New Words Learnt During the #Covid19 Lockdown

Hello all! How have you all been? We have been citizens in our own world this past month. And I am just wondering how everyone has been coping?

I have been in #stayhome mode in New Zealand where our Covid19 lockdown moved last week (after 32 days) from Level 4 to Level 3 and hopefully moves again next week from Level 3 to 2 for another two weeks till life returns to normal.

If you have been tuning in occasionally to our Facebook page, you would have seen my small short posts on a few key words that I have learnt new definitions to, in this season of standstill ……… I have uploaded them here and will add to them as the days pass.  So check in when you can … drop us a line if you have something to share or a new word that you have perhaps also caught onto.  Love to hear from you and in the meantime #staysafe
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BUBBLE

/ˈbʌb(ə)l/ noun – used to refer to a good or fortunate situation that is isolated from reality or unlikely to last.

Similar words: ILLUSION. DELUSION. FANTASY. DREAM. PIPE DREAM. DAYDREAM. SHORT-LIVED PHENOMENON

THE JETSONS, Jane, Judy, Astro, Elroy & George Jetson, 1962-87

MY TAKE:

‘Bubble’, is a word coined to reference the immediate family unit that you are in. “Stay in your bubble, stay home, stay safe” – this season’s mantra. I love how the dictionary defines it positively as a good or fortunate season, isolated and unlikely to last. If you look at it from this perspective, your bubble becomes more bearable.

At the start of bubble life, social media had everyone posting positive pictures of happy family life … that family completing complicated Jigsaws, doing group Tik Tok videos.
Week 2 on, the posts were on what was on the stove or in the oven, out and about family walks, supermarket runs, screen shots of classes and meetings that were run online.
What would have been great to see? Videos of beds being made, mountains of laundry being magically picked off the floor and packed into the washing machine, dirty dishes cleared and the dishwasher emptied and aired. And dare I say, the bedsheets changed at least twice a month.

In short and in reality, too many days of being in the same bubble can drive you mad and you finally realise after four weeks that you actually look forward to getting dressed, leaving the house to go to work or getting the kids packed off to school, just so you can unashamedly reclaim some ‘me’ time.

So here’s my sentence to illustrate the use of the word ‘bubble’: “To fully appreciate and avoid the daily drama in your bubble, there are days that you just bloody need to exit your bubble temporarily for some fresh air and a good long walk, just for you to return (knowing that the reprieve, though temporary), does justify the age-old adage that absence (however short) does sometimes makes the heart grow fonder.”

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COOK

/kʊk/ verb – prepare (food, a dish, or a meal) by mixing, combining, and heating the ingredients.

Similar words: PREPARE. MAKE. PUT TOGETHER. FIX

MY TAKE:

COOKING works well when everyone in your bubble shares the same likes and dislikes when it comes to food or are not picky eaters.

In a season of an L4 lockdown, where all the takeaways around us were also closed, cooking at home for an extended period needed some prep and planning so before the lockdown, I wrote a menu and a shopping list for lunch and dinner based on what everyone liked and did not like to eat (with their input) and stuck it up on the fridge.

“This is the official menu”, I declared which also translated into “this is all my current already limited cooking repertoire comprises”. I am no gourmet chef. Instead I am great at throwing things together and even better when it comes out of a pre-made packet.

Of course, no one bothered to take a second look at the curated list, so each day, I picked an item for lunch, announced it and proceeded to prepare it after getting a reasonably low level of agreement from my bubble-mates.

Come week 2 of lockdown, the word ‘cook’ also started to morph because everyone started to have different lunch requests. ‘Cook’ soon naturally became – you please fix your own lunch based on what you would like to eat and I will prepare a communal dinner (we don’t usually eat breakfast).

By week 3 and 4, even the dinner dynamic had also started to shift. The meat eater in my home wanted to eat a full no-carb diet, the keto lover wanted avocado, konjac rice or konjac noodles, meats or salads. So dinner too became a DIY.

After a month in lockdown, this home kitchen was done and dusted. The time had come for me to hang up my apron and pray that the takeaways would open soon.

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SOCIAL DISTANCING

/ noun – a fancy sounding way to seclude one’s self especially during a pandemic (definition from the Urban Dictionary)

Similar phrases: YOU ARE 2M TOO CLOSE; IF YOU CAN READ THE LOGO ON MY T-SHIRT THAN YOU ARE WAY TOO NEAR

MY TAKE :

People will find every which way they can to stretch, re-define a rule or relax it, if they  can. Social distancing in strict reality, might just be a social dream.

You just can’t stop the music ... in the early days of the lockdown, I saw people bringing stools out to the front of their homes just at the doorway (especially those living along shared drive ways) to chat. To be fair, in those early days, everyone maintained a respectable 2 metre apart social distancing. By the end of week 1, the stools had moved into a semi circle in the centre of the shared driveway, now 1 metre apart, vino glass or favourite beer in hand. By the end of week 2 going into week 3, there was party music in the background, the kids had their scooters out in the same driveway, play equipment shared. In the meantime, the adults had moved even closer as the weather got chillier, into a cosy campfire-style closed knit circle around a few bottles open and a jumbo sized paella pan and communal bbq happily set up in the middle of said drive way.

‘Team Family’…. There has never been a larger more enthusiastic explosion of family wanting to walk together then what I have witnessed during this lockdown. A walk to the park has morphed into that ‘vogue’ thing that “Team Family’ does at least twice a week, complete with baby stroller, trainer bike for young child and dog on leash. Even better if your close friends around the next street do the same and you get to run into each other, ‘by chance’.

‘The Supermarket Run’ … In week 1, the supermarket run meant the family going out on the only excursion they could till midway into week 2, when the supermarkets started a “one trolley, one customer” policy rule and became stricter about enforcing the stand 2m apart rule with tape on the floors towards the entrance to mark where you need to stand. Still there were cars packed with family members, parked close enough to each other, waiting in carparks whilst the single designated family member did the shop.

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DOB

/ adjective – to turn someone in; to tell on him (definition from the Urban Dictionary)

SIMILAR WORDS: TATTLE TALE. SNITCH

MY TAKE:

A new word for me. To ‘dob’ or be a ‘dobber’ or to be ‘dobbing’ on someone is an activity that you have to intentionally participate in.

Understandable if you get purposely spit on in public or are in actual physical danger from someone else’s careless behavoir.

An interesting observation that the official NZ ‘dob site’ crashed on the first day that it went up. A testimony to the fact that when you can do something anonymously, the number of takers in the name of doing good, is indeed infinite.

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RESET 

/riːˈsɛt/ – verb – to set again or anew,  to change the reading, to move something back into its original position

Similar words: renew.

MY TAKE:  There is so much talk out there on what happens next post-pandemic.

That … air travel will be more costly with fewer flights to fewer destinations, some key businesses will wind up, jobs lost, a major recession looms.

In converse, there will also be other things born out of the ashes: a change in the way people communicate when they can’t meet face to face, a greater tolerance for stay-at-home and work-from-home jobs, a new trend supporting local industries and domestic travel,  new job opportunities born from us looking at things through new lenses, and perhaps an appreciation for the simpler solutions to life and daily recreation.

Will life actually reset and what will that reset  look like for you?

We just love what this young Kiwi-born Welsh poet has to say in this self made video about coming out of reset.

Kurios by Cirque du Soleil – A Dizzying Steampunk Extravaganza

With the big top looming nearby, fairy lights overhead,  there’s something incredibly old fashioned and magical about going to the circus. Toss in a free plastic-flute of prosecco and all is complete. We had come to Kurios by Cirque du Soleil, which opened yesterday in Singapore under the big top by Marina Bay Sands.  It turned out a raucous, larger-then-life, buzzing, tumbling, heaving, gravity-defying Victorian era-inspired steampunk-laden extravanganza. Yes, all of that and more.

While it this Canadian act had always tended towards a more surreal, modern take on the circus, this time Kurios brought back the elements of the traditional circus, but thankfully without any scary clowns. Running through the acts is a story about a mad scientist called The Seeker whose cabinet of curiosities contain a fantastical world which steps out to engage him. Doesn’t matter to follow that ‘narrative’—you can fully enjoy the acrobatics and contortionists without knowing why they’re doing what they’re doing. Just soak in the amazing spectacle of crazy, gravity-defying human abilities, spectacular sets and creative imagination.

Photo credits: Martin Girard shootstudio.ca

Highlights included a mind-boggling act by several petite but incredibly strong contortionists dressed in body suits that made them look like octopus tentacles or vague jellied sea creatures twisting and balancing themselves on a giant mechanical hand; and another set of vague finned acrobats bouncing and leaping and spinning off a huge net in an adrenaline and humour packed act.

Photo credits: Martin Girard shootstudio.ca

Yet another played out at a mad hatter party type scene where a performer balanced, twisted and tumbled on top of an impossible number of chairs piled high, while from above, a similar scene played out in mirror image, until both images merged in the middle. There’s plenty more but I won’t spoil the surprise. In between was a quieter mini-drama performance where characters were played out by a performer’s hands and projected live on a Victorian hot air balloon.

Photo credits: Martin Girard shootstudio.ca

All the while running behind the main focus was a parade of odd characters, including a tiny lady who often emerged from another performer’s oversized costume, strutted around onstage and babbled away incomprehensibly—to add to the mood and a constant non-stop flow of energy and spectacle, I suppose. All in all, it was a fabulously energised show—a sumptuous feast for the eyes and a dizzying immersion into a fantastical theatrical immersion well worth spending an evening on.

Before the show starts, do wander into the stores under the big top for the merchandise is worth looking at. While they do come at a premium, they are beautifully designed and was a good quality, and prices were all right. Look at particularly for the T-shirts and Victorian-style flight goggles ($25) and aviation cap. Buy them before the 25 minute interval ends for shops close by the time the show is over.

We didn’t buy the goggles, but it was tempting.

By the way, it’s worth noting that ‘facilities’ are quite sufficient in the form of air-conditioned loos housed in small containers. there are several cubicles in each container, so the queue moved quite efficiently.  

Queues for facilities during the 25 minute intermission. Don’t worry, it moves quickly.

Native Kitchen – Island Flavours Perfect For Kids And Grandparents

We had a chance to lunch at newly opened restaurant Native Kitchen recently. Located at the new Village Hotel on Sentosa, this family friendly restaurant serves what they call ‘island cuisine’—a mish mash of dishes from islands around the world. On the menu are dishes that hail from Bali and Singapore to the Caribbean, Jamaica and Hawaii, many of them for sharing.

I guess this could work, as it fits in quite nicely with the Sentosa resort vibe. Add to that a spacious, natural light-infused space with lots of greenery, it’s a family friendly place to heave the kids and grandparents. What struck me was that it was breezy, friendly and particularly wheelchair friendly. (See note at bottom)

The food here is generally good, with a few misses, and the prices particularly palatable. For starters, the watermelon and feta salad ($14) was refreshing, but not remarkable, striking me as something that could be easily whipped up at home. Instead,  get an a la carte serving of the island ceviche ($18), comprising barramundi cubes, cucumbers and carrots marinated in lime juice and coconut milk. It was creamy, yet light, with mild piquant flavours, and it was definitely something more unique. On the other hand, forget the appetizer platter – the fried calamari and chicken wings were rather dry and tough.

Mains are big and hearty. The meat platter is a good choice too for carnivores to share – the short ribs, pork shoulder and jumbo satay were pretty good, even if the striploin was dry.  Another good one to have is the big kahuna burger ($28, good for sharing) with chopped steak, grilled pineapples and thick bacon, and a very healthy and prettily presented steamed barramundi with yellow squash and bright purple potato mash. The fish was very nicely done, all juicy and fresh and sweet-fleshed. The sweet potato mash was most enjoyable too.

Of all the mains, my favourite was the Balinese style bebek goreng ($25), a deep fried duck with complex, aromatic Balinese spices, coconut rice and excellent tempeh. For one who is no fan of tempeh, this is something quite outstanding indeed. It was chewy but soft, with a good bean flavour but without the bitter edge that your usual supermarket tempeh often has. For desserts, have the burnt banana crumble with vanilla ice cream.

A quick eyeball down the cocktail menu showed some good standards that fit the island resort theme. Margaritas and sangrias are priced at $16, and jugs of it start at $48.

*Good to note: the restaurant is wheelchair friendly, coming in from the carpark at the same level with no steps to navigate. The spaciousness of the restaurant and the generously distanced tables are a bonus too.

Native Kitchen
Village Hotel at Sentosa
10 Artillery Avenue
Tel:+6567220818

New & Noted: Falling Down The Rabbit Hole at ArtScience Museum

We were blown away when we attended the preview of Wonderland at the Art Science Museum in Singapore yesterday. The exhibition, which celebrates the timeless story of Alice in Wonderland and its sequels, offers over 300 artefacts and objects, as well as loads of digital and interactive stations and activities that make this experience truly unforgettable. Opening tomorrow 13 April, the exhibition is a must-see for young and old, especially for kids.

Prepare to fall down the rabbit hole like we did! Walk or crawl through doors big and small, open drawers, peek into holes and slits, squeeze into ‘houses’, climb up oversized chairs and be surprised by all sorts of Alice-related discoveries. It is almost surreal in parts where doors may not lead anywhere. The exhibition shows up the various interpretations of Alice in Wonderland over the years and how technology changed the way the story was told. Of the artefacts, see edition books, drawings, original costumes, films, magic lantern projectors, animation, puppetry, and original multimedia works.

For me, a highlight was the Mad Hatter’s Tea Party, where you sit at the tea table and watch a crazy tea party come alive via an immersive projection mapping experience. Also fun was the Queen of Hearts Croquet Ground where you turn yourself into a card soldier and the weird puppet creatures in that were used in various stop-motion productions.

Actually, the experience starts from home where you (really should) take the Wonderland quiz from the Art Science Museum’s facebook page which tells you who you are in Wonderland. I was the Mad Hatter. With that, you go to the exhibition and get your personalised Lost Map of Wonderland. It is more than a map—it is the key to lots of exciting interactive stuff in the exhibition without which it won’t work. Every map has a unique key which lets you access more content when you get home, including a photo of yourself if you took part in the Queen Croquet Garden.

Wonderland opens at the Art Science Museum tomorrow until 22 Sep 2019. It also includes a range of fringe activities and events from guided tours to kids’ workshops and comedy performances. More details here. Don’t miss it.

Getting Out There Again … In Auckland

I must admit that I have been much more cautious than usual this week, heading out ‘doing life’ and getting busy with the regular things that I do, here in Auckland. A definite post-event reaction to the sad and senseless Christchurch massacre events, from last week.  

I woke up last Saturday to an unusual number of concerned texts and what apps messages from friends and relatives all over the world, checking in on the situation here in Auckland. For the rest of last weekend, a lot of new residents like me must have sensed that in the world’s eyes, New Zealand’s remote ‘safe haven’ reputation was now seriously challenged. 

Yet, this week in New Zealand, amidst the sorrow, there was much to be proud about… at how well and quickly the crisis was communicated, how honest and humble the Police and government were in their responses and their immediate agreement on issues that needed to be instantly reviewed like gun laws. social media monitoring, setting up a counselling hotline and a quick declaration on what they were going to do to help victim’s loved ones.

More importantly, how beautifully and compassionately NZ PM Jacinda Arden, wasted no time addressing the country, flying down to the scene straight after her press conference, respectfully clad in a hijab … speaking to families and not just officials. She set – in that moment, a new benchmark for world leaders on how to respond to a national crisis by making compassionate classy in a way that only a woman knows how to do. Her “They are Us” declaration admirably saw the rest of the nation echo the sentiment and share collective ownership of the gravity and grief. 

The world is like a school playground … there will always be a bully … sometimes disgruntled and overt, sometimes disguised and lurking. Admittedly this week, there is a thin layer of uncomfortable  hanging in the air.

Credit for the photo used: to Singaporean Designer Keith Lee

Fear is something we can choose not to teach our children. Perhaps the greater take away is the truth – that there is no way to stop a bully. Being vigilant, sensitive and respectful of our differences, tolerant, and ultimately united is key and so is standing up bravely as a community – together. Hate should not stop or rob you of the joy of doing life, wherever you may be, or choose to go. 

I am curious as to what fate awaits the gunman who started all this, here in New Zealand as he will face local laws and how this will go down in the next generation’s history books. 

This season, the world’s eyes rest on remote and (once) peaceful Aotearoa, the land of the long white cloud.  We are shaken and perhaps a bit stirred.

My hope is that a new rain will come and wash away the hurt and that it will birth a new season of greater respect, compassion, tolerance, sensitivity and unity amongst the many races, cultures, religions who call it Home.

God Bless New Zealand.

Credit for the photo used: to Singaporean Designer Keith Lee 

Credits for all other photos used in this article to: The New Zealand Herald 

 

A Tribute To Thinking Day and Guides Everywhere!

22 February is Thinking Day! This may not ring a bell unless you grew up as a Brownie or a Girl Guide.

Thinking Day is a celebration of international friendship and an opportunity that a uniform group known as Brownies and Girl Guides, use to speak about issues that affect young women globally. It is also a day for fund raising often through the selling of flags to help different related causes.  As of today, there are about 10 million young girls and women involved in the guiding movement in over 150 countries around the world.

Thinking Day has been on my mind this year because of someone that I recently got reacquainted with. As a tribute to this special day, I would like you meet her.

Meet the lovely Jill. She was born 1 July 1959 which means that today she would be 60 years old!

She is someone very precious to our family as she connects Frances, my 80 year old Mum, Monica my sister, myself and Alexis my 14 year old daughter, in a special way, through a unique movement and school activity that we were all significantly involved with.

My mum spent thirty years of her teaching career volunteering as a Brown Owl and then a Guide Leader (1st Katong East Pack, Singapore). She received Jill as a gift from a fellow pen-pal Guider all the way from Scotland many years ago in the age where pen-pals and receiving parcels by mail, crafting and learning about a different culture the old fashioned way was very much revered and cherished.

Today, ‘Pen-paling’ as a hobby still lives on however, like everything,  it has evolved and changed.  For the better? The days are long gone (in the generation that my 14 year old is now growing up in) where you wait eagerly for the mail to get delivered from a person that you can’t already first find out about, via what’s app, IG, facebook or through Skype and Facetime.

Meeting Jill 

We became re-acquainted’ with Jill after my Dad passed on last year and the family were packing the house and going through things, in view of a big clean up.

Mum first named her ‘Jill’ (this lovely handmade vintage doll) long ago, after her original maker, a fellow Guider whom she had lost contact with over the many years with only an address, a handwritten note and ‘Jill’ to remind each other that they had once been in touch.

Her home for the last 40 years, was a handmade box covered with beautiful magazine collage pictures of English Brownies. Jill was protected, wrapped in tissue and enclosed with her – a handwritten note with a forwarding address and a short inventory list. She was a Sixer (leader) of her Kelpie (troop name) pack. She was fully dressed as if ready to go on Parade,  in her full Brownie uniform regalia, shoes included.

Jill was amazingly well preserved despite the years of storage and terrible Singapore humidity. Included with her was an overcoat, shoes, cap, dress, petticoat and a Brownie magazine. To the box, my mum had later added a copy of two keepsake Brownie Dairies.

We oohed and ahhh-ed as we carefully and lovingly unwrapped her. The experience was surreal, like being in a private museum with the enormous privilege of being able to touch a prized exhibit (praying at the same time that she would not come apart after living for so long in a big box on top of a dusty old cupboard).

Badges earned

Be Prepared Logo

Brownie Pin

Jill was a member of the Kelpie pack

She was beautifully hand-stitched together. Her badges embroidered, even the pin on her tie and her troop badge. So intricately sewn that you could even read the letters.  A fitting testimony to the standard of craftsmanship then.

In today’s terms, Jill as an iconic doll, would have also earned her own right to many new ‘badges’ and ‘titles’, relevant only to the turn of this century – ‘vintage’, ‘artisan’, ‘bespoke’ .

As adults, today – looking down at her – I fully appreciate – what a truly rare and precious symbolic glimpse she represents – a precious peek into a nostalgic past 60 years ago, when growing up was about the thrill and effort of investing and making friendships bridged by time and real distance, rather than an instant click on whats app or the internet. And gifting was something that you put personal effort into in order to leave a piece of your personality with the recipient.

For Brownies and Guides everywhere, on Thinking Day 20-19, here is my wish that this movement that has survived two world wars, will have a longevity that will continue and that the skills that they represent will not be lost or considered tomorrow’s irrelevant and archaic. But that instead, the Brownie motto “Be Prepared” will still march through generations, into the future ahead.

To the real Jill … wherever you may be – Happy Thinking Day and here is a big “Hello” from Frances, her daughters and grand-daughter.

Possibly the Most Kid-Friendly Suites in Hong Kong

Those who have travelled with kids would know a bored and restless child is no easy challenge, whether they are four or fourteen. So we were pleasantly surprised to see the Dorsett Wanchai’s very thoughtful new themed suites which provide the perfect answer. If you’re planning a weekend in Hong Kong with the young ‘uns, this is possibly the best place to stay.

If you’ve got little tots, book the Ocean Park Family Suite. While it might be a bit too ‘twee’ for the grown-ups, consider this: you can sip wine for some peaceful down time while your little tot is immersed in this soft-toy-rich, marine-themed environment, and will be well distracted by the endless delights at hand.

It’s an official collaboration with Ocean Park. Once you have booked the suite, you can buy admission tickets to the Park from the hotel concierge at a special price of HK$900 for two adults and one child, which also comes with free shuttle to the park on weekends. The suite measures a generous 48 sqm, and comes with pantry, sofa bed in the living room, dining area and bedroom with king sized bed. Lots of room to swing a cat.

In the evening, you can call Front Desk to deliver to your room a “specially-designed mobile storybook library” filled with storybooks catering to children of different ages, perfect for bedtime stories before your precious heads off to slumberland.

If you’ve got a teenager in tow, then the Dorsett Wanchai’s Sony 4k 3D Experience Suite is the thing to go for. Says the hotel’s official information: “With Sony’s latest gadgets such as Playstation, blue-ray home theatre system, and LED TV, tech-lovers will be able to surround themselves by the newest electronics and indulge themselves in a SONY paradise.” Nuff said.

Marking the launch of the suites, Dorsett Wanchai is offering a 50% discount on all suite bookings falling between May and September 2017, made through the official hotel website http://www.wanchai.dorsetthotels.com

The hotel is located between Wanchai and Causeway Bay on Hong Kong Island, close to loads of shops and food. It’s an 8-minute walk to MTR station, Times Square, but there’s also complimentary shuttle bus service to 16 destinations via five routes. And all rooms are also equipped with the all-important high speed wifi.

Visiting The Three Gorges Dam

If you have a thing for world’s first and engineering marvels then this is one trip that you would want to make this Summer, and have it ticked off the bucket list.

Architectural Model – Photo taken at the Three Gorges Dam Museum showing the 5 ship locks bringing a boat downstream into the main river

The Three Gorges Dam or the Sanxia Da Ba (三峡大坝) is the world’s largest hydroelectric dam created to both produce electricity and increase the Yangtze River’s shipping capacity as well as reduce downstream floods. A project that started construction in 1994, it was fully functioning from 2012 complete with five ship locks and fully completed with a ship lift in December 2015. See TEN interesting facts that you may want to note about the Dam project here before you book those tickets.

As for us, we were curious to see what a project that saw China relocating 1.24 million people in 2008 to achieve, costing them US$27.6 billion or RMB180 billion to construct-looked like in reality.

Getting there was easier than expected, there is a 3 hour train ride option from Shenzhen but we decided to fly domestic. So we took the train from Hong Kong to Shenzhen via Lo Wu. From there, boarded a 2 hour flight from Shenzhen’s Airport into Yichang.

A map of the tribal villages living along the Dam – at least 360 million people live here in the stretch from Yichang to Chongqing

Seeing the entire Dam and the expanse of land that is home to almost 360 million people is no mean feat and the most common way to fully appreciate it is to take a 4 to 6 day cruise and there are many cruise companies that arrange tours with English-speaking agents and guides.

With limited off days from school and work, we opted for the shortest way to see the Dam – via a Day Tour and got it arranged via the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Yichang (where we were staying). They recommended an English speaking tour guide, Christine who turned out to be a real gem. With a good command of English, knowledgeable, friendly and passionate about her job, she arranged a 2 day itinerary which included a day out on a tour boat down the Yangtze river and a second day out to see explore the Ba tribal village, one of the many small ancient villages that snake around the Yangtze.

Day 1

Saw us getting on to a tour boat that would take us on a leisurely cruise down part of the Yangtze to cross the ship lock of the Gezhouba Dam, go inside the Dam area, view the museum, have lunch, and then take a bus back to Yichang.

The Boat Tour – TIP: For better all around views – pay the extra 40RMB per person and sit on the top deck which is shaded with a canopy

Scenic views along the way

Entering a SHIP LOCK – think of it as an elevator of sorts but this SHIP LOCK allows the vessel to sail in and brings you 22 metres down stream in 20 mins (about the rate of 1 metre per minute). The ship is literally “locked” into the contained area that you see ahead to prevent the water from rushing in and then carried down stream.

CLOSE sesame! We are inside and the doors lock shut once the vessel is in. Water tight – our 20 minute journey via the ship lock brings us another 22m further downstream the Dam

You can’t fly over the Dam because of security issues and you need special military permission to do that – so a bird’s eye view of how the Dam operates and comes together is pretty much out of the question. Thus, a visit to the Dam museum to look at the model of it and how it all works and comes together is mandatory.

Day 2

We headed by bus to the catch another boat that would bring us to see the Ba Village, a  tribe of people who have lived in the region for centuries and in a village built by the banks of the Yangtze River. After which we would catch a bus to eat at the famous cliff side Weng Restaurant, one of the only 8 cliff restaurants in the world.

The boat moors at the Ba Village dock. We have travelled up stream to  visit the BA tribe to see how they live, explore local customs and experience the geography in the area.

The BA Tribe – a breathtaking ancient Kingdom built alongside the banks of the Yangtze

A river runs through the village ending in a stream and a waterfall at the heart of the village

The Coffin Caves were where the Ba Tribe buried their dead – Do you see two coffins in this shot?

Inside the village

Leaving the serenity of the Yangtze behind, we hopped on a tour bus back into Yichang city but not before stopping for dinner at the world-famous hanging Fang Weng Restaurant.

This restaurant is built into the side of a cliff – one of only 8 cliff restaurants in the world

The inside is a cavern that has been converted into a spacious dining room

The most famous dish there is a fish dish in milky soup where the fish has a distinct gelatinous texture. Look out for our detailed review later.

Total cost for the 2 day itinerary – 500 RMB per person (inclusive the boat and bus transport and minus a tip for the guide, the meals, an Uber or what China calls a “didi” back to the hotel). Definitely a great way to spend a long weekend.

(This trip was my own personal holiday, paid fully by myself. Recommendations here are not paid for, simply that we want to share the great finds.)

Spa That In-City Getaway

Somehow when I think ‘Spa’ – my mind wanders to Thailand and Bali. The concept of relaxation does somewhat equal resort getaway but what if being in the city is the only option … for now.

Just last night, I popped into the opening of the new Chuan Body + Soul, an in-city Spa on the 15th floor of the chi chi Langham Hotel in Tsim Sha Tsui.

Blame the twinkly fairy lights, the skinny cocktails (nothing over 250 calories) that I was plied with or maybe one of those uber healthy Acai berry bowls or the on-trend novelty multivitamin jellies that I was served, but my evening there, did somehow leave me lightheaded and open to the possibilities of a stealing a sneaky getaway right here, yes, during office hours under the bosses nose, right at the convenience of my Kowloon doorstep.

Opening its doors to membership for the first time, Chuan Body + Soul (previously just for Hotel guests) is offering a Health Club membership (with access to the pool and fitness facilities) at HK$1,800 per person, per month with a HK$250 per month fee for a locker.

The newly renovated premises offer stylish treatment rooms for massages and various treatments using private label essential oils saunas and showers, a rooftop swimming pool and a split-level fitness on demand health club.

What I actually thought was particularly ‘buzzy’ and exciting was their new retail element – the sale and launch of Deborah Mitchell’s, Heaven product line and her award-winning bee venom therapies. An award winning aesthetician, she created and patented the Bee Venom product line ABEETOXIN®, used as the natural alternative to Botox by harvesting bee venom. Her Bee Sting Facial Therapy (HK$1,380 for 1 hr 15 mins) is said to give that instant natural face lift without the injections.

Another notable – Chuan also launches her Bee Peel Facial (HK$780 for 30 mins), the first of its kind to launch in Asia, designed with organic coconut, apple, raw sugar cane and 18% glycolic peel to deliver Medi-spa results by minimising visible fine lines, scars, pigmentation, sallow skin, blemishes and enlarged pores. A definite must-try if you are into what I term a ‘prevention is better than cure’ mantra.

Members get the use of the gym, access to Personal trainer and can join the range of classes such as Tai Chi, Yoga, Meditation and Singing Bowl Sound Therapy or simply use the pool to swim or jacuzzi-away after a hard day at work.  Members’ Friends and Family  enjoy a HK$200 per person Monday to Friday rate / HK$300 per person Saturday, Sunday & Public Holidays.  Not a bad deal if you want a fun girls’ day out!

And if you are afraid that you will undo all the good from your soak, work out and massage then meals at the Spa offer a nutritious menu with healthy Sandwiches and Wraps alongside dishes like Açai bowls, homemade cereal bars, artificial-free fruit popsicles and energy boosting smoothies packed with antioxidants for long-lasting fuel.

If its a getaway to mark a special occasion, book a retreat – their Chuan Retreat Package at HK $5,000 offers a night’s stay in a One Bedroom Suite, a Signature Balancing or Chuan Harmony body massage for Two and access to The Langham Club lounge. Reservations at +852 2378 9988

Membership details see HERE or call: call +852 2378 9988

A Happy Ever After in San Junipero

If you could choose your own version of an afterlife, what would that be?

Of all the fascinating episodes of Black Mirror on Netflix, the one that left the deepest impression on me was Season 3, Episode 4’s San Junipero, a fictional place that is completely computer-created – an afterlife that elderly people can upload their consciousness to for five hours a week while they’re still alive, and permanently after death.

The story centres around two people who fall unexpectedly in love; one who has a second chance to re-live her eternity to the fullest in a fictional recreation of the 80s, given the fact that this was the era in real-life, where she actually became a paraplegic at the age of 20 and lived the rest of her life in an unresponsive state; and another, whose husband in real-life did not believe in the concept of an afterlife hence did not buy into the after-life programme, leaving her alone in this man-made landscape and wondering if her promise to him should still hold true.

Whilst the story marvels at modern technology, ethics and uncomfortably questions your core belief base of whether an after-life exists, the idea is still, intriguing.

If you had a chance to be uploaded to a utopian landscape and to an era of your choosing, a time and place where you were your happiest self, where you thought time could stay still forever, what would that be, and who would you hope to find within it?