It's a fact that Kevin and I love dogs. They are great companions that keep you company during quiet days, greet you with unconditional love when coming home from a long day at work, and scaring you half to death while trying to choke down a large piece of gross food found on the ground. Only a dog's nose with it's keen sense of smell will lead it to some deadly morsel of food that would normally be taboo.
That's right. Gracie and I were taking a nice walk down the street when her nose led her astray to a huge chicken bone with dagger-like spikes sticking out all over it. She tried to inhale the whole thing while I quickly reached into her mouth prying it from her jaws. I know, not smart. Let's stick my hand into the mouth of a dog acting on it's hunting instincts protecting her food from an incoming threat trying to steal it. (That would be me) But, it was a quick war that ended successfully and no one got hurt. When we returned to the apartment, I noticed a huge, fuzzy, orange caterpillar stuck on my pant leg. Good times... good times.
Kevin and I think that Gracie found the chicken bone that was apparently the remains of what was left for a hungry ghost. What??!!! A celebration called the Hungry Ghost Festival just ended last month. There is a Chinese belief that during the 7th lunar month, the gates of hell are opened and souls of the dead are freed to come out and roam the earth to receive food and drink. People following this tradition leave food and other items by trees for ghosts of deceased ancestors. Food that is usually placed at the base of a tree are mandarin oranges, baggies of homemade treats, bowls of rice and even suckling pig. We have seen red incense sticks on the roadside and large metal cans with burning remnants of joss paper. Joss paper, also known as "ghost money" or "spirit money", is traditionally made from course bamboo or rice paper. The more modern form of spirit money is "hell bank notes" and papier-mache crafts. All the paper is made into burnt offerings. That is what we observed burning in rusty cans throughout the city. Before we knew what was going on, we were trying to figure out what was up with the awful burning smell and grey smoke pouring out of these cans. Now we know.
I recently went out to lunch with a new friend, Rachael, from Scotland. She lives in our building, and I met her while she was walking her dog, Ted. He is a terrier mix who is the same size and age as Gracie, which is 12. Ted wags his tale when he sees Gracie coming. It's so cute. I think Gracie has a new boyfriend. We decided to take the dogs with us for a walk at the Botanical Gardens and then have lunch. That was fun and interesting. We called for a cab to pick us up at the apartment building. In order for a dog to be allowed in a cab, it must be confined in a carrier. No problem, I thought. She's been in a small shoulder carrier before. She squirmed all over the place resisting going inside. I got her inside the carrier and put her on the seat in the cab. She worked her head through the top opening which looked funny. The driver kept looking back smiling at the sight of just her head. Of course Ted was perfect going into his carrier. Oh well.
We walked through the gardens and sat in a shady courtyard waiting for the restaurant to open. Some people approached us and asked if they could take a picture of our dogs with us in the picture. Right after they left, an Indian woman also approached us after she got excited seeing Gracie. She wanted a picture with all of us in it. We were starting to feel like celebrities. At least no one asked for our dog's pawtograph. That's when we would have to start charging a fee. :-) Then another woman came over and wanted to pet the dogs. She was visiting from Australia. She was missing her dog back home and said our dogs were the first ones she has seen since she arrived in Singapore. There are plenty of dogs here, especially Jack Russell Terriers. There are also dog parks, dog walking services and pet stores.
We had lunch at the Botanical Gardens outdoor cafe with the dogs sitting at our feet. We sat next to a delightful couple visiting from England. They were also enamoured with the dogs, especially Gracie. The man was telling me about his new puppy, a Bedlington Terrier who is 6 months old. These are unusual looking dogs with the way their heads are groomed for show. They look kind of like sheep.
We planned to take the taxi back to the apartments. There were some people outside the entrance waiting for taxis. We stood over there completely oblivious that we accidentally jumped queue (cut in line). A cab drove up, Rachael asked if we could bring our dogs, and it was time to put them back into their carriers. Ted hopped right into his, but Gracie wiggled and fidgeted again. Thankfully the other people were too amused watching me trying to get my squirming dog into her carrier to be really bothered by the fact that we were line cutters. I felt like I was in sixth grade again cutting in line with a friend in the cafeteria. I don't know why I was in such a hurry to eat burned macaroni and mushy corn anyway. I managed to make my way toward the cab with Gracie's butt hanging out the back because I couldn't get the back panel of the carrier zipped closed all the way, and her head was sticking out the top again. One guy even closed the taxi door for me. How nice of him to help the pathetic, queue jumping dog lady. Great memories!
Before signing off...two more cute pictures of Gracie waiting for Kevin to come home from work.
(Gracie waiting for Papa)
(Gracie tired of waiting for Papa)
We recently visited the Singapore Botanical Gardens which is in walking distance from our condominium. It opens at 5:00am and closes at midnight everyday with free admission. There is a large pond near the entrance with a magnificent statue of geese in flight. We noticed koi and other large fish swimming in the pond. It was a little mucky, but we could easily see the fish in there.
Since the gardens are so large, we chose to walk through part of it one day and will return another day to see the rest. There are many varieties of tropical trees, plants and flowers. I know the plants thrive in this hot and sticky, humid weather, but it takes a little getting used to for Kevin and I. Even though we moved here from Greenville during the summer, Singapore's heat and humidity is just more intense.
We decided to go through the Orchid Gardens, which a separate fee is paid to get in. It is part of the Botanical Gardens. Just before entering, we watched two Asian women doing Tai Chi with swords under a large tree providing dense shade. The shade was definitely needed since they were wearing long pants and long sleeved shirts. Completely opposite, was of a group of nearby women doing Yoga wearing tank tops and shorts in the outdoor amphitheatre.
All five senses are tantalized while strolling through the orchid gardens. The scent of sweet Jasmine, orchids and other plants are purely intoxicating. You can even catch drifting aromas from nearby restaurants in the gardens. Depending on the time of year, different flowering plants show off their magnificent glory. We looked at many colorful plants, such as heliconia and phalaenopsis, that were dotted throughout the meticulously landscaped garden.
There are plants that have been dedicated to VIPs who have visited the gardens, and some are in memory of special people. One species of Dendrobium is named after Baroness Margaret Thatcher, former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom during her visit to the Botanical Gardens in 1985. Another Dendrobium is named in memory of Diana, Princess of Wales on 22 September, 1997.
We were quickly lured to the heavenly sounds of the waterfalls and fountains. I wanted to linger around them all day because they made me feel like I was on a secluded island. Well, Singapore is an island, but definitely not secluded.
Just before we were about to pass out from heat stroke, we spotted the cool house. This large, glass enclosed greenhouse was filled with trees and rocks covered in spectacular orchids and carnivorous plants. The cool air and drifting mist provides a very realistic representation of high elevation sites in the tropics. We were walking near a small tour group and the tour guide was cautioning everyone to stay away from an overhang where a poisonous snake was lurking. Of course everyone walked up to it get a closer look. One guy decided to shake the branch that the snake was on to antagonize it or drop it on someone maybe. Who knows. Not real smart.
This mossy guy is the unofficial gatekeeper of the gardens. I liked him because he looks like he came out of an Indiana Jones movie. (I'm talking about the stone statue, not my hubby sitting on the stone).
To say the gardens is beautiful would be an understatement. It is a beautiful and majestic gem in the middle of the city. We look forward to returning very soon. In fact, I'm going there tomorrow for lunch with a Scottish woman who lives in our condominium building. Details to follow in a later post.
Kevin chose a great apartment and location for us to live in Singapore. We are in walking distance to Orchard Road, which is a popular area for lots of shopping and restaurants. I think Kevin did a great job picking out a place without me being there in person. He has been told that he is a very brave man. No problem. Piece of cake. Kevin knows what I like and what I don't like. So, while I was still in Greenville, he looked at quite a few apartments with a realtor. He sent me many pictures and video of the places so I could choose among them. We decided on the building with the red stripe. I typed in a red font to match it. :-)
We are on the 4th floor in a building with 17 floors. There is an infinity pool on the 2nd floor, a children's play area with a neat rubbery padded ground, and a small fitness gym. There is a really nice guard who likes to give us Chinese food recommendations. He told us about carrot cake (which is not a sweet dessert like we would expect) and where to find the best Chicken Rice. Once we try these, I will tell you all about it.
The lift (elevator) system here is unique and quite secure. There are two personal lifts for the building. They are operated by the use of a smart card that gives a tenant access into the lift and only to their apartment. Then they press their apartment number. The lift has two doors that open on either side depending which side the apartment is on. The lift opens into a private entry right outside the main door, which the same card is needed to open that door. So, when someone wants to come and visit us, they can't get into the personal lift without calling us first using the video phone in the lobby. They enter our apartment number to ring us, we answer and see their distorted face on our screen, and then we can choose to let them in by pressing two buttons. They can now use the personal lift which will open up in our private entry. Oh, there is another door in our entry. This door is the general door that anyone, like delivery people, can use just like a front door. They use the service lift to access this area. Wow! TMI. (I can hear the snoring now.) Here's Gracie waiting by the lift for her papa to come home.
I have been exploring different routes while walking Gracie to familiarize myself with the surrounding area. The streets are very busy, which is a huge difference compared to our quiet neighborhood in Greenville. There are taxis, trucks, scooters, buses, and many cars. And some are head turning, super luxury cars flying around here like they are on the autobahn. We have seen cars that you would expect to see in Monte Carlo, such as Lamborghini, Bentley and Ferrari. The cost of an average Honda or Toyota in Singapore is about S$100,000.00 due to high taxation on cars to prevent overcrowding on the streets. You would think that the majority of the population would be riding bikes and scooters at that price. Here are some incredible neighboring apartment buildings and a beautiful side road I have been walking Gracie on.
Today is a public holiday, so Kevin didn't have to work today. We are on our way to a nice Italian restaurant for dinner. The food situation is very interesting here, and I will go into detail about it in a future post. Until then....have a great day!
It's a fact that Kevin and I love dogs. They are great companions that keep you company during quiet days, greet you with unconditional love when coming home from a long day at work, and scaring you half to death while trying to choke down a large piece of gross food found on the ground. Only a dog's nose with it's keen sense of smell will lead it to some deadly morsel of food that would normally be taboo. 
We planned to take the taxi back to the apartments. There were some people outside the entrance waiting for taxis. We stood over there completely oblivious that we accidentally jumped queue (cut in line). A cab drove up, Rachael asked if we could bring our dogs, and it was time to put them back into their carriers. Ted hopped right into his, but Gracie wiggled and fidgeted again. Thankfully the other people were too amused watching me trying to get my squirming dog into her carrier to be really bothered by the fact that we were line cutters. I felt like I was in sixth grade again cutting in line with a friend in the cafeteria. I don't know why I was in such a hurry to eat burned macaroni and mushy corn anyway. I managed to make my way toward the cab with Gracie's butt hanging out the back because I couldn't get the back panel of the carrier zipped closed all the way, and her head was sticking out the top again. One guy even closed the taxi door for me. How nice of him to help the pathetic, queue jumping dog lady. Great memories!
