After Dark

What I miss about travelling in the past two years is the often limited time I have to wander the streets at night. I guess part of the reason is the pleasure of travelling per se: the joy of exploration, of experiencing foreign customs and culture, of being totally removed from the everyday and the familiar. In short, it's happiness in unreality.

My night walks and roaming in the streets hold a special place though, because it is usually at night that I get to enjoy a bit of uninterrupted free time exploring places and walking about with no particular destination in mind. In the eyes and mind of a foreigner, the night is either shrouded in darkness (which thus urges caution) or punctuated by bright lights that illuminate exuberantly and seduce quietly both at the same time. In this way it maintains a certain ambivalent aura, exhibiting its allure like a shrewd and worldly courtesan who tries to draw you with charm yet is able to keep a coy distance and within the limits dictated by her.

Your night sojourn begins after the sun has gone down. Before you realise it, you have already been swallowed by the after-dark brew of heady concoctions ranging from ceaselessly moving pedestrians to eager restaurants and bars that have thrown open their doors to welcome a city that has been shaken out of its day time sobriety. There's no way to escape the path before you, for everywhere you turn you find the sprawling tentacles of the night drawing you into its entangling embrace.

Walking the streets, you never know what awaits you at the turn down the road or the corner of the building. But the lights or the presence of souls ahead pull you forward, and you allow yourself to be led like a curious child who follows what lies ahead in his path. Sometimes it's the excitement of discovering something unexpected that eggs you on; other times it's just sheer instinct or a sense of loss that is aggravated by fatigue. The prospect of chance discoveries and unexpected encounters are powerful magnets. These are precisely the fruits that you yearn to reap when you throw yourself into the mysterious labyrinth of streets and sidewalks and alleyways. 'Fruits' like a hot, tasty bowl of ramen or barbequed meat. Yes, they count too.

that which we all adore: A&W!

The other reason why I ditched Bintan for Batam in the end was this: A&W. I don't know if Bintan had A&W, but Batam definitely has, so that's a clear edge for Batam. Just like in Malaysia where the people who ask about A&W and patronise it are my countrymen, so too is the case for Batam.

I guess if A&W never disappeared from the F&B landscape here, it would not have been so popular and excited so many souls now. But such is life, the extinct A&W rootbeer float being such a signature delight that it has seared its way into the hearts of foodie Singaporeans. After all, the value of a commodity invariably increases when it is in limited supply. I guess from an economic sense that's how nostalgia has an ineradicable part in our lives.

 

Space and Solitude #4: Recharge

About three weeks ago, I spent a bit of Me time at what I thought was a perfect sanctuary to recharge and spend some quiet time alone. It all started with my having obtained an extended leave at the last minute. I wanted to get away from everything that's familiar and which consumes my energy and even my soul. The sensible thing to do is to travel: go to a foreign place, journey by yourself.

I did travel a bit previously but it was mostly for work. Unlike my peers who could jet off pretty frequently for weekend feasting in say Kuala Lumpur or diving at some nearby islands, I could ill afford the time for leisure travel. The tragic truth is that weekends had become time to catch up with work. When I do have to travel for work - mostly to attend some meetings or programmes - my exhaustion level would peak because of the inevitable mad rush. The record I had set thus far: I worked till 7 plus in the evening once, flew out of office to flag a cab and scooted home, started packing for (or rather, throwing) whatever I needed for the trip only then, and was out of home within an hour heading for the airport to catch a red-eye flight. (The thing is, when your schedule changes, you have to work it round the schedule and clockwork of the rest of the world, for the world is not going to change its pace and schedule to accommodate yours.)

Despite the stress and exhaustion, I do relish the opportunity to travel for work. Notwithstanding having a legitimate reason to be out of office, the things that I enjoy are the same reason why travel is an effective antidote to clearing one's mind of tedium and stress. I like being in the cab travelling from this end of the island to the other end where the airport is. After having done a mental check on the things I had to bring and settle, the Me time begins during the local commuting. Slumped in the air-conditioned interior of the cab whose meter keeps rising by the minute, this is probably the first time since the mad rush began that I am able to catch some rest. But my mind would be restless, my droopy eyes scanning the city that slips past the cab while random thoughts would be floating through my mind.

After checking in at the airport, I generally like to take my time at the transit area. It's the next significant chunk of time I have to be freely wondering about things, enjoying a coffee somewhere and watching the business of air travel unfolding before my eyes. One moment a family of five with kids could be queuing up to buy their last local Singaporean fare; the next moment a business traveller might be seen at the lounge area discussing a deal with his partner. But rarely would you see a majority of businessmen, those decked out in well-pressed shirts and big coats, for these are the seasoned travellers whose time equates with money; they appear just in time before the gate closes instead of lingering in a place where they've grown accustomed to spending so much time of their life moving through.

My latest travel, an overnight getaway, however did not involve taking the airport or taking the plane. Being so last minute, I couldn't get any cheap air ticket so I ditched my plans to chill out at Koh Samui. I was about to scoot off to Bintan before a chance discovery made me change my tentative plans. Within the next 24 hours I was transported by ferry and then a minivan to a hidden balinese-like gem in Batam where the world is nowhere at my footsteps. In place of urban noise and incessant chatter and crowds was a tiny oasis of peace filled with the calming sounds of running water and soothing plants. Within minutes of arriving at this secluded place, I made up my mind that I like it and would be back again if I had the time. It's a little costly for one person (this place is catered to couple crowds) but the peace and quiet that you enjoy makes it a good deal. The place has nothing else except its comfortable spa and chalet rooms to offer - perfect for the tired soul who is not looking for action but craves quiet and tranquility. Again, it was a weekday so there were few guests and that spared me the fate of meeting more of my countrymen. After a three-hour spa and a spendid nasi padang lunch, I spent my time mostly doing nothing or reading my books and watching some DVDs half-interestedly. For me, this is as prefect as it can get for a short getaway to chill and rejuvenate.

 

charm in a city

Dilapidated walls that evoke old world charm


Behind that lane unfolds more buildings of different heights


Alluring ancient spiral staircase


Another charming facade of a building


The golden rust glow stole my gaze for a moment


Bicycle for Rent


And these are the bicycles :)


Multi Palms Pillar


The mee rubus looks especially good here


Adding on to the collection of Volkswagen chic. I love how retro the colour is


Red lanterns flank the street


Face and Feet


Fruity Candy Sticks that look as sweet as they probably taste


Would you pack me away please


An array of coloured ice


Old school cup and saucer for morning tea


Religious


Know what's good in life for you


Traditional celebratory and prosperous chinese dishes


The neatness and length of the lanterns struck me


Not yet open for business


World's Famous Product

a foreigner's sense of wonder

"I walk across the park, on a narrow path at its edge, in the autumn sunlight, and feel a foreigner's sense of wonder: the convenience stores placed along the small, shiny road, as if they were just more vending machines; the two-story houses, tidily guarded by their walls, lined up along the narrow streets like salarymen in their business suits waiting in a receiving line for the future. Every trace of the old expunged as efficiently as once the trees and the rice paddies were, here in this place where hope means the West, and tomorrow."

- Grandmothers in Sun After Dark: Flights into the Foreign by Pico Iyer