Melaka Getaway

This past weekend, we took a trip to Melaka, Malaysia.  Originally, we planned on going on the weekend of our anniversary, but we put off planning for too long and then couldn't find a hotel room because it was a school holiday weekend, so lots of people were travelling.  So we had to push it back a few weeks.

We got up early and caught a luxury bus from Singapore to the Melaka bus terminal.   It was a smooth ride, only 3.5 hours and very comfortable as the bus was a regular sized bus with only 29 seats.  We had plenty of leg room and could recline pretty far back.  Andy's long legs were happy.

Andy got us a nice room at the Holiday Inn with a view of the Melaka Straits.  He had used his points to get us a free room, but they made a mistake when assigning the room and we ended up with two single beds.  So, after some complaining, upon which he flashed his Platinum status (thanks to all those nights spent in Victoria last year), he got us upgraded to a nicer room with a water view that came with free breakfast.  After checking in, they brought us this welcome treat - fancy! 

Our view of the Melaka Straits and a mosque.

After some resting, we headed out to explore the sights of the town.  First, we stumbled upon the "Pimp My Rickshaw Contest" at the plaza.  There were all these rickshaws lined up with numbers and I guess they were being judged.  

This is one really souped up rickshaw.  You could rock out while riding the streets of Melaka.

One of the creepier rickshaws, decked out in.....barbie dolls.  Weird.

A muslim woman at A Famosa, the old Portuguese fort. 

The front side of A Famosa

The ruins of St. Paul's Church

A local school boy looking out the window of St. Paul's Church.

Me hanging out inside the church.

Just down the hill was Christ Church of Melaka, probably the most famous tourist sight of the town.  Of course we took a few pictures.

We also spent some time strolling down Jonker Street, which basically closed down at night and became one really long night market.  I picked up some cool leather bracelets for my sister for $1 a pop.  So cheap!

Jonker Street at twilight.

After dinner, we were zonked out and headed back to the hotel.  The heat and humidity can really be a killer here.  The next morning, we enjoyed a leisurely breakfast and headed out to the mall where I got my shopping fix in.  Stuff in Malaysia is so cheap!  At the mall, there was an archery store, so Andy and I gave it a try.  I even hit the bullseye on one of the targets - to which Andy remarked, "Were you actually aiming for that one?" Surprisingly, I was.  If you know me, I definitely have a lack of hand-eye coordination, I've even missed the cup when pouring water before...so I was really proud of myself.

Watch out Robin Hood, here come the Sokoliks!

After shopping and archery, we headed back to Jonker Street and had some Hainan Chicken and Rice Balls. It was pretty good, although I think I still prefer the Singaporean version with rice in a bowl.

This cost about US$4! So cheap.

So we basically spent a little over 24 hours in Melaka, but had a great time.  Getting back to Singapore was a bit of an adventure since we waited until we got to Melaka to buy tickets for the return and found that all buses back to Singapore were booked.  We then found ONE company that still had tickets to Johor Bahru, Malaysia, (which is right across the border from Singapore) and had to go there, then take the public buses back over to Singapore.  Took almost 6 hours to get home.....  

So, we got to celebrate our anniversary in style, a month late...but better late than never!  I posted the rest of my pictures in my flickr album so you can check them out here.

Take Away

It's been a rather uneventful week as Andy's been working late.  I'm home resting off the after effects of a migraine so I thought I'd write up a post.

The other day, Andy called home and asked me if I had planned anything for dinner.  I had just planned to have left overs and so he said his coworker was bringing him to get some great Chicken Rice at a stall near where we live.  Of course, I'm always in the mood for Chicken Rice and to hear there's a good place nearby is an extra bonus.

Something you should know is that here, they have a different name for alot of things, such as takeout.  The local people speak what has been dubbed as "Singlish", and seriously, even though it is technically English, the grammar and phrases are completely different and can be difficult to understand at times.  One of the first few times I ordered takeout at a hawker center, I had quite the hilarious experience.  Proud to be using my Mandarin, I had ordered a cup of soy milk from the vendor and as he was busy filling my order, the cashier (who looked to be Malay) asked me something like "havhiere o takway".  I asked her to repeat herself about 5 times before the Chinese vendor turned around and exasperatingly asked me in Mandarin if I wanted to drink it here or take it to go.  I have learned that sometimes it's easier for me to understand Mandarin than Singlish...

So really, what the lady was asking me was if I was "Having here" or "Take away".  Thus is the Singaporean way.  Perhaps I need to enroll in some Singlish courses...

This chicken rice was a little difference since we got tofu and egg with it, but it was definitely good!

Chicken Rice is not Chicken Rice without some awesome hot sauce.....which always comes in a puffy bag.

Hot sauce is not the only thing that comes in a bag.....so does the soup!  Amazingly, all the liquids stay put.  Usually, when you order Chicken Rice, you get a bowl of chicken broth, but if you get take away,  you usually have to forgo the broth.  I guess this vendor goes the extra step.

Andy also got some Roti Prata with curry dipping sauce.  I'll admit, this is not my favorite dish, it's good, but I think the sanitary rating of "C" makes me a little wary of eating at this place....Some do say that the dirtier the stall the better the food.  Andy's had it twice and it hasn't made him sick, so maybe I should just suck it up and try it....it's supposed to be a really famous shop.  I guess it must be good if people still go despite the lacking health ratings.

Singapore Botanic Gardens

Last weekend, we ventured out to the Singapore Botanic Gardens.  Having heard much about it, we finally made it out there to check it out ourselves.  Of course, just as we bought tickets to enter the special National Orchid Garden portion, it started to pour.  What would a walk through the tropical vegetation be without some tropical downpour to accompany it?

I got to wander around, giving my 50mm lens a try.  Andy, being the gem that he is, waited patiently while I snapped away.

         

     

          

Orchids are one of my favorite flowers, I never knew there were so many types!  You can check out the rest of the pics in my flickr album.

Anniversary Recap

Last Friday we celebrated our 5th anniversary.  I guess we're still considered newlyweds compared to all those other marriages out there, but 5 years is the first mini-milestone.  To celebrate, I made us reservations at Au Petit Salut, a French Restaurant in Holland Village.  I was trying to evoke some Parisian feelings from when we celebrated our 3rd anniversary with a trip to Europe.

First I started with my favorite - french onion soup and Andy had some escargot.


I have a love affair with french onion soup - that stuff is so good.  Cheesy, hot, onion-y.....



For main courses, Andy had the lamb, and I had veal.  I have to admit, I was really disappointed with my entree as the meat was dry and tough.  But, Andy's was really good.  Oh well.





Before they served our dessert, the waiter brought out a surprise for us.  A little molten lava cake and a scoop of chocolate ice cream.  It's funny, they put the candle in the ice cream instead of the cake.



After our surprise dessert, we got our real dessert.  It was called a "8-hour baked apple with ice cream" but honestly it was like an apple crumble with apple sorbet sitting in a bed of apple flavored foam.  I'm pretty sure they didn't bake this thing for 8 hours....



All in all, a fun romantic meal, but I do have to say I was a little disappointed in my entree.  Not sure if I would go back again....

Can't believe 5 years have already flown by! It's just crazy.

Weekdays

Usually weekdays are pretty boring here, but this week we were a little more adventurous and went out on a mid-week date.  Andy had a coworker who was accompanying a local cellist on the piano in a free mini-concert in the lobby of the Esplanade.

We headed out to one of out favorite spots for chicken rice - Tiong Bahru Market.  Here's my favorite stall:

I swear they have the best chicken rice! It's so good...especially with the hot sauce.

Our new found favorite drink - Ginger beer.  It's like ginger ale, but with a stronger ginger flavor...so good!  I wish they sold this in the states.

Afterwards, we caught the subway and headed over to the Esplanade.  Singaporeans say this building is modeled after a giant durian...you know those smelly fruits.  It does kind of look like one, but at least it doesn't smell like one.

We got to hear Andy's coworker and the cellist perform a few songs - I really enjoyed it.  Forgot how much I enjoy listening to classical music.  The cello is my favorite stringed instrument.  I love how soothing the rich deep sounds are.

After that, we made our way home - not before walking by the Hershey's store and picking up some Twizzlers on sale!  Score of the day :-) It's been awhile since I've had some Twizzlers. It's amazing how the smallest things can bring comfort to you when you miss home.

In other news, today's our 5th wedding anniversary!  I decided to give myself a migraine as an anniversary present....so I had a rough start to the day.  But, I'm feeling better now and we're off to try a French restaurant to celebrate!

Nature

It's been relatively quiet here, thus I have a limited selection of blog-worthy topics and pictures.  This weekend, we saw Black Swan in the theaters and then attended the first session of a marriage course our church is offering.  Our 5th anniversary is this weekend and I thought doing a marriage course would be a good checkpoint.  So far, I must say I've been really blessed to have a great marriage to a wonderful guy with whom I've shared some awesome adventures.  But as with any relationship, there's always room for improvement.

Since there's not much to blog about for this past weekend, I'll rewind to last weekend.  We took a trip to Ikea on Saturday.  I think Ikea is fast-becoming my favorite store in Singapore.  They have awesome fabrics, delicious and inexpensive food, free refills (restaurants in Singapore do NOT offer free refills), and great home items.

We eat at Ikea at least once a month.  My newfound favorite item on the menu there - the pepper-crusted salmon.  It's so good!

After we fueled up, we walked over to Hort Park, a public garden where I did a little creative photography.  Unfortunately, it was threatening to rain, so we didn't get to walk around as much as I'd hoped.  Also, Andy had promised me a plant as my Valentine's Day present, and Hort Park was supposed to have a nursery.  That's the kind of girl I am - practicality always wins out - why spend money on flowers that will just die when you can buy a plant that can live for a long time?  That is...as long as I don't kill it...

Here are some photos I took around the park:

Saw this strange looking gourd/plant/thing - I have no idea what it is....

I tried to convince Andy to climb up the tree and grab me some bananas, but he wouldn't do it.  Oh well.

In the end, I didn't end up getting my plant at Hort Park since the nursery there had closed down.  We went to another nursery and Andy got me a pretty hibiscus plant to replace the one that I had to leave behind in TX.  Now it's sitting pretty on my balcony - hope I don't kill it!

Fitting In

So, I've been here in Singapore for a little over 4 months already - time really flies!  I think I'm finally starting to settle in and make Singapore my new home.

Andy has been here a month longer, and maybe a little better adjusted than me.  One of the big adjustments for him is switching from working in an office to working at the plant.  Part of working at the plant involves going out to the buildings, for which he's got to wear his nomex suit, which is flame-resistant.  These suits are special ordered, so it takes a bit of time to arrive.  While he's been waiting for his suit to arrive (yes it's been 5 months and it has not arrived yet), he's been wearing this:

Notice something funny? How 'bout a closer look...

Yup, his suit says:

Yes, ladies and gentlemen, you can just call me Mrs. Leong from now on.  Andy loves Singapore so much that he's taken on a new name to better assimilate.  After all, Sokolik is just too hard to pronounce for most Asians.  I'm not even sure my own father can say it...

Andy actually told me yesterday that his suit arrived, but that it has the name "Andrew Sololik".  So....it's back to the tailor.  Hope it doesn't take another 5 months!