Winter in Singapore is hot. Surprised anyone? Thought not. It's just as hot as summertime, the only difference is that the rain comes down. It's monsoon season, as Orwell or Kipling would say.
There are two seasons, winter and summer: either hot and humid or hot, wet and humid. Even as we speak the rain is coming down in torrents and the thunder is cracking. It arrives without warning and it's very easy for an ill prepared expat to be caught out.
You often see Singaporeans carrying an open umbrella above them, protecting them from the sun as often as from the rain. It's strange how quickly you adjust to trying to keep out of the sun, finding a spot of shade to wait in while the traffic lights changes or choosing the table in the shade.
I got completely drenched in one such a downpour last Saturday. Quite often of a Saturday morning we go down to the lagoon on the East Coast Park and go wakeboarding. East Coast Park? Lagoon? Wakeboarding? Let me explain....
The East Coast park is a stretch of organised greenery, not far from where we live, that boarders the sea. There are cycle tracks neatly marked with bicycles and pedestrian footpaths running alongside the cycle tracks neatly marked with large, yellow footprints.
There are barbecue areas which can be reserved by contacting the correct department of local government. You also have to fill in the appropriate paperwork with the appropriate officials if you want to pitch your tent up there for the night.
Lots of young people do this as a way of getting some privacy from their parents with their boyfriend or girlfriend. This is partly because people here tend to live at home with their parents much longer than is usual in the UK (except for some actors and musicians of course still found in their parents homes in the UK well into their.... well let's not investigate that one too much eh?) The other reason that people live at home longer here is (I am reliably informed) so that they can buy designer handbags. Shopping is a kind of religion here.
The lagoon is a big pond, or small lake, man made from sea water. Around it there has been constructed a kind of pulley system like an enormous washing line. Attached to it there are long lines with handles on the end. Wakeboarding is when you take hold of one of these handles and are pulled around the lagoon or washing line on a board. Sort of like snowboarding, but on the water. Or water skiing.
For those who don't fall off it looks like enormous fun, skimming around the water nonchalantly holding onto the handle, sometimes one handed. Often making little jumps either off the geometric shapes which poke out of the water at various intervals all around the lagoon, or just when the mood takes them. It all looks very impressive.
I had slight trepidations beforehand. When I think of seawater I have a lot of memories of teeth-clenchingly cold swims on childhood summer holidays. My family, while distinctly un-athletic, are resolute swimmers in the sea, the temperature being a trivial side issue.
Imagine my delight when, on immediately falling off, I plunged into lovely warm, salty water. This, I thought, is what living in Singapore is all about. And then I fell off again. And then again. And again. And again. And again. And again.
In fact I have been about four times now and while the DFP is smoothly circling the pool I am still falling off. And always within the first few feet.
The problem is, or rather my problem is, that the initial pull on the handle is extremely fast. The speed goes from 0km to 28km in about two seconds. So starting for anyone does involve quite a lot of falling off, but I have definitely done more than my fair share.
The skateboarder/surfer types, usually men, who frequent the place have started to take pity on me. They see me falling in over and over and have started to give me tips. 'You need to keep the tip of the board out of the water' they say. 'You're standing up too quickly, keep your legs bent', 'Try leaning back a bit more'. All good advice and much appreciated and sometimes I make a bit of progress. (At one point one of the guys was actually holding onto the back of my life-jacket as I started to stop me tipping forwards). But not enough progress to get me beyond the first mark.
These skateboarder/surfers are an interesting breed. Very friendly and easy going as you might expect. You hear them talking about their injuries, comparing notes on how many times they've broken different bones. Lots of them wear knee guards and I'm never sure whether its to protect against new injuries or support old ones.
I overheard one man talking cheerfully about going snowboarding and having his board smash into the back of his head the week before his wedding. 'They stitched me up and I was all right on the day' he said. 'What did your wife think?' someone asked. 'Oh' he said 'she understands'.
Anyhow, last Saturday I'd had my hour of falling into the water and then we'd had breakfast. As we were about to leave the DFP discovered he had a puncture so I cycled home in the mid day heat, my face blazing red, sweating like a bastard. On the way back with puncture kit, tyre leavers, pump etc. the heavens opened and I got wet all over again. And then the sun came out, as it always does in Singapore and everything was all right.
There are two seasons, winter and summer: either hot and humid or hot, wet and humid. Even as we speak the rain is coming down in torrents and the thunder is cracking. It arrives without warning and it's very easy for an ill prepared expat to be caught out.
You often see Singaporeans carrying an open umbrella above them, protecting them from the sun as often as from the rain. It's strange how quickly you adjust to trying to keep out of the sun, finding a spot of shade to wait in while the traffic lights changes or choosing the table in the shade.
I got completely drenched in one such a downpour last Saturday. Quite often of a Saturday morning we go down to the lagoon on the East Coast Park and go wakeboarding. East Coast Park? Lagoon? Wakeboarding? Let me explain....
The East Coast park is a stretch of organised greenery, not far from where we live, that boarders the sea. There are cycle tracks neatly marked with bicycles and pedestrian footpaths running alongside the cycle tracks neatly marked with large, yellow footprints.
There are barbecue areas which can be reserved by contacting the correct department of local government. You also have to fill in the appropriate paperwork with the appropriate officials if you want to pitch your tent up there for the night.
Lots of young people do this as a way of getting some privacy from their parents with their boyfriend or girlfriend. This is partly because people here tend to live at home with their parents much longer than is usual in the UK (except for some actors and musicians of course still found in their parents homes in the UK well into their.... well let's not investigate that one too much eh?) The other reason that people live at home longer here is (I am reliably informed) so that they can buy designer handbags. Shopping is a kind of religion here.
The lagoon is a big pond, or small lake, man made from sea water. Around it there has been constructed a kind of pulley system like an enormous washing line. Attached to it there are long lines with handles on the end. Wakeboarding is when you take hold of one of these handles and are pulled around the lagoon or washing line on a board. Sort of like snowboarding, but on the water. Or water skiing.
For those who don't fall off it looks like enormous fun, skimming around the water nonchalantly holding onto the handle, sometimes one handed. Often making little jumps either off the geometric shapes which poke out of the water at various intervals all around the lagoon, or just when the mood takes them. It all looks very impressive.
I had slight trepidations beforehand. When I think of seawater I have a lot of memories of teeth-clenchingly cold swims on childhood summer holidays. My family, while distinctly un-athletic, are resolute swimmers in the sea, the temperature being a trivial side issue.
Imagine my delight when, on immediately falling off, I plunged into lovely warm, salty water. This, I thought, is what living in Singapore is all about. And then I fell off again. And then again. And again. And again. And again. And again.
In fact I have been about four times now and while the DFP is smoothly circling the pool I am still falling off. And always within the first few feet.
The problem is, or rather my problem is, that the initial pull on the handle is extremely fast. The speed goes from 0km to 28km in about two seconds. So starting for anyone does involve quite a lot of falling off, but I have definitely done more than my fair share.
The skateboarder/surfer types, usually men, who frequent the place have started to take pity on me. They see me falling in over and over and have started to give me tips. 'You need to keep the tip of the board out of the water' they say. 'You're standing up too quickly, keep your legs bent', 'Try leaning back a bit more'. All good advice and much appreciated and sometimes I make a bit of progress. (At one point one of the guys was actually holding onto the back of my life-jacket as I started to stop me tipping forwards). But not enough progress to get me beyond the first mark.
These skateboarder/surfers are an interesting breed. Very friendly and easy going as you might expect. You hear them talking about their injuries, comparing notes on how many times they've broken different bones. Lots of them wear knee guards and I'm never sure whether its to protect against new injuries or support old ones.
I overheard one man talking cheerfully about going snowboarding and having his board smash into the back of his head the week before his wedding. 'They stitched me up and I was all right on the day' he said. 'What did your wife think?' someone asked. 'Oh' he said 'she understands'.
Anyhow, last Saturday I'd had my hour of falling into the water and then we'd had breakfast. As we were about to leave the DFP discovered he had a puncture so I cycled home in the mid day heat, my face blazing red, sweating like a bastard. On the way back with puncture kit, tyre leavers, pump etc. the heavens opened and I got wet all over again. And then the sun came out, as it always does in Singapore and everything was all right.
No comments:
Post a Comment