The kids have been off school since mid-December. Given the extended covid-related travel restrictions on travel in and out of Singapore, the kids' school extended the usual three-week winter break to four weeks to allow teachers and families to travel overseas for the first time in over two years. So for new Singapore arrivals like …

Continue reading Haji Lane, Singapore’s Muslim Quarter

As loyal martayaki readers may recall, back in our hotel quarantine days my new friend Karmen stopped by our hotel to drop off some candy and wave up from the sidewalk. It was especially kind of her to come by, considering that we had not met in person at that point; Mark's cousin Sarah introduced …

Continue reading Because the Olds Really Know how to Party; Or, Orchid Shopping at Toh Garden

As loyal martayaki readers may recall, back in October I rambled through Fort Canning Park early one morning and passed The Battlebox, the former WWII British underground command centre. Despite some minor objections from the offspring, we headed out on a Saturday morning shortly thereafter for a brief tour. We're no strangers to wartime museums …

Continue reading Back to Fort Canning Park and The Battlebox

Today the public transit gods smiled down on me, delivering me early to my appointment with an extra twenty minutes that I chose not to spend in a medical waiting room. Because covid and all. So as I neared my destination super early, I mulled my choices and quickly settled on the obvious: Singapore Botanic …

Continue reading Twenty Minutes to Spare, and a Visit to the Neighborhood UNESCO World Heritage Site

Recently Mark and I headed downtown to Citibank for yet another unsuccessful attempt at opening a local bank account. Disappointed, not exactly surprised, and hungry--we decided to sample the local offerings after leaving the bank. So we started walking and stumbled across Marina Food House, a typical spot similar to the hundreds of lunch counters …

Continue reading Lunch Like a Local: Weekday Noodles and Dumplings in the Business District

One of my favorite parts of going abroad is the chance to meet people from all over the world. Most of the friends I made in Japan I will likely never see again in person, but it's always a lovely surprise when we do cross paths once more. Living abroad is a pretty remarkable experience …

Continue reading It’s All Gravy: Let’s Eat Filipino Junk Food, or Meeting Up With Friends from the Before Times

Early Sunday morning I decided to go for a run/walk (OK, mostly walk) at a lush park near our apartment, Fort Canning Park. The park covers 18 hectares (44 acres) and tops out at a whopping 48 meters (156 feet) right in the middle of the city. I'll cover Singapore's history in greater detail in …

Continue reading From Singapore’s Ancient Relics to WWII History: A Turn Through Fort Canning Park

After months of living in temporary quarters and under temporary circumstances, one more event brought us a little closer to normalcy: the arrival of our dog, Ruby. Like many rabies-free countries, Singapore has strict rules for the import of pets, and the requirements change depending on the country of origin. I'll spare you details, but …

Continue reading The Well Traveled Canine

Lining up for the absolutely worst poolside activity a five-star hotel could offer: brain-scratching covid testing In late September our hotel quarantine drew to a close, and we faced one final hurdle: one last covid-19 PCR test. So we assembled on the hotel's pool deck at our appointed time and had our brains probed via …

Continue reading Freedom!* [*sort of]

So here we are, serving our two-week Stay Home Notice (SHN) upon arriving in Singapore in mid-September. As I wrote in my last post, we really scored and landed a five-star hotel, The InterContinental. So what's it like to pass the time in an admittedly posh setting when you can't even leave the room? The …

Continue reading Passing the Time in Hotel Jail