The terminal in the midst of construction and renovation, but in its current state, I’d have to say it looks worse off than Perth’s domestic airport haha! The walls were unpainted, carpet barely laid, windows looked like they were held in place with concrete. It was even funnier to see posters and printed advertisements around the place and on the luggage trolleys:
[0400hrs] My cousin, David, met me at the airport and we went for supper. I think it was in the Geyland area. We found a seat outside on the street. I was famished after the flight!
Beef Kuay Teow
[0500hrs] David took me to the hotel that he’d made reservations at for me. I was a tad early for check in, but I thought I could just leave my luggage there and find something to do. As it turned out, due to ‘low occupancy’ they gave me my room straight away. Sweet!
I was totally speechless at my room! It was absolutely fantastic! Luxurious! Spacious! I couldn’t get over how beautiful the bathroom was. I even had my own private balcony.
David left to go home and get some sleep. I decided to draw a hot bath and see if that relaxed me enough to get some shut eye myself after.
Nope, the bath actually refreshed me and I recognised those unmistakeable pangs in my stomach. I need food.
[0745hrs] On the way out of the hotel, I asked one of the attendants if there was a twenty-four hawker centre nearby. I was in luck. I need only walk a few blocks away and there was one.
*Wah* Even though the food is cheaper in Singapore than in Australia, it’s still frustrating to remember that the Australian to Singaporean dollar exchange rate is less than it used to be. It’s pretty much on par now.
[0830hrs]
I got back to the hotel and spent some time by the pool chilling out while waiting for my spa treatment appointment. My room is on the same level as the hotel’s pool – the eighth floor. It’s just around the corner actually!
[0900hrs] I went to the day spa early so that I could get settled in and use the facilities before my massage.
I got changed and spent some time in the spa. I didn’t want to get wrinkly so I went back outside to the pool. The weather had warmed up by this time so I lay in the sun listening to my mp3 player until it was time for my massage!
I decided on the Stress Relief Massage - even got a 15% discount when I paid with American Express! It was a one hour massage and I was so at peace that I drifted in and out of sleep towards the end.
[1300hrs]
I met up with David, his brother Richard, and Richard’s son Zhi Heng for lunch on the basement level of Raffle City. I don’t remember the name of the restaurant, but it was a Chinese themed place with many chefs in a glass-walled kitchen making dumplings and the like. David ordered starters for us.
With the dumplings, the way you eat them is to dip them into a little dish of soy sauce and julienned ginger. You have to pop the whole thing into your mouth because there is liquid in it. You also have to be careful when you handle it because if you should happen to pierce it, the liquid will leak out and you’re left with... just a dumpling. They way they do this is to wrap up meat and solidified gelatine in the dumpling skin so when they’re steamed, the gelatine liquefies and becomes the ‘soup’. Delicious!
I also had a bowl of noodles.
The soup tasted exactly like the ox tail stew Mum makes. Yum!
After lunch, we went back to the hotel and I spent the next several hours playing with Zhi Heng. I bought him a whole bunch of stuff and amongst them were some crayons and scrapbook paper. He’s rather shy about drawing, so I asked him what he wanted me to draw and he started to see how fun it was. He loves the lights and filters found in swimming pools. He calls the filters ‘spinach’. He drew a pool with lights and ‘spinach’. He’s so adorable!
[1830hrs]
Before heading off to my cousin’s wedding, David shouted Richard and I to a bottle of Moet in the Lobby Lounge of the Swissotel. Since we had half an hour to down a whole bottle of bubble, we ordered some nibblies.
[1930hrs] I arrived at the wedding reception. It was raining heavily so I was worried when I got into the taxi that I would be late for the “7:30pm sharp” start, but everyone reassured me that a Chinese wedding starts late no matter what. True to the custom, I had about an hour to mingle and meet some relatives I haven’t seen for yonks. Soon after we were all seated, the bride and groom made their grand appearance into the room and the dinner service began.
Barbecued Pork Slices
Jellyfish
Lobster with Fruit Salad & Creamy Dressing
Deep Fried Spring Rolls
Crab Meat Salad
Shark Fin Soup
Steamed Fish
Crispy Roast Chicken
Prawns in a Herbal Broth
Peking Duck Crepes
These crepes didn’t taste very nice. The filling was nice, the crepe was thick and floury.
Mushrooms & Broccoli
Fried Noodles
Yam
I have never had this dessert before. The waitress came and mixed it all up so that’s why it looks like sludge. It tasted like sludge. Me no like.
Here are some photos from the wedding:
[2330hrs] I got back to the hotel and went to my room to drop off my bag and then I headed to the New Asia Bar. I spent the next few hours drinking Smirnoff Green Apple Vodka & Sodas and just checking out the scene. I just couldn’t get into the music, so I left.
<[0230hrs] Back in my hotel room, I had a shower and then ordered room service.
The hotel is awesome. They offer a ‘turn down’ service. When I got back to my room, there was relaxing music playing softly, the corner of my sheets were turned down with a purple orchid place on the bed. They even leave a card with the next day’s expected forecast on your pillow.
*Sigh* This is the life.
1 comment:
man that hanging tower of roast pork in the window is a godsend
been missing your updates!
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