Gentlemen Start Your Engines!

They may say gentleman start your engines in NASCAR but we can assure you that Formula One is not NASCAR. Sure they have racing teams, checkered flags and fine-tuned cars that drive really fast. But if you want to compare them they’re more like second cousins than sisters. 

Singapore has been a part of the Formula One Grand Prix Circuit for seven years and as Singapore tends to do- they strive to make their stop the biggest and most memorable. They shut down much of the Financial District for the race and start building the infrastructure three months in advance!  This year was just as impressive as past years with post-race concerts from John Legend, Jennifer Lopez and an inter-team battle for first place in the standings within the Mercedes team.

We started watching the Formula One races when we moved to Singapore so we we’re in the know when the race rolled into town in mid-September. In order to be well versed we did some research and here are a few facts for you… 

•          Singapore was the first nighttime grand prix and the track features 1,600 lighting projectors.
•         The Marina Bay Street Circuit has an average speed of just 170 km/h (106 mph), making it the second-slowest track of the year after Monaco. 10 of its 23 corners are taken in first or second gear and less than 50% of the lap is spent at full throttle
•         Only three different drivers have won the Singapore Grand Prix in its first seven running’s. Five of the six winners have come from pole position (i.e. first place).
•         There has never been an F1 driver from Singapore.
•          The Singapore Marina Bay Circuit is also one of the most demanding to drive - not only do drivers have to make an average of 80 gear changes per lap, but due to the heat and humidity, drivers can lose up to 3 kg (6.6 lbs.) of fluid during the race.
•         There are so many other interesting facts such as the cars are not allowed to refuel and are only allowed to have three sets of tires (spelled tyres on this side of the world.)

The race is a big deal for not only the locals but for all of Southeast Asia. The festivities start on a Friday with practice laps, then time trials on Saturday and the big race on Sunday. Raegen was busy all weekend hosting customers from all over for work in a suite at the Fullerton Hotel on turn 13. It was a great spot and hopefully the thrill and excitement of the race helped him to close some big deals.

I was lucky enough to watch two of the three nights of racing at the Singapore Cricket Club which had a view of the longest stretch of the track including a chicane affectionately called the “Singapore Sling.”

The selfie stick makes an appearance for a group photo of the course safety crew. 

Sunday night’s race was a typical F1 race as it wasn’t short of drama. The inter-team rivals Rosberg and Hamilton were starting in the one-two position and at the start of the race. Rosberg (who was in first place in the standings at the start of the race) had a mechanical failure and failed to start the race. Hamilton ended up winning the race and taking the lead in the standings.

The racing was electrifying and just as exciting was Sunday night’s off-track event, the Jennifer Lopez concert. Three days of racing and excitement were exhausting. So much so that we both slept through two alarm clocks on Monday morning and I missed my early morning flight. It all worked out in the end with just a 24 hour set back. Off to the next adventure!

J-Lo Concert

Happy Trails,

Amy & Raegen 

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First Trip Off the Island

In the expat progress of events first comes finding a home/adjustment period, the sticker shock phase and then comes the Bintan phase. (Although we’re still in the sticker shock phase no matter what anyone says.) We don’t consider ourselves to be conformists, but apparently we are as we took our first trip off the island to Bintan, Indonesia.

On a sunny morning we boarded the Bintan Island Resort Ferry and began our 45 minute journey to Bintan. We decided to spend the little extra money and travel in Emerald Class. That meant we had assigned seats, complimentary soda and water, as well as streamlined processing on-board and at immigration. (The visa on arrival is $10 USD and has to be paid in US cash.) The ride flew by as we sat on the back of the boat in the sea breeze and watched all the ships passing by headed into port in Singapore. 

Upon arrival at the ferry terminal we were taken via air-conditioned bus to the resort. We chose to stay at the Angsana Resort, a Banyan Tree Resort. There are a handful of resorts on the island and after a lot of research this seemed to be the best in our price range. The hotel grounds were wonderful, the beach was beautiful, they had a nice spa and the staff were attentive but the rooms could have used a little refreshing. We came for some relaxation so regardless we were happy to be at the beach.

On our first full day on the island, we decided to check out the ‘shopping area’ Pasar Oleh Oleh, which was not as local as we hoped but we found some great souvenirs for the house as well as a great lunch.

The local currency is the Indonesia Rupiah (IDR). The exchange rate is 11,494.25 IDR to $1 USD so it made for a bill that only P. Diddy has seen.

One night we walked over to the Banyan Tree Bintan for dinner at their Thai restaurant, Saffron. Not only was the food fantastic (we had our own rice master!) but it was also Earth Hour. Earth Hour is where millions of people across the world switch off their lights for one hour on the same day - to celebrate their commitment to the planet. From 8:30 - 9:30 pm we enjoyed our dinner in a completely candlelit restaurant. Kudos to Banyan Tree Resorts for making the commitment to our planet at all of their resorts across the globe.

Otherwise, we spent most our time at the resort and enjoyed meals in the sand at the beachside restaurant and by the pool. It was exactly what the doctor ordered after all of the months of moving stress and the challenges (not to mention the gray hairs) associated with moving to a new and foreign country.

Happy Trails,

Amy & Raegen 

Tekka-Tac-Toe

Amy and I love to entertain and cook.  Obviously we love to bring friends and family around the table to break bread, but it also means that we get to cook and sometimes even try new things on dinner victims...I mean guests.  Singapore is an amazing place to experiment with new flavors due to the abundance of fresh produce and exposure to new recipes from a variety of cultures.

We make frequent visits to the Tekka Market in Little India.  Wet markets are fresh food markets- sort of like a farmers market. They are called that because the floors are wet due to the cleaning of the floors, ice-melting, fish-cleaning and vegetable-washing. (We wouldn’t advise you to wear your new Prada sandals here.)

They have pretty much everything you could ever want in a wet market from fruit, vegetables and spices to little sharks, huge prawns and chickens chopped up however you’d like. (See Why is your time more important than mine? for more information on shopping and lifestyle in Singapore.)  There are plenty of things in the market that we can’t even identify. The Tekka Market is known for having great vegetables and meats. There are other markets that specialize in areas such as flowers (Tiong Bahru Market) or live big turtles, frogs and eels (Chinatown Market). Here is a great website highlighting the five best wet markets in Singapore if you’re interested.

Clockwise L-R : The line of cars to get into the parking lot for the market; the butcher; an overhead shot of the fish and meat part of the market; the Tekka Market is located off of Buffalo Road. 

We learned a long time ago to never go grocery stopping on an empty stomach so our first stop is normally to grab some curry at the hawker center (think mall food court) at the market.  Amy knows she can get me join her at the market if it includes a curry meal.  My favorite stop is the naan place to get some gobi (cauliflower/potato dish), dal (lentils) and garlic naan (a flatbread).  Amy heads a few stalls down for some rice with chicken served on a banana leaf.  All of that amazing food and we are usually so full we could burst for under $13!

Our next stop is at Chia Vegetables. What I love about this shop is that the people are very nice and helpful but they also have great prices.  We can get a full basket of vegetables for the same price as a head of lettuce and some brussels sprouts in the grocery store. 

From here we normally head to get some fruit.  There are a few good places to get bananas and a variety of citrus fruits if you go exploring. (They have great mango here!)

On our last trip we decided to make a purchase from the fish and meat section of the market. We didn’t adventure too far outside of our comfort zone, but we did acquire some delicious prawns for our Sunday night BBQ with friends. They were delicious!

When you come visit, we will take you on a tour of the market and treat you to some curry.

Until then,

Raegen and Amy

You Can Have Your (Moon) Cake and Eat It Too

Today (September 8^th) marks a special day in the Chinese Culture. Today is Mid-Autumn Festival Night.

The night is part of the Mid-Autumn Festival, which is the second most important (traditional) Chinese Festival after Chinese New Year. This year's festival takes place from September 6-8. It is also known as the lantern festival, Chinese Thanksgiving or the moon festival as this is the time of year that the moon is at its roundest and brightest. 

Chinatown decorated for the Mid-Autumn Festival 

Last week I went on a local tour of Chinatown to learn more about this festive time of year. The tour was set up by the American Women’s Association and we learned quite a bit about the history of Singapore’s Chinatown (which is right next to our house) but we also learned about the traditions and the stories around the Mid-Autumn Festival.  

There are many traditions and celebrations around Mid-Autumn Festival Night such as having dinner with family, making moon cakes, eating a fruit called pomelos, and lighting lanterns.

Pomelos

The moon cake is the special food of Mid-Autumn Festival. On that day, people sacrifice moon cakes to the moon as an offering and eat them for celebration. Moon cakes come in various flavors according to the region. The moon cakes are round, symbolizing the reunion of a family. People gift moon cakes to relatives and friends to wish them a long and happy life.

Moon cakes made with lotus with cranberries and macadamia nuts

One of the stories behind the Mid-Autumn Festival is the story of Hou Yi and Chang’e.

The story, as told by the website China Highlights, is as follows:

Long long ago, there were 10 suns in the sky. They burnt all the plants on the earth. People were dying.

One day, a hero whose name was Hou Yi used his bow and arrows to shoot down nine of them. All the people on the earth were saved.

One day, the queen of heaven gave Hou Yi a bottle elixir that could make Hou Yi become an immortal, but the elixir was only efficacious for one person. Hou Yi did want to become an immortal, but he wanted to stay with his beautiful wife Chang'e more, so he didn't drink the elixir and asked his wife Chang'e to keep it for him.

Hou Yi was becoming more and more famous after he shot down the nine suns and more and more men wanted Hou Yi to be their master. Most of them were accepted by Hou Yi.

Not every student of Hou Yi had good morality. Feng Meng, one of his students, wanted to seize his elixir. One day, Hou Yi went hunting with his students, but Feng Meng pretended to be ill and stay at home. When making sure Hou Yi had gone he went to Hou Yi's house and tried to force Chang'e to give him the elixir. Chang'e knew she couldn't defeat Feng Meng so she drank the elixir immediately. The elixir made her become an immortal and fly higher and higher. Finally, she stopped on the moon.

From then on, people often pray to Chang'e for fortune and safety. During the Mid-Autumn Festival they offer lots of foods to Chang'e. (sic)

So while we’re not able to enjoy moon cakes with you in person to celebrate this great day, we will enjoy them in your honor. If you’re lucky, we’ll bring some back with us next time!

Happy Trails, 

Amy & Raegen