Day 263-266-From Spain To Singapore

Eva and me at Jurong Bird Park on 1st July 2011

Eva and her family arrived here on 29th June 2011. Although Singapore welcomed them with a blazing wave of heat on that afternoon, my friends from Spain were unfazed. 

Dinner at Jumbo

I brought them home, we freshened up and then drove down to Jumbo at the Riverwalk for some seafood dinner with FaiZ and MarG in tow. After that , we took the highly recommended  river tour along the Singapore River and at 11pm, ventured to Mustapha where we bought some exotic fruits home. Fruits which I now find out are also available at the la boqueria market in Barcelona!

Sri Krishnan Temple at Waterloo Street-2/7/2011

On Saturday, I played tourist too when we did a walking tour from my house to Chinatown and visited many places I didn't know exist. 

Sri Krishnan Temple-Details

And for those monuments I have walked past many times, I saw them through the eyes of someone new to them and realised how much beauty I had missed while I was too busy with this and that.

Lotuses for Kuan Yin (Goddess of Mercy) Temple at Waterloo Street-2/7/11

Used flower trays for the temple made with bamboo 

Lotuses and joss sticks

Remember these lotuses? Familiar? There was a bunch at my lotus pond. And as we walked down the road towards a trishaw kiosk, we saw another familiar sight.

Picture of Rosanna and Walter at a window display at the rickshaw kiosk

It was exactly a year ago when I finished the bedroom in the Rolla House preparing for Rosanna's arrival in Singapore. And a year later, their footprints in Singapore remained firmly on our shore so much so that it was almost surreal. Like time has warped and the present met the past when I turned to Eva and said -Eva, this is Rosanna and Walter and we both stood there staring at the picture, bemused, bewildered and slightly befuddled. It was then that I felt the sudden pangs of friend-sickness and wished Rosanna was here too. 

Souvenir bag from Raffles Hotel-2/7/11

Noon arrived and we sauntered past the Raffles Hotel and their ubiquitous Singapore Slings , The Mint Museum of Toys and saw the Marina Bay Sands from afar.

Billboard advertising Indian Food at Raffles Place

We then went up to the 70th Floor at Raffles City and viewed Singapore from the sky. It was really quite spectacular. 

Metal trunks at the Indian Muslim Heritage Center- Telok Ayer Street 2/7/11

This is a place I didn't know exist, the Indian Muslim Heritage Center which was opened just 2 months ago. Look at the ingenious way they had used these trunks ..

Metal trunks displaying artifacts donated by the Indian Muslim community

..now if only I know how to wire my own metal trunks, imagine all the tiny things I can display in them.

Alex at Telok Ayer Park as a reveler from days of yore

In the short 4 days with Eva and her family, we have had plenty of laughs and many special moments. Like when the children of both culture met, not speaking each other's language and yet having the time of their lives. Or when Eva laughed till she cried and yes, those unforgettable moments when Alex had everyone rolling on the floor with his mimicry. 

Eva resting at my home

Even the quiet times were nice, chatting in the living room, sipping ice mango tea. 

Eva cooking dinner on 2/7/2011

And with the Spanish meal Eva prepared on the evening before they left for Malaysia, a dinner we shared with the other mini friends, Cindy and Asuka, their stay could not have  ended on a more  perfect note. But it actually did! With the almost 3 hour conversation the 4 of us mini lovers had. So much so that none of us wanted to leave that night.