Covid-19 In the UK, and Quarantine in a hotel in Singapore - my family's experience

 

This year I have had family in Singapore, family in Malaysia, family in London, a family wedding in London, family all over the world, day surgery in the UK at a hospital, and family in hotel quarantine in Singapore. Here are some of the Covid-19 quarantine experiences. I shall start with the UK experiences, and then Singapore.

The Covid-19 Test In The UK

Before going into hospital for day surgery, my family member had to take a Covid-19 test. This was from a tent in the hoptal car park. You drove your own car up to the tent. You filled in a form. A long pole reaches out and takes the swab. 

Heathrow

A delay on check in because in addition to the ticket, the passengers had to show various documents, such as their status as a Singaporean or permanent resident. You needed wifi and a working mobile phone or a Singapore identity card, not your British passport which is usually enough for travel

 When the airline staff tried to phone offices in Singapore, with a time difference it was the middle of the night in Singapore and nobody was answering.

Going through security, everybody was separated by social distancing. Much more civilised. No jostling.

At Heathrow the Singapore Airlines lounge was closed, like all the other lounges except one. The buffet area had marks on the floor. The O'Brien (Yes, Irish) chocolate pot was great. I kept the small see-through plastic box. This proved handy later for food in a hotel room.

Masks in Singapore

Singapore had only 28 fatalities by November 2020. Everybody wears masks except children The government issues 4 mask per household every couple of months. 

Quarantine Costs In Singapore

The cost of quarantine on returning was reputed to be about 2,000 Singapore dollars per person, covering two weeks in a hotel bedroom, with airline style meals delivered three times a day, but it might be slightly less money for a couple sharing. This sounded less than the quarantine costs in Australasia.

A small coach took just three families to our hotel. 

We had a tour of the city, not knowing where we were going.

We arrived at the Orchard Hotel.

Orchard Hotel, Singapore

We passed the main checkin and went to another check set up outside a back entrance which I presume was a ballroom. During checkin we were asked if we wanted a double bed or two singles. Up in the lift to our hotel bedroom.

Orchard Hotel Bedroom, Singapore

Seventh floor. Window overlooking the street and Christmas lights. (Secural lights.) I was delighted.

I thought the hotel was in Orchard Road. Photos from the window showed the Xmas sstreet lights. the hotel is actually a block back, facing the Rendez-vous hotel which is on the corner.

On check-in my family was told the evening meal was being prepared. With one person having a shellfish allergy, and a meal with main course in oyster sauce being delivered, the meal had to be sent back. They should have checked allergies on check-in.

The quarantined residents get no door key. No need. You are not allowed to leave until check-out two weks later. What would happen in a fire or fire alarm?

Checking Phone Call

One government phone caller checking we were quarantined asked us our identity and asked us to turn on the video to show we were in the room.

Personal Identity Check

Every couple of days, two reps, one male and one female, from the local commnity assocation, knock on the door to check you are there and confirm your name and identity card number.  

It is actually good to see a human face at the door.  They wear masks. You wear masks. 

Food Delivery

You don't see the person who drops off your food. They knock and run away, both in a hurry and to avoid catching Covid-19.

The hotel gave residents (inmates!), a menu for week one and two. The menus did not match what we received. In week two we realised the reason. Week one was not the first week you arrived, but the first week of their two week cycle. We arrived in what they called week two. The second week we were on menu one.

The airline style meals seemed geared for the local Chinese diet. We had noodles once a day and rice twice or three times a day. Ni sign of other types of pasta or any potato, except a couple of rounds of has borwnies with one of the breakfasts.

When I asked for no shellfish, no crustaceans, no olluscs, I got a slightly different meal.

We changed to Indian breakfasts which were much better for us. We received different Indian breads every day.

Ordering In

Then we started odering fresh vegetables, fruit and yogurt from outside. We used Food Panda. You have many other options for delivery. 

You can have anything delivered. It arrives somewhere downstairs and the hotel staff bring it up. Usual system. Knock at the door and they scarper. What you cannot do is send anything out, except the daily rubbish, once a day collection, sealed in a large plastic bag.

You can order electronics for your computer, wine, food, anything you like.

What did I love about the hotel?

1 The big fluffy bath towels. 

2 The light weight duvets.

3 The street view.

Useful Websites

Singapore Covid-19 news and updates

https://www.moh.gov.sg/covid-19

About the Author

Angela Lansbury is a travel writer and photographer, author and speaker, fashionista. Please share links to your favourite posts or one or more of the blogs

travelwithangelalansbury.blogspot.com

dressofthedayangela.blogspot.com

More about the Mayas in Mexico and Belize, the buildings and languages, the good and the bad, the chocolate

What a lovely flag.Easy to recognize and remember. What I see in the flag is not what the designers intended but it works very well as a memory aid. The greenery reminds you about the rainfall so you plan your trip when you are not in moonsoon season. The ship reminds you that the east coast is on the ocean, giving spectacular sea views. 

Half dressed people to remind you that Belize has hot tropical weather. However, you are better covered up against mosquitos. Black skin, lets call it dark and light chocolate colour, is protection against the sun.  Consider what protection you need against the heat, sunlight, weather and insects.

Belize has a bit of everything. Natural wonders such as the Blue Hole out in the ocean, more Blue Hole inland.  The coral reefs are great for photography as well as for scuba diving. 

Expect seafood and locally grown food and plants and locally  produced products. Belize has durians but farmers don't bother to farm them. A missed opportunity! Singaporean friends from my Singapore online Toastmasters club told Edward from Belize that durians are popular in Asia and command high prices in Australia. He was surprised and said he would look into it. "I shall discuss it with local farmers."

The country is focused on developing touristm. You can visit a couple of ultra-modern museums and art and exhibition complexes. 

Museums and Mayas

What is in the Museums? Mayan objects from those Mayan pyramids. The pyramids are often built in groups of three, a large one in the middle and two on the outside facing the central one.

Wikipedia tells you far more than you need to know about the Mayans, unless you are writing a thesis. Who were the Mayans and the Aztecs? I've seen ruins in Mexico, on a side trip from a Caribbean cruise ship which stopped at Cancun. I was not thrilled, on a hot day, by a lot of climbing, especially as I encountered a snake barring my way. 

How do you call for help in Belize? Fortunately, they speak English, left over from the days of British rule and used in schools and officially. The creole language is also spoken, but many local people are bilingual or trilingual.

I told my husband, "I can't tell the diference between the Aztecs and the Mayans."

He replied, "Me neither."

However, teacher Google had the answer.Now, who were the Aztecs and the Mayas - and the Incas. They all built pyramids. The Incas were in Peru and built roads.

Languages

The big surprise for me is that the descendants of the Mayans are still living today, the same faces, the same racial types you see in the statues. Plus many Mayan languages! I enjoyed reading about the languages, how they used pictures as first, like the ancient Eygyptians and the Chinese writing.

Reading on about the Mayan kingdoms, I was at first horrified to read about human sacrifice. If you were horrified to read about the tortures carried out by Christopher Columbus and the Spaniards, you can balance that against what was going on by the Mayans, a warlike people who featured human sacrifice, following torture, of captured kings, as well as part of the ritual of installing their kings. I was muttering to myself, too much information!

I recall the commentary at the Dracula exhibition in Romania. They pointed out that during the same period most rulers in most other countries were doing the same. As for Henry VIII, his activities do not stop tourists visiting the UK. Coming more up to date, we have WW2, the Holocaust and more. So I shall worrying about what the Mayans did in another country and another era. 

Instead I shall be grateful that I live in the age of the internet, and whilst in Home Stay in the UK, Singapore, or anywhere in the world, I am able to travel the world through Wikipedia, Google and youtube. Armed with all this information, we will all be well-prepared for focused trips when restrictions are eased.

Finally, Chocolate.

Chocolate drinks, chocolate foods, chocolate bars to buy. Chocolate cafe indoors or outdoos by the beach on two islands, charmingly called cayes.

Useful Websites

https://www.planetware.com/tourist-attractions/belize-biz.htm

https://www.educba.com/maya-vs-aztec-vs-inca/

https://belizechocolatecompany.com/pages/visit

About the Author

Angela Lansbury is a travel writer and photographer, author and speaker, fashionista. Please share links to your favourite posts or one or more of the blogs

travelwithangelalansbury.blogspot.com

dressofthedayangela.blogspot.com

Beautiful Belize and The Great Blue Hole - "You must visit some day," says my new friend Edward Young who lives there

 

On Toastmasters International websites you can see there are clubs around the world and an increasing number of online meetings are attracting visitors from around the world. We had a visitor from Belize, Edward Young, at the last meeting of Singapore Online International. 

Edward Young, of Belize, at a Zoom meeting telling members of a Toastmasters club about Belize.

Edward enthused about his homeland. He said, 'First, it's the only central American Country which speaks English. Americans love it. Secondly, it's a beautiful country and it has everything; you can be on the beach in the morning and in the afternoon on the top of a mountain.

'We have a small population.

'Where are we? Next to Guatamala - yes, (he grins) but don't discuss Guatemala right now because our country is in disupute with them about borders. We get on very well with the people. Lots of us are married to Guatemalans. But the governments are in dispute and it's been referred to arbitration at the.  international court."

Here's what Wiki says:

Belize (/bəˈliːz/ (listen)), formerly known as British Honduras, is a Caribbean country located on the northeastern coast of Central America. Belize is bordered on the northwest by Mexico, on the east by the Caribbean Sea, and on the south and west by Guatemala. It has an area of 22,970 square kilometres (8,867 sq mi) and a population of 408,487 (2019).^[5] Its mainland is about 290 km (180 mi) long and 110 km (68 mi) wide. It has the lowest population and population density in Central America.The country's population growth rate of 1.87% per year (2018 estimate) is the second highest in the region and one of the highest in the Western Hemisphere.

The Maya Civilization spread into the area of Belize between 1500 B.C. and A.D. 300 and flourished until about 1200. European contact began in 1492 when Christopher Columbus sailed along the Gulf of Honduras. European exploration was begun by English settlers in 1638. This period was also marked by Spain and Britain both laying claim to the land until Britain defeated the Spanish in the Battle of St. George's Caye (1798). It became a British colony in 1840, known as British Honduras, and a Crown colony in 1862. Independence was achieved from the United Kingdom on 21 September 1981.

Belize has a diverse society that is composed of many cultures and languages that reflect its rich history. 

Language

English is the official language of Belize, while Belizean Creole is the most widely spoken national language, being the native language of over a third of the population. Over half the population is multilingual, with Spanish being the second most common spoken language. It is known for its September Celebrations, its extensive barrier reef coral reefs, and punta music.

Music and Shyne

A famous personality from the island is hugely successful musician Shyne, who converted to Orthodox Judaism whilst in prison in the USA, was deported back to Belize and is now a member of the Belize Parliament.

After the people, you will be interested in the animal life, such as the ant-eaters, the birds, such as the toucan, and the fish.

National Bird

Belize Barrier Reef, the world's second largest coral reef, after Australia's.

Major Tourist Sites

Start at the country's capital, Belize City. See the Belize swing bridge.

1 Museum of Belize, in a former gaol.

2 Belize Zoo

3 Great Blue Hole (at sea)

You can immrse youserself in it and see stalactites.

The Great Blue Hole was made popular by Cousteau.

4 Top of my wishlist is the Bunches of Fun Banana Tour.

5 Blue Hole Park (inland)

6 Chocolate factory.

7 Half Moon Caye with red footed boobie birds.

Red footed boobie bird.

8 Mayan ruins

9 Chocolate shops

Serving chocolate drinks, chocolate bars, and selling cocoa butter body products.

Useful Websites  

Language

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Belizean_Creole#Plural_formation

https://www.planetware.com/tourist-attractions/belize-biz.htm

https://www.travelbelize.org/health-safety

https://www.belizetourismboard.org/

Not attractions but awards.

https://en.wikivoyage.org/wiki/Belize#/

https://wikitravel.org/en/Belize

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shyne

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g291977-d3860586-Reviews-Bunches_of_Fun_Banana_Farm_Tours-Placencia_Stann_Creek.html

About the Author

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

travelwithangelalansbury.blogspot.com

dressofthedayangela.blogspot.com

(Post being written - saved for security. Come back shortly>)

 (Singapore Online Dynamic club meets only online, as opposed to clubs which are meeting online temporarily, or during Covid-19 holding hybrid meetings with the maximum permitted at a physical venue and others joining online.)

Lost Key Solutions - how to find and replace lost keys

 Last night I had a nightmare that I travelled from one country to another and arrived to find I had no front door key. 

What are the solutions if this really happens?

1 Neighbour's Key

Leave a key with a neighbour. Alert the neighbour or relative who has the key as to when you are coming home and arrive at a sentible hour of day or evening so they can be there to greet you, have the key ready, or provide fresh milk.

Chair

Have an all weather chair outside so you can wait outside if the neighbours are out, or a key to your car and garage so you can sleep in your car. But ensure that the chair is not one which could be used to break a window, nor to climb up.

2 Hidden Key

Hide a spare key. Not in an obvius place such as under the door mat. Thieves know to look there.

3 Key at your office.

This works if you have 24 hour access to the office and if you do not know or trust the neighbours or the house alongisde is empty.

4 Locksmith

This is the quickest and sometimes costliest solution. Check out the local locksmiths (some are 24 hour locksmiths) and their prices on moving in to a new address and keep the number in your phone. 

5 Landlady or Landlord Or Agent

If the agent or landady keeps a spare key, this could be your solution.

6 Taxi or courier the key.

Your spouse or keyholder is at work? Send the key across in a parcel or courier.

7 Second door's key

Keep with you another smaller key such as the key to the back door. 

Replace Locks

If you lose your key or your handbag or jacket is stolen you might consider changing the locks. One solution which does not involve a new door or removing the old lock is to add a new lock. If you already have one or two locks, it might be cheaper to add a new one which comes with two keys, then duplicate these keys later when needed, rather than changing all the locks.

Story of Our Son's Lost Keys

We did this years ago when our schoolboy son lost the house keys. We added an extra lock. two weeks later the missing keys turned up under the sofa of a friend when they hoovered (vacuum cleaned). The boys had been sitting on the floor watching TV and the keys had fallen out of our son's pocket.

I was forever hunting for my door keys in the bottom of my voluminous bag. I knew the answer. I once had a handbag with a swen in long ribbon with a key ring attached.

When the handbag got old and frayed, I cut out the ribbon and attached it to the lining of my new bag, at first temporarily with a safety pin, then with a few stitches to make it secure.

Where to find a long enough ribbon in a hurry? Buy a reel of ribbon for wrapping parcels, from a bargain shop such as Japanese Daeso which is in the USA, Japan, Singapore and online. 

Or use a lanyard saved from a conference or given away as advertising for a company.

Alternatively cut the inside hem off a dress you rarely wear. Or a strip off the inside hem of an old pillow case. 

Or use any piece of string. Or knitting wool, if necessary plaited for strength.

The Story of My Mother's Lost Keys

My mother came home from holiday and had lost her front door keys. She and my father hunted everywhere. No luck.

A week later my mother died. My father asked me to go over to his home and collect her clothes. In a laundry box were half a dozen handbags. My father wanted me to take them away or give them to the Cancer Research shop.

First I wanted to check inside the bags. the first bag we unzipped had nothing in it. Nothing in number two. Same for three, four and five. 

"Don't bother with the last one, They're all empty," said my father, tired of this fruitless exercise. I n  ignored his comment and opened the inside zips of the last straw bag, and the outside pocket. There were the door keys!

My mother had taken a straw summer bag to a warm destination for the winter, and forgotten that her home doorkeys were inside.

Lost doorkeys? A few places to check:

1 Still in the lock of the front door, whilst you are inside, hunting to leave. You will find them when you leave, or come back in again, or when a neighbour or passer-by knocks to say, "Did you know that your keys are in your outside lock?"

2 In the pocket of a handbag.

3 In the pocket of a rucksack.

4 In the pocket of the last item you wore outdoors or on your last trip, in the jacket, pants (trousers) or coat.

5 On the bedside table or fallen down between the bedside table (USA night stand) and the bed.

6 In the car. Under the driver's seat. In the glove box. Under the car.

7 In the desk drawer, kitchen drawer, bedside table drawer.

8 In the key box on the wall.

Key holder box from IKEA

9 Picked up by another member of the family, a visitor or a visting workman. (Our back door keys were taken by the man who checked the boiler. He brought them back a year later on the next annual check. Since then I have never left keys lying around on a table or work surface when I had visitors in the house.

Key Finders

You can buy key rings which respond when you call or whistle. the only trouble is, every time the phone rings or the doorbell rings, your keyfinder starts singing to you.

Hotel Room Keys

To keep hold of hotel keys, I have a lanyard for a regular trip to the Fishguard Bay hotel for Writers' Holiday in Wales. I attach the hotel room door keys.

What about hotels with key cards? I have a pouch which goes around my neck. The key card goes in the pocket.

Postbox keys

We lost a postbox key. We phoned a local locksmith and the man who answered asked, "What's the number of the key?" 

I replied, "I don't know. We had one key and we've lost it."

He answered, "The key number is inside the box at the back. Is the box open?"

The box was shut. We pulled out the junk mail and leaflets one by one through the opening. We shone a torch through the opening and took a photo and emailed it to the locksmith. He did not have that type of key in stock and would take a week to get a new one posted from the brand manufacturer. 

He said,"I am happy to help, and if you are prepared to wait, and pay in advance, I will order the key and then deliver it. But if you want it faster, you can get it from them direct."

We looked up the number online and the brand manufacturer could post it to us, slow mail or quick service. Problem solved.

Finally, for emergency service access in a hurry, there's a special box.

Useful Websites

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lock_and_key

UK

https://locksmiths.able-group.co.uk/b4/

B4 Emergency Locksmiths (Free Phone)

0800 051 8724

Replacement Keys:

https://www.replacementkeys.co.uk/house/post-box/

USA

https://usalocksmithinc.com/

Singapore

https://www.sglocksmith.net/

Key Finders

https://www.thetileapp.com/en-gb/limited-edition-tiles

About the Author

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

travelwithangelalansbury.blogspot.com

dressofthedayangela.blogspot.com

 

How to Identify Idli and Indian Food on Menus and Plates

 How well do you know Indian food? I took our son to the local Hatch End Tandoori restaurant in London for more than 20 years and thought I knew Indian food but I only knew north Indian food, from restaurants run by people from Pakistan or Bangladesh. Anglo-Indian food, with biriani which is not too spicy. The north majors on breads, with more rice in the south. South Indian food and vegetarian Indian restaurants are different again. 

Desserts

And Punjabi desserts, gulab jamun (balls in syrup, served hot or cold). And mango lassi. Lassi is a refreshing, filling, drink of yogurt mixed with milk, which can be served sweet with sugar or syrup, salted or with fruit and fruit flavours.

A relative of mine was looking at the Indian breakfast menu from a hotel in Singapore. We tried to identify the food, with the help of an Indian friend in Singapore. (Singapore has its own cuisine, the signature dish being fish head curry, served not on plates but on green banana leaves.)

Here are some of our findings. I have grouped them A to Z for convenience. Note that spellings may vary because 

Other language might not have uniform spelling, 

Different languages have slightly different spellings for similar words, 

Translation from other languages into English is not standard but phonetic.

A-D

aloo - potato (as in aloo gobi)

bhaji - onion bhaji is deep friend onion in semolina and flour batter, often coiled up in roughly onion shape

chapati - dry bread cooked in a pan on a griddle

chutney - mango is delicious. We buy Mrs Geeta's in a small glass jar when in London and carry it around the world

dhoka - rice and chickpea (cubes of sponge)

E-K

e

f

ghee - clarified butter (which keeps without refrigeration)

gobi - cauliflower

goreng -  fried

h

i Idli - white puffball of rice, a circular mound of white.

j

kichdi - rice and lentils stew

L-R

l

mamak - Malaysian and Singapore style (of Indian food)

mee - Chinese for noodles

naan - flat bread baked inside and against the walls of a tandoori oven

o

Pakora - fried (chickpea batter)

paneer - cottage cheese

paratha - like a chapati bread but fried, north Indian; prata - South Indian 

pava bhaji - vegetable curry

q

r

S-Z

sambar- side dish, spicy paste, or dipping sauce with (hot) chili (pepper plant)

t

upma - semolina

v

w

x

y

z

Post being compiled, saved to guard against loss. Come back in an hour for final version with photos of food.

Useful Websites 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indian_cuisine

Also see my posts on Indian restaurants in Hatch End, London, England, which include Coriander, Sakonis and Social Dhaba.

About the Author

Angela Lansbury is a travel writer and photographer, specialising in food and drink, hotels and restaurants, people and places, romance, shopping for souvenirs and bargains, anything weird and wacky, love of learning languages. A little on music. Very little on sport except for swimming and beaches, statues, museums and team clothes.

 Lots on the USA, UK, Singapore and Asia, Europe, a little about the Middle East, South Africa, South America, islands and everywhere else. 

Lots on WWI and WW2, Holocaust and Jews, Christianity and the bible. Some on other religions, atheism, humanism and communist countries, especially food, personalities, buildings, temples, mosques and museums. 

Please share links to your favourite posts.

travelwithangelalansbury.blogspot.com

dressofthedayangela.blogspot.com

Travelling the World In Music and Movies, Back through Time, America, Britain, Piaf, Dolly Parton, The Jersey Boys and more

 

Rock and Roll hall of Fame, Cleveland, Ohio, USA. Photo from MusikAnimal in Wikipedia.

One of my contacts on the Polyglot community asked which language I like to hear. Let's start with English, British English. I shall come to American accents later.

British English

I love to hear English with an upper class accent. I especially like the characters in the film The Ladykillers. Every word is clear. Even the villains are a delight to listen to. It is a film a recommend to people who want to learn English from films.

I also like the Queen's Speech, or rather the Christmas Message. (The Queen's speech is what she delivers when opening Parliament.) A good film to watch would be The King's Speech.

Swedish

Swedish sounds to me like upper class English. Perhaps the upper class inherited their accents from the Vikings

Yiddish

Yiddish is a delight, especially when telling a joke.

Welsh

Welsh is wonderfully sing-song and makes me smile. But useless for romance, because it makes me giggle. I once listened to a Welshman on the phone trying to romance me. I could not take him seriously.  

However, listen to the Dylan Thomas, reading his own work, under Milk Wood, or Richard Burton.

Mellifluous Music

When listening to music it is different. I like French, Italian (especially opera), Yiddish, Welsh with harps and Chinese set to plaintive music.

American Music

Start at the beginning chronologically with Civil War songs: My eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord ... Marching music. All the old Forster songs. Oh Susannah. Dixie. I loved them as a child, before I had even travelled to the USA. 

Now that I have travelled to the USA many times, and all around the USA, as well as living there for three years, songs and movies evoke so many memories. 

American Humour

I love the humour. The Marx Brothers. The stupid hairstyles of Groucho. His silent brother.

Woody Allen's classic jokes, such as his comment on his girlfriend's parking, I think I can walk to the pavement form here. (Did he say sidewalk?)

All the sayings from the American Presidents, which I hear quoted so often in meetings of speakers' clubs which are part of Toastmasters International which has clubs worldwide. The business of America is business. 

Major figures. Martin Luther King junior: I have a dream.

Mae West's jokes: Is that a gun in your pocket or are you just pleased to see me? ... The numerous men lining up to meet her, provoking her response, "I'm tired. Send one of them home." Plus, what we often quote, "Peel me a grape."

Marilyn Monroe at Niagara Falls. On the train. Anywhere.

I adore American Country music with a southern accent.  Even the saddest song is like rock and roll and makes you want to dance. I love the twists in the tales. Garth Brooks, I've got friends in low places.

Plus barbershop. Frankie Valli. I just watched The Jersey Boys. The Beach Boys.

When Covid-19 is over, I hope to visit the American Rock and Roll Music Hall of Fame.

Useful Websites

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rock_and_Roll_Hall_of_Fame

About the Author

Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker. Member of Harrovian Speakers Toastmasters International club in NW London; also VP PR for Braddell Heights Advanced club in Singapore.

See my other posts on American, the UK, Europe, Singapore and Asia, restaurants, and destinations worldwide. Please share with family and friends and colleagues links to your favourite posts.

travelwithangelalansbury.blogspot.com

dressofthedayangela.blogspot.com

Time Troubles - Timing Your Telephone Calls - eg Orders to Restaurants - Help - has my favourite restaurant gone out of Business! Is my friend dead, or sleeping?

Plaque about timezones on the Continental Bank Building in Chicago, Illinois, USA. Photo by JoeSmack in Wikipedia.

As a travel writer, I have literally had many ups and down. We have also had many mishaps changing time zones, catching flights, arriving at odd hours, delayed, losing our hotel booking, arriving the wrong day.

I was en route to South Africa on 9-11. Not only were flights to and from the USA grounded. But connected flights were affected. Travellers changed plans. Hotels changed plans. Hire cars and taxis worldwide were affected. 

Our flight from Singapore to South Africa was delayed by a bomb threat. It came from a scared passenger who did not want to fly. Luckily, the airline and passengers were able to call some hotels and connecting flights warn them that the passengers would be arriving late.

As you will know if you have followed my travel posts, I have family all over the world. We have a home in London occupied out to relatives as well as a family home rented to tenants in London as well as renting in Singapore, so we are whatsapping, as well as family or family by marriage in other countries such as the USA, South Africa and Israel, and more close colleagues in New Zealand, and business contacta all over, so we are whatsapping and sending photos to and from several countries. 

We used to take flights to Australia or New Zealand, with a stopover in Singapore, or to the UK via the USA.  You might think that I would be aware of times being important.

Restaurants, Meal Orders and Critical Time

In early November in 2020 on a Monday morning in London we were looking online for a lunch order and all our favourite restaurants had gone out of business. The different websites told different stories. Some of them said restaurant not delivery. Others said 'currently not delivery'. Were the restaurants closed, staff sent home, restaurants gone out of business, or stopped from having customers seated but serving take away, or delivery only? The lockdown news seemed to be varying by the hour. 

I eventually realised that some restaurants did not open until noon. So you could order from noon onwards. Other restaurants had the reverse policy. They were busy serving customers in person between noon and 2 pm, only dealing with phone queries after 2 pm.

Time Zones

Oh - so check the hour! Next thing, which time zone and country was the mobile phone set to, and the laptop or computer or tablet set to? We have to contend with summer and winter time in London, Singapore time, and Australian time, which is sometimes a day different, and algo their clocks are going forward for summer a different weekends from our clocks doing back.

Breakfast In America 

Once we took a flight from Washington D.C. west towards the west coast. We had breakfast at home, a long wait at the airport, with a brief announced delay, so we had a quick snack there. On our flight we received breakfast, Our cheap flight made two stops. So we were served two more breakfasts. Finally, we reached our hotel where we were offered another breakfast. 

I was speechless. My husband protested, "No, no thanks. We're already had five breakfasts.

I made a tragi-comic phone call from London to California. After my uncle Ronnie died were received a Christmas card and letter from the USA at his house. No address. Months later I went through one of his note books which was an address book and found an address in California, USA.

I phoned and said, in my plummy English voice, "You don't know me, and I'm sorry to have to give you bad news, but my uncle Ronnie has died." 

A sleepy American voice the other end, said, "I sure am sorry to hear about your uncle Ronnie, dear, but, I don't know anybody called Ronnie in England."

I sighed, "He played the violin and piano. Would you have known him by his stage name, Arthur?"

She gasped, "Oh, Arthur's passed? Sorry to be so slow to figure it out, but it's four in the morning in California."

America has different time zones. I remember one Friday when I was in Washington DC late Friday afternoon I phoned a friend in Australia. I was told, "He's out to lunch."

I replied, "Oh, he's having a very late Friday lunch."

My colleague replied, "No, more like an early Saturday lunch."

In Europe - Portugal and Spain

As for Europe, we crossed from Portugal to Spain at Christmas, and they told us what time the restaurant stopped serving evening dinner. We assured them we would be finished by the finishing time. We were slightly puzzled when the staff filed to clear up our dessert plates and sat down to eat their evening meal. Later we realised that we were still on Portuguese time, which was not the same, but an hour different. They must have been equally puzzled by our behaviour.

About the Author

Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker. Member of Harrovian Speakers Toastmasters International club in NW London; also VP PR for Braddell Heights Advanced club in Singapore.

See my other posts on Hatch End, restaurants, and destinations worldwide. Please share with family and friends and colleagues links to your favourite posts.

travelwithangelalansbury.blogspot.com

dressofthedayangela.blogspot.com

How to learn English, Hebrew, Greek, alphabets, numbers, body parts and other languages through songs

 People who don't speak English struggle with English, but we have songs for children which could help them. For example, Heads and shoulders, knees and toes.

If you know somebody who is starting to learn English, or you are teaching and want a fun filler for the last part of a lesson, or for the start, that is one of several possibilities.

I have been struggling for years to learn the Greek, Hebrew and Russian (Cyrillic) alphabets. This week I discovered that you can find Heads and shoulders, knees and toes in Hebrew. 

Type in the words of a nursery rhyme or type of word or exercise (alphabet, numbers, days of the week) and your chosen language. you tube will show other similar types of song in the column on the left and when your chosen video ends another will start on a similar them in the same language.

So, I got three songs in Hebrew.

Useful Websites

Heads and shoulders knees and toes sung by cute cartoon characters on YouTube

also teaches: heads, shoulders, knees, toes, eyes, ears, mouth, nose, march

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h4eueDYPTIg

You tube alphabet songs

h for hat, jfor juice, j for jug and so on, k for king, k for kite etc

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fdS5XMX2Aq8

Heads and shoulder, knees and toes with adults and children performing and subtitles in Hebrew and English

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tJVE8TMUzk8

Hebrew alphabet song

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fHqjNHxmB7c

Counting one to ten in Greek

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zr24jKgwdQc

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Head,_Shoulders,_Knees_and_Toes

About the Author

Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker. Member of Harrovian Speakers Toastmasters International club in NW London; also VP PR for Braddell Heights advanced club in Singapore.

See my other posts on Hatch End, restaurants, and destinations worldwide. Please share with family and friends and colleagues links to your favourite posts.

travelwithangelalansbury.blogspot.com

dressofthedayangela.blogspot.com

New East African Restaurant in Hatch End, Bandaa - Plus Indian, Italian, Polish style Jewish style restaurants - Hatch End has it all

 

Bandaa Restaurant, Hatch End, Pinner, Photo by Angela Lansbury. copyright. 

I was told that Bandaa is swahili for hut. That is not what Google translate says, but never mind. Another translation site gives shed/barn and add moteka so you get banda la moteka and you get garage. I now know two words of Swahili. Bandaa for shed (or in combination with another word meaning building) and safari meaning journey.

Restaurants are always exciting, with increasingly exotic names. They come and they go. Hatch End is a hotbed of hot restaurants. In November 2020 all now can open for delivery and take away only. They have signs and banners eagerly asking for your order online business.

If you want to walk along Hatch End, and survey the scene, follow my footsteps. We'll start from the station, Hatch End station, continue on the same side of the road downhill to the shops. You pass the Indian Coriander restaurant.  

Across the side road, on the corner there's another Indian restaurant. Social Dhaba, previously Fellini's Italian and in the Fellini building. 

Social Dhaba when we ate in, our last chance to eat in, during early November 2020

My favourite at Social Dhaba, Chappati with coconut filling. Photo by Angela Lansbury. copyright.

A few steps further is the crossing. Now you see on your right the vegetarian Indian restaurant, Sakonis.

Look across the road and at night you see the lights of Bandaa. Cross the road  and you come to Bandaa.

Alternative route from the Hatch End station:  When you reach the shops, look for the crossing island, and when it's safe to do so, cross towards B & K.

B & K Salt Beef Bar 

My favourite in Hatch End is B & K salt beef. I used to go to their Edgware branch. I used to live in Edgware, not knowing that Anne Frank's father post-war had come to England with his second wife and was also living in suburban Edgware.

For decades after WW2 we just took it for granted that shops and restaurants would be open. This year we customers and the restaurants in every high street in England, and cities worldwide, have new challenges. Covid19 has killed a lot of businesses but it provides new opportunity for businesses and customers with take away food. (Americans say take out.). 

Continue along the street and you come to Bandaa.

BANDAA

 Looking through the windows or online you can see a decor of elephants' heads.

Their online menu for Bandaa shows starters at seven pounds sterling.

Starters and main dishes include, lots of chicken and lamb dishes, plus potato, sweet potato, rice with coconut - ah, fattening coconut, I love coconut, egg curry, and vegetarian dishes.

 On Tripadvisor there are mixed reviews. Some found the food too spicy and others thought it was too bland.  Since half my family like spicy and the other half like bland, we should be able to manage with that.

You can order through the main big three ordering companies. According to the website they open from noon to midnight. 

If I remember rightly, a husband from South Africa with a wife from further north have been running variations on Indian food, and African, in Hatch End for years. I used to frequent a cafe. Surely the same people? Like 'Mr Fellini' across the road who retires from one restaurant but makes a comeback later with another name and style (First Fellini, now Pizza Minori). 

B and K

Meanwhile, back at home, my family are still finishing off the strudel from B & K. When my late father was fading in hospital, unable to eat, he said he was daydreaming of a nice steak, and a meal of salt beef sandwich from B & K. Hatch End has a steak restaurant, and B & K. When I am travelling overseas, I also dream of B & K. 

Our B & K strudel, eaten at home. Not delivered. Collected by us.

That's Hatch End for you. Social Dhaba, across the road from Banaa, say they deliver free within a four mile radius. Yes, that's Hatch End for you. Indian, Italian, Jewish-style (which I discovered in Poland is Polish style with borsht and bagels). And vegetarian Sakoni across the road from Banda. Lebanese food, Latakia, fish and chips. Hatch End has it all.

Back to Bandaa.

Words you might wish to translate

Maembe seems to be mango (from their translation).

Far too many for me to do today.

Useful Websites

https://www.binnysfoodandtravel.com/2020/09/04/review-bandaa-hatch-end/

https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Restaurant_Review-g15144472-d21337415-Reviews-Bandaa_Restaurant-Hatch_End_Pinner_Greater_London_England.html

https://www.just-eat.co.uk/restaurants-bandaa-pinner/menu

https://deliveroo.co.uk/restaurants/london/pinner

Huge choice of Pizza places, in Pinner and Hatch End, most opening at noon, a few saying not taking orders. 

https://www.just-eat.co.uk/area/ha5-pinner/pizza

About the Author

Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker. Member of Harrovian Speakers Toastmasters International club in NW London; also VP PR for Braddell Heights advanced club in Singapore.

See my other posts on Hatch End, restaurants, and destinations worldwide. Please share with family and friends and colleagues links to your favourite posts.

travelwithangelalansbury.blogspot.com

dressofthedayangela.blogspot.com

Returning to Singapore - where to get information

 

The Rules vary depending on when you left Singapore, when you return, and from which country you departed.

For example, some people I know returning to Singapore told me: "You have to phone Singapore and tell them you are coming back, three days before arrival. The day of arrival counts as one day, even if you are arriving at dawn, rather than just before midnight." 

TIP

If you have had a Covid-19 test recently, keep it with you, accessible, to show. Put the phone numbers of agencies, dentists, doctors, hospitals, pharmacies, family and friends, in your phone for quick access.

Check your appointments for the two weeks you will be in quarantine.

Useful Websites

https://safetravel.ica.gov.sg/files/SHN-and-swab-summary.pdf

https://www.mfa.gov.sg/Overseas-Mission/London/Announcements/Frequently-Asked-Questions-for-Travellers-to-Singapore

RESOURCES YOU CAN USE

https://www.moh.gov.sg/covid-19/resources

About the Author

Angela Lansbury is a travel writer and photographer, lives in the UK and Singapore. Used to live in the USA. Members of her extended family and relatives by marriage have had homes or relatives in Spain,  Morocco, Israel, South Africa and the USA and ancestors in Ukraine and Poland.

Angela has taught English in the UK and Singapore, and been on radio and TV in the UK, USA and Australia. She is a member of Toastmasters International clubs in the UK and Singapore and has visited clubs in Thailand and China.

Please share links to your favourite posts in blogs:

travelwithangelalansbury.blogspot.com

dressofthedayangela.blogspot.com

Dentists In The UK In Covid-19, vitamin D, and finding help

Chewable vitamin D. Photo by Angela Lansbury. Copyright.

VITAMIN D

In the UK I discovered that my local chemist (Americans say pharmacy) stocked chewable vitamin D tablets, which are made in England.

To my disappointment, despite this precaution, I lost a bit of a tooth after pulling dental floss sharply, yanking it upwards. I kept the part of the tooth in a small marmalade jar in my bag. However, the dentist said he could not re-attach it because it would not bond.

DENTAL KIT

This puzzled me, since I have a dental kit which appears to do that temporarily. The trouble was, I could not see or reach the tooth easily. I was afraid of gluing together the filling upside down or my fingers to the tooth.

THE DENTIST

I am keeping a record of what I thought I heard and what happened to me regarding the dentist. This will be useful to me weeks later when i have half forgotten and want to check. You might find hearing my experience useful, for framing questions when you ask your own dentist about possible treatment, or understanding what might be going on, when you are told what can and can't be done.

Before Covid-19, if I remember rightly, I was told:

Presumably to cut down on the risk of deaths in the surgery:

REGULATIONS

1 New regulations require a surgery administering an anesthetic to have a second trained person just doing the anaesthetic, so whilst the dentist is looking at the teeth, another person can be watching the machine giving feedback on the breathing.

Some dentists cannot provide anther person because they do not have one trained. They do not have a large enough premises for a recovery room for the person to stay laying down after the anesthetic. Or it is not economic because their patients having reduced price treatment on the NHS will not pay the higher cost of the new service. 

The hygienist had observed that more patients lost teeth due to them becoming loose in the gums than because of teeth having fillings and decay.

(I am not sure this is the case in my family. My teeth keep crumbling away and losing fillings and bits of tooth to toffees, rock hard spun sugar, or dental floss pulling hard through a narrow gap.

FLOSSING

My dentist showed me you could pull the dental floss downwards. Instead of pulling it up and risking dislodging the filling, you could pull it out sideways. This only works if the gap has not got smaller, and the dental floss is not the type which shreds into strands.. 

2  INFO

The situation regarding dental work is very complicated. It varies from surgery to surgery, from country to country and from time to time due to changing health and hygiene and cost and NHS (UK National Health Service) and changing rules about Covid-19.

My understanding is this - but do check with the latest rules in your dentist and country.

Earlier this year, 2020, I had to cancel a dental appointment in the UK when Covid-19 caused us to change our plans to travel to the UK. I got through to a living dental receptionist, not an answering machine. I was very glas to hear that I would not be charged a cancellation fee, because at that point the dental surgery was closed anyway. A senior dentist (B) had died (not of Covid-19) in addition, and the dental surgery was closed for all work, including hygienists, because of Covid-19.

Teledentistry Consultation

Later this year I was first given a talk to the dentist (the son, G) on the phone. As far as I understood, the dentists were not allowed to do drilling without a clean of the entire surgery room, which would take half a hour of their working day and cost a person's time and money. 

Therefore they were only doing temporary fillings, which are created by adding layer after layer of a kind of white cement which is not smoothed to the finest finish, and is not so long-lasting.

I was told that because they could not drill my tooth to make a smooth bowl, the filling would not adhere so well. No guarantee how long it would last.

In the UK Molars requiring extraction have to be done in hospital nowadays due to Covid-19.

SINGAPORE

I had had a teleconsultation with my doctor who asked me a series of questions about possible symptoms before prescribing medication which was picked up by a younger member of my family.

I had another member of my family buying vitamin D tablets which I pounded with a mortar and pestle and took with a spoon of honey, in the hope that this would strengthen my teeth.

A friend in Singapore was told by a dental practice that a dentist did not do 'big teeth', which is a translation of the Chinese meaning molars.

Tips

Check what the dentist is allowed to do before going in for a check-up.

If an x-ray is taken, take a photo of it with your mobile phone, so you don't have to have another x-ray at another dentist in the same country or overseas.

Make an appointment.

You may be asked to fill in a form about your travel history and covid-19 tests and any potential symptoms.

You may be asked to pay in advance over the phone so the staff do not need to touch cash nor credit cards.

I felt that 'a consultation' consisted largely of a dentist trying to persuade me to have a very expensive crown.

My family were happy to spend money to fix my teeth. They were unhappy to hear that all the money which had spent was on temporary filling which might last only as little as a day or week, or month.

Allow extra time to wait for the receptionist to come out and take your temperature. you may be asked to wait until a previous patient has left before you are allowed to enter.

Once inside you may be asked to use sanitising hand gel from a dispenser.

the staff may come out and ask you questions again, and take your temperature from your forehead. You may have to move your hat or hair such as a fringe.

Useful Websites And Information

SINGAPORE

Resumption of services

https://www.chas.sg/news_events_article.aspx?id=1613

Beware of scams

https://www.moh.gov.sg/covid-19

UK

Call 111 for advice on what to do. They can ring 999 for you and put you through if they think it is necessary.

teledentistry survey

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41415-020-1919-6

NHS Dentistry and Covid19

https://www.england.nhs.uk/coronavirus/primary-care/dental-practice/

Emergency dental treatment

https://www.nhs.uk/common-health-questions/dental-health/how-can-i-access-an-nhs-dentist-in-an-emergency-or-out-of-hours/

Worldwide

Read how one practice in the USA clsed down except for emergencies, got protective equipment, then reopened used disinfectant foggers, and other dentists reporting from around the world.

https://www.dentistry.co.uk/2020/08/25/covid-19-affected-dentistry-around-world/

About the Author Of This Post, Angela

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

Author of Wedding Speeches & Posts, Etiquette for Every Occasion, Quick Quotations, Who Said What When?

You can contact Angela through Facebook, LinkedIn, and Braddell Heights Advanced Toastmasters on Facebook or Toastmasters Interntional.com find a club . Angela is a member of four Toastmasters Clubs and BHA IPP, Immediate Past President, and VP PR (Vice President Public Relations) for 20202-2021

Please share links to your favourite posts in

travelwithangelalansbury.blogspot.com

dressofthedayAngela.blogspot.com

translate Spanish with a new friend on Facebook messenger - 21 new everyday conversational Spanish words for you

 

I am really enjoying speaking to a new friend from South America on Facebook. He found my dress of the day and sent me a hello, in Spanish. Hola!

I don't normally reply to Hi and Hello or I want to get to know you better. I think if anybody has something important to say, or witty, they can say it to me in public.I have hundreds of Facebook friends. I would never et anything important done if I engaged in idle chitchat. I stick to subjects I am researching. Travel. Writing speeches. (Travel arrangements. Family. Paying bills, Household renovation. Unless it's arranging a physical meeting.  However, it was an interesting reminder of the greeting in Spanish, which I had heard many times, but not actually used when speaking to a real person. So I looked up the words to answer his questions and translated his replies to me.

Here are some words and sentences I created or heard from my contacts. Don't worry about the accents. Just think that the accents are to help you know, to tell you which syllable to emphasize.

The sentences below read in English: I am taking a coffee break. Forgive me if I do not reply. or only intermittently, until after Tuesday. I am very busy with moving. My spouse is recovering from an operation. I am busy packing to move. A Toastmasters contest in the middle of the night.

Estoy tomando

un café.

Perdóname

si

no respondo,

o solo

de forma

intermitente,

hasta

el martes.

Muy ocupado

con empacar

para mover.

Un esposo

recuperándose

de una operación.

Y un concurso

internacional

de toastmasters

en medio

de la noche

mi tiempo.

Realmente disfruto

la oportunidad

de hablar

español.

Muchas gracias.

Individual words to practise

Spanish (Español) - English

(un) café - (a) coffee

disfruto - I enjoy

Español (note the ny) - Spanish

esposo - spouse/husband

estoy - I am (oy is the ending for I)

el martes - Tuesday (literally the Tuesday)

(me) gusta - I like

intermitente - intermittent

la (los) - the (the plural)

la oportunidad - the opportunity

muchas gracias - thank you/many thanks (muchas - much/many)

no - not/don't

perdóname - forgive me/pardon me

realmente - really

respondo - respond/reply

(mi) tiempo - (my) time

si - if

English - Spanish (Español)

(a) coffee - (un) café

don't /not - no

(I) enjoy - disfruto

forgive me/pardon me - perdóname

husband/spouse - esposo

I am - estoy (oy is the ending for I)

if - si

intermittent - intermitente

I like - me gusta

(the) opportunity - (la) oportunidad

really - realmente

reply/respond - respondo

Spanish - Español

thank you - muchas gracias

the - la (plural los)

(my) time -mi tiempo

Tuesday - el martes (like the French Merdi, and the Portuguese, Mardi Gras, fat Tuesday)

Others

ahora - now

acqui - here

bien - good/well

como? - how?

con - with

concurso - contest

en - in

estas - you are /are you (to a female)

hasta - until

hay - have

Hola! - Hello!

independientes - independents

internacional - international

la noche - the night

mal - bad

muy - very

nuevo - new

orgulloso - proud

una pausa - a break, as in coffee break

presidente - president

romper - to break

trabajo - work

usted - you (formal, to a stranger or acquaintance, like 'and you, Madam' or 'and your good self')

y - and

English

my wife - esposa/mi mujer (memory aid: my 'her indoors')

Useful Websites

google translate

http://www.elidublin.com/the-5-most-reliable-online-translators/

Translation services, in alphabetical order

Babylon

Bing translator

Systran

translate Google

wordreference

Useful Websites

Online etymological dictionary (giving the root of English words)

https://www.etymonline.com/

About the Author

Angela Lansbury is the author of 20 books, 10 by traditional publishers, ten self-published through Lulu.com the print on demand system.

Angela's books include:

Poetry Workbook - A handy book for yourself or a friend who is a poet, adult or schoolchild. The poems are amusing and there's a handy guide to all the formats, such as the two main styles of sonnet, the numbers of syllables in haiku, villanelles and so on.

In addition to other posts on this blog, please bookmark and share linkes with your colleagues and friends and family to the two  most written and most read of my other 20 blogs:

travelwithangelalansbury.blogspot.com

dressofthedayangela.blogspot.com