High is the word

I probably don't have to tell you that I love the mountains, there is something magical and energetic that radiates from those big lumps of rock. 

For many people the idea of spending two nights out in the high mountains, in a cold basic shelter with no electricity,  running water, fire or toilets might not sound like much of a holiday. For Jens, Tara and I this basic refugio, sitting at 3200m in the Sierra Nevada mountains, was exactly where we needed to be to practice alpine skills. This simple shelter became our base, not just for easy mountain access but also to sit outside in the moonlight to listen to, well, nothing. The mountains are alive,  they creak, they groan, they sigh, sometimes they warn you that they want to be alone and sometimes they sit there quietly listening to your thoughts. Spending time in them, especially in the dead of night, is like visiting an old friend who reminds you that you are pretty insignificant in the grand scheme of things. 

What brought us to this mountain shelter was an alpine introduction course with local guides Spanish Highs. Richard, the founder, had met us at the airport two days before. The following day we went out to practice scrambling in our mountaineering boots and moving together on the rope alpine style. We even managed to simulate a crevasse rescue using a rocky drop off. Despite Richard having been on this mountain many times before I watched him pausing to soak in the atmosphere and views as we picked a route up the mountain side. His mountain love is clear.

The following day he handed us over to our German guide Jens to take us up the mountain in search of some snowy conditions. With a 13kg rucksack on my back and wearing crampons for the first time in several years, I have to admit to feeling clumsy and slow heading up the mountain side at altitude. Jens broke the trudge up with skills practice,  we built snow anchors, practiced ice axe arrest and generally laughed a lot watching various things go wrong. These serious skills will need some more practice when we get the chance. Jens's laid back approach and blunt humor worked well, giving us a chance to figure out what we were doing wrong together, rather than immediately correcting every mistake.

We reached the refugio just as the sun set behind the nearby ridge, little did we know we would be attempting that very ridge the following day. Our teamwork and education continued into the evening as we melted snow for water and made our dehydrated meals badly, who would have thought that was possible!!

The following day we climbed a morning summit near the hut before heading to the ridge. Diving straight into the training we lead off along the ridge roped together with Jens reassuringly nearby for guidance. The skills here were difficult for rock climbers to comprehend,  the idea to move quickly and safely when comfortable but protect moves when required. This is mentally challenging,  protecting every move will slow you down but you also need to remain safe. More practice will be required to nail this skill. We managed to squeeze in a short sunset hike and a further peak the following morning before heading back down the mountain to reality.

As we headed through the airport to begin our journey home we found ourselves still applying our team working skills fairly effortlessly. We may be physically exhausted, but behind that we are high on life, high on mountain love and high of the idea or our next mountain adventure,  thank you Spanish Highs!

Waiting

It has been a month since my last post, when I said my goodbyes to Singapore. The long flight back to the UK and the preparations for Christmas and New Year seemed to fly by in a flurry of tinsel and baubles. Before we knew it January 4th had arrived, time for most people to return to normality. For us that meant Peter flying to Accra, in Ghana, to take up the next phase of his work project. As for me, well, I was left behind in London. This is not our normality. 

We are learning things don’t happen quickly in Ghana, they meander along at a pace that suits them. There is an element of this which is frustrating of course, but I have come to accept that frustration gets me nowhere useful.

People who know me know that I am very much into doing. We are moving to Accra so let’s go and get on with it, together. Alas this is not under our control, although there are worse places to be waiting than in London. So for now we wait. We wait for visa’s, ID, our shipment, housing, tax registration, the list goes on and on. Of course these things were all initiated some time ago, in October and November, but perhaps not soon enough for Accra’s laid back approach. It took them twelve weeks to decide we couldn't have the house we chose in October, setting us back to square one on that front with no particular explanation as to why they couldn't have worked that out sooner.

For me I can see 4 to 5 months (at least) disappearing just trying to manage this process and waiting for 'stuff' to happen. I try to make the most of being in the UK, seeing family and friends for example and planning a nice weekend away. Doing some free MOOCs online, anything to make me feel like I am achieving something. For me this maintains my sanity during the upheaval. Of course things are no easier for Peter, his work load is crazy as the vessel relocates to Ghana and he has no choice but to live, temporarily, in a hotel whilst also trying to squeeze in house hunting. As I try to remain patient and do what I can to coax the process along I am starting to feel that moving from Singapore to Accra may have to be my achievement for these ‘lost’ months. This is by no means a complaint, I accept that this is all part of the adventure we are on and this is only the beginning of getting used to African ways. I am far better at remaining patient, calm and pragmatic about these things than I used to be, this is one of the many positive influences our travels have had on my life.

Farewell Singapura

Let me be honest and not beat around the bush. I LOVE Singapore and this post is all about why……..

Singapore can pretty much be what you want it to be in its own way. As a tour guide at the Asian Civilisations Museum I tell visitors about the Monsoon winds which carried in trade from both East and West to the straits of Malacca, at the bottom of which you find Singapore. With this trade came religions, artistic representations and culture and of course they influenced this part of the world. These influences are still very much present in Singapore today. 

To soak in the multi-sensory experience of South Asia you can head to Little India. Here the wet market and hawker centre are almost always bustling with people and beautiful Hindu temples line Serangoon Road. At the right time of day you will see worshippers at the temples engaging their senses through music, food, incense and touch. Not to mention the overwhelmingly visual aspects of the bright and colourful façade with a seemingly endless variety of Gods and deities. The legendary Mustafa’s really does sell anything you might need and Deepavali and Thaipusam are celebrated here in style. 

For an experience of West Asia head to the Arab quarter where the Sultan mosque dominates the skyline with its beautiful golden dome. A bright and colourful array of fabrics, rugs and carpets can be purchased here. During Ramadan food stalls line the streets outside the Mosque as the community comes together each evening to break their daylight fasting.

Chinese culture is widely represented in Singapore. Chinatown itself is worthy of some exploring beyond the main tourist haunts lined with souvenir stalls. Thian Hock Keng temple on Telok Ayer street is thought to be the oldest Chinese temple. The Three Teachings of China are represented here giving us an insight into the Chinese way of life, but that is a whole other blog post (December 2014). During Chinese New Year the stalls seem to multiply and you can see groups of Lion dancers all around the city.

What about the rest of South East Asia? Well it is all around us. Thai food and temples are dotted all around the island. Head down to the East Coast on a public holiday and see the local Malays playing Sepak takraw (kick volleyball) and sharing a family picnic. A Burmese temple stands behind the Sun Yat Sen Nanyang Memorial Hall, an important location during the Chinese revolution. The list of examples of cultures that sit, side by side, is possibly endless.

Standing at these crossroads of culture you might ask a question, one which has been asked during the year of Singapore’s Golden Jubilee celebrations. What’s makes Singapore, well, Singapore? 

For me Singapore is incredibly unique. There is this real sense of harmony, safety and stability amongst the different races and religions. The forward thinking attitude, started by the late Mr Lee Kuan Yew, has driven Singapore to advance from third world to become a modern, thriving hub. Also a huge bonus is Singapore’s ability to cram in greenery anywhere possible, very clever when the majority of people live in high rise buildings. There are many things that may now be considered Singapore icons. Perhaps the unique brand of English spoken, the Merlion, Gardens by the Bay or Marina Bay Sands. Chilli Crab, Chicken Rice, affordable government housing (HDBs) or even the organised queuing. However, I think what probably makes Singapore unique is the Singaporeans'. Yes, they may descend from China, India, Malaya or some other destination but they have definitely become a unique culture in their own right. Singapore is, well, Singapore and there is nowhere else in the world quite like it. What more do I need to say, except, I’m so sorry to be saying farewell!

From Traders to Financiers

The Chettiars are a subgroup of the Tamil community who originate from an area known as Chettinad in Tamil Nadu, India’s southernmost state. During the 18th century the Chettiars were local merchants and it wasn’t until the 19th century that they started to travel to South East Asia. Here they developed a money lending business alongside their business in trade. The expansion of their money lending business was supported by the British colonial rule. The British did not have the resources to penetrate remote areas of South East Asia, or the inclination to risk money lending there. 

It is believed the Chettiars first arrived in Singapore in the 1820s, setting up premises by the Singapore River, around Market Street and Chulia Street. They were one of the few communities arriving in Singapore at this time with capital ready to invest.

They ran their business and lived within a kittingi, a shophouse divided into small rooms. These buildings were exclusively male, most chettiar businessmen left their families in India, although their sons would join them to learn the business when old enough. The kittingis also developed as a community, with a house cook and a visiting barber and laundry man. Gambling, alcohol and women were banned and they lived a simple life outside of work, playing cards or board games and praying at the local temple.

The Asian Civilisations Museum has a number of artefacts that capture the life of a chettiar financier. These include simple pieces of furniture and the use of a recycled biscuit tin to store client record cards. By living simply and cheaply they were able to send the majority of their money home to their families. They were known as meticulous record keepers and would often visit the home of a business man before agreeing to lend to him. This was for a number of reasons, one of which was to ensure the wife knew of the money lending, if she did not there was fear the money would not be repaid. The chettiar financiers introduced the concept of debit, credit, expenditure, profit and loss. The introduction of these terms has led to them being referred to as the founders of modern banking. In addition, they are thought to be the first in the region to introduce the balance sheet and use it to evaluate the viability of a business which they were lending to.

One artefact of particular interest is a father and son photograph taken in the mid 1920’s. It highlights the differences between the generations of chettiars. The younger man has not shaved his head and he does not wear the white stripe caste marks, he is also wearing a watch. However, it is not until we look closer that we see something even more surprising. The photograph appears to be altered, the shadows falling beneath the two men do not come from the same light source and in fact they are somewhat misaligned in their vertical position. Interestingly in the early 20th century it was common for commercial photographers to bring together family members into the same photograph that were not in the same studio session. This technique would have been carried out in the dark room during processing, nowadays it is achieved using computer software.

The Chettiars continued to thrive in the money lending business right up until the 1960s. In addition to developing many of the techniques still used in modern banking they are credited with helping Singapore and other areas of South East Asia develop economically during the colonial period. 

Jalan Besar Heritage

As recently as 1924 Syed Alwi Road ran alongside a swampland. The road is thought to be named after decedents of the prophet Mohammed who were a prominent part of Singapore’s community for 190 years. They were traders and land owners who shared their wealth with the local community. They donated land and contributed to the building of Singspore’s oldest mosque, Masjid Omar Kampong Melaka (off Havelock Road).  The shophouses on this road were built between the 1800s and 1960s with many excellent architectural styles preserved here today. The banks of the Rochor River between Syed Alwi Road and Jalan Besar were once occupied by a village of pondoks (communal houses on stilts). 

In 1923, a few years after the trauma of the First World War, New World opened as an entertainment venue just off Serangoon Road. It hosted everything from boxing and wrestling to cabaret. It also included a dance hall where up to 500 couples could dance the waltz, tango, rhumba or foxtrot to live music. There was opera, a Ferris wheel, merry-go-round and film screenings. Although it was damaged during the Second World War it was repaired and continued to thrive until the 70s. It then started to decline with the arrival of television and later home video.  Eventually it was demolished to make way for a new condo but the original arch was moved to City Green Park at the junction of Serangoon and Kitchener roads where the New World memory can live on.

Perhaps one of Singapore lesser known faiths the original Sikh temple was a community bungalow. It was converted into a proper temple in 1921 and in 1984 moved to new premises where it still serves the Sikh community today. The temple includes a kitchen, as an important custom of the faith is to provide food and lodging to Sikh travelers. Today around 12,000 Singaporeans are of Sikh origin.

As the longest river in Singapore the Kallang River also drains one sixth of the islands land area. It was once home to the Orang Laut (Sea Nomads) who lived on boats on the swamp. During the 1960s the Housing Development Board started to fill in and reclaim the basin swampland and mudflats. Later the Ministry of Environment started a clean-up project aimed to turn the waterways into a clean and pleasant environment.  Even as late as 1977 waste and rubbish was being dumped directly into the river, rotting carcases from local pig and duck farms along with sewage were making the water unsuitable for aquatic life. A huge project relocated 26,000 families, phased out farms and finally dredged the river. Now landscaped with walkways and home to water sports the river is today very far removed from its relatively recent squalor. 

Chwee Kang Beo Temple was once used by the shanty towns and shacks that lined the Kallang basin. Originally a wooden shed that floated by the riverside, Chwee Kang Beo means Water River Temple in Hokkien.  The original stilted structure survived until 1979 when the temple was rebuilt on solid ground. This new temple would suffer from flooding during high spring tides but today the Marina Barrage protects it.

Balestier Heritage Trail

Nowadays Balestier road in known as the place to go when you want to purchase some lighting but once upon a time it was an area used for sugar cane plantations.  Even the street names remind us of this, Jalan Ampas refers to the fibrous pulp that remains after sugar cane has been crushed to extract the juice, which is ampas tebu in Malay. The area also played an important role in the 1911 Chinese revolution, due to the presence of the elegant villa on Tai Gin Road, now the Sun Yat Sen Nanyang Memorial Hall.

Sun Yat Sen and his supporters were responsible for bringing down the last Chinese dynasty and founding the Republic of China. The villa was purchased by a supporter of the Chinese Nationalist Movement in 1905 and gifted to Sun Yat Sen in 1906 to use as a base for the Chinese Revolutionary Alliance. It became an essential headquarters for the Southeast Asian operations of this Alliance and many uprisings were planned during Sun Yat Sen's visits. After the 1911 Revolution it became the headquarters of the Chinese National Party. The memorial hall is well worth a visit and their one hour guided tours are very much worthwhile.

Right next door to the memorial hall is this beautiful Burmese Buddhist Temple, Maha Sasana Ramsi. A feature of the temple is the tiered roof made with 19 tonnes of Burmese teak and on the third floor a mural depicting the story of the temple. Inside they have used LED lights to literally make the Buddha radiant and outside grows a Bodhi tree with a small shrine beneath. The Buddha attained enlightenment while meditating under such a tree. 

Also in Balestier are the former Shaw Malay Film Studios. The Shaw name is one you might be familiar with as it can still be seen on various buildings around Singapore. Shaw Studios was founded in Shanghai in 1924 by six brothers, two of whom (Runme and Run Run Shaw) later moved to Singapore. From the 1930s to the 1980s, Shaw Studios was a major force in Asian cinema with production houses in Singapore, Malaysia and Hong Kong. In addition to their movie making business the Shaw brothers also ran cinemas and amusement parks. The Shaw film studios were on Jalan Ampas alongside sites which were used as production centres. After producing more than 160 films the Golden Age of Malay Cinema came to an end when the studio closed in 1967. By this time interest in Malay movies was on the wane due to the rising popularity of imported films and television.

Balestier Road and its side streets also offer many beautiful pre-war terrace and shop houses, once renowned for their sweet treats, coffee and traditional bakeries.  The majority of these building are now under conservation and the single storey shop houses near the Thompson Road end of Balestier offer a glimpse of life outside the city centre in the 1950s and 60s.

Moving On

I think in most cases it's best not to draw things out. Moving is probably the same, a quick move which appears from nowhere and has you packed up and gone within a month may not leave you with much time for proper goodbyes but at least once you have made the decision to go you can get on with going. 

Our move has been a known factor since the day we arrived. We knew where we would be likely to move to and we knew roughly when the move would take place. For the most part we have ignored this and settled into life here in Singapore. We have a great apartment with some of our own pictures on the walls, I fill my time with a couple of volunteering jobs and most of all we have established friendships here.

After my trip to Ghana last month it has no longer been possible to ignore the move and that routine and settled feeling has all but vanished. Now my time if filled with managing the move. Ghanaian customs need lists to be produced, as do the company responsible for the international shipment and of course the list of expectations for handing back our Singapore apartment. Arranging accommodation for after our belongings have been shipped, medicals, visas, closing down bank/electricity/mobile accounts, the lists seem endless. There are quite a few people involved and it's easy to start to feel like a project manager in need of a project plan to manage it all.

We have moved a lot in the last 4.5 years, in fact this is our 4th move. Singapore has been an amazing journey, so amazing it deserves its own 'Goodbye' post. Of course everything comes at a price and this is one of the moments where we start paying. By saying goodbye to Singapore, to the friends we have only just made, packing up our lives and facing starting over once again. This can leave you feeling very, very far form home and sometimes even questioning where home is. If there is one thing Singapore has taught me it is that expat living is about being flexible and adaptable, the more you are the easier the transition will be. Ultimately the experiences you have and the wonderful variety of people you meet will far outweigh these slightly difficult transitional phases. So on that note back to the lists.....