Living the High Life

Gardens by the Bay, a photo by Taking5 on Flickr.

Some time back, I blogged about my visit to Marina Bay Sands.

Last night, I had the opportunity to spend the night there. It was a significant night, partly because it was the opening ceremony of "Gardens by the Bay", a new garden in Singapore's new Downtown area. We had a magnificent view of the Garden at night, from the top of MBS, whilst eating a quiet bowl of beef noodles at Sky on 57. The Gardens were laid out like a splendid necklace of lights below, with the two glass domes at the edge of the bay, and the supertrees rising in the midst of the darkness.


But the visit was far more than that. We had great fun visiting the infinity pool on top of MBS, first at night, and then the next morning.  At night, the infinity pool is a magical place.  The water glows from the lights in the pool, and city skyline twinkles brightly behind it.  There's a certain buzz in the air.  People are laughing and talking, splashing away in the pool and in the jacuzzis tucked in the corners.

I went for a swim in the pool early the next morning. It was quite a thrill, as though I was swimming to the ends of the earth only to see this totally different world before me.  At that hour in the morning, there were fewer people in the pool which made it easier to swim around and also to take photos with no one else inside....  It was also a wicked little pleasure, to think that I was enjoying this little getaway from the office, whilst all these people were enduring the morning rush hour to get to their own workplaces in this other universe before me.

Alas, it has ended all too quickly.  Back home now.  But looking forward to the next visit!

Doi Inthanon, the tallest mountain in Thailand

I’ve always enjoyed mountain tops and mountain walks. The sense of exhilaration that comes from being “on top of the world”, the clear mountain air, the view of valleys below and distant hills, always thrills and inspires me. This visit to Chiang Mai, we went to the top of the tallest mountain in Thailand, Doi Inthanon, which is to the south of Chiang Mai.


It was about a 2 hour drive to the mountain, and we took the opportunity to chit-chat with our guide, Ata. He told us that he is of the Akha people (one of the hilltribes), near Chiang Rai.  He was sent to the monastery when he was a child, and spent nine years there as a novice monk. Thereafter, he was given a scholarship to study in Bangkok for six years. He’s now back in Chiang Mai, working as a tourist guide to support his family. (He has three younger brothers to help put through school). Ata speaks 5 hilltribe languages, English and (obviously) Thai.  Our driver, Ban, also speaks a little English but was busily focusing on the road.

As we drove along, we passed several fields, and villages, including several rows of plants covered by what looked like a plastic covering.  Ata explained that a number of these were  "Royal Projects", set up by the King of Thailand to help the hill tribes – by giving them access to new agricultural techniques, and introducing new crops.  These included new fruits, such as strawberries and physalis berries, amongst others (I bought some berries at the hill tribe market on the way back to Chiang Mai). Quite clearly, the need to help the tribes people improve their lives is an important cause for Ata.  He told us also about his friend who has set up a coffee business, roasting and preparing coffee for sale. Proceeds go to a foundation to help support the hill tribes.

Ata told us also that the King and Queen of Thailand typically come each year to Chiang Mai and spend some part of the "winter" months in their palace in the vicinity.  The hilltribes in turn respect and revere the Royal Couple.  We saw a few visiting the King’s and Queen’s stupas on the mountain to pay their respects on Songkran. We also met a park ranger during our trek, a Hmong man who was formerly from Yunan in China. He spoke Mandarin, though with a thick accent and apparently he is rusty  from lack of use.

We were happy to be driven right to the top of the mountain, which was not particularly exciting beyond the shrine to King Chulalongkorn’s father-in-law, the 7th King of Chiang Mai (those were the days prior to the unification of Siam and King Chulalongkorn married a princess of Chiang Mai). But then, we  took a walk on the mountain ridge – following the trail as it went up and down the various peaks.

Guided by a park ranger, we  literally got to see two sides of the mountain. On one side, a lush cloud forest, with tall, majestic trees, ferns and flowers. Peaceful and intimate, but filled with the sound of birds and insects, of water falling.

On the other side, the stark savannah grasses of the sub-Alpine meadows, but allowing us to see magnificent views across the whole range of the mountains and down to the valleys below. Each had their own special magic, but both offered very different experiences.

Our guide also pointed out a goral, a mountain goat which lived on the slopes of the mountain range.  We could not see him at all and had to resort to taking photos of rocks, which, when we zoomed in to the photos later, revealed the elusive animal.  Its brown coat with a black stripe indeed camouflaged it from our eyes.  Photo is on my flickr page, if you want a look :-)

“The most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched. They must be felt with the heart” 

- Panoramic view sign on top of the ridge.

After the walk, we visited the King’s and Queen’s stupa, on the ridge. From there, our guide showed us how far we had walked. We couldn’t believe it! It was indeed pretty far. From the picture below, we started off roughly near the hand on the left of the screen and stopped just before the little house on the right.  Did we really do all that in a little more than 2 hours?

By this time, it was past 2pm and we were rather hungry.  Lunch was at a small restaurant on the side of the road - obviously a tourist lunch spot as we saw many other buses there.  It was one of those simple but tasty Thai meals, and we ate with relish.

We made our way back subsequently - visiting the Wachirathan Waterfall along the way (at least I think it is the Wachirathan based on comparing my photos with photos elsewhere on the web).  I forgot to check the name with Ata :-) There were people everywhere - taking advantage of the Songkran holiday season, making the most of the hot weather.

As ever, check here for more photos!

Celebrating Songkran

I was in Chiang Mai from 11-15 April 2012, just at the period of the Songkran festival –or, the Thai New Year. This is the time of year when the Thais seek the blessings of Buddha, by pouring water over the Buddha statues. It is also the time of year when the streets of Chiang Mai turn into an all-out water fight!

We spent our first day in Chiang Mai quite  blamelessly, wandering around the night market and taking in the atmosphere in the cool of the evening. The next day, we started off (relatively) early, to visit some wats before the day got too hot. As we visited the wats, we saw the Thais coming to the temple, to seek blessings at this auspicious time. Some offered flowers to the Buddha, was others sought blessings (they put these “blessing flags” into big “stupas of sand” which were in auspicious places in the wat compound).

But as we walked from wat to wat, we noticed increasingly the presence of the water brigades on the streets. These fell largely into two categories: young children, generally stationed outside their homes; and tourists, who went prowling around looking for potential victims. We were carrying our umbrellas (against the sun, like typical Asians) but they did double duty to shield us from water attacks as well! And where they did not – well, it was pleasant to have some cool water on a hot day. And it evaporated really quickly, too. But to be fair,  my legs got sprayed at as the combatants tended to respect the "unarmed".

It did not take long, however, for the “Songkran spirit” to affect us more deeply, particularly my dear travelling companion (my cousin). In fact, she startled me considerably by deciding to buy her own Doraemon water gun from one of the street vendors, to join in the fun! Of course, anyone carrying a gun immediately became a major target (far more than people carrying umbrellas) and a guy with dreadlocks gave her a good drenching with his big water-bazooka.

The next day (13 April), however, was when the blessing of the Buddhas took place in earnest. We started the morning with a session at the hotel itself. The hotel’s Buddha statue was placed under their 200-year old Tamarind tree. Flowers and a small holder of the Songkran blessing flags surrounded it. Guests were invited to pour water over the Buddha. There were also a few special guests who sat in chairs by the tree and they too got water poured over their hands, as a blessing.

In the afternoon, the Buddha statues from various wats were then paraded through the city. We stood by the gate, waiting. But we were not alone. The hotel had put two largish tanks of water in front (topped up continuously with a hose). All the hotel guests were there too, really taking part in the water fights with gusto. No tuk-tuk, taxi nor motorbike passed without them letting loose to give the unfortunate driver and  passengers a good drenching. Sometimes, the people on the vehicles (or passers-by) fought back. Many came in trucks which huge tanks of water on board, with a crew of people armed with water guns, pails etc giving as good as they got. Our side had numbers, though, as it seemed that most of the hotel guests were there. There was a little boy amongst the group (don’t think he was a hotel guest just a kid who wanted a good source of water) and he was a particularly active participant. Again, my dear cousin could not resist. Toting her Doraemon gun, she walked behind the front lines. But she only retaliated or took revenge on people who gave her a splash.

Finally, the time arrived and the procession came down the road. The Thai people, including the shopkeepers started appearing on the streets. They too carried cups and little pails, but jasmine flowers had been added to the water, so that the Buddha statues would be bathed in this scented water. Most of the statues were preceded by pretty Thai girls in traditional dress, carrying signs, or men bearing fruit sculptures, or older ladies bearing the fruits of the field. I was at first a little shocked when I saw the Thais pouring water on the procession participants. Then I realised that this was indeed part of the event, as the water was not splashed in their faces (at least not that I saw) but ceremonially poured on their shoulders.

The first Buddha statue was that from Wat Pra Shing, and hence is known as the Pra Shing Buddha. Unlike most of the other Buddha statues, he was pulled along on a golden carriage - people on the roadside often joined in too, at least for a few steps -  and accompanied by two young men. As the statue was so high up, the bystanders had no choice but to fling the water up as high as they could. Typically a few men were standing around the statue, and they would also scoop out the water and ladle it back in the empty cups which were held up to them. Ah…. Indeed, the water would be more “precious” now that it had touched the statue! But the men around the statues were completely soaked through.

We did not time our visit to Chiang Mai with the Songkran period (it was a coincidence). But am indeed glad I did, for it allowed us the opportunity to witness the Thais celebrating one of their major festivals.

I was also glad that we had the opportunity to see more than the water fights, to recognise that this New Year was a period of renewal, of washing away the past year and starting the New Year afresh.

For more photos of Songkran and Chiang Mai, check out my Flickr set.

Postscript: On the morning of 13 April, we heard and saw helicopters in the air, circling overhead. We speculated as to what this could mean. The next day’s newspapers made all clear – Yingluck Shinawatra was back in her hometown of Chiang Mai to celebrate Songkran, giving alms to monks in the morning and taking part in the blessing of the procession in the afternoon (the newspaper reports that she got splashed too!).

Post-postscript: Got really drenched on the way back from church on our last day in Chiang Mai. Of course, this was just before we were going to the airport which meant that we had to have an entire change of clothes (good thing we bought t-shirts at the bazaar the night before).

Letters to remember

I just came across this blog, Letters of Note, which features letters and postcards from famous people.

The first post I read reproduced a letter by CS Lewis giving writing tips to an aspiring writer.

The second, is from Beatrix Potter to a 5-year old boy.  She didn't know what to say to him, so she wrote a story about four little rabbits - Flopsy, Mopsy, Cottontail and Peter.  Illustrations included!

.Narnia and Peter Rabbit. No childhood should be without them.

Down by the Kinabatangan

The Kinabatangan river got its name, it is said, from the words "aki", meaning "grandfather" or "ancestor", and "batang", which means river in the local language ("na" is a linking prefix), hence "(a)ki"-na-"batang"-an.  Indeed, a name that befits the largest river in Sabah and the second largest in Malaysia.  The river runs through the Borneo rainforest - the vast ecosystem which is home to a diverse range of plants and wildlife.

We spent two days on and by the river, staying in a small lodge, Myne Resort, near Kampong Bilit.  The lodge was made up of a series of little villas and a larger, common area comprising the reception, bar, dining area and sundeck all in one.  It was situated right at the turn of the river, at the bottom of the "U" (photo was taken from above our lodge, which is however hidden from view).  Birds sing in the trees (only saw one bird though, a sharma bird), and wild boar come to the doorstep (we saw a pack of nine our second night there).  Indeed, I have not been this close to nature for a while.  And I found out that in the middle of the rainforest, there is really not much internet access available. Probably a good thing, too. 

We made a total of three river trips, two in the evening and one in the morning.  Our party comprised another group of six people (a couple and the parents on either side), two guides and of course the boatman.  The boatman clearly had spent his life on the river, and was the fastest and best at spotting animals.  The guides were quick too, able to glimpse the tiny, hardly-moving bird on the tree top or the snake in the middle of the tree when I was craning my neck and trying to see something in the middle of the bushes.  We were reasonably fortunate, in that we saw a fair number of birds and animals:

• crocodiles (including one baby crocodile)
• monitor lizards
• cat snake
• proboscis monkeys (I feel lucky to have caught a proboscis in mid-leap.  In general, unfortunately, my photos were taken from a distance in the evening light and so not very clear)
• one orang utan and baby (see last post)
• any number of macaques, including up close
• one elephant (sadly I only got a shot of its rear)
• hornbills (rhinocerous, great and oriental pied)
• kingfishers
• herons (many types) and the Storm's Stork
• birds of prey, including the oriental darter, serpent-eagle, brahminy kite

My photos of the wildlife can be found on my Flickr page. 

As mentioned before, wildlife spotting is not something I normally do.  But I savoured the anticipation of wondering what lay ahead, around the bend of the river, and thrilled with each new sighting of a bird or animal.

At another level, I was pleasantly surprised each time I got a fairly decent photo of a bird or an animal. This was the first time I brought out my new travelzoom camera, and I am glad I did because this was one trip where the longer zoom proved invaluable.  Of course, I have a long way to go before any of my photos make  it to any nature magazine.  It's tough, getting just the right angle at just the right moment.  But I did learn a few tricks, eg zoom in but give the animal room to move (there's a headless heron taking off in one of my photos, could hv been a great shot except for that); go for continuous shooting and KEEP the finger ON the button; and don't wait for the perfect shot JUST GO FOR IT!

Following our two days by the Kinabatangan, we made our way back to Kota Kinabalu by way of Sandakan - thus seeing both the current and former capitals of Sabah (or North Borneo, as it used to be called).  We found a bookshop, Borneo Books, in Kota Kinabalu - really an excellent resource (as is their website) for books on Borneo and indeed the wildlife of Southeast Asia.  This, followed by a nice breakfast of nasi lemak and Old Town coffee the next morning, made a nice close to this short trip to Borneo.

In the Land Below the Wind

I'm not really one for outdoor holidays, but nonetheless decided that it was about time for me to go visit the rainforests in Sabah.  I'd not been before to East Malaysia at all and was looking forward to seeing this very different aspect of Malaysia.  It was a short 5-day trip but one full of memorable experiences.  Of course, the highlight was the visit to Sandakan, including the visit to the orang utan sanctuary at Sepilok and the two nights spent in our lodge on the Kinabatangan, the largest river in Sabah and in the heart of the wildlife forest reserve there.

We started off with the visit to the orang utan sanctuary at Sepilok.  It is here that orphaned baby orang utans are taken, to learn the ways of orang utans and to be eventually released to the wild.  Baby orang utans need to stay with their mother for about 5-6 years, to learn how to climb, how to make nests, what are the good foods to eat, and so on.  Just like human babies, little orang utans who are separated from their mother (for whatever reason) are just helpless, unable to cope in the wild wide world around them. 

Unfortunately, we were unable to see the little ones close up as they are kept away from us humans and our germs. But we did make it to the feeding time, when the orang utans make their way to the feeding platform.  We watched as three orang utans (sadly, only three) swung gracefully, effortlessly, to the platform, to eat the fruit and interact with each other before going on their way.  The big bonus was the sight of the little baby orang utan, clutching on to its mother and looking oh so adorable.  What I did not expect was the presence of the little macaques, darting onto the platform to eat the fruit (after the orang utans had finished), and running quickly to and fro along the ropes leading to the platform.  And all this time, the orang utans simply continued doing their own thing, indifferent to the macaques' antics taking place all around them.

Sepilok is a well-kept, well-managed sanctuary.  The babies are kept in their nursery but as they grow, they are carefully moved out into the reserve, in slow easy steps.  Some go out and disappear forever, others come back regularly to feed.  Some females return with their own little babies - a sign of success indeed.  Visitors are asked if they would like to adopt an orang-utan baby (i.e. pay for its keep, they are an endangered species and definitely not allowed as pets).  More information about Sepilok, including on how to donate, at Sepilok Orang-utan Appeal UK.

After seeing the orang utans in the sanctuary, we were delighted when, the very next day, we managed to get a glimpse of a mother and her baby in the wild, on the banks of the Kinabatangan.  We were going down the river in our little boat, when suddenly our guide told us to look up in the trees.  There we saw the orang utan nest and next to it, swinging quicky away, the orang utan herself and also her baby.  It was a real privilege to see it. 

Hopefully, in the years ahead, the emphasis on sustainable development will mean that the precious rainforests will be protected and the orang-utans and all the wonderful wildlife of the region will be able to live in peace.

Lots more lovely orang-utan photos here.

Food for Good

Last Saturday, I read an article on small shops/entrepreneurs who were able to reach out to niche markets.  One was a bookshop carrying rare books.  Another was this cafe cum social enterprise, Food for Thought.  Couldn't really remember where I read it but subsequently found a similar article here. 

Since I happened to be in the Queen Street area later that day, decided to try it out. Indeed, it is a pleasant restaurant, modern and bright.  Its social mission is prominently displayed, on the placemats and the walls.  There's a display shelf in the middle of the restaurant floor, selling merchandise to promote their causes: Eradicating poverty and ignorance, inspiring kind acts and providing food for the hungry and clean water for all.  I liked their clever, snappy one-liners summarising each cause, eg "Teach them All", "Make Poverty History"
I ordered the red velvet cake - not the best I've eaten  (slightly soggy), but pretty decent.  The lemon curd cheesecake had a nice texture, but the base too seemed a little damp.  What seemed to be really popular, however, were the breakfasts - the next table seemed to be enjoying theirs, at 2.30pm!  Something to try, next time around.

The success of this little cafe shows that Singaporeans do believe in supporting social causes, including those abroad.  It also shows that corporate profitability lies not (solely) on rampant cutting of corners but can come together with doing good.  I particularly liked this quote from the BT article, describing their corporate philosophy:

"Growth in our company is led by what we find meaningful, enjoyable and inspiring rather than what is merely profitable. We do not maximise profit but we do not compromise it either."

So go and have some Food for Thought too.