One of my brother Fred decided to visit me. This is the first relative who come and see us in Singapore and I hope not the last one! Fred stay 2 weeks, his first trip in Asia. Jerome and I are so glad to spend time with him.
Here it is our program.
Day 1 : Fred, Jerome and I walked on Orchard Road, the most famous street of Singapore. There are numerous and big malls there. Fred was He was especially impressed by the number of luxury shops per square metre. He thought he could buy some products with low price but he realized he was wrong… Unfortunately, Singapore is an expansive city.
In the evening, as we are so lucky to live close to the seaside, we went to have a drink on East Coast Park. It is so pleasant to walk along the sea : we appreciated fresh air, silence and our drink, of course! The jet-lag is difficult to support from West to East, Fred was in good shape and did not want to go to bed (Normal, we have 6 hours more than France…). The last time I came back from Paris It took me 2 weeks to get back into the rythm of Singapore…
Day 2 : After explaining to my brother how to go to “Little India”, Fred tried to go there but he never managed. Indeed, He took the right bus and the right direction. But, the problem here it is when you take the bus and you want to get off at the right stop it is very diffficult if you have never been there before. Why? Because, in the bus, there is no sign to show where you are on the line. This is a little bit boring, isn’t it? Thus, My brother got off at the wrong stop. When he asked someone where the district was, he replied the wrong direction… Fred was lost and decided to go back home. What afternoon!
Day 3 : The weather was very bad all the day. At the end of the afternoon, we went to shot some golf ball at Parkland Golf Driving Range. As you know we have just begun to take golf lessons as beginners and between these lessons we have to train at least twice a week. It was the first time for Fred and he enjoyed practising.
Day 4 : Fred and I went to Jurong Bird Pard. What a hell to go to Jurong from home? It took us one hour and half to go there. First, we took one bus until downtown after we took the MRT red line then the MRT green line. After, we could take a bus but we have preferred to take a taxi because of the crowd at the bus station. The Jurong Bird Park is at the opposite of East coast where we live but It is worth to visit it. The admission fee is 18 SGD per person (9 €). There are more than 600 species from all over the world. It is better to visit it in the morning during the feeding of the birds. I liked the lorry loft because you can approach them very closer without scaring them. We walked on the huge flight aviary where there were wonderful parrots. I liked pretty much to see the gracious flamengos.
Day 5 : Fred was sick so he had some rest. In the evening, we discovered the Night Safari, a very famous attraction in Singapore. It costs us 32 SGD (16 €). The ambiance really reminds the savane with the sounds of tam tam, the luxuriant vegetation, the brown dark colors. We explored 3.2 km of wildlife by tram. We discovered rhinos, elephants, giraffes, tapirs, tigers, lions in the darkness in order not to scare the animals. Fred and I were disappointed by this trip because it lasted just 10 maybe 15 minutes and we saw almost nothing.
Day 6 : Fred stayed in bed all day because he was ill…
Day 7 : Fred and I went to Singapore Fashion Show to see “Something growing” by the Chinese designer Qiu Huo. Our first Fashion Show of our life took place on Orchard. I had bought 2 tickets for only 20 SGD (10€). It was the opportunity to discover asian fashion. Then, we went to another with admission free which showed the amazing collection of 4 new designers natives from Singapore, Hong Kong, Indonesia and Philippines. 4 differents styles. It was interesting to see their work. Singapore is not reknowed for its fashion, it is affordable to discover it. So different from Paris, NYC or London…
Day 8 : Fred and Jerome decided to go to Little India. Fred took finally some pictures of this typical district.
Day 9 to Day 12: Departure for a wonderful destination : BALI. Fred and I flew to Bali for 4 days. A dream come true. Unfortunelaty, Jerome stayed in Singapore for working. Jerome works and I travel : I am joking, of course 
We took a package : airfare+ hotel 4 days / 3 nights. The journey was incredible : we stayed in Upma Sapna a private villa In Seminyak, area in the south of Bali. My brother and I had never booked a place like this before : private pool and garden, a spacious bathroom composed of a huge shower and bathtub. The best moment was when I took a bath with a very relaxing view outside. This place was perfect for a honeymoon (even if for my honeymoon in Brazil 3 years ago, I had not had that!). It was too much for us but so pleasant!!!
Indonesian people are very friendly, I love them because they are so natural ; they are very respectful. It was very interesting to talk with them and share their culture and habits. They live thanks to tourism. Their life is very hard because of the poverty. I would like to go back to Bali just for them.
4 days is nothing : there is a lot to do in Bali. We should stay at least 2 or 3 weeks to know a little bit. There are numerous beautiful temples, beaches and places… Next time, Jerome and I will go to the North, less touristic area, we will appreciate more the local life.
Day 13 : Ouch! I missed some practise this week… This Saturday, I was not in shape for our 3rd lesson of golf, too tired and it is too hot at noon on the green. I hope to do better next week.
For the last evening, we had dinner with friends in a thai restaurant near our home then we had a drink in a wine bar. The glass of red wine is a veritable pleasure for me in Singapore. I can not eat a lot of cheese (too expansive, urgh!) so I do honour the red wine.
Day 14 : This morning, Jerome and Fred went to our swimming pool, it was hot. The last day before the departure, I am a little nervous, I hate to say good bye. I spent a very good time with my brother, I will try to keep in mind these moments. I was very happy to share my life in Singapore with him. Tomorrow, our home will seem empty but that is life…
