7/29/12 - First Visitor

It may have been work related, but we saw our first friendly face from the U.S. this morning.  Kristian had 12 hours to spend in Singapore before flying on to Penang of all places so we met him for brunch on top of the Marina Bay Sands hotel.  Not a bad view, right?  I won't be heading to Penang myself this week as my passport is hanging out at the Chinese consulate waiting for a Visa.  I'm sure he'll manage on his own up there just fine.
Saturday we went out to dinner with our friends Chris and Ellie in Little India.  Chris has been to India a few times so we asked him if it was anything like the actual country.  The response was less traffic, less buildings that were falling down and no animals in the street.  So not quite the same, but dinner was still pretty awesome.  Capped it off with some drinks on Club street.  Unfortunately the bar we liked that looked like an opium den from an old Indiana Jones movie had decided to redecorate with a more contemporary feel.  Still a nice place to sit outside, but didn't have that colonial Asia feel we had enjoyed previously.

Friday we had finally reached the breaking point and needed some good old Mexican food.  Found a place called Señor Taco in Clarke Quay. Clarke Quay is on the river and full of different bars and restaurants, even a few microbreweries for when that urge kicks in too.  The tacos were good, the Corona's were better. Not a bad way to spend an 85 degree evening outside.

The only bad part right now is we can't seem to find the Olympics on TV.  There is a bar in Singapore showing US coverage that we are planning on making our way to eventually.  Until then, I guess we'll keep watching Kung Fu Panda 2 on HBO (with Chinese subtitles of course).

Potentially an update from China later this week.....

7/24/12 - Penang

Penang Housing/Hotels

I'm trying to get better about posting a few times a week.  With work being busy, but not super busy, this seemed like as good as any time to start.  Week 2 up in Penang, Malaysia started off quite well.  Last week I got to follow people around like a lost little puppy dog...... to the airport in Singapore, to our hotel in Penang, to the office in the morning, to dinner, back to the hotel, etc, etc.

Main Road in Penang

Well it may not have been a planned sink or swim method of teaching, but that's what I'm in right now.  Luckily (fingers crossed, knock on wood, don't jinx it it!!!) the biggest problem I have had was having to wait an extra 30 minutes for a taxi back to the hotel.  Got taxis, made it to my flight on time, got to work, found dinner on my own, I've done it all.

Some may scoff at these trivial accomplishments, but you have to remember, riding in taxis and ordering room service are only slightly behind paddle-boats and Taylor Swift on the list of things "Dan Court really, really dislikes."  Progress has been made on the riding in taxis.  Room service on the other hand is an egg that has not quite been cracked yet.  The plus side of that is it is forcing me to go find food outside the hotel.

Street Cafe

I haven't gotten brave enough to go to this place yet, but I ate somewhere similar last night.  It was hot, sweaty, and smelly.... and that was just me after sitting there for 5 minutes.  Once I actually got my food (Indian) it was also hot and smelly (only the restaurant and myself appeared to be sweating) and really good.  Best garlic naan I've had.  This evening I ordered a chicken pita with 'hot' sauce.  Either my tolerance for heat is growing or the guy taking my order took pity on me and told them to put mild on it when I sat down and wasn't looking because I thought it was spicy but manageable.

The most random and quirky part of my day though happened after I got done swimming laps this evening.  I was just toweling off when I sensed someone near me.  I looked up, but then had to look down because the lady only came about half-way up to my head.  She explained that her and her friend were from Mongolia and had never been taught to swim before.  So long story short, we spent about 15 minutes with her translating and me pantomiming how to do the breast stroke.  I wish I could say he might be joining the Mongolian Olympic team in 2016, but I think at the very least he wouldn't drown now.

The final news from Penang is I found a Starbucks!  It doesn't open until 8 (who would want coffee before then?) but a nice taste/kick from home in the morning is a decent way to start your day.  Sarah has her first orientation for school in Singapore tomorrow, the scholarly life is quickly beckoning at the door again.  We'll get some posts from her written perspective so its not just my random thoughts flying around.  Enjoy.

7/21/12 - Back In Singapore

We found a place to live!  2 bedroom condo, right on an MRT (subway) stop and close to a hawker centre and food market.  Sarah's commute to school should be pretty manageable from there.  Our stay at the temporary apartment will continue for a few more weeks because 95% of what we own is somewhere in the middle of the Pacific.  I'm still hoping our container is on the edge of the boat and a big wave grabs it (all new stuff!) but it will be nice when it gets here so we can move in.  After that, please come visit, just let us know in advance.

I spent the past week up in Penang, an island further up the Malay peninsula where my client is located.  I'll take some photos next week as it is more actual Asia vs. the Asia lite where we are currently residing.  Plus its cheaper.  Everything seems to have the same price as Singapore, you just pay for it in Ringgits instead of Sing Dollars.  Look up the exchange rate yourself.  Somehow I ended up in a TGIFridays, Chilli's and McDonald's in a 48 hour period up there.  I'm pretty sure in the U.S. I wasn't in those three establishments in the same year let alone the same week.  Its nice to trade off green curry and prawns and chicken tikka masala for a McFlurry and fries when you're 10,000 miles from home.

Sarah still has a few more weeks until school starts so she's learning the island better than myself.  I heard rumors of photos she posted on a Facebook.  If you haven't seen them I'm including one as a preview.  Its from the top of the Marina Bay Sands Hotel - something tells me her iPhone is going to get a workout here.

Its pool time for now - need to rest up.  The British Open is on tonight.  Who would have thought I'd have to stay up late to watch it vs. waking up early?

7/11/12 - First Food Hawker Experience

We woke up this morning completely wiped after yesterdays activities.  When you view each condo they have their own unique flavor, however, the mix of rooms, facilities and location slowly start to blend together and it becomes mentally exhausting.  So no permanent place to live yet, but for those scoring at home I would rate the rice cooking at a 3 out of 5 and the laundry at a 4 out 5 in terms of success.  The food was better than edible and I didn't shrink any of my shirts so that was a win for the evening.

With the promise of more viewings to come this afternoon our morning was spent catching up on work emails and administrative items as well as some exercise.  The pool is where I am working on breaking Michael Phelps' 4 year old world record..... that would be the time he had as a toddler, not at the Olympics in Beijing 4 years ago.  Swimming laps is rapidly passing running as my fitness regiment until we acclimate a little more to the climate.

This is a quick shot out of our window.  It is green like this everywhere.  Ben, I have hidden 5 photographic errors that a more seasoned veteran would not make. Personally, I'm blaming my camera phone, but if you would like to point to them out as a teaching moment, that would be great.  Once I upgrade to an iPhone (or start using our actual camera) I promise better visual effects.

The true highlight of the day was us upping the ante, moving beyond the local grocery store and grabbing dinner at a Singapore Hawker Centre.  Think large, outdoor food court.  We went to one of the more touristy/famous ones due to the proximity of our apartment, but the food was still great.  It was hot, fresh, flavorful and made in front of us.  The fact that the beverage vendor with some cheaper Tiger beer was in the stall next door didn't hurt either.

More condo viewings tomorrow and then switching gears on Friday back to a traditional work day.  Need that employment pass so everything else can get checked off the list before the work travel begins Monday.  Cheers!

7/10/12 - 48 hours and counting.....
We've officially been in Singapore for 2 days now.  Feels a lot longer due to the day you lose when flying over as well as all we have done in those two days.  Random thoughts on what we have learned so far:

1. We are going to sweat ...... A Lot.  Shorts and sandals are quite comfortable, but dress pants and a button up shirt make for a drippy walk and MRT ride into work.

2. The city is the inverse of Minneapolis.  Sure there is the obvious that it is on the other side of the world and the temperature never really changes (hot/humid).  However, instead of skyways above ground to keep you warm in winter there are 3-4 story walkways and malls below ground to keep everyone cool.  Yes, I've gotten lost just as many times in them as I did in the skyways back in the Twin Cities.

3. Sticker shock. Everything is expensive.  Case in point, we kept seeing happy hour signs "1 for 1" and actually believed that it just meant prices at happy hour were normal prices and we didn't even want to know what they were the rest of the time.  Turns out "1 for 1" here is the same as a "2 for 1" in the States.  And that still means you pay $12 for two bottles of beer instead of 1.

Today's adventures are going to include doing laundry in a washing machine that has a front view the size of an airplane window, learning how to use a rice cooker and hopefully finding a more permanent place to live.  One can only live so close to the high end shops on Orchard Road for so long (especially with my wife).

7/1/12 - An end starts a new beginning

In five days Sarah and I will literally be moving to the other side of the world.  It will be a 26 hour journey from our home in St. Paul, MN to the Republic of Singapore.  The next 2-3 years are expected to be quite busy with work for me, school for Sarah and traveling for both of us.  We will be in a temporary apartment for a month, but hope to find a condo shortly to allow for friends and family to come visit.  I'll do my best to keep this updated on our latest tips and tricks for expat life, pictures and stories from where our travels take us and of course updates on our everyday life.

 I'm including 2 pictures from our last trip to Singapore with the promise of more to come and the hope that they will cause you to check back later for updates.

Merlion in the harbor.

 Marina Bay Sands Singapore