This was a trip my wife and I looked forward to. April 2016 would mark about six months since my son Matt, his wife Juyoung, and our granddaughter Chloe headed Down Under because of work. Of course they had looked forward to it and were excited. We weren’t for we knew we would miss Chloe. She stole everyone’s hearts.
It has been a long time since we were last in the eastern coast of Australia. The last time we were there, our children were primary school age. We went to Brisbane, the Gold Coast and its theme parks, and we visited Sydney and the Evangelical Sisterhood of Mary in Camden. So it was good to make a visit to those parts again.
We enjoyed our time thoroughly. We stayed with family and it was good to catch up with them and play and read with Chloe. They brought us around Toowomba and the Mooloolaba Beach and Brisbane. I returned with fresh impressions:
Australia is a big and beautiful country.
Chloe grew up fast: taller, smarter, more agile, able to converse intelligently with her mother in Korean, but less so in English.
Small churches in small towns struggle. Although I made a decision not to preach outside of my church in 2016 I felt I had to accept an invitation from a small Korean church that my son’s family attends. He gets relieved from preaching for one Sunday.
I met a few skilled workers (mechanics, photographers, etc) who were trying to obtain or who had already obtained permanent residency. It was never an easy process.
The rate was reasonable but staying in an apartment under Airbnb felt awkward as the owners’ clothes were hanging in the wardrobes, the bicycles and golf clubs, the magazines and books, the food in the refrigerator and their family photographs on the wall. Here is a slideshow of our trip:
The unblocked view from the balconyA tiny lake sits outside the poolBreakfast next to the breezy balcony
The seven day rest was sweet. They were days of eating well. We were in Bangkok, in my wife’s sister’s home. Breakfasts were leisurely and we had homemade chwee kueh and carrot cake besides the great walnut bread and Thai avocado. Lunch was mostly in the shopping malls. We enjoyed the Thai meals at Banana Leaf. And there were many Japanese restaurants but we liked Fuji Japanese restaurant. Dinner was mostly at family run restaurants located at or near the condo.
At a shopping mall at outskirts of BangkokWelcome meal at Fuji Japanese restaurant
The weather was lovely and refreshing, from 18 to 25 degrees centigrade. The cool breeze flowed into the home through the open balcony while we had breakfast. At night the cold air passed through the mosquito mesh and chilled the bedroom. During a day trip to the Bangsean Beach at Chon Buri, we had to wear windbreakers. If these temperatures prevailed through the year Bangkok would be a delightful and inexpensive place to live in.
Walkway along Bangsean Beach a local haunt about two hours drive from the airport near Chon BuriThey serve horseshoe crab eaten mainly for its roe.Seafood in abundanceYou have to pay for the seats in four hours segmentSimeon Poh enjoying the coconut juiceLeg massage on the spotThe beach was tempting but it was 18 degree centigradeLunch at a local seafood restaurantJack, Michelle, ElaineChinese restaurant owner’s offerings for Lunar Chinese New Year.
I was tired and it was good to get into a rhythm of sleep and eat and shop. The shopping malls were similar to what we have in Singapore. Some local brands like BreadTalk and Charles and Keith and all the usual international brands were represented. Imported products were not any cheaper than what you had to pay in Singapore. The MacBook Air sold at the same price as in Singapore. However there were some sales going on and we took full advantage of that.
Reunion dinner at MK branch later in the evening at shopping mallAt the entrance of the 180 years old Thai marketBy locals for locals – dried fish with orange roeShopkeepers of sundry goods and decorative stuffCute colourful tiffin carriersFortune teller serviceTaking a breatherA coconut themed ice cream dessertElaine taking a good CNY break
Chinese New Year is not celebrated in Thailand. There are no public holidays given. In Singapore, we have two public holidays on Monday and Tuesday. Over in Bangkok these were working days for everyone. So it’s a good place to have your “escape” from the stress of Chinese New Year celebrations in Singapore. All the shops and restaurants were open. There were no long queues outside popular restaurants. In fact we had steamboat at MK for the reunion dinner. It was like any other day – business as usual.
Two books for spiritual nourishment
I brought two books along Unfolding His Story by Georgie Lee and Galven Lee and Preaching by Timothy Keller. I finished the former by day three and was three quarters through reading the latter. Both were good books and I hope to share my reflections on them in this blog.
Jack and Baby
My wife’s sister Baby showed great and attentive hospitality and we were greatly blessed by the attention to detail and her constant thoughtfulness and patience. She did the bargaining in the 180 year old market and in the shopping malls, and in getting information from Thai vendors. She has lived in Bangkok for over two decades and speaks Thai with ease (which makes her tri-lingual!).
Saying goodbye to the lovely balcony view in the morningUseful macro of Olympus TG Tough compactAnother macro shot of cactus on the balconyA local fruit sold at the market – another macro TG tough shot.
Near the end it became stressful because our shopping booty was more than the luggage weight we purchased. We had to buy additional weight to bring all our shopping home. Besides this minor glitch, we had a great escape indeed: great rest, food, shopping, reading and unwinding from all the strains of Singapore life. I returned refreshed.
I extended my ten year old Nissan Latio COE by five years for about 29 grand. Before I did that, I got my Singapore mechanic to do a check. He said new shock absorbers were needed and that it was worth extending the COE. He quoted me about a SGD 1,000 for the repair.
A number of the church members, especially the golfers, have been doing their car maintenance and repairs in Johor and urged me to do so. One member had an uncle there that ran a car repair workshop. He asked his uncle to give a quotation for shock absorbers replacement and it came to RM850(SGD283) with labour charges . I wanted to change all my tyres to Michelin 185/65/r15 which in Singapore would cost SGD$105 each and this is regarded as a good price. The Johor quotation was RM250(SGD 85) for each tyre.
With my Garmin hooked up, my wife and I picked up my brother in law and wife, and together we headed for Tebrau City area via the Causeway. The workshop was a minutes drive from the shopping mall. We wandered around a while because my Garmin Malaysia map was not updated and the highway was new. I should have listened to my friend and used Google Maps navigation offline. Anyway we finally reached the workshop and their clerk gave us a lift to the mall. We arranged a time for them to pick us up. Then we had a late breakfast, window shopping and a good lunch and more shopping.
As the church member had already informed him of what I wanted done, he had already prepared the authentic parts and the tyres. This speeded up the work and I rode the car home feeling satisfied with the smoothness of the ride, even over the bumps. I asked him to check the engine mountings and he said only one needed replacement. Mostly I was satisfied with the substantial savings. The hassle (the jam and finding the place) was minor compared to the cost benefits. The rental and labour costs over there in Johor is much cheaper than ours and the Singapore dollar has the advantage of a strong exchange rate.
If you need more information and want to go to this workshop and get a few other quotations from around that area here is the name card with address and map.
Name of the workshop in Austin Hills area.Tebrau City the shopping mall is just a minute’s drive away
One teacher changed my name from Kenneth to Kenny when I was in Primary 1. My parents did not protest and neither did I. Her name was Miss Pat, an Eurasian. One caned me on the backside. His name was Mr Tan, a Maths teacher. The form teacher was out. The class was noisy. He passed by. I was one of many who were talking. He picked me out. PIAKK. How could I forget? He passed away. One stirred my interest in Geography. Strangely I have forgotten her name. Got it. It’s Mrs Tong. One brought me to the principal’s office, after I had let slip a secret in my essay. Her name was Ms Oehlers. One Literature teacher showed she cared when I was apathetic. She is Ms Hughes an English rose. To all the above (except one) and many more, I say thanks. Thanks for developing my potential. To all teachers, I say, HAPPY TEACHERS’ DAY.
S. Beryll, my sister, is with the Evangelical Sisterhood of Mary in Darmstadt, Germany. Recently she requested pics of my grand-daughter, who is her grand-niece. I have asked her to get on Facebook for then she would be able to access what’s happening with her brothers, nephews and nieces and grand-niece. However, learning new internet stuff is a big leap for her. She reads my blog though. So I have prepared a video, which I originally sent her but she could not open it. So here is the video, sis.
By the way, S.Rubina visited us at home and spent some time with Juyoung and your grandniece. She was around for her parents’ birthdays and she had to make some arrangements for rapid response as they live on their own. It was pleasant to catch up with her.
