For several weeks our daughters (Jennifer from Pittsburgh and Megan Hollingsworth from Bloomington Indiana, a graduate student at Indiana University) planned to visit us in Singapore during Meg’s college Spring Break. Meg also convinced her roommate Holly Smith from Louisville Kentucky to also come as she planned to meet some others in Bali Indonesia and in Thailand during the three week long spring break. Susan, Jennifer and I also planned to visit Ho Ch Minh City (formerly Saigon) after the Bali trip, but this blog will only cover Singapore and Bali, starting February 26 and ending March 4, 2019.
They departed from Indianapolis and Pittsburgh but met up in San Francisco to visit friends and then flew to Singapore on the United Airlines 17 hour non-stop flight.
They all arrived safe and sound and were fetched from the Singapore Changi Airport by our driver Kenneth Oon and they made the way to our small apartment. We had arranged a cot for Jennifer to stay with us and Meg and Holly were staying in a hostel in Chinatown. Susan and I had checked it out earlier and were assured that Chinatown was a good area in which to stay.
So, while Susan worked and they waited for their hostel to be ready around 3 pm I gave them the grand tour of Pan Pacific Orchard Service Suites starting with the free breakfast! (Meg Hollingsworth on the left, Holly Smith on the right.)
Later that day I took them down to the world famous Long Bar at the Raffles Hotel where we of course welcomed them to Singapore with a 32 dollar (plus tax and ten percent service charge) Singapore Sling! These were much better than the ones I tried to make in Pittsburgh during our pool party send off last fall.
Holly Smith, Jen and Megan Hollingsworth)
Holly Smith, Jen and Megan Hollingsworth, Jim Hollingsworth)
Note the fans on the roof and green Singapore Sling machine on bar.)
Holly Smith after saying she was going to compare the Singapore Sling with a Mint Julep at the Kentucky Derby in early May.)
After the Singapore Sling we joined one of the free Monster Day tours which hit many of the key areas such as Chinatown, Little India, Marina Bay Sands etc. We’ve done most of them as have our guests, especially Mary Kimmitt Laxton, so we highly recommend them as a way to see Singapore and learn some fun facts.
Monsterdaytours.com
This time we tried the “Civic District” tour which covers many of the downtown highlights including the Fullerton Hotel which was built around 1850 and housed the main post office in Singapore. Our guide took us there and we all filled out postcards and mailed them. I think mine got to Pittsburgh about two weeks later. The guide also took us into the garage where we posed with some of the Fullerton’s fancy cars.
After exiting the Fullerton we had some nice views including Marina Bay Sands Hotel in the first photo and Susan’s office with the pyramid shaped top in the second one.
We also made it to see the Merlion which is the city symbol and mascot blending the history of Singapore as a fishing village with the Singapura lion supposedly seen by an early explorer which led to the island being named Singapore. Fortunately for us the Merlion was working well as now (in May when this was written) it is under repair.
February 27 – More Singapore
This day we continued with the Big Bus hop on hop off where we took the yellow line to the beautiful Singapore Botanical Garden and its separate Orchid Garden.
Then we went downtown and met Susan at the Flower Dome and Cloud Dome at Gardens by the Bay. Man made nature never looked better!
February 28 Sentosa
Sentosa is a beautiful man-made recreational island that is part of Singapore and just south of the main part of the city connected by a long bridge. In Sentosa is Universal Studios, man made beaches, zip lines, bungee jumps, indoor skydiving etc. You can get there by car, boat, bus or by cable car which is how Jen, Meg, Holly and I chose to go.
While on Sentosa we also went to see the other large Merlion statue.
We also went to the Sea Acquarium which I found interesting but Jen said it didn’t compete with the one in Atlanta.
That evening we met Susan back in Singapore and went to her office then to the Red Dot Brewery in Dempsey Hill. We sat next to 7-8 Australians who ordered three “towers” of beer which are three liters (33.8 ounces) each. One was green.
Friday March 1, 2019
As planned, Rance from the same company Kenneth Oon is from picked up Susan, Jen and me around 6 am and we stopped by the hostel in Chinatown and headed to the Changi Airport for our long anticipated two hour flight to Bali! It was a real zoo at the Denpasar Airport where hundreds of drivers were offering rides but fortunately we quickly saw a gentleman with a Padma Hotel Legian sign with HOLLINGSWORTH on it so we made the thirty minute drive through crazy motorbike traffic to the Padma Resort in the Legian area if Bali, Indonesia. Jen used her exceptional travel skills to identify this paradise location and we were not disappointed as the rooms, restaurants, five pools and beach views were just what we all wanted! https://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g608487-d307610-Reviews-Padma_Resort_Legian-Legian_Kuta_District_Bali.html#REVIEWS
Saturday, March 2, 2019
This was perhaps one of the most memorable and enjoyable days during our entire 6 1/2 to 7 month visit to Asia!!!
The day started with us being picked up for an all day tour of the Ubud portion of Bali by our driver Wayman “Guna” Gunadi, the Ubud Bali Driver whom Susan had found in Trip Advisor. He had some great reviews including ones that both Jennifer and I submitted after our adventure. Some of the highlights of this tour included things such as 1) the Monkey Forest 2) Rice Terraces 3) “Cat” coffee and 4) a big waterfall. We didn’t really know what these were but the reviews made them sound good and the experiences exceeded our expectations.
The tour started rather simply when Guna picked the 5 of us up in his nice air conditioned van at the Padma Resort and he drove through the streets of Legian on the way to Ubud. He gave us a few cautions about buying from street vendors, many of whom were not from Bali but he said the area was generally safe, just to be aware of switched products or other scams.
We drove through the center of town back toward the airport at Denpasar where in dodging cars and motor bikes we realized that Bali was not all beaches, sunsets and luxury huts over the water. I fact we were told that Bali didn’t really have the huts over the water like there are in the Maldives, Fiji or a few other places like where I’m finishing this blog on May 13, 2019, at the Telunas Private Island in Indonesia. (More on Telunas after a few more blogs!)
Our first “stop” was at a place that sold oil paintings as a “co-op” were many artists could display there wares “at a discount.” I immediately thought that perhaps we were the ones being scammed!
But there was little pressure and many of the paintings were quite nice. Holly even bought a couple (one for her parents’ bathroom) which were neatly rolled for packing.
We then went to the Monkey Forest where after a bit of walking we quickly encountered several live monkeys. We had been cautioned about not bringing food or shiny objects so I think we all felt pretty prepared although Susan was a bit anxious as she even freaks out in the dreaded butterfly garden in Chicago.
We were a bit comforted when we were told that the monkey keepers knew all 380 monkeys by name and that all had been inoculated against rabies or other diseases in this government sponsored monkey sanctuary.
Our comfort level dropped quickly when a fairly large monkey leaped about ten feet from a rock onto my back and shoulders where I let out a scream that is probably still echoing through the jungle! (Sorry fans, no photo!) We also weren’t too thrilled when we saw a Caucasian tourist kind of swatting at the monkey who proceeded to bite the tourist and draw blood, so we hope that one had his shots (the monkey that is…). But the girls seemed a bit more comfortable with these animals than Susan or I were, as you can see in some of these photos above.
Following the Monkey Forest we drove through some beautiful back roads through the rain where we are some good food next to rice terraces. I had never seen a rice terrace, at least not in person, but they were mesmerizing.
All along the tour Guna kept us very informed and entertained. He let us know that many people from Bali prefer to be known as Balinese and not part of the larger Indonesia which is dominated by the large, gridlocked city of Jakarta and the other 17,000 islands of which 13,000 are inhabited. Guna was also very funny and patient as he put up and even laughed at several Jim Hollingsworth stories!
After the rice terraces we “stopped for coffee” at one of the “cat” coffee places where we found out that this particular coffee was “processed” through a catlike animal called a Luwak, which digested and later expelled coffee (I think you get the picture…). This particular coffee was actually quite tasty and rare and expensive so we some for my son Mark, who is quite a coffee lover so we will see if he likes it.
Later we went to a beautiful (but muddy) waterfall where everyone else hiked down while I held the fort at the top and enjoyed corn on the cob waiting for the explorers to return.
On the way back Guna and I continued to share stories and we exchanged contact info and Jen and I promised to write some good reviews for him.
Guna and Jim at end of the Ubud Adventure! He was a fantastic guide whom we highly recommend.
Guna can also be contacted directly at:
Egonast.gunadi@gmail.com
While he has hundreds of reviews he may remember the Hollingsworth’s as he commented to me:
“Sure thing Jim . You just hillarious you know . It’s been a pleasure to met you and the families . Hope to see you again one day.”
We also recommended Guna and the same tour to Gretchen and Jim Haggerty’s daughter Kate Haggerty and her fiancée Patrick Kelly for their honeymoon in Bali in early May and we heard that they enjoyed it also even though Kate was also “freaked out” by the monkeys according to Guna! (And as is evidenced by the pictures…)
Here is the text of Jen’s review which kind of says it all.
“Amazing Day in Bali!
We just finished dinner and any of the 5 of us could talk about was an amazing day we had. We all agreed Guna was the best tour guide we have had in any country, and trust me we have travelled a lot. Everything was so smooth, we contacted the company and were given multiple itinerary options and chose the UBUD Experience tour. We were picked up promptly at 8:30 in a very nice air conditioned car from our hotel and set off on our adventure!
The streets of Bali can be chaotic with cars and motorcycles weaving in every direction. My parents and their back seat driving were quite nervous until we realized Guna is a true pro! You just have to “project confidence” and go! We got to each destination safely and quickly and while all of that was going on we also got a great history of Bali and every question we asked was answered.
Highlights of our trip included the Sacred Monkey Forest in Ubud. The grounds are beautiful and crawling with SAFE monkeys. Even if you are scared or nervous just stick near Guna and he will keep you safe! He also knows all the secrets and was able to get us some incredible pictures with the monkeys. The rice terrace we visited was breathtaking and something so unique to see. It was outstanding. The restaurant we stopped at for lunch was delicious and overlooking the rice fields. We also visited the Tegenungan Waterfall, also a great photo stop and another look at what Bali and Ubud have to offer.
Overall the trip was an unbelievable experience. Guna was friendly, funny, knowledgeable and spoke excellent English. We knew when he walked up that we liked him and it only grew the rest of the day. I would HIGHLY recommend this tour and especially Guna to anyone visiting the Legian/Bali area. I hope we are able to return one day and have another great day with our new friend.
Date of experience: March 2019”
Sunday March 3 and Tues March 4
We spent the next 2 1/2 days relaxing after the long tour of UBUD at the Padma Resort and Spa in Legian Bali. The staff was great and we really enjoyed our spacious rooms, good food, music, occasional spa treatment and especially the five pools and the beach! All 5 voted that we would live to return – duh!
Tuesday March 5, 2019
We hit the breakfast and beach early and then were dropped off back at the Denpasar (Bali) Airport where we all flew back to Singapore.
We all crammed into the small apartment rather than get an extra hotel or hostel since it was only one night. The next day we headed our separate ways as follows:
Jim, Susan and Jen
Singapore to Ho Chi Minh (Saigon) City for 2 days. Then Jen back to US and Susan and Jim to Hanoi Vietnam.
Jen and Holly to Bangkok and Krabi Thailand.
End of Singapore/Bali Blog
Completed in Singapore May 15, 2019 and in route to San Francisco May 26, 2019. Finally finalized on May 30, 2019 while waiting to replace some snow tires with regular ones.
Next is Vietnam and Thailand
Jim Hollingsworth
Singapore Travel Blog 