What it means to live in Singapore - Part 3

In May and July, Ana and Simon have shared with you a few bits and pieces what it means to live in Singapore. The time they have in Southeast Asia is now coming to an end and there shall be a few data points added to the picture you (and they) have gained about Singapore over the course of the year.

Efficiency

Oh how much cliché and stereotype exists in the world? How much are Western media talking about the hard working people in Asia, the ease of doing business in Singapore? Well, let’s face it – there is a lot of data that supports this idea. Ana had her working pass in less than two weeks. Simon’s appointment with the student visa authority (that he scheduled online) ended 2 minutes before the scheduled time – good that he was there early. The metro is very efficient and trains are coming when the systems says they will be coming. And the best thing, especially for living as a foreigner in this tiny island, is the automated immigration process. As Ana and Simon are both legal residents of Singapore (while they are holding employment / are studying), they can use the automated border control systems. Their passports (the foreign ones!) are linked to their resident status and as such, they can be used at the electronic gates. You scan the passport, one gate opens, you enter, the first gate closes, you have to scan your fingerprint and then the second gate opens and either off you go or you are back in Singapore. The nice touch: When you leave Singapore, the screen will say: “Bon Voyage, XXX” and when you arrive it reads: “Welcome to Singapore, XXX”.

Just enough space on the screen for all of Simon's names

Having said that, there are also things that do not work very efficiently. This is often related to the fact that people are following their guidelines / process rules without ever questioning their applicability. This was true when Simon had to go to the bank twice as they said that the signatures at different locations of the document were not similar enough and he had to explain: “You may be surprised to hear that but it is actually not the first time I sign a document.” Also, when they order food in restaurants, it happens frequently that the starter and the main dish come at the same time or – even better – the main dish before the starter. But the order was given at once, the main dish was faster to prepare and then, this is what you get…

The wild Singapore

Everyone thinks of Singapore as a city state. Thus, you may consider it as a city, maybe with a few parks but almost entirely built-up. Well, this is not true. Despite the fact that more than 5 million inhabitants live on a size smaller than the city of Hamburg or the Spanish island of Lanzarote there is surprisingly a lot of green and some of it even “wild”. It took Ana and Simon some time to find these places but they were very impressed when they climbed Bukit Timah Hill, Singapore’s largest (natural) elevation – there are many buildings that are taller. The hill is almost in the geographic center of the island and you do not hear any city sounds and you could also believe that you are somewhere in the jungle of neighboring Malaysia. There are even a bunch of monkeys. 

The wild side of Singapore

Even abandoned train stations could be discovered

Ana and Simon crossing an old railway bridge

Wild monkeys in Singapore

International travel expedition reaches the top

Also the zoo is something really spectacular. Without visible barriers, you may find an Orang Utan above your head, letting a banana peel fall on your head. Definitely worth a visit.

Two lions "hanging out"

Coolest chimp in town

Singapore getting excited

In terms of stereotypes, it is also true that Singaporeans do not often show their emotions in public. This is true at work, at INSEAD and almost everywhere else where you find many people at once. They do get excited about food (as shared in the first update on Singapore in May) but that is not necessarily observable for the visitors. The closest that a foreigner could feel Singaporeans to get excited and proud of their country (with the exception of the taxi driver asking in Singlish: “How like Singapore-lah? Everything safe and clean!”) was during the Formula 1 Grand Prix. Being a place not short of setting new standards and landmarks, Singaporeans took pride in having the first night race and obviously the skyline of Singapore provides quite an impressive background. The weeks leading up to the event, there would be F1 race cars in bank buildings on Ana’s way to work, bleachers being built up and F1 parties announced everywhere. Ana and Simon were lucky to be invited to one of Ana’s colleagues who lives in the 67^th floor of one of the condominiums, overlooking about half of the track. It was incredible to hear the sounds of the mighty engines all over downtown and at the end of the race, there was a great firework – fireworks are certainly something that Singaporeans get excited about.  

View over about half the cirque - on the right is the Marina Bay Sands hotel

Fireworks after Vettel won the race

Another way that usually shows people very excited is the way they celebrate weddings. Ana and Simon were lucky enough to be invited to a wedding of one of Ana’s Singaporean colleagues. For the first time in Asia, they both dressed up properly and went for a Sunday morning wedding, wearing red as the color symbolizes good fortune and joy in Chinese culture. 

The ceremony started around 11AM, followed by a massive lunch. Ana’s colleague is a Chinese Singaporean and therefore, most of the events were simultaneously translated from English to Chinese - quite interesting, especially during the ceremony which was a catholic one. After the ceremony, that included wishes for well-earned promotions and career advancement, there was a short reception, followed by the actual lunch. The lunch was then the most important part of the day, with around 250 guests (incl. 3 Westerners, Ana, Simon and one other “white guy”). The food was exceptional and Ana and Simon could show the mastery of chop sticks. It was a lot of fun, incl. the married couple entering the venue (again) half way through the lunch with a singing performance. The only surprising fact for Ana and Simon was that people would leave as soon as the last course was served. The married couple was super happy that everybody came.

Here comes the bride

The couple lights a new candle with the fire of their own candles, representing the new union

Ana and the happy bride

Note the somewhat different table setting - one glass, one cup (for tea), one spoon and chop sticks

Delicious menu

The expedition to Southeast Asia’s highest mountain

Mt. Kinabalu is the largest mountain in Borneo, in Malaysia and – as a matter of fact – in Southeast Asia between the peaks of the Himalaya and the mountain ranges of New Guinea. At 4,095m, it is higher than any peak in alpine Austria or Spain’s tallest mountain El Teide and ranked as the 20^th most prominent peak in the world as it is not part of a larger mountain range. Have Ana and Simon become serious mountaineers or how did they make it?

First view of Mt. Kinabalu from the bus getting the group to the National Park

The top of Mt. Kinabalu

Ana and Simon being very optimistic before starting their ascent

To tell you how this part of their Asian adventure developed, you need to know that – despite its prominence – Mt. Kinabalu is also considered as one of the most accessible peaks which makes it an attractive destination for people who think they can make it there - basically, no mountaineering skills are required. Ana had heard great things about Borneo and Mt. Kinabalu from her colleagues and Simon learned about tracks to the mountain when fellow INSEAD students went there earlier in 2013 and were deeply impressed. They assembled a team of six (including them) which truly reflected the diverse background of people that they have met over the year in Singapore: two British, one British-Tunisian, one French and the German / Spanish team would climb the mountain on a long weekend in November. 

International mountain expedition ready to go

 Ana, Simon and the group flew from Singapore to Kota Kinabalu (or KK), a provincial capital in the North of Malaysian Borneo on Friday night. They spent the night at an affordable hotel and were picked up by their tour operator to be driven to the Mt. Kinabalu National Park. They met their tour guide, could look at the challenge ahead and were equipped with some bagged lunch. Around 9AM, off they went. The ascent on the first day is about 6km long and goes from 1,866m to 3,270m – an average of 23% ascending slope. The program for the second day would then see another 2.7km to reach the Low’s Peak (named after the first person to explore the top part of Mt. Kinabalu) at 4,095m – another 30% slope.

Yes, it was quite steep

Going uphill through dense vegetation

The ascent on the first day passes quite dense vegetation, even in areas that are higher than Germany tallest mountain that always has some ice on its top. The group of six managed thinner air and literally walking through clouds. It was tough going up but there were shelters along the way that provided space for short rests and eventually, they managed quite well and reached their hut in the afternoon. The accommodation was basic but fulfilled the needs. They knew they had to gather their strengths so after re-packing, some safety instructions and a well-deserved dinner, they hit the beds around 8PM as they knew the night would end early.

A much needed break on the way

The stop for the night

The second day started at 2:00 AM! As around 180 climbers would sleep in different huts around the same height, our guide decided to leave at 3AM to ensure that there would be less “traffic jams”. In pitchblack darkness, they were all equipped with head torches and started the ascent. The steps were larger, the trail was tougher – despite the fact that Mt. Kinabalu is well-accessible, getting to the summit does not come easy. At places, they could see a procession of lights above and below them, passing quite many fellow mountaineers and the group was well in time to reach the summit for sunrise. Suddenly, the vegetation stopped and everyone needed to walk over naked granite rocks – incl. some parts where one needed to pull oneself up with the help of a rope. Slowly, some structures became visible around the group as dawn was breaking. The last 50 meters could be climbed without the head torches and the group just made it in time for the sunrise. Let the pictures speak.

Parts of the "procession" coming up the mountain

First glimpse of light on the horizon (see the lights of fellow climbers on the lower right corner)

The sun is coming...

First view of the neighboring peak

Despite the fact that it was only 3 degrees, no one was cold. Going up the mountain created so much heat that Ana and Simon were fine with just a t-shirt and a rain jacket (that they didn’t need – yet) and after the sun had risen, it still radiated enough heat for them not to be cold. After 20 minutes on the summit, they started their descent but the adventure part of the trip was not over still. 

Sunrise behind the British-Tunisian, British, German and Spanish parts of the expedition

And there it is. Very rewarding sight!

The group of six on top!

Mt. Kinabalu literally cast quite an impressive shadow at sunrise

 The tour that they had booked (much in advance) included a “Via Ferrata” which literally means “iron street” and basically is a set of steel cables, steel steps and handles in the mountain. This way, it is possible for climbers to safely explore more extreme parts of the mountain and Ana and Simon did exactly that, together with Julien (the French) and Ed (British – know from other blog entries). The operators were super professional and the level of safety was higher than in Europe (according to people who had done it before – it was the first time for Ana and Simon). The experience there was quite different – thrilling, exhausting, scary at times but totally worth it. 

Simon coming down from the top

Ready for the Via Ferrata

Down they go

Clouds were coming in...

Crossing a "monkey bridge"

Almost done

They reached the hut around 11AM, had a second breakfast and prepared for the way down. This was actually the tricky part as the strain on the legs tends to be greater when going downhill and now, they had to go all the way down where they had the full day to go up on Saturday – after having climbed the peak, done the Via Ferrata and descended to the hut. Moreover, tropical rain started (it was actually forecasted to rain heavily during the ascent at night so they were quite lucky that the rain was delayed) and really taught them a lesson why the vegetation around Mt. Kinabalu is called “rain forest”. The group was getting tired and at the same time amazed what they had climbed up on the first day. After all, they managed to reach the station that they had departed from 30 hours earlier around 5PM and then realized that they had been exercising for 14 hours (minus one hour breakfast break). What a day.

Wet and exhausted - but happy!

Well-deserved (and pretty) set of diplomas for Ana and Simon's accomplishment

The sense of achievement cannot be underestimated. Ana and Simon felt that they had completed a Marathon and actually had the benefit of seeing an awesome sunrise while doing this. They were back in KK at night, had a well-deserved dinner and enjoyed the best shower in many years as well as a very comfortable night of sleep. The sore muscles that they had to fight the next few days were well worth the experience. No pain, no gain!

True story

Taiwan – the other China

China is not only the largest country in the world by population and a rising economic powerhouse; it is also a great influence in Southeast Asia. All countries in the region have large Chinese cultural influence and most have large percentages of ethnic Chinese population. More than 75% of Singapore’s population is ethnic Chinese and in Hong Kong, the population exceeds 90% easily. But there is even a second Chinese (de-facto) nation, the Republic of China, better known as Taiwan. This island off the coast of mainland China acts as the stage for Ana and Simon’s newest adventure in Asia – a trip to Taiwan.

At this stage of the blog, it should be mentioned that Ana and Simon are very lucky living in Singapore which has a great hub for Asia travels – Changi Airport. Moreover, there are three major low-cost airlines based in Singapore (Air Asia, Tiger Airways and Jetstar) which all make it easy for Ana and Simon to get around efficiently and at relatively low costs.

In October, Singapore celebrates its second Muslim holiday – Hari Raya Haji – and that gave Ana and Simon the chance to have another long weekend. Since they had looked into flights early on, they got a good offer for a Tiger Airways flight to Taipei for a four day weekend. Taiwan is described by the Rough Guide travel book as the “most underrated travel destination in Asia” and at least for Ana and Simon, that described it very well. They had not given much thought to potentially travel to Taiwan until they heard great stories from people that had been there and absolutely loved it.

So off they went.

Taiwan is quite unique. It is well-developed, has a cultural mix that is different from most Southeast Asian countries with a Chinese majority and some cultural and historic influences from Japan that go back to the 50 years of colonial rule. Especially the cuisine in Taiwan reflects this strongly and Ana and Simon were able to experience this. From Chinese hot pots (at a restaurant without an English menu) to Taiwanese dumplings (by the Michelin star winning restaurant chain Din Tai Fung that they knew from Singapore) to an exquisite Japanese dinner – Ana and Simon were quite amazed.

Hmmm, what to order?

Hot pot with veggies, egg, beef and shrimp

The shrimp is done

Best salmon sushi

Taipei as the capital and largest city of Taiwan offers a bunch of cultural highlights. One of the big draws is definitely the largest set of Chinese architecture around Chiang Kai-Shek memorial square. Despite the weather forecasts, Ana and Simon could enjoy the buildings around there and massive gates on a day full of sunshine. The actual memorial hall sees a large statue of Chiang Kai-Shek, former leader of China before the foundation of the People’s Republic and later president of the de-facto independent Taiwan sitting and smiling as if he were at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington DC.

Chiang Kai-Shek memorial hall

At the park with the National Concert Hall in the background

The entrance gate to the memorial square

Taipei's National Concert Hall

There he sits as if he were Abe Lincoln

View of the whole memorial area

The National Palace museum has the largest collection of ancient Chinese artifacts and artwork, mostly taken from China in the evacuation of the Republican forces to Taiwan in 1949 (and therefore an issue of constant struggle with mainland China). Also, Taipei’s temples were some of the most impressive and colorful artworks that Ana and Simon have seen during their time in Asia. It was also quite interesting to see the mix of people that go to pray at these temples as they seem to reflect a broader mix of the population than churches in Europe. Last but not least, the modern Taipei is represented in the area around Taipei 101, between 2004 and 2009 the largest building on the planet and the first one taller than 500 meters. While they only saw Taipei at night from the top, they could still enjoy riding the world’s fastest elevator – an ear-popping experience at 1010m per minute.

Amazing temple

The inner prayer room in full colors

The dragon is after the moon (or so it seems)

The National Palace Museum from the outside (note all the flags!)

Taipei 101 at sunset

View from the top

What makes Taipei very enjoyable is it’s proximity to a large and beautifully preserved national park. Ana and Simon were well-prepared and brought their hiking boots to Taiwan so they climbed a 1000m hill that gave them great views over Taipei and the nearby sea border. Despite being October, they had warm and sunny weather and were in for quite a challenging overall experience that was rewarding even though the sore muscles could be felt the next days.

Ana the explorer

Almost at the top (Taipei in the background)

Ana, Simon and the sea

The path to Wonderland / Middle Earth / King Arthur?

Before leaving Taiwan, Ana and Simon also paid a visit to Asia’s largest zoo. While this sounds impressive and definitely was in terms of area covered, the zoo needs a bit of upgrading. Nevertheless, it is home of Pandas and being in Asia, you will fall in love with these cute bears :)

There's nothing cuter than a sleeping Koala

Well, maybe a Panda!

Taiwan has more to offer and obviously, Ana and Simon couldn’t see the whole island in four days. In case you are thinking of going there, you should give it at least a week and also explore beaches, mountain villages and more natural parks. For the time they had, however, they were very happy with what they’ve seen and would recommend it to anyone for sure!

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