Dawn Brookes

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Travel Journal Asia 1982 Day 8

Wednesday June 23rd 1982

Our last day in Singapore. Sad to leave in so many ways, but we’re excited to be starting the next leg of our journey. We realise that we have lived a life of luxury for the past 7 days that won’t continue! After saying our goodbyes to Suzie and her friends, we were amazed and delighted when, at the last minute, she and her cousin Bernie told us they have decided to join us in Malaysia. They’ll get the bus tomorrow evening and we’ll meet them on Friday morning.

We boarded the bus to take us to Butterworth and it left at 7pm. We were concerned it might not have air conditioning – quite the opposite!

Travel Journal Asia 1982 Day 7

Tuesday June 22nd 1982

We went to Newton Circus this evening and I gave up my brief spell as a vegetarian. I enjoyed a delicious chicken satay and a pint of pineapple juice! After dinner, Suzie took us to a country & western club where a friend of hers works.

Soft drinks cost the same as alcoholic drinks at S$5.50 so J and I had Pernod. Suzie’s friend Sandra appeared with a tray of drinks from a guy at the bar with a message, could he join us? Minutes later a loud and uncouth welshman called Davy. He works in Singapore. It took us a while to get rid of him, but eventually he took the hint we were not interested. Soon after another man joined us – a rich guy with a bodyguard. His name was either Harry or Henry Douglas. He offered me a job on his private yacht along with trips to New York, Peru, and/or Australia! I didn’t ask what this job entailed and told him I wasn’t interested. When he tried the same spiel on J and got the same response, he left along with the bodyguard. It had turned out to be an amusing evening but we were pleased to leave with Suzie.

We’ll be leaving Singapore tomorrow and heading into Malaysia. Numerous people have tried to talk us out of going to Sri Lanka and India, but India is one of the places I’m most looking forward to. The whole idea of this trip was to mix with people from cultures so different to our own, neither of us felt the need to change our course although, if any country would have been able to do it, it would have been Singapore.

Travel Journal 1982 Day 5

Sunday June 20th 1982

Awake at 8:30am, got up and went for a swim. We were going to sunbathe but the rains came pouring down. When it stopped we went out for a game of tennis, but it started to rain again! Temperature was still 30˚C.

Suzie’s father came around this afternoon and we spent the afternoon chatting with him and Suzie’s friends. We’ve changed our itinerary, missing out KL and going straight to Penang and on to Haadai in southern Thailand. From there we’ll go on to Bangkok and Chiang Mai then back to Bangkok and over to Sri Lanka. We can’t go to Burma as it would take too long by boat and it’s expensive to fly.

We did end up flying in and out of Burma as part of the trip.

I met Wai Yin at 5pm. We went to the Wesley Methodist Church; great service. He’s a really nice guy. I didn’t know when I met him in London that he’s a doctor!

We walked alongside the river after church and Wai Yin showed me the poorer side of Singapore. Here, people live in small huts and it’s filthy. There is a mix of religious symbols and artefacts in the bushes with traditions from Muslim and Chinese faiths. Numerous altars lined the way. Wai Yin told me people used to come to die here, though not so much nowadays.

Half-sunk barges lined the river, mostly empty, but some with sacks of rice on board. Singapore was once a small fishing village until Sir Stamford Raffles landed in 1819. He brought the British over, who colonised it. It was taken over by what was then Malaya in 1963 and gained independence in 1965.

Skyscrapers are being erected throughout the city and the cost of living is rising. There’s no law against prostitution in Singapore and STDs are kept under control through regular checkups. Sadly, most of the girls in the sex trade are aged between 16-25 with many coming from across the border as the pay is better.

After the walk we met up with J, Linda finally and her friend Bu at the Satay Club. We ate from a steamboat where you cook raw food from scratch. Over the past few days I’ve eaten octopus, cuttlefish and pigeon’s egg. I feel sick at the thought of the last one. Tonight, I drank juice from a baby coconut which tasted different from what I expected. Wai Yin insisted on paying for the meal. We’ve hardly spent any money since arriving in Singapore and I’m beginning to feel guilty about it. Everyone we’ve met has been so hospitable.

It seems I didn’t write anything down for Monday 21st June so the next entry will be on 22nd.

Travel Journal 1982 Day 4

Saturday June 19th 1982

Woke feeling shattered. Jet lag has caught up with me, awake half the night and wanting to sleep all day.

J drove Suzie’s car while the Singaporean acted as guide. We visited Tiger Balm Gardens, elaborate gardens with Chinese sculptures of wise men and buddhas. The torture chamber was a trifle gruesome with models of torture etc. A group of American’s were singing Christian choruses which was a pleasant interlude.

Posing with a Buddha
Tiger Balm Gardens

After our Tiger Balm visit we went to the Chinese Gardens in Jurong where we had lunch. There was a gorgeous lily pond and botanical plants. On the way back we picked up two of Suzie’s friends and they played Gin Rummy for a while.

I phoned a chap I had met at All Souls Church in London, Wai Yin who’s going to take me to church tomorrow and then J will join us for dinner. J and I went for another swim.

Suzie and her friends took us to Chinatown for dinner. The markets are vibrant and busy throughout the evening. We also saw fortune tellers with crystal balls, tarot cards and the like trying to attract tourists. We ate at one of the street markets. One of Suzie’s friends paid, she wouldn’t let us open our purses at all. These people are so generous. The poorer side of Chinatown was laced with shanty houses, beggars on the street and poverty.

My purchases were a set of chopsticks to take home and a t-shirt.

Linda Ho called Suzie’s at the end of the evening and has invited us to spend the afternoon and evening with her. I need to call Wai Yin early tomorrow to see if we can go to church tomorrow evening.

Travel Journal 1982 Day 3

Friday June 18th 1982

Woke at 12:30pm after a glorious 12 hours sleep. This apartment is gorgeous, we’re certainly spoilt with the air conditioning. We’ve decided to stay here until Tuesday and then we’ll go to K.L. (Kuala Lumpar). I’ve just had to throw my jacket down the rubbish chute as it was weighing me down – sob, sob! It’s nice not having to worry about leaving our belongings while we go out.

The beige jacket was a favourite of mine but it was going to be too hot lugging it all around Asia.

Had a fairly busy afternoon. Got a but into town and went to a market place called Change Alley. An incredible place where traders pounce on you as soon as you walk in; offering anything and everything for sale. We met two New Zealanders who gave us their map as they’re going to England in 5 days time.

Statue of Sir Stamford Raffles

We visited the famous Raffles Hotel. My uncle was stationed in Singapore during the war and asked me to visit the place as he had fond memories.

Singapore is beautiful, it’s so clean… there’s a S$500 fine for dropping litter, even cigarette butts. They also have a law against jaywalking with a S$10 fine. You have to use pedestrian crossings all the way.

We walked along Queen Elizabeth Walk and found some beautiful gardens there. We saw the Merlion which pours water from its mouth into the river.

Arrived back at the apartment at 7:30pm. Suzie was home. She’s really sweet and is going to show us around Singapore tomorrow. She says we can use the car! It’s incredible how trusting she is. We took advantage of the onsite open air swimming pool at about 8:30pm; fantastic and really cool. I came out feeling thoroughly refreshed. To top the evening we watched a video of a film called Roller Coaster. J phoned Linda Ho (a nurse we had met at the London Chest Hospital). Apparently she was at the airport to meet us last night but obviously we missed her. We’ve arranged to meet her on Sunday afternoon.

Travel Journal 1982 Day 2

June 17th 1982

Landed in Dubai at 04:30 local time (01:30 BST), temperature 27˚C, dawn is almost breaking, so is Dawn with swollen feet and ankles! The air stewards have been lovely to us although food comes round almost every hour as we pick up new passengers.

05:30 we’ve just been for a walk outside, now daylight and very, very hot. We’re exhausted as we haven’t had any sleep yet.

09:45 local time landed in Karachi. We’ve disembarked to change flights. There’s no such thing as queuing here, people just shove their way to the front. Stepping off the aeroplane was like stepping into an oven – 29˚C – hot with wet humidity. My skin has never felt so clammy. Flies are everywhere, no sooner do you swat them away than they’re back. Huge, dopey things, I guess I’ll have to get used to them.

We had a thorough frisking by a large, angry woman before being allowed to enter the transit lounge. We have no idea when the flight to Singapore is. All I know is we’re both extremely tired and it’s baking hot.

7pm local time we landed in Kuala Lumpar. We’re on a Boeing 707. The temperature is 30˚C: boil, boil, roast, roast. The flight from Karachi took 6 hours. I met a chap called Hamar, a student at Glasgow Polytech studying engineering. He’s come home to Malaysia for a 3 month holiday and has invited us to stay with his family when we come back. It will be interesting staying with a Muslim family.

We changed plans in Malaysia and didn’t visit Kuala Lumpar

10:30pm (3pm BST) we landed in Singapore at last – 22 hours travelling. We’ve been worrying about where we will be staying in Singapore as I’m not sure the NZ chap (friend of a friend) knows we’re coming. Once through customs, I called the number – the guy, Chris hadn’t been expecting us but told us to get a taxi and come on over!

Younes, one of the stewards chased after us and told us we could share his room at the Royal Hotel for 4 nights! We told him we’d meet him in the lobby at 12MD the next day (just in case things didn’t work out with Chris).

We got to Chris’s fully air-conditioned apartment at 11:30pm. The apartment’s in a high-rise block and is enormous. He shares with his girlfriend, Suzi. Seems we were just in time as Chris is leaving for Jakarta first thing. He works on oil rigs. He was extremely hospitable once I told him John had suggested we contact him on arrival. He handed us keys and told us to stay as long as we liked. I fell into bed at 1am.

Needless to say, we didn’t take Younes up on his kind offer