BACK HOME

I had a good trip and it's even better to be home again. I got to be with my kids a lot. My son just moved into a really gorgeous apt in Singapore near an active street of nightlife (if one can say that about Singapore) so we had a lot of fun going to furniture stores buying him stuff. He's a great purchaser and didn't waste his money. But what he bought was good and inexpensive except for his hifi. I first flew to Hongkong to my daughter's apt up on the hill with her great views in two directions. A few days later we flew off to Bangkok for the weekend and my son joined us too. WE did the night market and the weekend market and I found great silver stuff for jewelry at both places. These markets are huge so when I say I found good stuff, I have to congratulate myself for surviving as the weather is terribly hot and damp. We ate at a restaurant high up with no roof and I will get a picture up to show it.

Then my son and I flew off to Singapore (my first time there) and he put me up for about 2 weeks and was very hospitable and lots of fun. While I was there he got his sweaters I had made him over the years from the storage place in LA (USA)and it was absolutely amazing to go through them all. I told him in the hot weather there the only way to clean them is drycleaning or else they may not dry and get moldy. I made some great friends in Singapore who have blogs and their own stitch n bitch group and they kept me busy running around to the LYS in town. I liked the Golden Dragon the best as it had the most and also lots of Japanese beads. I'll have more photos of some of the new stash to put up shortly. Also in Singapore the Japanese bookstore Kinokunyia had a 20% discount sale on everything so I did well on Japanese knitting magazines. I also am excited about a book on beading and embroidery in the Straits which I bought.

Then on the last week, we flew for 24 hours to Jakarta and I have to say that was the real focal point of this trip. Danny took me to meet again some of his friends and they took me around the whole day and he went off to work. No beads or yarns here, but I did find some really cute cats and some great batik pants. Towards evening I met up with Tanti, a self-taught knitter. She works in a bank in the same bldg where my son used to work and he dropped around and met her too and we invited her to join us and his friends at a revolving restaurant in town. I have a picture of her too. I'm hoping she will manage to travel to meet the other knitters I've met in Singapore and Hongkong. Anyway, talking to her and to my son's friends, helped me to understand what I was seeing in Jakarta. I also bought two books by a friend of my son's: Daniel Ziv. One on Jakarta and one on Bangkok. Both are definitely not your normal travel book.

Then back to Singapore for a few more days and then on to Hongkong where I met up with Eva and Marjorie who had returned recently from the states. We had a wonderful day together. I told everyone I plan on returning in November and renewing friendships with everyone I've met.