Lessons for the Children - "Flags, Part 3: China" and "Find the City"

THIS IS THE FLAG OF CHINA. The red of the Chinese flag symbolizes the communist revolution, and it's also the traditional color of the people. The large gold star represents communism, while the four smaller stars represent the social classes of the people. In addition, the five stars together reflect the importance placed on the number five in Chinese thought and history. 

        

       BELOW IS A MAP OF THE PART OF THE WORLD WHERE I HAVE BEEN TRAVELING. CAN YOU FIND THESE FIVE CITIES? (Hint: All of them except Shanghai are capitals of their countries and have a star.). If the map is too small on your computer/iPad, find another map online and start your search.

                                                                        Tokyo

                                                                    Singapore

                                                                 Kuala Lumpur

                                                                     Jakarta

                                                                    Shanghai

                                                                

Of course, this is not only for children. We adults can learn a lot, too, especially if it has been a while since we have studied geography!

Little India and The Raffles Hotel . . .

The haze was much better by 5:00 p.m., so we headed out to Little India. This was an experience for all of the senses - the sight and feel of the beautiful, colorful textiles, the taste of coconut milk right from the coconut, the smell of the flowers as the artisans made the leis, and the sounds of people from many nationalities and languages milling about the markets.  Really nice!

        

     

        

HERE IS AN EXAMPLE OF SOME OF THE BEAUTIFUL TEXTILES.  BECCA, BE SURE TO TELL AND SHOW ANGIE!

        

 THE COCONUT WE PURCHASED AND DRANK. IT WAS DIFFERENT THAN I EXPECTED, BUT VERY REFRESHING.

        

       

                                                      THE FLOWERS SMELLED WONDERFUL.

       

                               ONE OF THE MARKETS SELLING FRSH FRUIT, VEGETABLES, AND HERBS

After exploring Little India, we set out for the Raffles Hotel. It is a hotel from colonial times, when Great Britain ruled Singapore. It was like stepping back into time. It is also the hotel that created the famous Singapore Sling cocktail. In addition to its guest rooms, it is also the site of many weddings and has lots of shops and restaurants.

       

                                                    THESE ARE TWO INTERIOR PICTURES. 

       

      

                                     A WEDDING IN ONE OF THE GARDENS INSIDE THE HOTEL.

      

   DIFFERENT VERSIONS OF THE SINGAPORE SLING (left to right): 1887 Sling, Summer Sling, & Virgin Sling

       Well, I must get to bed.  We leave the hotel at 3:30 a.m.  My next post will be from China!

                                                   Be thankful for all your blessings.  

                              

Back in Singapore: Chinatown and the haze . . .

The air in Singapore really changed in the days were were gone.  The fires burning in Indonesia, combined with the prevailing winds, have made the air in Singapore hazardous. I am sure it has been in the news in the States.  As a point of reference, normal air quality should be under 100, but right now it's over 400. It actually makes your throat and eyes hurt -- like being on the wrong side of a bonfire.  It is better in the evening, so we were able to go to Chinatown last night. That was wild!  Shop after shop after shop -- with a Hindu temple in the middle of it all. Saturday was spent indoors shopping at the HUGE mall. The biggest bookstore in the world - Kinokuniya - was a great and confusing experience. I could have spent a fortune, but only bought a political map of the world for my classroom. I plan to have the most geographically-educated Kindergarten in the U.S.!  I also saw a restaurant that reminded me of home. (Somebody show him, please!)

                            

THE PICTURE ON THE LEFT IS THE FIRST TIME WE WERE IN SINGAPORE, AND THE ONE ON THE RIGHT SHOWS  THE HAZE OVER SINGAPORE AS WE ENTERED THE CITY ON FRIDAY.  QUITE A SHOCKING DIFFERENCE.

                                  

                                                           THE STREET IN CHINATOWN

                                  

SOME PICTURES OF THE HINDU TEMPLE. WE COULD NOT TAKE PICTURES INSIDE AND WE HAD TO REMOVE OUR SHOES TO ENTER.  I FELT VERY "CREEPY" WHILE INSIDE.  VERY DIFFERENT, EVEN FROM THE BUDDHIST ONES IN JAPAN.

                                  

        

                                                    I WAS THINKING OF MY FAVORITE SON!

Random observations from the day. . .

        

                                             OUR TAKE-OUT IS CALLED "TAKE-AWAY" HERE

                                  

                                                       THIS IS SINGAPORE KETCHUP

Good-by, Jakarta, Indonesia!

Parting thoughts . . . I enjoyed all of the people I met here.  It was about as varied group as you could imagine.  Our hotel and the pool were gorgeous and the food was delicious.  If any of you back home think that the countries in Southeast Asia are third world, you could not be farther from the truth. Their technology has far surpassed the US, and business is booming. We leave this morning to go back to Singapore for the weekend, and then it is off to Shanghai.

       

                                                     THE BEAUTIFUL HOTEL LOBBY

       

                                                               TWO VIEWS OF THE POOL

       

       

                                                  THE MORNING TRAFFIC BEFORE WE LEFT

The fashion show and the executive chef . . .

We finished our last meetings in Jakarta at 3:00. Our plan was to rest until dinner. That is, until fashion show music was heard coming from the mall that is attached to our hotel.  It was the first live fashion show that I have ever seen, and it was pretty cool, I must admit.  Here are a few of the shots I took:

        

                                    

       

Earlier in the day, Cindy and I met a chef in the elevator. We struck up a  conversation with him because he spoke English. We didn't think any more about it until we were at dinner and here he comes over to our table. We found out he was the executive chef overseeing all of the many restaurants in the Hyatt and he remembered us.  He gave us all kinds of hints about the places to eat in Shanghai when we go there. He used to work there, as well. He kept checking back with us about our meals, etc., and then told us he would like to offer us a special dessert. Oh, my! There was carrot cake, apple pie, chocolate chili cake, mango gelatin, and three ice creams. The presentation was beautiful and the flavors divine.  I really felt so special.

                                    

                                                                EXECUTIVE CHEF ROLF

       

                                                                       THE DESSERT

Since I just KNOW you are wondering . . . other new things I tried today: cucumber gazpacho, pak choy (baby bok choy), Brie, Es Cendol (cold coconut soup), and Es Kelapa (a pink soup with fresh coconut meat), fortune cookie noodles, emmental cheese (tasted similar to Swiss), and cold spinach quiche.

       

                                                                         LUNCH

        

          Here is a picture on an Indonesian woman making soup at the restaurant where we ate lunch.

Culinary update . . .

Not much I can report on from Jakarta. Do you know what I mean? I have tried some new foods. My taste buds are getting a real workout. Who said I do not like to work out? Haha

        

                                        Peking duck is ready for lunch. Oh yes, I ate it!

        

Peking duck roll, with sautéd Asian vegetables I can't remember the name of the "shot glass" dessert, but the flavors were chocolate, orange, and raspberry. I was curious about how the orange would go with the other favors, but it was delicious...somewhat like a mousse.

        

This was AWESOME! It is frozen combination of vanilla and coconut - like an ice cream - served in a half coconut shell. There were different toppings to add. Mine is topped with a berry mixture.

Southeast Asia for Children - "Flags, Part 2: Malaysia and Indonesia"

Have you memorized what the flags of Japan and Singapore look like? Good!  Here are the flags of the next two countries I visited.  Try to draw and color them. Memorize what they look like. "Stretch yourself" and learn what they mean. There may be a test one of these days.  Have fun learning!

THE FLAG OF MALAYSIA was adopted on September 16, 1963. It has 14 red and white stripes (red on the top, white on the bottom. In the canton position (the upper left rectangle of the flag), there is a yellow crescent moon and yellow 14-pointed star on a blue background. The crescent moon and star are symbols of Islam, the national religion of Malaysia. The 14 stripes and the 14 points of the star represent the 14 states in Malaysia. The deep blue field of the canton symbolizes the unity of the country; yellow is the color of royalty in Malaysia.

                                  

THE FLAG OF INDONESIA is a horizontal bicolor with two equal horizontal bars (red [top] and white). The red symbolizes human blood and the white represents the human spirit. 

        

Hello, Jakarta, Indonesia!

We traveled 700+ miles SSE, crossed the equator, and arrived on Tuesday evening at 6:00 p.m. It was already pitch dark, which seems unusual compared to back home at this time of year. Jakarta is a city of ten million people. The traffic congestion was unbelievable with twelve lanes and two levels of highway. The scariest thing was the number of small motorcycles that were weaving in and out of traffic and between lanes. That's it for tonight. Take care of each other and be thankful for all the open green space we enjoy.  Until tomorrow . . . 

Petronas Twin Towers Tour

From the hologram greeting (very futuristic) to walking between the towers on the 44th floor to the observation deck on the 86th floor -- TOP NOTCH!

                                    

                                              Hologram greeting - right out of a sci-fi movie!

        

                                             Window washers at the 44th floor. Yikes!

           

                                                   Looking down from the sky bridge.

        

                                          Entering the observation deck on the 86th floor.

       

Here I am pointing my ticket at the screen to bring up information about the towers. I can see lots of applications for the classroom. The US seems to be a little behind in this type of technology. It is pretty awesome.

        

   View from the top. It is hazy in the distance because of the slashing and burning of trees in Indonesia.

          

 As a point of comparison, the 3rd building from the left is the Willis Tower in Chicago and the first is the Petronas Towers here in Kuala Lumpur.  Take note, Becca!

Good-by, Kuala Lumpur!

I wasn't here very long, but the time was sweet. My favorite things were the fresh flowers in my room every day and the outstanding architecture. Things I did not enjoy: nothing!  Well, I guess the temp could be a little cooler, but that's it. Next stop: Jakarta, Indonesia.

       

                          Each day there was a fresh orchid on the vanity towel in the bathroom.

                                  

                             As I enter my room, there is a beautiful fresh flower arrangement.

My day in Kuala Lumpur . . .

The day began with a delicious breakfast. I know most of you have been to a breakfast buffet, but, believe me, you haven't been to one like this! I lost count of the number of tables of various foods from many cultures, pastries, fruits, and the list goes on.  The new foods I tried were: vegetable frittata, yellow noodles, ahi tuna, teriyaki salmon, almond croissant, yellow watermelon (Kari, you would love it. Tastes very similar to red), rice porridge with peanuts and raspberry jam, and pistachio coconut pound cake. I am sure that everyone who has gone out to eat with me knows that I rarely try something new.  I must admit that I am pretty proud of myself - and quite amazed, as well.

         

        

This is one of my breakfast "courses."  Shown are (on the plate clockwise from the top): yellow noodles, teriyaki salmon, pistachio coconut pound cake and ahi tuna. The bowl on the top right has the rice porridge. Notice that portions are small, so you are able to try many things and not get too full.

The rest of the morning and a few hours in the afternoon were devoted to business meetings. We took a break around 1:00 for lunch. We were taken to Penang One, an authentic Malaysian restaurant. New foods I tried were: fried tofu with two sauces (HOT red chili sauce and brown fish sauce with ginger), noodles with red chilies, egg, dried shrimp, and fish sauce, deep fried meat rolls, rice balls with peanuts, sticky rice with beans, pork, and peanuts, and 1000-year-old egg. For dessert was rice gelatin with caramelized palm sugar. 

         

      This is the restaurant. The words on the wall are the featured foods written in Malay and Chinese.

                                   

       I am most proud of eating this 1000-year-old egg. Apparently, most US citizens throw up! 

After a short rest, we had dinner at beautiful restaurant in the Mandarin Oriental and then went out into the city to explore. The people of Kuala Lumpur love the night life. The towers at night were beautiful, the shopping mall in the towers was 6 stories high and the dancing fountains were beautiful. I tried to get a picture of it, but it was hard to capture the beauty.

        

Here is the restaurant. Notice all of the crystal chandeliers. The food was fabulous with exquisite presentations.

                                   

                                                  The Petronas Towers from street level.

        

                                                    The fountains "danced" to music.