Tuesday and high on the list for sometime today was a visit to a money changer for our trip to Malaysia. Singapore has many of these establishments though so there was no real rush, and we were heading for the Heartlands today.
This is Toa Payoh, a place where real Singaporeans live, outside of the city
in fact Lisa?s family live in some of the lower-rise apartment buildings to be found here.
The shops sell these everywhere ? I can?t remember the name but it is a fruit and it smells so awful it is banned from the buses and the MRT! Does anyone remember the name?
The shops were lovely, not crowded and the people that were there were not tourists ? except us of course ? I bought a few souvenirs.
We had lunch in a streetside cafe ? Mark went for a very spicy noodle dish and we had curry puffs ? I really like them, very like pasties to look at but filled with a mild potato curry mixture.
Liz didn?t like them too much?
And of course Mark found that amusing..
But we can?t all have your cast iron taste buds Mark ? you?ve lived here for 20 years now!!!
The day was more than hot and just occasionally there was a gust of wind ? Mark told us this was a definite sign that a storm was coming.
There was a park there that we wanted to see and we did manage a short visit.
It is set out beautifully with a winding stream and small bridges..
and these little guys..
They were so sweet and swam towards us as we sat trying to cool off!!!
But the sky was changing dramatically and as we were visiting China Town that evening we set off for the MRT station.
We got off the MRT at Somerset and visited the money changer for our Ringits ? Malaysian currency for the next day, then headed for the hotel.
As we stood at the lights waiting to cross the road next to our hotel ? I looked to the left and saw a ?wall of rain? moving at speed towards us ? it was the most amazing sight and was causing mild panic amongst the people waiting for the lights to change, there was much feet shuffling and shouting at the lights to change.
They did change ? just as it reached us?. torrential hot rain ?. it was fantastic!!!
Hot rain! I wish our rain was a little hotter.
The King of Fruit – people will line up around the block for a particulalrly good one, but it smells like the sewer with dead bodies decomposing in it, so no way was I going to put it into my mouth! The durian. Still, I did love the curry puffs.
Durian! I’m glad Don’t Bug Me! knew, because I could not remember and it was driving me nuts. My boyfriend’s always threatening to buy one of those. He’d eat it, too, I know he would!
Ah the Durian. We have them here but only in specialist greengrocers, not for the feint hearted but apparently they taste good. I wonder how DBM knows what a sewer with dead bodies in it smells like, then she’s been around! I love summer storms, they’re like that here torrential for half an hour then gawn! The spicier the better for me.
What a marvellous holiday Kate!
A wall of hot rain certainly beats the cold fog we have here today.
Not sure about your stinky Durian fruit though…! Think I’ll stick to my morning orange juice!
I’ve never tried a durian and if the smell is that bad I’m glad I never have. Apparently the stink is so awful it’s actually banned in lots of places like hotels and buses.
Baino: I am pretty sure some of the open sewers in Indonesia may well have had bodies in them….. I got very good at breathing through my mouth within a few days of being there.
Grannymar – It’s very different and at times, very welcome!!
DBM- Thank you I couldn’t have described it better myself – the smell of those things filled any street they were being sold in.
Tatty Tiara – it makes you wonder how anyone could put one near to their face – let alone eat it!!
Baino – DBM’s well travelled you know that!!! I like spicy too but not over the top and it was quite difficult in some of the hawker places because they were impatient to get your order and move to the next – so most of the time other people did the ordering.
Geri – it was a lovely holiday and I have so much of it left to write about – but you can all have a rest from it for a while – I have a birthday to celebrate and will catch up after it!!! You stick with the orange juice – very sensible!!!
Nick – there are pictures on all trains and buses out there – durian fruit with a line through it – at least you wouldn’t get away with smuggling one on!!!
DBM – be careful – breathing through the mouth might help but you never know what you’re breathing in do you?
I don’t think I want to go there – I saw stuff like that in Malaysia!!!
Ugly fruit???
What a strange looking fruit. It sounds like you had a wonderful time. I love the turtles.
You have gotta love a hot torrential downpour….. esp when you are in a bar watching people scurry about !