Oh what a difference a day makes! We checked out of our sardine can at the Value Hotel Monday and took a taxi the few blocks to the towering, elegant Oasia, where we are ensconced in a spacious room that truly feels like an oasis after last week! All week long, I've had the theme song from The Jefferson's TV show playing in my head: "Movin' on up to the east side, to a de-luxe apartment in the sky...." That's exactly how it feels! Just one more week of hotel living and then we'll be moving to a fully furnished, beautifully decorated modern two bedroom condo with pools and a great playground for Sofie. Details and photos coming next week. We'll have an open house. You're all invited!
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View from our room at the Oasia Hotel |
I must pause a moment to relate our experiences riding in taxis. Three out of five times this has happened. We get in, we give the address where we are going (a landmark location), then the driver makes an excuse to take extra turns that lengthen the ride resulting in a higher fare, of course. The first time, the driver missed the drop off and had to literally drive around the harbor for a second try. The second time, enroute to the Asian Civilisations Museum, a barricade was set up on one end of the museum entrance, so the driver sped off and circled over to the opposite side of the museum.
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Singapore currency and coins |
Ka-ching! Heck, we could have just gotten out at the barricade and walked to the main entrance. He was fast! The third time was the taxi ride yesterday a few blocks to this hotel. Twice the driver, a chatty, friendly fellow, failed to make the correct turn thus adding several dollars to the fare. We are starting to wise up to this tactic. I know, I know... What took us so long? We will be prepared next time in order to stave off this potential gouging. Stay tuned! Better yet, we will avoid taxis in favor of the MRT with which we are becoming more and more comfortable.
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Our current spacious diggs at Oasia. |
These are minor annoyances, of course. The important thing is life is good! Our room on the 12th floor looks out at the pool and terrace on the 8th floor. We had it all to ourselves Monday afternoon. The complimentary hotel breakfast here has restored my soul! Sofie now has a desk where she can safely use her colored markers to "work," as she calls it. I brought a deck of cards and have been teaching her a few simple games. The games she likes best are ones she makes up on the fly. She always wins.
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Poker face |
We've also been working on numbers. She quickly counts up to 20, but needs work on recognizing numbers out of sequence. Her preschool in Papua has asked her to make a video telling her classmates what she's been doing. Hapny will shoot it with her iPhone and I'll interview Sofie, since she needs some prompting to get through it. I also want Sofie to have a visual way to count down the days until Blossom Clover is expected to make her arrival. We created a wall calendar for May and June. As you can see, June 26 is D Day.
We're hoping the baby will come a little earlier. Aron plans to leave Papua June 18, so after that would be fine. As things stand, my June 27 departure date will have to be pushed back. And, with such a late date in June, Aron has wisely decided not to make the trip back to the States with family in July. They will come instead during the Christmas holidays.
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