Jan 31
This was the start of a beautiful day. Valerie was already up when John came out of the bedroom. Val made him a cup of tea and while he was drinking it, he saw Alan start to leave with the dogs for their morning walk on the beach. He waved to Alan to wait and joined them and quickly got on his warm sweatshirt and jacket. Alan had come back in and loaned John a pair of boots and a warm hat.
They walked down to the beach. The dogs met their friends and played. Well, just watch the video to see...
After they came back, it was time to get dressed for going out. Although John had said he wanted to take them all out for dinner, Valerie said definitely not today.
Les called to say he was nearly there and Valerie went out to see her brother. When they came in Val said, "Les has brought a friend." At first John thought the person with him was a womanfriend of Les. He got up to say, "Hi, I'm John" when she said something and John suddenly realized she was his cousin, Susan. What a thrill to see her! The two had spent a lot of time playing together when they were children. It was soooo good to see her.
They sat down with a drink. Les has such a great personality it is always fun wherever he is. They laughed and chatted. Val said they were just waiting for four more before they left for lunch.
A car arrived and Val said it was Carol, another of his Mum's cousins and someone who visited John and his parents more than forty years when John was just a child. She was with her husband, Dick. John was so happy to see them both and was amazed at how young Carol looked. But there was another man who definitely looked familiar but John couldn't place him. He said, "John, you don't know me. My name is Je.. Je... Joh..." Suddenly John realized... it was another of his cousins... John! John had lived on the same street in London when they were little and John from Canada was 'over the moon' to see him and his wife, Sandra. He last saw his cousin in 1969 when John was first starting university. And they had always had fun when they were together.
The group, including Alan, Sandra, Jack, Amy and Jack's friend Darrell were all going to go out to lunch and they piled into a number of cars. They went to Tabletable Restaurant. Everyone had preordered their dinners and because it was a surprise Val had picked for John. She had picked chicken goujons for an appetizer, a roast beef dinner for the main and profiteroles with cream for dessert. He also had a glass of red wine.
It was simply the most amazing as well as fun time. It reminded John strongly of what his family life had been like before emigrating to Canada. The wit was bouncing around the table and John felt as happy as he has been in a long, long time. He felt so at home, within his wonderful family (his Mum's side). He felt wrapped up in the embrace of such wonderful people. It was almost as if his Mum and Dad were there again and he was sad when it was time to say goodbye. It turned out to be Valerie and Les' treat.
Family is something that you simply cannot replace with anything else and John realized yet again how lucky a person he really is.
TRB
Sunday, January 31, 2010
A Canterbury Tale
Jan 30
This was be a day to see a town that is famous for being the seat of the worldwide Church of England, Canterbury. The Archbishop of Canterbury, whose seat is Canterbury Cathedral, is the head of the entire Anglican Church created by King Henry VIII in order to divorce his queen, Katherin of Aragon and marry Anne Boleyn. The town is also named in one of the most famous of medieval literature, the Canterbury Tales.
Val cooked John a couple of eggs in the shell along with toast before they went, although she did not have anything to eat herself. She said John should drink more and John took the opportunity to say that Valerie should eat more.
It was a bright sunny but very cool day. Val and John took the bus to Canterbury. They sat on the top of the doubledecker and got some great views of the Kentish countryside, going through a number of small villages, past sweeping vistas of gently rolling country, and typical English country houses.
When they arrived, Canterbury was bustling. There were loads of people, although they walked as people do on Saturday mornings - with smiles and at leisure. The architecture was beautiful and even the newer buildings blended in quite nicely with the old. John took a number of shots of some of the more interesting buildings. He also walked over the oldest bridge in England and saw the ducking stool (a replica, obviously) for the medieval punishment of wrongdoers. They did a little shopping: Val wanted to get something for Amy and John wanted an electrical plug adapter so he didn't keep using Alan's. He is so grateful for the kindness and generosity shown by Alan and Sandra. And Val showed John a wonderful chocolate shop where John was offered three samples of chocolates (a full sized chocolate each time) and ended up buying three packages of scrumptious sweets, two to share with Val and Sandra.
As they were getting chilly by now they stopped into a coffee shop to get a couple of flat whites (coffees). John also bought an orange and lemon muffin but Val declined to eat even part of it. So, John, of course, gobbled it down.
Then, they were off to see the cathedral. Val insisted on paying their admission and it wasn't cheap. She also bought John a book about the cathedral itself. It was so worth it. The cathedral is stunning inside and it has so many small chapels and crypts as well as resting places of some very famous people such as the Black Prince, who fought for England in the Hundred Years' War against France, St. Anselm, and at least one English King and Queen.
Of course, the cathedral is most famous for a dark event in British hisory. Thomas Becket, the archbishop of Canterbury in 1170, was murdered at the altar on December 29 by knights of King Henry II. He had fought for the rights of priests to be exempt from the king's law. Becket was later proclaimed a saint by the Roman Catholic church. The tip of one of the knight's swords that broke off during the murder is still kept in the cathedral and the altar is called the Altar of the Sword's Point.
After looking around they noticed that the choir was about to practice so they sat down and listened to the all male choir (boys and men) sing. The sound seemed to fill the vast space especially as the voices of the young boys soared in the highest soprano.
They left, having had a moving experience and went back to the bus area. It was going to be quite a while until the next bus so they went to another coffee shop close by and got hot chocolate drinks before going back to the stop and catching the bus back. The sun was starting to sink and the cool day was getting colder on the walk back from the bus stop.
Once back in the warm welcoming house, Sandra had prepared a steak pie for dinner and John was hungry enough to wolf his down. He was filled with a warm feeling as he settled into bed and a deep sleep.
TRB
This was be a day to see a town that is famous for being the seat of the worldwide Church of England, Canterbury. The Archbishop of Canterbury, whose seat is Canterbury Cathedral, is the head of the entire Anglican Church created by King Henry VIII in order to divorce his queen, Katherin of Aragon and marry Anne Boleyn. The town is also named in one of the most famous of medieval literature, the Canterbury Tales.
Val cooked John a couple of eggs in the shell along with toast before they went, although she did not have anything to eat herself. She said John should drink more and John took the opportunity to say that Valerie should eat more.
It was a bright sunny but very cool day. Val and John took the bus to Canterbury. They sat on the top of the doubledecker and got some great views of the Kentish countryside, going through a number of small villages, past sweeping vistas of gently rolling country, and typical English country houses.
When they arrived, Canterbury was bustling. There were loads of people, although they walked as people do on Saturday mornings - with smiles and at leisure. The architecture was beautiful and even the newer buildings blended in quite nicely with the old. John took a number of shots of some of the more interesting buildings. He also walked over the oldest bridge in England and saw the ducking stool (a replica, obviously) for the medieval punishment of wrongdoers. They did a little shopping: Val wanted to get something for Amy and John wanted an electrical plug adapter so he didn't keep using Alan's. He is so grateful for the kindness and generosity shown by Alan and Sandra. And Val showed John a wonderful chocolate shop where John was offered three samples of chocolates (a full sized chocolate each time) and ended up buying three packages of scrumptious sweets, two to share with Val and Sandra.
As they were getting chilly by now they stopped into a coffee shop to get a couple of flat whites (coffees). John also bought an orange and lemon muffin but Val declined to eat even part of it. So, John, of course, gobbled it down.
Then, they were off to see the cathedral. Val insisted on paying their admission and it wasn't cheap. She also bought John a book about the cathedral itself. It was so worth it. The cathedral is stunning inside and it has so many small chapels and crypts as well as resting places of some very famous people such as the Black Prince, who fought for England in the Hundred Years' War against France, St. Anselm, and at least one English King and Queen.
Of course, the cathedral is most famous for a dark event in British hisory. Thomas Becket, the archbishop of Canterbury in 1170, was murdered at the altar on December 29 by knights of King Henry II. He had fought for the rights of priests to be exempt from the king's law. Becket was later proclaimed a saint by the Roman Catholic church. The tip of one of the knight's swords that broke off during the murder is still kept in the cathedral and the altar is called the Altar of the Sword's Point.
After looking around they noticed that the choir was about to practice so they sat down and listened to the all male choir (boys and men) sing. The sound seemed to fill the vast space especially as the voices of the young boys soared in the highest soprano.
They left, having had a moving experience and went back to the bus area. It was going to be quite a while until the next bus so they went to another coffee shop close by and got hot chocolate drinks before going back to the stop and catching the bus back. The sun was starting to sink and the cool day was getting colder on the walk back from the bus stop.
Once back in the warm welcoming house, Sandra had prepared a steak pie for dinner and John was hungry enough to wolf his down. He was filled with a warm feeling as he settled into bed and a deep sleep.
TRB
Saturday, January 30, 2010
A day of rest.
Jan 29
This was a day of welcome rest for John. He just hung out and chilled with Valerie and talked of old times. Meanwhile I did some work on the blog: uploading videos and writing about the day before. No end to the work I have to do!
It was a wonderful day because John realized just how tired he had become. He sat on the couch and watched some nature television including a program on how they take care of the animals in the Metro Toronto Zoo. During the program, John felt soo comfortable and relaxxxx__zzzzzz.
He woke up long after the program had gone off. That was how relaxed he was.
Alan and Jack had gone off to work but when they came home, it was time to get ready for dinner out! Alan wanted to treat everyone to a dinner at an Indian restaurant in Herne Bay. However, Jack had plans with Sam so it was Alan, Sandra, Amy, Val, and John who got in the car to go.
They drove in and it was amazingly good. John had a couple of dishes that he cannot remember, ate someone else's rice by accident, and enjoyed a local beer. However, it wasn't just the food but the company that made the evening so special. Alan has a gift for telling jokes and recounting stories while Sandra can keep up line by line. It can make for hilaious repartee. John asked mt to underline that it was a very fun and memorable evening.
When they got home, John was ready to crash again.
TRB
This was a day of welcome rest for John. He just hung out and chilled with Valerie and talked of old times. Meanwhile I did some work on the blog: uploading videos and writing about the day before. No end to the work I have to do!
It was a wonderful day because John realized just how tired he had become. He sat on the couch and watched some nature television including a program on how they take care of the animals in the Metro Toronto Zoo. During the program, John felt soo comfortable and relaxxxx__zzzzzz.
He woke up long after the program had gone off. That was how relaxed he was.
Alan and Jack had gone off to work but when they came home, it was time to get ready for dinner out! Alan wanted to treat everyone to a dinner at an Indian restaurant in Herne Bay. However, Jack had plans with Sam so it was Alan, Sandra, Amy, Val, and John who got in the car to go.
They drove in and it was amazingly good. John had a couple of dishes that he cannot remember, ate someone else's rice by accident, and enjoyed a local beer. However, it wasn't just the food but the company that made the evening so special. Alan has a gift for telling jokes and recounting stories while Sandra can keep up line by line. It can make for hilaious repartee. John asked mt to underline that it was a very fun and memorable evening.
When they got home, John was ready to crash again.
TRB
Friday, January 29, 2010
Planes
Jan 28
John woke up several times in the night. He knew that his body was adjusting to the new time zone. The house is situated on a lovely little street that is very quiet and provides John with a welcome break from the hectic pace he has been setting himself since starting off on this long odyssey.
The day started with a walk with the dogs down by the ocean and along paths between thickets of brambles. John and Alan had a great walk. It was cool and windy but the three dogs loved it. They also met many of their friends, also being walked by their owners. Rufus and Lara by their sheer size scare new people and other dogs even though they are gentle giants.
Alan asked John if he would like to go out and see the Spitfire and Hurricane Museum at Manston. John knew this was one of the most important bases from which the British sent their brave young men up in Spitfires and Hurricanes in the Battle of Britain in 1940. He was thrilled to go. Spitfires have been a passion of his for many decades.
The former base is now an airport called Kent International Airport. Anyway, they walked into the free museum and saw the two restored aircraft along with many, many artifacts of the time, including an old air force fire engine. John and Alan both put a donation in the box to help keep the museum going.
After leaving there, the two went to the local flying club. It was called TG Aviaiton and was a very modern facility. John got to speak to a pilot who had just completed a flight over southeast England to keep his licence current. Alan asked if they could see the planes in the hangar and after checking for security reasons, they were allowed to go out with a young pilot/mechanic. It was great for John to talk aviation with someone who knew the way things are in Britain. He found that, although there are minor differences, most of the regulations are exactly the same. One tiny point that John found interesting was in the way that planes identify themselves to the tower. In Canada a plane that is say, C-GBJU (will always leave out the C for Canada and talk to the tower using the last three letters, such as Bravo Juliet Uniform) while in Britain a plane that is say, G-XBJU (will always use the G for Great Britain and the last two letters (ie. they will use Golf Juliet Uniform).
Next it was over to Reculver to see the ruins of an ancient Roman fort on which had been built a church that is now in ruins itself. Reculver Church is now on the edge of a clff and is a spectacular sight though John knew the videocamera could not capture it well. All that is left are the twin towers. They also had a beer and some quintessential British pub snacks called pork scratchings.
Again the day ended with a wonderful meal that Alan cooked. It was seafood fettucine (aka tagliatelle). John was exhautsed after his day and retired early.
TRB
John woke up several times in the night. He knew that his body was adjusting to the new time zone. The house is situated on a lovely little street that is very quiet and provides John with a welcome break from the hectic pace he has been setting himself since starting off on this long odyssey.
The day started with a walk with the dogs down by the ocean and along paths between thickets of brambles. John and Alan had a great walk. It was cool and windy but the three dogs loved it. They also met many of their friends, also being walked by their owners. Rufus and Lara by their sheer size scare new people and other dogs even though they are gentle giants.
Alan asked John if he would like to go out and see the Spitfire and Hurricane Museum at Manston. John knew this was one of the most important bases from which the British sent their brave young men up in Spitfires and Hurricanes in the Battle of Britain in 1940. He was thrilled to go. Spitfires have been a passion of his for many decades.
The former base is now an airport called Kent International Airport. Anyway, they walked into the free museum and saw the two restored aircraft along with many, many artifacts of the time, including an old air force fire engine. John and Alan both put a donation in the box to help keep the museum going.
After leaving there, the two went to the local flying club. It was called TG Aviaiton and was a very modern facility. John got to speak to a pilot who had just completed a flight over southeast England to keep his licence current. Alan asked if they could see the planes in the hangar and after checking for security reasons, they were allowed to go out with a young pilot/mechanic. It was great for John to talk aviation with someone who knew the way things are in Britain. He found that, although there are minor differences, most of the regulations are exactly the same. One tiny point that John found interesting was in the way that planes identify themselves to the tower. In Canada a plane that is say, C-GBJU (will always leave out the C for Canada and talk to the tower using the last three letters, such as Bravo Juliet Uniform) while in Britain a plane that is say, G-XBJU (will always use the G for Great Britain and the last two letters (ie. they will use Golf Juliet Uniform).
Next it was over to Reculver to see the ruins of an ancient Roman fort on which had been built a church that is now in ruins itself. Reculver Church is now on the edge of a clff and is a spectacular sight though John knew the videocamera could not capture it well. All that is left are the twin towers. They also had a beer and some quintessential British pub snacks called pork scratchings.
Again the day ended with a wonderful meal that Alan cooked. It was seafood fettucine (aka tagliatelle). John was exhautsed after his day and retired early.
TRB
Thursday, January 28, 2010
First Day in England
Jan 27
John woke several times in the night, probably due to his schedule being a little off kilter as a result of the long flight and the six-hour time difference. However, his being able to lie down on the plane greatly eased his usual discomfort from long flights.
The Comfort Hotel was good and very reasonable. His travel agent had gotten him a good deal at 49 pounds which was really great. Their posted rates started at 129 pounds.
John got up and had a traditional English breakfast: scrambled eggs, back bacon, fried tomatoes, mushrooms, and hash browns. Ok, well the hash browns were not really tradtional. He also had tea, orange juice, yogurt and pineapple. A little after 8 am the phone rang and it was Valerie calling from Les' home. She had stayed with Les and they would be coming to pick John up about 11am. He brushed his teeth and packed for the next leg of his trip. He thought he would have a little lie down.
He suddenly awoke from his snooze at 10:30. So he put on his clothes once more and went to the reception and paid his bill, happy to be ready ahead of time. He put on his iPod and was about to start listening when he saw a Mercedes Benz drive up and saw Valerie get out. After a hello hug with Val, and a good handshake with Les, he put his stuff in the 'boot' and they set off. Valerie wanted John to sit in the front so he did. The three had a great conversation on the 90 minute drive to Val's home and Les said that was making super excellent time. Les had just come out of hospital after having pneumonia so it was really good of him to make the drive.
The house in Kent has a name relating to its origins rather than a street number and indeed all the houses but one have names instead of numbers. That is sooo English! It is a lovely house in whch Val lives with Sandra, Alan, Amy and Jack. It is an old house that has been totally removated inside and out and decorated with real panache. The colours, styles and themes of the decor all work well with each other. John also got to meet Rufus and Lara (two huge Irish wolfhounds) and Charlie (a sweet female Staffordshire terrier) along with their three cats, Pebbles, Abby, and TC (for top cat) two of whom came by for a pat. Pebbles is very shy.
Val and John talked for a while and Val showed John the room he will be staying in. It is her room and John protested, not wanting her to be put out of her own bed. But Valerie insisted that she could sleep in Amy's room, so John acceded with real appreciation. Shortly after, Alan came home with groceries. John had not met Alan or Jack before (because Alan was not yet on the scene so long ago and Jack because he hadn't been born yet). Alan is a fine cook and he had been out to get groceries to make supper - an Oriental dish of duck breast, rice and wokked veggies in a delicious homemade sweet and sour sauce. John, Alan, Sandra and Val had a very interesting talk and they found not only that they had a lot in common but that they all had the same sense of humour. Alan and Sandra are very successful businesspeople, running a taxi enterprise with some 85 employees. Amy works as a paralegal and Jack works with Alan.
Alan then cooked supper with no help from John, Val, and Sandra who stood in the kitchen talking. Jack's girlfriend, Samantha, came over and dinner was set for seven places. The meal itself was absolutely scrumptious, cooked to perfection. John was so full at the end that he had to turn down dessert, a first for him.
After dinner, John and Alan took the dogs for a walk along a footpath near the sea, before heading down close to the beach itself slightly before 9pm and in the dark. The particular smell of the ocean here reminded John of the seaside of his childhood. The salt spray, the seaweed, whatever it was, took John back to the happy times he had spent at the seaside with his Mum and Dad and he took a second to think of them. The wind was cold but the hat loaned to John made him quite warm.
The dogs ran and ran and obviously had a great time. Alan takes them out twice a day. As they returned it started to rain and Amy and Sandra came out to wipe the dogs' muddy paws.
The it was time for a little TV before turning in. John felt so much at home he easily drifted off to sleep.
TRB
John woke several times in the night, probably due to his schedule being a little off kilter as a result of the long flight and the six-hour time difference. However, his being able to lie down on the plane greatly eased his usual discomfort from long flights.
The Comfort Hotel was good and very reasonable. His travel agent had gotten him a good deal at 49 pounds which was really great. Their posted rates started at 129 pounds.
John got up and had a traditional English breakfast: scrambled eggs, back bacon, fried tomatoes, mushrooms, and hash browns. Ok, well the hash browns were not really tradtional. He also had tea, orange juice, yogurt and pineapple. A little after 8 am the phone rang and it was Valerie calling from Les' home. She had stayed with Les and they would be coming to pick John up about 11am. He brushed his teeth and packed for the next leg of his trip. He thought he would have a little lie down.
He suddenly awoke from his snooze at 10:30. So he put on his clothes once more and went to the reception and paid his bill, happy to be ready ahead of time. He put on his iPod and was about to start listening when he saw a Mercedes Benz drive up and saw Valerie get out. After a hello hug with Val, and a good handshake with Les, he put his stuff in the 'boot' and they set off. Valerie wanted John to sit in the front so he did. The three had a great conversation on the 90 minute drive to Val's home and Les said that was making super excellent time. Les had just come out of hospital after having pneumonia so it was really good of him to make the drive.
The house in Kent has a name relating to its origins rather than a street number and indeed all the houses but one have names instead of numbers. That is sooo English! It is a lovely house in whch Val lives with Sandra, Alan, Amy and Jack. It is an old house that has been totally removated inside and out and decorated with real panache. The colours, styles and themes of the decor all work well with each other. John also got to meet Rufus and Lara (two huge Irish wolfhounds) and Charlie (a sweet female Staffordshire terrier) along with their three cats, Pebbles, Abby, and TC (for top cat) two of whom came by for a pat. Pebbles is very shy.
Val and John talked for a while and Val showed John the room he will be staying in. It is her room and John protested, not wanting her to be put out of her own bed. But Valerie insisted that she could sleep in Amy's room, so John acceded with real appreciation. Shortly after, Alan came home with groceries. John had not met Alan or Jack before (because Alan was not yet on the scene so long ago and Jack because he hadn't been born yet). Alan is a fine cook and he had been out to get groceries to make supper - an Oriental dish of duck breast, rice and wokked veggies in a delicious homemade sweet and sour sauce. John, Alan, Sandra and Val had a very interesting talk and they found not only that they had a lot in common but that they all had the same sense of humour. Alan and Sandra are very successful businesspeople, running a taxi enterprise with some 85 employees. Amy works as a paralegal and Jack works with Alan.
Alan then cooked supper with no help from John, Val, and Sandra who stood in the kitchen talking. Jack's girlfriend, Samantha, came over and dinner was set for seven places. The meal itself was absolutely scrumptious, cooked to perfection. John was so full at the end that he had to turn down dessert, a first for him.
After dinner, John and Alan took the dogs for a walk along a footpath near the sea, before heading down close to the beach itself slightly before 9pm and in the dark. The particular smell of the ocean here reminded John of the seaside of his childhood. The salt spray, the seaweed, whatever it was, took John back to the happy times he had spent at the seaside with his Mum and Dad and he took a second to think of them. The wind was cold but the hat loaned to John made him quite warm.
The dogs ran and ran and obviously had a great time. Alan takes them out twice a day. As they returned it started to rain and Amy and Sandra came out to wipe the dogs' muddy paws.
The it was time for a little TV before turning in. John felt so much at home he easily drifted off to sleep.
TRB
Singapore to London
Jan 26 Enroute
John and I are sitting in gate B7, waiting to board Singapore Airlines flight 318 to London. There is supposed to be wireless access here but John's computer cannot find it. One might have to go upstairs to the first class waiting area, perhaps. Anyway, we have some time to wait so we decided this might be a good time to write the content for the next post.
John is not looking forward to the long flight but he picked an aisle seat in a back row in hopes that if the plane is not full he might be able to stretch out a bit. It is a gamble because the row is close to the toilets. In the flight from Melbourne either he or his fellow passenger could have had a whole row but it would have been impolite to accept over the other and so both turned it down. However, John noted that the last rows are the ones they do not fill up until the end.
The day itself is typical. Sunny with clouds, hot and very humid. John was pleased when he checked out because he had eaten breakfast each morning at the hotel and it turned out to be included. So $100 Cdn a night in a 5-star hotel with breakfast is a pretty good deal.
Unlike what he had been told taxis were not cheap. They weren't expensive either - just not dirt cheap as in some third world countries. John had to take a taxi to the airport rather than the shuttle because the shuttle could only take him at 8:15 and that was wayyy too early for a 1:00pm flight.
As it was being at the airport three hours early was too soon anyway. The airport is so efficient that you check in very quickly. John went through passport control with no problem and was able to check out the malls in all three terminals by using the Skytrain between them. Terminal 3 is definitely the best one as it is the newest. If you don't look around when you arrive the other terminals can seem sort of dull. But if you look closer there are many, many shops from Ferrari and Dolce & Gabbana, to public post offices, restaurants, bookstores, childrens' stores and so on.
One of the most interesting things is that security is at the gate. There is no central hub through which everyone must go. This little change makes security clearance much, much more comfortable. John had accidentally taken a bottle of water from the hotel to drink at the airport but had forgotten to drink it. When it was discovered by the scan he was given the choice to drink all or part of it before proceeding to the seating area. After having a short drink John proceeded on and was met by three police officers who checked his passport again. That seems to sum up the way many things operate in Singapore. Tourists are seen as honoured, valued customers but underlying that is a tight security regime.
Well, it is close to the time to board so Jhn is putting the laptop away for the flight and picking me up again. Talk to you later from the UK.
TRB
On flight SG 318 currently at 39,000 feet southeast of Ashkhabad in Turkmenistan (north of Iran) after overflying Afghanistan between Kandahar and Kabul. John sent his wishes for safety to the Canadian troops below.
The Airbus A380 is an amazing plane. It is so new and the features make it a joy in which to fly. Of course, Singapore Airways gives more knee room than John is used to. Not only that but they give economy passengers more room as well.
This is the BEST flight John has ever taken and he has been flying since 1960! One reason is that his flight has come at a real down time for the airline. Nobody it seems is going to London today. His strategy of asking for a seat near the back was unecessary. There must be only 20 passngers in his section of the plane that can hold 120 people. The only downer is a baby that cries incessantly. The baby went to sleep for a while but has cried the rest of the time and the flight has been airborne for seven and a half hours.
John has a row all to himself and can lay down aytime he wants. He even had a fairly comfortable sleep. The service has been phenomenal. He was served two drinks of a good Cabernet Sauvignon before lunch (steak with mashed potatoes au gratin), beer with supper (John chose the Thai fried rice over the bangers and mash. He has been offered drinks on at least five other occasions. Since there are so few other passengers there is never a line up at the washroom!
We are in the main cabin of this double decker plane but the ceiling is curved just like it was any other wide body jet. The plane is also extremely quiet. There is a jet engine sound so low you can hear the hiss of the air flowing over the wings. The individual lights are very focused to avoid disturbing other passengers. The entertainment is superb - John watched a movie called The Informer with Matt Damon, then slept, then watched two episodes of Two and a Half Men followed by two documentaries (one on Cleopatra and another on penguins and other life in and near Antarctica). It reminded John of his ecperience in Christchurch at the International Antarctic Centre.
John has been reflective of late as his trip is starting to wind down. What does it mean and what has he learned. There are so many different cultures from the Maori to the Australian aborigines, to the Chinese, Malays, Indians. and those of us from a Western tradition. The street of Harmony with all the different religions is good but it doesn't take religion but rather goodwill. Each culture is worthy to live in peace with its neighbours. There is intolerance but it can be overcome by good faith and good karma. We are all indigenous to our beautiful Mother Earth, our Gaia.
TRB
John and I are sitting in gate B7, waiting to board Singapore Airlines flight 318 to London. There is supposed to be wireless access here but John's computer cannot find it. One might have to go upstairs to the first class waiting area, perhaps. Anyway, we have some time to wait so we decided this might be a good time to write the content for the next post.
John is not looking forward to the long flight but he picked an aisle seat in a back row in hopes that if the plane is not full he might be able to stretch out a bit. It is a gamble because the row is close to the toilets. In the flight from Melbourne either he or his fellow passenger could have had a whole row but it would have been impolite to accept over the other and so both turned it down. However, John noted that the last rows are the ones they do not fill up until the end.
The day itself is typical. Sunny with clouds, hot and very humid. John was pleased when he checked out because he had eaten breakfast each morning at the hotel and it turned out to be included. So $100 Cdn a night in a 5-star hotel with breakfast is a pretty good deal.
Unlike what he had been told taxis were not cheap. They weren't expensive either - just not dirt cheap as in some third world countries. John had to take a taxi to the airport rather than the shuttle because the shuttle could only take him at 8:15 and that was wayyy too early for a 1:00pm flight.
As it was being at the airport three hours early was too soon anyway. The airport is so efficient that you check in very quickly. John went through passport control with no problem and was able to check out the malls in all three terminals by using the Skytrain between them. Terminal 3 is definitely the best one as it is the newest. If you don't look around when you arrive the other terminals can seem sort of dull. But if you look closer there are many, many shops from Ferrari and Dolce & Gabbana, to public post offices, restaurants, bookstores, childrens' stores and so on.
One of the most interesting things is that security is at the gate. There is no central hub through which everyone must go. This little change makes security clearance much, much more comfortable. John had accidentally taken a bottle of water from the hotel to drink at the airport but had forgotten to drink it. When it was discovered by the scan he was given the choice to drink all or part of it before proceeding to the seating area. After having a short drink John proceeded on and was met by three police officers who checked his passport again. That seems to sum up the way many things operate in Singapore. Tourists are seen as honoured, valued customers but underlying that is a tight security regime.
Well, it is close to the time to board so Jhn is putting the laptop away for the flight and picking me up again. Talk to you later from the UK.
TRB
On flight SG 318 currently at 39,000 feet southeast of Ashkhabad in Turkmenistan (north of Iran) after overflying Afghanistan between Kandahar and Kabul. John sent his wishes for safety to the Canadian troops below.
The Airbus A380 is an amazing plane. It is so new and the features make it a joy in which to fly. Of course, Singapore Airways gives more knee room than John is used to. Not only that but they give economy passengers more room as well.
This is the BEST flight John has ever taken and he has been flying since 1960! One reason is that his flight has come at a real down time for the airline. Nobody it seems is going to London today. His strategy of asking for a seat near the back was unecessary. There must be only 20 passngers in his section of the plane that can hold 120 people. The only downer is a baby that cries incessantly. The baby went to sleep for a while but has cried the rest of the time and the flight has been airborne for seven and a half hours.
John has a row all to himself and can lay down aytime he wants. He even had a fairly comfortable sleep. The service has been phenomenal. He was served two drinks of a good Cabernet Sauvignon before lunch (steak with mashed potatoes au gratin), beer with supper (John chose the Thai fried rice over the bangers and mash. He has been offered drinks on at least five other occasions. Since there are so few other passengers there is never a line up at the washroom!
We are in the main cabin of this double decker plane but the ceiling is curved just like it was any other wide body jet. The plane is also extremely quiet. There is a jet engine sound so low you can hear the hiss of the air flowing over the wings. The individual lights are very focused to avoid disturbing other passengers. The entertainment is superb - John watched a movie called The Informer with Matt Damon, then slept, then watched two episodes of Two and a Half Men followed by two documentaries (one on Cleopatra and another on penguins and other life in and near Antarctica). It reminded John of his ecperience in Christchurch at the International Antarctic Centre.
John has been reflective of late as his trip is starting to wind down. What does it mean and what has he learned. There are so many different cultures from the Maori to the Australian aborigines, to the Chinese, Malays, Indians. and those of us from a Western tradition. The street of Harmony with all the different religions is good but it doesn't take religion but rather goodwill. Each culture is worthy to live in peace with its neighbours. There is intolerance but it can be overcome by good faith and good karma. We are all indigenous to our beautiful Mother Earth, our Gaia.
TRB
Monday, January 25, 2010
Culminating Day in Singapore
John woke early to make sure he was ready for his 8am departure on a full day trip to Malacca (spelled Melaka in Malay) in Malaysia. He checked to ensure he had his passport and Singapore Departure Card and went down to breakfast.
The bus arrived about 8:02 and John thought, "This is funny. They're late!" He has gotten so used to the level of service that something like this, that would not raise an eyebrow anywhere else, crossed his mind.
The trip down to the coordination centre where all the buses that pick people up from hotels converge and distribute their passengers. John was shown to a small coach where he was asked to fill out a Singapore Arrival Card and a Malaysian Arrival Card. He also had to show the driver his passport and his Singapore Departure Crad that he got on first arriving in Singapore.
Apparently very few people take this all day trip. It IS a lot of driving and the time reasonably short in Malacca so it is not particularly popular. Their driver was a man of few words. So, the passengers, all 10 of them, introduced themselves. There was a family from Fremantle, Australia (near Perth) with two boys, one in school (year 9) and one in university. There was a woman from Italy or Bulgaria travelling on a British passport. She is a tour guide at home in Rome. Go figure! There was a couple from West Virginia, close to Ohio and Pennsylvania, and knew about Ontario. There was a painfully shy young Chinese woman and a woman from the Phillipines. The group were all friendly and they talked all the way to the border (about 23 km since Singapore is so small). They all got out of the bus at Singapore Immigration.
Like New Zealand and Australia, you have to go through security and Immigration to leave the country. They take away your Departure Card (which says there is the death penalty for having 15 g of heroin) and off you go. You have to rejoin your bus that has moved through.
Everybody has to do it alone. The Aussie woman had some trouble. Their dog had bitten her passport and the officials were suspicious. But they relented. Next was an extraordinary trip in the bus between barricades and barbed wire to the Malaysian entry point. The two countries used to be one, but are not now the best of friends. Once more you have to get off the bus and go through Malaysian Customs and Immigration. John had no trouble but again they questioned the Aussie woman.
On getting back to the bus, they met their guide, a Malaysian man, who told them about Johore Bahru, the city on the Malaysian side of the border. He told them that the Sultan had just died and he was wearing the obligatory black armband for the month of official mourning. He also said they had a long drive ahead of them on a very good divided highway for a third world nation. It was some 240km away.
But first they were to see a pewter factory. The town was very third world - industrial, not very clean, with small, obviously unregulated shops and tiny factories. The guide told them about pewter and how it is made. They looked at people making molds of lids for containers meant to hold Chinese tea. They also saw the people polishing the containers. They wear gloves so that they can polish the pewter to a high sheen. John thought the gloves looked suspiciously like dangerous asbestos but he wasn't sure. They were then taken to the 'store' to 'see' the products - available for purchase, of course, at factory prices - made in the factory.
They then set off onto the highway. On both sides of the highway for mile upon mile upon mile they could see Oil Palm trees, the ones they use to make Palm Oil and Palm Kernel Oil used in all sorts of products like soaps, oils, waxes, even for food. Don't believe me? Look at the ingredient list of any packaged baked goods. The guide said that the government had converted their millions of rubber trees to oil palms because the rubber market had decreased so much due to artificial rubber.
They also got glimpses of small houses and occasional villages. They looked desperately poor to John but the guide said that the average income was $2,500 Malaysian ringgits a month and so only 4% of the popualtion was in dire poverty. The ringgit is today worth about 31 cents Canadian. So, John figures the average Malaysian earns about $800 Cdn a month.
The drive continued and the guide talked in a monotone for a very long time about the history of the area - the Malays, the Chinese, the Indians, the English, the Dutch, the Portuguese. He reeled off dates when this happened or that and why. What sultan did this or that. John normally loves this sort of stuff, but with the gentle rocking of the bus, the soothing monotone, and a short sleep the night before, he nodded off for a few minutes. Eventually, the guide said sit back and relax and enjoy the scenery.
John wondered why do they tell people to sit back; he was never sitting forward. And why relax; he was not on the edge of his seat due to the commentary. Anyway, John enjoyed the gentle swaying and looked outside from time to time. Eventually as they neared Malacca, the guide pointed out that there were other trees, too. John saw rubber trees that had been tapped for their latex. The other trees were the teak trees that the road company that owns the road (it is a toll highway) has planted to sell for timnber in a number of years.
Thye passed an area where there were lots of swifts, small fast flying insect-eating birds. The driver had to drive slowly to avoid hitting them. It was as if they didn't understand about traffic.
Then they arrived in Malacca and were taken to the Hotel Equatorial for lunch. It was sumptuous. It was one of the best buffets John has seen ever. They scrimped on nothing. John ate well, both first course and incredible desserts. He also splurged by buying a coke to go with it. It was $5 Singapore. John gave three $2 bills just to get some Malaysian change to take home.
After lunch, they boarded the bus and were taken around the town. Eventually the guide asked then to diembark to see a temple for Buddhists, Taoists, and Confucians and explained about the gods and how these three can all happily coexist. He told them that the street was called Harmony because it had Christian churches, Hindu temples, Buddhist temples, and Muslim mosques.
They were then given 50 minutes to walk the old streets. The guide said to guard your passport because there was no getting back into Singapore without it and they had had some people pickpocketed in the past in the area. John wandered around with the Aussie guy and their two sons. John didn't want to go shopping anyway so they sat down near the riverbank. Suddenly, the younger son, yelled out that there was a crock in the water. John grabbed his camera and got some good footage - not of a crocodile - but rather a large monitor lizard. It was the highlight of the day. They met the bus and the guide and were taken to another part of the toen close by. There was a choice. Sit in the bus or walk up the hill to see the place where Saint Francis Xavier is buried. Once again, most people did the activity though the Aussie woman and the Bulgarian/Italian stayed on the bus. It was quite steep but very cool. John had never seen a Saint's burial place before.
They met up with the rest of the group and headed for the bus. It was time for the two hour ride back. The group had a good discussion about all sorts of things. John was very impressed by the two sons. The one in university has his head and heart in the right place. No rightwinger there. He is taking film studies. The younger son oozed talent. He is in year 9 at school but didn't look more than 13. He could easily keep up with the adult conversation and had amazing social skills. It turns out he can cook better than his parents from watching cooking shows on TV. The boys both do their own laundry and cleaning. And they are really happy kids. What an awesome family!
Soon, it was time to go through the customs and immigration process in reverse. Just as long and tedious. But then they were through and headed back to town. For the first time ever John was the first one delivered to his hotel. He said his farewells to all the others and wished them well, his trip to Singapore over.
John has asked me to remind you that he will not have Internet access for a few days but to hang in there. More posts and videos will come when he can get connected again.
TRB
The bus arrived about 8:02 and John thought, "This is funny. They're late!" He has gotten so used to the level of service that something like this, that would not raise an eyebrow anywhere else, crossed his mind.
The trip down to the coordination centre where all the buses that pick people up from hotels converge and distribute their passengers. John was shown to a small coach where he was asked to fill out a Singapore Arrival Card and a Malaysian Arrival Card. He also had to show the driver his passport and his Singapore Departure Crad that he got on first arriving in Singapore.
Apparently very few people take this all day trip. It IS a lot of driving and the time reasonably short in Malacca so it is not particularly popular. Their driver was a man of few words. So, the passengers, all 10 of them, introduced themselves. There was a family from Fremantle, Australia (near Perth) with two boys, one in school (year 9) and one in university. There was a woman from Italy or Bulgaria travelling on a British passport. She is a tour guide at home in Rome. Go figure! There was a couple from West Virginia, close to Ohio and Pennsylvania, and knew about Ontario. There was a painfully shy young Chinese woman and a woman from the Phillipines. The group were all friendly and they talked all the way to the border (about 23 km since Singapore is so small). They all got out of the bus at Singapore Immigration.
Like New Zealand and Australia, you have to go through security and Immigration to leave the country. They take away your Departure Card (which says there is the death penalty for having 15 g of heroin) and off you go. You have to rejoin your bus that has moved through.
Everybody has to do it alone. The Aussie woman had some trouble. Their dog had bitten her passport and the officials were suspicious. But they relented. Next was an extraordinary trip in the bus between barricades and barbed wire to the Malaysian entry point. The two countries used to be one, but are not now the best of friends. Once more you have to get off the bus and go through Malaysian Customs and Immigration. John had no trouble but again they questioned the Aussie woman.
On getting back to the bus, they met their guide, a Malaysian man, who told them about Johore Bahru, the city on the Malaysian side of the border. He told them that the Sultan had just died and he was wearing the obligatory black armband for the month of official mourning. He also said they had a long drive ahead of them on a very good divided highway for a third world nation. It was some 240km away.
But first they were to see a pewter factory. The town was very third world - industrial, not very clean, with small, obviously unregulated shops and tiny factories. The guide told them about pewter and how it is made. They looked at people making molds of lids for containers meant to hold Chinese tea. They also saw the people polishing the containers. They wear gloves so that they can polish the pewter to a high sheen. John thought the gloves looked suspiciously like dangerous asbestos but he wasn't sure. They were then taken to the 'store' to 'see' the products - available for purchase, of course, at factory prices - made in the factory.
They then set off onto the highway. On both sides of the highway for mile upon mile upon mile they could see Oil Palm trees, the ones they use to make Palm Oil and Palm Kernel Oil used in all sorts of products like soaps, oils, waxes, even for food. Don't believe me? Look at the ingredient list of any packaged baked goods. The guide said that the government had converted their millions of rubber trees to oil palms because the rubber market had decreased so much due to artificial rubber.
They also got glimpses of small houses and occasional villages. They looked desperately poor to John but the guide said that the average income was $2,500 Malaysian ringgits a month and so only 4% of the popualtion was in dire poverty. The ringgit is today worth about 31 cents Canadian. So, John figures the average Malaysian earns about $800 Cdn a month.
The drive continued and the guide talked in a monotone for a very long time about the history of the area - the Malays, the Chinese, the Indians, the English, the Dutch, the Portuguese. He reeled off dates when this happened or that and why. What sultan did this or that. John normally loves this sort of stuff, but with the gentle rocking of the bus, the soothing monotone, and a short sleep the night before, he nodded off for a few minutes. Eventually, the guide said sit back and relax and enjoy the scenery.
John wondered why do they tell people to sit back; he was never sitting forward. And why relax; he was not on the edge of his seat due to the commentary. Anyway, John enjoyed the gentle swaying and looked outside from time to time. Eventually as they neared Malacca, the guide pointed out that there were other trees, too. John saw rubber trees that had been tapped for their latex. The other trees were the teak trees that the road company that owns the road (it is a toll highway) has planted to sell for timnber in a number of years.
Thye passed an area where there were lots of swifts, small fast flying insect-eating birds. The driver had to drive slowly to avoid hitting them. It was as if they didn't understand about traffic.
Then they arrived in Malacca and were taken to the Hotel Equatorial for lunch. It was sumptuous. It was one of the best buffets John has seen ever. They scrimped on nothing. John ate well, both first course and incredible desserts. He also splurged by buying a coke to go with it. It was $5 Singapore. John gave three $2 bills just to get some Malaysian change to take home.
After lunch, they boarded the bus and were taken around the town. Eventually the guide asked then to diembark to see a temple for Buddhists, Taoists, and Confucians and explained about the gods and how these three can all happily coexist. He told them that the street was called Harmony because it had Christian churches, Hindu temples, Buddhist temples, and Muslim mosques.
They were then given 50 minutes to walk the old streets. The guide said to guard your passport because there was no getting back into Singapore without it and they had had some people pickpocketed in the past in the area. John wandered around with the Aussie guy and their two sons. John didn't want to go shopping anyway so they sat down near the riverbank. Suddenly, the younger son, yelled out that there was a crock in the water. John grabbed his camera and got some good footage - not of a crocodile - but rather a large monitor lizard. It was the highlight of the day. They met the bus and the guide and were taken to another part of the toen close by. There was a choice. Sit in the bus or walk up the hill to see the place where Saint Francis Xavier is buried. Once again, most people did the activity though the Aussie woman and the Bulgarian/Italian stayed on the bus. It was quite steep but very cool. John had never seen a Saint's burial place before.
They met up with the rest of the group and headed for the bus. It was time for the two hour ride back. The group had a good discussion about all sorts of things. John was very impressed by the two sons. The one in university has his head and heart in the right place. No rightwinger there. He is taking film studies. The younger son oozed talent. He is in year 9 at school but didn't look more than 13. He could easily keep up with the adult conversation and had amazing social skills. It turns out he can cook better than his parents from watching cooking shows on TV. The boys both do their own laundry and cleaning. And they are really happy kids. What an awesome family!
Soon, it was time to go through the customs and immigration process in reverse. Just as long and tedious. But then they were through and headed back to town. For the first time ever John was the first one delivered to his hotel. He said his farewells to all the others and wished them well, his trip to Singapore over.
John has asked me to remind you that he will not have Internet access for a few days but to hang in there. More posts and videos will come when he can get connected again.
TRB
Sunday, January 24, 2010
A Day of Contrasts
Jan 24
John is having all the fun and as usual I am left to stay in the room and only have the cleaning staff to admire me.
It was another incredible day. John had the morning to himself and so he spent it uploading videos for his faithful readers. Yes, that's you!
He was ready at 1:30 to go on a tour of the Heartlands and Changi Village. With the complete unconsciousness of the totally pro-government guide, John found out about the nasty underbelly of Singapore. The bus first stopped at Changi Prison Museum. It is adjacent to the present day Changi prison. On the way, the guide said all the wonderful ways the government has organized everyone's life here. As we passed by the biggest prison grounds John has ever seen, he told the story of the man who is to be executed on Thursday. A poor Bangla Deshi man here on a work permit was found guilty of murder. The guide said this meant that there were no special favours to anyone even if you come from a foreign country. Of course, it did not apply to the Romanian diplomat who, on Jan 7 this year, killed three people on two different sidewalks when he was driving drunk and went back to his own country.
Anyway, they entered the museum and it was horrific. It was the story of the Japanese invasion and occupation of Singapore from 1941 to 1945. All the Japanese atrocities were documented, some with actual torture pictures. John found it hard to hold the tears back. There is no doubt that serious war crimes were committed against all the people, White, Malay, Indian and Chinese. The Australian troops figured greatly in the suffering. John could not get over the irony that the descendants of those who suffered are committing their own cruel crime by executing someone just minutes away from this site.
The tour continued and the guide extolled life in Singapore. If you earn around what John makes you are forced by economics to buy your apartment from the government. And you are only allowed to buy one. If you can afford luxury then you can have pretty well have whatever you want and there are houses as well as luxury condos. The government housing all looks pretty well the same, much as one would have expected to see in Communist Russia. Not only that, but each building has a quota of Chinese, Malays, Indians, and Eurasians according to the racial profile of the overall population. That was good said the guide because it prevemnted people from making their own ethnic areas.
The guide then stopped the bus and took the group into a housing development. They saw the food courts that the regular people use and it isn't the downtown cafe scene. It was one in which John would have felt unconfortable eating anything. Because of the racial mix there has to be a restaurant for each of the four recognized races. Every restaurant has to display the mark they get from the government inspectors. A is the best and you can get by with a B. But after two C's you automatically get a D and have to close for two weeks.
Next, it was out to the common area in the middle of about five large apartment blocks, where there was a playground for the kids, a wet market with fruits and vegetables, as well as indestructible open air exercise machines. There is a subway station nearby with feeder bus routes, and a sports area. The guide said how good this was.
John noted that no one had air conditioning, the washing was hanging on poles sticking out from the windows, and that few people looked as happy as the guide. In fact, the guide pointed out an indoor supermarket on site with A/C and said this was for the pampered people. He also told the group that there is NO social support. If you don't work... you die... in prison. And people are required by law to support their parents after they have retired. They also have to contribute 20% of their salary to a savings scheme that they can draw money from, when they turn 55. "So", John said to himself, "now we know who pays for Singapore's prosperity and how they do it." This was definitely a side to Singapore that most tourists and perhaps many expats never even know about.
John decided he would call this way of life Communistic Capitalism.
The next stop was at the main mosque for Singapore and as they arrived they could hear the call to prayers. The guide explained how Muslims have to clean themselves before entering the mosque and how men and women are separated for prayers. Then they had some time to explore the traditional (though no longer)Muslim area. A guy selling Sony cameras decided John should buy a lense filter for his camera. John declined and the guy did what he could to sell John something else and when that didn't work he tried to scare him into buying the filter, saying that in the heat mould would grow on the lense. John laughed at that one. When was the last time you saw moud growing on glass? The guy wouldn't even go away when John said he couldn't take it back because of government regulations (not true of course) but faced with John's total implacability (polite "No thank you" to every suggestion) to his pressure he gave up in disgust.
They got back about 5:30 and John was scheduled to go on the night tour at 6:30. He walked around looking for a snack. He found a nice patio area in back of a swanky mall after a 15 minute walk. There were many restaurants and John looked at their menus and decided on a beer place and a dessert place. He looked at his watch and noted that he had to be finished by 6:15 to get back at 6:30. So, he bought a Tiger beer, the local beer. Since he was the only one in the bar at that hour, the waitress talked to him the whole time. It was very pleasant. She said to go to Bangkok rather than shop in Singapore. Just don't eat the food she said. Then John went back to the other place and ordered choclate cake a la mode. It was 5:55. At 6:10 it hadn't arrived. The waitress said that it had to be cooked and it would only take another three minutes. When it had not come in that time, John got up and left. Even if it had come, he would have had two minutes to eat it.
The night tour was great. It included dinner at a Chinese restaurant on the Marina Quay. It is a place with hundreds of restaurants lining the river walls (all rivers are contained by walls). John was seated with a stunningly beautiful, cultured young couple from Mozambique and three irrepressible guys from Iraq who could barely speak English. There was also a family from Russia at another table with the parents and three grown children. John said they were the UN. But the Iraqis said there wasn't anyone from South America. God, they were hilarious.
They wanted to know what everyone did and when John said he was a professor they were truly impressed and HAD to have their photos taken with him - about 60 times! It must have been their first time out of Iraq and they were happy. The guide, an attractive young Chinese woman, was always losing them because they were in front of this fountain or beside that plant, taking each other's pictures and calling for John to go over and get his photo taken with them.
The meal was a traditional Chinese one and John enjoyed it. But the Iraqi guys said they would have liked more meat.
The woman from Mozambique was an economist. Her husband looked chiselled. The Iraqi guys kept asking him if he was an athlete. After being pressed, he said he had a black belt in Tae Kwon Do. The Iraqi guys said they were athletes and their game was chess.
Next, it was onto a bum boat for a night cruise down the river. It was so beautiful. The air was like silk on John's skin. The Iraqi guys started to sing and clap. The Russian women laughed and clapped along too but the husband just glowered. He was no fun at all.
Next, they went to the Bugis (BOO -GISS) village, a night mall place that is like Chinatown overflowing with people. John bought himself a passion fruit juice and drank it down. The guide said to watch your wallet.
Their last stop was the famous Raffles Hotel, where they first created the famed Singapore Sling drink. The hotel is named after Singapore's founder Sir Somethingorother Raffles and is over a hundred odd years old. They went around the hotel's open areas and saw the famed Long Bar where you can eat peanuts and throw the shells on the floor - the only place in Singapore where you can litter. It is a really ritzy place. The presidential suite goes for $7,000 a night. Michael Jackson always stayed there when he was in Singapore.
As the tour was ending, John said goodbye to the group. He shook hands with the couple and the Iraqi guys. The Russian guy said Welcome to Russia. John said Welcome to Canada. And he left the group and went up to the bar and ordered a Singapore Sling for $28.25!
It was too sweet and so, after finishing every precious drop, John ordered a rye and coke and guess what they had it. Canadian Club rye. He drank it, knowing this was a real drink.
After eating his share of peanuts and gazing at the painting of the Shanghai Lady behind the bar, John left, hailed a taxi and went back to the hotel. It was past 10:30 and John has to be up sharp in the morning as he is off to the city of Malacca in Malaysia.
TRB
John is having all the fun and as usual I am left to stay in the room and only have the cleaning staff to admire me.
It was another incredible day. John had the morning to himself and so he spent it uploading videos for his faithful readers. Yes, that's you!
He was ready at 1:30 to go on a tour of the Heartlands and Changi Village. With the complete unconsciousness of the totally pro-government guide, John found out about the nasty underbelly of Singapore. The bus first stopped at Changi Prison Museum. It is adjacent to the present day Changi prison. On the way, the guide said all the wonderful ways the government has organized everyone's life here. As we passed by the biggest prison grounds John has ever seen, he told the story of the man who is to be executed on Thursday. A poor Bangla Deshi man here on a work permit was found guilty of murder. The guide said this meant that there were no special favours to anyone even if you come from a foreign country. Of course, it did not apply to the Romanian diplomat who, on Jan 7 this year, killed three people on two different sidewalks when he was driving drunk and went back to his own country.
Anyway, they entered the museum and it was horrific. It was the story of the Japanese invasion and occupation of Singapore from 1941 to 1945. All the Japanese atrocities were documented, some with actual torture pictures. John found it hard to hold the tears back. There is no doubt that serious war crimes were committed against all the people, White, Malay, Indian and Chinese. The Australian troops figured greatly in the suffering. John could not get over the irony that the descendants of those who suffered are committing their own cruel crime by executing someone just minutes away from this site.
The tour continued and the guide extolled life in Singapore. If you earn around what John makes you are forced by economics to buy your apartment from the government. And you are only allowed to buy one. If you can afford luxury then you can have pretty well have whatever you want and there are houses as well as luxury condos. The government housing all looks pretty well the same, much as one would have expected to see in Communist Russia. Not only that, but each building has a quota of Chinese, Malays, Indians, and Eurasians according to the racial profile of the overall population. That was good said the guide because it prevemnted people from making their own ethnic areas.
The guide then stopped the bus and took the group into a housing development. They saw the food courts that the regular people use and it isn't the downtown cafe scene. It was one in which John would have felt unconfortable eating anything. Because of the racial mix there has to be a restaurant for each of the four recognized races. Every restaurant has to display the mark they get from the government inspectors. A is the best and you can get by with a B. But after two C's you automatically get a D and have to close for two weeks.
Next, it was out to the common area in the middle of about five large apartment blocks, where there was a playground for the kids, a wet market with fruits and vegetables, as well as indestructible open air exercise machines. There is a subway station nearby with feeder bus routes, and a sports area. The guide said how good this was.
John noted that no one had air conditioning, the washing was hanging on poles sticking out from the windows, and that few people looked as happy as the guide. In fact, the guide pointed out an indoor supermarket on site with A/C and said this was for the pampered people. He also told the group that there is NO social support. If you don't work... you die... in prison. And people are required by law to support their parents after they have retired. They also have to contribute 20% of their salary to a savings scheme that they can draw money from, when they turn 55. "So", John said to himself, "now we know who pays for Singapore's prosperity and how they do it." This was definitely a side to Singapore that most tourists and perhaps many expats never even know about.
John decided he would call this way of life Communistic Capitalism.
The next stop was at the main mosque for Singapore and as they arrived they could hear the call to prayers. The guide explained how Muslims have to clean themselves before entering the mosque and how men and women are separated for prayers. Then they had some time to explore the traditional (though no longer)Muslim area. A guy selling Sony cameras decided John should buy a lense filter for his camera. John declined and the guy did what he could to sell John something else and when that didn't work he tried to scare him into buying the filter, saying that in the heat mould would grow on the lense. John laughed at that one. When was the last time you saw moud growing on glass? The guy wouldn't even go away when John said he couldn't take it back because of government regulations (not true of course) but faced with John's total implacability (polite "No thank you" to every suggestion) to his pressure he gave up in disgust.
They got back about 5:30 and John was scheduled to go on the night tour at 6:30. He walked around looking for a snack. He found a nice patio area in back of a swanky mall after a 15 minute walk. There were many restaurants and John looked at their menus and decided on a beer place and a dessert place. He looked at his watch and noted that he had to be finished by 6:15 to get back at 6:30. So, he bought a Tiger beer, the local beer. Since he was the only one in the bar at that hour, the waitress talked to him the whole time. It was very pleasant. She said to go to Bangkok rather than shop in Singapore. Just don't eat the food she said. Then John went back to the other place and ordered choclate cake a la mode. It was 5:55. At 6:10 it hadn't arrived. The waitress said that it had to be cooked and it would only take another three minutes. When it had not come in that time, John got up and left. Even if it had come, he would have had two minutes to eat it.
The night tour was great. It included dinner at a Chinese restaurant on the Marina Quay. It is a place with hundreds of restaurants lining the river walls (all rivers are contained by walls). John was seated with a stunningly beautiful, cultured young couple from Mozambique and three irrepressible guys from Iraq who could barely speak English. There was also a family from Russia at another table with the parents and three grown children. John said they were the UN. But the Iraqis said there wasn't anyone from South America. God, they were hilarious.
They wanted to know what everyone did and when John said he was a professor they were truly impressed and HAD to have their photos taken with him - about 60 times! It must have been their first time out of Iraq and they were happy. The guide, an attractive young Chinese woman, was always losing them because they were in front of this fountain or beside that plant, taking each other's pictures and calling for John to go over and get his photo taken with them.
The meal was a traditional Chinese one and John enjoyed it. But the Iraqi guys said they would have liked more meat.
The woman from Mozambique was an economist. Her husband looked chiselled. The Iraqi guys kept asking him if he was an athlete. After being pressed, he said he had a black belt in Tae Kwon Do. The Iraqi guys said they were athletes and their game was chess.
Next, it was onto a bum boat for a night cruise down the river. It was so beautiful. The air was like silk on John's skin. The Iraqi guys started to sing and clap. The Russian women laughed and clapped along too but the husband just glowered. He was no fun at all.
Next, they went to the Bugis (BOO -GISS) village, a night mall place that is like Chinatown overflowing with people. John bought himself a passion fruit juice and drank it down. The guide said to watch your wallet.
Their last stop was the famous Raffles Hotel, where they first created the famed Singapore Sling drink. The hotel is named after Singapore's founder Sir Somethingorother Raffles and is over a hundred odd years old. They went around the hotel's open areas and saw the famed Long Bar where you can eat peanuts and throw the shells on the floor - the only place in Singapore where you can litter. It is a really ritzy place. The presidential suite goes for $7,000 a night. Michael Jackson always stayed there when he was in Singapore.
As the tour was ending, John said goodbye to the group. He shook hands with the couple and the Iraqi guys. The Russian guy said Welcome to Russia. John said Welcome to Canada. And he left the group and went up to the bar and ordered a Singapore Sling for $28.25!
It was too sweet and so, after finishing every precious drop, John ordered a rye and coke and guess what they had it. Canadian Club rye. He drank it, knowing this was a real drink.
After eating his share of peanuts and gazing at the painting of the Shanghai Lady behind the bar, John left, hailed a taxi and went back to the hotel. It was past 10:30 and John has to be up sharp in the morning as he is off to the city of Malacca in Malaysia.
TRB
The Flyer and Sentosa
Jan 23
John told me that he had another activity and exploration-filled day in Singapore. He started off early, leaving the hotel at 8am, for a ride on the Singapore Flyer. This answer to London's famous Eye sits near the ocean on Singapore's southern coast. They say it is, at 165 metres, some 13 metres taller than London's and is the tallest observation wheel in the world. Like many structures in Singapore it was positioned with the help of Chinese feng shui and operates with the same principles in mind.
Since it was early there were few people about and John only had to share the gondola with a couple from South Africa who work in Saudi Arabia. And since she was afraid of heights and sat carefully in the very middle, John and her husband were free to roam around the entire gondola to take whatever pictures or videos the wanted.
It was a spectacular day, so unlike the cloudy one before. John took lots of video from the Flyer and hopes that you enjoy the views as much as he did taking them. You can see Singapore's downtown, its opera house that looks likea two turtles with ragged shells and the original colonial buildings built by the British. You can also see that there remains a construction boom. Right now, amongst many other projects, they are building a new casino - the first for Singapore - and convention centre. It will include a whole new botanical gardens. Like everything Singaporean it will be operationalized better than anywhere else. It is almost as if they see what has been done elsewhere and say how can we do the same thing only better?
Next it was off for a cruise on the Cheng Ho, an old style Chinese sailing ship. They cruised along Singapore's west coast and past Sentosa Island that John was going to see later the same day. John talked with a number of couples - the South Africans, and another interesting couple, he from Switzerland and she from Finland. They had travelled extensively and they said that, apart from the road signs, you cannot tell Ontario apart from Finland. He had been in aircraft maintenance so he and John talked planes quite a bit.
John stayed outside to get the views of the coastline and was up close with the hundreds of ocean going freighters who were waiting their turn at Singapore's docks. He also saw more oil tankers than he could have imagined. Singapore is a hib for oil shipments to China, Australia, and Asia in general. It has a number of huge refineries. However, the day was getting warmer and more humid.
After a leisurely narrated cruise they stopped at Kusu Island for 45 minutes. Kusu is Chinese for Turtle and he saw many turtles and tortoises there as the place is a sanctuary as well as being a place holy to Taoists and Muslims. Many people make a pilgrimage to the island at special times of the year. However, there was nothing to eat or drink on the small island so John was happy to get back on board and buy a can of Sprite for $3. He sat and talked to a couple from England on the cruise back.
He went back to the hotel for a bit of a break and uploaded videos to the blog before heading out once again - this time to Sentosa Island. Sentosa is Singapore's family fun island with hotels, beaches, theme parks, rides, and shows and the name means tranquility in Malay. After getting there, John was amazed by the sheer numbers of humanity. You could not walk without bumping into people. The local people seemed well equipped to handle this but if you used Western manners you just didn't get to go where you wanted much of the time and people piled up behind you. In the end, John just had to push ahead but felt he did not really understand the proper way to go about moving because, as he brushed by people, they seemed to startle a little.
John lined up for 30 minutes to take a ride on the Tiger Sky Tower - a round revolving disk filled with people that goes up slowly to give beautiful views of the island and Singapore itself. He took more video here, too. crammed though he was. This was not a highlight of the trip!
However, after that, John went in to see 'Images of Singapore' that definitely WAS a highlight, though he did not take video in it. It was a three part presentation of the history of Singapore. It started with a wonderful five minute film of four men, one Malay, one Chinese, one Indian and one Western (Eurasian actually). They represented the four winds that brought people to Singapore (north from Malaya, east from China, south from India and west from Europe). They talked about the four values on which Singapore is based - family, community, peace, and harmony. John was touched.
The next part, the Singapore Adventure, was a walk through museum with dioramas of life on the island since the earliest times as well as multimedia displays of old photographs and movies. It was chronological and very well done... enough writing for those interested but not too much for those who just wanted to experience history. John was very impressed by the good behaviour of the children, unlike his experiences earlier in the trip. They were exhuberent and having a wonderful time but were not out of control.
The experience finished with Singapore Celebrates, a multimedia showcase about Singapore today. It is obvious that the people of Singapore love their 'city state' country and it was nice to see their pride.
By then it was time to go to the Songs of the Sea, a spectacular live action, laser, fountain, flame, music, computer graphics and pyrotechnic show held on the beach in front of an amphitheatre that can hold 2,500 people. It is the world’s only permanent show set in the sea. It is a fairytail story about a young man named Lee, wh by singing was giving the fire, the sea, and a beautiful maiden back their powers. It was truly impressive! John has asked me to upload a video he made.
Anyway, I am tired just thinking of the busy day that John has had.
TRB
John told me that he had another activity and exploration-filled day in Singapore. He started off early, leaving the hotel at 8am, for a ride on the Singapore Flyer. This answer to London's famous Eye sits near the ocean on Singapore's southern coast. They say it is, at 165 metres, some 13 metres taller than London's and is the tallest observation wheel in the world. Like many structures in Singapore it was positioned with the help of Chinese feng shui and operates with the same principles in mind.
Since it was early there were few people about and John only had to share the gondola with a couple from South Africa who work in Saudi Arabia. And since she was afraid of heights and sat carefully in the very middle, John and her husband were free to roam around the entire gondola to take whatever pictures or videos the wanted.
It was a spectacular day, so unlike the cloudy one before. John took lots of video from the Flyer and hopes that you enjoy the views as much as he did taking them. You can see Singapore's downtown, its opera house that looks likea two turtles with ragged shells and the original colonial buildings built by the British. You can also see that there remains a construction boom. Right now, amongst many other projects, they are building a new casino - the first for Singapore - and convention centre. It will include a whole new botanical gardens. Like everything Singaporean it will be operationalized better than anywhere else. It is almost as if they see what has been done elsewhere and say how can we do the same thing only better?
Next it was off for a cruise on the Cheng Ho, an old style Chinese sailing ship. They cruised along Singapore's west coast and past Sentosa Island that John was going to see later the same day. John talked with a number of couples - the South Africans, and another interesting couple, he from Switzerland and she from Finland. They had travelled extensively and they said that, apart from the road signs, you cannot tell Ontario apart from Finland. He had been in aircraft maintenance so he and John talked planes quite a bit.
John stayed outside to get the views of the coastline and was up close with the hundreds of ocean going freighters who were waiting their turn at Singapore's docks. He also saw more oil tankers than he could have imagined. Singapore is a hib for oil shipments to China, Australia, and Asia in general. It has a number of huge refineries. However, the day was getting warmer and more humid.
After a leisurely narrated cruise they stopped at Kusu Island for 45 minutes. Kusu is Chinese for Turtle and he saw many turtles and tortoises there as the place is a sanctuary as well as being a place holy to Taoists and Muslims. Many people make a pilgrimage to the island at special times of the year. However, there was nothing to eat or drink on the small island so John was happy to get back on board and buy a can of Sprite for $3. He sat and talked to a couple from England on the cruise back.
He went back to the hotel for a bit of a break and uploaded videos to the blog before heading out once again - this time to Sentosa Island. Sentosa is Singapore's family fun island with hotels, beaches, theme parks, rides, and shows and the name means tranquility in Malay. After getting there, John was amazed by the sheer numbers of humanity. You could not walk without bumping into people. The local people seemed well equipped to handle this but if you used Western manners you just didn't get to go where you wanted much of the time and people piled up behind you. In the end, John just had to push ahead but felt he did not really understand the proper way to go about moving because, as he brushed by people, they seemed to startle a little.
John lined up for 30 minutes to take a ride on the Tiger Sky Tower - a round revolving disk filled with people that goes up slowly to give beautiful views of the island and Singapore itself. He took more video here, too. crammed though he was. This was not a highlight of the trip!
However, after that, John went in to see 'Images of Singapore' that definitely WAS a highlight, though he did not take video in it. It was a three part presentation of the history of Singapore. It started with a wonderful five minute film of four men, one Malay, one Chinese, one Indian and one Western (Eurasian actually). They represented the four winds that brought people to Singapore (north from Malaya, east from China, south from India and west from Europe). They talked about the four values on which Singapore is based - family, community, peace, and harmony. John was touched.
The next part, the Singapore Adventure, was a walk through museum with dioramas of life on the island since the earliest times as well as multimedia displays of old photographs and movies. It was chronological and very well done... enough writing for those interested but not too much for those who just wanted to experience history. John was very impressed by the good behaviour of the children, unlike his experiences earlier in the trip. They were exhuberent and having a wonderful time but were not out of control.
The experience finished with Singapore Celebrates, a multimedia showcase about Singapore today. It is obvious that the people of Singapore love their 'city state' country and it was nice to see their pride.
By then it was time to go to the Songs of the Sea, a spectacular live action, laser, fountain, flame, music, computer graphics and pyrotechnic show held on the beach in front of an amphitheatre that can hold 2,500 people. It is the world’s only permanent show set in the sea. It is a fairytail story about a young man named Lee, wh by singing was giving the fire, the sea, and a beautiful maiden back their powers. It was truly impressive! John has asked me to upload a video he made.
Anyway, I am tired just thinking of the busy day that John has had.
TRB
Friday, January 22, 2010
The City and the Safari
Jan 22
Well, what a day John had! He booked or arranged stuff, through the hotel's travel advisor, to do for his entire stay. So, it started off with exploring the hotel. He found the pool and the pub. Every time he went outdors though his camera lens steamed up, such was the difference in humidity from inside to outside.
The hotel has six restaurants if you call two fast food places, restaurants. There is the buffet restaurant off the lobby, Tony Roma's, a posh bar, an Irish pub, a Subway, and a Texas burger place. And it has its own shopping arcade with beauty salons, spas, and wedding planning stuff including a wedding dress store.
As his camera got used to being outside, John then went to video the shopping both high and low. He got back just in time to take the city tour.
Unlike the other city tours he has been on, this guided tour also took you to places and you got out to explore with the guide. He saw little India, Chinatown, the old Imperial sector, what was supposed to be a jewelry factory (but turned out only to be a fancy jewelry store). Finally, they had precious little time to see the National Orchid Garden. John was not happy to have wasted time walking around a jewelry store where the people tried to sell him stuff when he could have been taking more time seeing the buggest collection of orchids in the world. They were magnificent. The highlight was the new variety of orchid that was created in Singapore in honour of Nelson Mandela (even though it was not the prettiest one).
Little India was fascinating too - the culture, the smells, the street decoration. A major Hindu festival had just finished so that the streets were still alive with colour. It was almost, John imagined, like an authentic street in India itself. The Indian population is not that large, though, some 5% of the total.
Chinatown was great as well. John got to walk through a Buddhist temple as a service was going on. He also bought some candied pineapple slices and sweet lime balls at the Chinese market on Smith Street and ate them before getting back on the tour bus. The woman at the stall had asked for $2 but John said he only had one dollar on him (which was sort of true; he only had one $1 coin). So, she screwed up her face, took a few pieces out and sold him the rest for $1. John had never bargained before. He doesn't know if he really got a bargain or not.
The guide explained the the population is made up of Chinese, Indians and Malays and that of the 5M people about 1.2M are expatriates from other countries living and working there.
Anyway, he also saw the Raffles Hotel, in passing. A Singapore Sling drink costs between $24 and $28 there. Just because they invented it. He saw the Singapore Opera House, the Supreme Court building, and many, many malls that the bus passed. Honestly, you can find a specialized mall for any conceivable thing you might want to buy. Think of Masonville and multiply by maybe 100 or more and you have Singapore's malls.
The National Orchid Garden was amazing. It covers three hectares with hundred if not thousnads of species of orchids. There is the VIP orchid garden, the orchidarium with its wild orchids, the Tan Hoon Siang mist house, the refridgerated cool house where the mist spray allows high altitude tropical orchids to flourish. The whole garden takes up 40 hectares.
Coming back from the Botanic Gardens, they ran into a huge traffic jam. The guide had said that traffic in Singapore is good because they have an intricate road toll system and a limited number of vehicle registrations. Every so often the government puts some more on the market and lets the people bid for them. It currently costs between $20,000 and $22,000 for the document and it only lasts for 10 years. Then you would have to bid again. Nobody does that. They sell their cars. So Singapore, which does not manufacture cars at all, is the world's second biggest exporter of used vehicles (after Japan).
Beside the vehicle registration, there is a 100% sales tax on cars' MSRP and gas is $1.79 a litre. So, you have to be rich to drive a car. They even have special registration for cars that cannot be driven in peak hours. So those are for the weekend drivers.
Government housing is not cheap. They build huge high rises - 50 stories - but charge people current real estate prices (from $200K to $15M) depending on location and size. Almost everybody lives in government housing. Expatriates have the best housing and some even have their own detached houses on their own property (a real rarity in Singapore). John thought his faculty should set up an international programme here. hahaha The poor people, however, have to rent. But rents are based on income alone and you can get a bachelor apartment for $35 a month if you earn less than $1500 a month. So their system is capitalist and socialist at the same time.
When they got back to the base, John switched buses and went to the Night Safari. It was breaking his resolution to see only free animals but this is a 'first of its kind' in the world. The place only opens at night so you can see night animals walking about. There was a tram ride but John's camera could not see in the darkness well enough to take any video. Then there was a cultural performance by Malay people of the tribe who orginally inhabited the area. He shot good footage of that.
Anyway, he is up early tomorrow morning so he will have to upload the video when he gets a chance. Right now it is late and he needs to get his sleep.
TRB
Well, what a day John had! He booked or arranged stuff, through the hotel's travel advisor, to do for his entire stay. So, it started off with exploring the hotel. He found the pool and the pub. Every time he went outdors though his camera lens steamed up, such was the difference in humidity from inside to outside.
The hotel has six restaurants if you call two fast food places, restaurants. There is the buffet restaurant off the lobby, Tony Roma's, a posh bar, an Irish pub, a Subway, and a Texas burger place. And it has its own shopping arcade with beauty salons, spas, and wedding planning stuff including a wedding dress store.
As his camera got used to being outside, John then went to video the shopping both high and low. He got back just in time to take the city tour.
Unlike the other city tours he has been on, this guided tour also took you to places and you got out to explore with the guide. He saw little India, Chinatown, the old Imperial sector, what was supposed to be a jewelry factory (but turned out only to be a fancy jewelry store). Finally, they had precious little time to see the National Orchid Garden. John was not happy to have wasted time walking around a jewelry store where the people tried to sell him stuff when he could have been taking more time seeing the buggest collection of orchids in the world. They were magnificent. The highlight was the new variety of orchid that was created in Singapore in honour of Nelson Mandela (even though it was not the prettiest one).
Little India was fascinating too - the culture, the smells, the street decoration. A major Hindu festival had just finished so that the streets were still alive with colour. It was almost, John imagined, like an authentic street in India itself. The Indian population is not that large, though, some 5% of the total.
Chinatown was great as well. John got to walk through a Buddhist temple as a service was going on. He also bought some candied pineapple slices and sweet lime balls at the Chinese market on Smith Street and ate them before getting back on the tour bus. The woman at the stall had asked for $2 but John said he only had one dollar on him (which was sort of true; he only had one $1 coin). So, she screwed up her face, took a few pieces out and sold him the rest for $1. John had never bargained before. He doesn't know if he really got a bargain or not.
The guide explained the the population is made up of Chinese, Indians and Malays and that of the 5M people about 1.2M are expatriates from other countries living and working there.
Anyway, he also saw the Raffles Hotel, in passing. A Singapore Sling drink costs between $24 and $28 there. Just because they invented it. He saw the Singapore Opera House, the Supreme Court building, and many, many malls that the bus passed. Honestly, you can find a specialized mall for any conceivable thing you might want to buy. Think of Masonville and multiply by maybe 100 or more and you have Singapore's malls.
The National Orchid Garden was amazing. It covers three hectares with hundred if not thousnads of species of orchids. There is the VIP orchid garden, the orchidarium with its wild orchids, the Tan Hoon Siang mist house, the refridgerated cool house where the mist spray allows high altitude tropical orchids to flourish. The whole garden takes up 40 hectares.
Coming back from the Botanic Gardens, they ran into a huge traffic jam. The guide had said that traffic in Singapore is good because they have an intricate road toll system and a limited number of vehicle registrations. Every so often the government puts some more on the market and lets the people bid for them. It currently costs between $20,000 and $22,000 for the document and it only lasts for 10 years. Then you would have to bid again. Nobody does that. They sell their cars. So Singapore, which does not manufacture cars at all, is the world's second biggest exporter of used vehicles (after Japan).
Beside the vehicle registration, there is a 100% sales tax on cars' MSRP and gas is $1.79 a litre. So, you have to be rich to drive a car. They even have special registration for cars that cannot be driven in peak hours. So those are for the weekend drivers.
Government housing is not cheap. They build huge high rises - 50 stories - but charge people current real estate prices (from $200K to $15M) depending on location and size. Almost everybody lives in government housing. Expatriates have the best housing and some even have their own detached houses on their own property (a real rarity in Singapore). John thought his faculty should set up an international programme here. hahaha The poor people, however, have to rent. But rents are based on income alone and you can get a bachelor apartment for $35 a month if you earn less than $1500 a month. So their system is capitalist and socialist at the same time.
When they got back to the base, John switched buses and went to the Night Safari. It was breaking his resolution to see only free animals but this is a 'first of its kind' in the world. The place only opens at night so you can see night animals walking about. There was a tram ride but John's camera could not see in the darkness well enough to take any video. Then there was a cultural performance by Malay people of the tribe who orginally inhabited the area. He shot good footage of that.
Anyway, he is up early tomorrow morning so he will have to upload the video when he gets a chance. Right now it is late and he needs to get his sleep.
TRB
Thursday, January 21, 2010
Melbourne to Singapore
Jan 21
After just four hours' sleep John was up to get his packing finished and be on his way to Singapore. Janice was worried about the traffic and so they left around 7:30am. John was very sad to say goodbye to Barney because he is an old dog and John knew for a fact that he would never see him again.
As they drove to the main Melbourne airport, John and Janice reminisced about their time together and how both had enjoyed the holiday. It was her birthday, in fact. They faced the inevitable they they, too, might never see each other in person again although they agreed to stay in touch. After dropping John off at the departures, Janice was going to see her sister's children's children who are visiting her sister.
The traffic, however, had been a dream and they were at the airport at 8:30. John's flight was at 11:20, so he had lots of time and no worries about getting on the flight.
John lined up to get his boarding pass and filled out his Australian exit form. He passed through exit Customs and then security with no worries this time apart from emptying me again for them. He bought a drink and a science magazine and settled down to wait.
The time passed quickly and it was time to board. Perhaps John is getting too old but he felt some trepidation with the number of families with two-year olds getting on the plane. They were in a Boeing Triple 7 and the two rows directly ahead had three toddlers. Each child took their turn emitting piercing screams from time to time. John heard shrieks of pain, of fear, of frustration, and sometimes just plain naughty ones as one tyke tried to outdo the kid in front.
That was the only negative of the whole trip. The service on Singapore Airlines was beyond excellent. Before the plane was very high in the sky the flight attendants were around offering complimentary wine, juice, pop, beer - and that was in economy! They did two rounds before bringing lunch. Each passenger had a menu. The appetizer was marinated sweet chili shrimp with asian slaw along with a roll and butter. There was a choice in the main course: roasted chicken in mushroom sauce, buttered vegetables, and lyonnaise potatoes OR Gaeng chu chee pia (fish filet in red curry and coconut milk) served with mixed vegetables and rice. John asked for the chicken, but they had just ran out of that one but he was fine with that because the fish dish was remarkable. They ended with cheese and crackers, and an ice cream cone.
Twice more they came around with drinks before serving refreshment - lamb and potato curry pie or fried rice with chicken, shrimp and vegetables. John asked for the fried rice and the flight attedant made sure he got it. John had not seen such service in Canada since the 1960's.
The plane was not full and John had only one seatmate in the three seats. He was a young guy from Hyderabad, India just finishing a two-year contract with a bank in Australia. He is a software engineer and his job was to increase the bank's business intelligence. The two had a couple of really good chats during the sevan and a half hours they spent together. He said that John should visit India some day and John said he should really come and visit Canada. They made a deal that each would do it - completely unenforceable, of course!
Upon landing at Changi airport, John filled out his Singapore Immigration card and passed through Immigration with no lineups and zero difficulty. He went to pick up his luggage and it was already on the conveyor belt going around. There was room everywhere - no people jostling to get their bags, no huge lines anywhere. Customs just waved him through the door. John was not used to being trusted like that! Everywhere else I have been like a red flag in front of a bull as far as Customs people are concerned. John and I must fit some sort of profile, I guess.
He went to the traveller's desk and paid for his shuttle to the hotel. It was only nine Singapore dollars. The same rde had cost $50NZ in Auckland.
He met a young Aussie woman who seemed a little nervous because she started to talk to John spontaneously while waiting for the shuttle. By the way, from getting off the plane to the shuttle leaving the airport was about 15 minutes.
Anyway, she had just got a job as an occupational therapist in one of Singapore's hosptials and she was kind of nervous about the new job, finding a place to live and so on. John tried to reassure her and it seemed to help.
Her htoel was out by the hospital so John was off before her. Both wished each other the best.
John is very happy with the hotel. It is the highest quality place he has stayed on this trip. His room was upgraded from superior to deluxe which means he has slippers and a robe and little extras like that. Take a look at the video.
John decided to splurge and pay for good Internet access while he is here.
He went out for a walk and found that indeed Singapore ia all about shopping. More on that another time. Now it is time to say goodnight as it has been a long day.
TRB
After just four hours' sleep John was up to get his packing finished and be on his way to Singapore. Janice was worried about the traffic and so they left around 7:30am. John was very sad to say goodbye to Barney because he is an old dog and John knew for a fact that he would never see him again.
As they drove to the main Melbourne airport, John and Janice reminisced about their time together and how both had enjoyed the holiday. It was her birthday, in fact. They faced the inevitable they they, too, might never see each other in person again although they agreed to stay in touch. After dropping John off at the departures, Janice was going to see her sister's children's children who are visiting her sister.
The traffic, however, had been a dream and they were at the airport at 8:30. John's flight was at 11:20, so he had lots of time and no worries about getting on the flight.
John lined up to get his boarding pass and filled out his Australian exit form. He passed through exit Customs and then security with no worries this time apart from emptying me again for them. He bought a drink and a science magazine and settled down to wait.
The time passed quickly and it was time to board. Perhaps John is getting too old but he felt some trepidation with the number of families with two-year olds getting on the plane. They were in a Boeing Triple 7 and the two rows directly ahead had three toddlers. Each child took their turn emitting piercing screams from time to time. John heard shrieks of pain, of fear, of frustration, and sometimes just plain naughty ones as one tyke tried to outdo the kid in front.
That was the only negative of the whole trip. The service on Singapore Airlines was beyond excellent. Before the plane was very high in the sky the flight attendants were around offering complimentary wine, juice, pop, beer - and that was in economy! They did two rounds before bringing lunch. Each passenger had a menu. The appetizer was marinated sweet chili shrimp with asian slaw along with a roll and butter. There was a choice in the main course: roasted chicken in mushroom sauce, buttered vegetables, and lyonnaise potatoes OR Gaeng chu chee pia (fish filet in red curry and coconut milk) served with mixed vegetables and rice. John asked for the chicken, but they had just ran out of that one but he was fine with that because the fish dish was remarkable. They ended with cheese and crackers, and an ice cream cone.
Twice more they came around with drinks before serving refreshment - lamb and potato curry pie or fried rice with chicken, shrimp and vegetables. John asked for the fried rice and the flight attedant made sure he got it. John had not seen such service in Canada since the 1960's.
The plane was not full and John had only one seatmate in the three seats. He was a young guy from Hyderabad, India just finishing a two-year contract with a bank in Australia. He is a software engineer and his job was to increase the bank's business intelligence. The two had a couple of really good chats during the sevan and a half hours they spent together. He said that John should visit India some day and John said he should really come and visit Canada. They made a deal that each would do it - completely unenforceable, of course!
Upon landing at Changi airport, John filled out his Singapore Immigration card and passed through Immigration with no lineups and zero difficulty. He went to pick up his luggage and it was already on the conveyor belt going around. There was room everywhere - no people jostling to get their bags, no huge lines anywhere. Customs just waved him through the door. John was not used to being trusted like that! Everywhere else I have been like a red flag in front of a bull as far as Customs people are concerned. John and I must fit some sort of profile, I guess.
He went to the traveller's desk and paid for his shuttle to the hotel. It was only nine Singapore dollars. The same rde had cost $50NZ in Auckland.
He met a young Aussie woman who seemed a little nervous because she started to talk to John spontaneously while waiting for the shuttle. By the way, from getting off the plane to the shuttle leaving the airport was about 15 minutes.
Anyway, she had just got a job as an occupational therapist in one of Singapore's hosptials and she was kind of nervous about the new job, finding a place to live and so on. John tried to reassure her and it seemed to help.
Her htoel was out by the hospital so John was off before her. Both wished each other the best.
John is very happy with the hotel. It is the highest quality place he has stayed on this trip. His room was upgraded from superior to deluxe which means he has slippers and a robe and little extras like that. Take a look at the video.
John decided to splurge and pay for good Internet access while he is here.
He went out for a walk and found that indeed Singapore ia all about shopping. More on that another time. Now it is time to say goodnight as it has been a long day.
TRB
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
Culminating Day in Australia
Jan 20
This was to be John and my last day in Australia. He woke up about 7am and read for a while. Then when he got up he found Janice downstairs getting some toast. She had decided that rather than stay at home for the day and meet John later for a meal in the city she would come in too. She rarely goes to the downtown because it is so crowded.
Anyway, they took the train in to the city and got off at Southern Cross station because Janice had said she wanted to see the newly developed precinct called Docklands.
At a posh little fish and chip place on a part of the area, Janice bought lunch for them both. They had blue grenadier fish, with french fries, a dim sim each, and a battered potato hasbrown each. It was very filling.
After walking for a bit they found a shopping area with hundreds of designer shops and factory outlets. They also found Australia's first Costco. Janice had wondered what it was like. So they went inside. You can look at stuff there but not buy until you have a membership and that is not practical for a person living on their own. John has foound the same thing in Canada even though he lives close to a Costco.
Next, they went to a bookshop for Janice to buy some books for her grand niece and nephew and after coming out they realized they were right beside a City Circle tram stop, a free service.
They hopped on even though it was quite full and found seats. As the tram continued on its route, more and more people got on, stop after stop, until it was straining to move and standing room only. They were both happy when they came to Flinders St Station and were able to get off.
One of the things that John had wanted to see before leaving was the flame show outside the casino later that evening, so the two went looking to find a movie to put in some time. After some considerable searching they found the downtown movie theatre but there was no movie about to start. So, it was plan B. But there was no plan B.
They wandered down to the area called Southbank on the south bank (strangely enough) of the Yarra River than runs through Melbourne. They say the Yarra is an upside down river because it is as muddy on the top as it is on the bottom. However, Southbank is lovely with hundreds of fine restaurants. They put in some time because neither was hungry enough to eat at 4:30. So, they had a lemonade or slushy at a foodcourt.
Then they went along and looked at the menus of many of the restaurantts. Janice's sister-in-law had suggested a restaurant called 8 and they really liked the look of its menu so they went in. This was to be John's way to thank Janice for all her kindness.
It was great! It was a part of the casino and the food and service were both 5 star quality. The restaurant had a great special - two glaases of wine, two courses (either appetizer and main course or main and dessert), a side and coffee or tea. John had two glasses of pinot noir from the burned out area he had seen the day before while Janice had sauvignon blanc. John's main course was kangaroo with a raincherry sauce, salad and a huge creme brulee. Janice had a beef carbaccio, barramunde (fish) and s aalad.
Aside: Although John loves to see kangaroos wild and free, they have to cull them these days or they eat up all the vegetation in the current drought and end up dying of thirst.
The day turned to evening as they sat on the restaurant patio. The restaurant was near one of the six huge three-story fire towers spaced about a hundred or so metres apart that the casino uses to put on the flame show every evening and they felt the heat from some of the flames. So, after they finished their meals they went outside to watch the whole show. John videoed some of it. The waiter said that it costs the casino about $10K a night to put it on.
Then it was back to Janice's home on the train, arriving after 11pm. It had been a fitting day to end this leg of John's trip. After getting me to write this post John attempted to upload a video to the blog.
John and I are not really looking forward to the 8 hour flight tomorrow to Singapore.
John wants me to tell you, my readers, that he has no idea of the connections in Singapore starting tomorrow so please be patient.
TRB
This was to be John and my last day in Australia. He woke up about 7am and read for a while. Then when he got up he found Janice downstairs getting some toast. She had decided that rather than stay at home for the day and meet John later for a meal in the city she would come in too. She rarely goes to the downtown because it is so crowded.
Anyway, they took the train in to the city and got off at Southern Cross station because Janice had said she wanted to see the newly developed precinct called Docklands.
At a posh little fish and chip place on a part of the area, Janice bought lunch for them both. They had blue grenadier fish, with french fries, a dim sim each, and a battered potato hasbrown each. It was very filling.
After walking for a bit they found a shopping area with hundreds of designer shops and factory outlets. They also found Australia's first Costco. Janice had wondered what it was like. So they went inside. You can look at stuff there but not buy until you have a membership and that is not practical for a person living on their own. John has foound the same thing in Canada even though he lives close to a Costco.
Next, they went to a bookshop for Janice to buy some books for her grand niece and nephew and after coming out they realized they were right beside a City Circle tram stop, a free service.
They hopped on even though it was quite full and found seats. As the tram continued on its route, more and more people got on, stop after stop, until it was straining to move and standing room only. They were both happy when they came to Flinders St Station and were able to get off.
One of the things that John had wanted to see before leaving was the flame show outside the casino later that evening, so the two went looking to find a movie to put in some time. After some considerable searching they found the downtown movie theatre but there was no movie about to start. So, it was plan B. But there was no plan B.
They wandered down to the area called Southbank on the south bank (strangely enough) of the Yarra River than runs through Melbourne. They say the Yarra is an upside down river because it is as muddy on the top as it is on the bottom. However, Southbank is lovely with hundreds of fine restaurants. They put in some time because neither was hungry enough to eat at 4:30. So, they had a lemonade or slushy at a foodcourt.
Then they went along and looked at the menus of many of the restaurantts. Janice's sister-in-law had suggested a restaurant called 8 and they really liked the look of its menu so they went in. This was to be John's way to thank Janice for all her kindness.
It was great! It was a part of the casino and the food and service were both 5 star quality. The restaurant had a great special - two glaases of wine, two courses (either appetizer and main course or main and dessert), a side and coffee or tea. John had two glasses of pinot noir from the burned out area he had seen the day before while Janice had sauvignon blanc. John's main course was kangaroo with a raincherry sauce, salad and a huge creme brulee. Janice had a beef carbaccio, barramunde (fish) and s aalad.
Aside: Although John loves to see kangaroos wild and free, they have to cull them these days or they eat up all the vegetation in the current drought and end up dying of thirst.
The day turned to evening as they sat on the restaurant patio. The restaurant was near one of the six huge three-story fire towers spaced about a hundred or so metres apart that the casino uses to put on the flame show every evening and they felt the heat from some of the flames. So, after they finished their meals they went outside to watch the whole show. John videoed some of it. The waiter said that it costs the casino about $10K a night to put it on.
Then it was back to Janice's home on the train, arriving after 11pm. It had been a fitting day to end this leg of John's trip. After getting me to write this post John attempted to upload a video to the blog.
John and I are not really looking forward to the 8 hour flight tomorrow to Singapore.
John wants me to tell you, my readers, that he has no idea of the connections in Singapore starting tomorrow so please be patient.
TRB
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
A sobering drive
Jan 19
The day was cloudy and cool when John woke up. He dozed while watching me put in a couple of hours uploading new videos from his days in Sydney. Take a look, if you haven't seen the new ones - like Manly Beach, Manly and the pirates, and some nice views in the Powerhouse Museum. These were all possible because the dongle, though expensive, allowed John to have a better Internet connection. He has no idea what his connection will be like from Singapore.
Anyway, after having a cup of tea, he and Janice set out to see the effects of the devastating bush fires that occurred last February, almost 11 months ago. John remembered hearing about them on the news - over 200 people (men, women, and children) had been killed in the fires. Janice had been there 10 months ago but had not seen it since.
They drove towards a town called Marysville, population about 520, about 90 minutes away to the north. As they passed through the Yarra Ranges National Park, they began to see the changes in the landscape. For mile after mile, trees had blackened burnt trunks reaching up to the levels that the flames had leaped. Many of the gum or eucalyptus trees are able to withstand bush fires so they were sprouting greenery all along their trunks from the ground up, giving them a weird looking appearance. John felt that it was good to see this regeneration as it meant that the forest was healing itself. However, he felt sad to think of the countless animals, both wildlife and stock, that had perished in the flames.
Nothing prepared him for the utter destruction of the small town of Marysville. An early description of the town said, "Marysville is well known for its beautiful gardens and scenery, and as a gateway to year-round outdoor activities. Nestled in the foothills of Melbourne's Yarra Range..." it had many attractions for tourists such as fern gullies, views of the mountains, and walking tracks to Steavenson Falls. It was the place to go for Melburnians to escape the summer heat since the 1920s.
"It's primary industry [was] tourism. Prior to the fire, it contained numerous cafes, art galleries, restaurants, and craft shops. It has been used as a base for the Lake Mountain ski resort. During the snow season, the population of the town has been known to double or even triple, due to the influx of other hospitality and tourism caterers, such as ski hire, toboggan hire, chain hire, and many other profitable ventures associated with snowplay and skiing. During summer Marysville is frequented by many bikers, particularly on weekends. Marysville is cradled between two of Victoria's best motorcycling roads, the Black Spur & The Reefton Spur." source: Wikipedia
Now it was just a shell. The fires of 2009 had destroyed 90% of all the buildings including the school, police station, and almost all the residential houses. That day they still call Black Saturday, the fires raced through the town in minutes, killing some 45 people in the little town alone. The fire had been huge, and had started perhaps as far away as 150km.
John was very touched to see the empty spaces where people's lives had been played out. He saw the reconstruction efforts with homes at all stages of construction - and some with nothing happening that he assumed meant the family had been killed. But he was most impressed with one home, nothing more than a concrete pad, with the debris all cleared away, and an Australian flag flying from an old stick.
He was inspired that the trees were regrowing, the animals were having babies to repopulate the forest and the people were rising again from their tragedy.
TRB
The day was cloudy and cool when John woke up. He dozed while watching me put in a couple of hours uploading new videos from his days in Sydney. Take a look, if you haven't seen the new ones - like Manly Beach, Manly and the pirates, and some nice views in the Powerhouse Museum. These were all possible because the dongle, though expensive, allowed John to have a better Internet connection. He has no idea what his connection will be like from Singapore.
Anyway, after having a cup of tea, he and Janice set out to see the effects of the devastating bush fires that occurred last February, almost 11 months ago. John remembered hearing about them on the news - over 200 people (men, women, and children) had been killed in the fires. Janice had been there 10 months ago but had not seen it since.
They drove towards a town called Marysville, population about 520, about 90 minutes away to the north. As they passed through the Yarra Ranges National Park, they began to see the changes in the landscape. For mile after mile, trees had blackened burnt trunks reaching up to the levels that the flames had leaped. Many of the gum or eucalyptus trees are able to withstand bush fires so they were sprouting greenery all along their trunks from the ground up, giving them a weird looking appearance. John felt that it was good to see this regeneration as it meant that the forest was healing itself. However, he felt sad to think of the countless animals, both wildlife and stock, that had perished in the flames.
Nothing prepared him for the utter destruction of the small town of Marysville. An early description of the town said, "Marysville is well known for its beautiful gardens and scenery, and as a gateway to year-round outdoor activities. Nestled in the foothills of Melbourne's Yarra Range..." it had many attractions for tourists such as fern gullies, views of the mountains, and walking tracks to Steavenson Falls. It was the place to go for Melburnians to escape the summer heat since the 1920s.
"It's primary industry [was] tourism. Prior to the fire, it contained numerous cafes, art galleries, restaurants, and craft shops. It has been used as a base for the Lake Mountain ski resort. During the snow season, the population of the town has been known to double or even triple, due to the influx of other hospitality and tourism caterers, such as ski hire, toboggan hire, chain hire, and many other profitable ventures associated with snowplay and skiing. During summer Marysville is frequented by many bikers, particularly on weekends. Marysville is cradled between two of Victoria's best motorcycling roads, the Black Spur & The Reefton Spur." source: Wikipedia
Now it was just a shell. The fires of 2009 had destroyed 90% of all the buildings including the school, police station, and almost all the residential houses. That day they still call Black Saturday, the fires raced through the town in minutes, killing some 45 people in the little town alone. The fire had been huge, and had started perhaps as far away as 150km.
John was very touched to see the empty spaces where people's lives had been played out. He saw the reconstruction efforts with homes at all stages of construction - and some with nothing happening that he assumed meant the family had been killed. But he was most impressed with one home, nothing more than a concrete pad, with the debris all cleared away, and an Australian flag flying from an old stick.
He was inspired that the trees were regrowing, the animals were having babies to repopulate the forest and the people were rising again from their tragedy.
TRB
Monday, January 18, 2010
Dandenong Drive
Jan 18
On this day, the rain showers continued helping Melbourne to become more quenched. Janice and John visited her friend Lynney where they had some pikelets (small pancakes) and a Boston cake - a sponge cake with white creamy frosting.
After that they visited a wholesale nursery as Janice wanted to find some six foot plants to act as privacy hedge. However, she didn't see what she needed and will go back another time.
Then they visited the Dandenong Ranges National Park and the quaint little villages up in the hills overlooking Melbourne. John found some souvenirs and they had lattes and a vanilla slice french pastry.
They saw stringy bark gum trees, one of the many species of eucalyptus in Australia. These trees shed their bark in strings down their sides until the strings fall off. They also saw a Kookaburra fly in front of the car. The Kookaburra, a kind of kingfisher that makes a distinctive sound, is another Australian icon.
After one of the many showers the air heated up and the road steamed as the wet pavement evaporated back into the air.
They arrived back at Janice's where she made spaghetti and meat balls with home made sauce. Janice doesn't use packages much!
TRb
On this day, the rain showers continued helping Melbourne to become more quenched. Janice and John visited her friend Lynney where they had some pikelets (small pancakes) and a Boston cake - a sponge cake with white creamy frosting.
After that they visited a wholesale nursery as Janice wanted to find some six foot plants to act as privacy hedge. However, she didn't see what she needed and will go back another time.
Then they visited the Dandenong Ranges National Park and the quaint little villages up in the hills overlooking Melbourne. John found some souvenirs and they had lattes and a vanilla slice french pastry.
They saw stringy bark gum trees, one of the many species of eucalyptus in Australia. These trees shed their bark in strings down their sides until the strings fall off. They also saw a Kookaburra fly in front of the car. The Kookaburra, a kind of kingfisher that makes a distinctive sound, is another Australian icon.
After one of the many showers the air heated up and the road steamed as the wet pavement evaporated back into the air.
They arrived back at Janice's where she made spaghetti and meat balls with home made sauce. Janice doesn't use packages much!
TRb
Back to Melbourne
Jan 17
We said goodbye to the Quest on Dixon at 10am and walked down to the central railway station to use his Sydney pass for the last time (it gives you a free round trip to the airport as well as everything else). It was not a long walk but it was humid and John was sweating and complaining to me about my weight again. I haven't gained any weight! grrrr. In fact, I am only this weight because I am carrying his heavy laptop.
Anyway, after finding our way to platform 23 we waited for the train to the airport. It came along shortly and was very nice...like the double decker GO trains, only new.
The airport was the third stop. We got off and found our way to departures. It was too early to check in because the flight didn't leave until 1:20 so John looked around for someplace to eat (he had run out of shredded wheat the day before). All he could find was this little stand, so he bought a lemonade and a cheese and veggie roll. The roll was covered in puff pastry. He ate it hungrily.
When it was time to check in, he did and the flight was pretty routine. Except for the landing. The pilot had said it was windy but John could tell that it was a very strong crosswind (the plane was crabbing severely into the wind). The pilot plonked it down hard. The passenger area bounced at least three feet so that would mean that the plane bounced a good eight feet when it landed.
When they got off the plane John could understand what happened and realized the pilot's landing had been very skillful. The wind was definitely gale force. There are no jet ramps at the Avalon airport so you have to walk down the stairs they roll up to the plane. We were pushed sideways by the wind when we stepped outside; it was that strong! And it was only 18 degrees. It really felt like a storm was coming.
A day or two before Janice had emailed to ask John when the flight was due in and she had lost the paper. John had written back that he thought it was 3:30. But he was wrong. It was 2:30. It was his own fault that he had to wait an hour for Janice to arrive. And she had been held up by road work. Luckily for john he had a bus shelter to wait in as the gale blew all around.
He was very happy when he saw her car coming up the drive as Avalon is in the middle of nowhere.
Janice made fried chicken, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes and peas for dinner. They watched Miss Congeniality 2 on TV. John was happy to lay down in his bed and drift off as the rain started to pour on this parched land.
TRB
We said goodbye to the Quest on Dixon at 10am and walked down to the central railway station to use his Sydney pass for the last time (it gives you a free round trip to the airport as well as everything else). It was not a long walk but it was humid and John was sweating and complaining to me about my weight again. I haven't gained any weight! grrrr. In fact, I am only this weight because I am carrying his heavy laptop.
Anyway, after finding our way to platform 23 we waited for the train to the airport. It came along shortly and was very nice...like the double decker GO trains, only new.
The airport was the third stop. We got off and found our way to departures. It was too early to check in because the flight didn't leave until 1:20 so John looked around for someplace to eat (he had run out of shredded wheat the day before). All he could find was this little stand, so he bought a lemonade and a cheese and veggie roll. The roll was covered in puff pastry. He ate it hungrily.
When it was time to check in, he did and the flight was pretty routine. Except for the landing. The pilot had said it was windy but John could tell that it was a very strong crosswind (the plane was crabbing severely into the wind). The pilot plonked it down hard. The passenger area bounced at least three feet so that would mean that the plane bounced a good eight feet when it landed.
When they got off the plane John could understand what happened and realized the pilot's landing had been very skillful. The wind was definitely gale force. There are no jet ramps at the Avalon airport so you have to walk down the stairs they roll up to the plane. We were pushed sideways by the wind when we stepped outside; it was that strong! And it was only 18 degrees. It really felt like a storm was coming.
A day or two before Janice had emailed to ask John when the flight was due in and she had lost the paper. John had written back that he thought it was 3:30. But he was wrong. It was 2:30. It was his own fault that he had to wait an hour for Janice to arrive. And she had been held up by road work. Luckily for john he had a bus shelter to wait in as the gale blew all around.
He was very happy when he saw her car coming up the drive as Avalon is in the middle of nowhere.
Janice made fried chicken, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes and peas for dinner. They watched Miss Congeniality 2 on TV. John was happy to lay down in his bed and drift off as the rain started to pour on this parched land.
TRB
Saturday, January 16, 2010
Avatar
Jan 16 Part B
After Avatar
Well, John went to see Avatar at the largest Imax screen in the world - 8 stories high... and he loved it. He saw it as a morality tale of more than superficial good versus evil. It was, he thought, about the contest between good and evil that lies in all humanity and at many levels. We have the knowledge to know the ways we should be treating our Mother Earth and we have the capacity to destroy her. We have the morality to know how we should treat our brothers and sisters and we have the power to destroy relationships and entire peoples. We have the knowledge that we should be treating our fellow creatures and plants with care yet we are killing them at phenomenal rates without care.
But this was a story that should have been told in words whether aloud or written. The message kind of gets lost in the glamorous computer animation - which was spectacular - and the battle scenes. John said it was the best flight animation he had ever seen. It also had to have a Hollywood ending because it was on film and took hundreds of millions of dollars to make and needed to make that money back many times over. And that hurts the morality of the story itself. How ironic!
So, yes it gets John's and my two thumbs up. It was a fitting ending to a fantastic few days in Sydney.
TRB
After Avatar
Well, John went to see Avatar at the largest Imax screen in the world - 8 stories high... and he loved it. He saw it as a morality tale of more than superficial good versus evil. It was, he thought, about the contest between good and evil that lies in all humanity and at many levels. We have the knowledge to know the ways we should be treating our Mother Earth and we have the capacity to destroy her. We have the morality to know how we should treat our brothers and sisters and we have the power to destroy relationships and entire peoples. We have the knowledge that we should be treating our fellow creatures and plants with care yet we are killing them at phenomenal rates without care.
But this was a story that should have been told in words whether aloud or written. The message kind of gets lost in the glamorous computer animation - which was spectacular - and the battle scenes. John said it was the best flight animation he had ever seen. It also had to have a Hollywood ending because it was on film and took hundreds of millions of dollars to make and needed to make that money back many times over. And that hurts the morality of the story itself. How ironic!
So, yes it gets John's and my two thumbs up. It was a fitting ending to a fantastic few days in Sydney.
TRB
Day 5 in Sydney
Jan 16
The day started out with a mistake. John was excited to be going to Avatar at 9:30am. When he arrived there were two other guys there and they were perplexed. How could they go to see Avatar at 9:30 if the theatre didn't open until 10am? They were on the phone to the movie company. John said that he had wondered that, too. So he got out his ticket and sure enough it said 9:30PM! But that was alright... it gave him more time to see things on his last day in Sydney.
So, he went back to the hotel, picked up his hat and his canera and set off. He had wanted to see the other famous beach, the one at Manly. He knew that there was a long ferry ride to get to it and it was covered by his three-day pass. So, he went and waited for the Explorer bus and sat through the same old taped descriptions of the areas they were passing that he had listened to, with fascination, the first time. Sydney has the biggest this and the widest that and the longest something else etc. But now he was catching some of the nuances that he had missed before. He knew about the Hungry Mile, Bennelong, Mrs. Macquarrie's Chair, and the Suez Canal. He could tell you about Wooloomooloo and Harry's Cafe de Wheels where Frank Sinatra had eaten and where Elton John once conducted a press conference. He knew they only serve meat pies and hot dogs.
So, he knew exactly where to get off the bus to find the ferry to Manly.
He had just missed it!
But it was only a 20-minute wait for the next one. And he was one of the first on and sat down the side of the boat to take some shore scenery. The 30-minute ride was nice and people all around were looking forward to their day at the beach. So, it was a nice atmosphere.
Manly was a cool surfer dude kind of place made for tourists, if you can picture that unlikely combo. The town has made the central area a pedestrian mall and there were all kinds of shops. John walked with the mass of people (the ferry holds over 300) down to the beach.
It was beautiful, like Bondi, only this was a nice warm day. John went onto the beach and took some video of the surfers but again, the surf was not high and the waves were only allowing the surfers very short rides. He did notice the shark nets that were out in the water, however. The surfers were ignoring those.
There was a huge amount of beach volleyball going on - maybe 10 courts set out in the sand - and there was a school to teach people how to play. It seemed pretty organized.
After a little walk around the Manly downtown, John found a Moevenpick and bought himself an ice cream cone - two scoops - one caramelito and the other cappuchino. It was great!
Then he went to the ferry terminal to come back. On board he came across 5 or 6 guys dressed as pirates. He asked them why they were dressed that way. They were all from Britain and they were going on a stag. The theme was pirate. Well, they did an "Arrrr" for John before making that quintessential British error of thinking he was American. One guy saw his camera case and said, "He's Canadian!" John, in jest, said if anyone called him American again they would be walking the plank themselves... without a plank! Despite their little error they were really funny and witty, waving their rubber swords and daggers at passing ships and yelling, "Arrrr." They expected the stag would last into the wee hours. John wondered how much "Arrrr" would be left in them by then.
John picked up the same bus again and got off the Queen Victoria Building, a gorgeous old building containing a shopping mall on five levels. The shops though were not your trypical mall ones. They were very upscale... like Yorkville Avenue off Avenue Road types. Gucci, Armani and so on. Suits were 50% or more off, only $750.
Then John went to his last attraction apart from the movie - the Sydney Tower. It is like the CN Tower only shorter. But for a little extra they put you in a special outfit, special shoes, and take you right outside with nothing but a railing and the tether that you have clipped onto the building. They made quite a production out of it, making you go through security, then a metal detector, then a breathalyzer test. John passed all three. They then make you put all your stuff in a locker and only take the locker key. They don't want you to drop anything from the tower. John felt really disappointed because he would have loved to have taken a video up there. Instead he had to settle for still shots that they take and sell back to you afterwards.
After they stepped out, John realized that his pilot training had taken away all fear of heights. He could look down through the plexiglass floor and over the railing with no worries. At one point you are on a plexiglass platform and they move it out over the edge of the building.
The guide pointed out all the places that John had seen since coming here. It was a remarkable experience being completely on the outside, with nothing but a tether and a railing. The wind blew. And then all too soon it was over.
John's adventures (apart from the movie) in Sydney were over. We take the flight back to Melbourne tomorrow.
TRB
The day started out with a mistake. John was excited to be going to Avatar at 9:30am. When he arrived there were two other guys there and they were perplexed. How could they go to see Avatar at 9:30 if the theatre didn't open until 10am? They were on the phone to the movie company. John said that he had wondered that, too. So he got out his ticket and sure enough it said 9:30PM! But that was alright... it gave him more time to see things on his last day in Sydney.
So, he went back to the hotel, picked up his hat and his canera and set off. He had wanted to see the other famous beach, the one at Manly. He knew that there was a long ferry ride to get to it and it was covered by his three-day pass. So, he went and waited for the Explorer bus and sat through the same old taped descriptions of the areas they were passing that he had listened to, with fascination, the first time. Sydney has the biggest this and the widest that and the longest something else etc. But now he was catching some of the nuances that he had missed before. He knew about the Hungry Mile, Bennelong, Mrs. Macquarrie's Chair, and the Suez Canal. He could tell you about Wooloomooloo and Harry's Cafe de Wheels where Frank Sinatra had eaten and where Elton John once conducted a press conference. He knew they only serve meat pies and hot dogs.
So, he knew exactly where to get off the bus to find the ferry to Manly.
He had just missed it!
But it was only a 20-minute wait for the next one. And he was one of the first on and sat down the side of the boat to take some shore scenery. The 30-minute ride was nice and people all around were looking forward to their day at the beach. So, it was a nice atmosphere.
Manly was a cool surfer dude kind of place made for tourists, if you can picture that unlikely combo. The town has made the central area a pedestrian mall and there were all kinds of shops. John walked with the mass of people (the ferry holds over 300) down to the beach.
It was beautiful, like Bondi, only this was a nice warm day. John went onto the beach and took some video of the surfers but again, the surf was not high and the waves were only allowing the surfers very short rides. He did notice the shark nets that were out in the water, however. The surfers were ignoring those.
There was a huge amount of beach volleyball going on - maybe 10 courts set out in the sand - and there was a school to teach people how to play. It seemed pretty organized.
After a little walk around the Manly downtown, John found a Moevenpick and bought himself an ice cream cone - two scoops - one caramelito and the other cappuchino. It was great!
Then he went to the ferry terminal to come back. On board he came across 5 or 6 guys dressed as pirates. He asked them why they were dressed that way. They were all from Britain and they were going on a stag. The theme was pirate. Well, they did an "Arrrr" for John before making that quintessential British error of thinking he was American. One guy saw his camera case and said, "He's Canadian!" John, in jest, said if anyone called him American again they would be walking the plank themselves... without a plank! Despite their little error they were really funny and witty, waving their rubber swords and daggers at passing ships and yelling, "Arrrr." They expected the stag would last into the wee hours. John wondered how much "Arrrr" would be left in them by then.
John picked up the same bus again and got off the Queen Victoria Building, a gorgeous old building containing a shopping mall on five levels. The shops though were not your trypical mall ones. They were very upscale... like Yorkville Avenue off Avenue Road types. Gucci, Armani and so on. Suits were 50% or more off, only $750.
Then John went to his last attraction apart from the movie - the Sydney Tower. It is like the CN Tower only shorter. But for a little extra they put you in a special outfit, special shoes, and take you right outside with nothing but a railing and the tether that you have clipped onto the building. They made quite a production out of it, making you go through security, then a metal detector, then a breathalyzer test. John passed all three. They then make you put all your stuff in a locker and only take the locker key. They don't want you to drop anything from the tower. John felt really disappointed because he would have loved to have taken a video up there. Instead he had to settle for still shots that they take and sell back to you afterwards.
After they stepped out, John realized that his pilot training had taken away all fear of heights. He could look down through the plexiglass floor and over the railing with no worries. At one point you are on a plexiglass platform and they move it out over the edge of the building.
The guide pointed out all the places that John had seen since coming here. It was a remarkable experience being completely on the outside, with nothing but a tether and a railing. The wind blew. And then all too soon it was over.
John's adventures (apart from the movie) in Sydney were over. We take the flight back to Melbourne tomorrow.
TRB
Friday, January 15, 2010
Powerhouse
Jan 15
John woke later this day. He had decided not to use his last day's bus pass unless the weather was better. It was forecast to be rainy and 25 again. He decided to give the dongle a try just to see if it would work - and it did. He said he would use it until it didn't work anymore.
If he wasn't able to move around the city he thought he should do an activity close to his hotel. The closest attraction was the Powerhouse science and technology museum.
He set out wih his jacket for warmth as well as rain protection but still had only his shorts to wear as he had left his jeans in Melbourne, Well, the forecast of 25 was low. He didn't need his jacket and had to carry it. It was muggy though. John found his way to the museum and went in. He got a $2 discount for having his pass so it was only $8.
He first went to the steam engine room where they had old locomotives and steam engines for running things. Then he went to the air exhibit and then to the space exhibit.
Usually John likes to see kids in museums because they can learn so much but today they overran this one. There were thousands... seriously. Everwhere, they ran and shouted and screamed, sometimes piercingly so. They ran to the interactive exhibits pushing buttons and if there was no instant gratification they ran on to the next one. Parents were using the museum as a babysitting service as they let their kids run wild. One child about ten was pounding all the buttons that moved an industrial robot at the same time and as hard as he could. The machine was vibrating. You were supposed to get it to pick up the blocks (teaching you programming). "Ah," John pondered, "I must be getting old."
He realized that the fault wasn't really the kids but the museum. Although he would give the technology exhibits high grades the science ones were poor. They did not take age appropriateness into account. There were some exhibits that were fun and interactive but the science was too high level for most adults let alone children. Who can understand nuclear fusion from a simple abstract activity of moving circles on a touch screen? Like the Ontario Science Centre the science activities were staged. There were no truly interactive activities that children could work on, like making a small electric motor from hundred of available parts, under the guidance of museum staff.
What they did teach the kids was how to dance to Michael Jackson's Thriller video. The dancers got the kids all revved up and then tried to teach them. Even the staff couldn't do the moonwalk so apart from creating hyper kids, nothing of educational value was achieved.
That seemed to be the trouble with the Powerhouse. It didn't know seem to know whether it was a repository for artefacts, an informal educational experience, or an entertainment venue. There was an exhibit for the parents that had music and Australian music stars of the 80's. John wondered what that had to do with science or technology. John did recognize INXS and Crowded House amongst the myriad bands that did not achieve international success.
One other problem was that exhibits often interfered with each other. The sounds of one would make it hard to hear the next and so on.
Having said all the negatives, there were some really positive aspects. The design technology was outstanding with designs created by year 12 tech students that had been brought to life and manufactured by the museum. There was also a 'design through the ages' exhibit that could take days to truly appreciate. Their space simulation was cool as you spent time in the space shuttle and got the disorienting feeling that you were weightless. The first train in Australia complete with first, second and third class carriages was impressive.
The one science exhibit area that was excellent was about scent. It was at a level that everyone from young children to adults with PhD's could understand and enjoy. You pressed a button and put your nose up to the tube and smelled. It was the kind of science that should be in such museums because it gives children a sense of playing with a phenomenon that is real to them. It also had molecular drawings and text that showed and explained why you were smelling what you were. And that was interesting to the grownups. There were also stunningly beautiful photographs of nebulas, galaxies and stars that would have made John, as a youngster, want to become an astronomer (err astrophysicist). John also saw a copy of the Strasburg clock that was excellent. He was lucky to be there at the top of the hour to see all the various parts in motion.
John found himself leaving after three hours but only because his back had become sore from all that looking and reading. He walked back to the hotel and took a nap.
He got up for supper and walked to find another pub. This time he had lamb shanks with mashed potatoes and gravy but no veggies. It was just that kind of pub. He made a resolution to eat some veggies tomorrow. One thing he has found is that it is hard not to drink in Australia. The main courses are fairly inexpensive in pubs but they have a $20 minimum purchase and all you can get is alcohol. This time John had to buy two beers to get the price up to $20. He wandered back to the hotel somewhat buzzed and slept again. He hoped that he would get to sleep early enough to wake up in time for Avatar in Imax 3-D in the morning.
TRB
John woke later this day. He had decided not to use his last day's bus pass unless the weather was better. It was forecast to be rainy and 25 again. He decided to give the dongle a try just to see if it would work - and it did. He said he would use it until it didn't work anymore.
If he wasn't able to move around the city he thought he should do an activity close to his hotel. The closest attraction was the Powerhouse science and technology museum.
He set out wih his jacket for warmth as well as rain protection but still had only his shorts to wear as he had left his jeans in Melbourne, Well, the forecast of 25 was low. He didn't need his jacket and had to carry it. It was muggy though. John found his way to the museum and went in. He got a $2 discount for having his pass so it was only $8.
He first went to the steam engine room where they had old locomotives and steam engines for running things. Then he went to the air exhibit and then to the space exhibit.
Usually John likes to see kids in museums because they can learn so much but today they overran this one. There were thousands... seriously. Everwhere, they ran and shouted and screamed, sometimes piercingly so. They ran to the interactive exhibits pushing buttons and if there was no instant gratification they ran on to the next one. Parents were using the museum as a babysitting service as they let their kids run wild. One child about ten was pounding all the buttons that moved an industrial robot at the same time and as hard as he could. The machine was vibrating. You were supposed to get it to pick up the blocks (teaching you programming). "Ah," John pondered, "I must be getting old."
He realized that the fault wasn't really the kids but the museum. Although he would give the technology exhibits high grades the science ones were poor. They did not take age appropriateness into account. There were some exhibits that were fun and interactive but the science was too high level for most adults let alone children. Who can understand nuclear fusion from a simple abstract activity of moving circles on a touch screen? Like the Ontario Science Centre the science activities were staged. There were no truly interactive activities that children could work on, like making a small electric motor from hundred of available parts, under the guidance of museum staff.
What they did teach the kids was how to dance to Michael Jackson's Thriller video. The dancers got the kids all revved up and then tried to teach them. Even the staff couldn't do the moonwalk so apart from creating hyper kids, nothing of educational value was achieved.
That seemed to be the trouble with the Powerhouse. It didn't know seem to know whether it was a repository for artefacts, an informal educational experience, or an entertainment venue. There was an exhibit for the parents that had music and Australian music stars of the 80's. John wondered what that had to do with science or technology. John did recognize INXS and Crowded House amongst the myriad bands that did not achieve international success.
One other problem was that exhibits often interfered with each other. The sounds of one would make it hard to hear the next and so on.
Having said all the negatives, there were some really positive aspects. The design technology was outstanding with designs created by year 12 tech students that had been brought to life and manufactured by the museum. There was also a 'design through the ages' exhibit that could take days to truly appreciate. Their space simulation was cool as you spent time in the space shuttle and got the disorienting feeling that you were weightless. The first train in Australia complete with first, second and third class carriages was impressive.
The one science exhibit area that was excellent was about scent. It was at a level that everyone from young children to adults with PhD's could understand and enjoy. You pressed a button and put your nose up to the tube and smelled. It was the kind of science that should be in such museums because it gives children a sense of playing with a phenomenon that is real to them. It also had molecular drawings and text that showed and explained why you were smelling what you were. And that was interesting to the grownups. There were also stunningly beautiful photographs of nebulas, galaxies and stars that would have made John, as a youngster, want to become an astronomer (err astrophysicist). John also saw a copy of the Strasburg clock that was excellent. He was lucky to be there at the top of the hour to see all the various parts in motion.
John found himself leaving after three hours but only because his back had become sore from all that looking and reading. He walked back to the hotel and took a nap.
He got up for supper and walked to find another pub. This time he had lamb shanks with mashed potatoes and gravy but no veggies. It was just that kind of pub. He made a resolution to eat some veggies tomorrow. One thing he has found is that it is hard not to drink in Australia. The main courses are fairly inexpensive in pubs but they have a $20 minimum purchase and all you can get is alcohol. This time John had to buy two beers to get the price up to $20. He wandered back to the hotel somewhat buzzed and slept again. He hoped that he would get to sleep early enough to wake up in time for Avatar in Imax 3-D in the morning.
TRB
Thursday, January 14, 2010
Cold Day in Sydney
Jan 14
Well, John has sent me out to Macca's... again! To upload the posts... again! He looked at his data balance and it seemed like he is so close to his limit that he might have uploaded the new data amount to the wrong cell phone number. He has a booklet with the cell phone number on it but perhaps he picked up Janice's booklet by mistake and put the data into her account. Or the Vodaphone Australia system just ate his money. They made clear that they could not (would not, maybe) undo any incorrect information entered when he was finishing the transaction.
Anyway, he also asked me to tell you about the day and upload a video if Macca's lets me...
John watched the morning talk shows and the weather people said showers early and late and a high of 25. So, John thought he would be fine with a shirt, short pants, and sandals if he took along his 'old man' sun hat and travel umbrella. Well, just as in Canada, the forecast was wrong. It never made it close to 25 and it spitted rain from time to time throughout the day. John found himself surprisingly cold, waiting for the Sydney Explorer bus.
After having another talk with Gail who called, he took the bus to Circular Quay where he boarded the Bondi Explorer. This was to take him along the beachside precincts and towns on the south side of Sydney Harbour leading to Bondi Beach, the most famous of all of Australia's beaches.
Along the route he saw panoramic scenes overlooking Sydney Harbour and took a couple of scenes. He also saw the approximate area in Double Bay where Nicole Kidman used to live (and recently sold for $14M Aus). The driver said all the homes in Double Bay are worth between $5M and $10M. And they are not mansions!
Unfortunately, the buses are set with the A/C on because it is the summer and as a result it was freezing in the bus. It was warmer outside when John got off at Bondi. The surf lifegaurd station said the air was 20 degrees with a 15 knot wind. The wind and misty rain made it seem colder than that. However, John did walk on the sand to be able to say he walked on Bondi Beach!
John saw a little of that Aussie spirit with all the surfers in the water, waiting for bigger waves. The waves were big enough but he thought the surfers wanted better. That was not all he saw. A woman about to go out surfing casually removed her bikini top to put the top of her wetsuit on. It raised no eyebrows and John thought that in these sorts of ways Australia is healthily laid back.
John went to Macca's and got some Chicken McNuggets just to feel a little warmer inside. Then he went back across the road to wait for another bus. This time he decided it would be warmer in a museum and since the Bondi bus would stop outside the Australian Museum that would be his choice. The commentary had said that it had an exhibition about Australia's indigenous peoples and he was keen to see and learn more. There was also a special exhibition of wildlife photography that he wanted to see.
It was extra to see the wildlife photos but John paid as it was only a little extra with a regular museum entrance. The photographs were sumbitted by photographers from around the world as part of a best wildlife photographer contest that the museum sponsors. There were Canadian photographers along with those from many other countries. The overall winner was of a wolf jumping a gate. There is quite a controversy because there are claims that it was a tame wolf living in a compound in Germany who was trained to jump the gate. If true (and it is still not decided yet) that would have broken the rules of the contest because the animals have to be wild and free and captured doing something that is natural for them to do. Experts says wolves will not jump fences or gates in the wild but rather try to slide between the railings if they can.
The only thing odd about the exhibition was that the overwhelming number of photographs - maybe 80% - pictured snowy, wintry scenes. They were stark and dramatic, of course, but John wondered if the snow made the photographs seem subconsciously somehow more exotic to the local judges in Sydney the same way rainforest pictures would seem to judges during a Canadian winter.
The next exhibit was about the Indigenous peoples of Australia. John learned a great deal. For example he came to appreciate that the cultures of the peoples, that some call aborigines, are the oldest living cultures in the world - between 60,000 and 120,000 years old. That means their cultures were in existence during the last ice age! They make the ancient Greek civilization on which all Western cultures are based, seem very young, shallow, and inexperienced.
The cultures were perfectly adapted to the Australian continent and climate. Their spirituality is so complex that most Westerners cannot understand it. John was struggling to understand about dream time and ancestral paths but got glimpses that his sense of Gaia and how we all belong to Mother Earth might fit happily alongside theirs. Although the peoples had no written languages and didn't make permanent dwellings and didn't farm or keep jobs or believe in individual ownership, that did not mean that they were, or are, primitive. In fact, their cultures are, or should be, considered part of Australia's national treasures!
So, it was sad to see the ways that these people have been treated. They suffered the same sorts of abuse as suffered by Canada's First Nations and the indigenous peoples in the United States. As happened in Canada, their children were taken from them and 'westernized' in residential schools. The missionaries tried to destroy the languages and the cultures by brutalizing and abusing the children. The governments did the same, through force of arms to the adults (the exhibit detailed many massacres of indigenous Australians). You see, in the early 1800's it was considered sport by the settlers to hunt the 'abos' but the settlers would get their knickers all twisted when the men fought back and killed some of them. So the settlers would pressure the British governors to bring in the troops.
However, in fairness, it has to be noted that Australian government has recently taken responsibility and apologized - officially - and has settled some land claims. John saw the actual proclamations in the exhibit.
John thought that Britain - as a colonial power - has a lot to answer for in so many places around the world from North America, to Australasia, Africa, India and so on. Then he realized that he would have to include all the other European countries who were trying to do the same sorts of things: Denmark, Holland, Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, and Portugal. By and large, their inhumane treatment of indigenous peoples and their destruction of so many ways of life brings shame on all their histories.
A very sad and sombre John left the museum to find his way to supper and his hotel.
TRB
Well, John has sent me out to Macca's... again! To upload the posts... again! He looked at his data balance and it seemed like he is so close to his limit that he might have uploaded the new data amount to the wrong cell phone number. He has a booklet with the cell phone number on it but perhaps he picked up Janice's booklet by mistake and put the data into her account. Or the Vodaphone Australia system just ate his money. They made clear that they could not (would not, maybe) undo any incorrect information entered when he was finishing the transaction.
Anyway, he also asked me to tell you about the day and upload a video if Macca's lets me...
John watched the morning talk shows and the weather people said showers early and late and a high of 25. So, John thought he would be fine with a shirt, short pants, and sandals if he took along his 'old man' sun hat and travel umbrella. Well, just as in Canada, the forecast was wrong. It never made it close to 25 and it spitted rain from time to time throughout the day. John found himself surprisingly cold, waiting for the Sydney Explorer bus.
After having another talk with Gail who called, he took the bus to Circular Quay where he boarded the Bondi Explorer. This was to take him along the beachside precincts and towns on the south side of Sydney Harbour leading to Bondi Beach, the most famous of all of Australia's beaches.
Along the route he saw panoramic scenes overlooking Sydney Harbour and took a couple of scenes. He also saw the approximate area in Double Bay where Nicole Kidman used to live (and recently sold for $14M Aus). The driver said all the homes in Double Bay are worth between $5M and $10M. And they are not mansions!
Unfortunately, the buses are set with the A/C on because it is the summer and as a result it was freezing in the bus. It was warmer outside when John got off at Bondi. The surf lifegaurd station said the air was 20 degrees with a 15 knot wind. The wind and misty rain made it seem colder than that. However, John did walk on the sand to be able to say he walked on Bondi Beach!
John saw a little of that Aussie spirit with all the surfers in the water, waiting for bigger waves. The waves were big enough but he thought the surfers wanted better. That was not all he saw. A woman about to go out surfing casually removed her bikini top to put the top of her wetsuit on. It raised no eyebrows and John thought that in these sorts of ways Australia is healthily laid back.
John went to Macca's and got some Chicken McNuggets just to feel a little warmer inside. Then he went back across the road to wait for another bus. This time he decided it would be warmer in a museum and since the Bondi bus would stop outside the Australian Museum that would be his choice. The commentary had said that it had an exhibition about Australia's indigenous peoples and he was keen to see and learn more. There was also a special exhibition of wildlife photography that he wanted to see.
It was extra to see the wildlife photos but John paid as it was only a little extra with a regular museum entrance. The photographs were sumbitted by photographers from around the world as part of a best wildlife photographer contest that the museum sponsors. There were Canadian photographers along with those from many other countries. The overall winner was of a wolf jumping a gate. There is quite a controversy because there are claims that it was a tame wolf living in a compound in Germany who was trained to jump the gate. If true (and it is still not decided yet) that would have broken the rules of the contest because the animals have to be wild and free and captured doing something that is natural for them to do. Experts says wolves will not jump fences or gates in the wild but rather try to slide between the railings if they can.
The only thing odd about the exhibition was that the overwhelming number of photographs - maybe 80% - pictured snowy, wintry scenes. They were stark and dramatic, of course, but John wondered if the snow made the photographs seem subconsciously somehow more exotic to the local judges in Sydney the same way rainforest pictures would seem to judges during a Canadian winter.
The next exhibit was about the Indigenous peoples of Australia. John learned a great deal. For example he came to appreciate that the cultures of the peoples, that some call aborigines, are the oldest living cultures in the world - between 60,000 and 120,000 years old. That means their cultures were in existence during the last ice age! They make the ancient Greek civilization on which all Western cultures are based, seem very young, shallow, and inexperienced.
The cultures were perfectly adapted to the Australian continent and climate. Their spirituality is so complex that most Westerners cannot understand it. John was struggling to understand about dream time and ancestral paths but got glimpses that his sense of Gaia and how we all belong to Mother Earth might fit happily alongside theirs. Although the peoples had no written languages and didn't make permanent dwellings and didn't farm or keep jobs or believe in individual ownership, that did not mean that they were, or are, primitive. In fact, their cultures are, or should be, considered part of Australia's national treasures!
So, it was sad to see the ways that these people have been treated. They suffered the same sorts of abuse as suffered by Canada's First Nations and the indigenous peoples in the United States. As happened in Canada, their children were taken from them and 'westernized' in residential schools. The missionaries tried to destroy the languages and the cultures by brutalizing and abusing the children. The governments did the same, through force of arms to the adults (the exhibit detailed many massacres of indigenous Australians). You see, in the early 1800's it was considered sport by the settlers to hunt the 'abos' but the settlers would get their knickers all twisted when the men fought back and killed some of them. So the settlers would pressure the British governors to bring in the troops.
However, in fairness, it has to be noted that Australian government has recently taken responsibility and apologized - officially - and has settled some land claims. John saw the actual proclamations in the exhibit.
John thought that Britain - as a colonial power - has a lot to answer for in so many places around the world from North America, to Australasia, Africa, India and so on. Then he realized that he would have to include all the other European countries who were trying to do the same sorts of things: Denmark, Holland, Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, and Portugal. By and large, their inhumane treatment of indigenous peoples and their destruction of so many ways of life brings shame on all their histories.
A very sad and sombre John left the museum to find his way to supper and his hotel.
TRB
Data problems
I may have to stop updating the blog for a few days. I recharged the dongle but it is not showing on the data usage. I may have recharged the wrong dongle.
TRB
TRB
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
Day Two in Sydney
Jan 13
This was John's first full day in Sydney. The first thing he did after eating his shredded wheat and partly frozen milk (the room fridge was set too low) was to go and get a Sydney Pass for three days.
The pass would give John complete access to the two 'hop on hop off' explorer buses (one for Sydney and the other for Bondi), all local trains, all local buses , all Sydney Harbour ferries and the trip back to the airport. And it was only a little more than a half-day Gray Line tour of Melbourne!
John found that he was really close to the Darling Harbour where he had gone the day before. Yesterday, not knowing the city, he had taken te long way.
Anyway, he got on the first explorer bus that came along but the driver couldn't take Visa. He took John anyway and dropped him off at a stop near a tourist info place up the line. There John talked to an Aussie couple, Wayne and Dawn, who were in the same circumstances. They were very friendly but did other things while John got on the next bus so they lost track of each other.
John was determined to video all that he could see from the bus so stayed on for the whole two-hour trip. The driver noticed and wondered why John wasn't getting off at any of the stops. John explained that he wanted to see everything and decide later where to get off. This he did, at Circular Quay where he had planned to take the ferry to Manly, a famous Sydney beach. But it had left already and he was feeling a little hungry so he took a ferry back to Darling Harbour.
By this time it was nearly lunch time so John walked back to his hotel (a 5 min walk at most). There he had some pop and a madeleine cake and had a short rest.
Then he was off again. When he caught the bus this time he got off at Sydney Opera House. He walked about the grounds and saw that it was, indeed, a magnificent building up close as it is from the distance. The he caught the next bus and got off at the Royal Botanical Gardens.
These were amazing. Although they could not be as lush as those of Christchurch (that John had toured with Peter) because of the climate, they were huge! They went on and on - a fernarium, a palm tree grove, threatened and endangered plant garden, a rose garden, a tropical rainforest, a semi tropical forest, a Wollemi Pine once thought extinct but found in 2000 near Sydney. Although John didn't think he would be impressed by a botanical garden this was somehow different - impressive in its size, its diversity, its grounds, and its aesthetic where they ask you to walk on the grass and make it yours. John took a couple of hours here.
By this time the clouds were rolling in and John's aviation weather class came back to him telling him that warm front was fast approaching so he hopped on the next explorer bus and got off downtown where he had seen another RSL club. He went in for dinner and had the special - American ribs. He also had a beer and as it was happy hour the pint only cost $3.
As he left the wind had come up and rain was splattering the sidewalk. He was lucky to be able to walk under the eaves that most of the downtown stores have until he got back to the hotel.
As I am writing this a thunder storm has come by. This is the first rain he has seen since arriving in Australia. John will have to wear his rainjacket for the next two days according to the weather people.
TRB
This was John's first full day in Sydney. The first thing he did after eating his shredded wheat and partly frozen milk (the room fridge was set too low) was to go and get a Sydney Pass for three days.
The pass would give John complete access to the two 'hop on hop off' explorer buses (one for Sydney and the other for Bondi), all local trains, all local buses , all Sydney Harbour ferries and the trip back to the airport. And it was only a little more than a half-day Gray Line tour of Melbourne!
John found that he was really close to the Darling Harbour where he had gone the day before. Yesterday, not knowing the city, he had taken te long way.
Anyway, he got on the first explorer bus that came along but the driver couldn't take Visa. He took John anyway and dropped him off at a stop near a tourist info place up the line. There John talked to an Aussie couple, Wayne and Dawn, who were in the same circumstances. They were very friendly but did other things while John got on the next bus so they lost track of each other.
John was determined to video all that he could see from the bus so stayed on for the whole two-hour trip. The driver noticed and wondered why John wasn't getting off at any of the stops. John explained that he wanted to see everything and decide later where to get off. This he did, at Circular Quay where he had planned to take the ferry to Manly, a famous Sydney beach. But it had left already and he was feeling a little hungry so he took a ferry back to Darling Harbour.
By this time it was nearly lunch time so John walked back to his hotel (a 5 min walk at most). There he had some pop and a madeleine cake and had a short rest.
Then he was off again. When he caught the bus this time he got off at Sydney Opera House. He walked about the grounds and saw that it was, indeed, a magnificent building up close as it is from the distance. The he caught the next bus and got off at the Royal Botanical Gardens.
These were amazing. Although they could not be as lush as those of Christchurch (that John had toured with Peter) because of the climate, they were huge! They went on and on - a fernarium, a palm tree grove, threatened and endangered plant garden, a rose garden, a tropical rainforest, a semi tropical forest, a Wollemi Pine once thought extinct but found in 2000 near Sydney. Although John didn't think he would be impressed by a botanical garden this was somehow different - impressive in its size, its diversity, its grounds, and its aesthetic where they ask you to walk on the grass and make it yours. John took a couple of hours here.
By this time the clouds were rolling in and John's aviation weather class came back to him telling him that warm front was fast approaching so he hopped on the next explorer bus and got off downtown where he had seen another RSL club. He went in for dinner and had the special - American ribs. He also had a beer and as it was happy hour the pint only cost $3.
As he left the wind had come up and rain was splattering the sidewalk. He was lucky to be able to walk under the eaves that most of the downtown stores have until he got back to the hotel.
As I am writing this a thunder storm has come by. This is the first rain he has seen since arriving in Australia. John will have to wear his rainjacket for the next two days according to the weather people.
TRB
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