Singapore and home

 Day 1 - Fri 30 Oct - Heathrow to Changi

As we circle Heathrow we see London is greener now.  Fingers crossed England and Ireland get through winter ok without significant flooding.  El Niño is baring its teeth.

Singapore Airlines has a great reputation, and so it proved with an excellent flight to Changi, with the only complaint being an uncomfortable seat.  It's hard enough to sleep on a plane without the seat being akin to that on a DRZ400.

Ah Singapore.  I remember you well, even though it has been nearly 19 years.  Arriving on Saturday afternoon it's hot, muggy, steamy, surveilled and safe.  A bit like China, you're stepping into a benevolent police state with strict rules.  It's a democracy, Jim, but not as we know it.

And the Metro is durian-free.  If you're unfamiliar with this, the King of Fruit, check out my blog post covering KL and Singapore from January 2008.

One thing I had forgotten though - when exiting the Metro don't meerkat up to street level at the first opportunity.  While handy to get a GPS fix you'll be hit by a blast of hot humid air, coupled by a blast of traffic roaring down an uncrossable street.  Just like KL you need to navigate the subterranean warren to arrive underneath your destination.  With inadequate signage and no blue GPS arrow this is a challenge the first time.

Essentially there are no Airbnbs in Singapore.  The Government has decreed that residents cannot rent out their properties for short term accommodation.  So instead we're crammed into the Yotel in Orchard Rd.  There's a bed with about a 1m clearance around three sides, and a tiny bathroom with shower and toilet.  That's it.  Reminds me of our room in Mongkok the first time we visited Hong Kong. The view from the bathroom 17 floors up is pretty good though.  Pauline tactfully suggests it would be prudent to lower the blind before using the bathroom.

Day 3 - the Gardens

Our main reason for choosing Singapore is that it's away from the world's trouble spots, doesn't have a Government I despise, and conveniently breaks our trip from the British Isles back home to give our body clocks time to adjust.  But the Gardens by the Bay would have swung the balance had there been contention with another stopover.

Construction had only just begun when I was last here, so it's all new to me.  We catch the Metro down and buy tickets for the Flower Dome and the Cloud Forest - we've read they're amazing.  That turned out to be an understatement.

Built on reclaimed land and covering over 100 hectares, the gardens are more than the paid attractions.  There are dozens of gardens and playgrounds covering different ethnicities, time periods and vegetation types.  The Kingfisher garden reminded me of home the most - I'm keen to see the iridescent flash of a kotare wing again.

Signboards explaining everything we're seeing abound, and have a good focus on nature and conservation.

First the Florence Boar, then Dublin's Molly, now the Singapore Croc!  Are we destined to return to each?  

Likely not - now in retirement the funds are better spent on a comfortable lifestyle at home.  But the temptation to spend the kids' inheritance is always there.

The Flower dome was amazing.  Featuring plants and flowers from all over the world, Pauline was most taken by this one.

There was an Australian garden too - but someone hadn't done their homework.  There was a very kiwi totara growing in it - perhaps indicative of kiwis migrating to Oz?

Some great artwork too.  Portugal is featured, so of course sardines are featured.  And when we think sardines, we think of a thick creamy curry bisque!  Home's not far away now.

But it's the Cloud Forest that takes our breath away.  Modelled on Jurassic Park, complete with dinosaurs, we're in awe of the scale, the vegetation and the animatronics.  Wish the grandkids were here!

If I thought the totara was reminding me of home, how about this?  Presented by PM Jacinda Ardern in 2022, Tane Te Wairoa Kuwaha represents a symbolic doorway - a threshold celebrating cultures, beliefs and identities.  It reaffirms the special relationship between Singapore and NZ, certainly something we want to cultivate in these uncertain times.

It drew a gathering of some very familiar accents too.

We'll need that special relationship if Trump lights another fuse in the Middle East.  Hope some of the tankers queued up on the horizon are tagged for NZ diesel.

Our walk back into town across the Helix Bridge shows off some of Singapore's incredible architecture.

I retain vivid memories of visiting Raffles Hotel 19 years ago.  The frangipani trees are still there

and the grand entrance is just as I remember it.

I'm keen to have a coffee in the dining room just to the side to replicate my previous visit.  It's where I read of Ed Hillary's death, and saw the cartoon of him in the Straits Times stepping up from the top of Everest to Heaven's cloud.  Sadly the dining room is closed due to a private function.  Perhaps just as well - a coffee there cost $10 all that time ago - it would cost a fortune now.

Recall that one of the conditions of entering Singapore is that you cannot vape.  So what about smokers?  Not quite banned yet, but you need to be 21 or over.  Periodically you come across small designated smoking areas close to the traffic where the pariahs gather.  Smoking anywhere else in public will cop you a $500 fine.

Meanwhile, our "tail wag dog" Government, courtesy of NZ First's Casey Costello, repealed our world-leading plans to progressively eliminate cigarette smoking, bitterly disappointing public health experts, and me.  A short term tax revenue gain for a long term public health disaster.  Idiots.

There are no cooking facilities in our hotel room, so we head to the Yotel's in-house restaurant.  Not inspiring, and expensive for what you get.  We'll do better tomorrow.

The exercise inspires me to continue my food comparison.  With no supermarkets in the vicinity I look up sirloin steak from a Singapore supermarket with online ordering.  $SG28 for 200g of grain-fed Aussie sirloin.  That's $196/kg!  Let's try something cheaper. $SG26 for 300g of sirloin "sourced from the finest farms" also in Australia - grass-reared in WA apparently.  That's a bit better, but still an outrageous $121/kg.  I check New World in case things have changed - still $50/kg.

How about petrol?  Singapore is a fuel hub, so surely it's got to be cheaper here.  Hmm - $SG3.60 per litre - that's $5.00 for 95 RON.  Gaspy tells me my local Waitomo sells it for $3.75 - gone up over the last two months, but still cheap due to our inadequate FED and ETS components.

Reinforces my belief - we don't have a cost of living crisis in NZ, we have a lack of income crisis.

Day 4 - the ethnic quarters

Familiar pattern - we take the Metro to the farthest point on today's travels, and walk back.  That happens to be the Bugis station in the heart of the Arab quarter, and as we step out of the station we see just how quickly Singapore is growing.  It's going the way of Hong Kong.

Same with the traffic.  While the Metro is superb, above ground is a different story.  The roads are heavily trafficked, with pedestrians and cyclists definitely taking a back seat.  Buses radiate heat and belch diesel fumes onto pedestrians.  If there was a city in need of electrification of its buses, trucks and cars, Singapore is it.

On the plus side, pollution from the Sumatra fires has dissipated temporarily due to the recent rain, leaving only a faint haze.  It can return at any time, so we got lucky.

The Arab Quarter is a completely different side of Singapore to the poshness of Raffles Hotel just a few blocks away.  Most obvious is the mosque and ornate buildings.

Bustling markets in the narrow lanes are selling all manner of food, clothing and rugs.  A nice cushion cover perhaps?  Instead of the cat or for the cat...

Perhaps some lovely chocolates as gifts for the folks at home?

As you wander round it's very clear what's not permissible

But they don't warn you about where not to stand.  As I'm walking half under a shop awning I feel a splat on my shirt and arm.  I look up to see a rather smug looking pigeon, and recall that it's extraordinarily good luck to be shat on by a bird.  Pauline to the rescue with a tissue, and the shirt is heading for the laundry bag anyway.  In tropical heat and humidity clothing only lasts a day.

Conversely, you're encouraged to behave well.  Give up your seat, look after your mental health, be environmentally aware, don't spend too much time on social media, don't be influenced into doing drugs.  The messaging is everywhere.

From the Arab Quarter to Little India, and it's clear we all have a love of cows.  I do rather like the cow on a bicycle.

We head towards Fort Canning Hill in the heart of town.  The "Let there be Peace" sculpture is impressive, but tucked away down a little path.  Perhaps Trump and Putin missed it.

But our primary destination was something from which wild horses couldn't keep Pauline away.

Every Asian spice known to man (and woman) is in the garden and on display, but I'm willing to bet Pauline has a few extra in the scullery at home.

After Pauline's multiple mishaps with her phone it's time to check out whether we're better off buying it in Singapore or at home.  Decades ago it was par for the course to buy expensive electronics gear in Singapore, but NZ duties have been removed since then, so how does it shape up now?  Into a shopping mall on our way home, just as the skies darken, lightening flickers and the afternoon downpour arrives.  Here's good luck smiling on us.  Thanks, pigeon.

I feel sorry for the two-wheelers caught in the torrent though.

Somewhere in this huge mall is a Samsung shop.  But we'll let our fingers do the walking on our phones over a coffee instead.  The latest Galaxy S26 Ultra?  Much cheaper at PB Tech at home than in Singapore.  More so if we wait for the Black Friday sales.  Easy decision.

The rain isn't easing any time soon so we hop on the Metro back to Orchard station.  Didn't catch a drop!

We normally end a trip with a night out at a restaurant celebrating the cuisine of our city.  But Singapore?  It's a mix of Chinese, Malay, Indians, Arabs and Europeans, and has only been established for 200 years.  There is no one Singaporean cuisine.  There's a great looking Vietnamese restaurant nearby which gets the nod.  Fitting too - my very first trip to Asia back in 2007 started in Vietnam, and was the first of many Tramp Abroad blog posts.  Full circle.

Day 5 - home

With no shopping to do it's a relaxing day.  Breakfast at Starbucks again (the coffee is bearable), and a walk around the neighbourhood.  More interesting architecture to take in.

A few dogs around too, but again the rules are strict.  Aggressive breeds are forbidden, and large breeds need permits.  There's precious few off-leash areas too.  

Singapore really is one of those places where citizens give up some personal freedoms for the common good.  It's why, just like us, they managed Covid-19 well too.

11am checkout and Pauline thinks she's nailed how to get from the Yotel to the Orchard MRT by lifts alone - no stairs or escalators.  Nice try, but it doesn't quite work.  Helpful Singaporeans help her with her suitcase on the stairs and non-functional escalators.  We make it to Changi with heaps of time to spare, the flight's on time, and we've reconfirmed our shuttle pickup in Auckland.  

So we're home on 4 Nov as the US mid-term results come in, and we're gearing up for our own election on Saturday.  I must admit I'm pleased to have been away over the electioneering period.  From the few snippets of news I've seen, it seems to have been a very negative campaign.  

I've been singularly unimpressed by Luxon and his team over the last three years, with failures in transport, energy, health, finance/taxation, climate and the environment.  All they seem to do is mount personal attacks on their opposition rather than presenting a credible plan moving forward.  Labour appears to stand for nothing much at all, and like National their leadership is uninspiring.  The Greens and Opportunity at least paint a vision of what they want for the future, though the Greens come with some excessive social policy baggage.

I make two predictions:

• Opportunity is going to cross the 5% threshold, but it's uncertain which bloc they'll support.  My recommendation to them is to not join a coalition.  Stay on the cross-benches, gain experience, and support/influence legislation on a case by case basis.  If they get into Government they'll be out at the next election
• One of the Chris's will be out of a job.  My guess is Luxon, but who knows.  Both Labour and National need much more inspirational leaders, along the lines of Ardern or Key.  Neither will be Leader of the Opposition.

I look forward to Saturday night with interest.

Time for a quick tech review - sitting in Changi airport with some time on my hands.

Trip technology

The first step was setting the house up to look after itself for two months, with the ability to intervene if necessary.  No problems - the home automation systems performed as expected.

Security was the next important issue.  I use Unifi kit, and a Unifi Cloud Gateway (UCG) manages my network, including Starlink as my primary WAN, and a Skinny data link as failover if needed.  Starlink has proven very reliable and I didn't ever need failover in anger.  My Unifi Travel Router (UTR) was set up at every new location, especially those with open networks, such as free airport wifi.  The UTR automatically connects to the UCG with a VPN tunnel, and all our devices connect to it, so every device is on a secure connection.  There were only a few cases where captive portals frustrated the VPN.  In the future I may consider Tailscale instead of the UTR to overcome these issues.

Devices included a Win11 laptop, iPad with case & keyboard, iPhone & Android phones.  A MacBook Air would have done better than the laptop, but my old one (12 years vintage) wasn't suitable, so I lugged the Win11 Dell with inadequate battery life along.  Indispensable though - the iPad wouldn't have managed on its own.

We used Wise for money.  Pauline had a card, I had it added to Apple Wallet on my phone.  It worked a treat, enabling us to purchase in local currencies at good exchange rates.  The only issue was a delay in topping up from my BNZ account - for some stupid reasons the bank's computers only work business hours - frustrating if you want to top up at the start of a long weekend.

We used Saily eSIMs in our phones, with their global plan covering all the countries we visited.  In general it worked well, but the top-up features don't work as well as they should, with no warnings as data or time are about to expire.

CoMaps was our go-to navigation app for both driving and walking.  Based on Open Street Maps, it allows you to download the map base over wifi ahead of time, removing the need to continually pull map data over the eSIMs.  It wasn't perfect, with a few navigation quirks, and only occasionally did we need to switch to Google Maps.

Carplay was indispensable in projecting CoMaps to the car screen.  Periodically we'd lose the Bluetooth connection, but a quick toggle resurrected it.  I have the same problem with the Atto, so likely an iPhone protocol issue.

All up the technology worked well, and led to stress-free travelling.

Signing off

So thank you to those friends and family who have persevered with my travel (and life) observations over the last two months.  Hope you've enjoyed it - and it'll certainly be good for Pauline and me to relive the detail of our experiences as our memories fade over time.

See you at home!