We had agreed to meet Jo at Tampines on Friday morning so we rose early and went to Eco Green first. The bird life was prolific and we were really enjoying it until we were caught in a heavy downpour, those birds knew it was coming. We first sheltered under a tree but that wasn't very successful so we decided to walk on and not too far ahead found a shelter. It was way too late though, we were soaked to through. I called Jo and arranged for her to bring a towel. That's a sooty bulbul on the left and and very damp long-tailed shrike above a pair of black-naped orioles on the right.
We met up with her once the rain stopped. She has an idea to publish a book on what colours mean to her and the people in her life that she associates with colour. Interesting idea, not sure if it will ever come to anything, but if it does you will find us in the orange and blue pages.
Once we got home I had a lovely long chat with Jude in Melbourne and caught up on all the family news. Col and Beth have been away in Canada and the USA for a few weeks.
The weekend went by quickly, especially at Kovan where we had 3 of our usual 6 staff away on Sunday which left the rest of us to manage with combined classes and some help from available relief teachers for some sessions.
On Monday we travelled all the way out to Sungei Buloh with the walkers. Unfortunately I couldn't complete the lap because my knee was playing up. It has been so good lately I didn't have a brace or painkillers with me so just made the long journey home again. The rest of them continued on and Eric got some lovely pics. The best were of the Common Flameback pair in the carpark right at the end. Here also is a pied fantail, sunda pygmy woodpecker and Mongolian Plover
In the evening we went to Lakeside, way out west to have a bbq at Syd and Kim's condo. It was lovely to sit out and enjoy the smoky aroma of a bbq even though it was located right next to the train line so we had to frequently pause our conversations! Fortunately they live on the far side, so do not have the noise when at home.
Eric heard over the weekend that Bukit Timah Nature Reserve was open to the public again after 2 years closed for trail rehabilitation and maintenance. After confirming on the web he was so excited that he and June walked there on Tuesday morning. He loved being back in the rainforest and walking the trails we had become so familiar with when training in our first years here for Nepal treks. I cant say I have missed it quite so much, as I used to find the deep steps a real grind for my knees. I do hope to get back there at least once before we leave however, now the steps are better, though Eric says there are more of them!
In the evening the agent for the owners brought not one, but 5 interested new tenants through our apartment. We are hopeful that one of them will put in an offer as that might mean we do not have to pay the rent through to the end of the lease which goes to Jan 14th. Keep your fingers crossed.
Eric woke with a good dose of the flu on Wednesday so had the next 2 days off work. He was lousy with it but by Friday felt like doing something so the floors got mopped while I was wheeling and dealing. I have now listed items on Carousell as well as Gumtree and that keeps me busy responding to text msgs even if they don't always follow up and make an offer. Today we got rid of a computer table and made a deal to have the bench top oven collected after work on the weekend. Still I discover more to dispose of, the 2 shoe racks will have to be carried over to the HDB, someone there will make use of them. They were designed to be book cases after all.
On the way to work on Wednesday I spied a bargain in a shop that I figured I could wear to the Red Carpet Annual Dinner. It is not really that sort of outfit but will be OK with some adjustments and then I can also wear it back in Darwin. Problem is of course, I sent the sewing machine home earlier. I cut and fiddled at home on Thursday morning then took it to the drycleaning/mending service in Serangoon. This is where the fun started. The locals can follow a pattern perfectly, but give them a task to solve and a vision and they just say, "No cannot, can't be done." I stood my ground and eventually wore them down but it nearly killed me to hand over the money they charged to have a few simple seams whipped together. Not such a bargain after all. We will see what it turns out like. How I wish I was in Hoi An now! (Update - following Thursday was able to collect finished item and it was all good).
Peter returned from his quick trip to visit family over the term break on Thursday and we caught up after work at our place since Eric was home. He brought back some Aussie lamingtons and was keen to hand them over while they were still fresh. We asked him to do this so we could share with our friends under the HDB. They were delighted! On Friday Peter had a very special role to play, Grandpa for Kalena, while Naomi gave birth to Albie.
Speaking of our local friends across the road, when I was short-cutting across the grass near a new footpath I very nearly tripped on a piece of reinforcing steel sticking out of the ground and then realized there were a number of them. I was lucky not to have fallen on any of them and that got me thinking about who I should report the danger to. I saw Bernard at the florist and he straight away went back with me to take photos and then sent them to the local council. Community service done for the day, the next day they were removed.
Our opportunities for weekends away are quickly depleting and we were also keen to escape the noise of destruction in our street as they continue to remove trees to upgrade the drainage and footpaths. So after work Sunday we took a 90 min flight to Koh Samui, an island in the Gulf of Thailand, well south of Bangkok and about 80 km from the eastern coastline of Southern Thailand. We were really looking forward to returning there after 30 years to see if our memories of the place are anything like the reality of 2016. Until the late 20th century, Samui was an isolated, self-sufficient community, having little connection with the mainland of Thailand. The island was even without roads until the early 1970s, and the 15 km journey from one side of the island to the other involved a whole-day trek through the mountainous central jungles.
In the early 1970s the first backpackers arrived but for years after that the island had just a few bungalows and a trickle of tourists. That's what we remember. Things started to change in the early 1990s when tourists started arriving on full ferry services and an airport was opened. since then the place has grown substantially. Samui is now the second-most popular place as an island destination in Thailand, after Phuket. The most popular and commercialised beaches are Chaweng and Lamai, while the northern beaches and their adjacent villages of Mae Nam, Bophut, Bang Rak (Big Buddha) and Choeng Mon are more peaceful choices. Is it an age thing affecting our choices?
We arrived on Wan Awk Pansa which signals the end of Buddhist rains retreat where the monks have stayed within the temples for 3 months.
Our destination was Samui Boat Lagoon just a 10 min drive from the airport which is made up of very private villas, each with their own pool and poolside kitchenette. Think we will be very comfortable here. It is located on Bo Phut Beach, best known as home of the Big Buddha.
Monday 17th Oct
Sawadee (greetings)
It is Buddah Day or Thod Kathin, which is held on the first day after the full moon of the eleventh Thai lunar month. This is celebrated by colorful processions and temple activities. Monks are presented with new robes after the rains retreat and rewarded with donations of food by the locals who will all be sure to pay a visit. Kathin is a lunar month-long event that takes place throughout Thailand, traditionally people return to their families and go to the temple events as well as local gatherings. No alcohol will be sold as take away and many businesses will be closed for up to 10 days. This comes on top of the mourning period for King Bhumibol Adulyadej, who died Thursday at 88 after an unprecedented 70-year reign. Many people are wearing either black or white, black being the official primary color of Thailand's year-long mourning period for King. Tourists have been asked to be respectful and wear only muted colours. Stores sell mainly black clothing; even mall mannequins are draped in black. Colorful items are gone altogether or relegated to clearance racks.
At reception I was given a small bouquet of white flowers that smelt beautiful. It turns out they were from the tree locally known as Peep. It is also known as the Indian Cork Tree or Tree Jasmine. At 11 we took a shuttle bus to Choeng Mon Beach and spent 5 hrs there soaking in the atmosphere. Lovely white sand and clear water that quickly dips to head height. No problem with wearing bright colours on the sand. We walked the length of the beach to the point which separates at high tide then sat back and watched as others more youthful ran repeat laps of it.
Ironically we had chosen lounges outside The White House, the same name of the accommodation we stayed at in 1987 but on a different beach. They served great food and cocktails. We people-watched until we drifted off to sleep under the shade of the coastal trees only to being woken by Eric's snoring!
Back home we relaxed (Just how relaxed can you get?) in our villa before striking out for dinner. We weren't sure what we would find open but we had a range of local options and it was deliciously fresh just a short walk up the road.
Tuesday
Had a swim in the massive public pool and all on my own as I have now become accustomed. Then we arranged for a driver, Nom, to drive us around for a few hours. He works at our resort but was happy to forego his one day a week off to be our driver. First he took us to Tongsai Bay Hotel as I had read that their cottages and villas were set in natural surroundings that had been preserved and as a result they have a good number of native birds to be found. Nom could not understand at first why we would want to go there, no birds in cages. We were welcome to visit but had to be accompanied by a staff member in a golf cart rather than just being free to wander, so didn't see as much as we otherwise might. Still, we did get to see magpie robins, brown-throated sunbirds and scarlet-backed flowerpeckers at very close range. Eric did a great job photographing the last.
Next Nom drove along Chewang Beach where we had stayed all those years ago, but it was unrecognisable, buried under so much development. So many electrical wires supported by the street poles! I asked how Nom thought they ever worked out which line had the fault when there was a problem and he just laughed and suggested they don't bother trying to figure it out, they just string up another one. I think he is right.
Along the way we passed a vehicle heavily decorated in colourful flowers and bunting. Apparently this is a priest on his way to see the people and give blessings. We stopped-off at a lookout point for a view along the great length of Chawang Beach with its glistening white sand and clear water.
Next we called in to see the notorious Grandfather and Grandmother rocks for the obligatory photos. Now they haven't changed.
Here we sampled a fresh coconut ice cream which was served with peanuts and glaced pineapple. Fabulous. In the stalls we found unusual sequinned bags that change colour as you touch them and I should have bought one as I bet I will not see them again. (And I didn't.)
We left the coast to drive inland to Na Muang Waterfall. The wet season is in November so at the moment there is not a huge flow over the lip, but it was still a pleasant spot in the cool rainforest. Our driver had a nice relaxing rest in the shade while we had a lovely lunch of bbq chicken and pork with fried rice.
Then we continued on to Nathon, one of the locations where the ferry from Surat Thani docks. Possibly where we arrived and departed last visit as there was no airport on the island then. We stopped for a look at the shops here as they cater more for locals than tourists.
Then we completed our lap of the island, arriving home for a swim in our pool. The big advantage we find in hiring a driver rather than self drive is that they can fill you in with local knowledge that you otherwise would be ignorant about. You may pay a bit more but it creates opportunities too for young enterprising people who are prepared to have a go at tackling the language barriers.
It rained in the evening so we had to wait that out before finding dinner down the road and meeting up with a lovely Scottish couple whose company we really enjoyed at a little place called Stop at Sopa.
Wednesday
I had another swim in the pool while Eric walked up to the 7eleven then we enjoyed an omelette breakfast. There is one tree in the gardens of Sanui Boat Lagoon that almost always has a bird perched in it. We have found the scarlet Flowerpecker, Olive-backed and brown-throated sunbirds and a Coppersmith Barbet there at different times. It turns out it is the Indian Cork Tree, the birds must love the perfume too! The flowers appear to be just finishing.
We had received emails to say our return flights were cancelled so Eric spent a rather fraught half hour on the phone sorting that out. Then at 11am we caught the shuttle back to Cheong Mon for a few hours on the beach under the shade of the trees at the White House again and this time I enjoyed a very thorough neck and shoulder massage. An hour for Sg$13, how could you miss that?
If we were to return we would consider staying here. Our sort of price range and right on the beach. We did check the price of a cottage at Tongsai Bay but it is out of our league. In the evening we walked back to Stop at Sopa for dinner again. They do pizza and other western meals but we haven't eaten our fill of Thai food yet.
Thursday
My goodness, we work this afternoon and here we are on Samui still. Better get a wriggle on.
Bird sightings
Scarlet-backed Flowerpecker
Yellow-vented Bulbul
Brown-throated Sunbird
Magpie robin
Common myna
Cattle egret
Spotted dove
Peaceful dove
Brahminy kite
Blue-tailed Bee eater
Common Tailorbird
Coppersmith Barbet
Pacific Swallow
Testing week has rolled around again, the last time for us. It is an easy week in terms of administration but requires a lot of recording and cross referencing. Not sorry it is the last time.
On Thursday Wendy and Miriam came out to Serangoon and we met for lunch then they came back to our place to get a feel for how an expat lives in Singapore. Not sure that Wendy isn't looking at possibilities for the future. Sadly, they have begun removing the durian trees in our street as they work on putting the monsoon drains under the footpath. The resident Asian Koel, who calls to us most days as we walk to the MRT, has had to relocate.
Before work we dropped 2 more smaller boxes at the post office for shipping home.
We woke to steady rain on Friday which didn't let up. Most unusual for Singapore, but then our northern neighbours have been experiencing cyclones recently and Australia has had widespread flooding so I guess we should expect a little more precipitation at this time. Unfortunately we had chosen this day to go to see the M.C. Escher exhibition at the ArtScience Museum. Big mistake. It was Children's Day so all the primary students had the day off. Since they couldn't go out in the rain, it seems most families chose to go to the same location as us. The queue for tickets was so long we just turned around and came home.
After work on Saturday we caught the train in to Little India to see Serangoon Road and Race Course Road which have been be transformed with colourful lights and decorations for Deepavali, the Hindu festival to mark the triumph of good over evil and light over darkness. First we had a quick dinner at Wine Bos which have now opened in Albert Court. In the five years we have been here they have moved from Katong to Bugis to City Hall and now Little India. It can't be a cheap option to keep moving but we think this is probably a really good position so we hope they do well. Their '$10 steak special' didn't disappoint.
This year the lights were even more impressive than before, with two 20m-tall peacocks in front of the entrance arch.
In the event marquee and local laneways, pop-up shopping bazaars were filled with colourful stalls offering Indian ethnic wear, costume jewelry, ornamental decorations, festival sweets and lots of henna. It was all a hectic, cheerful mass of colour and we were surrounded by the heady fragrances of sweet incense, fresh Indian spices or massage oils. Walking back through the crowds towards the station we passed by the flower stalls preparing floral garland offerings and could inhale the scent of marigolds, roses and jasmine.
After work on Sunday we caught the last night of the Nine Emperor Gods Festival at our local temple on Upper Serangoon Rd. This temple is now the oldest Nine Emperor Gods temple in Singapore, and is known as the Hougang Tou Mu Temple. A stone inscription at the temple indicates that the deities were invited from Penang in 1902, and the temple was completed in 1921. Devotees believe the Nine Emperor Gods bestow wealth and longevity on those that worship. Rituals begin with the lighting of a lamp on the last day of the eighth month of the lunar calendar and devotees begin a vegetarian only diet. The welcome ritual is held the following day with street procession from the temple and proceeds to the Serangoon River where the gods are to be invited. The procession consists of lion and dragon dance troupes and devotees following behind sedan chairs carrying statues of accompanying gods and the sacred urn. The bearers of the sedan chairs are dressed in white and cause the chairs to sway violently to symbolise the presence of divine forces. During the nine days, worshippers visit the temple with offerings to ask for the blessings and participate in parades to other temples.
The ritual to send off the gods starts on the ninth day with the transfer of the sacred urn to the sedan chair and a procession back to the Serangoon River accompanied by lion dancers, stilt walkers and musicians playing drums, cymbals and gongs. Devotees follow in trucks and buses. At the river a the ceremony to send off the gods is conducted. Selected temple committee members climb into a wooden boat with the flaming urn and travel towards the centre of the river to symbolise the departure of the gods. The festival officially ends with the lowering of the lamp on the tenth day. This is followed by the ending of the vegetarian ritual when meat dishes are laid out to thank the heaven guards. We only saw the last of them leaving the temple as we ate dinner at Grapvine next door.
On Monday we returned to the ArtScience Museum to see Journey to Infinity: Escher's World of Wonder. This time we almost had the place to ourselves. His works were captivating, more than 150 to explore in sections from early landscapes to tessellations, then to metamorphosis where the tessellations are transformed. In this section I was really impressed with the piece by the local Nanyang Polytechnic's School of Interactive & Digital Media that shows the evolution of Singapore into its modern day form. Following that was a section of Escher's commercial works, and along the way, we found little activity areas where you could do things like step into a room of mirrors and see yourself disappear into infinity or construct your own Mobius strip. That is the one that challenges Eric's maths brain the most. His works draw together art, mathematics, science and architecture. At one stage he even published emblems in collaboration with a poet who wrote proverbs. The last section is dedicated to all the artists, designers, filmmakers and musicians who have created works influenced by him. Many LP album covers among them.
Later in the afternoon we joined in the annual MAE 10 pin bowling challenge, this year held at the Kovan lanes. We both performed like those who haven't bowled before, which is not far from the truth. Our team scored poorly and were no threat to the current champs from Jurong so the trophy will remain in their cabinet for another 12 months. Despite that, it was a fun and different way to spend time together. Afterwards some of us retired to Nectar and Vine for dinner and refreshments then Syd agreed to help Eric lower the tides in his his whisky collection. Peter is in Australia on a mid-term break, otherwise I am sure he would have helped out too.
On Tuesday the walking group met up at Changi Village to take a bum boat to Pulau Ubin for a walk or bike ride. I had been to the gym earlier in the week to see if my knee was up to it and decided it was worth the risk of a short ride. It was lovely pedaling along the mostly shady lanes with virtually no traffic, just the occasional monkey troop or monitor lizard.
We saw only a few birds, heard many more, but notched up 2 new sightings among them including the mangrove whistler and the great billed heron. Both are considered rare sightings in Singapore, so it was well worth the cycle out to Chek Jawa Wetlands.
Returning to the mainland we couldn't drag Eric past the Little Island Brewing Company without stopping in for lunch. Then we took a long bus ride home in the front seats upstairs for the view.
Since my knee pulled-up OK after the walk earlier in the week we took the chance to join Heather and Michael (who is back for a short visit) for birding at the new Kranji Marshes, out beyond Sungei Buloh. Located on the northwestern shore of Kranji Reservoir, the website tells us this is one of the largest freshwater marshes in Singapore. We took a taxi, as online it seems the only way to get there is via the carpark. The facilities that greeted us there were beautiful, designed to resemble a small-scale wetland in a man-made fashion with two ponds surrounded by marsh plants. Must have cost them a bucket of money but the result is good, especially the toilets which really bring nature into the washroom and have eco-friendly skylights and a grass lined roof.
We walked in to visit the hides and the raptor tower. Unfortunately a big group of ignorant, loud men were there at the time and had frightened away whatever birds we were likely to see initially.
We were disappointment with the scale of the project. This may well be one of Sg's largest freshwater marshes but public access is very limited for now. It was a long way to travel for such a small area. We did manage to see quite a list of birds, though not the marsh varieties we were looking for. Below you can see the magnificent contrast in the colour of the blue tailed bee eater in silhouette, a paradise flycatcher who just took of as Eric clicked the shutter and the noisy dollar bird.
Returning to the carpark we found the Community bus arriving and discovered it now incorporates this stop on its route back to Kranji MRT. Good news and good timing as the next one was not for another 2 hours. Hate to think how long a taxi was going to take to collect us.
When we got home we packed up the sound system so that after work I could get home and then get it to the MRT where I had arranged to meet a buyer. Fortunately Eric turned up to take over as I was struggling along Upper Serangoon Rd with a huge box precariously balancing on shopping trolley wheels. Deal done! And Eric was pleased to discover he can watch Apple TV and movies from the hard drive through direct connection to the TV still.
How good was it that the Bulldogs won? Such a great story for all those die-hard supporters and players who have gone without for so long. Of course we were working, Eric got the final score result on the train as he was coming to meet me at Kovan. We are so happy for our friends who are supporters, one who got a ticket to the ground but chose not to go in case she had a heart attack! Beverige was already a legend before the final siren sounded, but to then be so generous towards a non-playing captain after the game was an act of sportsmanship that helps us remember the whole ideal of sport is bigger than the interfering politics, big money and banned substances. Thank you Luke.
Then Cronulla did it again on Sunday. Year of the underdogs.
We tried out the revamped and reopened Kovan Bowling Alley as a Sunday night, end of the week venue but although the price for beer was cheap it was uncomfortably noisy and they don't serve wine so we returned to Joe's who were happy to see us once again.
In the morning on Monday, Eric went to Bugis to meet up with Wendy Tate, a teacher he worked with at Humpty Doo while I packed some boxes ready for mailing. In the afternoon I got them sent and Eric joined the walkers on a lap of Fort Canning finishing at Gluttons Corner.
I did seriously consider going, even got to the mrt, but while waiting for the train I accepted that my knee had already done enough for one day and made the right decision to opt for a haircut (ooh! Bit short, might not need another trim until I get back to Darwin) and a night-in instead. Must be getting more sensible as I get older.
We met up with Wendy and her friend Miriam again on Tuesday and had a lovely walk around Joo Chiat to show them this vibrant neighbourhood which is Singapore of old. They loved the colourful two-storey shophouses and terraces with ornate facades, intricate motifs and colourful ceramic tiles. We had a late lunch together then went our separate ways.
In the evening we met up with lots of friends at Wine Mansion in Outram as most of us won't be seeing Michael again. It was a very enjoyable evening with good company, food and wine.
