This quarter found me on my ‘nomadic doorstep’ in Singapore. Admittedly, it took me a long time to bond with our latest port of call. While Singapore is a friendly, clean and prosperous city with endless architectural marvels and delicious food, it initially felt sterile to me, lacking in edge. After having sailed for four months through diverse, exotic Indonesia, the luxuries of Singapore offered welcome but uninspiring comfort.
Perhaps it was an unusually long rainy season or the divisive US political climate that dampened my spirits. Or maybe life had just gotten in the way. We spent our early days in the region shuttling between Singapore and Johor Bahru, Malaysia where our boat Amandla was initially moored before we brought her to Sentosa. The Captain underwent two unplanned surgeries, fully recovering from both in the quarter, albeit more tired than ever of endless ‘treatment’. The prospect of boat refit coming in the second quarter did not lend itself to the excitement. And my focus had shifted from daily sightseeing to trying to find creative ways to replenish the cruising kitty.
Luckily, we were blessed with welcome visits from my family and friends. Plus I enjoyed dinners out with Singapore-based former colleagues who had long since become confidants. And we were very, very well cared for by The Captain’s wonderful local friends Roberto and Rosie, their gorgeous daughters, and their welcoming extended ‘families’.
But although my touring time was limited (and the sun even more so), I was determined to find inspiration for my lens in Singapore during the free moments that I had to experience it. To find it, I returned to my most calming and rejuvenating source, Mother Nature. Singapore showcases her in abundance. I just scratched the surface with visits to MacRitchie Reservoir, Mount Faber Park, and my favorite, the off the beaten track Pulau Ubin.
Pulau Ubin can be reached from the city center by hopping the MRT and/or bus (2, 29, 59 or 109) to the Changi Village Hawkers Market, then hopping a bum-boat at the Changi Point Ferry Terminal (SG $3 one way leaving whenever 12 people are aboard or SG $36 if you want to hire a boat for one). Not exactly easy to get to, but well worth the trip.
The island is one of the few remaining places to experience the kampung lifestyle in Singapore. It is also a national park designed to conserve Singapore’s diverse nature and cultural heritage. Motorized vehicles are limited and travel is mostly by bicycle (I hired one from #25 Mr. Chia +65 98798237 the last seller on the left side of the road with bikes in good condition for a fair price).
I managed to cycle half the island with my destination being Chek Jawa, an extensive wetland on the southeast corner of the island. I visited low tide and was treated to a grand show.
Singapore’s natural beauty acted as a muse that allowed me to view the city through a new set of eyes. The streets suddenly came alive for me and I found inspiration everywhere that I turned: Kampong Glam, China Town, Little India, The Downtown Core, Geylang, and my favorite stomping ground, Tiong Bahru.
My top ‘street’ experience was meeting the Koh family. I was photographing the streets of Tiong Bahru, an art-deco housing estate built in the 1920s, the oldest in the city-state. Eric Koh found me wandering about and invited me over for some tea and discourse. I spent a wonderful two hours getting to know this family while his mother filled me with endless Chinese New Years treats. Quintessential, welcoming Singapore.
In the end, my time in Singapore was too short with so much remaining to be explored. I look forward to returning again.
We’ve lifted anchor and set sail for Phuket via Port Dickson, Klang, Pangkor, Penang, Langkawi, Ko Bulon Le, and Ko Lanta Yi.
Along the way, our list of boat repairs grew as Amandla’s instruments were damaged by an electromagnetic surge from a lightning strike in Port Dickson (a catamaran in the marina kitty-corner from us was hit directly and six other boats were also impacted). We hand-steered the rest of the way to Phuket, luckily with the assistance of our friend Lucio, a sailing Captain who was visiting from Italy. Amandla will remain in Phuket for a month of repairs and then head back to Langkawi at the end of April to replace the damaged instruments.
My memories of Singapore and the prospect of future travel in SE Asia are keeping my spirits buoyed.
Submitted for Cardinal Guzman’s ‘The Changing Seasons‘, Restless Jo’s ‘Monday Walk‘ and the Daily Post Weekly Photo Challenge ‘It IS Easy Being Green‘
Good to see you back photographing.Loved all the photos. You are getting better and better. I think you should pamper yourself a little. You have had some hard months. Love the building that is so many different colors. And of curse the street art!!
Ahoy there Frankie Beane. Always a pleasure. I still owe you my Penang Street Art Gallery from my last post but many things have gotten in the way ?. I’ll have to create a gallery for Singapore as well – I was surprised to find Street Art here but is is in (controlled) abundance. Thank you for the compliments and the much needed love ?
Your are welcome. I am going to hang up my travelling shoes–for the moment. I will live my travel life vicariously through you. I will keep my eyes open for posts on street art.
It is lovely to have you as virtual travel companion 😉
Dorny is back! The O.G. photo ninja is again rewriting the rules of fun!
Skipah’s at The Realm and Dorny’s at the helm ?. I love the monikers you have bequeathed me with! Thank you for hanging out with me. Hug to Sloane and Miss Madison and Miss Madison Jr. And HUGE congrats on the ? .
Lisa, I totally agree with Frankie. The photos are amazing and I too love the brightly coloured house. You seem pretty down at the moment but things will get better. Keep up the writing and photographs as I just want to see more and keep smiling.
Ahoy sailor! Great to hear from you. Thank you for the compliments and the much appreciated support. I share your optimism that things will get better and really, things could be much worse. I meant what I said about your blog post ‘Giving Up The Sailing Life‘. You need to take that to the publishers. It spoke my truth!
So wonderful to see the natural side of Singapore, Lisa! I think I was hardly aware that places like this existed around the island. But most of all, wonderful that you should think of me 🙂 🙂 What a treasure to include in my walks! Thank you so much!
You do seem to have had more than your share of bumps and bruises, both the skipper and the boat! 🙁 I hope for smoother waters in the future, but I know that wherever you find yourself you will reach out with warmth, and the hugs will come flooding back to you. Take good care of each other!
Thank you, Jo! I am not the best at keeping in touch, especially these days, but you are often in my thoughts, especially when I am ‘on the trail’. I’ve enjoyed traveling with you virtually since our first walk together in New Zealand and look forward to many adventures to come. Thanks for your support, friendship, and Italy inspiration. Enjoy the Algarve.
Thanks, darlin! Love to you both 🙂 🙂
?❤️
[…] Singapore and Beyond […]
Great story! 🙂
Thank you so much for your visit and lovely compliment Jozef. We share the same passion for nature and documentary photography. Love your gallery on EyeEm
I’m so glad to hear your time in Singapore was fruitful, despite your inital disinterest in it. Lovely pictures, Lisa. I always love reading about your adventures.
Enjoy Thailand! Ah, it was so exciting to read the names of places that I know and recognize! May the Amandla be well taken care of in Phuket and may the rest of your Southeast Asian adventures be thrilling and fulfilling.
Hello Britta! I finally made it to Thailand. Thought of you the moment that we sailed in and only wish that I’d been here when you were teaching here. I am looking forward to exploring in between boat jobs and seeing everything Thailand has on offer. Thanks for hanging out with me here and for your generous compliment on the pictures.
Interesting to read your post and look at the photos. I lived in SE Asia for many years and spent a year in Singapore over 20 years ago. I’m glad to see Pulau Ubin hasn’t changed. We used to go there to cycle and hide from the ratrace. Also sailed through many of the same places!
Lovely to meet a kindred spirit here! I share your passions for photography and travel, especially under sail. I too am glad that Pulau Ubin hasn’t changed much and that I got to experience it in a similar way to which you did 20 years ago. My partner did a lot of traveling in these parts in the 70s and he is often saddened by the extent of the change that has occurred since his last visit. For me, SE Asia is all new and exciting, so I am rarely disappointed. But I most love traveling in areas that seem to remain ‘unchanged’ by modern times.
I so enjoyed the tour of Singapore here. Love how you capture people in photos. The nature part of Singapore is beautiful. Thank you for taking us there, Lisa. 🙂
Thank you so much for sharing Singapore with me Amy and for your lovely compliment on my people captures 🙂
You see beauty in all & that’s why your photos are spectacular.
I see you are enjoying the company of a diverse group of people.
How wonderful.
I am touched by your kind compliment! I feel blessed by my opportunities to travel the world and meet so many awesome people both on the streets and on the web. Thanks for your kind words.
I missed you, Lisa! Glad you are back! You always capture the heart and soul of the places you visit–the people, food, culture–all in your stunning photos!
Ahoy there Terri! You always know how to say just the right thing to make me smile. Thank you for your very kind compliment.
Welcome back! Lovely photos. I’ve been to Singapore a couple of times when John was at conferences – the last time we visited Pulau Ubin after he finished. We took a taxi to the ferry and the driver was quite incredulous that we should want to go there. Kept trying to take us shopping instead…..
OMG I read your comment when I first woke up this morning and it had me laughing out loud. I can so imagine the scene with the incredulous taxi driver ?. I am delighted to know that you had the opportunity to visit Pulau Ubin. Such a lovely place. Always a pleasure to hear from you. Thank you as always for your lovely compliments.
Look at all that green foliage in those shots! Spring is here but the trees are far from budding where I am. I can’t wait to see all that greenery again.
I wonder if you miss green as much as I miss snow Allan! Funny how the ‘grass is always greener (or snow whiter and fluffier). I am a lucky duck to have enjoyed endless summer for the past few years (perhaps with a bit of fall thrown in) but I do love the changing seasons.
Thanks for a great tour of a city and region that means a lot to my family, but I have never yet visited.
I think that your next book after Jeannie should be a personal travel journey of your retracing your family’s footsteps in this region. I will be traveling these parts until at least early 2018 so if life brings you here, it would be wonderful to connect. I have not started Surviving The Death Railway because of too many distractions to sit down and enjoy a good book. I tend to only read on multi-day sailing passages (when we have an operational autopilot). But really, I could probably do with a good book right now rather spending time on newspapers which have been getting far too much attention from me lately.
Great pictures and blog report!
Regarding electrical storm strikes reminded us when we were anchored of Herradura, Costa Rica. One of the boats in the anchorage took a direct hit. They lost every piece of electronics. You name it and it was fried except their handheld VHF radio. It was a lose of close to $20,000. Fortunately there boat insurance covered it. Took them 3 months to replace everything.
We were anchored several hundred feet away. Not a scratch.
Ahoy John and Susan! A pleasure as always. The boat with the direct hit in our marina was totally fried as well. I was surprised that so many nearby boats were damaged. I mistakenly thought that only the boat directly hit would be impacted. I know better now. Steer clear of Cats with tall masts. Interestingly, we were the closest but suffered the least damage of all the boats impacted. Perhaps it is because we were upwind of the strike and the others were downwind. Not really sure.
Yes…a few other boats had some electronic damage but not much. We had a jury rig lightning protector. Basicly a battery jumper cable connected to a 15 foot of chain. We clamp this onto our tallest standing rig and threw the chain over the side. The theory is the lightening strike would hopefully hit the top of the mast and travel down the rigging into the battery cable and chain. Luckily for us we never had the chance to prove it! A friend of ours on another boat came up with this solution and he swore by it.
Ooooh – your jury rig lightning protector sounds like a great idea. Will have to look into it. We have a lightning dissipator on top of our mast which might have been the other reason that our boat was far less impacted than the others in the marina or it might have done nothing at all.
Welcome back Lisa! we’ve missed you 🙂 Sorry to hear the Captains surgeries, I hope he’s healing well? Lovely photo’s as usual ! Lightning is scary for a boat, hope the weather gets better…be safe and take care of each other ((hugs & kisses)) T.
Hey There. Hi There. Ho There Teresa. Thank you for your supportive words and kind compliments. We’ve arrived safely in the Phuket Boat Lagoon and are readying to face the list of boat work. But the good news is that we will likely rent an apartment for the month that the boat is being repaired so that we can enjoy some much-needed shore leave. Cheers, Lisa
Thank you for sharing your travels !! So enjoyed this “tour” !
A pleasure to have you along for the tour Aletta. I am looking forward to the day when I am writing about South Africa and getting to meet you in person #IndianOcean2018
Wonderful photos Lisa. I especially love the colourful buildings. Glad you’re still enjoying your travels although sounds like it hasn’t always been easy. Keep smiling and photographing. X
I have certainly found that even when ‘Living The Dream’ that “Wherever You Go, There Is Reality’. Still, in spite of the challenges, I know I am blessed to have had the opportunity to live this life. Thanks for the compliments on my photographs and for the inspiration that you provide me with your street and travel photos. Hoping that we will have the chance to meet up again somewhere, someday.
Slowly but surely you fell in love with Singapore. Love the set of shots here. Wonderful street photography again. Sorry to hear about the damage to Amandla but good to hear she is always on the mend. Good set of hand there always to help and help the Captain along as well. He looks very dapper in a suit 😀
I love the photo of the washing on the clothes lines high up in the air. I smiled at that, a great trip down memory lane for me. Such an every day part of life in Singapore. And…monkey! That must have been Mr Wobbles’ friend…probably wanted you to pass on his well wishes to the one and only Wobbles… 😉
Hope all is well in Phuket, and safe trip to Langkawi at the end of the month. Here in Australia looks like we are coming to the end of an extended summer. But the cooler months means earlier sunsets and I will be prepping for that shortly 🙂 Lots of love and hugs to you from our end, Mr Wobbles and all <3
I thought of you often while walking the streets of Singapore, your old stomping ground. And I love the photos that you’ve honed in on here – The Captain (I think that may have been the only time I have ever seen him in a suit – and I agree, he does look dapper), the laundry (I can not tell you how many ‘laundry shots’ I took in Singapore although most of the photos turned out crap), and of course, the monkey (I wonder which Mr Wobbles would prefer – swinging from a tree in MacRitchie or enjoying a chocolate banana cake at Awfully Chocolate. Lookin forward to your sunset photos. Hug to Mr Wobbles
I am sure all your laundry shots were amazing – just from different angles 🙂 Mr Wobbles wouldn’t even mind swinging on those laundry sticks :O But he would never pass up a chocolate banana cake. What an amazing chocolate place. Now he wants to go there 😀 Hugs right back to you x
Forget the Bermuda Triangle! You and I have been sucked into the real life vortex and are struggling to climb out; at least it’s not a life and death situation, and we both just have to roll with the … waves in your case! You know how much I love that straits of Malacca shot, and the rest of these are pretty special also. When I find my way out of the mound of boxes here in Houston, I’ll drop you a real line. Things are looking up, though – nice and warm here, and I’m determined to say “yes” to everything and rebuild a fun life. Hope you keep your spirits up in your new exotic destinations as well.
Real life vortex indeed :-). But I share your optimism and agree the need to roll with the waves. I am glad to hear that things are looking up in Houston and I am VERY excited to see how your life unfolds. Thanks for the love on the images. Look forward to hearing from you when your life gets more settled.
I love it how you went from there to here, or from initial impression to you trademark see-beauty-everywhere stance. See? It comes across. 🙂 Wishing you more happy times ahead.
Well how lovely are you to say that my trademark is to see-beauty-everywhere. What a compliment. You’ve made my year. Thank you Manja!
Such beautiful photographs…. I am so glad that you share this gallery with us… Sometimes we can travel in different ways, right!? 😉 have an excellent week ahead, dear Lisa. Love & best wishes <3
Thanks for traveling Singapore with me virtually Aquileana and for your generous compliments! Always a pleasure to hear from you! Hugs
I’m glad Singapore grew on you. Sometimes, it takes a while finding the smaller beauties and details of a place to create appreciation… Sorry to hear about the never ending boat projects. It sounds like you found a decent place to battle them (and the Captain’s health issues) in Phuket. The weather might not have been great, but the social encounters made up for it! Wishing you both good health, big progress on the projects and happy travels inland!
Ahoy Liesbet. I am glad that we were able to stay in Singapore long enough for it to capture our hearts and I look forward to future opportunities to savor it. Boat projects going well so far. Our fuel tank replacement is out for bid with two companies, a Yanmar engineer is stopping by the boat this afternoon to have a look at our gear box and oil leak, we’ve hired our friend Mark from SV Mystic to install a new windlass, and we’ve found resources to fix our alternators and freezer compressor. Living the dream :-). We’ve rented a friend’s place while the boat is in disarray so are enjoying life with air conditioning and running water. Big hug.
I’m doing a little happy dance now that you are back writing and sharing your beautiful pictures. I worry about you when I don’t hear from you for awhile (do I sound like your mother?). Although things may seem a bit rough right now, you have an amazing spirit and I don’t doubt that you’ll have smooth sailing ahead.
I am grateful for your support Janis and am honored that my return has you dancing. I take comfort in your optimism and welcome your mothering. ???
So much diversity, beauty and perseverance in this post, both in your own words and in the faces and architecture of that part of the world. Tan tang niah has inspired me to paint a strip of bright colours around the top of my house. You do have an eye (and soul) for catching images that mean something.
I am delighted to know that you were inspired by Tan Tang Niah Diane and would love to see a picture of your house donning a brightly colored strip! My eye and soul are heartened by your eloquent and generous compliment. Thank You!
What a wonderful escape to read about your adventures. I am doing a new kind of scary traveling — sending my child across the ocean and following her adventures vicariously. My 18-year-old daughter is in Peru for nine days after they were hit with the worst flooding in 20 years. So your blog is a place of respite as I sweat out my daughter’s independence. Here’s a question I’ve been dying to ask you. What is your favorite place you’ve been? Also, have you heard about that club you can join once you’ve been to 100 countries? I’m at 43 and was hoping to be at 50 by age 50. Then kids came along! How are you enjoying your time, and do you have an end date, or will you just keep sailing as long as you can. I hope it’s the latter, so we can continue to enjoy your photos and posts!
Ahoy There Marjorie! You are a brave mother indeed to let Rosi go to Peru. One of the reasons I never became a mother is because I would have had too much fear to let my child leave the house let alone traipse 1/2 around the world. I am glad to offer you a place of respite and am flattered that you find it here :-). I so appreciate your interest in my journey. As far as favorite places, I have many, but the one that leads the way so far is Indonesia with its incredibly friendly people and diverse wildlife. And my favorite experience so far was snorkeling with whales in Tonga. I have not heard of the 100 countries club but would certainly love to be a member. I have traveled to 25 countries under sail and another 6 by other means, but have a bit more travel to do before I can catch up to your 43. Health permitting, we will do some land travel in SE Asia and then sail across the Indian Ocean which will give me an opportunity to enjoy more of this great world. From a sailing perspective, the plan is Sri Lanka, Maldives, Chagos, Madagascar (and Reunion and Rodrigues if I get my way), Mozambique, South Africa, Namibia (again if I get my way) St Helena, Ascension, Brazil, Uraguay, Argentina, Chile, and possibly, following in Rosi’s footsteps, Peru. From South America, we would go back to French Polynesia and Hawaii and then onward to Alaska. Then, who knows. I sure hope that this dream becomes a reality. Fingers crossed. Hugs to you.
Thank you for sharing Singapore. I hope the Captain’s recovering fine. Fair winds.
Ahoy there Brian! Thanks for sailing Singapore with us! Captain’s recovery is going well as is SY Amandla’s recovery in Phuket ?
Glad for the Captain. (How do you manage health insurance?…) And what I understand from Amandla is that ships are under permanent repair, right?
I have World Nomads travel insurance. The Captain pays out of pocket when he travels. The definition of cruising the world under sail is “fixing your boat in many exotic locations.
[…] http://lisadorenfest.com/2017/03/24/singapore/ […]
Sorry to hear about the Captain’s surgeries. Still I have to say he really looks fresh and fit. Wishing you both the best of luck on your journey. Lisa, these images are beautiful, colourful and so full of life. I love “Fishing The Malacca Strait”.
Thank you for the supportive well-wishes and very lovely compliments Paula. The Captain does look fit and fresh indeed ???.
Oh it is good to read you again Lisa. We too had initial lack of enthusiasm for Singapore but after a few stopovers it has grown on us. The Botanic Gardens is fabulous and we did have awesome food. Thanks for the suggestions for next time!
Ahoy Peta and Ben! Always a pleasure to hear from you. I was just thinking about you today as I’ve kicked off planning for our Indian Ocean crossing which will include a stop-over in Sri Lanka. Ever the planner, I am a bit ahead of myself as the earliest we would arrive there is February 2018, but with The Captain focused on boat repairs, I decided to use my time to start dreaming about our next adventure. I was already giddy with the anticipation from having read about your adventures in Sri Lanka and am certain I will learn a great deal more from hanging out with you virtually in 2017. Initial thinking is that we will check in and anchor at Trincomalee but land travel should bring us down your way.
And I do hope that you stop in Pulau Ubin on your next visit to Singapore. It was magical.
I am so sorry to hear about the captains additional surgeries and the damage to your instruments. You have had your share of bad luck for now, so i am hoping it will be smooth sailing. I hope you are able to keep the cruising kitty full enough to continue with your adventures.
Ahoy There Michele. Was just treated to a cup of positivity over on your blog. Thank you for your supportive wishes here. The good news is that we’ve found that Amandla requires far less maintenance than anticipated. We’ve scheduled all the work and hope to be out of here (Thailand) by end of the month. We will then return to Langkawi to replace the instruments (already ordered and ready to be installed at this duty-free location). From there, I will either return to work for a bit or travel SE Asia depending on which way the ‘universe’s winds’ decide to blow. Either way, I am confident that everything will turn out just fine.
Amazing post, Lisa! Keep up the good work!
? Thank you for your supportive compliment and visit Agness ✨
It’s so nice to catch up with you again, Lisa! I was having one of those days full of too much work and a far too long freeway commute then your lovely photos took me away on a mini vacation. 🙂 Enjoy your time in Thailand!
What a lovely compliment. I’m delighted that you found some respite by traveling with me virtually Lisa. I hope that you have a stellar weekend and that next week is kinder to you. I am having my own mini ‘vacation from my vacation’. We’ve rented an apartment for the month while the boat is torn apart for repairs. Hot showers, automatic flushing toilet, air conditioning, a stationary bed….my idea of paradise ?
Lisa…I’ve been drifting away from cyberspace, but today found myself drifting toward your boat. I just love this piece. YOu have such a wonderful eye for photos. And such great…is it?…luck…patience… and finding just the right moment to snap. So you’re continuing on, eh. Cool.
Ahoy There Mr. Badfish! How divine for you to drift virtually in my direction. I am basking in the glow of your lovely compliments. Thank you, I needed that today. The plan is to continue on but the question is ‘when?’. Although we are Phuket right now finishing up some boat repairs, I am considering a job offer in Singapore that may see me hanging up my travel shoes temporarily. But an Indian Ocean crossing is definitely in my future.
What a trip, Lisa. Rainy season could be depressing – as much as I feel about the winter here in Minnesota – lol..however, I’d rather having the rainy season in Singapore than the long winter 🙂 Love the images you took in Singapore and wishing you a safe journey to Thailand. Best wishes and stay safe!
Ha! The grass is always greener (or snow whiter) on the other side of the fence as they say. I am originally from the midwest (home of the 9-month winter) and dreamed of the day that summer would return. Now that I have come to the land of endless summer (with lots of rain in some areas) I find myself missing snow. And so it goes. Thank you for your visit, compliments and well wishes Indah. Always great to hear from you. Sending you some sunshine and summer love!
The “perks” of traveling continuously are not all they seem to be…but it is refreshing to see some gorgeous greenery in Singapore. Something I am definitely eager to experience whenever I make it there.
I do hope that you find your way to Singapore soon to experience its greenery. Truly enlivening. And you are spot on that the ‘perks of traveling continuously are not all they seem to be’. Lucky for me, April has allowed me a bit of a vacation from my ‘vacation’ (sadly not as much for The Captain who has been busily working on a boat refit). We have rented a condo at the marina for the month while the boat is in total disarray, and I have barely left the place except to assist The Captain when needed. Tough to beat air conditioning, endless supplies of running water and a stationary existence for a time. It will all come to an end soon as we complete the refit and return to our vagabond lifestyle. I am lucky to have such ‘challenges’.
Amazing! Singapore seems like a cool place too!
? Thank you Max. I hope to return to Singapore in September to explore it a bit further.
Amazing post! 🙂
I am starting a new blog, making it my very own travel diary, go take a look!
Thanks,
https://christysdiaryblog.wordpress.com/
Hi Christy, Lovely to meet you on the virtual road. Delighted that you enjoyed the post.
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