Kayaking Sentosa

It was a sunny Saturday March 19th, 2022, which rendered great colors, beautiful scenery, but high UV!

We went to Sentosa Kayaking that Morning in our kayak Emma, fully equipped for the strong UV  - broad rim hats, dark glasses, sunscreen, sun sleeves, sun leggings.

We launched our kayak Emma from Tanjong Beach, at southwest of Sentosa, and paddled northwest ward, with the Sun in our backs, and against the current of Singapore strait.

 Once we paddled out of the lagoon, the ocean wave was pretty strong on that calm day!. Definitely different from paddling in a lake.

pula palawan islet and ocean ships waiting for docks on the sea

an islet by Sentosa 

As always we paddled as close to the shore as we could, enjoying views near and far. We deviated toward the larger islet Pula Palawan, hoping to get onto it,   but it has rocky shore, and hard for us to park the kayak. We paddled along its norther shore (facing Sentosa), then back to Sentosa  shore. 

take it all in from Pulau Palawan

The views of Sentosa from water are definitely different than what we saw on land, and some views can only be seen from water. The west end of Sentosa, the Siloso Fort, Cruise bay area has a rustic and remote feel, and it is like going somewhere natural! It is indeed the last stretch of the natural shore of Sentosa.

We saw some wildlife here, mainly birds. We saw 3 or more collared kingfishers, their white belly, bright blue back were really eye catching on this sunny day. We rarely see kingfishers congregate, it must be mating season. The most impressive vista, however was actually the colors of sea water along the route: clear and changing shades of green. 

Shortly after 1pm we retuned to Tanjong beach, after 3.5 hours and 9km paddling.

water park

gondola

Siloso beach and resort

Fort Siloso

West end of Sentosa  - Tanjong Rimau

A small beach where we saw several collared kingfishers

coast trail ... there some stone columns 

reflection tower at Keppel Bay

Emerald green water 

a resort at Sentosa

A shaded lunch spot!

Wings of Time - a venue for night light show

Return to Tanjong Beach - UV proof

Notes:

1. UV proof is a must for long time outdoor kayaking; in addition to sunscreen, we wear wide rim hats, dark glasses, sun sleeve, sun legging. A miss this time was not enough coverage of my feet, and got partially sun burn there. A solution is to wear socks. 

2. Water proof is necessary because of larger waves, and also waves from speeding boats. We got splashed once from waves on a beach, and had moisture in the phone for a couple days. Using zip bags for keys/phones/wallets should be the safest way and put the bag in a dry bag.

3. Bring some snacks or meal during kayak, time flies and one may get hungry faster than usual.

A Peek into a different world: Long Haul - the Novel

It was my intention to peek into a long haul mover's world when I selected the audio recording of the book Long Haul by Finn Murphy.  I got exactly what I looked for, in fact I was drawn into Mr. Murphy's world. I finished listening the book in 4 days on a 14 day loan.

Finn Murphy is not an ordinary long haul driver. He dropped out of college because he was bored of it at his junior year, he wanted to break free, he wanted to be independent …  in fact his parents cut him off financially because of his decisions to dropout and to become a long haul driver.

To be a long haul driver was his choice. This showed in his approach to the work - he wanted to be the best he could in this profession, and he did. Of course life was not easy, he had a rough start, and had fiascos during his driving career. 

The book was neatly written into 13 chapters, each depicting a different stage and aspect of his long haul experience. It was conversational , like telling a story in person, but concise and focused. He was very observant and insightful, on the shippers (families/people), and society at large.  The writing and the observations he made showed that he is an intelligent person. It is not surprising that  he read books at nights, listened to NPR (!) on the road. 

Through this book I not only peeked into his world of long haul movers, but through his eyes, had a glimpse into the worlds of families he moved, a snobby corporate executive, an immigrant OB/GYN doctor, a misery military officer's family, an intriguing family of an anthropology professor and a few other more. 

All books bring me into a different world or intellectual state outside my personal sphere - be it scientific or technological, biographical, historical, adventurous, or ideological. They are typically aligned with my education background and interests. What is unique of Long Haul is that it brought me to the world of manual labor, in depth.

 

I did have glimpses into manual labor's worlds, through the mowers of my lawn, technicians to repair my dish washer, garage door, or AC drainage, plumbers to fix leaking bathroom.   

I saw more in Mr. Murphy's book of that world.

A day in Paris - by Lily

My visit to Paris was way overdue, but I finally made it here! 

With just about 24 hours total duration split in two halves, I decided to simply walk the city.

My hotel was at downtown Paris. The Louvre was a just few minutes away, so it was my first stop. There were so many people on the streets and at the Louvre Plaza! From there, I headed to Pont Neuf, stopping at Sainte Chapelle then Notre Dame, before heading to the Pantheon. There are many fortress like buildings in Paris and a lot of them have intricate carving/decorations, I felt like my eyes were saturated with arts and beauty :)  But Notre Dame truly stood out for the wonder of its intricacy, I could just imagine the thrill of touching its carvings with my fingertips.

Louvre

Plaza at Louvre

Pont Neuf

Sainte Chapelle

Notre Dame

Pantheon

When night started to fall, I walked toward Eiffel tower. The distance to it felt short quickly as I saw its luminous outline a mile away. Reaching to the bottom of the tower and looking up, I was in awe. Paris is definitely a night city. With the lights up, everything seemed to come alive with a more charming rhythm. Even river Seine came alive with colors and sounds.

Eiffel Tower

Seine

Seine 2

Sunday morning started with a thick cloud, the Eiffel looked to be engulfed in a thick mist. I started my way toward the Arc de Triomphe. By the time I got there the sun broke out, morning sunray shone directly on the Arc de Triomphe creating a triumph scene for me! 

On my way back I walked along the river Seine then through Jardin des Tuileries. Noticing spring flowers breaking through the ground, it touched my heart and gave me a wave of unexpected emotions. 

Yes, I do miss the crispy cold mornings, and I miss the seasons! The signs of early spring have such a strong uplifting power, for hope and for better future! It’s rather fitting as we finally see the end of covid and life gradually back to normal!

Eiffel Tower in Mist 

Arc de Triomphe

Seine during day

Jardin des Tuileries

Jardin des Tuileries 2

Hamburg Impression - by Lily

A business trip brought me to Europe last week during ongoing pandemic in the world and escalating war at Ukraine!  First stop Hamburg.

It was only when I arrived at Hamburg did I realize that I did not do any research for sightseeing. 

I arrived at Hamburg by car at night. The harbor night scene took me by surprise. I had no idea Hamburg city is actually a port by River Elbe. My hotel was only 2 minutes of walk from there. So despite the evening coldness I walked over and took a few quick shots.

Hamburg Night

Luckily my German colleagues planned some sightseeing for me after work for the next couple of days. Dr. Segger, a colleague, is an energetic lady and is passionate about the city’s architecture/history. On our way to dinner, she introduced and showed me to landmarks like Laeiszhalle (the old music hall), Rathausmarkt (central square of Hamburg), St. Michael’s church, Elbphiharmonie, and some other old historical buildings. 

Laeiszhalle

Rathausmarkt

I tried the most traditional local dish, labscous, it was a fried egg on top of mashed beetroot, beautiful looking and delicious! After dinner, we enjoyed a river boat tour in bitter coldness.

Labscous - traditional German dish

On River Elbe in a Cruise

Hamburg Port at Night

The last morning turned out to be a beautiful day. The sun came out early and cheery. Following Dr. Segger’s suggestion I walked to the Elbtunnel to check it out. Walking along the Elbe River under the morning sunshine was chilly but enjoyable. Morning sunshine seemed to wake up all the buildings adding a unique hue to all. The Elbtunnel was a 426-meter-long tube 24-meter underneath the river Elbe and built in 1911, quite a technical sensation at the time.  I took the elevator down, walked one way and ran the other, before heading back. 

St Michael's Church in the morning

Elbe in the city

Hamburg port in the morning

Hamburg port in the morning -2

Elbtunnel

Watching Banded Woodpecker

One day on the way home from a walk at Botanic Garden, we heard new bird chirpings behind the taxis station at Nassim Gate. I looked into the woods, and I did not see anything. The birds kept chirping. I stepped into the trees, and my eyes adjusted to the environment, I saw a brownish bird. A few seconds later, I saw a pair right in front of my eyes. There were a least 5 or 6 such birds there at the time.

After a few moments of observations, with the birds flying around,  I got good views of them from several angles. The bird has reddish brown feathers, dark beak, dark tail, black/grey zebra striped underbelly, and a white crest on its head. Its call was loud and sharp. This bird turned out to be banded woodpecker. However we did not see or hear them pecking that day.

Hindsight, my curiosity made me try hard to find the birds after a failed first glance. The perseverance and patience paid off! Bird watching is like solving problems. It takes curiosity/interests, some basic background knowledge, and perseverance to find and identify uncommon birds.  

Incidentally a couple days later, we saw a banded woodpecker at Hampstead wetland pecking a snag under bright blue sky. Later a blue tailed bee eater flew into the view, what a scene!

well camouflaged 

view from below

view from back

pecking a hole in a snag

zoomed in photo of the pecking banded woodpecker

A blue tailed bee eater stopped by