Koh Samui Full Moon Party

Dancing, glow-in-the-dark body paint, and a full moon.

"Full Moon Party" refreshments....each plastic pail had a pint of alcohol, a mixer of some kind, and a can of Red Bull. The friendly bartenders mixed it all together and gave you straws to drink it with! Everyone was carrying around plastic pails....no glass on the beach!

"Do not disturb" sign on our bungalow!! How cute is this?

Sunrise from our front deck....

The view from our "Beach-front Bungalow".....this is how you spend the winter months folks!!


On December 11th, Stan and I went to Koh Samui, Thailand for a 4 day get away. We were joined by our friends, Joyce and Martin. We rode motorcycles around the island; took long, slow walks down the beach, went to the "Full Moon Party" on Koh Phagan, and even got in 18 holes of golf! It was a very relaxing weekend...loved it.

Dragon Boat Races at Boat Quay....

It was a dark and stormy night.....actually, it was 2:30 in the afternoon! As you can see, there was quite a storm brewing on the east side of the island! It's hard to believe, but we just had a sprinkle of rain on our side of the river. These pictures were taken from the comfort of the "Penney Black" Pub on the Singapore River.

Dragon Boats waiting for the next crew. One of the crew beats the cadence on the drum so the paddlers can stay together.

This boat is heading for the starting point, as another race is going on in the background.

A photo finish in this heat.....you can see the boat behind #4 is barely a "nose" (snout??) ahead!!

As the sun went down, we were rewarded with a full rainbow arcing across the sky!

On November 22nd, we made our way down to Boat Quay to watch the Dragon Boat races. Joni Plomp's husband, Laurence, is a member of the American team..so we went to cheer on team USA! We also caught the final rugby match of the season on the telly! The New Zealand "All Blacks" upset the Aussie team. A fun day of Dragon Boats, Rugby, Tiger beer and pub grub!

Tour of a Wet Market....

Fresh flower shop. You can buy orchids for less than an dollar a stem!

Freshly made tou fou, sold by the block....also sacks of noodles in the back.

Beautiful, fresh veggies!!

Artfully displayed papayas and mangos.

Fresh fish stall. You must arrive early for the fresh fish. These stalls close by 11:00.

After shopping at the wet market, we had lunch at the "Hawker Center". Pictured here: Beef Kway teoh, fried carrot cake, fried tou fou, otah, chicken rice, won tons, and steamed buns (pau).


My Singaporean friend, Valerie Tan, took a group of us to a wet market for a question-and -answer tour. She explained the different veggies to us and even showed us how to gently haggle for the best price! The wet market is really the very best place to get fresh produce. I have a certain stall I go to for my fruit, and the owner always picks out the best, ripest fruit for me. He always asks me if the fruit is for today or tomorrow...

After the shopping, we had lunch at a hawker center. That was a learning experience too! I have a few things I've discovered at hawker centers, but many more I've been afraid to try. We sampled several new things, and it was all yummy! Sometimes it is best not to know what the ingredients are....oh well! Be adventurous!

Barclay'sSingapore Open

The leader board at the 18th green.

Our view of the 18th green. We stood right behind this sign and had the best seats in the house for the final hole. See the crowd in the background? They were all following the leaders around the course. Note also my giant umbrella....compliments of Stan's great putting!

Ernie Els from South Africa blasts one out of the sand on the 18th. He ended up in a tie for 2nd with Padraig Harrington (Ireland) at -5.

Jeev Singh from India lining up his last putt. He won the tournament at -6.

Phil Mickelson at the 9th hole. He ended up -1 for the tourament.

On Sunday, November 16th, Stan and I went to the Barclay's Singapore Open. This was the first time I had been to a professional gold tournament. Phil Mickelson was the best U. S. player there, and was one stroke from the leader going in to the last 9 holes. He ended up well off the lead, but we did get to see him make an amazing putt on the 9th hole.

It was a very hot, sunny day. Stan and I got TOASTED, but he won us 2 enormous umbrellas

putting at the Tiger Beer booth. He had to sink 3 putts to win the umbrella....it was hot...we were burned...he came through for Tai-Tai!!

Birthday Greetings...

HAPPY 21ST BIRTHDAY GRANT!!! Celebrate in moderation please!!

Girl's Night Out...

October 30th my friends Sarah, Joyce, and Tracy and I had a "girl's night out". We had dinner at Capella's at Chijmes, then went to the Raffles hotel to see the play The Blonde Bombshell's of 1943.

At the theatre. I guess Joyce and Tracy were our very own "Blonde Bombshells"!

Take-away juice...

This is one of the unique things about Singapore....take-away juice. There are these stalls where you can get fresh fruit juice made. You pick out which fruit you want, or a combination of fruits and veggies, they throw it in a juicer, and voila! fresh, yummy juice. When you ask for it "to go", or "take-away" as they say here...they put it in a plastic bag that has handles on it, give you a straw, and there you go...take-away! My favorite is watermellon juice, which I am drinking here. Oh yeah, they put hot coffee in these bags too....it looks REALLY gross...brown liquid...plastic bag..ICK!

Great eastern Women's 10k

October 26th was the Great Eastern Women's 10k. I've just started running again, so though I'm no longer very fast, I'm happy to report that I improved my time from my last 10k. There were 5,559 women in this 10k....1,444 were in the "masters" category. "Masters" is a politically correct term for "Old Chicks". I was 318th in the masters, with a time of 1:05.41.

Barbeque at the Henderson's

John and Jane...our lovely hosts!

Joyce and Martin

Stan and Val

Where's the food???

Grilled fish and ribs, and sausages.....MAN FOOD!!

Jenny and Joyce...yum...grilled asparagus!

Saturday night we all gathered poolside at John and Jane Henderson's condo for a barbeque. What can I say? Good friends, good food...... we are blessed!

Move over "Alamo Draft House"!!!

The "Gold Class Theatre....check it out:

You order the tickets on line, and the seats are assigned to you. When you get to the theatre, your tickets are given to you in a black envelope. Each theatre has only 30 seats.

Each seat is a man-sized recliner, and you get a polar fleece blanket in case the theatre is too cold for you. Tracy perusing the menu...and yes, they do have adult beverages!!

Kicked back and ready to watch the chick flick "Nights in Rodanthe".

The first time Stan and I visited my brother Stan in Austin he took us to this really cool movie theatre called the "Alamo Draft House". It is a regular theatre, but you can order food and adult beverages to enjoy along with the movie. Well, we are from Arkansas, and that was about the coolest thing we had ever seen.....until Singapore's version...the Gold Class Theatre! The only problem we've discovered is when we take people who haven't quite gotten over their jet-lag....the chairs are great for napping!

Around Singapore Colonial District

From across the Singapore River...lt to rt...new Supreme Court Building (the flying saucer), the old Supreme Court Building (green patina tower), The Swissotel (tallest building in Singapore), the Victoria Hall Clock Tower, and the large red-tile roof building is the Asian Civilizations Museum.

From Marina Bay. The "Merlion", The Fullerton Hotel, and the CBD. The Fullerton is a 5 star hotel which was the post office during the Colonial times.

St. Andrews Anglican Church.

Central Business District with old shophouses along the Singapore River in the foreground. Great contrast of "Old and New".

The Raffles Hotel, birthplace of the "Singapore Sling"

Singapore's Colonial District is centered around the mouth of the Singapore River. Singapore was on the old "Spice Route" through Asia, so all commerce was conducted at the river. The old colonial buildings have been beautifully preserved, and most are in use today. As you can see, Singapore has blended the old with the new in its financial district by preserving the old shophouses along the river and building its new skyscrapers right along side them.

Tai-Tai Toes

Who would ever have thought 4 years ago that I would have a weekly appointment to get a mani/pedi? Not me! And of course, we must have hand-painted flowers added...after all none of my shoes are closed and every good Tai-Tai has to have pretty toes! (I must amend that...my running shoes are not sandals)

Bible Study Girls

A big "Shout Out" to the beautiful women in my bible study....especially Rosemary who is leaving us (you will be missed, girlfriend!) and Jessica with her cute little baby bump!! You ladies are the BEST!

Golf in Malaysia....

The welcoming committee......monkeys on the roof of the Club House at Desaru, Malaysia.

Beautiful golf course by the ocean, beautiful ,sunny day....

See the muddy spot in the middle of the fairway??? Guess what that small white dot is......

My ball, of course, in the only mud on the entire course!!

Stan and Steve

Steve, Stan, and Jenny putting on the 17th hole.

On October 19th we caught the 30 minute ferry to Malaysia to play golf at Desaru Country Club. We had a great time, but as usual, golf is a major challenge for me! I keep thinking I will get better, but it is a very frustrating game! Oh well, as they say, my cup if always "half-full" so I will keep at it...maybe a few more lessons.....

The monkeys are always fun. They will sneak up to your golf cart and steal whatever they can. They are not afraid of people, and equate a golf cart with snacks, so everything has to stay zipped up in your bag or it is gone for good! They also hang around the Club House looking for free food.

Singapore and Beyond