Bodhi Bum

Just a quick entry here to get some pics up and posted for posterity. It's a Sunday morning here in sunny, muggy Singapore and it's about 35 degrees out there or whereabouts. Me I'm currently sitting in my nice air conditioned hotel room trying to get some work done here so I don't have to kill myself with 12 hour days at work next week trying to wrap this contract up in time. But damn it's hard to concentrate on work when the sun is shining, people are down by the pool below my window swimming and tanning, and there's just so much in this city to see and do. But after this quick entry I'm off to see China Town to do some cheap shopping, then over to Sentosa island to check out the beaches and touristy sights. And probably finish the day at Boat Quay looking out over the River and enjoying a nice dinner and bottle of red. Boat Quay has to be seen to be believed. About two hundred mini restaurants all along the length of the river serving every type of cuisine you can imagine. And, like everywhere else in Singapore, it's amazingly beautiful and spotlessly clean.

This country/state/city is really an amazing place. It's got the best of Asia with the best of the West. You have hundreds of these food courts done the Asian way all around the city, each with dozens of food stalls where the food is $2 Singapore, which is like 60 Pence. Cheap as dirt, and the food is amazing. There there are hundreds of real restaurants. It's an amazing city and I could easily see being based out of a place like this. It's by far the cleanest, most beautiful, safest and probably one of the most fun cities I've every been in. And I've been in a lot. And it's only an hour and half flight from my condo in Thailand. It would be a nice place to be based out of, too bad the local wages are a lot lower than the UK. If I could get a good long contract here making pounds then that would be the ideal. Moving here and working locally for local wages is never an option. Who knows, maybe one day when money is not so much an issue.

As for yesterday and the point of these ramblings, I did my official duty as third generation Melis and kept the Raffles tradition alive and kicking. I made my pilgrimage to the Raffles Hotel in Singapore, just as my Uncle did, and my Grandpa did before.

Three generations now have journeyed halfway around the world to pose in front of the grand old Colonial hotel and have a picture snapped. I'm sure back then when Grandpa had to join the Merchant Marines in order to be able to travel over to the mysterious Far East things were a little bit different. Back then this was the place of adventure where countless writers and adventurers set out off on Asian adventures. For Grandpa I can only imagine him debarking the ship and coming ashore to this mysterious place and visiting the Raffles and thinking that this was a pretty special thing that he accomplished, making it so far and living the ultimate High Life in luxury. I'm almost jealous that he was around here back in those days as the Raffles was the center and pinnacle of Colonial luxury and adventure. Today it's a shopping mall. Sad to say, but it's pretty much a shopping mall full of busloads of tourists. But the hotel portion
is still exclusive and very, very impressive. The place is all abouy history and you can't help but be impressed by the history and grandeur of the place.

I had to visit the Long Bar within the hotel, which is where they invented the famous Singapore Sling. So I bought my $18 Singapore Sling along with all the other tourists and checked that off my list of things to do. But hey, it is pretty damn neat sitting in the Raffles Hotel sipping a Singapore Sling in the tropical heat surrounded by Victorian architecture and bannana trees. It may be a little kitch and touristy, but was really cool. Especially since I could just imagine Grandpa sitting at the bar beside me sixty or seventy years earlier sipping on his Singapore Sling. More likely he was knocking back whisky shots but it was a neat feeling of history.

So now that I've fulfilled my duty and kept the generational tradition going, I wonder who will be carrying it on in the next generation. Who's to say. Maybe my kids, if they ever materialize someday. Guess who keeps the torch going will remain to be seen.

Time to go outside and get some sun.