Tripping Out Alone

This is just tripping out..so I went to Singapore, confident that all the instructions I had left, the money I had paid and the reliability of all those I had engaged would combine to ensure I returned to a straightforward move tomorrow. How could I have known that my assistant had been held captive in his temple for the last three days following a fall, that the rain had prevented the workers at the new house from painting but allowed them time to smash all the floor tiles in preparation for the new floor which cannot be made now because of the rain. How could I know that on waking this morning all these disasters lay ahead ..because none of them thought to sms me, leave me a note or any other form of communication..so here I am in a house that is half packed with my assistant negotiating a release form the priests and the rain falling down. Should I have recognized the signs like the oh so rude taxi driver from the airport, the crazy traffic and the general malaise that has people l...

What a great week I spent here, super productive, up at dawn and the results were I passed both mid semester exams, and had time to meet with wonderful people and eat a diverse selection of food. Tara and I ate a piquant Moroccan chicken dish last night that I prepared from her recipe, I ate Turkish food with Sun Nan in Arab Street, she works in a building straight out of Stan Lee's creative imagining, darkly gothic and very iconic. Malika and I ate Chinese wontons and BBQ followed by Japanese desserts, Aurora asked me to meet her at a wonderful French Tea House and Lydia and I ate at European soups in Bugis Junction...Tara and I also ate Thai before the movies, went to Dempsey to a place that served amazing bistro food including truffle oil fries...and ate kulfi in Little India..

MMmmmm, I am loving Singapore for a number of reasons.. 1 I have managed to catch up on so much work that was hanging over my head just by not being at home amongst the moving boxes and my daily life and instead incubated in a lovely third floor apartment in a leafy suburb. 2 I am staying with Tara who works harder than I do and is great company be it silently working, eating at lovely cafes or browsing the shops in Little India for fabric. 3 Functionality and diversity, Singapore works but also has the ambient nature of a multicultural city , yesterdays taxi driver was Chinese and a polyglot who taught us some Indian words. 4 Singapore is welcoming - people are friendly..Tara and I joined a table of people at a Quiz Night and they were so nice, they were mostly from New Zealand and while it helped that Tara and knew a lot of answers and thus aided the win although I don't think that affected their friendly manner. My highlight moment of glory was: In which story did two countri...

The New House at 9, Star Lane Jalan Werduka, Legian, Bali Now it's March and the tripping begins anew..first of all with the move to a new house, leaving my lovely home to a new and challenging project even closer to the beach and ideal for long walks, happy cats and dogs and a well run life style that has more to do with travel than ever. So before I depart for Singapore I thought I'd share some photos of the home I say goodbye to and the house to which I move on return.. The house at Gang Arjuna

Lucienne and I headed out in the brand new Wings-Lion prop jet to the serene shores of Sire Beach. It's a twenty five minute flight and so easy to do going Bali to Lombok, because wehn you get to Lombok you get no traffic.The Tugu Hotel Sire Beach is magnificent with huge arching ceilings, expansive views and the most dramatic display of antiques, motifs and sculptures. Over my huge bed was a painting on wood of a very loved-up Hindu couple enjoying a forest tryst...inspiring. Yet I was there to work and despite Lucienne having met her husband there there were no clientele in my 'romance range' on this trip. This trip was all about me, it was only two days and one night but that was enough to get me comfortable in the joy of the gardens and the patter of my fingers on the keyboards as I settled down to some serious writing, interrupted only by the delivery of ginger tea and my drop ins in my email and facebook pages..to check all was ok back on Bali with the girls - reall...

Ambassador Cab in Delhi Tanja and I with Monks Tripping Out Alone gave me a year of adventure through 2010, and as this year draws to a close I have both my daughters in Bali with me. Kepsibel, having graduated, took a five month adventure of her own that allowed her to spread her wings from New York, to London to California and back to Melbourne via a weekend with me in Bangkok and Severen who has come back to visit from Melbourne where she is succeeding in her University studies and enjoying her teaching placements. It is such a great feeling to know they are now on their own paths to their futures. This past year I have had the great fortune and freedom to travel to diverse and beautiful locations and be in the company of wonderful people, some strangers, some friends, and some strangers who became friends. The year started in Burma...

Nizamuddin was a Sufi Master and his lover Khusra wrote devotional songs to praise him. Each evening in Nizamuddin West at the temple members of Nizamuddin's family, relatives of his sisters progeny gather to sing the songs of their ancestors lover and to dispense advice to those who petition them. Prayers for love and acceptance are chanted around the tombs of both Nizamuddin and Khusra. Crowds sit and listen to the songs, gather together in harmonious community and celebrate life and love through prayer... This is where Cushla and I headed last night, into the crowds and smells of 'old' India and it was so good.