January 19, 2014

January 19, 2014 - Singapore

After cappuchinos and breakfast on the deck, we headed off to MacRitchie Nature Trails for a stroll on the boardwalk around the reservoir... and to check out the macaques !!

 

 

 

 

Then off to a BUSY Chinatown for dim sum with friends of Dina’s.  The food was fabulous ... special dishes included Xiao Long Bau ( little dumpling-like pockets filled with meat and soup)... very tricky to eat but YUMMY.   It is a specialty of the restaurant, but I need to find it again, when I get home !!

 

 

We enjoyed the ceremonial New Years Salute – Yu Sheng .... a “salad” piled high with all sorts of symbolic foods .... gold crispy wontons for prosperity, salmon for health, oil to help the new year slide in and honey for a blessed life.  Then everyone sticks their chopsticks into the salad and lifts if up and tosses it (or drops it ) back onto the plate, trying not to spill it (thereby not wasting all the good wishes).  Very fun ... very tasty .... very messy !!!

 

 

 

We wove our way through Chinatown to the Buddha Tooth Relic Temple and museum.   On the top floor is the world’s largest cloisonné Vairocana Buddha Prayer Wheel and a beautiful roof-top garden.

 

 

 

 

 

The guys dropped Dina and I off at Singapore’s Botanic Garden for a beautiful walk up to the National Orchid Garden where we got to see the largest display of orchids in the world , including special orchids made in honor of various dignitaries .... Lady Diana, Jean Chretien, Queen Elizabeth, Wills and Kate etc.

 

 

Lady Di's orchid is a beautiful pure white "froth" of blooms .....

 

 

William and Kate's orchid is this lively spotted flower. 

It was not blooming, so I took a photo of its picture.

 

 

 

Dina and I

 

We met Cam, Ken and Jim back at the park for an outdoor concert in the park with the Singapore Symphonic Orchestra .... a beautiful evening with great people watching.  

 

Then back to K&D for bbq’d lamb and MUCH singing  and crazy carry-on  !!   :-0