In Singapore we went to the Asian Civilisation Museum in Empress Place which had opened in 1997; it was within walking distance and there’s a fascinating collection of bits and bobs. The ‘bits and bobs’ are explained on the website thus:
“The Chinese collection is represented by fine Dehua porcelain figures, Taoist and Buddhistic statuary, export porcelain, calligraphy and other examples of decorative art. The South Asian Galleries feature statuary from a range of periods, early Buddhist art of India and South Indian woodwork, Nepali Tibetan bronzes, textiles, late medieval miniatures and colonial prints. The Southeast Asian collections are broad in scope and are rich in ethnological material. The Khoo Teck Puat Gallery is the permanent home for the cargo recovered from the Tang Shipwreck, a sunken 9th century trading ship bound for Iran and Iraq, discovered in 1998 off Belitung Island in the Java Sea. The recovered cargo comprises more than 60,000 well-preserved ceramics produced in China during the Tang dynasty (618–907), as well as objects of gold and silver.
I particularly liked the three earthenware chaps rescued from an important tomb; the label said from between 206BC – 9AD in the Western Han dynasty. Wow!
The description said the bandy-legged chap would have sat on a wooden horse – but over 2000 years that had turned to dust.
Then there was an ancient bowl for your tropical fish collection. It was about a meter in diameter and painted with scenes from its construction.
A metal cast of one of Buddha’s feet was fascinating; the whole sole was covered in little metal pictures.
When we entered the museum we offered Singapore dollars in exchange for our entry tickets, only to be told it was a cashless museum. OK! So out with the debit card; no problem. Just around the corner in the first exhibition hall was a plastic box asking for small change ie cash for charity!
Now this is interesting, isn’t it? We don’t mind dropping some lose change into a container asking for a donation to a charity, but would you baulk if the same charity asked you to donate using your debit card? Nothing is ‘spare’ in your bank account, so how much would you give? Then you’d think you were being mean ……. but a handful of lose change? You probably wouldn’t count it!
Social media has meant it’s easy to stay in touch with or at least keep tabs on what our friends and family are up to. Celina, like most people, has a number of cousins; one, Ana Clara Sampaio nicknamed Caia, I met in Rio de Janeiro in September 2016 in a café on Copacabana’s Forte, with Celina and their cousin Bel:
At the time she had just started cabin crew training with United Airlines and today has clocked up nine years with their long-haul flights, working out of Chicago. Three days before we flew to Singapore, Celina found out that Caia was having a Singaporean holiday, at exactly the time we were there. We met for a very serendipitous drink at the roof top bar of The Fullerton Bay Hotel then supper.
I was curious what had prompted Caia to work as cabin crew and compared her with our chum in Hove, Benedicte Deutsch, who decided to become a paramedic in mid-life. Apparently, her grandfather, Paulo de Oliveira Sampaio, was CEO of Panair do Brazil, the largest Brazilian Commercial aviation company 1929 – 1965. During the military dictatorship the company was forced out of operation, routes and assets seized by the government. The Supreme Court later ruled its bankruptcy a fraud and the company the victim of political persecution. His passion for aviation obviously rubbed off on her whenever they met.
It’s probably a good thing we left when we did, as Singapore is hosting the Formula 1 Street Racing Marina Bay circuit and Grand Prix – 26th September until 5th October.
Gradually the streets around the Fullerton Hotel were being constricted, fenced, barriered. Will be very noisy!
Ghosted by an ex-colleague whom we saw on our last visit; over six years ago, so what happened? Are they still around? Tried mobile, text, Facebook and LinkedIn before we left home. Nada! Zilch! They lived in Singapore and worked across the causeway in Malaysia. Time to move on? But what happened to them …….?
We boarded our late afternoon flight to Perth. As we entered our cabin there was a chap already on board who was completely pissed, remonstrating with a member of the cabin crew as to why he should be allowed to fly. “I vvv paid tttousands of dollars. Mush get back to MY wifey in Perf. Shhhhheees not well. Ivve don nothfin rong … not shhhor why u hve a prblem … I’ll jush sit here.” How he was allowed to emplane in the first place is a question I am sure the cabin crew were asking! Eventually Airport Security police arrived and he was taken off. The atmosphere palpably relaxed.
My iPhone pinged; my friend Mo from the Hope Café texting on WhatsApp.
“Hi! Richard. Just thought I could catch up; think you’re in Western Australia. Remind me why you wanted to go to Perth? How’s your trip so far? How’s Francisquinha?”
I replied: “Actually we’ve just arrived in a cool and cloudy Perth, so I’ll text you back when we’ve unpacked. Francisquinha? Rather fed up, if I’m honest. Both Singapore and Australia’s border checks have gone electronic – quick scan, a thumb print for me and we’re through. I asked officials in both countries what about a passport stamp for my stuffed rabbit. They laughed. (Francisquinha didn’t!) No one could find any form of stamp, let alone an ink pad – she was just sort of waved through, despite her complaining!”
Richard 3rd October 2025 (NZ Time)
Christchurch, New Zealand
postcards 