Parting Shots and Final Thoughts

I've been home for two weeks now and fully re-integrated into the life I was living before I ventured afar on what was an extraordinary journey.

My grand girls Bella and Sofie.

It almost seems like a dream I had, which is another benefit of having kept a journal, this blog, to preserve the memories. I've been trying to summarize in my mind what the best moments were and what I will miss most...beyond the obvious answer, "my grandchildren!" I captured nearly 2,000 images showing tender and funny moments with family,

A huge example of Singapore's affinity for public art. This 7 ton
painted bronze and steel floating baby by Marc Quinn is called
The Planet and is at the Gardens by the Bay.

beautiful and awe-inspiring images of nature and of mankind's creations, both small and immense. I'm using this post to include some images I haven't shown before. How lucky for me that my three month stint began and ended with relaxing beach vacation days on island resorts. First, there was Bintan Island, Indonesia, at Club Med in April;

Bintan or Maui? Could be either island paradise,
but it is the beach at Mama's Fish House, Maui.

then Hawaii's island of Maui on the way home in late June/early July. Most of my tour of duty took place in Singapore, an island, a city, and an independent nation on the tip of the Malaysian peninsula. It is possibly the most beautiful modern city I've experienced. There are many things about it that I will miss: its clean, tidy efficiency; Its well-deserved reputation for safety and civility (owing to strict public nuisance laws and strong enforcement); its mass rapid transit system, the MRT and city buses

The many colors of Little India section of Singapore.

that quickly get you to shopping centers and services in all quadrants of the island; its population of diverse ethnicities (Chinese, Indian, Malaysian, Anglo, and more) living peacefully, respectfully among one another; its beautiful cityscape of towering skyscrapers amid historic colonial gems surrounding the river and marina bay; its beautiful parks and public spaces adorned with sculpture including, of course, its signature icon, the Merlion fountain statue overlooking the bay.

This 121-foot merlion is on Sentosa Island,
Singapore's family amusement resort.

I won't miss the fierce, unrelenting sun on cloudless days and am grateful for the days of overcast or billowy clouds and the mitigating breezes. I won't miss the disorienting sight of traffic moving along on the wrong side of the road. (As I adjusted to seeing this backwards flow, I worried I would feel disoriented upon return to the States. Worry for nothing; no problem.) I missed having access, especially in the early weeks, to familiar food cooked to my specification. It got better especially in May when we had our own kitchen and could buy and fix whatever food we wanted. But I also expanded my repetoire of foods I could comfortably eat and enjoy. I took advantage of my situation and kicked my addiction to sugar, I'm happy to say, and seeing/feeling the benefits of that. I won't miss the week that Hapny, Sofie and I camped out in a single cramped hotel room at the Value Hotel the week of April 20, before the financing through Aron's company could be arranged that enabled us to move to the luxury and convenience of Orchard-Scotts

Our building/home at Orchard-Scotts.

Residences. Oh yeah, put these on the "things I will miss" list: the six-days per week cleaning service for our apartment, the Monday through Friday free breakfasts with our building neighbors and the cheerful service provided by the staff of breakfast ladies, and the wonderful, family-friendly pools we splashed around in almost daily. While I missed my own kitties at home, I looked forward to seeing on our walks to the MRT station the collection of feral cats (10 altogether) that were lovingly tended with food offerings by the cat lady I met only once.

Two of my feral cat friends.

I learned she owned a dozen or so other cats that lived with her. She was just a compassionate soul and I'm sorry I didn't get a photo of her. My favorite moments, no surprise, are many I shared with Sofie and Hapny. I'm so glad I had that much time to really know them both so well. Hapny was always so sweet and agreeable and a pleasure to be with. Sofie was charming and funny and lively and a real diva. She loved having an audience to perform the many songs she created. It will be interesting to see if Bella will choose to compete with her big sister who loves the limelight.

Standing at their bedroom window, Hapny and
Sofie help Bella soak up some rays
 of morning sunshine.

I can't wait to see them both in December for the Christmas holidays...and Aron and Hapny too, of course. The year 2010 was the last time we spent Christmas here all together. The Singapore adventure was quite an undertaking, necessitated by the circumstances of Bella's impending birth, which was not feasible where Aron and family live in Tembagapura, Papua, Indonesia. Cairns, Australia, had been their first choice for the birth, but the Australian government's requirements for Hapny's visa were impractical. Singapore was the next best option. In retrospect, I think it was good fortune that it worked out that way. It's a great place, a wonderful destination for tourists or serious shoppers. Thanks for the memories, Singapore! I hope to see you again someday! You never know!

Sweet little Bella at one month, taken since my return home. 

Home at Long Last!

With Carol at the Hula Grill, west Maui.

It is Sunday, July 6, and I am home safe and sound. I arrived Thursday evening, the 3rd, and must apologize for giving higher priority to unpacking, laundry, grocery shopping, cleaning and re-establishing order in my household instead of blogging. It feels good to be getting normal life back again. I went to church and sang in the choir this morning. People actually remembered me after my long absence--twelve weeks and two days, to be exact. <smile>

Spook & Angel keep
Watchful eyes on me.

I most looked forward to seeing my Nashville family again: Spook and Angel. They did not disappoint me, but have granted their affection and presence wherever I am. At this moment. Spook's affectionate head bumps are creating a challenge as I type. When last I blogged, Carol and I had just traveled across 8 time zones, including the International Dateline, from Singapore to Honolulu (with an eight hour layover in Japan). In doing so, we gained a day. We left Singapore at 6 am on Friday, June 27, and arrived in Honolulu at 9 am on the same date!

Waiting for the Honolulu airport shuttle.

We took a commuter flight from Oahu to Maui, rented a car, and checked into a modest inn on the bay nearby for one night to allow ourselves time to rest and reorient (or de-orient, if you catch my meaning) before driving from Kahului to Maui's west coast beaches for four more nights. Aron had made all the arrangements as a special thanks for my time with Hapny, Sofie, and of course, baby Bella. No thanks was necessary, but it certainly was a very nice way to unwind and re-familiarize myself with the American way of life. I was seriously laid back and told Carol I was completely agreeable to any plan she might suggest of things to do and places to go.

View from our balcony at Valley Isle Resort, west Maui.

This was my first trip ever to Hawaii and the first to Maui for us both. We picked up as many different brochures and maps as we could, but she did most of the research. "Sounds good to me" was my stock response to any suggestion she made.

A Stein Mart bag kept the rain off Carol during
A hike to the Iao Needle in the background.

Other than drive the Altima from the rental lot the few blocks to the Maui Seaside Hotel, I gladly relinquished the keys to Carol and played navigator with the maps. What a team we make! She does all the hard work and I go along for the ride smiling and happy the whole way! Our final destination was the Valley Isle Resort near Kahana, north of Lahaina. Our room on the 9th floor had two balconies and overlooked the beach and ocean with the nearby island of Molokai in our sights. There was no air conditioning, but none was needed. With the sea breeze and overhead fans, we enjoyed optimal temperature and were lulled by the sound of the surf below us.

Carol's chicken enjoyed the beach, as did we.

On Saturday, when we made the 30 mile drive across the island, we took a side excursion to see the Iao Needle at the Iao Valley State Park. It is a pinnacle of volcanic matter (as is all the island, of course) wedged between mountainous peaks of what we knew to be a cloud forest, thanks to our recent visit to the Cloud Forest Dome at the Gardens by the Bay in Singapore. The park was basically a parking lot with a paved trail leading up to a covered shelter on a peak offering a close view of the Iao Needle. It was a short fifteen minute drive from Kahului, but the ascent into the clouds meant it was raining in the park off and on.

Hawaiian dance is story telling
with hands and body.

We weren't properly equipped for a rainy hike, so we improvised by covering our heads and shoulders with brimmed hats and plastic shopping bags. Not fashionable, but functional. That beat standing on the edge of the path seeking shelter from rain under the large leaves of a banana tree, which we did for a few minutes before coming up with the better plan employing the plastic bags! We applauded our ingenuity and gave credit to our respective experiences of yore as Girl Scouts. That caused me to wax nostalgic in memory of my mother, Ollierae, who was the best troop leader ever! Thanks, Mom! I won't torture you with details of our five days on Maui. That would be cruel really....all the beautiful sunsets, the great meals we ate, the Hawaiian music we enjoyed constantly on our car radio, my internet radio, and, of course, live at several venues where we also watched the Hula and other island style dancing.

Snorkel diva checks her equipment.

Snorkel chicken.

We loved snorkeling at Kapalua Bay and drove as far as we could (within the scope of our car rental agreement) to see the cliffs at Nakalele Point on the northern tip of the west half of Maui. On our final day Wednesday, July 2nd, we explored some of the east side of the island and watched the surfers and wind surfers at Hookipa Beach Park. Our final meal at the famous and highly regarded Mama's Fish House was the perfect conclusion to our visit. We drove part way up the Haleakala Volcano where we could see a large amount of the island and both the north and south shoreline.

Sunset on our resort beach.

All in all, a really great vacation we enjoyed before making the return trip to Honolulu and our flight to Seattle, where I said goodbye to Carol who was stopping there to visit friends for a few days. I flew back to Nashville via Atlanta and my dear friend Beverly, who had kept the kitties fed, the litter boxes maintained, and the plants watered, picked me up at the airport. I give thanks to the Almighty for protecting me and mine always and for seeing me home safely. I am truly blessed!

A rainbow graced us the morning of our departure.

I think I will write one more blog entry to offer some final observations, update the Vaughn saga, and mention the high points of this extraordinary journey. There will be more travel blogs in my future! Whether you read that as a promise or a threat, I do appreciate all the many kind comments and words of encouragement. I never felt far from home knowing that so many of my friends and family were following along! Thanks!

Chicken travels well.