Singapore

Wow! Our group of 8 landed yesterday in Singapore and we hit the ground running. With Chinese New Year just ending, much of the city is still decorated in red, gold, and pink. We have seen several dragons, lots of tangerine trees, and golden Buddah statues. I cannot add pictures right now, but I will once I get home, so be patient please and check back in a month for updated postings. The city, like most cities, is a mix of cultures and new and old settlements. The climate is much like Hawaii in August but even muggier. It is full of skyscrapers and is a shopping Mecca. It is extremely clean and lush with trees and flowers. I have found nothing to buy as it is just too overwhelming and a statue of Buddah doesn't really excite me. There is every kind of Asian food available here in giant food malls or courts. Nothing like what we have in the US. For lunch today we had great sushi. So far the food has been good. We've done lots of walking and bus riding on the Hop on Hop off buses. Those buses are a great bargain and fantastic way to get your bearings and a sense of what to see more of. Tomorrow we may have a lot of rain, but we are planning to go to a botanical garden anyway. My ankles are still really swollen from the 18 hour plane ride and all this humidity. It makes walking hard, but I keep thinking that the more I walk the better the circulation and the sooner it will be gone. All the ladies on our trip seem to have the same issue. What is with these men? Dan still has those skinny stick legs and ankles! Posting may be very off and on, but I will do my best.

Man Shopping

I like shopping with Dan about as much as going to the dentist-I pretty much hate it!
Why? He goes to one store and tries on stuff then heads for another store to see if he can get it cheaper or if there are other choices. This goes on for several stops. Actually, it could go on for days. I pretty much have said "No" to any other clothes shopping trips with him.

So, now we find ourselves preparing for another trip (Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam, & Hong Kong) and of course, it is to a place where we need a few new items. We have to be all covered because of the mosquitoes/malaria/Japanese Encephalitis.  I have my stuff already purchased, washed and folded ready to be packed. Dan just doesn't seem to have time to shop. Work, work, work. Well, we are running out of time and so I managed to get him to the local REI camping store for what I hoped would be one stop shopping.

And it was! We were in and out of the store in under an hour with a belt, 3 pairs of lightweight Columbia pants, 3 long sleeve Columbia shirts, and one short sleeve shirt... AMAZING.

Tonight we ran to the mall because the Walking Company was having a big sale and sure enough within 30 minutes he had selected and ordered a pair of Ecco walking shoes (because they were out in his size) to be delivered in a week or so. We leave in two weeks so there isn't much room for delays. They will replace his everyday work shoes that are just falling apart. We'll break them in on the trip.

Of course, I just had to pick up a pair of Clark's too. They were on sale 30% off! We will be doing a ton of walking, so I am excited to have these shoes and my trail shoes for bigger hikes.

My hope is that while we are in Singapore and Hong Kong (where I plan to do a lot of trinket shopping), Dan will keep this new attitude of swift decision making in mind. Of course, if he wants to go along and be my "pack mule" I could load his arms with packages...Now if he would just give me his credit card!!

Out of Gas

Really! We ran out of gas while driving him last night!!

I have never had this happen and I am glad it was Dan's car and Dan driving and I had no decisions to make. He was so calm, other than "How could I have missed that one." So we glided over into a convenient empty parking spot on Mission Blvd. (do you know how rare one of those is?). Then we walked the three blocks home, got my car and went for gas.

Did you know they don't give "loaner gas cans" any more? Well they don't. Actually, I never knew they did, because this activity does not fall under the "Princess Life." We got the gas, drove back to the car, and I watched Dan pour in the smelly gas. Then I drove away. Very strenuous work on my part, don't you think!

So now I know what to do if I ever run out of gas. I am glad that my car incessantly rings a bell to tell you you are out of gas and tells you how many miles you still have left before this ghastly event will happen.