About Hong Kong and Durian

Dear all,

Unbelievable, it’s almost 5 months ago that we moved to Singapore… That’s almost half a year… And that’s almost 1/6 of our current employment contract… Before you know it we’ll be back in Amsterdam. Or maybe not… :-) Anyway, we are making the most of it however long we are abroad!

Two weeks ago on Thursday, right after my trip to Holland (Ying Wei graduated with an 8 for his final project, hip hip hooray!!!), I had to go to Hong Kong for the project I’m running. I suggested to Timmo to seize this opportunity and he booked a ticket to Hong Kong for the weekend as well. So there we were, Friday night, boozing away in smoggy Hong Kong, drinking G&T’s while overlooking the skyline of Kowloon, being shown around the cool spots by our “local” Dutch friends… The next morning (well, afternoon actually) we woke up in our Deluxe Mountain View Room on the 43rd at the Conrad Hotel**. We enjoy corporate discount when staying there for business as well as pleasure - so even though we still like travelling low budget every now and then, we decided there’s really no need for it all the time… After a dip in the swimming pool and jacuzzi, we hit the town again. Hong Kong really has some beautiful spots and it definitely has some great restaurants… We took the ferry to Lamma Island**, ate lobster, scallops and prawns, visited the old cemetery, wandered around Causeway Bay, had a superb sushi lunch at the Shangri-La Hotel and before we knew it, Timmo had to go back to Singapore. I needed to stay one more day for work, so on Sunday evening, all by my lonely self, I stumbled upon this grrrrreat shopping arcade… Thank god for credit cards… ;-)

** HPP flashback to the max!

Doesn’t all this sounds atrociously decadent? Yes, it does and well, it is. But if you consider the fact that our working hours keep increasing (Timmo doesn’t seem able to get out of the office before 9 pm anymore and 10 pm is no exception either these last few weeks) and that it’s great value for money to combine business trips with weekends out, it’s not so bad. Instead of going out for dinners and socialising during weekdays, we just do it all in the two days of the weekend… :-)

But it’s not all about hard work and hard play. We really enjoy our life here, also because of the finer nuances of Singapore that we have been discovering and because of course, we have lots of guests coming over to visit! As we speak, my mom and a friend of hers (Harrij) are here, which reminds me, here’s a list of things you need and don’t need to bring when you come and visit us:

Don’t bring/buy:
The Singapore Lonely Planet or any other guide, we’ve got plenty!
An EZ-link card (for public transport), we have 2 spare ones for our guests, all you have to do is top them up before you leave for our next visitors!
Plug adaptors, we have enough of them at home for all your phone & toothbrush chargers.

Do bring:
A foldable umbrella that fits in your handbag – it can rain unexpectedly at any time of the day and I’m not talking about this pathetic Dutch drizzle that we all complain about in the Netherlands…
Your swimming trunks/bikini and your factor 60 sun tan lotion to enjoy our beautiful pool without getting grilled by the equatorial sun.
Wet tissues or little towels to wipe of your sweaty face after you’ve walked about 100 meters in this city with 100% humidity or to clean yourself up after you’ve eaten chilli crab and have chilli sauce dripping off your chin and elbows.
Your credit card because you can pay with your card everywhere (even in most of the taxi’s), it doesn’t matter how large/small the sum of the bill is and even though cash is just as easy to come by, credit cards are just so convenient!
Slippers: forget about comfortable walking shoes, it’s too hot anyway. Ladies, if you have nice & fashionable slippers, definitely bring them, the more flowers, beads & other bling bling, the better.

But of course, you can also buy all this in Singapore. My motto is, as long as you have your ticket, your passport and your credit card with you, you don’t need anything else!

Oh well, it’s Monday morning again and I’m trying to get my brains started… I feel bruised and bashed from yesterday’s Dragon Boat training (Timmo wimped out because he wanted to stay at the Zoo with my mom and Harrij - I must say that considering my lousy state today and their review of the Zoo, the Zoo might have been the better option) and the 3 kg of durian we ate last night makes me feel like lead… There might just be some truth in the Durian tales they tell! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Durian

Anyway, a good week to you all and I’ll let you know if Queen's Night & Day are any fun here in Singapore!

Lots of love,

Timmo & Yaisa