Going Home 2011 p3

The window of opportunity for travel between volcanoes erupting at opposite ends of our travel destinations passed. Fortunately we jumped through the window before it was shut again by a coughing and spluttering volcano in Chile that cranked up again, disrupting airports in the southern half of Australia.
Our arrival in Singapore was trouble free. Luckily, due to buying online airline tickets - individually - and having the online company botch the ticketing process, we were bumped up a class making our trip considerably more comfortable than being stuck in coach. It's not the longest stint of the journey to Estonia from Australia, but to stop for two days and catch your breath and adjust (somewhat) to time difference is always the preferred method of travel. 
And so we arrived at Singapore into a steamy 32C night, the same as just about every other night in Singapore. Having a mean average of...32C...allows the traveler going to Singapore one less thing to worry about before leaving for the place - how the weather is going  to be.
At any rate, our cab was air-conditioned and the highways to our accommodation were free of traffic allowing for a scenic drive to the western side of the city's peninsular. It's funny to realise you are essentially driving from one side of the country to the other in half an hour.
Other than stopping in Singapore airport due to transfers from other destinations, I hadn't been into the city since 1984 when on my way to live in Bangkok as a child. My wife had never been, so together we had open minds about the place.
The journey in the cab was kind of dream like. The roads were bathed in golden street light only hinting at the greenness that was otherwise obscured by the night. A trillion lights out to sea hinted at the shipping traffic that Singapore supported. What vegetation could be made out revealed an entire state that was manicured relentlessly and to perfection. It was hard to make out whether or not we were in a city or someones garden - some would argue, Lee Kuan Yews garden...
Arriving at my friends residence late, we were usher into bed after a few night caps and slept soundly in the comfort of air-conditioning.
We were awoken the next morning by fighter jets practicing landings in the near-by military airport. During moring coffee, my friend explained 20% of Singapore's GPD is spent on defence and they like to spend a fair chunk of it on jet fuel. Why 20%? Well it seems the Singaporeans are a little paranoid about invasion by either Malaysia or Indonesia. As the 4th largest financial hub in the world, it's not too hard to understand why a territory only 704 sq km my look ripe for the picking before long.
To re-enforce the paranoia imposed by the government on its citizens about a supposed invasion, my host shows me his families bomb room just beside his kitchen. It's a small room, large enough to fit about 3-4 adults and a few kids all standing. The door to the room resembles that of a bank volts. Its metal with about 5-6 rods running down the side which lock the door to stop foreign troops killing of Singaporean citizens when they invade. And this friends, is standard building code these days in Singapore. Whether or not the citizens of Singapore take a military threat seriously or not is a matter for every person to consider. But given the idealistic lifestyle its citizens lead as opposed to that of its neighbours, would lead me to believe they may take it more seriously than some people let on.
Our first day was spent doing what most people travelling to Singapore do - shop. Although there are the obvious differences in what you can buy there as opposed to your local mall, I have to save, my wallet wasn't set on fire. At street level, the prices of things seemed no better than Australia and I would argue in some cases the prices were more. A trend I did notice however was as you shopped on higher levels or more out of the way places, the cheaper the prices for certain things got.
The eating was the real highlight to this pace. Instead of heading out to the city chic restaurants and bars, we opted for eating with the locals instead. The eating hall, I guess you could call it, was situated at the bottom of a block of a housing project. The mix of people was a real blend of all of Asia's tribes. Malays, Indos, Indian, Hindu, Christian (I suppose), Muslims, some Chinese and Japanese and the odd Caucasian thrown in for good measure. But the balance was there. Everyone sat together and no-one accept friends and family sitting together really segregated the place by one tribe sitting apart from the other. The food on offer reflected this. There was every type of Asian food on available. Most dishes I had tasted in Australia anyway, but our hosts insisted on ordering to give us a true taste of Singaporean fare. I can say the highlight of our meal was prawns in cereal. Yes, I know, it sounds odd to read, but trust me, you gotta have it!
Sitting back in the restaurant looking around, it was plain to see Singapore has a wonderful government housing plan. The government builds apartment blocks all over the city. The can be easily identified by large numbers on their elevator shaft towers at the top of the buildings. They aren't anything special in most cases and seems very basic from the outside, but they are clean, well managed and consequently illuminate any slum that may spring up for the less privileged. The blocks are reflective of the time period they were built in as well which stops the repetitive and obvious signs of public housing showing up, much like it does in western countries.
The tenants are able to buy their homes as well, however, as an interesting (and commendable) footnote, the Singaporean government allows it's citizens only one primary place of residence. Given the interest rate for home loans sits around 1-3%, the ability to invest in property is almost frowned upon, unlike it is in much of the western world. Of course there are ways around this and some people take advantage, but the notion that the home is sacred and shouldn't be used as a way of leveraging greed and wealth (a slight paradox considering the city we were in), resonated very positively for me personally.
Heading back to our hosts apartment complex and swimming in their 80m long, island themed pool complete with multiple spas (Jacuzzis for you Americans) and waterfalls, I reflect on Singapore and how "easy" life seems there. I'm surrounded by ex-pats reading on sunbeds while their nannys play with their children. It feels like they have long forgotten how good they have it and why and how they got to being where they are. I know. I was there once before.
But of course its not all easy in Asia. Fortunately (this time) my family and I aren't privy to seeing what the hard part of life is like in Asia. Like malaria, the poor have been irradicated in Singapore and Hong Kong. Bangkok still lags.
Instead, the water where I am is refreshingly cool and I wade around the pool gently, my son in my arms having his first swim. I think a little more about where we are and about where we are headed - Estonia, security, and life in general. 

Going Home 2011 p2

As if getting to Estonia isn't hard enough. If you can jag a good Internet deal on flights, you might be lucky to get a trip lasting around the 22-24 hours mark - that's Sydney to Tallinn. Of course you can stretch it out with longer stop-overs if your so inclined and make it 40+ hours whilst taking in some annoying detour airports like Heathrow or Frankfurt, probably on the same flight.
No, for me, it's Sydney -> Singapore (or Bangkok or Hong Kong) -> Helsinki -> Tallinn, an that's it. The sooner it's done, the better.
Although I'm used to the challenge, the void in terms of mentally dealing with travelling between Estonians and Australians (or probably anyone) is laughable. Whilst Aussies are used to travelling a minimum of 6 hours just to leave Australian territory for something not resembling Western culture, Estonians find the thought of this like having a year knocked off their life span. Travelling Tallinn to New York in the U.S. is a doddle at 9hrs, but to an Estonian, that's a life commitment right up there with marriage. A once in a life-time prospect. But what do you expect from people who live in a country that takes 4 hours to drive across...
So here we are; my wife, child and I about to embark on our (what is normally) one and a half yearly sojourn back to the fatherland when a frigging volcano in Chile, on the other side of the planet, decides to pop and involve Australia - a country with no volcanic activity. This Puyehue-Cordon Caulle volcano comes on top of the other pain-in-the-butt volcano in Iceland, Grimsvötn, which took a shot at disrupting our travel plans at the other end of the journey a few weeks ago. Whilst that later of the volcanoes put a lid on itself, this newer threat in Chile comes completely out of the blue.
The fact that these things happen before a journey and not while on the journey remains a mystery. The thought of calling work and expressing ones obvious dismay at not being able to return to work has been playing on my mind. "Sorry boss.......no. 'Fraid I can't get a cab................I'm in Estonia..................ES..TON..I..A. Where is.......it's in Northern Europe........yes near America".
Hhhhhha. Let's see what happens.

Going Home 2011

Saturday 11/06/2011

One week out from heading back to Eesti and the panic begins. It's heightened this time by the fact that instead of two adult brains in a panic, we have thrown a third into the mix, that the other two have to think for. A recipe for impending disaster I'm sure.
Although there are things to do, there is the usual anticipation of things to come heightened by numerous photos of long nights and clear skies from friends on facebook, and reports of hot days already beginning. Fingers crossed it holds till we get there and stays while we are there.
Sydney is cold. Meteorologically and metaphorically. A change of scenery from this place is long, long over-due. For me personally, I need to get away from this place and shed a skin of it. The noise. The tough-guys. The sport. The razzle and serious lack of dazzle. It's time to go away and try and re-birth Sydney on my return. It's worked in the past, but every time convinces me less.
I'm looking forward to catching up with a friend in Singapore first for a few nights. This time will be different for both of us as we have family to introduce to each other in the shape of sons. From there it will be on to Estonia for a few weeks to introduce said son to the other half of his family.
I know what to expect and don't know what to expect - that is, in terms of Estonia. That's what I like about returning every time. Although Tallinn is small, it's kind of like a good favorite movie - every time you see it again, you uncover something you didn't see the last time or the first time. It always seems fresh and never gets old. I don't know. If I'm wearing 'läbi roosade prillide', then who cares. I don't.
The exciting thing this time though is I/we return with an agenda. More on that later...