Author: Peg

Made it to my suite. When it’s 99degrees at 11pm you get upgraded to a suite.

More tomorrow. Nite nite time for me now😎

The dark green seems to be coconut trees. Plantation style. Don’t know if they are still working plantations.

It is a gritty airport with very few female passengers. The plane lands and you walk down the stairs like in Kona.

The first plane was a very old never refitted A320. That was actually a good thing, the seats where like the were 30 years ago.

Next stop Dubai.

I was tired of seeing stuff today, so I just went walk about. Found some cool public art.

Also found an entire street of lovely  old town houses that have somehow missed the wrecking ball  

One of those elegant old houses had this sign out over the front gate.

And, I don’t know if you can read the sign, amongst other things it is directing folks to a Surgery Centre.

I keep imagining the receptionist saying “now for your bunion  operation, turn left at Jimmy Choo,s”

Everyone, taxi driver, hotel doorman, barista, they all say that I should head out to the airport right after breakfast for my 3:15 flight. Apparently the airport is that wonderful. I should want to spend an extra 6 hours there.

And, I finally have lodging in U.K. one night London, four nights Edinburgh, and then Four nights in London. then Bermuda, then back to the Asylum. I have no way to get to and from Edinburgh yet. But, I don’t imagine it will be much of a problem.

Singapore has been great. I would come back in a wink. It’s like Japan only hotter and the streets have names and I can read the signs.

Riding the bus this morning, I spied this fountain. That is so Carlton.  Thank you, Mr C.  (But, I hope you don’t mind that I took a cab back to the hotel.)

Today was devoted to the Crazy Rich Asian part of Singapore. The biggest difference in in the old part of town, you will likely be run over by an Aston Martin, in the new part of town, you’ll be run over by a Ferrari. 

Went to see the Flower Dome and Cloud Forest green houses. One is 3 acres and the other just 2.5 acres.

And finally: Crazy Rich Asian dog walker

Dog walkers amuse me.

Oh, those huge green houses are air conditioned. The cloud forest one uses forced air. The flower dome has cooling coils in the concrete. I actually got chilly.

But seriously, Singapore has a fantastic little zoo. It seems to be very well funded.

They have a small herd of white rhinos, according to the wayside in the 1890s there were fewer than 100 white rhinos. Now there are about 20,000 mostly in zoos and preserves. Much like the North American bison story.

The zoo has lots of baboons and orangutans. No gorillas. The orangutans are pretty much able to go where they want to go. The zoo calls them “free range” orangutans.

And then there’s this.

There’s a lot to love about Singapore.

Google and I started our day with me being lost. But, I found this. And eventually I ended up where I wanted to be: at the Singapore biological garden.  

the orchid section was superb, but if you thought that orchids grew in the shade you would be wrong  Their orchids are out in the blazing sun and 90 degree (feels like 101) environment  

By the time I made my way to the hotel I was soaked  right through all of my clothes.  Even My watchband was soaked through. So it was time for another shower and a little laundry. Plus a rehydration rest.

Then I was hungry.   Off to China town for an early dinner.  At a one star Michelin restaurant.  Dinner was $6 Singapore (about $5 US).

truthfully, any baby luau on big island  the shoyu chicken would have been   just as good   But, it was fun and well worth $6 Singapore.

then time to go walk about in China town  

Found the homeward bound bus stop. Came back to my hotel. 8 miles walking today.  Not sure I can do 8miles in 90degrees again tomorrow.  

To quote Carlton – if you think you are having fun you are having fun. And I am really tired tonight…

Safely tucked  away in my room at the Goodwoods Park Hotel.  It is an old  2 story colonial anachronism  in a concrete and glass 50 story world  

I checked my bag today.  But it arrived. My plug adapters work. This is huge.  I am having Tiger Beer for dinner. My hotel seems to be fine, but the Tokyo Station Hotel ruined all other hotels for me. It’s all good.

Some notes while enroute to Singapore.

Today, I realized that being a tourist in Tokyo is like playing a really good VR game.  You are always on the lookout for tiny little clues that help get you to the next level. 

I had planned on talking a day off, but hey I might not come this way again. So, the Imperial Palace which I knew I could find on foot.? Or the Meiji Jingu Shrine which would take a couple of trains. I was underwhelmed with the Imperial Palace on my last visit. But I was willing to give it another try. I consulted with Michelin green guide: the palace got one star and the shrine three. Meiji Jingu Shrine wins  

So, off I went. It was grand.

 I will rest tomorrow on the plane  but now I must get ready to get on the plane if I make it to the plane that is. It will be a train and a monorail  I will leave early  

Next stop Singapore. 

yes, boys and girls, there is a Cup of Noodles Museum.  It was very busy, but rather charming.  Cup of Noodles as we know it came on the market in 1971. And, it is called Cup of Noodles in Japan. 

 I am getting tired, so, it’s find the subway, find the train and get back home time.

Fortunately yesterday’s paper announced it was time to “knock down the plums”.  Apparently this is done to encourage more plum blossoms next spring. And the rather large green plums are apparently sold to residents who make pickled plums. This was outside the hotel.

Yes, I was out “late”.

Big fuss here in about requiring women to wear high heels at work. The Labor Minister agreed that it was necessary for women to wear heels while working. Seems to me that unless you are a pole dancer or work at Jimmy Choo’s what’s on your feet doesn’t matter. (Safety shoes notwithstanding.)

Today didn’t work out like I had planned. But it was fine. I had planned on riding the only street car left in Tokyo around. But google and I couldn’t find the street car. Most of the day I was lost and wet  

But, I found this charming small temple.  Most unlike the one yesterday.

A little diplomatic silliness played out in front of my hotel this morning.  Remember my hotel used to be a train station.  The new Chinese Ambassador was scheduled to present his credentials to the Emperor. So, as he has done for the last hundred years the Emperor sends a carriage to collect the Ambassador at the train station. Needless to say the Ambassador came to the hotel/train station in his limousine.  

About five this evening I ventured out by subway.  That was rush hour. But it was no worse than the Metro orange line.  

I wanted some night shots.

I walked 7 miles today. Thinking it’s time read a little and go to sleep.

This was in Asakusa. A shopping street maybe 4 blocks long. And every shop just sold one thing. Hair sticks-but not hair clips. Hair clips would be a different store. But, I am getting ahead of the story.  First I have to get here.

Actually, pretty damn hard. I figured out that this was the train station and I needed to find the CORRECT subway station some where underground. This whole underground thing is problematic.  In my part of Tokyo there are 3 to 7 layers of underground. Folks who work blocks away from the station can walk from their office building to the train/subway without stepping outside. These aren’t simple passageways but underground shopping mall type things. Google doesn’t know about this. And my phone GPS isn’t spot on accurate in Tokyo. 

Eventually, I find the correct subway, acquire a 24 hour pass, and make in on the correct subway and successfully transfer.  

I always get a fortune. I got a “good “ one  Among other things it says: There is a little bit of worry about traveling. 

And now back to the shops.

After all this sightseeing and window shopping, I head back to my hotel.  Had no problems until I tried to find my way out of the subway system.  Finally popped out some 3 or 4 blocks away from where I should have been. But, while wandering lost and looking for a way out, I passed a 7-11 and got a ham and Brie sandwich for dinner. 7-11 in Japan has the same name and the same logo. But it isn’t the same. No Big Gulps for starters. There’s a 7-11 bank. They sell food that you can actually eat without getting food poisoning.

I took a nap when I finally made it home.  At my age, one adventure a day seems to be it.  

People seem to like to get their pictures taken in front of my hotel.

I didn’t do much today. The spirit was willing but the body said wait just a minute. So, I give into advanced years and took a nap and didn’t venture far from the hotel. But that didn’t keep me from getting lost. I did find an ATM Machine that gave me money. And I found a Starbucks. If I can ever find the Starbucks again, then I can find the ATM Machine again.

The end of the hall is not my room. It’s a dogleg turn and I am at the end of a second  equally long hallway. One would think that the hotel entrance would be in the middle.  But it’s not.  It is at the far right end and my room is the last on on the left.  Get my steps in just coming and going.