The first couple of days were well and truly all about 'getting settled'. The jet lag must have been substantial as we were in bed early and waking up early for several days - and I mean early. Let's lay down for a nap at 5PM and whoa, wait-a-minute, what-the, its 6:30AM?!! We both managed to book in some transition time with our jobs - OK, mine is a bit longer than Melissa's - so we didn't have to race to our respective offices on Wednesday morning.
On Friday, we took advantage of the free shuttle to the city provided by our hotel/serviced apartment. Its really a nice service since we're a good 10-15 min walk from the closest MRT (metro/tube/train) station, and although it doesn't seem like that long of a walk, you melt in the heat and humidity. The shuttle departs every 30mins and stops at both of our offices - how perfect?! As we board the 7:30AM shuttle - the first one available - I hear but a familiar voice call out, "hey Sean!" I looked up to find Pei Sia, who I worked with previously at Australia Post in Melbourne. What a small world. Apparently our hotel - Fraser Suites - is a popular spot for Accenture people working overseas in Singapore. She went on to drop several other names of Accenture-Melbourne peeps who are not only working in Singapore but staying at Fraser Suites. What a small world! What are the chances I'd run into someone I know let alone on the morning shuttle!
On the weekend we got out of the apartment to explore a bit. I joined a group ride with the boys from SwissValley Cycles on Saturday. Really nice group and couldn't ask for a better meet-up spot - the shop is directly across the street from the hotel. They took me out to Changi Village via the East Coast Park and Changi Coast Rd. Flat, straight and well paved - can't ask for much better ;-). The one drawback is that on Saturdays, they stop and have breakfast breakfast in the village. A fine tradition and a very common way for the group to stay social. I'm not a fan of mid-ride meals. But the guys were super-nice and it was great to have an escort while checking out this great ride. I have a feeling I'll be doing this circuit weekly from here on out.
The hotel is right on the Singapore River and along side there is a nice walk that links several parks, cafes, and shopping areas. On Sunday, we ducked into a cute little breakfast place and took a seat overlooking the walk and river. The hostess asked if a seat 'without a fan' was OK. Seemed fine at the time. Never again! Surprisingly, a ceiling or wall mounted fan makes all the difference. [Think Clam Bar in July] As I wiped the sweat away before it dropped onto my breakfast burrito, I learned that you always request a table 'with a fan'.
Our Fraser Suites set-up is only temporary. We have 4 weeks there and then we're on the street! Well, it's not that emphatic, but at that point, it becomes our expense and let's just say Fraser Suites isn't the cheapest option in town ;-) Knowing we need to find a place fast, we need to generate some leads... fast. Several people had suggested we check out Townerville. The neighborhood is a cluster of colonial-style conservation houses each with 3 bedrooms, dark hardwood floors throughout, a maid's room, and a large terrace. [Note, at this stage of our search, the only characteristic/amenity we can agree on is 'it must have a large terrace/patio'.] There are several houses in the neighborhood available immediately and its a 5 min walk to the local MRT station. Sounds like a dream, right?! Well, kinda. The immediate neighborhood and the houses are beautiful. They come as advertised. The surrounding neighborhood - eek. Although its close to the MRT, the area is not so pedestrian friendly. We walked a couple of blocks in each direction and could not find a grocery store/shopping center - that's pretty uncommon. The neighborhood is also surrounded by several high-rise block housing which doesn't exactly give me the warm-and-fuzzies if you know what I mean. And you know the 3 most important aspects of real estate - location, location, location. It was a no-go. And the process begins...
Check out the short video below to take a tour of our corporate apartment at Fraser Suites.
1 comment:
Sean & Liss ... happy to see you back in the news and safely in your new adventure. I already have a map of Indonesia hanging on my office wall as a reference point. Expand my horizons...LOVE YA, Bing Dog.
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