Singapore Fling
Click here for a map of the Singapore.
Along with 7 other boats we departed Nongsa Point Marina, Batam Island, Indonesia, across the Singapore Strait on Saturday 8 October 2005. With the information that an oceangoing ship moves E or W along it every 12 min together with a plethora of local craft, we took care to keep a good watch (not easy with a few heavy squalls soon after we started out). In fact there seemed to be rather more frequent traffic than advertised so we made our crossing at right angles to the traffic separation scheme when a good gap appeared.We were amazed to watch one other yacht dawdle across paying no attention to the sealanes - I leave you to guess which southern hemisphere nationality it was!
Our stay at Raffles Marina in Singapore was only 2 weeks: this was not enough (a familiar refrain) and we decided that when we do the round the world air-ticket-thingy Singapore will be a definite stop. As it was we crammed sightseeing, staying with friends, boat jobs and shopping to such an extent that I felt slightly dazed by it all: something of a big city culture shock after the relaxed simplicity and unsophistication of Indonesia. There were shopping malls everywhere: Jim and Barnaby trawled the many computer shops before acquiring a new laptop, GPS and associated software. Along the way I acquired a new digital camera and Barnaby, binoculars. Jim and I had a very pleasant stay with Nigel and Clare Race, who were also entertaining visiting mum Elaine (our friend from Knowle) at the time. Her Birthday coincided with our visit, giving an excellent reason to go to a Sunday Brunch at the Ritz-Carlton Millenia Hotel: with constant refills of 1999 Moet champagne over a 3 hour period we were able to help down a rather large amount of the excellent food - my favourite was the foie gras, freshly cooked in butter Mind you, the hot chocolate soufflee with vanilla icecream was. a pretty close second! Barnaby chose not to come with us on this occasion, but was happy to go at a later date for Afternoon Tea at Raffles Hotel. This was another gluttonous experience, but this time, constant refills of tea, to help down quiche, pies, dim sum, wontons, sandwiches, cakes, fruit etc. Of course, we HAD to have a Singapore Sling to start. Jim was quite restrained, but Barnaby and I definitely overindulged and had to sit for a while in the foyer to enjoy listening to the pianist (i.e. to allow some food to digest!).
Raffles Marina was a very pleasant place to stay, with a lovely swimming pool and free courtesy bus to the nearest shopping mall/MRT station. The only disadvantage (apart from the price) was the distance/time to travel into the city centre, but the MRT was fast, frequent and inexpensive. At first sight a western-style city with modern highrise offices and shopping malls, Singapore is an intriguing mix of west and east: amongst the familiar buildings are tucked remnants of earlier and foreign times - temples (Hindu with unfamiliar musical instruments being played, Chinese with pungent joss-sticks smouldering, Buddhist with echoing drums and chanting), tea-shops, market stalls with myriad goods, chinese street theatre....
Every day seemed to bring a new experience: we enjoyed visits to the Botanic Gardens (wonderful orchids, and palms which flower only after 50-80 years and then die) the Jurong Bird Park (magnificent display of hornbills and toucans), the Zoo (an impressive new display of hamadryas baboons in the "Great Rift Valley of Ethiopia" display), and, my favourite, the "Night Safari". At this, by cunning use of lighting and scattering food pellets near to the walkways, the nocturnal animals could be seen eating at very close quarters. By virtue of staying until nearly closing time (midnight) we wandered about without crowds of people, enjoying the tropical night with its sounds - clicks and buzzes and otters squeaking - they were still to be fed.
With the Hindu festival of Deepavali soon to begin "Little India" was sporting many illuminations and an even greater number of people, the vast majority being men who appeared to be intent on chatting to each other in the teeming streets. Chinatown also seemed to be celebrating, with temporary temples erected in walkways being patronised, as well as the old established ones. We visited many and found them mysterious, full of altars with different images, flowers, fruits and other food offerings.
Note: Jim and Rosemary have now moved on quite a long way and are currently in Thailand, with Barney and Cass (who has also joined them).
