Blogs from Commonwealth, Singapore, Asia

Ankomst og første dag i Singapore Efter 12 timers ventetid i Doha lufthavn fortsatte rejsen kl. 7 om morgenen hvor vi fløj mod Singapore. Jeg var allerde godt træt pga. søvnmangel og ubehagelige stole i lufthavnen, så turen føltes længere end de 7 en halv time den varede og selvfølgelig havde vi en konstant turbulens som gav Camilla køresyge (eller flysyge?). Vi ankom til Singapore efter det var blevet mørkt og havde derfor ikke rigtigt set dagslyset i 2 dage. Vejret var fugtigt og meget varmt. Vi var trætte og det eneste vi havde til at vores hostel var en kort beskrivelse på vores regning. Efter 2 toge og en taxa var vi på den gade hvor vi skulle finde vores hostel. Desværre var det ikke helt nemt at finde og først efter at have gået ... read more

When driving through Singapore not only are you struck by the gorgeous architecture that has already been built, but you can also recognize a number of construction projects in progress. I’ve recently been discussing opportunities for purchasing investment property here with friends, but am struggling with whether the time to buy has already passed. Over the last three years the market has been booming. Money and expats have been flooding into the country and with them the cost of real estate has shot upwards. In an effort to stabilize the market and ease the swelling bubble, the government has introduced a series of cooling measures—many which have done little to slow the market until the most recent. Introduced in January of this year, anyone buying property must offer at least 40% down payment in cash before ... read more

Hi all and happy holidays! I'm currently in Singapore and, wow, what a great place. I spent about a week in Malaysia, few days in KL, few days in Penang, few days in Langkawi and found myself to be a bit bored. I've been to Malaysia before so there wasn't much that I was dying to see again so I thought I was due for some beach time. Loved it, don't get me wrong, but I really just needed a bit more stimulation thus my early move to Singapore. I did have a friend who happened to be here the same time, Allan, so boredom coupled with a desire to see my good friend, I decided to move on. Singapore is a wonderful country, I almost feel civilised again. Strange mixture here, definitely Asian in feel ... read more

Singapore! Picked up by 2 locals who gave us a guided tour of the island. ie we jumped in a cab with Andy and Louie. Made it to the residence of Andy's lovely parents and settled in for some local grub straight away - Tiger Beer and a trip the closest hawker centre for Carrot Cake (actually egg and yams), fried rice, chilli squid etc. This morning we've ended up at the Tanglin club for a swim, Andy's local so-to-speak, which was very much appreciated considering the humidity! Appreciated the 3.6M deep pool, though a proper diving board wouldn't go amiss, hard to dive off starting blocks. This evening we're on another plane. Over to Kota Kinabalu, where a week of luxurious rest awaits us. Or that's what we think.... ... read more

Wow, only 11 days left before we depart for our asian tour! Oh the things we will see and do. How very exciting...... read more

Hi all, Since I'm not likely to be able to keep up with everyone properly (over the phone) the next 4 months and have grown tired of posting photos on facebook, I've decided to try out this new-fangled 'Blogging' thing that I heard about on that BBC news show, Click! By the way, I feel like its been about a month since I left London. It was a bit of a whirlwind towards the end with work (and a cold) in Chicago, an amazing weekend in New York, some great rocking out to rock band in Shepherds Bush and several nights of pretending to clean and pack up the house while drinking far too much red wine! After nealy a week here in Singapore I am finally starting to settle in a bit. I only got ... read more