Category Archives: Outdoors

Feb12

Life on an Asian Island–Bintan

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Life on an Asian Island–Bintan

We’ve been living overseas for about 2 1/2 years.  When I started this blog for my mom I had to come up with a name for it – Helen came up with this one, “Life on an Asian Island.”   It seemed pretty appropriate – Singapore’s in Asia, and is an Island!

At first hearing, though, the phrase “Life on an Asian Island” brings to mind palm trees and sand, blue skies and blue-green water, open huts with grass roofs.  Singapore does have Traveller’s Palm trees, a bit of a beach on the East Coast and Sentosa, blue skies when the haze isn’t coming over from Sumatra…..but not a lot of open huts with grass roofs!

There are a lot of places in Asia that will fit the bill, and Bintan, Indonesia is one of them!  It’s just a short (less than an hour) ferry ride from Singapore, and has quite a few resorts where you can enjoy the view and just relax.  Mike and I were lucky enough to get away for a few days and stay at the Banyan Tree Resort.  Blue skies?  Check!  Beautiful water?  Check!  Palm trees?  Hmmm….lots of trees…banyan trees….  I’ll say, check!  Open huts with grass roofs?  1/2 check!  (Our villa had an open patio with pool, and a wall of windows to view the water)

The Banyan Tree will put you back a paycheck or two, but the views are calming, the food excellent, and the staff wonderfully welcoming and friendly.  Ok….so you may have a couple of creepy crawlies in your room – this is an Asian island!  But nothing too odd, and you may get to spot a monitor lizard or monkeys on the paths around the resort.  I’ll let you check out their Banyan Tree Website, if you’d like.  But, basically, you can sit and do nothing, or you can get active.

Mike and I did head over to Mount Bintan for a morning hike.  When I could take my eyes off the trail under my feet, it was a lovely hike!  We didn’t get near the top of the mountain, which surprised me.  I figured it would be a good hike, but it’s not that high!  Yeah….well, it was the steepness of the trail and the rocks that got us!  And, as it’s monsoon season time, the rocks and path were pretty slippery.  You really had to take care to step well.  We bailed somewhere between 1/4 & 1/3 of the way up – and spent longer trying to get down safely!  Ok…maybe it’s our age? Our driver had told us before we went up that not many people make it to the top.  That made me feel a LITTLE better for bailing early.  It was a great time, though, and I would highly recommend it.

Other than that, it was mostly eating  with beautiful views, and putting our feet up.  Life on an Asian Island doesn’t get much better than that!

The resort and the views:

Our hike up Mount Bintan….ok, not all the way up!

A few last pictures……

Jan17

Asian Monkeys

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Asian Monkeys

One of the things my mom wanted to experience was seeing monkeys.  She grew up in Puerto Rico, and many times during her visit she commented on the similarities in plants, weather, and food between Singapore and PR.  She also remembers growing up seeing monkeys, and really wanted to experience that here.   And we do have monkeys….quite close to our condo, at MacRitchie Reservoir.    And I see them many times, while walking around the trails.  Unfortunately, they’re not right at the entrance, and my mom really wasn’t into a 13K hike just to see them!

My mom also wanted to visit Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia – she figured this was a once in a lifetime trip (we’re trying to convince her to come back!), she’d never had an opportunity to see any Asian country, and she wanted to take advantage of being in the area.  What’s closest?  Indonesia is just an hour ferry away, but heading over for spas and beach wasn’t giving her the Asian experience she wanted.  And actually, Malaysia is just across the causeway….drive 20 minutes to the border, cross the bridge and you’re in Johor Bahru!  That’s Asian!  But not much to do there.  She’d heard about KL from the Today show years ago, so that was our destination!

Finding out that air tickets (an hour’s flight) would run us $350 around New Years (normal price around $130), we decided the $50 roundtrip bus ticket was the way to go!  Mike, travel agent extraordinaire, found us a great company (Aeroline) and we were on the way!  6 hours on a bus is nothing (it was the 2 hours to get out of Singapore that was a pain – immigration and customs on both sides of the causeway).  BTW, highly recommend Aeroline.  Seats were comfortable, it’s a double decker w/all seats up top, and they even feed you!

Knowing we might not be able to see monkeys here in Singapore, our tour guide (Zul (Zach) Hatta with Trans Travelution – HIGHLY recommend him) arranged for us to head to Melawati Hill to see the silvered leaf monkeys.  Melawati Hill is a bit of a drive from KL, near the coastline, but quite lovely with a bit of history to boot.

There’s more to Bukit Melawati than just monkeys.  A fort from the 17 & 1800’s was there, the lighthouse remains, and some old cannons.  Bukit Melawati is designated in Malaysia as an Historical Monument and Site.  Pretty cool to walk around.

We did hop onto a multi-car tram which took us to the top of the hill.  I think you can walk up the hill if you want, and there is (very) limited parking at the top as well.

Hopping off, we were met with monkeys.  Lots of monkeys.  Monkeys that were all over the place.  The monkeys do make their home up here.  A few minutes to get oriented, realize that the monkeys are pretty nice and won’t attack, accept the bag of food from Zach to feed the monkeys, and we proceeded to attract our own collection.  The funny part?  These monkeys are picky with what they actually will eat.  They won’t even bother with the sweet potatoes….but will absolutely grab that handful of spinach – from you and from the other monkeys!  We soon realized that these trams come up regularly, and these monkeys get so much food that they can afford to be picky.

After a few minutes of trying to attract monkeys to feed, we looked up and out – and there was an absolutely stunning view of the Straits of Malacca.

We really enjoyed our time at the top, and my mom definitely got her ‘monkey’ fix!

Btw, we actually did get to see monkeys in Singapore.  My walking friend, Katie, took us on a hike so my mom could see the Henderson Waves walking bridge, and the Alexandra Arch.  On the way to our favourite coffee shop, Katie took us down Old Thomson Road where we found a group of monkeys!  So, technically, we didn’t have to go to Malaysia, but I’m glad we did!

Jan16

You know it’s a Beautiful Day….

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You know it’s a Beautiful Day….

….when you’re willing to bypass ‘green’ taxis and wait on the bus!

We just finished with ‘wet monsoon’ season (I think).  We’ve had a lot of rain the last few weeks, requiring my mom to always be prepared with her umbrella.  She left on Monday, and it seems that so did the rains!  The last few days have given us gorgeous blue skies and high winds.  I’ve had the balcony doors open and have not needed the aircon (much).

Singapore was put on the map by the monsoon winds – 6 months of winds in one direction, 6 months of winds in the other.  The traders came along with one set, stayed for 6 months, and returned home with the next.  In general, the last few months have been the ‘wet’ time.  It rains a lot in Singapore, and you can’t always say we have a dry season.  But, in general, January and February tend to get drier.   Here’s an old blog where I’ve talked about the Peranakan culture (a mixing of the Chinese traders and the Malays on the island) for some more background:  A Beader’s Dream.

I am hoping our dry spell doesn’t last quite as long (or as hard) as last year’s.  It was very bad!   It’s Raining! is when I was so excited to have rain again!

But for now, I’ll enjoy the lovely blue skies.  As noted, I was heading home this afternoon, and truly enjoyed the skies, and (slightly) drier air.  You know you do when you’re willing to walk down to the bus stop, ignore all those empty / available taxis, and wait on the bus to arrive (when you only have one bus to choose from!).  Granted, this time the wait wasn’t going to be that long, but even so, it’s hard to pass up a free cab!

4 minutes to wait - actually, not long...

4 minutes to wait – actually, not long…

I’m sorry, Mom, that you missed out on the gorgeous blue skies, but it was cooler with the rain!  Come back and check out the weather again!

Jan6

Pottery Jungle / Dragon Kiln

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Well, I have been busy the last couple of weeks, with my mom visiting.  We’ve been going all over, and (for me) revisiting sites all around Singapore.  One of the first places we went to was the Thow Kwang Pottery Jungle Facebook Page (aka “The Pottery Jungle”) – one of the last surviving dragon kilns on the island.  I really like this place – and when I realized I hadn’t blogged about it, I was shocked!  It’s my go-to place for Peranakan pottery pieces (as going-away gifts), and just a really neat place to visit.

Thow Kwang Pottery has been on the island for over 60 years, most of that time run by the same family.  In the mid 1900’s there were actually quite a few dragon kilns across Singapore.  But, while Singapore’s economy and population grew, development of HDBs, roads and more pretty much destroyed these kilns.  Why?  Well, a dragon kiln is very long – Thow Kwang’s is 130 feet long, and 16 feet wide – so if you want to build a highway to move more people, there wasn’t a lot of argument to plowing through a bunch of bricks!  When Singapore gained their independence, all land was taken over by the government.  So, businesses basically ‘rent’ their locations – including places that have been on the island for decades.  Over the decades, once by one, the dragon kilns were being destroyed.  About 2 years ago, Thow Kwang’s lease was also coming to an end….which could have meant the end of dragon kilns on the island.  With a lot of work, Singaporeans convinced the  National Heritage Board this is a big part of Singapore’s history, and their lease has been extended.  I believe ‘leases’ are for 3 years, and the agreement was for a ‘guaranteed’ 3 leases; so they should be good for 9 years more!  Here’s a little background for the extended Lease for the Pottery Jungle: PotteryJungle WordPress Blog on Extended Lease

One of the interesting facts about the Pottery Jungle is that, like all the other kilns, it was just a dragon kiln for a number of years.  Remember, this kiln is over 100 feet long – to fill it up takes thousands of pieces.  Dragon kilns were used to create the basic pottery used by all families – cooking, storing, etc.  As we moved away from villages, and into Walmarts (ok, there is NOT a Walmart on the island, but you get the drift), there wasn’t that much need for a huge volume of basic pots created in one area.  As interest declined, as well as sales, the Tan family looked for ways to continue to be viable, without taking down the kiln.   With their contacts, they created the ‘retail’ side of the Pottery Jungle – thousands of pots from around the world, from S$2 mass-produced pieces, to huge vases from China, to sculptures and statues, and more.  This retail side allowed the dragon kiln to stay open as well.

There are some blogs that have done great jobs in describing the Pottery Jungle, firing, etc.  Definitely click on these links to get more information:

Here are a few pictures from our visits.

Nov28

Flowers and waterfalls

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Singapore has the coolest architecture.  I’ve said it before (at least out loud, and I think maybe in some blog I’ve written in the past):  I truly believe that Singapore must look high and wide to attract architects that are interested in building structures that just do not fit in the up and down, boxy designs that seem to be worldwide.  From the Aedas Global Architecture’s Star Theatre  to Marina Bay Sands, unique structures abound in Singapore.

Here are some of my ‘old’ pictures of different buildings across Singapore.

A neat place on the island is Gardens by the Bay.  It’s in the Marina Bay area, and was created to capture the essence of Singapore being a “City in a Garden” .  I mentioned the idea of a City in a Garden in ”I miss the cows! a while back.  It’s 71 acres right across from the Financial Center of Singapore, and it’s quite beautiful.  It has “supertrees” –  manmade structures that shoot to the sky, house multiple plants, and offer a light show at night.

There are wonderful paths to walk through, and Fun Sculptures throughout.  My favourite is “Planet” by Marc Quinn.  It is amazing how it floats!

But I do digress….this post was to be about architecture.

Gardens by the Bay also houses two glass-domed structures where you can walk through and experience waterfalls, plants, and more:  the Cloud Forest and the Flower Dome.   Click on this to see an Aerial View of the Cloud Forest and Flower Dome:    

I recently wandered through the domes (Which are both air-conditioned!  A wonderful respite from the heat of Singapore!), and was amazed at the beauty.  And, of course, loving the architecture!  Here are some pictures for you to enjoy.

The Cloud Forest.

The Flower Dome

Hmmm……so maybe I digressed too much!  Oh, well.  I hope you enjoyed the pictures!

Nov6

Fly, Fly, Fly a kite!

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One thing about Singapore is that it is small.  It has limited land (although, it’s always reclaiming from the sea!).  And, it truly tries to make the best out of the space it has – whether you like the methods and outcome or not.  For example, back in the early days of the country, the government recognized that they needed a new solution to house the growth in population.  So, it razed the kampongs (little villages across the island), and ‘built up’ – created the Housing Development Board buildings that are all over.  HDBs are public housing – big apartment buildings.

Another issue the government addressed was the need for fresh water.  With a  growing population, and more and more requirements for natural resources, water is key.   And, really, you better not be beholden to your neighbors, importing your water.  So, over time, Singapore’s water has gone from mostly being imported, to imported, NEWater (reclaimed water), desalinated water, and local catchment.  Over twenty years ago, former Minister Mentor (and first Prime Minister of Singapore) Lee Kwan Yew looked forward to damming the Marina channel to create a freshwater reservoir, adding to other reservoirs on the island (I walk around Macritchie reservoir a lot!).

So what do you do when you want to dam up a whole area, increase your water supply, put in flood control (including pumps), and you don’t have any space to ‘hide it away’?  You build the Marina Barrage, and advertise it as the best place on the island to fly a kite!

The Marina Barrage is a dam built across the Marina Channel – 350 meters across.  It keeps freshwater in, and seawater out.  It also has a major pumping station that manages flood control for the downtown / financial area.  Years ago, Singapore would flood quite often.  However, the pumps at the barrage are designed to allow water to flow out at low tide, or to pump water out during high tide.  It’s a really neat system.

 

In the Sustainable Singapore Gallery, in the Barrage area, there are some really cool exhibits touting Singapore’s path to water-independence.  In one area is a demo showing how the flood control works.  Mike, the engineer, was very impressed with the design of the demo (it was a working flood control design).  I just thought it was really cool!  Also, go to PUB’s Environmental Sustainability of Marina Barrage for a really neat overview of how the Barrage was designed.

On top of all of this is a wide expanse of grass – being at the tip of the island, and right next to the open sea, the winds are awesome!  Mike and I headed down last week, purchased a kite at the store on site, and flew our kite!  There was no Charlie Brown feeling here!  We let out a little string, walking out, Mike let go of the kite, and it popped right up!  Eventually 100 meters in the air!  It wasn’t coming down until we reeled it in!

The payment for all this?  Melting.  It’s hot.  And, of course, if you’re going to fly a kite, you sure don’t want any trees for it to catch in.  So there is no shade.  At all.  It’s one large open area.  And a lot of fun.

Mar15

It’s raining!

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Yep!   We are VERY excited.  But even as I walk over to my computer to write this up, it looks like it’s stopping – way too quickly.  But it was our first set of showers that I’ve seen since January.

Ok….so you ask – don’t you live in a tropical country, just north of the equator?  Yep….we do.

Unfortunately, we have been in an extreme dry spell the last couple of months.  It really hasn’t rained since January.  I believe we received 0.2 mm of rain in February (really, when you get 0.2 mm, does that even count??….and it wasn’t by my condo!).  February 2014 has set the record for being the driest month in Singapore since 1869 – note that it was the ‘driest month since 1869’ …. not the ‘driest February since 1869.’

January – March do tend to get drier, following the wet-monsoon season from November – January….it all has to do with the trade winds’ directions that the Chinese took advantage of greatly in the 1800’s.  But not normally this dry.  And windy!  I must admit, I did enjoy the wonderful breezes.

The papers say that we should be seeing a bit of a change now, heading towards the end of March – the trade winds are in that lull, and it ‘should’ get wetter.  So I was very excited to read the weather report yesterday, with 60% chance of rain today, and around 40% for Sunday and Monday!  Well – they were right!  it rained!

Straits Times’ Article on Driest Month – check out the map.  I’m in the center, just south of middle – in the 90-100% below average section!

Straits Times’ article on the quick rainstorm – Even the Straits Times did a quick post!  (it’s 3:15pm right now…they posted @ 2:26pm!)

Here are a couple of more pictures….before and after.  The first ones are from Denise’s and my trip to the Botanic Gardens in the end of December.  The next set are from when we visited last week….the difference is amazing.

Just last week……

Dec9

We really do live in a city…it’s not all animals!

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Yes, I really like animals.  No, I never really grew up around or with them (unless you count the turtle that died while we were on holiday in Puerto Rico….Daddy said he gave it a nice funeral, but I really think he just flushed it! Smile ).  Which translates to that I’m thoroughly enthralled by them!  Remember me trying to ‘pet’ the moose (or was it an elk?) on our honeymoon, Mike?  I think I was first attracted to the guy from Iowa because I figured he grew up on a farm…..Mike quickly told me he was a ‘city boy’.    Excuse me, but a town of 8,000 does not a city make to me!  I was the one heading into ‘the City’ (aka New York City) to see shows on the weekend from Connecticut.

So…..yes, I get a kick out of seeing the ‘animals’ around here.  Yes, especially the overgrown snails!  That will ALWAYS be my favourite.

But I realized that perhaps I’ve given you an incorrect view of Singapore as a whole.

Yes, we really do live in a city.  Singapore is a ‘city’- State – Island….all in one.  So, with the huge snails, lizards, and monkeys, come sky scrapers, and some of the coolest architecture I’ve seen.   I think Singapore just asks architects to show up and make something really different!

So….here are some pictures of our  ‘duck tour’ (yes, even at this time, animals get a wave) back in June.  I’m highlighting the area down in the Marina Bay / Financial district, just to show that, yes, this is an urban location.

I’ll try and remember to give a more balanced view in the future.  Enjoy the pics!

Dec6

Why did the chicken cross the road?

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….to reach his pal!

Every once in a while I am reminded that even though Singapore seems very urban and ‘citified’, it really has that ‘country’ feel.  Granted, the Orchard area and Central Business District (CBD – people really call it that!) don’t have too many chickens.  We’re not exactly in the boonies, but we do have a rooster that hangs out near our condo.

There are lots of open green space areas in Singapore, which make it so lovely.  I guess that’s also why there are chickens hanging out wherever.

One day we were walking up to Thomson Plaza for breakfast after church – Upper Thomson road is a pretty big thoroughfare:  2-3 lanes divided, both directions.  As we walked up to the crossover, I saw a chicken!  He had just crossed the road, almost donating his organs for a plate of chicken rice (the driver really did stop for him! ….  or I guess ‘her’).  Managed to hop over to the small green space, joining her buddy.

Just one of those fun experiences about living on this island of Singapore (monkeys, snails, and chickens abound!).

BTW, there really is a rooster down at the corner of the street by our condo.  Seems to be the only inhabitant of the abandoned hotel / country club / whatever the taxi driver says it used to be, down on the corner….it was making it’s noise this morning as I walked to the bus stop.  Didn’t see it today, but have in the past.

Oct3

I really am in Houston

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A couple of days ago, I brought up the weather for the week on my phone.  Being it’s that really slick, too expensive, smart phone that we just HAD to get when I arrived last year, I have a couple of places for which I track the weather on it.  Of course Singapore, but also Houston.

I slid my finger across the screen, and checked out the temps for the week coming.  Pretty standard – highs in the mid 80s, lows in the mid 70s.  It confused me, though, because the screen background was dark and with a moon!  (It was about 12:15pm at the time….)  Turns out I was checking out Houston’s weather for the week!

Slid the finger again, and got Singapore’s forecast.  Highs in the mid 80s, lows in the mid 70s.  Hmmm…..did I switch screens?  Check that address?  Yep!  I could have been in either place, and would have had the exact same weather!

Turns out, though, that there is a difference…..  a few days later, I check again.  Houston’s lows are edging to the 50s….Singapore’s:  still mid 70s.

Guess if I want a true change, I have to join Helen in Grinnell!  She’s heading to the 40s!  Smile