High on Elysia’s grandmother’s sightseeing checklist was visiting the Merlion near the downtown Singapore waterfront. It is a destination of almost every tourist in Singapore but we had yet to visit, partly because we live on the other side of Singapore. Or, as the people here say, in the heartlands.
I have decided that if I want to be in the group photos, I had better bring my tripod because handing over the camera to a stranger always results in a picture like this.
A few mainland Chinese tourists were shocked that Elysia was out and about with the baby. Traditionally, a Chinese mother is expected to stay inside for a full month after giving birth both for the health of the baby and the mother’s recovery. This means few or no showers so that her weakened body does not get cold and she’s also supposed to eat a lot of confinement meals which are heavy on heat, such as ginger.
We figure that just staying out of malls is a pretty good step in the right direction, and have only gone out a handful of times, so Elysia told the tourists that things are different in Singapore. They just stared.
It has been a busy week. Citrus started a new gymnastics class and went to a tea party, we showed my in-laws some sights of Singapore, I hosted a cooking class and tomorrow am teaching a financial education class aboard a boat!
I am a little behind in the writing and posting photos but this moment on the couch pretty much sums up the other parts of the week. Hope to catch up this weekend!
If you have never been near a durian, you do not know how monumental this is.
We have been in Singapore for sixteen months and while I have gotten used to the rotting smell, I just could not overcome it to enjoy the taste.
Even unopened it is banned from taxis, trains, hotels and hospitals. As Anthony Bourdain once said,
Your breath will smell as if you’d been French-kissing your dead grandmother.
He likes durian, and that’s one of the nicer descriptions. It is also not an exaggeration.
I have tried before. When Citrus and I were traveling through Borneo, I ordered durian cheesecake and had to leave it unfinished on the plate.
Unfinished cheesecake. There, I said it.
Elysia’s dad and grandmother were looking forward to durian on their trip to Singapore and it was their first purchase. They bought three, a high-quality grade for those who can tell the difference. It took a week for the smell to leave the car.
So, as the sailors say when telling a story of adventure:
If you have never been near a durian, you do not know how monumental this is. 
I have tried before. When Citrus and I were traveling through Borneo, I ordered durian cheesecake and had to leave it unfinished on the plate. 
