Asiapalooza 2018
Yes, it has been more than a month, but I have a partial excuse. We made our first trip to Asia recently. As expected, it was quite warm the entire time, but nothing intolerable. I did not take any notes, so this may be a little disjointed, but you are used to that.
We took our 16-hour flight to Singapore on June 29 and checked into the Orchard Hotel. #1 and his wife took care of every single detail of the trip, so we did not have to worry about ground transport, lodging etc. They were super organized. I heeded the warning to pee on the plane before landing so we did not piss away valuable time getting to the front of the immigration line. As it turns out we did not have much of a wait in any of those lines throughout the trip. We’re just lucky I guess.
There were eight of us flying in from SFO. The Hotelier and his wife joined us on our flight while The TCGs, #2 and Mrs. Exec came in about 12 hours earlier. We split evenly between the hotel and the #1’s 29th floor condo and flipped the guest list at the end of the trip. This allowed us all to spend quality family time with the #1s, which we have been desperately missing since they settled in Singapore for #1’s job.
Singapore is a lush city-state and we got the full tour with a great local guide, seeing some historic spots and learning a great deal about the culture. We went to a hawker center, which is a food court, but not the kind of food court you would find in the U.S. that sells fatty, salty, doughy crap. These have an excellent array of Asian foods and very strict sanitation guidelines. I got a ginger/apple/carrot juice and I’ll be buying a juicer soon to try to recreate that tasty treat.
I also learned about the durian, which is a fruit so stinky they do not allow people to bring it on the subway. TCG went to McDonald’s to try their durian McFlurry. He does not always exhibit the best judgement.
One day the boys headed to TJ the tailor because #1 thought we would look good in some bespoke duds. I got a suit, jacket and shirt made. Now all I must do is not gain any more weight and I’ll look like a dandy. TJ put the hard sell on The Hotelier, trying to get him to buy a suit, but he held fast with jacket and slacks along with some cool shirts that had the interior of the collars and cuffs embroidered with a different pattern. #2 and TCG got some stuff as well, but no amount of fabric is going to help those guys out.
After that we waited in Raffles Center for the ladies, so we could go out to dinner. We were treated to a loop of commercials on the TV screen that covered about 25% of the side of a building. My favorite was about the guy who went to the bathroom to take a leak and sprung a leak. Get those home repair services lined up ahead of time.
We had some good group dinners in Singapore. We went to Arab St. for a Lebanese feast. We ordered way too much so brought that home for the next evening’s meal. The chow was excellent, but the big downer was no beer. Another evening we went to a different hawker center, La Pau Sat. We ran into one of #1’s work mates and got some sage advice to grab our beers and be ready at 7pm when they closed the street. We followed orders and got a big table and ordered meat skewers galore along with some vegetable and noodle dishes
After a few days in Singapore, we headed to Phuket, Thailand. We had lined up a villa through an old SF friend. He had been a partner in a large SF law firm at one time but packed it all in to start a new life in Thailand about 12 years ago. The villa ended up being over the top and off the hook, you feel me? It had seven bedrooms, a restaurant quality kitchen, dining room, library, game room, and infinity pool, along with 9 staff. I tried to fit in, but I woke up each day and said, “this is not my beautiful home”.
We did a lot of drinking, eating and laying around during our time there, but did get in a few side trips. We went out on a several hour boat tour, during which we snorkeled, and went to the island in Phang Nga Bay where they filmed the James Bond flick, The Man with The Golden Gun. We also got a canoe tour through the nearby inlet and caves.
Another day we headed to Patong Beach, a big-time tourist spot. We avoided being taken out by the parasailers and warded off vendors that were selling all sorts of useless shit. A few went into the water while Mrs. #1 and I grabbed a beach chair and Singha beer with the help of Charlie. I hoped I tipped him enough, but my bhat/dollar translation skills are minimal. Later, the street “masseuses” grabbed me by the arm when I tried to ignore their blandishments.
During the middle of the time in Thailand, I got nailed with some minor GI issues followed by a chest cold that put me out of commission for a few days. My wife dropped everything and sat by my bedside the entire time mopping my brow. Or was that a fever dream?
We then headed to Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam. I learned that most locals still refer to it as Saigon. We stayed at the Hotel Majestic, built in 1925. It was a beautiful building with elevators that could fit about three Americans, tops.
The #1s engaged Les Rives Authentic River Experience since they had used them on a prior tour. We were led by a very cute married couple with excellent English. We would usually have had one guide, but the husband was there to help his wife, who was intermittently suffering from morning sickness. After an hour on the Saigon River, we landed at the Cu Chi Tunnels, where the Viet Cong hid from U.S. forces. It was good tour, but I often thought about our needless intervention there. The Huntley/Brinkley daily body counts came rushing back to me, and I wished we had learned from our mistakes.
The next day was a tour of the city but I was not up to snuff, so I stayed at the hotel. I ventured out of my room only when they wanted to clean it. Sitting in the lobby during that time, I espied a mysteriously alluring young women. I believe part of that allure was from her full surgical mask.
We headed back to Singapore for some R and R before the interminable flights on Sunday. The boys went back to TJ for the final fittings. Afterwards, the numbers and TCG split off to Arab St., while The Hotelier and I hopped in a Grab, Singapore’s version of Uber. We were in for quite a surprise as this is the first time either of us encountered a certifiably insane ride share driver. The guy would not shup up. “Ask me anything about Singapore. I want to be your friend”. I tried to keep him slightly engaged so he would not keep repeating that, which he did ad infinitum. The Hotelier was completely occupied trying to suppress his laughter. We did end up at our destination intact however.
We had our last dinner at the #1s abode Saturday night, a signature local dish called lasagna. Everyone’s flight was early Sunday, so we packed it in before 10. This was one hell of a trip and we’ll never forget it.
We took our 16-hour flight to Singapore on June 29 and checked into the Orchard Hotel. #1 and his wife took care of every single detail of the trip, so we did not have to worry about ground transport, lodging etc. They were super organized. I heeded the warning to pee on the plane before landing so we did not piss away valuable time getting to the front of the immigration line. As it turns out we did not have much of a wait in any of those lines throughout the trip. We’re just lucky I guess.
There were eight of us flying in from SFO. The Hotelier and his wife joined us on our flight while The TCGs, #2 and Mrs. Exec came in about 12 hours earlier. We split evenly between the hotel and the #1’s 29th floor condo and flipped the guest list at the end of the trip. This allowed us all to spend quality family time with the #1s, which we have been desperately missing since they settled in Singapore for #1’s job.
Singapore is a lush city-state and we got the full tour with a great local guide, seeing some historic spots and learning a great deal about the culture. We went to a hawker center, which is a food court, but not the kind of food court you would find in the U.S. that sells fatty, salty, doughy crap. These have an excellent array of Asian foods and very strict sanitation guidelines. I got a ginger/apple/carrot juice and I’ll be buying a juicer soon to try to recreate that tasty treat.
I also learned about the durian, which is a fruit so stinky they do not allow people to bring it on the subway. TCG went to McDonald’s to try their durian McFlurry. He does not always exhibit the best judgement.
One day the boys headed to TJ the tailor because #1 thought we would look good in some bespoke duds. I got a suit, jacket and shirt made. Now all I must do is not gain any more weight and I’ll look like a dandy. TJ put the hard sell on The Hotelier, trying to get him to buy a suit, but he held fast with jacket and slacks along with some cool shirts that had the interior of the collars and cuffs embroidered with a different pattern. #2 and TCG got some stuff as well, but no amount of fabric is going to help those guys out.
After that we waited in Raffles Center for the ladies, so we could go out to dinner. We were treated to a loop of commercials on the TV screen that covered about 25% of the side of a building. My favorite was about the guy who went to the bathroom to take a leak and sprung a leak. Get those home repair services lined up ahead of time.
We had some good group dinners in Singapore. We went to Arab St. for a Lebanese feast. We ordered way too much so brought that home for the next evening’s meal. The chow was excellent, but the big downer was no beer. Another evening we went to a different hawker center, La Pau Sat. We ran into one of #1’s work mates and got some sage advice to grab our beers and be ready at 7pm when they closed the street. We followed orders and got a big table and ordered meat skewers galore along with some vegetable and noodle dishes
After a few days in Singapore, we headed to Phuket, Thailand. We had lined up a villa through an old SF friend. He had been a partner in a large SF law firm at one time but packed it all in to start a new life in Thailand about 12 years ago. The villa ended up being over the top and off the hook, you feel me? It had seven bedrooms, a restaurant quality kitchen, dining room, library, game room, and infinity pool, along with 9 staff. I tried to fit in, but I woke up each day and said, “this is not my beautiful home”.
We did a lot of drinking, eating and laying around during our time there, but did get in a few side trips. We went out on a several hour boat tour, during which we snorkeled, and went to the island in Phang Nga Bay where they filmed the James Bond flick, The Man with The Golden Gun. We also got a canoe tour through the nearby inlet and caves.
Another day we headed to Patong Beach, a big-time tourist spot. We avoided being taken out by the parasailers and warded off vendors that were selling all sorts of useless shit. A few went into the water while Mrs. #1 and I grabbed a beach chair and Singha beer with the help of Charlie. I hoped I tipped him enough, but my bhat/dollar translation skills are minimal. Later, the street “masseuses” grabbed me by the arm when I tried to ignore their blandishments.
During the middle of the time in Thailand, I got nailed with some minor GI issues followed by a chest cold that put me out of commission for a few days. My wife dropped everything and sat by my bedside the entire time mopping my brow. Or was that a fever dream?
We then headed to Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam. I learned that most locals still refer to it as Saigon. We stayed at the Hotel Majestic, built in 1925. It was a beautiful building with elevators that could fit about three Americans, tops.
The #1s engaged Les Rives Authentic River Experience since they had used them on a prior tour. We were led by a very cute married couple with excellent English. We would usually have had one guide, but the husband was there to help his wife, who was intermittently suffering from morning sickness. After an hour on the Saigon River, we landed at the Cu Chi Tunnels, where the Viet Cong hid from U.S. forces. It was good tour, but I often thought about our needless intervention there. The Huntley/Brinkley daily body counts came rushing back to me, and I wished we had learned from our mistakes.
The next day was a tour of the city but I was not up to snuff, so I stayed at the hotel. I ventured out of my room only when they wanted to clean it. Sitting in the lobby during that time, I espied a mysteriously alluring young women. I believe part of that allure was from her full surgical mask.
We headed back to Singapore for some R and R before the interminable flights on Sunday. The boys went back to TJ for the final fittings. Afterwards, the numbers and TCG split off to Arab St., while The Hotelier and I hopped in a Grab, Singapore’s version of Uber. We were in for quite a surprise as this is the first time either of us encountered a certifiably insane ride share driver. The guy would not shup up. “Ask me anything about Singapore. I want to be your friend”. I tried to keep him slightly engaged so he would not keep repeating that, which he did ad infinitum. The Hotelier was completely occupied trying to suppress his laughter. We did end up at our destination intact however.
We had our last dinner at the #1s abode Saturday night, a signature local dish called lasagna. Everyone’s flight was early Sunday, so we packed it in before 10. This was one hell of a trip and we’ll never forget it.
posted by DJ @ 3:56 PM
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