Back for Now

Arrived in Singapore this afternoon. The girls went to the airport to meet me (after having me wait for half an hour!). Then we went to have Indonesian food at the Sundanese restaurant at T2. Very delicious! Highly recommended, at least as far as I'm concerned, but not what we'd have every other day because it is kinda pricey.

The flight was very short, just 1.5 hours. We arrived ahead of time in spite of heavy turbulence along the way. It must have been one of the worst turbulence cases I've ever encountered - my coffee was spilling out onto my tray and one of the passengers in my section was air-sick. Guess it's all those clouds piling over HCMC and the South China Sea that the aircraft had to negotiate on its path to Singapore.

Yesterday was a pretty relaxed day for me. Went out for a walk from the hotel to the Ben Thanh market which was perhaps just about 2 km away. Took some pictures on the way, but the shots seemed never enough! There's so much to this city that I love. Oh ... except the over-zealous independent motorbike tour operators who can be so persistent it's a real pain in the butt.

Against my sound logic, I splurged on bags again at Ben Thanh. Hehe ... I have a really soft spot for those things. I had to hurry out of the market before I caused further damage to my pocket.

After that, I worked for a while in the cozy and free-flow-drinks-and-snacks Club Room while housekeeping attended to mine. There was wireless facility here; in fact there was wireless anywhere in the hotel except the rooms, which was wired. I wonder why.

Our last round of observation was in the evening. This time, the respondent had steamboat dinner at a local deli so we had the same. As usual, the soup base is more flavourful that our version. A fairly satisfying meal. By the end of the observation and interview, a heavy downpour had set in, sending pedestrians into the deli for a hot steamboat dinner. It was so crowded and noisy, but I was glad to have the chance to observe a slice of HCMC weekend lifestyle; to be a part of a local community, having local food and listening to local banter (although there is not a word that I understood). Most families will eat at home on weekdays and the weekend meal out is a real treat.

Being in HCMC is like taking a trip down memory lane. Back in my childhood, this is just the sort of lifestyle we had in Malaysia. Such lifestyle is slowly disappearing as more people settle their meals outside after work, just like Sugus and Sarsi, my favourite soft candy and soft drink respectively. Yet, I found them in Vietnam! And the day before yesterday, when we were in a 'garden cafe', a lounging place for youngsters set in a tropical garden style complete with foliage and tiny bridges over flowing creeks, New Kids On The Block's "Happy Birthday" played. I had not heard that song in ages and that really put a smile on my face!