Raffles

TODAY in Singapore I had afternoon tea in the famed Raffles Hotel Tiffin Room.

The Raffles Hotel was a prime destination for the globe-trotting well to-do of the turn of the century. Somerset Maughm penned several books while ensconced in the luxe colonial-style hotel. The original Singapore Sling was invented in the Hotel's Long Bar. The Tiffin Room was where ladies had tea and scones and discussed the fashions of the day, often led by local seamstress Ms. Geddes.

Walking through the hard-wood bannistered, high ceilinged, plushed carpeted lobby is like walking into another time. You can imagine the parties that were held behind the white plantation shutters or in the outdoor courtyards. You can see the men sitting in the library smoking pipes and reading the newspaper brought in from Britain. You can feel like a lady who walks with a parasol through the lush gardens of the hotel smelling the fragrant flowers and admiring the mature shade trees- rain trees they are called.

All in all, a visit to this iconic hotel is full of romance and imagination.

How green is your garden?

TODAY in Singapore, I am amazed by how green and plush the place is. The drive from the airport is quite pretty with green roadsides and lots of shade trees.

It is of course a very planned, landscaped city, but it makes for a nice, comfortable place that offers shade and flowers all around!

It is not at all as dense as Hong Kong (of course) although there are about 4.5 million people on about half as much land! And so far, not one person has bumped into me!!

There is a nice river with a cute riverfront with chi chi restaurants and bars housed in colonial-style remnants of the past, but now with waterfront seating!

There are high-end malls and shops and the whole place is quite clean (of course).

Maybe the most noticeable thing here, though, is the apparent diversity: Indians, Chinese, Malay, Indonesians, Westerners... Different faces everywhere. I like that!

China Steps Up

Today in China, a feeling of warmth broke through the hoar frost of the beleagered south for stranded drivers who have been sitting in their halted cars and trucks and buses for days. The Chinese central government had sent half a million army troops to do the job of snow plows, manually shovelling the roads and highways clear of snow and ice.

And today, the mess tents were serving many more than the green-suited members of the armed forces.

Steamingbuns, noodles, and rice were making their way to the cold and hungrypeople sitting in their vehicles waiting for the roads and rails to finally be clear.

Say what you will about centralized government, but once Premier Wen Jia Bao took the reigns to deal with this disaster, things went moresmoothly and improved immensely. Not that you can believe it 100%, but the news reports less than 100 people have died in this natural disaster. In China, that's nothing. We have people dying in New York from cold every year. How manypeople died in Katrina?

New Year's Eve in Hong Kong

Tonight in Hong Kong I celebrated New Year's Eve from the expansive patio of a friend where I could see the back of the IFC, which was the leader in the fireworks display.

This year, they had a “festival of lights in fireworks”- namely they had a sort of light show with fireworks.

Hong Kong is famous for its nightly light show at 8:00 when all the major buildings have lasers and lights going blinkety blink shine shine laser light show. So this year they had fireworks shooting off the tops of various buildings to look like a light show.

It was actually rather anti-climatic. There were no exploding flowers of lights or gently sprinkling down golden showers or really anything being shot into the sky. I could only see the back of the IFC and some buildings in Kowloon, but actually the photo in the newspaper the next day showed that I did not miss much. The fireworks only went off in streams from the tops of the buildings and out the sides of the IFC, which I could see.

But it was exciting to be with friends and meeting new people and drinking champagne after screaming the countdown together.

As Far As the Eye Can See

Today in Hong Kong the weather is just perfect and the skies are clear! Time for another hike on the Dragon’s Back! This time I am able to see out to outlying islands and the green golf course by Shek O. I really can’t believe that it is so clear. If the sun were behind me I would be able to see as far as the horizon and the different channels around the Island.

The hike is quick and easy as it is cool and there is no smog clogging my lungs. I am joined by some freewheeling paragliders! Now that is the perfect way to enjoy this perfect day! They swoop by and catch an updraft and seem to just hang out in their padded comfortable seats in the sky.

All Dressed Up for Christmas

Hong Kong seems to really have pulled out all the stops for decorating for Christmas this year. It may be the same as last year, but it seems much more Christmas-y this year!
In SoHo many of the restaurants have Christmas trees out and lights are everywhere. Every year the large buildings put up neon lights on their faces celebrating the holiday season. Season’s Greetings is scrawled on the side of one building with electric fire works lighting up; Chinese characters welcoming the new year are on another. Across the harbor Kowloon buildings get into the act as well- with wide rather than tall buildings dressed all in colorful neon.

It really is an amazing time of year to be in Hong Kong.

Hiking in Hong Kong? moo!

TODAY in Hong Kong I joined my fellow hikers from the Dragon's back excursion for a much longer, tougher hike. We hiked up a doozy called Violet Hill. More like Violent Hill! There are basically 3 hills to climb, the middle one being the most daunting. It is straight up. Up stairs!

But it is far from civilization and the views are great. You really see a different side of Hong Kong this way. At the end we ended up above Stanley, where we retired for some beer and pizza!