The Pottery Jungle

 Up on the northeast part of the island is a wonderful treasure called The Pottery Jungle.  I remembered it from out earlier time here and hoped it would still be the same - an old kiln area with lots of local and imported ceramics.  Thank goodness the rumors of it closing down have not come true yet!

The real name for the spot is Thow Kwang Industry but everyone knows it by its nickname.  Lots of pottery and lots of jungle - don't forget your mosquito repellant when you visit... Google maps did a great job of getting us there and here is what we (Bronia, Betsy and I) found:

The "Showroom" is packed with amazing decorating items, including new and old wood furniture pieces and collectors' items that Christie's Auctions would die for.  You roam around and find shelves absolutely stuffed with gorgeous Chinese porcelains - some affordable and some out of reach:

Keep an eye out for the resident cat, who DOES NOT want to play nice:

Across a little pathway is the "warehouse" where you can wander for a few hours...

They have everything from little chopstick rests and tea sets to giant vases, fishbowls, sinks, and fountains.  Not to mention a life-size Mao statue to greet your guests:

Or maybe some Chinese Immortals or household gods to guard your home

Keep looking and you'll see some really cool antique window shutters or doors

Vases and Ceramic Wall Hangings

And Garden Stools for Tired Shoppers!

The history of the Jungle is more than just a ceramics shop.  It has one of the original "Dragon Kilns" that were used in the last century to make the pottery cups used on the Malaysian rubber plantations.  The wood-fired kilns are built from brick and mud and look like a huge dragon's tail.  There are only 2 left in Singapore and this is one (you can see the dragon's tail as it disappears in the background):

As we left the Jungle, we saw a sign for another Ceramics workshop and decided to check it out. It looked deserted but we wandered in and found the only other dragon kiln (under the big aluminum roof), which has recently been revived by local artist potters:

 Just as happened to me other times in Singapore, we just looked in to investigate and were surprised to find some artists at work and ready to share their expertise and love of pottery with us. This is Hetty (with Bronia) who became our expert "guide."

The door of the furnace and the recycled wood ready to feed the fire:

Hetty let us go inside the kiln and see what it looks like - the ceiling is about 6 feet high:

and I think it is 50 feet long:

They only fire it up about once a year - it must be some huge event.  We are looking forward to them announcing it and checking it out when it happens.

Hetty then showed us the gallery where the artists show some of their work.  Most of the clay comes from here in Singapore and most of these pieces had no glaze - just the natural shine that comes from the ash from the wood fire.  Amazing!

Of course there was something funny that caught my eye in this place.  You try to decode it:

I hope you're not too thirsty!

The Hard Part

A new ex-pat told us about a conversation with a friend at home.  The friend had said, "Your life is so perfect!"  We all laughed because we've all had that conversation...life in Singapore is really great, but life is life.  Nothing is perfect.

A few things that are hard:

• Humidity. All the time.  The beautiful plants and flowers mean we sweat all the time.
• Everything (except public transportation) is Expensive.  Everything!
• Haze. Sometimes the weather patterns bring smoke from Indonesia to hang over the city (this week)
• Being at least 20 hour flight away from friends and family back home
• Trying to understand Singlish (Singaporeans speaking English) on the phone.
• The washer takes over an hour and ruins clothes; the dryer cooks your clothes but doesn't t dry them.
• Being size S at home but XL here
• When we want to go away for a weekend, we can't just drive to a new state.  We have to fly.  Thus it sounds so exotic to go to Bangkok or Bali, but it is really like going to Boston or Orlando!

The Fiscal Cliff Running Club - Adventures in Exercise

Back in December while the US Congress seemed to stop all movement, a group of us took off running - our Saturday morning Fiscal Cliff Running Club was born.  We vary in numbers and in speed (my husband barely breaks a sweat because we go so slowly) but we always have fun and breakfast afterwards.

We usually run at the Botanic Gardens, where I snapped some photos of other styles of exercise as we passed by.  First a shot of the Singapore orchids to set the scene:

People gather at the Gardens for every kind of exercise you can imagine.  First gals getting ready for yoga

A set of older gals doing Tai Chi

This woman was doing her Tai Chi alone next to a cafe - I didn't want to disturb her, so you get her back:

The man teaching something with bamboo swords

And the graceful woman in yellow who uses gorgeous red fans

The lone jogger

And walker...these old folks walk in S-L-O-W   M-O-T-I-O-N

I don't know what the guys were doing, but they were so colorful I had to get a shot

My friend Lyn introduced me to Luk Tung Kuen, a Cantonese exercise that is all about stretching and massaging pressure points. This group meets every day at 8 AM, rain or shine, for an hour at the Palm Court.  There are 2 other daily groups of Luk Tung Kuen, but they meet too early for me.

Lyn and the instructor, Mr. Tay after a humid workout

This week our group met down at Keppel Bay, to run along the new boardwalk there.  Here we are, the "Before" picture.

Our friends live at "Reflections," a beautiful, dramatic apartment building on the Bay

There is a lovely boardwalk that runs past Reflections and along the bay to Labrador Park

The boardwalk passes by a beautiful Black and White house where our longtime friends Teresa and Ryan live.  It is the former HarborMaster's home:

Other views in the early, overcast morning:

I don't know what this fisherman is catching, but I don't think I would eat it...notice the refinery and chemical plants in the distance...

A nice spot to rest

but I don't think I would want to camp here anyway...

Low tide

Another boardwalk exerciser

 Another condo complex along the boardwalk...we nearly rented the 2nd floor apartment, seen here.  But then we realized that everyone on the boardwalk could look into our windows, so we didn't take it

although this would have been the view out the window:

We tried to have breakfast at the marina, but we were too early for them  Get this:  the restaurant opens at 9:00 but the cook doesn't arrive until 9:30.... Here is our "After" shot:

We went up to Mike's apartment for coffee; here are some views from the 28th floor of Reflections:

A nice reward for a little running. Stay healthy out there!

The Singapore Flyer

Like many cities in the world today, Singapore has a gigantic ferris wheel.

From the brochure:

"Singapore Flyer is the world’s largest observation wheel. Standing at a stunning 165m from the ground, the Flyer offers you breathtaking, panoramic views of the Marina Bay, our island city and beyond."

After getting your tickets and going through the "museum" that tells how they built it, you que up and take your family photo.

You enter your "pod" which holds up to 30 people. There are 28 pods.

The trip takes 30 minutes - you can opt to take the special pod where they serve you drinks and snacks.  It is a popular spot for marriage proposals.  We rode with a few other families - so fun!

We timed our visit so we could watch the sunset on our ride.  

Enjoy the views of Marina Bay from above!

As we walked away this was the view over our shoulders:

We crossed the "Helix" bridge to Marina Bay Sands:

Walked past the shops and Venetian "canal" (yes, this is a picture taken in the daytime, not that night, but you get the idea)

And then tuck in at the Food Center (we skipped the 4 and 5 Michelin Star restaurants...saving that for another day...) with Satay, Kway Teow and Tiger beer: