Arab Street
Tuesday, June 6, 2006

After the rain let up, Valerie and I took a cab to Arab Street. The area is mostly Muslim and has cute little shops lining the streets. Most of the shops had textiles from all over Asia, Thai silk, Indonesian batiks, and Indian silks. There were also some Oriental rug shops, basket shops and little cafes. We had a great time poking around the shops and learning about carpets. They actually have workshops where you can learn about the different kinds of carpets. There are silk, cotton, wool, natural dyed, hand dyeds, hand knotted, machine knotted, Persian, Indian, Kashmir, Afghan...it's mind boggling. And all the different patterns! At the end of the street is the Sultan Mosque, a very imposing structure.

Golfing in Malaysia

On Saturday we were invited to play golf with one of Gerhard’s business associates and his wife (Barry and Barb). They belong to a golf club just across the bridge to Malaysia. They picked us up at 6:00 am (!) and we drove through the deserted streets of Singapore to the border. The only activity was at the sidewalk cafés, which were brimming with kids still going strong after a night of clubbing.
The border crossing was uneventful; once we cleared Singapore, we crossed a long bridge and on the other side was the Malaysian border control. Then we got on a six-lane, very well built highway, lined with dense palm groves. We reached the golf course shortly after 7am. We teed off right away and the weather was still pleasant. By the time we got to hole #5, the sun was burning and the air was thick with humidity. Occasionally there was a cool breeze - it was surprising each time because it seemingly came from nowhere.
After our round, we took a shower and then had lunch and enjoyed some cold Tiger beer, which tasted really, really good.

May 30 - Dragon Kiln

We visited the Dragon Kiln, a ‘pottery jungle’ overflowing with pottery made on their premises and porcelain works from China and Taiwan. It took about 30 minutes by taxi to drive out to the Dragon Kiln, which is located near Jurong. When we arrived, it was pouring rain, but luckily we were able to exit the taxi under a shelter.

Finally, the rain stopped and we were able to explore the grounds outside the buildings as well. There were thousands of different porcelain items, from small cups to large, round patio tables with matching stools. Around every corner, there was a little area to explore that you hadn’t seen before. Intermingled with the pottery were water features, seating areas, and little temples.

There is a 40 foot kiln that reminds of a dragon where the pottery made on site is fired. The entire property was a beautiful oasis of plants and pottery. I purchased a tea pot, some little cups, a fish platter and a serving bowl.