Gum Valley Patchwork

Day Six - Friday 10th Feb

Sorry for the delay in posting the Day Six diary entry for our trip but last night we were invited out to Lenora's place for dinner. It was lovely to catch up and we also had to chance to pass on some small gifts to the children. Lenora and I also had a look at the new Weeks Dye Works Wool that arrived in yesterday's mail. I will post the photos when I get more organised......but for now on with the journey.

It was not the best night's sleep on the train........lots of rocking and bumping. Having a shower is equally as challenging but at least there are two handrails for security. We lost time yesterday with a few delays which meant our stroll along the historical Kuala Lumpur Railway Station which was scheduled for 9.30pm was put back to about 11.30pm........needless to say we didn't worry about getting out of bed to have a look. Plus I think it was probably the only time I slept was when the train was stationery. Breakfast was served by Woody, our steward in our cabin.

This morning we disembarked the train at Butterworth Railway Station and took a coach trip across to Penang. Whilst some of the passengers opted for the Trishaw Tour,

Russell and I thought that walking would be a better way to see the sights. We decided to break away from the main group and make our own way to the meeting point...using the map supplied of course as we were told if we were late the bus (and train) would leave without us!

The flower stall was full......mainly with Chrysanthemums and also Marigolds.

We have never seen such big incense sticks in our life....

The War Memorial......

Back on the coach and back to the train for lunch. This time we shared our table with 2 young ladies from Singapore who were on board for a photo shoot for Canon as part of a magazine article. It was interesting talking to them and we learnt as much from them as they did from us........answering the question " What do you do?" was always an interesting conversation starter.......Dairy Farmers........or as we said once "Protein and Calcium Extraction Specialists"....lol!

As we left Butterworth, the Malaysian countryside views changed to that of rice fields with some sugarcane fields also.

We passed through immigration on the Thai border at about 6.30pm but as we had given our passports to the Eastern & Oriental Express staff, they organised our passage through from Malaysia to Thailand.

It was glam up time once again and this time Russell wore his new suit that he got made in Singapore. The predinner entertainment was a young lady who performed a Malaysian dance......with 'volunteers' from the bar car.

She then changed and performed a Thai dance, and then posed for photographs (a little fuzzy)

On retiring to our transformed cabin, we each had a small bracelet of flowers on our beds.

Very pretty and are given as  a welcome to Thailand.

Eating dinner this evening was a real challenge as the restaurant carriage bumped around, so here's hoping that sleep will be easier tonight.

Dill of the Day : One of the passengers who didn't want her dessert at lunch, but as the waiter held the plate she picked off one small piece of fruit, ate it and threw the stem back on the plate. What a waste of a beautiful dessert that then no one could eat!

Linda   :)

Day Five - Thursday 9th Feb

Oops I forgot to include the special Dill of the Day for yesterday's post.......it wasn't until I was talking with Michelle in the Shop this afternoon that I realised I didn't include it. So this is for yesterday....... DotD : All of the'trendy' young ones who choose to wear glasses frames with no lens in them. Is this so they look cool and smart.....I don't think it works!

Now onto Day Five:

Today is the day we said Goodbye to Singapore and joined a larger group of travellers (about 100). We were picked up from our Hotel by Juliet and taken to the magnificent Regent Hotel. Here we joined a queue to confirm our details and await our departure (by bus again) to travel immigration control just in Malaysia. There we boarded this:

Yes it is the Orient Express ......... Eastern version. Run by the same company with all of the luxuries you would expect. We were in Cabin 4 in 'H' carriage and our carriage steward for our 3 day journey was Woody. Our cabin during the day was like a cosy sitting room (with ensuite) which was then transformed by Woody into our bedroom with bunk beds whilst we were at dinner. Not long after the train left the station for our 2,030km trip to Bangkok, we were summoned to one of the three restaurant carriages for lunch. We selected the first sitting option for lunch (12.15) and dinner (6.45) as opposed to the late sitting which was at 1.45 and 9.15. The menu greeted us along with silverware, crystal wine glasses and all of the trimmings. This was our four course lunch menu, cooked by the French Chef and served with 4 different types of bread.

The duck was divine

and I loved the dessert too.......what's not to love about any dessert! Actually it was all beautiful. We shared our table with a young couple from Perth who had only arrived in Singapore early this morning after their flight had been cancelled......every travellers nightmare! 

We spent the afternoon relaxing and watching the world go by.....well the southern part of Malaysia anyway......

interrupted only by Woody delivering our afternoon tea......which included a small chicken pie and 2 cakes each.......yummy.......

a wobbly stroll down to the observation car at the rear of the train......passing through the bar car of course!

Chatting with other travellers and finding out where everyone was from......Barbara and Page are from New York, there is also a German Film Crew on board as well as lots of European, UK and USA travellers.......and even a few Australians.

It wasn't long before we had to get dressed for dinner....and I mean dressed. Before we left Australia we received the information about the Eastern & Oriental Express which included the Dress Code for the train. This is what it read......word for word........ "During the day, casual but smart clothing is appropriate. In the evenings, gentlemen will feel comfortable with a minimum of jacket and tie (or local equivalent). However, the ambience of the train provides the chance to display glamour and style". Yes I kid you not. It was now our turn to attempt glamour and style! Russell pulled it off pretty good.......

but no photos of moi to show you.  And of course it was a five course dinner with our choice of which main meal we would like......and don't forget the 4 types of bread again!

 After another stop in the bar car to enjoy the pianist and also a nightcap, it was time to head back to our transformed cabin. I selected the top bunk.......hoping that I wouldn't fall out during the night!

Dill of the Day: The guy who left his suit in the Hotel and then asked them to deliver it to the Regent. One and a half hours later and $120 less in his pocket his suit was delivered. Would have been cheaper and quicker to get a taxi there and back.......and no it wasn't Russell!!!

Linda    :)

 

Day Four - Wednesday 8th Feb

This morning was our tour of Singapore. Because Russell and I were the only two on the Peregrine Adventure tour our guide Juliet decided that we would see (and learn) more if we walked it instead of by bus. And walked we did.....a very long way......about 6km! Along the way we got to visit, stop and talk about the many sites and cultures that make up Singapore. As we had already spent time in Little India and Bugis Street we headed to Arab Street instead. Juliet told us all about the different dried and preserved food available at the Chinese market stalls.

Including dried frogs!

I think I will give them a miss!

We wove our way through streets and laneways, completely loosing all sense of direction.........we saw the Memorial Park

the Merlion......the symbol of Singapore

Boat Quay

A Hindu Temple

Chinatown.......we are at the tail end of the Chinese New Year celebrations so the lanterns were still hanging.

The Buddist Temple in Chinatown was as spectacular as the others we had visited

and Juliet pointed out the beautiful hand embroidered silk panels.

After a little shoppping in the market stalls of Chinatown we headed to the train station and caught the MRT back to Little India and then more walking to the Hotel. Juliet left us to recover, to get the redness out of our faces, to have lunch and then get changed before she picked us up again. This time we had to get dressed up and thankfully didn't have to walk anywhere. We were heading off to Raffles for High Tea.

Very posh......lots of lovely silverware & crockery and so much delicious food......we certainly shouldn't have worried about lunch. Well there goes the goodness of the 6km walk!

For a treat on our last night in Singapore we decided to catch a taxi out to the Singapore Flyer.......the world's largest giant observation wheel.....and get a view of the night lights during the 30 minute rotation of the wheel.

Our last night in this beautiful city but tomorrow an exciting adventure begins.

Linda    :) 

 

 

Day Three - Tuesday 7th Feb.....part two

As part of our Peregrine Adventure tour we were to have a meet, greet and get to know the other members of our group. Unfortunately there was no information about the time or details, so we took a punt and sat in the bar area at 6pm. We were eventually greeted by our contact and informed that we were the only 2 who had booked the trip! After finding out details of our tour of Singapore for tomorrow, we decided to take a stroll up to Bugis Junction and Bugis Village / Street.

Bugis Junction is a huge Shopping Centre with a great food court area.......so this was our first stop. It was hard to select what to eat.......so many choices........some good........some unknown! We decided upon Chinese and Russell's meal was a Hot Pot which sat simmering on the table.

Mine wasn't quite so exciting........or hot!

We bustled our way back through Bugis Street. 

Through the narrow laneway filled with people out shopping at the numerous stalls.....very aptly named the "Longest Street Shopping location in Singapore"

 

After getting back to our Hotel and checking out some more of the Indian men and their kavardis......

......this time complete with little solar lights to make them even more impressive........we sat outside the Hotel chatting with Buck and Yvonne from the UK (near Stonehenge somewhere.......I think it's a bit like us telling people we are from near the Twelve Apostles as most know where that is!). After a few cold drinks.......Russell has taken a shine to Tiger Beer......it was time to end another exciting and very different day.

Dills of the Day: I'm sorry to say but the Indian men get todays award.........with their kavardis, spikes, skewers through their cheeks, vertical skewers through their lips, hooks in their legs and backs, and some even towing small temples and all this in the tropical heat of Singapore. Interesting and amazing but I just don't get it!

Linda     :)   

 

  

Day Three - Tuesday 7th Feb.....part one

Warning : Photo overload ahead!

Yay our first sleep in for the holidays.......8.30am......yes I know that doesn't sound like much of one but for us it is. It was also time to change Hotels and get ready to join the Peregrine Tour. We had a last minute change of Hotels which meant we headed off to the Little India part of Singapore instead of the Chinatown part. Although our new Hotel was not as good as the York we were lucky to be in Little India to witness Thaipusam.This Hindu festival of penance and devotion falls on the 7th February and devotees carry various types of kavadi, or burden, in a day-long procession to the major temples. It can be as simple as carrying a pot of milk or mortification of the body by piercing the skin, tongue or cheeks with skewers, at the other extreme. We saw all extremes as our Hotel was on the corner of the 4km route that some 7,000 participants took to honour Lord Murugan, one of the most important Hindu deities. The festival started at 12.05am and lasted until 11pm. The men and the women carried different kavardi. Some were small.

Others a little bigger and wonderfully decorated with peacock feathers, flowers and other things. This young man had a skewer through his cheeks.

And this young man had limes attached to his back with hooks into his skin.

Most walked bare footed whilest others had 'footwear'.

However many of the men had very elaborate kavardis with the 108 vel or spikes.

And then of course there was music.

When they started playing and chanting/singing, the men carrying the kavardi would stop walking and start dancing. 

The festival meant that there were lots of people around adding to the atmosphere. We ate Indian for lunch of course....hot but yummy. We filled in the afternoon browsing through the shops........the riot of colour and sequins was beautiful.....certainly a fun place.

 Will be back tomorrow with Part Two.

Linda    :) 

Rouenneries Deux

We interrupt the holiday diary with some news about the shop. While I was away, Jodie was lucky to get to unpack the new French General range called 'Rouenneries Deux'.

 
The success of 'Rouenneries' saw a lot of people disappointed that they missed out on buying the fabric. This new range will give you a second chance and it will not disappoint. The precuts of Jelly Rolls, Layer Cakes and Charm Packs have not arrived yet.....but are due very soon.

Yesterday Russell picked up the 2 shelving units that were ordered in early January. I have had a little rearrange of the shop and stacked them full of fabric.

I will need to have another rearrange when the builder starts the extension in April. I now have some extra space but this will disappear when the 'Prairie Paisley II' by Minick & Simpson arrives next week (fingers crossed).

Back to the holiday diary tomorrow.

Linda     :) 

Day Two - Monday 6th Feb

After a good night's sleep we were up early this morning as we had booked a morning tour of Sentosa Island. Our coach ride took us to the start of the Cable Car ride for our scenic trip across to the Island.

First stop was the Images of Singapore Museum......an interesting look at the history of Singapore and the different cultures that make up this country. I had to take this photo of an early wooden  embroidery frame used for stitching slipper faces.

Next stop was the Butterfly House......who doesn't like Butterflies.....especially the lovely tropical ones with all of their bright colours. Then into Parrot Avairy and the Insect Museum with some of the best bug samples I have ever seen..........just love those creepy crawlies........especially this one......he was huge!

Finally Underwater World was cool and inviting, and the Dolphin and Seal Show delighted young and old. The Dolphins were not like the ones that we have in Australia but are the Pink Dolphins........quite different.......the young dolphins have more grey but as they age they become pink.

The afternoon was spent shopping.........trying to buy shoes.......grrr damn my big feet! Russell, who hates shopping, was actually spending more than me.......not sure if it was the tropical heat affecting him or what?

Our evening was filled in by a trip to the Singapore Night Safari Zoo. Our buffet dinner was yummy, the tram ride through the Zoo interesting but not good for photographs, the Thumbuakar Tribal Fire Dancers from Borneo were amazing (and hot.......take that any way you like!)

and the night walk past the animals was a lovely finish to another busy and exhausting day........I thought holidays were meant to be relaxing....lol!

Dill of the Day : The American lady on our Night Safari tram ride who asked the guide what the difference was between a Hippo and a Rhino ..........derr!

Linda     :)

Day One - Sunday 5th Feb

While we were away on our holidays I kept a diary of our travels with all sorts of bits and pieces so I would have lots to tell you about. Over the following fortnight I will post my daily excerpts with some photos mixed in. I hope that you will enjoy following along.......apologies to those who don't! I also had a 'Dill of the Day' which I have included at the end of each day. Enjoy!

Sunday 5th February:

Our flight left Melbourne early this morning......12.30am to be be exact......for it's 9 hour 10 minute route to Bangkok.
After little sleep the night before.......I guess because we were excited to be taking our first 'real' holiday in six (or is it seven) years......I thought that I would be able to sleep on the plane......yeah NOT! Well I did doze and must have nodded off for an hour or so but am still tired :( . We are flying with Thai Airlines and I must admit the meals haven't been too bad. They fed us about 30 minutes into the flight......just what you need - a feed at 1am in the morning
and then breakfast before we landed. I think it's the first time I have eaten Chicken Fried Rice for breakie ....... better that a bowl of cereal though!

But Bangkok isn't our destination........well not yet anyway........and we had to wait for a connecting flight to Singapore. We arrived safe and sound and the view of the city and the 'bay' was amazing. We have been to Singapore before but unfortunately only to the Airport waiting for connecting flights, so this was our first stay in this clean and bustling country. It wasn't long before we were through and out of the Airport and greeted by our driver Razak and our flashy BMW transfer car.......very comfy and spacious and air conditioned! Russell was quick to notice considerable differences to our capital cities in Australia. The first was the volume of BMW, Mercedes and other high end priced cars.......all clean and new. Razak told us that all cars had to be under 10 years old and it was against the law to have a dirty car.........so glad the same law doesn't apply here! Singapore is also a very clean place ....... no litter and no graffitti. People who litter get one warning, second offence it's off to court with a hefty fine and also forced to wear a fluro vest with lettering and ordered to pick up rubbish / clean streets for eight hours, and then if there is a third offence it's the cane. Graffitti artists get the cane straight up. Singapore is also well known for it's shopping.......and we have never seen so many shops ever! So we went out to explore........Russell was on the look out for a new suit and we had been told that you can get a tailor made suit ready in 24 hours. OMG how confusing it was........guys shoving business cards at us......it was almost as if Russell had a sign around his neck saying he was after a suit! Finally he found a suit he liked....we haggled, ummed and arred, went out to discuss the deal and let the guy sweat it out for a few minutes, then agreed on the price, was measured and paid for it. Gee I hope he isn't dodgy! My shopping on the other hand wasn't quite as fruitful........my feet are too big - having a size 9.5 to 10 in Australia isn't a problem but it is in Asia. And as for the rest of me well that was even worse. Maybe I could find something in this shop to fit me.........

An evening stroll along Orchard Rd........more shops......and thousands of people was all too much after a huge day with little sleep and too much walking......an early night I think.

Dill of the Day : One of the Tailors at the Far East Plaza who had possibly the worst hair dye job I have ever seen........he even looked a bit like Borat!

Linda    :)

 

I have a confession

........ I have been away on holidays for 10 days and was very sneaky by scheduling some posts to pop up while I was away. We left on the 4th February and returned home last night so the head is still a little bit fuzzy and I am trying to get back into the swing of things. There is a mountain of washing to do and I will have to 'learn' how to cook, clean and make my own bed again....lol! I have lots of photos to show you and things to tell you, so over the coming weeks I will work through my journal and post all about our time away........I hope that you won't get too bored.

I would like to thank my good friend Jodie for looking after the Shop while I was away. She always does a fabulous job! Jodie also unpacked the 'Rouennaries Deux' range by French General which arrived last week......the precuts are on back order so I am not sure when they will be in.

Finally apologies to anyone who has rung, emailed or messaged me since the 4th February.......I will try and catch up with the back log over the coming days........or give me another call.

Linda  :)

Happy Valentines Day

Russell is certainly not what you would call romantic......however today we will be spending the day together and somewhere very special. I will spill the beans very soon.

Linda     :)