{"id":518,"date":"2014-05-13T20:40:51","date_gmt":"2014-05-13T10:40:51","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/paulandjanburnett.janburnett.com\/?page_id=518"},"modified":"2014-05-17T16:03:58","modified_gmt":"2014-05-17T06:03:58","slug":"jans-journal","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/paulandjanburnett.janburnett.com\/?page_id=518","title":{"rendered":"Days 1 to 4"},"content":{"rendered":"

Here is the first installment of Jan’s journal:
\n<\/em><\/p>\n

Back to Jan’s journal<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n

Day one<\/b><\/p>\n

The countdown was over. The realisation of a decision made six years ago, and planning that had begun twelve months ago was nigh. Day one of Paul and Jan\u2019s Excellent European Adventure had arrived. Who knows what the next five months might hold?<\/p>\n

I lay waiting from 3.30am for the 4.15am alarm and bounded out of bed and into the shower. Depressingly, on one of my many recent sleepless nights I had flicked from thinking about my to-do list to thinking that before long it would all be over. Banish those thoughts! It has just begun!<\/p>\n

Shower done, coffee gratefully received (thanks Paul), I stripped the bed and cranked up the washing machine while waiting for Ray\u2019s scheduled 5am arrival. By my reckoning that would have us at the airport about 3 \u00bd hours before departure! To be honest, I didn\u2019t mind a bit. I like to allow a little extra time for traffic, and our early arrival meant we breezed through check-in, security and passport control. Another half hour, I was reliably informed by my very friendly immigration officer, and the queues would have been enormous. Heaps of time for last minute farewell calls and texts, and FB posts.<\/p>\n

The flight was memorable only in that it marked the beginning of our five-month adventure; exactly how a flight should be. We were comfortable (well I was anyway); well watered and fed; and entertained.<\/p>\n

Singapore<\/b><\/p>\n

Singapore is one of my favourite places. It\u2019s a mixture of a thoroughly modern city that hasn\u2019t shed all of its history; with its cultural enclaves it is a wonderfully eclectic place. On this trip we stayed at Days Hotel on Balestier Road. Last year we stayed less than a kilometre away in the southern part of Novena where all the hospitals are. That part of Novena is modern, a medical hub. Balestier Road, on the other hand, takes you back to colonial days. Modern buildings are interspersed between the single-storey shop houses and five-foot ways. The 24-hour Balestier Market sells all sorts of tucker, but we had found a BBQ noodle shop in the opposite direction and dined there, sitting and watching Balestier life go on around us.<\/p>\n

Days Hotel is next to Zhongshan Park, a small space of pristine lawns, benches, and paved paths inlaid with tributes to Dr Sun \u2013 a communist revolutionary. Behind the park is the Sun Yat Sen Nanyang Memorial Hall, one-time headquarters of the Chinese Revolutionary Alliance led by the aforementioned Dr Sun. The hall became the HQ of the Japanese Military Police (Kempeitai) during the occupation of Singapore in WWII.<\/p>\n

Next door is the Sasanaramsi Burmese Buddhist Temple. The Lonely Planet Guide (LPG) describes the temple as \u201ca towering building guarded by two \u2018chinthes\u2019 (lionlike figures) and housing a beautiful white-marble Buddha statue, decorated somewhat bizarrely with a \u2018halo\u2019 of different-coloured LED lights.\u201d That\u2019s a fairly accurate representation.<\/p>\n

The Buddha was carved in Myanmar in 1915 and transported to Singapore in 1918. The temple where it is presently housed was built in the 1990s. The inside of the temple is typically ornate; white with gold paint trim; and motifs depicting demons and other supernatural beings challenging the Buddha. There\u2019s even a statement expounding the benefits of donating to the temple. It goes like this:<\/p>\n

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  1. He will be reborn in Human and Celestial world;<\/li>\n
  2. He will get a shelter when he makes a wish;<\/li>\n
  3. He will free from fears;<\/li>\n
  4. No poisons or evil spirits for him;<\/li>\n
  5. He will have sweet dreams;<\/li>\n
  6. He will have serenity and concentration;<\/li>\n
  7. He will attain Arahantship (Nibbana)<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    I have clearly been misled by my readings of the teaching of Buddha, because nowhere that I have read does it say I can achieve nirvana by simply donating to a temple. But hey, I thought I\u2019d have a bob each way just in case, and placed a few shekels into the donation box.<\/p>\n

    It may sound like I am a cynical non-believer, but that isn\u2019t true. In fact, because this is my journal, I\u2019m going to step onto my soapbox for a sec. Buddhism isn\u2019t a religion and Buddha isn\u2019t a God; by his own admission he was a guide and teacher. However, perhaps in order to achieve broader appeal, or in response to the inherent human need to worship, Buddhism has taken the form of a religion.<\/p>\n

    Despite the gaudy lights, the Sasanaramsi Burmese Buddhist Temple really is a peaceful refuge from Singapore\u2019s unrelenting busyness and a truly appropriate place for some quiet reflection.<\/p>\n

    Day two<\/b><\/p>\n

    After the longest sleep I have had in weeks, day two got off to a leisurely start. I ticked another item off my to-do list (Cambridge accommodation sorted) and we headed for the Jurong Bird Park. After nearly two hours which included walking to Novena MRT; withdrawing cash (which ended up being $1,000 SD after Paul accidentally hit the button twice on the ATM); purchasing our tickets; taking the train to Raffles Place and changing to the East West line for Boon Lay; finally finding the bus interchange after we had to be redirected by the men at the bus stop on the street outside the shopping centre, we kind of lost motivation. I think the accumulated exhaustion of the last few weeks finally came to rest on us and we just turned around and went back to the MRT. We didn\u2019t need crowds and birds; what we really needed was some peace and quiet.<\/p>\n

    We had passed a lovely looking place called the \u2018Chinese Garden\u2019. The LPG doesn\u2019t give it a good wrap, but in our weary states, and needing a walk ahead of our 15-hour plane ride, we decided to take a look. Had I read the LPG before visiting the Chinese Garden I probably would have given it a miss, but it turned out to be the perfect tonic for us. We meandered along the paths past the eight Chinese heroes to which the park is dedicated (including a woman who pretended to be a man and went into battle and kicked a few arses \u2013 you go girl!; and, of course, Confucius); skirted Jurong Lake to take in the 13-arch bridge; walked through the fragrant garden (which admittedly wasn\u2019t terribly fragrant in the middle of the day, but was pleasant nonetheless); took a little time for reflection in a pavilion on the lake (watching fish, turtles and goanna swimming by); taok shelter from an afternoon storm under some bamboo; and made a break for the protection of the seven-storey pagoda which afforded an excellent view of Singapore through the rain and lightning.<\/p>\n

    It turned out to be the perfect way to spend our day in Singapore. After a kindy nap, supper in the noodle shop, and a stroll along Balestier Road we were collected at our hotel at 8.30pm for the next leg of P&J\u2019s EEA!<\/p>\n

    Changi Airport<\/b><\/p>\n

    Change is an excellent airport. We checked in seamlessly (except the bit where I left my glasses at check-in and had a minor panic as I foresaw 15 hours on a plane without being able to read or even see the TV screen); changed $855 SD, left over from the day\u2019s outing and ATM mishap, for Euros; and headed for security and immigration. Despite the serious faces you typically encounter through these official processes, I always try to maintain a friendly demeanour. It usually works; I\u2019ve only been detained by immigration once, well twice actually, but both times were in Johannesburg.<\/p>\n

    My smile certainly worked this time anyway. The official at passport control was telling everyone to take a Changi lolly. When it came to my turn I took my lolly, while smiling and making chitchat. When the official handed back my passport he plonked a handful of lollies in it. \u201cSpecial present for you. Have nice day.\u201d Naturally I selected \u2018excellent\u2019 at the little booth where you are asked to rate your experience.<\/p>\n

    Day three<\/b><\/p>\n

    How best to describe our first day in Barcelona? I guess it would be fair to say it had its ups and downs. Fifteen hours is a bloody long time to spend on a plane, but Carole had scored us an aisle and a window with a spare in between so I got to get heaps of stuff out of my backpack and Paul got to stretch out a bit more than usual.<\/p>\n

    A couple of hours out from Milan I started thinking about our arrival in Barcelona. More particularly, about my complete lack of Spanish and our landlord\u2019s lack of English. So there I was, furiously learning a few key phrases on the inflight language thingamajig. Previously I had communicated with Celia by copying her emails into Google Translate and then deciphering from there. I wonder again, where would we be without the Internet and Google (they both deserve their place in the lexicon).<\/p>\n

    As it turned out, lack of language was one of my lesser worries that morning. Our arrival goes like this:<\/p>\n