The weather of late has been super wonky. It’s humid, raining, or hot like a furnace, and the pattern repeats. It’s a vicious cycle, I tell you. It’s tough, especially when we want to play golf.
An early morning or afternoon tee-off cannot escape the conditions. Most days, it would rain in the afternoon so heavily that the fairways were soggy the next day. And golfing on soft fairways is not fun.
Then there are days that it is so humid and hot that my brain feels fried! I cannot wear my hat. Instead, I use my umbrella, but I end up being so tan – it’s not fun either! It’s a vicious cycle.
Every year, we go away for a twosome celebration for my birthday. Typically, it would be a golf game or two and a fancy dinner. There was one year, we went to Awana Genting.
This year, I opted not to include a golf game for the birthday escapade. Instead, it was a sightseeing and gastronomic trip. Where did we go? Singapore!
Taking the Aeroline bus to Singapore
It was pleasant, not needing to drive and deal with traffic for a change. We took the Aeroline bus, which was quite comfortable despite taking six hours to arrive.
The Jewel rain vortex waterfall
We had a super fun weekend exploring the Jewel at Changi and being mesmerized by the rain vortex indoor waterfall. Being a tourist at Marina Bay Sands, it was hot and superhot outdoors, trying to capture the perfect shot of the area when we ventured out from the air-con mall.
The perfect Singapore skyline shot?
But we were also super tired from the walking and being in the super humid outdoors. I guess you can’t have it all good. Humidity aside, we had some mouth-watering food discoveries. However, there was only so much we could eat as the short escapade ended too soon.
We managed to cover fast food, community food court, mall foodcourt and fancy restaurant.
I’m glad this year we did this for a change. I look forward to next year’s birthday celebration!
You would think that playing golf three times a week makes one fit. Well, I had an eye-opener to my stamina and health when I walked nine holes on Thursday. Dang, I was heating up and had palpitations!
It was a late tee-off, 8.35 am, and we decided to use the trolley to pull our bags instead of taking the buggy. By the sixth hole, I wanted to give up. The golf course was like a giant oven! No hat nor umbrella could help me. And the hot coffee I had in the flask became so unappealing in the hot environment.
I was sweating buckets and gasping, especially going uphill! Perhaps I should walk more instead of sitting in the buggy for future games. Hmm, something to consider to overcome this inadequate stamina and strength. I’m not quite as fit as I thought, and it’s a humbling realization.
Slight drizzle was enough to derail the golf momentum
Just when you thought the hot weather was here to stay to make golf outings hot and humid, it rained this morning to spoil things. The siren did not go off because there was no electric charge in the air. We had no choice but to tee off and play on.
It threw me off in every department when it came to ball striking. Maybe it was the air and the dampness. And for the life of me, my putting skills failed me miserably. After averaging 30 putts for the last few games, the record turned ugly with 38 putts this morning. Ugh, and double ugh.
However, I should not worry too much because the playing conditions were abnormal, with the weather throwing us off. So I shouldn’t retire my Scotty Cameron putter. And it’s not even a setback with the unfortunate outing.
Come Saturday, another game awaits. So, let’s hope the momentum returns.
Now that I am back to my golf routine playing at my club, my golf game, especially putting, has improved because of the familiar grounds. I was doing 30 putts for two games before peaking at a phenomenal 27 putts during the last game!
On top of the solid putting–my Scotty Cameron has been so good–I had a good round with five pars and a birdie, a confidence-boosting outing. The icing to that round – nine one-putts, zero three-putts recorded, and a free lunch. Woo hoo.
My short game was sharp, my drives were straight, and my woods were long, not just the putting. Everything fell into place despite playing in the heat and high humidity conditions. Looks like I can manage my game in such climates.
I hope I can maintain the newfound improved performance. We shall see.
After returning from Hanoi, we have been experiencing a heatwave. It’s like a giant furnace here, unlike the nice cool weather we encountered a week earlier. But, being a diehard golfer, I continued my weekday golf routine, mindful to stay hydrated.
Dang, it was hot out on the golf course on Tuesday. My water intake, during and after the game, was more than usual to combat the heat and humidity. And luckily, the atmosphere during the Thursday morning game fared better, with less heat and some breeze.
The heatwave condition will be like this until mid-April before it subsides. Until then, the golf outings will continue, and water consumption will have to increase to stay hydrated if I want to be outdoors.
A month after our trip to Bangkok, Thailand, hubby and I flew off for a golfing trip on Sunday. We arrived in Hanoi, Vietnam, three hours later than scheduled after having our flight retimed three times. Uh-oh, not a good start.
It is my first time in Hanoi, and I find immediate similarities and differences with Bangkok. The plus point is the weather during this time of the year, cooling and not humid, is thoroughly an enjoyable factor, unlike Bangkok, which was hot and humid.
However, the sheer volume of motorbikes in Hanoi feels more here than in Bangkok. And it is astounding to see the drivers navigating the congested roads with such skill and patience. Whenever the honks blare, it’s more like ‘Excuse me, coming through’ than ‘Get out of my way!’
The trick to crossing the roads when faced with oncoming traffic is to move slowly and don’t stop or run. You will survive.
Our golfing fun began on the second day after a simple dinner and two thirst-quenching beers at an eatery across the road from our hotel at the Old Quarters.
It has been raining lately, unusual for this time of the year after Chinese New Year. So, whenever it rains, planning laundry is hard; likewise, playing golf in the afternoon.
Yesterday’s afternoon game was a washout. We managed to complete only nine holes. Very unsatisfactory, if you asked me. But I try to take the positives from the shortened round, where the short game and putting improved. It was so much better compared to the previous outing on Tuesday. And I caught up with my golf buddies, which was more important than the game itself. I have not seen them since before the Chinese New Year festivity.
On the brighter side of the weather, the rain cools down the temperature and is more bearable. However, this won’t last, as the Weather app has predicted sunny conditions for the next few days. Brace for the biting heat again!
We made three short drinks and snack stops before visiting the Grand Palace on the third day in Bangkok. The first stop was for a macha green tea, followed by coffee and a pastry, and lastly, an ice cream. Fueled, we were ready for the adventure ahead.
Morning indulgence after breakfast
It was such a hot day! And oh-so crowded. You can tell that these visitors are tourists from all over the world. Just about every other person who walked past us was wearing elephant-print pants. A sure sign of a tourist!
The Grand Palace
The buildings and temples within the Palace grounds were magnificent. The Grand Palace itself was a grand piece of architecture. Unfortunately, some attractions were closed for renovations, but we didn’t mind. We just soaked in the overall grandeur of the place.
When we left the palace grounds, my legs were ready to fall off! Do we have to walk any more? We had to because there were hardly any taxis available nearby. Thank goodness for mobile data that helped us a lot during this trip. Using her mobile phone, M1 figured out which bus to take to leave the area. But the bus Number 2 we hopped on was going in the wrong direction! Hahaha. We didn’t know.
The shortest bus ride in Bangkok on bus Number 2
Nevertheless, what an experience to be on a bus with wooden flooring! How often would you get to be on one in a big city? And the conductor was kind enough to allow us to stay until the next stop without collecting any bus fare. Finally, we managed to hail a cab and headed to Siam Paragon for dinner.
Again, like the day before, it was late when we got back to the hotel. Thank goodness, the next day, the itinerary is a much more relaxed one. Phew.
My Fitness rings on my AppleWatch Series 5 have been off the charts with so much walking we have done. Perhaps it’s a good thing to burn all those calories consumed. My legs hurt to high heaven, but the food discovery continued. After the rest from the Chatuchak outing, we took a cab to Jodd Fairs Night Market.
Colorful food choices at the Jodd Fairs Night Market. Highly recommended to visit.Dinner was on the table liner. Spicy squid, pineapple fried rice, and ribs. The pork-neck bone soup was killer spicy with the mountain of green chili that I removed!
We seem to have discovered more places to eat during this trip. Even on our past golfing trips, food was not a priority. Jodd Fairs felt like a more organized Chatuchak. The food vendors were clustered, with all types of mouth-watering food, and the sights and smells were so tempting! It’s nice to find new things to try.
Some exotic edibles – insects, crocodile meat, snails, prawns, and squid.
The walkways between the stalls were more spacious than in Chatuchak, and we could browse slowly without blocking human traffic. However, nothing caught our eyes, for we had bought what we wanted already from Chatuchak. It was another tired-to-the-bone night when we returned to the hotel. As a result of such a schedule, I did not have the energy to write anything to upload and share.
I knocked out a little past midnight. The next day, it’s another full itinerary to visit the temples.
Angieneering 
Remarks