Singapore Skyline 1996

I think this must be the reverse angle of the photo I posted yesterday, which I think was shot from the gondola that links Singapore to the Sentosa resort. On the other hand, there are no wires visible in this shot, so maybe not. Hmmm. Not sure how I got up this high, then.

Anyway, there's Singapore as it was in late 1996 or early 1997. I imagine it's even more grand now, over 20 years later. 

Singapore Flotilla

When I visited Singapore in 1996/1997, it was the second-busiest port in the world. Here are just a few of the ships I saw during that trip. 

Baffled at the Raffles

Here is a pretty terrible picture of me at the famous Raffles hotel in Singapore in late 1996 or early 1997. It's a pretty nice hotel, although I could not afford to stay there at the time. Actually, I wonder if I could afford to stay now...probably not. I wish I'd been wearing a pith helmet and a bomber jacket. Parvesh was kind enough to take the photo.

This was over 20 years ago now! Good heavens. 

Domain of Earl, May 2012

I've always loved maps, particularly political maps. I also love exploring our world. I thought it might be fun to combine these two geographic obsessions into one amusement: what if I carved an imaginary empire by drawing straight lines between the farthest-flung cities and towns I've visited thus far?

Thus I present the Domain of Earl, a benevolent but unrecognized empire composed of borders drawn between Fairbanks, Alaska; Dawson City, Yukon; Lynn Lake, Manitoba; Timmins, Ontario; Hull, Quebec; London, Ontario; Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona; Los Angeles, California; Honolulu, Hawaii; Singapore; Seoul, South Korea; and Tokyo, Japan.

The nice thing about an empire of this nature is that I can vastly increase its size with a simple trip to the Mayan Riviera or the UK. Also, I have no pesky subjects to worry about or wars of conquest to manage. Eat your heart out, Napoleon.

Four More from Singapore

Here I am at the most southerly point in Asia, on Singapore's Sentosa Island resort. After some amusing pantomime, a couple of cute Japanese girls kindly took this shot for me.

This is the fearsome guardian of Sentosa, bursting out of the fountain like an avenging spirit. Oddly enough, none of the visitors seemed startled at all.

This is a rear view of another of Singapore's astounding creatures, the Merlion. I entered the creature's very maw (albeit via a staircase inside the statue).

And here's the Merlion at night, during a spectacular lightshow and fireworks display.

A Little More from Singapore

A kindly old British couple took this photo while I was visiting the Singapore Zoo.

You can get quite close to the animals at the Singapore Zoo, including these alligators, shot without the benefit of a telephoto lens. Frankly I'm surprised I overcame my natural risk aversion to get this shot...I must have been feeling particularly adventurous.

It took all of my will to avoid touching this just to see what would happen.

It seems as though every zoo in the world needs a flock or a gaggle or whatever of flamingos.

My trip to Singapore included my first - and to date, my only - tropical Christmas. The holiday is a big deal in Singapore, though in a secular rather than a religious sense. The decorations in the city's shopping district were quite impressive.

...if a little commercial.

Here I am relaxing at the world-famous Raffles Hotel. Since I don't drink, I didn't order a Singapore Sling.

Parvesh and her family were wonderful hosts, preparing some of the finest dishes I've ever sampled. The food really was fantastic.

Singaporeans have a dark, twisted sense of humour that I heartily endorse.

A Glimpse of Singapore

In late December 1996/early January 1997, I spent three weeks in Singapore, visiting my old U of A friend Parvesh. While my eyesight continues to recover from Monday's dog reaction, here's a quick glimpse of some of the sights my unimpaired vision enjoyed on that trip.

It's a Rhino Party! Kind of wish these guys had won the election instead of the Tories, but what can you do? I shot these fellows grazing at the Singapore Zoo, an open-concept zoo in which many of the animals roamed about unrestrained by cages. Small moats and ditches kept them from wandering among the visitors...well, except for one squawking peacock who jabbed me in the rear end repeatedly with his beak, much to the amusement of a group of Japanese tourists. Sadly, I don't have any photos of the incident, although the Japanese certainly do judging by the amount of shutter action I heard.

Here are a pair of orangutans. One seems to be shading itself with leaves.

A breathtaking lagoon. My pictures really don't do the place justice. I wanted to dive into the green-blue waters and just float away forever.

This was the first time I'd seen a pineapple growing in the wild. For some reason I'd always imagined them falling from trees, like coconuts. Perhaps I've watched too much Gilligan's Island.

Poles Apart at the Polls

On Monday night, my old friend Joanne came over for a visit. It was great to reconnect with someone I haven't seen in probably fifteen years.

Joanne and I attended the University of Alberta together, and even lived on the same floor (Main Kelsey) of Lister Hall for a couple of years. And of course, we were in the U of A Star Trek club together.

Joanne had some great stories to tell about her journeys, and one of them is even available on the web. Read The Alberta-France Divide in See magazine to learn Joanne's thoughts on French democracy, and how it differs from our own democratic life here in Alberta.

Joanne didn't plan to be in France during their elections, and that reminded me of my own accidental exposure to another sort of election, years ago, in Singapore. During the Christmas/New Year season of 1996/97, I went to Singapore to visit my friend Parvesh, another Main Kelsey resident and U of A graduate. And like Joanne, I arrived while the campaign was at its height.

I was somewhat troubled by what I experienced. The governing party blatantly threatened people who were thinking of voting for the opposition; government announcements clearly stated that public housing developments and other perks would be withheld from districts that elected opposition candidates. Public figures like media representatives were quietly but strongly discouraged from being seen with opposition candidates. The opposition leader himself was frequently hounded by the police.

I watched election night with Parvesh and some of her family friends, good people who were disappointed but not surprised to see that the ruling party had captured all but two (or it may have been four) seats. (Incidentally, that night I enjoyed one of the best meals I've ever eaten.)

Comparing Joanne's experience with my own, I can't help but compare Alberta's political landscape to both. As a progressive liberal in Canada's most conservative province, you can probably guess which political climate I feel most resembles our own.


When Earl's optimism about democracy was THIS BIG!