Thoroughly enjoyed my last days in Singapore. Went to the Singapore Turf Club on Friday night, thanks to an invitation from the Fairmont Hotel, where I stayed. Actually, they invited Mike, who's on their board, and he brought Paula and me. Had a great time. It was "Canadian Night," for some reason and it happens that a lot of the principals at the Fairmont are Canadians. We enjoyed a buffet dinner and all drinks we wanted (I had both beer and wine). You didn't have to go outside to view the races, as there's a overhang behind glass with easy chairs and drink holders. There's also a huge televised race view. We all bet a bit and Mike and Paula won--not much, however. I lost fifteen bucks, but didn't care in the least--it was such fun. After, the president of the club took us down to see the horses as they walked for viewing, then to drink champagne with one of the winning owners.
The next day--my last in Asia--I partially packed in the morning, went out for a bit, then the whole entourage came over to the Fairmont. Although it rained on and off, Mike and the kids went in the pool. We then had them eat dinner there--at The Alligator Pear, which is next to the pool--after which, Vicky took them home. Mike, Paula, and I then went up to dinner at a wonderful Chinese restaurant that is located right on the third floor--I never knew it was there. I wanted duck and we had that for appetizer, along with noodles, a wonderful soup, and other delicacies.
At Mike's suggestion, I settled up the bill--much less than I thought it would be for such a long stay at this wonderful hotel--and he and Paula left.
Got up at 5:00, Mike came an hour later to take me to the airport, plane left for Tokyo at 8, had a layover, then boarded Continental, which landed at Newark at 4:30 pm. Was picked up, stayed over up north after a good chicken dinner, and driven home; was in before 8:00. Have unpacked all, assembled some stuff, am continuing washing clothes, called Betty, and generally getting back to normal.
Much as I loved the luxury of Singapore, I enjoyed as much the more Spartan lifestyle of Tokyo. As for Vietnam, it was fascinating for a variety of reasons. The whole trip was the experience of a lifetime. Wish I could have stayed a month--oh, that's right, I did stay a month. Wish I could have stayed two months.