Danum Valley

We went to Sabah, Borneo, for a long weekend. Two days were spent in a luxury hotel where we pampered ourselves in a spa. The other two were spent trekking in the primary rainforest. Between the two, there is no doubt my favourite was the jungle. We didn’t see as much wildlife as we expected (lots of droppings but no elephants or rhinos in sight!), but we saw gibbons, orang-utans, bearded pigs, mouse-deers, squirrels, tree snakes, lizards, civets, otters, porcupines, lots of birds and butterflies, rhinoceros beetle, millipedes and centipedes, and of course my friends, the leeches! Yes, I was a leech victim, and this despite my special leech socks. My initial reaction to the bite was panic and disgust. But then once full the leech falls off by itself and all you’re left with is a bleeding mini wound and a certificate. As a joke the victims of the tiger leeches are awarded a certificate. It was an interesting experience which I do not wish to repeat. At night the noise was almost scary, we could hear the whooping and gurgling of the gibbons, the cacophony of sounds by the cicadas, frogs, birds, bats and other animals. In the darkness of the night we couldn’t see a thing, but we knew they were around us. Amazing and scary at the same time. Just in case I slept with a flashlight next to me. The flora was also impressive: gigantic mushrooms, fungus of all colours and shapes, trees 70 meter tall, orchids and other flowers and fruits. We want to go back, soon!

The bungalows we stayed in are those little houses down there.

The prey!

The predator!

Christmas in the Tropics

Was not that bad!

White Lady

2 parts gin
1 part Cointreau
1 part lemon juice
with plenty of ice

Night life

Because there’s not much more to do around here, because the weather invites you to, and because we want to make the most out of out stay here, we’ve been going out a lot more than we used to. I even have my list of favourite places already. I like:
- Chijmes for the atmosphere and choice of restaurants
- Hacienda Bar for the greenery and swings
- Bar Opiume for the cocktails and the view on the river
- New Asia for the splendid view over Singapore
- Bar Stop for the live music and decoration
- Alley Bar for the relaxing lounge music and atmosphere
- Coastes, at Siloso beach, to chill out

Where is my Christmas spirit this year?

This year I’ve decided I don’t like Christmas. And I don’t like it for what it is supposed to be.
It is supposed to be jolly. I hate Christmas carols and I don’t like other people telling me when to be “jolly”. Even the word annoys me. I also don’t like to be told to give to charity. I give when and if I want to, not because it is Christmas.
It is supposed to be a family celebration. Mine is just too far and there’s no skype or video cameras that can replace being with them. I guess I just have to grow up and get used to it.
It is supposed to have nice food. There’s no good possible substitute to speculaas, my mother’s pudding or turkey. Laksa and chili crab won’t do it!
This year I don’t like Christmas because I feel like I’ve failed. I failed to get caught by the spirit of it.
During Christmas people are just too jolly, eat too much and spend too much. The Christmas spirit has been overshadowed by commercialism. People spend too much on food, gifts, decoration and gasoline and don’t even think twice about sustainability. Then they worry too much about how to lose the extra kilos, how to get rid of undesirable gifts, where to store the decoration items and how to pay the credit card debts.
Some more religious people say Christmas is about giving, worshipping, loving and hoping. Well, throughout the year, I give attention, affection and some presents, I don’t worship anything or anyone, I love a lot of people and I always hope for something good (not just before the yearend). Talking about the yearend, I also don’t like when people keep postponing decisions: “Next year I will lose weight.” “Next year I will start going to the gym.” Why wait for the new year? Just do it!
I’ve lost my Christmas spirit this year. Sorry about that!

Cultural diversity

I am married to an African of Indian origin, brought up bilingual French/ English, influenced by European culture, who feels at home in South East Asia. This is what I call living in a multi-cultural environment. Even though the world is a melting pot of different cultures, genes and nationalities, the truth is we never think much about it. A time will come when it will become rare to find anyone of purely one ethnicity. I grew up atheist in a conservative sexist society and learned how to deal with it. I am now experiencing xenophobic, racist, prejudiced and ignorant behaviours and I wonder how long it will take me to learn how to react to it without feeling angry, frustrated and even disgusted.

Sunday at Sentosa

It started nice and sunny, sunbathing on the beach…

It ended in a thunderstorm with heavy rain.

This is Singapore in the rainy season!

Still safe to travel?

We had three destinations booked: Indonesia, Thailand and India. All three had to be cancelled, one after the other:
1. "We advise you to reconsider your need to travel to Bali at this time due to the very high threat of terrorist attack."
2. "The political situation in Thailand is very uncertain. If you plan to visit Thailand you should consider the present situation when making your decision."
3. "There is a high threat of terrorism throughout India. Attacks have targeted places of worship and major festivals as well as areas popular with expatriates and foreign travellers."

Bullocks! Where can we go that is still safe?

To make things worse, soon we will have to surrender our passports until the end of the year without the option of retrieval.

Singapore is such a small place, I feel trapped here, LET ME OUT!

So many nice place to visit around here…

Cycling around Pulau Ubin

The bumboat that took us from Changi Village to Pulau Ubin

Welcome!

I love palm trees, always reminded me of the tropics

A Malay kampong house

Chek Jawa Wetlands

Mangrove swamp

Attap seeds

There're so many orchids in Singapore, I cannot stop myself...

The Peak

The Victoria Peak offers one of the most famous views overlooking Kowloon and Hong Kong island. I wish I had a better camera.

Hong Kong

I cannot say I really liked Hong Kong. It is too built up, dense, polluted and noisy, it made me feel tired after just one day. For those who like shopping, eating and massages it is the perfect place. There’s a great night life and some cultural activities but my overall impression was not very positive.

Bingo lulu

This is called bingo lulu, a skewer of frozen fruit. It tasted delicious under the burning sun!

One day in Cheung Chau

What shall we eat today?

Hum...???
Chicken or...
...maybe fish?

First impressions

Our move to Singapore went smoothly, without any incidents, everything went well and I am really enjoying my first weeks, despite the heat, humidity and the initial jet lag.

It is quite an interesting place, I am amazed how they managed to put more than 4,5 million people in such a small island. And so well organised. Although it is very crowded I never get the claustrophobic feeling I used to get in London, it is much more pleasant and green over here.

My first impression was very good:
- very green and flowery
- very clean and organised
- people smile a lot
- good food (I will put on weight, that’s for sure!)
- relaxed atmosphere

I have the feeling I am on holidays even though I need to come to the office. Talking about the office, it is great, with an amazing view over the river and the city.

At this moment we are living in a serviced apartment really in the centre. It is a very nice comfortable place and I love the fact that I can swim and cool down every evening in the pool.

I think I am going to like living here. The big downside is the distance, it is too far away from Europe. Too far away from my family. And the time difference is a bit annoying because I can never call when I feel like talking, sometimes I feel like waking people up just for a chat.

I am suffering a bit with the heat, in fact, it is more the humidity that bothers me. It feels like I am in a greenhouse the whole time, if it wasn't for the airco everywhere I would be dead by now.

The view out my office window

My life in boxes

London

Things I will miss:
- The Barbican
- Pub lunches
- Cider
- Double-deckers
- Regent’s canal
- Free museums
- Regent’s Park

What I will not miss:
- The tube
- Constant noise
- Pollution
- Crowds
- Bad weather
- Dirty streets
- Loud sirens in the middle of the night

Manas Antunes