travelswithalice

April 16, 2023

Singapore and Hong Kong

Friday, April 14.

SQ 222 arrives in Singapore at 9 pm and as Grand Hyatt is still closed for renovations, we’re now at Conrad Centennial.

Saturday, 15.

Our first engagement was dinner at Beth and Bertrand de Mil’s with Cynthia and Jimmy Yim.

As always at the de Mils’, drinks flowed and talk at table was fast and furious. We covered everything from private islands to global taxes to Singapore’s premier golf clubs to Julian Assange to the US’s role in the Ukraine war, then ending happily with Bertrand’s tale of true love.

We’re finally settled in our fourth hotel room in the first 24 hours of our six days in Singapore. It’s a happy conclusion to our room arrangements courtesy of Mark, a welcome relic of the good old days when the hotel spoiled us rotten. (They had in the past rearranged the furniture in our room, repositioning the bed and rewiring electrical outlets just so we could watch TV more comfortably in bed.)

Sunday. 16.

Via and Gino took us to Imperial Treasure with their two girls Amelie and Annika for Peking duck and dimsum. We finished up at Tanglin Club for coffee and dessert.

Monday, 17.

My Singapore ladies put on a fabulous welcome dinner for me at the home of Tom and Cheryl Hansen. It was the splashiest potluck party I’ve ever seen!

Cheryl was making tom yam soup and fried rice when I arrived at 6. She then whipped up a grazing platter while scurrying around setting the table and answering the door.

Carmen brought a whole suckling pig, Christine a duck curry, Cynthia a Vietnamese roll she herself made, Beth a noodle dish I didn’t even get a chance to sample. Ernie brought egg tarts and busied himself putting finishing touches to the dinner table, lighting candles, and taking photos and videos. Tom tended bar.

Tuesday, 18.

With my Tanglin Club “Thank You Dinner” canceled, I invited Ernie to join me for cocktails at Conrad. After drinks and a snack, we went in search of live music and found a band playing 80s music in the Highlander whisky bar.

Wednesday, April 19.

We’ve now moved from Conrad in Singapore to our old home Grand Hyatt in Hong Kong.

Monday, 24.

Sunset on Victoria Harbour. First sighting of the sun since we got here.

Tuesday, 25..

In the Grand Club.

Change is not always a good thing. Some things are better left untouched. If it ain’t broke…

The Grand Club ca 2014.

Wednesday, 26.

Hong Kong emerges from days of cloud and rain.

Thursday, 27.

Lunch with Stuart’s Citi colleagues Patrick and Felix at Lei Garden.

Friday, 28.

At the start of the first Golden Week holiday since the border reopened in February, a fabulous sunset to welcome an expected 600,000 people from the mainland.

Monday, May 1.

I lie in bed watching the gibbous moon until way past midnight.

It just hangs there, unmoving, hypnotising me.

Wednesday, May3.

CX 919 to Manila.

…in Manila…

https://madjdiary.blogspot.com/2023/05/temporary-backup-price-of-yogurt.html?m=1

posted by Alice Dimalanta Jones # April 16, 2023

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