Singapore!

I would never have imagined as I drank my first "Singapore Sling" at a bush party in Madoc that I'd one day be hanging out in it's birthplace, the Raffles Hotel. (The real thing is much better than the backwater teenage concoction, I must admit, although still slightly disgusting!) The hotel, a veritable landmark in Singapore, is swank; Joseph Conrad and Rudyard Kipling both stayed there in their day... we're staying a couple of blocks away, in a place more within our budget!

Unfortunately we're not here on a pleasure cruise... we came so that Martin could have his hand repaired by a qualified surgeon.

Martin had a run-in with a window pane back in mid-January... but wait, it's mid-February you say! Yes, we went to Emergency at the public hospital in Manado... however the medical care there was LESS than adequate! At least, what I saw didn't inspire confidence -- the doctor opening Martin up farther to 'look around' for the tendon -- apparently their anatomy courses aren't comprehensive so they do their studies on live specimens! I had further proof that my hunch was right about the inferior repair of Martin's hand when, after 3 weeks, the tendon ruptured again!? At this point, we flew to Jakarta with our boss (who was just completing a site visit and review with us in Manado) to get checked out by a more capable doctor... Of course, we flew into Jakarta in the middle of the worst floods they have seen there in 5 years! -- the city was SOAKED ! ... BUT we were referred here, to Singapore, for surgery...

... and are VERY relieved. The surgeon was fantastic and did his best to repair the mess the Manado doctors made of Martin's wrist and hand... he thinks that Martin should recover full mobility and almost-normal sensation in a couple of months.



To the left... post-op... back of Martin's wrist, before he got sewn back up!






Of course, we're trying to make the best of our time here... Exploring the sights around this modern metropolis.... which doesn't even feel like it's part of Asia!? It's hard to believe they're neighbours with Indonesia... cuz these two countries are WORLDS apart!!! Anyway, we're enjoying the incredible variety of food, as well as our air-conditioned hotel room (complete with tv and hot water!!!) until tomorrow when we head back to Indonesia.