small steamed buns filled with a variety of different fillings. We stopped and watched them being made through the open kitchen, marvelling at the sheer volume the chef was turning out.

Little mouthfulls of gorgeousness

More bun-shaped deliciousness

After a slightly confusing discussion with the owner (slight language barrier!) we bought a bun each. We snuck off down another side street before greedily tucking in – Oh.My.God. Those buns were a beautiful, delicious explosion of taste. The pork was full of flavour, and then nestled inside again was an egg! We stood on the side of the road with sticky fingers, gleefully devouring every bit. I’d definitely recommend! They are called Tanjong Rhu Pau, and joy of joys, I found out that they have a shop on Thompson Road, just around the corner from me!

I also indulged in looking at all the delicious fresh produce for sale – fruit and vegetables of all kinds, including durian!

Mangosteens

Baby aubergines

Is this the smelliest truck in Singapore?!

If you’ve not yet been to Geylang, I’d definitely recommend a little wander around, just soaking up the sights, sounds and smells. Explore the little Lorongs that lead off the main streets; you never know what little treats you might uncover.

There are more photos on my Flickr Geylang set or you can also check out Claire’s gorgeous post over on her blog. 

Eat for a Cause and Bak Kut Teh

If you know me you’ll know I have a bit of a thing for food. I love eating food, whether at home or out and about, and I love cooking it as well. Living in Singapore has given me the chance to massively indulge my inner food geek. Although there are certain ingredients which I find hard to get hold of (and the lack of any information about animal welfare or origin – free range eggs? Cannot lah!) Singapore is a great place to be a foodie. There are some things which I am not sure I will ever try – pig organ soup is one that springs to mind – I am pretty open-minded when it comes to sampling new dishes and ingredients. I think I am one of the few people who goes into raptures at the sight of the Mustafa’s produce section! I love that I can easily pick up things that were tricky to get hold of, such as Kaffir lime leaves (which are also great in a G&T if you are that way inclined!).

I got invited by notatourist.sg to attend an event organised by NCompass Mobility called ‘Eat for a Cause’  in support of the yellow ribbon initiative, which helps rehabilitating ex-prisoners and drug addicts. To support the cause we ate at two restaurants that only employ ex-prisoners and drug addicts to help them reintegrate into society. One of the things that has surprised me about living in Singapore has been the lack of (or certainly the low-profile) of charities or social enterprises that exist to help the more disadvantaged. Having worked in this sector in the UK, it’s something I feel passionate about supporting, so I was really looking forward to going along and finding out more.

We headed up to Jalan Kayu to visit New Soon Huat Bak Kut Teh. The story behind this place is great. The owner was in and out of prison as a young man, and in his most recent stint he worked as the prison’s chef. On being released, he set up New Soon, serving Bak Kut  Teh which is his favourite dish. He now employs other ex-inmates, giving them a chance of gainful employment and an opportunity to rehabilitate. You can read more about his story here.

So what is Bak Kut Teh? It is essentially a soup with pork ribs. There are several different versions, and the broth can vary between herbal and peppery. We tried the herbal version which was delicious. The pork ribs were deliciously tender and the meat fell off the bone. I was able to get it off with my chopsticks and I’m not the most skilled at using them! The soup was served up with some steamed rice, salted vegetables and the ubiquitous chilli sauce. It was one of things that having tried, I think I would definitely eat again as its such a flavoursome dish.

Bak Kut Teh

After our Bak Kut Teh, we wandered up the road a little to get some Roti Prata which is essentially a fried flour-based pancake. I’d only had the savoury versions before, but here we ordered dessert prata. Some of the others went for chocolate but I ordered strawberry, seduced a bit by the idea of fresh strawberries nestling in a yummy pancake. Sadly the strawberry here was some kind of artificial syrup stuff (I should’ve guessed that!) so although it was enjoyable, it wasn’t quite what I was expecting. We also got to try Teh Tarik, otherwise known as ‘pulled’ tea. It is a hot, milky tea drink and is usually made with condensed or evaporated milk giving it a sweet taste. The mixture is ‘pulled’ to give a frothy texture – this involves pouring the tea backwards and forwards between two containers to aerate it. Apparently this is quite a skill, with some teh tarik vendors putting on a show for their customers – I suppose similar to the showmanship that sometimes accompanies getting a cocktail in other countries!  

I really enjoyed my lunch; trying out new food, meeting new people, and supporting a great cause. I also really enjoyed meeting the people at NCompass, who did a fantastic job of arranging the lunch, but also do great work supporting expats in their moves to Singapore and lots of other countries.

Thanks to NCompass for organising the event and notatourist.sg for the invitation. 

Haw Par Villa

I recently paid a visit to the deliciously creepy Haw Par Villa. I visited in the week with my friend Laura and we were the only people there, apart from a couple of older ladies who were also visiting, and a man sweeping up leaves. The weird silence coupled with the odd tableaux that greeted us left a slightly eerie feeling, and I think we were both a bit glad that we hadn’t visited on our own!

Welcome to Haw Par Villa

Haw Par Villa has been described as a theme park in the past – apparently there did used to be a roller coaster here, but it has long been removed. It is probably best known as somewhere where Singaporean parents would take their children to frighten them into behaving themselves, and also to instil some moral understanding into their little ones.

Originally called the ‘Tiger Balm Gardens’, Haw Par Villa was built by brothers Aw Boon Haw and Aw Boon Par in 1937 as a venue for teaching traditional Chinese values such as respect, filial piety, hard work and self-restraint. The brothers were also responsible for Tiger Balm – a bit of a lifesaver in these tropical climes, as it can be used for anything from stopping the itching of mosquito bites, to providing relief from headaches. I know I am a bit lost without my little pot of the stuff! Haw Par Villa was built by the brothers as they believed that they should contribute something back to the greater good of society – a bit like our modern-day corporate social responsibility agenda I suppose!

Entrance with the famous Tiger Balm tiger

Decapitated head anyone?!

The most famous part of Haw Par Villa is probably the depictions in the 10 Courts of Hell. This section is inside and illustrates the Chinese folk belief in ‘diyu’. Each court of hell depicts a judge and poor unfortunates who have committed a crime, and therefore are sentenced to a gruesome punishment, such as being dismembered, boiled in oil, crushed with rocks or decapitated. There is light at the end of the tunnel though, as you can be reborn once you have been punished. Depending on your crime, you could be reborn as a human, animal or vegetable etc! A bit like karma.

Ladies, this is what could happen if you are tempted to sell your bodies…

Been ungrateful? Your heart will get cut out

Disrespected your parents? Crushed by a huge rock

Gruesome though it was, this was probably my favourite part of the park. The rest of the dioramas are interesting to look at, but the signs are either non-existent or very worn making it impossible to really tell what is being depicted. However, some of the scenes are slightly comical because of the expressions on the faces, or show figures stealing chickens or some such thing. Other things are just plain weird, and leave you wondering what on earth is going on.

Mafia mice?!

Tiger!

Battle scene

Some of the scenes depict Chinese stories that have a moral at the end, a bit like a fable. The one below tells a story of a man who saved a whale, and in return, when the ship he was travelling on sunk, the whale saved him from a watery grave.

Be nice to whales

The ground are set around a pretty pagoda and  a little pond which had lots of terrapins swimming around in it. Although it is all a little bit unloved at the moment, you can tell that the grounds must have been quite impressive at one point, set up a hill with lots of colourful pillars and fencing.

Pagoda

I really enjoyed my visit to Haw Par Villa. It was a glimpse back into old Singapore, when moral lessons were much more visible, and perhaps old traditional stories and values were held in greater respect than perhaps they are now. It is a weird and wonderful place to visit, and I feel a little sad that it is a bit neglected at the moment. I left wondering how much longer it would last, and when a real estate company will snap up the land. You can easily reach Haw Par Villa as there is an MRT station right outside the entrance, and there is no fee to get in. If you’d like a look into historic Singapore then it’s definitely worth a visit.

You can find more photos of my trip to Haw Par Villa over on Flickr. 

East Java and Mount Bromo

It’s been said before, but living in Singapore really does open up Asia for exploration. It’s a fantastic base to jump off from. This was definitely the case when Will & I visited the eastern side of Java. It was not a place either of us had known anything about before moving to Asia, but we were really excited about taking a trip over there. We have decided to make the most of being here and explore places that we perhaps wouldn’t have seen, had we stayed in London.

Will was already in Indonesia on a work trip so I flew into Surabaya to meet him, and to start our Javanese jaunt. We didn’t really spend any time in Surabaya as we wanted to get straight up to Mount Bromo, and it was about a 3 hour car journey to get there.  I had already arranged to be picked up by Eko from the Cafe Lava Hostel, which is based in Cemoro Lawang (the nearest place to Bromo). We had a great drive through loads of little villages and up twisty mountain roads to get there. The scenery was just jaw-dropping, and it was wonderful to see what village life was like in Java (lots of chickens and goats wandering around).

We stayed in the Cafe Lava Hostel, which has mixed reviews on Trip Advisor, but we really liked. The staff were super friendly, and the bedroom was basic but comfortable. In the evening the temperature really drops – not something we were used to coming from Singapore! Make sure you take jeans/long trousers and a cosy jumper. I saw one girl shivering in shorts and clearly most of the tops she owned. We had a delicious meal in the cafe before heading off to bed for an early night – we had an 3.30am wake-up call to get up and see the sunrise.  The room is chilly but once you get into bed it’s cosy and you soon warm up.

I was fast asleep when Eko came to wake us up, but we were soon out of bed, wrapped up, and in the back of a 4×4. The journey up to the viewpoint on Mount Penanjakan is pretty scary, as you are bouncing around with dust in the headlights, giving very little visibility, and you know there is a steep drop off the side of a mountain just out of view! Take a sport bra ladies, as the road is anything but even! However, soon we were perched on the edge of the mountain, with about 20 other people, making sure we had a good spot to watch the sun come up. It was great to look back at where we had come from, and see a procession of pinprick headlights snaking up in the darkness.

The sunrise started slowly – just a slight lightness in the east. I don’t think I’ve ever taken so many photos of the same thing! With each increase in light, the landscape was transformed. Slowly you could make out more and more details. The sky turned beautiful colours, highlighting the mist nestled around the volcano on the volcanic plain. Mount Bromo rises out of the mist, with its taller cousin, Mount Semeru smoking in the background. The word magical gets overused, but this definitely felt like an incredible experience, and one that managed to shut both Will & I up, as we gazed out over it in awe.

Mist in the caldera

Mackerel sky

The MOST beautiful sunrise

Sunrise over the caldera

After watching the daylight slowly arrive, we headed back down Mount Penanjakan, and back over the Sea of Sands towards Bromo itself. From here, you can climb up to the top of Bromo, and peer over the edge into its smoky crater! You can hire a pony to take you most of the way, if you  like, but there are quite a lot of steps to climb up at the end. It was quite tough going (we didn’t take the horse) because of the sandy ground, and the thin air, but it was so amazing to look down into the mouth of a volcano, and out at the peculiar landscape that was laid out before us.

View coming back down

View coming down #2

View looking down from Bromo

After another bumpy ride back to the hostel, and a bit of breakfast, we headed off again – our destination this time was the city of Malang, where we planned to spend a few days just relaxing. The drive was just as spectacular. We stopped on the other side of Bromo and the landscape here looks incredibly European – grassy and green! We drove along the tops of hills, with incredible views down into the valleys. I was astounded by how much farming went on – the slopes are so steep! Apparently, they grow a lot of potatoes in this region.

Looks like Europe!

Farming in the hills

We stopped at a beautiful waterfall on our journey – Coban Pelangi. You wander down the hillside, crossing a stream, before rounding a corner and spotting this incredible cascade!

Stream

Coban Pelangi

Malang is a pretty town with lots of buildings dating back from the Dutch colonial era. We stayed in the Tugu Hotel Malang which is a really quirky hotel, with koi ponds, tons of lush greenery and loads of antiquities lining the hallways and restaurants. It is a bit of an oasis from the urban atmosphere all around you.

We wandered down to the bird market which was just a short walk from the hotel. I’ve never been to a market like it! Not only were there loads of different types of birds, chirping away, but there were also monkeys, bats and civets for sale! Next door there is also a big flower market, which is kind of welcome change from the madness of the bird market.

Birdcages at the market

Beautiful Bougainvillea

We took a trip out of the city to some orchards where they grow loads of different varieties of apples, strawberries, guava, oranges and more. It’s peaceful and cool up there, with great views over the city and up the mountains.

View from the orchard

Gorgeous guavas

We also took a trip to some hot springs, tucked away up in the mountains. Will went for a dip but with the conservative culture in Java I didn’t feel right going for a swim in a bikini, especially not when some of the other women were swimming wearing jeans and t-shirts! If you do go, take a t-shirt you don’t mind getting wet to make sure you cover up.

We had a fantastic time in Java – our Mount Bromo experience was one which left us both raving about it for days afterwards. This part of Java is also relatively undeveloped, so you still get to experience village culture. Even in Malang we never got hassled or subjected to endless questioning; the closest we came was men on bicycles waving and shouting ‘hi’ as we walked around! I’d definitely recommend a visit if you fancy doing something a little different.

I’ve put a selection of photos in this post, but you can see more on my Java Flickr set.

Now Playing: Moves Like Jagger

A definite guilty pleasure but there is no denying this reminds me so much of partying in Singapore. There were a couple of months where I’d hear it wherever I went, and maybe several times in one evening! Great song to get the party going, and lots of fun memories associated with this track. Go on, dance … you know you want to!