I hope you can all access this little slide show of my visit to Singapore. Don't forget that you need Quicktime to watch it (free download from Apple for all computers avalable).



In March I spent a week on a motor yacht of friends" motor yacht in Singapore. Randall and Ruth Johnson had their beautiful boat "Dora Mac" built in Kwangtung, China to their own specs. It is like a regular home with all the modern conveniences and is even equipped with sails for emergencies. They took the boat from China to the Philippines and ultimately Sebana where I met them. Ruth and I got together because of our mutual interest in learning about watercolor painting.

In any case, in March they invited me to stay with them in Singapore where they were spending some time at One15 marina. Since I really love Singapore, this was a welcome reprieve to the relative isolation of Sebana. Singapore, since my first visit in 1968 has totally changed. It is now what I think a sample of a city of the future. Good planning for a population of about 4 m in a space of 683 sq.km (San Francisco's land area is 600 sq.km with a population of about 800,000 and is considered densly populated in the USA!)) People live mostly in high rises, though there are still some smaller homes, particularly some relics of colonial times. There are plenty of parks and reserves and even in the middle of town plenty of greenery. Though some people of cars (permits are needed since the number is limited) but that is a luxury mostly not needed. Between the subway system and the innumerable buses (and ferries) one really does not need a car. Since I have been here in 1968 Singapore has become very sophisticated. The cultural offerings have increased unbelievably. Today there are concerts, regular and movie theaters for every taste and a host of very interesting museums. What I was particularly impressed with, was the national library. Because of the fairly recent development of Singapore and the very strict controls everything is of a high technological standard. In addition the city is super clean and practically crime free. What else do you want?? Perhaps more individual freedom? Needless to say that one pays a price and many people feel hemmed in by all the regulations. I understand, however, that some progress is being made in this area. I wonder whether they will be able to maintain all the standards achieved with this development looming.

Ruth and I enjoyed walking around the city, Chinatown, Little India and Clarke Quai where we had one of the many ethnic meals with fabulous desserts: this time Italian. Of ourse Singapore is a heaven for shoppers and gourmets. You can get meals from all over the world of first rate quality. Two of my favorite outings were to the National Museum and the Botanic Garden with its orchid garden. At the museum there was a special exhibit on the Kangxi emperor, an outstanding Manchu Qing emperor who lived from 1644 to 1722. I am always again amazed how the Chinese, since my stays in Beijing in the mid eighties
have progressed with their archeological explorations and their interest in showing off their extraordinary history. This was a good example of the latter.

My stay with Ruth has kind of given me a real uplift and since I have returned to the boat I have made it a habit of practicing painting and drawing on a daily basis. Beside painting, reading, working on slideshows, swimming and maintaining the boat, I am so busy that time seems to fly. Now it is barely a month until I will start my trip back to the USA. I will leave on May 8th with a flight that will take me via Tokyo to Honolulu and then San Francisco. While in the USA I will visit friends in Portland, Washington and Los Angeles, so I am sure I will have no time to miss the boat and my life here. I will return to Sebana on July 22 and then head for some time to Singapore and later Langkawi.

Just today I had another rather extraordinary encounter. It is Good Friday and a holiday for Singaporeans. So lots of boats from Singapore have come to Sebana and I got a new neighbor. The lady of the boat happens to be Chinese and we got to talking about my sailing experiences. Finally the talk turned to my work experience. I talked vaguely about working for the Chinese in San Francisco, in a program for the frail elderly. Whereupon she said: was it by any chance On Lok? I could barely trust my earst! Well as it turns out she is involved with an elderly program and has heard all about On Lok. So the result is that I got an invitation to talk to people about On Lok during my next stay in Singapore!!! How small the world is!! One certainly becomes acutely aware of that while sailing the seven seas. Either people know the same people you know or you happen to have been in the same place at the same time without meetings etc. etc. It is is always amazing and interesting.

I will try to keep up with this blog even during my absence from the boat since many of you have told me that you keep up with my updates. So for today: have a nice day and summer or winter as the case might be!