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Singapore East Coast Stroll
A bonus to all my trips back and forth between Mumbai and Jakarta from September 2016 to April 2017 was being able to stop in Singapore. I’m back here in Singapore today, post travels to the UK and Canada… completely jet lagged but happy to be back in Asia.
My plan this morning to stroll along the beach was curtailed by rain… so I’m content instead with reminders from past walks… including a November 2016 breakfast wander…
November’s stop was specifically timed to coincide with Whisky Live Singapore. Obviously it was no accident, and my whisky explorations can be found on Whisky Lady, however it was such a treat to spend the weekend in Singapore, staying with my friend on the East Coast.
Why such a treat? Aside from it being my home away from home… that particular day happened to be one of those rare mornings when both my friend and I had a bit of time to go together for a stroll along the coast.
We began with breakfast – kaya toast, runny eggs and kopi with spicy noodles – both familiar ‘comfort foods’ of Singapore…
Enjoyed watching kids decorate their kites…
And generally witnessed the world go by.
While we live next to the water in Mumbai too, there is a different kind of rhythm and feel to the coast of each city. This particular part of Singapore remains one of my absolute favourites and hopefully tomorrow morning the weather will cooperate and I can enjoy a nice long wander…
Related posts:
Whisky Lady – April 2017
April brought another trip to Jakarta and Singapore – naturally fitting in a whisky flight too!
Plus two of our whisky groups met up and I revived my “mini” session too – with notes to follow in the coming months…
Whisky Ladies explore Master Distiller Rachel Barrie’s Bowmore Travel Trilogy:
- Blackrock 40% – Smoked fruit, sweet peat spice, easy to drink
- Gold Reef 43% – Maple syrup peat with bitter chocolate and honey sweet finish
- White Sands 17 year 43% – Our favourite of the trio!
Finally got around to sharing our February Original’s Undisclosed Distillery session with the BMC lads:
- Sansibar Islay 8 year 52.2% – Fresh muted peat with an evolving character, well rounded
- Port Askaig 19 year 50.4% – Sufficiently complex to to keep it interesting, for a peaty whisky quite elegant
- Wilson & Morgan “Highland Heart” Sherry Cask 43% – Rich marmalade, incredibly smooth and rounded… a rather regal whisky you simply want to curl up and enjoy
Our original group had a celebration of NAS whiskies:
- Guillon Banyuls (2015) 43% – Technically is a ‘malted spirit’ not whisky…
- Oban Little Bay 43% – A new party whisky?
- Arran Port Cask 50% – Fruity nose that kept evolving, red sour plums and long finish
- Kavalan Peaty Cask R091214006A Bottle No 043/137 54.8% – Curl of peat around a delicious dram
I also managed to swing through Singapore twice in March and April with stops at:
- La Maison du Whisky Singapore Renewed!
- The Single Cask with two flights and a single dram…
- 1st Flight – “Whisky guessing game” with Cask Islay 46%, Dun Bheagan Islay 43%, Finlaggan Cask Strength 58%, Islay Storm 40%
- 2nd Flight – A lighter touch with: Deanston 15 years (1997/2013) Cask No 1958 45.8%, Glen Moray 21 year (1991/2013) Cask No 9980 46%, Glentauchers 18 years (1996/2014) 2 casks 46%, Miltonduff 21 year (1995/2016) 45.8%
- Single dram – Ben Nevis 19 year (1996/2016) Cask No 871 45.1%
There were a few more notes sharing Whisky Live Singapore explorations:
- Whisky Live Singapore – Bruichladdich
- Whisky Live Singapore – Balvenie
- Lost Distillery 1 – Auchnagie, Stratheden, Towiemore
- Lost Distillery 2 – Jericho, Gersten, Lossit, Auchnagie
Plus the last from the archives:
Curious to know more? Check out recent Whisky Lady’s monthly missives:
You can also find my Whisky Lady in India avatar on:
- Blog https://whiskylady.co/
- FaceBook Whisky Lady in India – https://www.facebook.com/WhiskyLadyIN
- Twitter @WhiskyLadyIN
Jakarta Journeys…
It is time to stock up on tolakangin, Toraja, Lampung and other coffees, perhaps even some Indomie for a friend… yes I’m on a plane back to Jakarta.
I spent most of December 2016 in Jakarta… long days, late nights but thoroughly worth the time investment. At that point, I thought my job was done and didn’t expect to return until a new project began.
However thanks to some creative re-allocation of who does what, I’m delighted to be back -even if it is just a quick trip!
I’m looking forward to returning to my favourite serviced apartment tonight, catching up with friends mid-week…
Then hopping on another plane to Singapore to check-in on company related matters, re-stock on interesting whiskies, hopefully catch-up with even more friends… mayhap a business meeting too if can swing it!
In short, I’m delighted to be back in the air, doing what I enjoy and hope this trip leads to even more such opportunities…
Related posts:
Singapore taxi rides
Don’t laugh but I love taking taxis in Singapore. There are always such friendly interesting exchanges. In the space of a 10 – 15 minute ride you get a glimpse into each others lives.
One morning on a recent trip to Singapore, my friend suggested ALMOST had time to take the bus. Yes it would have saved money however it was cutting it a bit tight with timing and more importantly, I would miss one of the stories.
Daily commute from the East Coast to CBD, Singapore
That day I had a woman driver, divorcee of three children just a year older than I. We began our chat talking about the weather – she shared how it had been raining more than usual yet today was sunny. I noted that I’d heard about the unusual rains however had just came from Mumbai the previous night so joked that I decided to bring a little sunshine for my Singapore friends.
That lead to questions about how I’m living in India. Then various other topics. When it was established I have a significant other and that’s a big part of my living in India, next natural question was “Do you have kids?” To which I responded no… She embraced my choice, sharing it certainly hasn’t been easy raising three kids on her own.
Yet we both agreed no regrets on either side.
Any other locations where you look forward to a cab ride into someone’s life?
PS I was just in Singapore for a week long marriage marathon for a friend’s daughter. Lots of tales to tell there but in the interim thought would share this post drafted during an earlier trip.
Related Singapore posts:
Night sky in Singapore
While I am completely happy in our home in Mumbai, we do not have a ‘view’. Our choice of location was motivated purely by practicality – close to the highway to scoot to the airport or other parts and close to my partner’s mother.
On my December trip to Singapore, I stayed one night with a friend in ‘CBD’. We went to see the documentary ‘Naked DJ‘ at the Singapore International Film Festival then returned to this view. It was a most enjoyable evening sitting and chatting on the rather large balcony, with the evening lights our backdrop.
I’ve had the privilege of many fabulous views on my stays in various cities. Do you have a favourite?
Other Sunday Snaps:
Swinging BACK into Singapore!!
I’m doing a very happy dance right now as I’m about to hop on plane to Singapore!
Daily commute from the East Coast to CBD, Singapore
I’ve shared before… over the years Singapore has become my ‘alternate’ home… It is where I based my international company, it is where I go periodically to drum up potential business, it is also my home away from my home away!
I know this trip will be chock of meetings, merriment and more. I’ve packed a lot into each day… literally from the moment I land til the moment I leave! But I’m just too greedy to finally be back!
How can I not squeeze in a Christmas tree and lighting celebration at friends? A veggie feast at a hipster joint? Some jazz? A little whisky? And mixing up some work related meetings with catching up with some favourite ex-colleagues?
So will you hear from me in the next week? Likely not!
I will simply be too busy swinging around Singapore.
The many faces of home
For those tuning in only now, I recently revamped how Everyday Asia is organised.
It is now ‘Home‘, ‘Away‘, ‘Work‘ and ‘Play… with a few other menu items like About, Quarterly Review and Start here..
You would think ‘Home‘ would be the easiest to do. Just slap on a new label to ‘Everyday India‘… except it raises a rather interesting question.. what and where is ‘home’… and why? (more…)
Travel tales… How I got ‘hooked’ on going ‘away’
We’ve introduced ‘Work‘, messed around with ‘Play‘, clearly ‘Travel’ can simply be replaced with ‘Away‘!
So why bother with a post? Well… you see… it seems a good point to pause and share the journey… insight into ‘travel tales’ which help explain how I got from there (Winnipeg) to here (Mumbai).
And warning! This is a long post, so go grab a cup of chai, coffee or other liquid libation and come join me in a trip down memory lane… (more…)
Mumbai monsoons…
I returned from Singapore to a muggy Mumbai… the kind of weather where you feel sluggish and slow.
I also returned with a freshly injured ankle, so put myself under ‘house arrest’. Which meant an opportunity to witness our living room be transformed into
- A salon for theatrical readings of new plays my partner is planning to produce…
- A film set where our bookshelves became backdrop to a short scene
- An impromptu evening of merriment (my favourite kind!)
While I busied myself with post-Singapore trip follow-up, plunged into the depths of accounts (ugh!), day after day, we had no respite from the humid heat. Teasingly, rains would come only at night where the drop in temperature had negligible impact.
Each morning our maid would share her impatience for the rains… everyone knows how important a good monsoon is to the people and economy of this country. A poor monsoon is devastating. A good monsoon brings prosperity.
Early this morning the heavens opened and the deluge began… and didn’t stop… I think it’s safe to say hello monsoon! Welcome back and may you shower us with blessings this year!
Monsoon evening sky…
Related posts:
Swinging into Singapore – an ‘alternate’ home
Lately I’ve been caught calling Singapore my ‘alternate’ home…
My original home is Canada.
My adopted home is India.
My work home is often (happily!) Indonesia among many other countries across Asia.
However my international company is based in Singapore. It is my work hub, my frequent hop stop from various countries… and when I’m away too long, I get this itchy feeling… and my fingers reach out to book a flight!
Up in the air – again!
So this week I’m off to Singapore for a mad time chock-full of all sorts of activities. A sneak peak into a few include:
- Zip from airport to an evening of jazz with an old high school buddy
- Co-facilitate a session at a Women’s Leadership Development workshop
- Meetings, meetings and more meetings over coffee, lunch, more coffee, maybe some tea… with hopes something somewhere ‘clicks’ and there will be some interesting next steps
- Slightly mind-numbing accounting and annual file preparation… ugh!
- Feasting as food is just too good! And best accompanied with friends and general fun faffery
- Explore a few whisky hot spots with more than one set of fabulous folks
- Inspect (oops meet!) the new ‘man’ of a dear friend and see how the little one of another is growing up!
- A stroll along the East Coast… just because I’m lucky enough to be staying nearby
Honestly… I can’t wait to get on that plane and plunge back into Singapore life for a few days.
And I know… none of this sounds like a wild ‘explore the world’ kinda trip. It is just catching up on regular life type activities.
Because after all… Singapore is my ‘alternate’ home.
Daily commute from the East Coast to CBD, Singapore
Related posts:
Everyday Asia 