30 April 2017 - Newport & Huntington Beach Training Run

I have one last week before an official race. In my current training plan I needed to knock out a good 12-14 mile long run. This is a time expensive training activity, usually costing a whole day so it tends to be a Saturday or Sunday. I took an Uber to a route along the beaches and PCH that I know has worked well in the past. The truth is running along the ocean distracts me and makes me feel immensely relaxed and happy. These are the things that help me stay healthy for travel. Here are a few photos of the fun.


Here is the Strava feed...

27 April 2017 - Singapore - Part 4

During my last weekend in Singapore, I took a trip to an island called Santosa.

 

It seems like a party place mostly with resorts, theme parks, beaches, and other tourist attractions. My goal was to visit the Aquarium. I think I really lucked out and got to visit at a time when it was only moderately busy. Aquariums always seem to relax me (which is rather amazing because there are usually screaming toddlers). The large tank rivaled one of my favorites in Atlanta. However, this location did not have any penguins.


Later on in the weekend, I spent a large amount of time hiking around the Botanical Gardens. When I spend a large amount of time stuck in a city, I always long to escape to the outdoors. It usually feels strange to find a large open space with lots of trees in a metropolis.


Finally, I spent the rest of the evening at the gardens by the bay. I was hoping to see what all the fuss was about the light show. I'd explored part of this place earlier in my trip during a few morning runs. It was kind of nice watching the sunset here.

As night fell, everything lit up. It was brilliant and a great deal of fun walking about exploring the transformation.

All in all, it ended up being a nice work trip, although I am happy to leave the heat and humidity and return to my home in California. Until next time adventurers...

22 April 2017 - Singapore - Part 3

F O O D!

Singapore is a foodie's dream. You have access to an abundance of Chinese, Malaysian, Indonesian, Thai, Indian, Australian, American, British, Japanese, Korean...many types of food. Here are a few of my favorites on this trip.

First, there is a concept here of "Hawker Stands". It is basically an open air food court with a variety of foods. It is slightly different from US Mall food courts in a few ways. One difference is you need to pick your seat and mark your territory with a lanyard or packet of tissues. This controversial practice is called "Choping". The other difference is ordering drinks from the weird person walking table to table. I have developed a strange dialect which now includes "Teh OH Ping" which is Iced Tea with Sugar. Another one is "Copy C" which is Coffee with Milk.

Hawkers

Wonton Noodle and Sugar Cane Juice

Next, with being this close to Thailand (1000KM or 621Miles to the border from here) I wanted to have Phat (pad) Thai.

After that is Mala Hotpot! Imaging going through your local grocery produce and meat aisles, picking out your favorites, and then immediately having it cooked into a meal for you. I have become addicted to these stands (and maybe it is because they are putting MSG in the food). I don't think I have had the same meal twice.

One thing to watch out for...it is really spicy. The best I have done is a medium heat dish...here is the aftermath (and I am in an airconditioned area!). Speaking of spicy, a food local to Singapore is the Spice Crab. I enjoyed a dinner with friends and customers the other evening at a restaurant called The Dancing Crab. The theme was lousiana and the food is mostly steamed seafood with spicy sauce. You can either have it on a plate or just slopped onto the table. Yes, they have the bibs!

15 April 2017 - Singapore - Part 2

I took a long run. It is only 4 weeks until I have the Orange County Half Marathon so I am trying to stay on top of my workouts and training (mainly because running untrained hurts). I got up about 4:30 am local time. For those of you on the US east coast ending your Friday workday, this is my start of a Saturday.

For the first half of my run it was dark...

Then the Sun came up...

I ran around the marina bay and out to the breakwall...they say Singapore is a shipping hub...that is an understatement... look at all these ships anchored out at sea.

After that I ran around the inside loop of the bay and got a few photos of the famous Mer-Lion statue.

I finished up my run by getting a few photos of the Asia Civilizations Museum and some statues along the Singapore River. There was one sculpture of a merchant deal and weighing that I found fascinating.

Good run...