Travel Biography - Week 74.

Introduction to Singapore and Sentosa Island.

During the Christmas season of 1996, that is, a couple of days after Boxing Day, I boarded a train to London specifically to arrive at Trailfinders Travel Agency to pay the final balance for the 1997 Round-the-World flight tickets. The airfare for the whole trip was only £609. I was excited. During those days, I still found the idea of setting foot in Australia unbelievable. 

Non-existent in 1997 - Marina Bay Sands Hotel

An envelope containing four ticket vouchers arrived at my apartment two weeks before take-off. The first was for the flight out of London to Singapore Changi Airport. The second voucher was valid from Singapore to Cairns, Queensland. The third was for what was then the longest non-stop commercial flight registered in the Guinness Book of Records, the trans-Pacific route from Sydney to Los Angeles, and finally, the fourth voucher was for the flight from LAX to London Heathrow. Ironically, straight after the longest flight I had ever experienced, at Los Angeles, I boarded a much smaller, propellor-powered aeroplane for a thirty-minute hop to San Diego, the shortest flight I ever had. The entire duration out of the UK in 1997 was exactly ten weeks.

The date I took off from London Heathrow Airport was May 21st, 1997, a Wednesday. However, before continuing with the chronology, I wish to write some notes on Singapore. After checking the city-state on the Internet, I saw that vast changes have occurred within the last 26 years since I visited the area in 1997. And that includes Sentosa Island, just off the south coast of Singapore itself. Sentosa was a British military base until Singapore became an independent Republic in 1965 and Sentosa Island was transformed into a centre for recreation.

In the city itself, one major change was the construction of the Marina Bay Sands, a ship-like construction resting on three skyscrapers and overlooking an inlet. The grand opening of the complex was in February 2011. It has become the central feature of Singapore, attracting tourists worldwide. The three skyscrapers are hotels, each built to resemble a pack of playing cards. Also included is an infinity swimming pool (for hotel residents only), a large casino, shops and restaurants, and an art and science museum. This vast edifice didn't exist in 1997. Instead, where I stood, the inlet was named Clarke Bay surrounded by modest, British-designed buildings.

However, it was Sentosa Island that had undergone major changes in the last 26 years after I visited the area. For example, Fantasy Island was an outdoor water theme park featuring flumes, or waterslides, and a Lazy River where inflatables, either designed for one person or two (thus, resembling an inflatable figure of eight) drifted along a river which passed through tropical vegetation on both sides. There was also a zip wire, where the rider would hold on to a pair of handles as it slid downhill over a plunge pool. At the right spot, he let go and plunged two or three metres into the water below. However, whether it was the zip wire feature or something else, there were several injuries during its short, six-year life of the theme park, and a couple of fatalities. It closed down in November 2001, four years after I had swum there. At present, Universal Studios Singapore, which opened in 2011, now stands partly on the old park site.

Another feature at Sentosa was the Dancing Fountain, an outdoor theatre with a row of fountains forming a straight line as its stage. Every evening after dark, people would fill the ancient-looking Greek/Roman-style auditorium to watch the fountains perform to a magnificent light display backed by music. I found the Dancing Fountain to be an exhilarating experience. The fountain closed down in 2007 to make way for the Resorts World Sentosa, which opened in 2010. It features the Festive Walk, seven hotels, five notable restaurants, a casino, Dolphin Island, and the Adventure Cove Waterpark which is a huge indoor oceanarium and different aquariums, including one of hard and soft corals.

Along with the Dancing Fountain, the 37-metre-high Merlion of Sentosa had two viewing galleries, inside its mouth and on the top of its head, along with some gift shops. In 1997, I paid for a lift to take me to its head. The lift ended at his mouth and a set of stairs took me to its head. From there, I had a fascinating view of both Sentosa and Singapore. From its left eye, a bright laser-like beam shone directly at the Dancing Fountain at the climax of each of its evening performances. The Merlion closed permanently in 2019, to make way for a new feature, Sentosa Sensoryscape, a path that will link various points on the island, including its beaches. I believe it opened towards the end of last year (2022). 

These are some of the changes that have taken place in the 26 years between my 1997 stay in Singapore to the present day (2023) as seen on the Internet. What I found rather remarkable was how the ever-changing face of Singapore compares with the stability of the Grand Canyon. Up-to-date photos of the Canyon show that nothing had changed since my first visit in 1978, which is 45 years from then to the present. There are even two photos of me standing next to the same boulder on the edge of the Colorado River. Each was taken 17 years apart (1978-1995). The stone remains unmoved, I assume, to this day. Therefore, all the photos I took of Singapore included in this Biography will be of how the area looked while visiting in 1997. Nostalgia, pure nostalgia!

Non-Existent in 1997 - Bay Gardens, Singapore.

Getting Ready to Depart - A Social Problem.

During the months leading up to take-off, my Mum fell ill with Jaundice and had to be taken into hospital, the difficult-to-get-to Wexham Park Hospital near Slough. Here, she had to undergo a major operation on her liver, one conducted by a team led by a Jewish consultant. The procedure was a success but she remained in the ward as an inpatient for several weeks afterwards. It was while she was recovering from the op that I was questioning whether I should go ahead with the RTW trip or cancel it, and postpone the trip for a later date. It needn't have worried. Mum was discharged just in time before I left the UK. Thoughts of cancelling the trip to be close to Mum whilst she was still in hospital were considered, but I held back as, on weekly visits, I saw that she was making progress. Cancelling the trip would have been an extreme last resort. 

At last, she was discharged from the hospital just days before take-off. By the time I headed for the airport, I knew that she would be okay.

Also in the early Spring of that year, not long before Mum was taken into hospital, I spent a Saturday at the Exhibition of Travel, held at the Olympia Exhibition Hall in West London. It was a great day out. But in the back of my mind, I was wondering whether a visa waiver scheme for entry into the USA was valid in Australia as well as in Britain and Europe. At one corner of the exhibition, there was an area cordoned off. There was a small audience seated and ready for the shoot. At the front, a travel expert was ready to receive questions, and next to him was a TV camera team representing a national commercial channel. Finding a vacant seat, I took my place in the audience.

During the shooting, I stood up, and noticing the camera aimed directly at my face, I explained that I was about to travel around the world, namely to Singapore, Australia, and the USA. My revelation brought gasps from both the rest of the audience and from the expert. I then asked whether the USA Visa Waiver Scheme operated in Australia as well as in Europe. He was stumped, as he couldn't answer my question. I wouldn't be at all surprised if my question was edited out from the programme before going on air. Viewers don't expect the "expert" to be stumped by a simple question that could have been answered with a mere "Yes" or "No".

The forthcoming trip also caused a sensation among the singles from local churches. It was the days when unmarried men from different churches knew each other well enough for friendships to develop, and we met together for a post-evening service social in the home of one of us, at a different venue each week. One particular Sunday, it was my turn to host the meeting in my apartment. The day of take-off was beginning to draw near.

One of the singletons was Paul, a university graduate and a keen meteorologist. He was also keen on the British Empire, and he believed that the British Empire was established by God, as he, along with Keith, believed that England was seen as "God's Country" in William Blake's 1804 poem, and wished that the old Empire could be revived and brought back to life. Back in 1995, this same Paul warned me about the "dangerous wildlife" within the Grand Canyon and tried to discourage me from attempting the hike. Sure enough, whilst at the Canyon floor near Phantom Ranch, I thought I heard a rattlesnake nearby. Perhaps Paul had a point after all, but in no way would I back down from the challenge. However, I did inform Paul, Keith and a couple of others that I may have encountered a rattlesnake while I was hiking the Canyon.

It was after I married Alex and returned from our honeymoon in Rhodes when the same Paul, in agreement with Keith after the rattlesnake incident, asked me whether I swam with sharks whilst bathing in the Mediterranean. In fact, I was asked the same question twice, each on a different week. On both occasions, I answered "No". I think they were disappointed with my answer, as Paul was ready to come down on me with his knowledge that sharks don't inhabit the Mediterranean.

Going back to mid-Spring 1997. One Sunday evening, we all met at my apartment. After serving them hot drinks of their choice, Paul looked at me, along with everyone in the room, and warned me that there would be a deep area of low pressure heading our way in just a couple of days. I could see a glint in his eyes as he said this, as if wet weather would prevent me from working, then unable to save up enough funds, hence, the coming trip would be screwed. All eyes were on me as I assured them that even if I took a couple of days off work, the trip would still go ahead, as all expenses were already paid.

I have decided to include this set of incidents in the Biography as it reveals the underlying envy felt by others of the same generation's social and marital status. Going by the experience of social life both inside and outside the church, it appears that unmarried men are less secure with themselves than married men. And here, particularly in England, for a graduate to see a non-graduate rise to the occasion, whether in academic pursuits, writing, photography, or travel experiences, they looked to have taken offence. There are times when I often feel sidelined by these graduates and watch them act as if I don't exist. Yet, many of my current friends are Christian graduates who share my age range. At that 1997 meeting in my apartment, all but one were already in their forties. The one exception was Paul himself, who was still back then in his thirties.

As the holiday grew nearer, I also became more nervous. I was ready to jump on a train to South Kensington if the airline tickets failed to arrive. But they did - in good time. I also kept in touch with the news to be reassured that there would be no industrial disputes to disrupt the schedule. So far, so good. What I didn't realise until after arriving back home, was that there was a strike among British Airways staff while I was already in Australia.

Non-Existent in 1997 - Resorts World Sentosa.

On the last Saturday before take-off, I went to spend the afternoon at my parent's home, along with my brother. I wanted to make sure that all was well before I left the UK. All was well, and Mum even encouraged me to go and don't cancel. As I watched her flit around the kitchen preparing dinner rather than remaining confined in bed, I knew that all was well. I attended church that Sunday, and I was wished all the best. On the Monday before departure, I went to Coral Reef Water World for a good sauna before finally closing my apartment door the next day, complete with all the necessary luggage and travel documents, for a lift in a friend's car to the railway station.

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Next Week: The flight to Singapore and the beginning of the stay.