Having "Me" Time

Like in every country, food comes in many ways and forms.  There are always the "elegant" and high end restaurants which just give you an experience to remember and then there's the "local" kind of foods that most people eat on a day to day basis.  If you come to Singapore and want something "local"  you should try the food at the hawker centres.  These are food that the average Singaporean would eat and is not just for tourists.  During lunch times, these hawker centres are filled with working professionals. Here are some of the hawker centres I've been to whilst exploring Singapore this trip: 1) Lau Pa Sat Hawker Centre :  This place is open 24 hours and has a long history dating from the 1800's as well a uniquely octagonol shape that is quite beautiful.  It was formerly known as the "Telok Ayer Market" and dates from the times of Sir Raffles, the founding father of Singapore.   There are roughly 80-100 sta...

This trip I've been to Clarke Quay already three times and everytime it gives me a different vibe. It's strange this area by the Singapore River but I like it and am at the same time impressed by it. The first time I went there this trip was on a group tour to take the "Bumboat."  I've been to Singapore so many times but never took the bumboat and so I decided to join it this trip.  I enjoy being the tourist no matter how "touristy" it is and I especially enjoy anything to do with water and rivers.  It's so calming and relaxing.  We get there at around 9.30am and Clarke Quay resembles a deserted town.  All the shops and restaurants are shut and not a single soul is to be seen.  It's quiet.  This part of Singapore has not yet awakened.  Only after nearing the crossing roads do we spot a few people.  They are runners out for their morning jog. Healthy people. It's quite educational this trip.  I learn that this beautiful area wher...

The Great Pyramids of Giza prove to be closer to Cairo than I had ever imagined.  The Pyramids loom over your head as you head down a busy road filled with houses and people going about their business.  The roundabout is crazy and hectic with cars honking, cars crashing into one another before going on to their final destination.  Then amidst all this madness, the Great Pyramids suddenly appear before you as if it were just another construction.  An extremely large and over-powering one though. I get off the car and look up at the Great Pyramid.  It is indeed far bigger than I could have ever imagined.  Stones used to build this is said to weigh on average 2.5 tonnes with some stones at the base said to weigh as much as 15 tonnes.  The pyramid is perfectly symmetrical yet it was built over 5,000 years ago.  The ancient Egyptians had understood geometry since times past.  Fascinating.  I rub its rocks and am dumbfounded a...

Before we enter the land of the ancient egyptians, we visit the Citadel which was home to Egypt's rulers for almost 700 years beginning in 1176.   I must say it's definitely one of the largest Citadels  I've ever been to.  It's so big, it's like a little city all within itself with mosques, gardens, houses, and other buildings.  Up high on the hill, it rises above Islamic Islam as a reminder of ancient power and glory.  So great was it's empire back then. The main destination is most definitely the Mohammad Ali Mosque .  When I first hear its name, a grin flashes my face as it reminds me of the boxer, but then I remember that Mohammad Ali was the name of the founder of modern Egypt.  He had brough Egypt recognition after being part of the Ottoman empire.   It's an enormous mosque.  There is a large central dome and several other small ones. Two minarets rise out into the sky.  By the entrance, I am shown a beautiful ...

For the first time this year, today Bangkok citizens felt the first cool breeze of the upcoming winter season.  Last year we barely had a day of cool weather, this year seems promising.  Since early morning, the sun was out but instead of being hot and humid, it was wonderfully cool averaging around 25 degrees celsius.  Oh how I love this weather.  The entire city feels like it is airconditioned.  This cool air of autumn is one of my favorite times during the years and always makes me happy.  It reminds me of the beautiful autumn colours, hiking in the Shenandoah Mountains last year, or in the Austrian countryside.  It's always so relaxing and pleasurable after the summer rush and energy.  Then Thanksgiving arrives and the festivities begin.  Of course it also reminds me of  my recent trip to Japan when all the shops started putting everything up for Autumn and it made me think about what were my impres...