Goodbyes, Singapore Treats and Impending Silence

I am writing this from the comfort of my friend Stephanie's apartment in Singapore. The rumble of Singapore's organised traffic rises up to meet me on the fourteenth floor and the sky-scraper skyline stands impressively in the misty humidity of this tropical city. The buildings below are nestled among the lush greenery of tree-lined streets. I am in heaven - if only for how this is just so different to my 'normal' life 'back home' in Ubud. I love my life there, but I have relished in not cleaning up any rat and gecko poo or being awoken by the roosters. These things have their place in my delightful experience, but sometimes the warm hug of a comfy bed and a deliciously cozy duvet that I can snuggle under while the aircon reliably hums on, is as nourishing for the heart as watching the chickens cluck by in my jungle garden. 

More gorgeous moments have led up to the one I find myself in now and in some effort to celebrate their beauty I will record them here. Last week I had my very first bring and share dinner around the long wooden table on my veranda. I invited five very special friends, and it was wonderful to have all my favourite people in Ubud sitting around the same table! We shared some amazing food and great conversation, and all I could do was delight in how blessed I am to find myself with these people. In the excitement of the selection of food before me, I ate an extraordinary amount and I think I only started feeling normal the next morning - I dealt with the labour pains of my food baby for pretty much the entire night. One of my friends Eagle (aka Colleen) was in the process of moving to a new place and so ended up staying with me for a three-night long slumber party. It was so fun to wake up in the morning and have my friend still there and eat a yummy fruit and muesli breakfast together and talk until it was time to rush off to the day's activities. 

On Monday, I had to leave Ubud for my 6am flight at 3am in the morning. So one would think that I would get an early night. Apparently that was not the plan. As my departure to Singapore drew nearer so did the dreadful thought that I would be saying goodbye to my extremely special friend Dana (the delightful lady). Neither of us could quite bear it and so put off our farewells for as long as we could. This meant that at 10pm the night before my early wake up I found myself sitting on Dana's balcony, looking at the darkened sky, the rice paddies and the lucky glimpses of fireflies every now and again. Dana had never experienced the delights of a magnum so it has been on our to-do list of things to do together before she left. And so as we sat there together, we munched on our magnums and she agreed that it was possibly one of the best things she's ever had. It was only after midnight when I dragged myself away from her balcony, final goodbyes whispered as I scuttled down her stairs in the midde of the night. I scooted home, made my sandwiches, packed my last minute things, and got into bed. In less than an hour and a half I was awake and on my way to the airport - the driver Nyoman and I enjoying the peanut butter and jam sandwiches I had made two hours before! I slept in the car, at the airport and on the plane. What fun!

Delightful Dana arriving at my party in the rain, her food offerings stored safely around her belly!

I have had a gorgeous time in Singapore over the last few days. Steph has treated me to some delicious Singapore-esque meals and I have enjoyed the vibe of this city - it is so much fun to visit a place with a friend who lives here, as instantly you feel more at home and comfortable. I have navigated the underground train system - the MRT - and spent the morning yesterday wandering through the botanical gardens, napping on a bench and breathing in the old trees and well-cared for gardens. There's a children's garden which I very confidently walked into only to be stopped by the guard - "sorry Ma'am, you can't come in without a child, do you have a child?" Ah no. I don't. I tried to convince him I had an inner child who REALLY wanted to see the children's garden but he wasn't relenting. One of the ladies at the desk kindly explained to me that they didn't want random adults wandering around while children were in the midst of educational enrichment, and so she gave me a lovely tour herself. After taking my time meandering through the gardens, I then met up with three lovely women from our Jakarta 'angel' women's group for lunch. Delicious of course. And even better to reconnect with them again. 

You might notice that so many of my stories center around food - a fact that has not escaped me either. Steph and I were talking about this yesterday, how so much of traveling is about the food! My friends will remember my tubbyness after a trip to Europe in 2007 and how all the photos were of me devouring some delicious morsel or another. It seems that this trip is taking on a similar flavour, although I'm trying hard to keep the tubbyness in check. Saying that - I need to share with you the biggest ice cream experience I have ever had. Three scoops of three different types of chocolate ice cream topped with Toblerone. WOW. I asked Steph to take a photo of me looking shocked at the size of the ice cream, just to assure you all that I don't consider it normal. I must say, I have never been so relieved to finish an ice cream in my life. It was quite a feat.

As Steph and I walked the two or three blocks back home we plowed through our ice creams and discussed the Vipassana silent meditation retreat I'll be embarking on today. Ten days of silence and meditation. I decided to use the ice cream as a metaphor for the retreat - if I can get through this ice cream then I can get through the retreat. I think they're kind of similar, right? So there'll be no words from me for two weeks as I further my journey inward, I feel surprisingly ready and excited, if not a little nervous, of what's before me. If anything it will be a journey - one which, I think, I'm ready to take!