Tickets to Buy and What You See At Gardens By The Bay

You can approach Gardens By The Bay from two directions. Either 

1 take a taxi or cab to the main entrance on Marina Bay Drive entrance and walk past the three tall Golden Garden artificial trees, 

2 Arrive or leave walking via Bayfront MRT stations.

If you buy tickets online shop around. We bought tickets for the two big attractions, the flower garden and the giant waterfall walk. 

A third attraction is the Skywalk between the giant metal trees. Our combined ticket did not include the third attraction, which cost an addition $8 per person.

View of landmark Marina Bay Sands triple towers with infinity pool for hotel residents on the rooftop.

USEFUL WEBSITES & INFORMATION

www.gardensbythebay.com.sg

Gardens By The Bay

18 Marina Gardens Drive

Singapore 018953

Cat Café at Bugis in Singapore

Across the road from Bugis MRT station is the Cat Café. While waiting to cross the wide road at the traffic lights you can see the Cat Café sign across the road on the top floor.

ook left of Burger King on the ground floor down the shopping stall alley. Just the place for an alley cat, is the entrance to the Cat Café. Look up and you'll see the sign to the doorway. 

You'll need the cat's agility to climb the narrow stone staircase to the top floor. Not the perfect place for walking sticks and wheelchairs.

Cat Cafe on the top floor. You can see the sign from outside at night.

Down the alley - there's the overhead sign.

Cat cafe sign and indoor staircase. Come back in daylight and daytime when they are open.

Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker.

Chinatown lights in Singapore

Near Chinatown Point and Chinatown MRT station along the main road are strings of dramatic lanterns and illuminated figures of characters and trades which founded Chinatown. At dusk around 7 pm the lights come on. You can see them from the bus going in both directions.

My family would have told me not to take a photo. However, I took a couple of shots from the bus on my phone as a reminder. From my photo I am reminded of the statues, the name of the building Chinatown Point. On a third check of the photo I find I even have the street name.

Table at 7, Singapore's East West upmarket special occasion restaurant

Problem
Guaranteed good food? Both Western and Eastern?

Answer
Table at 7, run by chief directors Karl Dobler (who does the Western cooking) and Eugenia Ong (wo does the Eastern cooking.

We were given

Bread and oil.

Starters
My companions went for the shellfish. I am allergic to shellfish and opted for a juice. We shared a half bottle of sparkling wine - Champagne.

Main courses
One of my companions, who does not eat red meat for health reasons, as advised by a doctor, chose had the cod from down under, different from the cod we get in England which is heavier. Excellent.

I like poultry but I had eaten chicken rice at lunch time. (Not a grammatical error, although it does indeed mean chicken and rice, the dish is known as Chicken Rice.)

I chose the meat which came with potato. A reasonably-sized portion which left room for dessert.

Dessert, crumble and coconut ice cream. Photo by Angela Lansbury.

Dessert
Delicious.

Coffee and Chocolate
Coffee looked rather dull. No chocolate?

Ah - the chocolate appeared after the coffee, to sweeten the bill.
One chocolate for each person, three or us, three chocolates. Just right.

You would think that would be obvious. It is to you and me and the directors of this restaurant. But on many occasions I have had two chocolates for three diners, or four or five chocolates for three diners.

In hotels on several occasion I have had one chocolate on a double bed with a hotel booking for two persons and two lots of clothes for a man and a woman - you'd think they might notice two of us and two toothbrushes. I once phoned down and said, Please send up a second chocolate within five minutes. Alternatively send the police after ten minutes because the person who didn't get the chocolate is going to murder the person who ate the chocolate. There was a silence. I don't think their English was up to the translation and the British humour. I repeated, Please send another chocolate. We have one chocolate. Two people need two chocolates.

Two of the dishes were unavailable. As compensation they offered a free juice drink to the other two diners.

Bill - a whopping 300 plus Singapore dollars for three, actually less in pounds sterling. Glad I was not paying.

Unless you have a big budget, I would describe this as a special occasion place.

What can they do for you for a special occasion?

Birthdays
Another table had a birthday dinner. the birthday boy (a middle aged man with friends) received a dessert with a candle and happy birthday written in chocolate on the plate and the recording and/or staff and guests singing happy birthday which alerted me to look.

Again, full marks. (I went to an Italian restaurant in Singapore and asked what they can do for a birthday. They looked at me warily as if I had asked them to poison the emperor. Obviously too busy and not in need of business nor happy birthday customers.)

Washroom
The washroom at the back on ground level, convenient for everybody, able bodied or not, drunk or sober but tired, no time wasting up and down stairs. Soothing candle in the cubicle.

Decor
Black and white with a few pictures. Subtle. Nothing distracting. Understated. I'm a colourful person and like Las Vegas. If you are like me, you might be disappointed. If you prefer subtle, you will be relieved. Your eyes are on your companions and your food.

WEBSITE & ADDRESS
Karl Dobler
+65 9660 9480
KARL@TABLEAT7.COM

ENGENIA ONG
Tel:+65 9666 4241

Salut Private Dining Pte Ltd
7 Mohamed Sultan Rd
S'pore 238957
WWW.TABLE@7.COM

(65 is the code for Singapore if you are ringing from overseas)
Facebook TABLEAT7

Botanical Gardens - the best thing about the gardens

Why go there? It's fun and it's free, good for exercise and gourmets, solos and couples, and families, dog lovers, and people who want to park the car. 

It's the world's most visited Botanic Garden, beating Kew Gardens in London and others in the USA and Canada. Most of it is free and open from 5 am until midnight. A couple of great shops sell souvenirs, whether you are into fashion such as orchid brooches, silk scarves and sundresses, tee-shirts and sunhats, or books about plants and plants.

It's a Unesco World Heritage site, attracting four million visits a year. 

Problem
Where can we take a foreign visitor to visit? In Singapore the Gardens by the Bay are expensive and we leave that to the last day when we have time to spend all day there. For a mere afternoon jaunt which can be cut short with no financial loss if our visitor grows tired, we follow her own request to visit the Botanical Gardens.

Symphony Lake. Photo by Angela Lansbury.

You can approach the Botanical gardens from various directions. On the MRT you arrive underneath and enter a gateway with many plaques and pictures to read.

This time we took a taxi. Our entry point was at the entrance with a souvenir shop and map. We walked from the cacti garden and the orchid garden past the bandstand and out to the roadway.

Highlights:
the souvenir shops
the waterfall you can walk behind
the bandstand in the water
the two white swans

Symphony Lake. Photo by Angela Lansbury.

Swans mate for life, but woe betide you if you get between them and their young. The strength of a swan's wings is famous. Those graceful necks are strong as a forearm and can strike you hard. Admire from afar. to take pictures you might like to invest in a telephone lens for a camera or even a mobile phone.

Who goes to the Botanical Gardens?

Shopaholics looking for fashionable, colourful hats and scarves and jewellery.
Plant lovers, looking for kits to grow.

Dog walkers with dogs on leads following the paths.

Energetic joggers running along amidst pleasant scenery far away from the car fumes of the streets, out in the fresh air. Some are singles. Others in groups. I joked:'They look like they are running for a bus!'

Relaxation-lovers sit on the many rustic chairs, rocks, walls and lawns.

Romantic couples stroll hand in hand.

Families with toddlers.

Grannies and people pushing grannies and grandads in wheelchairs.

Photographers after scenery and wildlife.


Photographers after romantic settings for girlfriends, or models.

Couples looking for either wide open spaces or privacy.

Best of all, it's free. So you can spend as much or as little as you like, in terms of money and time.

GETTING THERE AND GETTING AWAY
By car or cab.
1 We arrived via Cluny Road. Confusingly you have to turn the map sideways to get north at the top.
My favourite entrance is Botanic Gardens MRT. However, it's quite walk from one end to the other.

If short of time, take a taxi to Cluny Road and walk the half which ends at
2 By car or cab
Tanglin Gate (Napier Road)where you can call a cab.

3 By MRT /train or bus
My favourite entrance is Botanic Gardens MRT. It is on the Circle Line and the Downtown Line. (However this entrance is at the south end and it's quite a walk from one end to the other at Tanglin Gate.)
More details from the Botanic Gardens website.

For me the highlights were:
1 Symphony Lake with Shaw Foundation Symphony Stage. (Roughly in the middle)
2 The walk behind the waterfall near Halia restaurant and the ginger garden. (Halia means ginger.)

USEFUL WEBSITES
www.sbg.org.sg
Singapore Airlines
singaporeair.com

Author
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer. Please share links to your favourite posts.

Singapore fish in condos, coy Koy and catfish

Problem
What are they, Carp or Koy or catfish in ponds in condos?

Koy, the king of fish, are a kind of carp. They are not coy. They race around.

Catfish
If they are feeding on the bottom of the pond they are probably catfish, scavengers. Simple wiki explains, catfish are called catfish because they have barbels which look like cats' whiskers. Catfish was commonly on the restaurant menu when I was living in North American, particularly along the east coast, in North Carolina.

The other fish swim towards you with open mouths, hoping to be fed.

 Fish. Photos by Angela Lansbury. Copyright.

Look at the fins. Are they flat or vertical? Look at those points like whiskers either side of the mouth. Check on Wikipedia or find an image or ask the gardener or head of the housekeeping department.

Maybe the fish will inspire you or your children or grandchildren or grandparents to write a poem or a fairytale.

Perhaps it's better to be practical and not anthropomorphize fish. To be frank, the big ones eat the little ones.

When you see kissing gouramis, they are simply using mouth to feed on the walls of your aquarium or the pet shop aquarium.

On a brighter note, I was upset when my fish died. I read books about fish keeping and discovered that many fish have a life span of only three years and if you buy adult fish their remaining lifespan is only a year or two, so you have not killed them. They were going to die anyway.

After all the work of feeding fish, cleaning out fish tanks, I now appreciate that looking after even a small size aquarium takes work, time and money. So now I can appreciate that the ponds in condos require attention and upkeep. You must feed the fish the right live worms or plants so that they don't eat your pond plants nor other fish.

'A little knowledge is a dangerous thing', is the phrase which comes to mind. But the follow-up sentence is the advice: Drink deep.

At condos in Singapore you see signs, DO NOT FEED THE FISH. Signs also warn you not to put unwanted fish or tortoises into the water because they will eat the plants or the other fish.

Knowing the effort required to mix and match the right fish and the right size fish, I can appreciate the work which has gone into designing and upkeeping the ponds.

You will frewuntl find water features such as fountains and fish ponds in condos and shopping centres. Water is considered good fung shui (pronounced foong shway, depending on whether you are in China (official language Mandarin), Hong Kong (Cantonese) or Singapore - Fung shway means wind and water, harmony created by aligning with the prevailing winds (or direction of building and windows and doors and furniture) and the water or added water.

Useful Websites
https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Koi

Author, Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker. 

Way Out Sign In Chinese and Japanese Singapore

Here's the handy sign for way out. I had seen the symbol main times on public transport and not known what it meant.

Although the Chinese and Japanese languages sound different they share the same symbols or signs, just like the no smoking signs in Europe show the cigarette crossed out and although the words in English are no smoking and the words in other languages are different, the signs are the same.

Author
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker. Please share links to your favourite signs. I have several more blogs on learning Chinese and other languages. I teach English and other languages to individuals by Skype and to businesses.

Singapore Sunflowers at Gardens By the Bay

Sunflowers in Singapore
The weather outside in Singapore is tropical, same all year, tropical and hot. (Unlike Hong Kong which has four seasons, a hot season, a cold season and two rainy seasons)

Despite this, the displays indoors in the conservatories change constantly, with seasonal exhibitions. So if you are Singaporean and get lots of foreign visitors, you can by sure of seeing something different on your second or third visit.

What I learned was that sunflowers range in height from ankle height to giants taller than I am. they also come in two main colours, all yellow and with big brown centres.

You can plant sunflowers in a trough to bring the smaller or larger ones to eye level. I prefer them planted ground level or a higher slope so the sunflowers lean over you.

Websites:
singaporeair.com
visitsingapore.com

Author
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker. 

Red hat to buy at Gardens By The Bay

No trouble finding the gift shops at Gardens by the Bay. One at the main entrance, two more. Hats in all colours, white, cream, brown, blue, red, silver. I liked this one which has a decorative flower and a removable red brim which buttons on.

Photo by and of Angela Lansbury in red hat at gardens By The Bay, Singapore.

Grab in Singapore and Uber in Hong Kong, paying, tax, tipping, extras and receipts

Grab hire cars operate in Singapore. When you phone to make a booking they tell you the fee and you pay cash and get given a receipt.

No Tipping
In Singapore no need to tip. In fact it's frowned on. Singaporeans don't like it when foreigners tip - it's seen as a form of bribery and queue jumping.

Lee Kwan Yew ended the bribery which is still rife in many parts of Asia. I remember arriving at a hotel to book a room. The hotel receptionist said the hotel was full (although I had phone and been told it had rooms).

When money was produced as a tip, suddenly the receptionist re-read the list and found a room. this is what Lee Kwan Yew was trying to prevent, a culture where people are paid low salaries and make it up by not working for the employer but for the passer by who offers money. More importantly, government officials finding you housing drivers' licenses, school teachers marking exam papers, the whole system was reorganized so everybody was paid what is now enshrined in the UK as a minimum wage, and as in China, tipping was forbidden as being seen as bribery. In Shanghai a restaurant waitress was very upset at being offered a tip. If she took it she could lose her job, as being seen as favouring one customer over another (suspected of cheating the boss by offering free seconds, or cheating him by making the customer think the prices were higher) or not offering adequate service until a tip was produced which could ruin the restaurants reputation (and nowadays its Tripadvisor rating). 

At one time when people hailed taxis in the streets of Singapore, frequently the opportune taxi drivers would sail past the locals to pick up foreigners who might tip, which made the local people irate.

Travellers to the airport may have judged their money exactly and spent the last of their cash on drinks or souvenirs, allowing a certain amount for the taxi home. If a service charge or tax is added, plus an ERP (electronic road pricing) or after midnight charge, or two person charge, or extra suitcase charge, suddenly they are out of money with no opportunity to change as there is no machine near the door and the taxi is impatient to be off. Very stressful.

Some people like the system of dealing with cash. No risk of hackers getting hold of your credit card or personal details.

However, in Hong Kong, my friend 'Carol' told me, she used Uber and liked the system whereby you paid by credit card. When you reached your destination, you could jump out of the cab and run. Your receipt was sent automatically.

the automatic receipt we were sent by Grab in Singapore was also useful. One member of my family booked a cab for 'Carol' who was racing to the airport to catch a flight from Singapore to Hong Kong and then on to Europe. She was on standby on Cathay Pacific.

The host family had booked her the cab, and checked she had enough money to pay (advising her no tip needed).

When the host's phone pinged to alert the phone owner the receipt had arrived, they knew Carol had reached the airport safely and paid the taxi and was in time for her flight. While she was running to check in, the host family could send a free running commentary to her family or friends on group to tell them she was on her way.

We got in a muddle talking about it - 'Grab bought Uber, no, Uber bought grab, no ... '

If you are hopping from one country to another, get the app loaded onto your phone well in advance, and check tee exchange rate for money and likely cab prices. Check the time the MRT will take if you have just a backpack and small wheel-on case.

When I told a taxi driver that, when it was raining, the system told us that all taxis were busy, he was irate and vehement that there could not be a shortage of taxis.
"Thousands of taxis," he told me, and, "dropping off and picking up all the time!"

Useful Websites
For the latest news and deals see:
www.grab.com
www.grab.com/sg (Taxis and cars - double your options and wait less long)
www.grab.com/sg/car
https://www.grab.com/sg/grabpay/
www.uber.com

Author
Angela Lansbury

Green palm tree with red Singapore

Photos by Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker.

Halia Restaurant At Botanical Gardens - change

Problem
Halia restaurant at Botanical Gardens has become halal with no wine served. That's great if you want to avoid alcohol or the cost.

However, if you have a wine buff or want champagne to celebrate a birthday or special occasion, you might need an alternative. they don't serve wine and don't do BYO (bring your own) either.

Answer
My wine buff chose to transfer to another restaurant, excellent but pricey, called Table at 7. (Later post on this later.) Taxi had to be called to a pickup point outside the Botanical Gardens gate.

Halia also does catering for homes and offices. handy if you or some of your guests need halal food.

USEFUL WEBSITES & INFO
Halia at Botanic Gardens Singapore
1 Cluny Road, Ginger Garden
(enter via Tyersall Avenue)
Singapore 259569
tel: (65) 8444 1148
Email general.hsbg@thehalia.com
www.thehalia.com

Author
Angela Lansbury

Glasses and Goggles To Help You See When Swimming

Problems
tight silicone hats press on the sides of your normal glasses when you wear them in water.
Some glasses will go rust in water.
You need glasses when swimming in the water for these reasons
1 to protect your eyes from splashes
to see close-up
To see at a distance
To keep your eyes adjusted to your normal spectacles
Goggles over glasses enable you to open your eyes underwater and see fish and take photos and avoid dangers and approaching large fish and boats and pick up coins and lost items and avoid colliding with the swimming pool walls and other swimmers.

Answers
Some large stretchy turban like swimhat has room for glasses without pressing if you are swimming with your head out of water, paddling or doing breast stroke - with your head up (which could give you back ache one swimming instructor told me).

Some goggles are designed like the cheap glasses you can buy which are adjusted for short sightedness or long sightedness.

Other members of my family can manage with non-prescription glasses bought off racks. (Not me, because my eyes are different and a lens suiting one eye does not suit the other one - I can see a menu using them by shutting one eye in an emergency, but no good for preventing headaches.

Author
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer.

Swimming costume - recycling the bust support

Problem
I bought a new swimming costume with boy legs and short sleeves from Mohammed Mustafa department store near Little India in Singapore. I tried it on in the store to be sure it was large enough. When I got it home and tried it on again I realised that although it had a lining to take bust cups, none were supplied. I knew I could buy supports on line. Was the costume supposed to have supports which were supplied only at checkout to prevent theft - or was the swimsuit aimed at men, or was it unisex? I would need to go onto the swimsuit company website to find out, or return to the department store. (Or try phoning - but it seemed too complicated to explain on the phone.)

Answer
RECYCLING OLD BRAS AND BIKINI TOPS
I was thinking about using the bust part from an old bikini or bra and sewing it inside. I would have to cut the sides and back of the bra or bikini top to keep it in place whilst swimming - not going up or down or sideways - and to prevent if falling out and floating off! I might have to cut it down the middle so separate the cups.

TRANSFERRING BUST SUPPORTS FROM OLD SWIMSUITS
I tried on my old swimsuit which had bust supports, not the plastic hard mesh type but thin sponges.
I realised that the supports from the old swimsuit were still in good condition and could be transferred to the new costume.

RECYCLING OLD SWIMSUITS
I had kept my old swimsuit 'just in case' I needed any part. I had never thought of using the bust support. I was thinking of using the sleeves to extend another costume and protect my upper arms or lower arms from sunburn or cancer-causing rays. Another thought I had was to use a strip of fabric in a ribbon to anchor another costume, make a tie belt, or back of the neck tie, or spiralled into a decorative rose in the centre bust or waist or front of one shoulder or the top of both shoulders, or epaulettes in matching black or a contrasting colour (to match a swimhat or shoes or a towelling wrap).

The moral is, recycle that old swimsuit to modify your new one.

Author
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker.

What your phone can do for your photos

Problem
Your phone has magic features.

QUICK SNAP
Phones are designed so that you can turn on and take a photo instantly by pressing power on and swiping right or left. (Check the instructions online.)

Remember to do this. Practise it at least three ties at home before going out for the day. Then you will be able to catch moving objects in a hurry and keep up with your friends and family and tour guides.

UNWANTED PHOTO MODE
This features also explains why sometimes you go to make a phone call to a friend and find the camera keeps switching to camera mode. You have turned on by swiping right, then impatiently swiped a second time and got the photo mode.

Author
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker.

How to Revive a dead Orange or Lemon Tree

Problem
We went away and our orange tree died. I hoped it was still alive.

Answer
ASK THE EXPERT
A friend from France (land of farmers and food) and New Zealand (land of sheep farms) told me what to do. Her lemon tree had looked dead earlier this year.

BREAKING AND BENDING BRANCHES
She looked at the 'dead' branches of my orange tree, which was full of dead leaves. When we tried to cut the spiky branches, she said, "some of them snap straight away and are dead. The others bend and resist because they are slightly moist and alive.?

ORANGE OR LEMON AROMA
She also broke off a bit of a living branch and said, "can you smell the orange?"

Yes, but I had thought it was dead orange, the way orange peel smells.

PRUNING REMEDY
She said prune it right back. It needs to get the water to the roots to revive.
Cut above the nodes (teeny lumps on branches).

WATER
Water it well.
Nothing might happen for a month. It needs time to recover.

Keep it moist. In Singapore we are not allowed to have water saucers under pots because stagnant water can breed mosquitoes. Government health inspectors will come around to look for water retention - even plastic bags ying around which collect water - and can charge a large fine. In other countries, cut a hole in the bottom of the pot if it doesn't have one and keep a saucer underneath.

WATER RETENTION
You can buy at garden centres the white balls which act like sponges of chalk, holding water, which the plant roots can retrieve. You will extend the life of a plant you forgot to water or could not water because you were away on holiday or a business trip or at your second home. That gives your plant up to an extra month (depending on size of plant and pot).

Author
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker.
Please bookmark and share links to your favourite posts.

Red Chinese Lanterns For Mid-Autumn Festival

Red Chinese Lanterns in Singapore for the Mid-Autumn Festival. Photo by Angela Lansbury.

The red lanterns squash flat and are taken away by the hire company or building management and stored for the next event. i like the way the poles are wrapped in red to co-ordinate with the lanterns. The effect is very pleasing.

Author

Angela Lansbury

Plants For Tropical Balconies In Singapore

A vine on a balcony in Singapore. Photo by Angela Lansbury.

Problem
What can you plant on a Singapore balcony and how will you water it?

Answers
Look around at the balcony of nearby blocks or go to the allotments or simply chat to other people you meet.

ANTI-MOSQUITO
My first contact at an allotment told me about flowers which repel mosquitoes. A local garden centre sold us an anti-mosquito plant.

VINES
We didn't think vines would grow in warm Singapore, as they are mostly on cool hillsides. However, to our surprise we found a vine growing on a neighbour's balcony.

Our UK wine education expert told her that to get the best vine produced fruit, you prune a vine like a rose bush.

I queried this. I have seen rampant vines growing bunches of fruit over back walls of a house in back gardens.

The wine expert replied:
The grapevine plant puts its effort into woody branches and quantity rather than quality.

AVOCADO AND FRUIT
You can also grow:
Avocado plants from avocado stones. No need to fiddle around with the stone balanced on top of a bottle between two horizontal toothpicks over water, waiting for the roots to appear, like my mother in law recommended for growing a plant from a stone on a windowsill in the UK. Just stick the stone in water in a potting trough, water it once and wait for the regular rains to water it and it will grow.

Rosemary, which is rampant in London, England, also grows well on balconies in Singapore.

Papaya plants.
Mangoes.

MIDNIGHT PERFUME IN YOUR ROOM
Midnight flower
They open at midnight with a lovely aroma which lasts about two hours.

FREE DELIVERY OF POTTING COMPOST
Top Tip
No need to go to the garden centre and pay large sums for a small pack of compost. Order by phone, two packs of organic compost, and get the heavyweight sacks of potting compost delivered to your door for free. No need to feel guilty about making them take a special trip. They have vans circling the area.
regularly especially to a large condo.

Useful Websites
Before ordering compare prices.
www.Ogreenliving.com
https://www.qoo10.sg/shop/greenspade

Author
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer.

Mooncake Festival - after the party was over - the red lanterns and the white chairs must go

Saturday night Chinese autumn harvest festival with mooncakes and red lanterns at a condo in Singapore.

The chairs are stacked up and loaded onto the back of an open top lorry (Americans say truck).

The tables and tablecloths are packed up.

The awnings and poles and red lanterns are still to do to go.

Amazing the way the electric fans were fixed.

The pots of plants around the base of the stage are removed. Flat balloons lie on the ground. i dare say I could ask for a balloon. Later blow it up. But I haven't the cheek or the energy. A balloon already blown up is mesmerising. A flat balloon, no.

All photos by Angela Lansbury. Copyright.

See The London Bridge at Lake Havasu in Arizona in the USA - and the statue of the man who bought and moved it

London Bridge at Lake Havasu, USA. Photo from Wikipedia. Public domain.

Problem
I keep reading self-improvement speeches and articles and books about imagining things and then making them happen. But is it possible?

Answer
Yes. I remember the story of the man who imagined the city of Tel Aviv and drew a mark on the sandy beach. When asked by journalists where the city would be, he said, 'Here!'

Now I've read another similar story about a visionary. The man who bought London Bridge. Millionaire McCulloch with his business partner Wood.

The weirdest thing is not that McCulloch brought a bridge all the way over from London, England, to America, nor even that he looked out at the view and imagined a city which he started building. The weirdest thing was that he bought a bridge when he did not have a river to put the bridge across.

He had to get to see the President Lyndon Johnson of the USA and persuade the man to grant permission to divert a river. People were opposed to to idea of allowing a river to be diverted. I mean, you don't want to set a precedent, do you! Allow one person to divert a river, then everybody will want to do it.

You often hear the question, which came first, the thicken or the egg. you don't normally hear the question, which came first, the river or the bridge.

Let's get down to the nitty-gritty of what the tourist can see. The city of Lake Havusu, which was created in the middle of nowhere. (Doesn't that apply to everywhere in the USA? For example: New York, Washington DC, Las Vegas.)

Apparently it is a myth that the bridge was bought by mistake. They buyer knew which bridge he was buying.
UK
If you want to see Tower Bridge in London, England, it is still there and you can take tours.
USA
London Bridge in Lake Havasu city in the USA. The city has a museum. Several hotels including one, Heat Hotel, with views of the bridge.

What to see:
London Bridge in Lake Havasu, USA.
The statues of McCulloch and Wood together at the end of the bridge.
Tower bridge, London, England

Useful Websites
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/resources/idt-sh/the_bridge_that_crossed_an_ocean
https://en.wikivoyage.org/wiki/Lake_Havasu_City
https://golakehavasu.com/activities/attractions/london-bridge/
https://golakehavasu.com/activities/attractions/london-bridge/london-bridge-fun-facts/
visittheusa.co.uk
virginatlantic.com

Author
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker.

More Durian McFlurry At Anchorvale Community Club In An Inspiring Building With A Swimming Pool Please Copy

Durian McFlurry ice cream in a pot with a handy plastic spoon from McDonalds at Anchorvale Community Club, Singapore. Photo by Angela Lansbury.

Problem
Where was I going to find my next Durian McFlurry?

Answer
In the new Anchorvale Community Club near Changi Airport.  Our driver was busy parking and a friend and I were waiting in the large void deck. I ran over to take a picture of the super swimming pool which had coloured slides. My friend told me, "All the new Community Clubs in Singapore have swimming pools."

I am so pleased. Private condos have had swimming pools for years for expats and the better paid. The HDB flats which house the majority don't have swimming pools. the residents are expected to use the public swimming pools, most of which have simply oblong conventional swimming pools. As the newly-built condos have added water slides, curves and water features, so the public pools have now caught up.

Not only does this provide families with entertainment and exercise, it makes the community clubs more of an attraction, which provides more cohesiveness in the community, and makes the community club more profitable, so that other activities such as small meetings for minorities in meeting rooms can be subsidised by the paid for swimming pool.

The Anchorvale Community Club was a great success, if you were to judge by numbers of people. Parking places were in short supply. The McDonalds was thriving and had a busy indoor seating area and a quick-service window in the main hall.

At the quick window I saw a sign for a card to sign up for. I decided I should do this, as it was my second day running visiting a McDonalds. Their choice of foods is much greater than in the old days: fish, vegetarian - and durian (fruit) ice cream.

Unfortunately, downloading the app was a problem. I never made it.

However, I can tell you that the swimming pool in Anchorvale looks great. If you are anywhere else in the world (such as Asia, the UK now that global warming will be making longer summers) and the southern area of the USA, look at the Singaporean Community Centres which are built in every government housing estate, a model for the world to copy.

Please Copy Community Centres
The community centres provide central parks watched by the surrounding buildings. Ground floor shops and doctors and dentists and pre-school so the elderly and pregnant women and young mothers and fathers don't need to travel with low budgets and toddlers. Schemes offer housing swaps so that the elderly on high floors oe people with inclined to climb children can swap with those on ground or lower floors (who get kudos and/or awards, or rewards).

Community Housing
 The housing estates, built and maintained by the governments Housing Development Board (HDB) to provide affordable housing for all citizens.  Basic upgrades such as repainting outside walls and repairing paths and installing covered walkways to keep off the sunshine and rain are funded by the government.

Upgrades To Housing
Extras such as designing and installing gardens, gazebos, fountains and fish pools and sculpture and arches and more shops are chosen and half-funded by residents. Their ideas and imput of money means that they feel responsible for keeping the new facilities in good condition.

Anchorvale Community Centre is already up and running successfully. Next year we anticipate that the new MRT (mass transit) underground railway station will be completed.
(photos and websites being added shortly)

Useful Websites
SINGAPORE TOURISM
visitsingapore.com
singaporeair.com
HDB

McDONALDS
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/McDonald
mcdonalds.com.sg/locate-us
mcdelivery.com.sg

To view this website post:

http://travelwithangelalansbury.blogspot.com/2018/09/more-durian-mcflurry-at-anchorvale.html

Previous post on durian:
http://travelwithangelalansbury.blogspot.com/2018/09/durian-delight-at-macdonalds.html

Author
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker.
Please share links to your favourite posts. 

Plants To Repel Mosquitos - How To Remember Them

🤦‍♂️�‍♂️🤦‍♂️🤦‍♂️

Citronella From Corona Florist and Nursery 388F Clementi Road, Singapore. Photo courtesy of Trevor Sharot.

Problem
I want plants to repel mosquitos on the balcony in Singapore and now that we have global warming, even in London, UK, in the house and garden.

I keep learning the plants which repel mosquitos. How can I remember them if I want to replant part of an existing plant from a garden or balcony, ask a friend for a cutting, buy from a gardening shop, advise another person?

Answer
Start with the lemons, acidic plants, which the mosquitos won't want to suck?
citronella (citron - Ella)
lemon balm (lemon on a balmy night)
lemon thyme (time for a third lemon plant)

What else is strong smelling?

garlic - keeps away your friends but keeps away your enemies - those mosquitoes. Frightens off the devil and witches and also mosquitoes.

More food plants:
mint (no time - just a minute, time is money, mint it). Make a mint drink, mint tea.

Lavendar - lovely lavendar has a lovely aroma
marigold - golden colour - will Mary marry you?

Rosemary and Basil (Romantic girl Rosemary, smells sweet as a Rose, and her boyfriend Basil)

Catnip
Last but not least, Rosemary is cuddling her cat and I hope it won't nip her

I can now reconstruct the list using my memory aids:

citronella
lemon balm
lemon thyme
rosemary
basil
garlic
catnip
lavendar
marigold
mint
thyme

Let's put them in alphabetical order:
basil
catnip
citronella
garlic
lavendar
lemon balm
lemon thyme
marigold
mint
rosemary
thyme

Garden Centres
Singapore
Corona Florist and Nursery, 388F, Clementi Road, Singapore. (We bought a citronella plant, also balls to put on compost in pots and troughs to stop the sandy stuff blowing away.)
Goodwood Florist , 565 Thomson Road, Singapore. We bought balcony pots and compost.)

UK
Squires, Stanmore and other locations. Huge garden shop with gardening gloves, books, toys, cafe and outdoor area with plants and mini-trees and fencing and amusing plaques for the garden wall or outdoor house wall.

Author
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker, teacher of English and other languages. See my other posts on plants, gardens, garden centres and destinations.

Moon cake festival dinner in Singapore - what are you missing?

Singapore flag.

Problem
I am either away the night of the moon cake festival dinner or away at the time they are selling advance tickets. So every year I miss it and vow, next year I will attend.

Awnings around the swimming pool. Photo by Angela Lansbury.

 I see the awnings going up around the swimming pool for days in advance. The tickets are not sold by the swimming pool attendant but in the office. Residents are allowed to invite guests, eg visiting grandparents from overseas, former residents who have moved away, friends who live in the same street or nearby.

The tickets this year were modestly priced, about $5, but it was a pot luck supper. I love pot luck. (Apparently pot luck started in the USA with native americans who threw all their vegetables into a big pot for everybody to share. What you pulled out to fill your bowl was pot luck. At least that's one story. I'm sure there are several others.

I spoke to some friends from the complex (which has about six skyscrapers around the pool, 598 flats, with at least two people on average that is 1000 potential people). I reckon it means at least 1001, because the guests of honour is a government minister. I could go to the office and ask, or phone or email. Never mind. You get the picture. This will be happening all over Singapore.

Toastmasters Meeting Comments
At Toastmasters International evenings for several weeks we were starting the evening going around everybody answering the question,' what will you do for Chinese moon cake festival?'' or, 'what does it mean to you? Many people answered, 'It's for family and friends to gather together'.

Big Events
So, if it's a festival for families to gather together, why go to the big events? Firstly, to save organizing at home.

Secondly, the more the merrier. Convivial.

Thirdly, as an additional event. Your overseas visitors or returning family can have one family meal, another out meeting neighbours, distant friends, making new friends.

Children's Festivals
My Chinese Singaporeans also said, 'The Autumn Harvest Festival party is for children'. Like Halloween and Christmas: games, guessing games, contests and gifts.

Sound in Singapore
Finally, the sound of these large events echoes around the voids between the skyscrapers. All around the complex, the public arena, the HDB (Housing Development Board - Singapore equivalent of the UK's council housing), and the private estates. You listen to the cheers and laughter and wonder what you are missing.

You can't hear exactly what they are saying. But you can hear them all evening. Any other activity, such as reading or watching TV or talking, is punctuated by the sounds.

Notting Hill Carnival Sounds
It's a bit like the Notting Hill Carnival in London, as I learned from somebody who lived alongside. For many years she joined in. Then when she got older she went away for the weekend. She told me that if you live alongside, no point staying home trying to read or sleep with all that racket outside or bands, applause, cheering, announcements. Either go and join in or go away for the weekend.

Singapore's Mooncake Festival Prices
In Singapore at this year's Mooncake festival, or Autumn Festival, I was told,
your ticket either includes the price of a piece of mooncake or just the table and chairs (according to whether you bought a ticket in advance or just bought on the night. Presumably they need to know numbers in advance for catering, but you can turn up with an extra guest on the night so long as they only occupy a chair and don't need the free food included in the other price. The advance ticket will include a voucher for a slice of mooncake or other food.

Some places it's the other way round. At many Toastmasters events, paying in advance means a reduction.

Stalls around offer snacks you can buy.

Regrets and Plans
This year my family heard the sound of the festival and instead of regretting not going, my family, members, who are into classical music and singing in tune and vocal variety at Toastmasters, grumbled, "Dreadful noise. Nonstop cheerleading and shouting into the microphone. You couldn't talk to anybody. Glad we didn't go."

All the same, next year, I must go to the mooncake festival! I love mooncakes!

Mooncake for the Chinese autumn harvest festival in Singapore. Photo by Angela Lansbury.

Author
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker.

Free taste of mooncake and reduced price mooncakes - last chance

Singapore flag.

Problem
Where can you taste mooncakes - so expensive, la!

Answer
La is Singlish, just an exclamation.
Two Chinese Singaporeans advised me:

"Go to Takashimaya basement. Lots of stalls selling mooncakes offer a free taste. Try tomorrow, Sunday (September 23rd 2018). The last day is Monday (September 24th 2018). If you can still find them, the stalls will probably reduce their prices.

Uh-huh. A bit like Christmas cake and Christmas pudding in London, UK prices come down a day or two afterwards.

I wonder whether the same applies to Taiwan department stores and Chinese supermarkets in Chinatowns worldwide.

Useful Websites
takashimaya - gives redemption vouchers of S$5 (five Singapore dollars).

Mooncakes

Author
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker.  

Text talk for pick ups

When you are a pedestrian being collected by a friend who has a car, you need to arrive first. It saves time if you know which exit to take from the station.

I had lots of offers while waiting by a bus stop for my friend to collect me - offers mainly from taxi drivers!

I texted briefly that I had arrived at the designated meeting point. My driver replied:

Otw= on the way

Angela Lansbury

Two ways to take a panorama from a hotel or home balcony

Problem
Your eye sees the panorama. The camera sees just a small section.

Answers
1 The iphone has a panorama facility. Locate the panorama icon and hold it down whilst swinging the camera. You can get a 360 degrees view.

2 you can stitch together a series of stills which you have taken by moving your camera fractions of an inch, holding it steady on the edge of a balcony or wall or table or upright. (Do keep the camera securely fastened to yourself by a strap so you don't drop it over!)

The free softward available on line is called
hugin.

We did a sunset panorama of the whitle skyscrapers turned pink in the sunset. The hugin system made all the skyscrapers upright.

You could also do the same view at different times of day, morning, noon and evening. The contrast is interesting for you as a camera operator and as a display of contrasting pictures.

An interesting contrast would be something in the foreground such as a seasonal plant, so long as this remains in focus.

Foreground
If in doubt, try the photo once with the foreground item and once without. I like a picture with a table and two empty chairs and a vase of flowers or a bowl of fruit, or a pot plant.

You could add more interest with hobbies.
Cultural or artistic and creative items
Such as an artist's easel,
A magazine or book
Notebooks and pens

Sporty items: a bicycle, swimming or diving gear,

Local interest
Guidebooks, a book or local magazine,
 something local to the area such as a tile,
a decorative empty birdcage,

Personalise The Picture
Print a card with your name and hang it on the wall. No matter how small. That identified your photo (in case anybody ever wants to copy it. Even if nobody sees, you will know. It could be like the teeny picture of Hitchcock in his films (movies), and the tiny mouse carved by the carver in the north of England on everything he created. A challenge for the viewer is to blow up the picture and find the hidden card with your name, perhaps a tag on a basket of flower.

Clothing
a ranger's hat, climbing boots, skis, a surf board,

Food and drink
a diary, the novel you have written, a cocktail, local fruits, winter flowers, spring flowers, summer flowers, autumn flowers, seasonal items such as pumpkins, Halloween, Valentine's day, a Santa outfit, reindeer and sleigh.

Alternatively, add a seasonal border later.

Eliminate Clutter
However, you will probably find it hard to focus on the foreground. In that case, make a point of moving anything which could spoil the view.

Clean Up
In a hotel, you might need to clean the chairs and wash down the table and floor area.

You might want to take a second picture with focus on the foreground items and the backdrop as a backdrop.

Printing A Panorama
You can also print out a panorama as a long poster to brighten a boring bedroom or long living room or corridor wall.

Christmas and Birthday Gifts
You can roll it up and post it as a Christmas present. We took a panorama of a vineyard (Rioja, Northern Spain) with the vineyard owner on the top of a hill pointing out the landscape and river below to a visitor.

Making Use Of Spare Time
If you are stuck in a hotel room or at home waiting for visitors to come back from a conference or arrive off a plane, you can amuse yourself by filling the time with some photography.

Hotel Viewpoints
In Madeira our bedroom balcony gave a view partly spoiled by a crane. I walked along the corridor and found a deserted public balcony with a fabulous view. The moral is, check the public areas all around your building for alternative views.

Angela Lansbury
travel writer and photographer, author and speaker.

To find out when a bus will arrive in Singapore

I looked at the apps suggested at a bus stop in Singapore.

I asked somebody at the bus stop for help. She saw me scrutinizing the bus stop number and asked if I needed help.

By this time my bus was due to arrive and as if by magic it appeared.She told me that to find my bus time I needed an ap called Singapore buses. It took only a few seconds to download it. My mobile phone screen showed a dozen or so bus numbers up to six hundred and something. I flicked them up faster and faster.

Then to look for my stop. I spotted what I thought was the name of the block opposite. However, my helpful new friend pointed out that I would get the arrival time of the bus the other side of the road. I needed the magic word, the vital word, the essential word 'opposite.

Website Aps

Singapore buses

Others
Google maps
streetview

Author

Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker.

Glossary (dictionary)
SD - secure data - extra storage space for photos, videos .
SIM card - the one which has your phone owner details, linking your phone to the company from whom you rent the monthly allowance.

In theory you can change the SIM card to a new phone, for example, hiding your expensive Apple iphone and taking a cheap phone on a trek or to a market, transferring the Sim card from your expensive phone/camera to a cheaper one.
Alternatively, you might wish to swap the new SIM card into your better phone in order to take good photos on holiday.

However, some phones are fixed to prevent this happening so that thieves cannot switch their SIM cards into a stolen phone. So you might have to get the shop where you buy the phone or rent it to change the Sim card as they have the unblocking device or permission.
The best time to get this done is when you are renting the new phone, when they will gladly agree to anything to secure the sale.

 If you then later have to go back to the shop to reverse the SIM card swap, that means another journey, another wait for attention, explaining what you want and why, getting them to agree to spend time on something which is not benefitting their sales person, changing the paperwork.

Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker. Please share links to your favourite posts.

Is it McDonalds or MacDonalds?

McDonalds McFlurry. Photo by Angela Lansbury. copyright.

Problem
The confusion occurs because there's a big Mac.

Answer
It's actually McDonalds. Saves you time when typing, only one a. The clue should be in the word McFlurry. You can say Mc-something or other. But mc on its own is hard to say. A big mc doesn't work. So they decided on Big Mac.

Oops! It's easy to make a mistake. In my title I had MadDonalds! Doesn't typing and spell-checking drive you mad. Enough to make you want to eat a McDonalds.

Author
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker.

Mooncakes - Happiness Is Eating Mooncakes At The Chinese Harvest Festival

Mooncake in piecrust for Chinese harvest festival in Singapore. Photo by Angela Lansbury. Copyright.

Problem
I remember harvest festival from my schooldays in London, England. fruits and vegetables and cereals laid out on the floor of the gym in front of the stage at school. Requests for donations. Living in the city, it all seemed rather remote.

Answers
Singapore's harvest festival, a subdivision of the harvest festivals in China and the rest of Asia, especially Taiwan, Hong Kong and places with Chinese populations, is much more fun, with the ubiquitous (found everywhere) mooncakes, moon-shape cakes, with a piecrust stamped with plant designs, Chinese symbols, or snow versions in white.

Inside are highly calorific and filling centres, very sweet, with the occasional salted egg yolk. The ingredients are exotic, lotus, sometimes nuts, maybe purple or chestnut colour.

A teeny section, like a slice of pie, goes a long way, very filling.

Author
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer. Please share links to your favourite posts.

Durian delight at McDonalds

Durian McFlurry in Singapore.

Problems
1 What can I try that's new but cheap overseas?
2 Where can I get reasonably priced durian?
3 What's durian and when and where can you get it?

Answers
First, what is durian? A large fruit which smells and tastes like a cross between chestnut and banana in ice cream smoothies and cakes, but like strong sulphur or rotten eggs when the whole fruit is fresh. That's why you will see, in high season, signs on the Singapore underground NO DURIANS.

If you wanted a whole durian, which is big and heavy, you would either have to get it delivered by a specialist company, or double or triple wrap it to conceal the smell.

According to the durian delivery firm
low season for durian is January and June
mid-season is other months
high season is September!

Thai Restaurant Ice Cream
I was offered durian ice cream on my first visit to Singapore at a Thai restaurant. It was the only dessert available. They tried to persuade me not to order it, probably because they were afraid i would not like it and would say bad things about their restaurant or waste their food and demand my money back.
However, I like to try new things, so I insisted on trying it. I loved it.

Durian At Juice Bars In Hawker Centres
Afterwards I tried several times to order desserts with durian topping at fruit stalls in hawker centres (food courts). Often I was disappointed. Either the durian was not available - they served dessert without it hoping I wouldn't notice! Or they gave such a tiny spoonful or squeeze that it was gone after the second mouthful.

MacDonald Durian Delight
No such disappointment at McDonalds.

I took the number 76 bus from Yio Chu Kang Interchange (bus station) beside Yio Chu Kang MRT (railway station) on the train line. I got off at building works, probably connected to the new MRT station opening next year (2019).

Here I am in the middle of nowhere, a suburb of Singapore, on my way to  Toastmasters International meeting at a newly opened Community Club. The bus station was heaving with people. But as far as I am concerned I am in a culinary cultural desert, miles from any Michelin restaurant, with nothing but cheap food in hawker centre.

I saw the Durian sign in the street outside. My eyes lit up. I stopped. I took a quick photo.

That's new. That's different. That's local. That's unique. That sounds delicious. Delicious, delicious!

Would I stop to buy and try on my way to a meeting? Yes, even if that made me five minutes late.

Why not leave it until later? Less anti-social than arriving carrying durian ice cream or breathing it.

But the shop might be closed later. I might forget and walk back on the other side of the road. I might get a lift in somebody's car or van to the MRT by-passing the McDonalds - which is what happened.

I am so glad I chose to try the durian McFlurry. So much of it. Delicious.

The concoction came in a beaker like a drink, but was more like a cross between yogurt and squeezy ice cream. It was supplied with a plastic spoon to scoop it out. You would not want to try drinking it and getting it dripping and dropping down your clothes. The creamy part was white, the contrasting durian a yellowy pale green.

My fears were unfounded. The cup was cunningly designed with a protective top which held in the small. The food was not so aromatic that it would disturb anybody else. Nobody commented, 'What's that?'

The price was three dollars, reduced from 4 dollars said the sign. Affordable.

It was so good that on the way home I wanted another. I looked at the station for McDonalds at Ang Mo Kio. No luck.

I am now on the lookout for McDonalds. I shall go onto the website and find my nearest and see if they have a durian promotion. While stocks last. While it's the season.

If you are in Singapore, must try!

This branch of McDonalds is near the new Kebun Baru Community Club. I took bus 76 from the MRT.

USEFUL WEBSITES
www.mcdelivery.com.sg/sg

Author Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker.