Singapore 1

Arrived on the overnight flight from Amsterdam on Wednesday evening local time, having taken the KLM flight from Bristol.  Hilary dropped me off with my various bags. Met up with Bill Deayton in Changi Airport and used the MRT (Tube) to get into the city and walked to the hotel.  It is certainly warm (c. 28 oC) and there are regular thunderstorms.  We are right next door to Raffles, the famous hotel, so easy walking to many of the local sites, including Marina Bay and the famous merlion.  Clean, green and prosperous is a good description of the Singapore I’ve seen so far.

On Thursday evening we made our way to the tournament ground (about an hour on the MRT & walking) for a practice match against the Singapore U18s.  I was soaked with sweat before we started and drank and lost 2 litres over the game – we came second to some very quick and skilfull junior Olympians, but it was great to run off the flight, find out the best trainers to use etc. Not so good to shake up my worn ankle, but better by the following evening. 

Didn’t sleep too well, so breakfast at 09:30 on Friday.  Bill and I took a trip to the Botanic Gardens – extensive and beautifully maintained, with fantastic specialist orchid and ginger areas – perhaps a good place for Sunday lunch with Hilary!  Back to the hotel for a meet at 4:00 for a coach trip out to the ground.  This was the Opening Ceremony, followed by a few matches.  England O60s beat Scotland, but in our age group, the Kiwi O55s looked very sharp and we left them 3-0 up against Singapore.  We have a team meeting at 09:30 tomorrow, a quiet day, then head for the ground to arrive at 17:30.  Our first game is at 18:30 against Scotland. Good luck to all the England squad and supporters!

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Agricultural machinery is now too big for rural roads

Image
We have a problem that is specific to life in the countryside – ever larger tractors and associated machinery on country lanes.  I appreciate that living in the country brings privileges, especially under Covid-19 lockdown, when we have been able to walk out of our garden and not meet many, if any, people.   However, when we, our dogs, the verges and roadside walls are threatened by high speed tractors and trailers weighing tons, there is a time to speak out.   Our lane was built for traffic that consisted of a horse and cart and many rural roads across the UK are just the same.   The mechanisation revolution in agriculture that started around the Second World War still continues.   With ever fewer people working on farms, the technological answer has been to develop larger and larger and ever more powerful machinery.   The larger the tractor, the less time it takes to work a field.   This brings time efficiency, but at what cost?   More and more stock farmers around us use contracto
Read more

Don’t be a colonial tourist, or why we should review our travel expectations

Image
Have you noticed the heavy advertising for travel and tourism?   It seems to be in every medium. just as lockdown is easing.   Have you ever thought: Why do we expect to travel the globe and be tourists everywhere?   What is this sense of entitlement?   What does travel do to climate, to local communities, wildlife etc.?   What should we be doing? Fairly recently, I heard the following: “Everybody has the right to travel to wherever they wish”.   Pre-coronavirus, that was probably a very widely held opinion.   However, at the very simplest level, this is patently now not the case.   I am not able to visit my grandchildren in Scotland.   If we were to follow our inclination to go where we like, when we like, in fairly short order we would likely be subject to state intervention and sanctions – and in my opinion, under current coronavirus conditions, rightly too, including Mr Cummings.   So, how does this sit with our apparently insatiable desire to travel all over the globe.   Nowaday
Read more

Singapore 7

Image
With the tour at an end, Hilary and I set off to explore Singapore.   Our first port of call was the National Museum of Singapore.   This was a fine building with a colonial classic style front, but an modern and airy main area.   We had come to see the Musee d’Orsay exhibition of art and were not disappointed with some stunning pictures of the era from c. 1860 to the 1920’s.   One of the best was by a Brit, of a girl by the sea, with light on the sea to die for.   After that we headed for the Botanic Gardens, getting on at Dhoby Ghout and changing onto the Circle line.   We had a bite to eat at the café, then did the wonderful Orchid Gardens, then the Ginger garden, before strolling back via the Evolution garden – well done.   Bathed and changed for Raffles, going smart, so we could get into the bar for a good seat.   We both had the Singapore Sling Original, which slips down a treat, so you don’t notice the cost!   Then on to Chimjes and selected a nice tapas bar for supper and a bee
Read more