Striking Balance in Singapore

Singapore is a city of contrasts.  Tall, modern buildings cast shadows over little houses which seem to exclaim, “Ha ha city – I will not yield!”  Skyscraper designs include some very unique structural attributes…We photographed one example in which three buildings were connected by what appears to be an entire city suspended many stories above the pavement below (See The Trip – Photoblogging Our Trip).

Coming from KL (Kuala Lumpur) where all the parks were being overtaken by urban sprawl, it was refreshing to see Singapore’s dedicated and significant expanses of parks, a valuable resource in this vibrant city.  If seeking solitude, one can conveniently visit many beautiful green-spaces or take the train to Sentosa Island for a bit of beach time.

With millions of residents, you might expect Singapore’s public transportation to be a bit “scary”, but it isn’t at all.  The subways and railways are very clean, extremely well organized, and easy to use.  Additionally, rules of the road were respected, so we didn’t feel like we were playing Frogger when crossing streets.  Were these the only things we noticed about Singapore?  No. 

Singapore is a hodgepodge of different cultures and people, each contributing to the unique food offerings such as chili crab, duck porridge, dim sum and chwee kueh (water cakes). These dishes and many others are affordable and conveniently available in markets and food courts throughout the city.  Was there a Hooters?  Yes, down by the touristy riverside; it offered dining diversity, but it would be a pity to eat there with so many other amazing flavors so close at hand.  ;)

P.S. – We have to give a special shout out to our new friends Ivan and Susan.  They took time out of their busy schedules to introduce us to their city for an entire evening.  They are truly two of the nicest people and we feel fortunate to have met them when we did in Manila.

Making New Friends in Hawaii

Steve Snyder and Teresa Allred

When our good friend Rich Batenburg heard about our plans to visit Hawaii, he recommended that we contact Steve Snyder and his lovely wife Teresa.  Steve is a highly accomplished public speaker and Teresa built a very successful aircraft parts engineering and manufacturing company in California before they moved to Nahiku on the island of Maui.

Steve and Teresa have found satisfaction in a simple lifestyle that celebrates relationships more than material possessions.  They spend most of their time outside and built a yurt (two actually) on their property to provide comfort and protection.  They, along with their two lovely golden retrievers, were generous and welcoming to us.

We spent a long afternoon visiting on their deck while taking in the sweeping ocean views.  Teresa's keen sense of observation allowed her to quickly observe Matt's accomplishments at MSU (Making Stuff Up) - An entertaining acronym we hadn't heard before.  At lunchtime we set off for Nahiku Marketplace to enjoy tender pork and fresh fish tacos followed by incredible ice-cream at Coconut Glen's.

The afternoon was capped off with a tour of their beautiful tropical fruit orchard where Teresa shared information about the trees, plants, grafting techniques, and harvesting methods.  We sampled a few items as we traveled through the grounds and before parting ways Teresa blended a fresh passion fruit juice for us to enjoy.  We were delighted by the delicious flavors of the beverage as well as the kindness extended by our two new friends.