The Last Cast

Well, it has happened--  our two years in Singapore has come to a conclusion, and we are now making our way back to our home base of Boise, Idaho.  The actual span of time was 25 months, however a good percentage of time we were away from Singapore, either on adventure travel to other parts of South East Asia, or sadly, for emergency visits to the States to attend to family crises.

It is a mixed emotion-- we met so many interesting people and made new friends that we are going to miss, and there are so many places that we just weren't able to go see, that it would be easy to extend our time in Singapore with hopes of checking off a few more adventures, and a having a few more times together.

But there are the friends and family back in the States, who really have made our time overseas happen, with their support, and connection to everything we have back home.  And, it is probably time that the items cached in storage at various locations are collected, and our supporters get the space in closets and garages back.  If I haven't said it, or said it enough, thank you so much!

There are also the mountains of Idaho, which I have missed a lot.  Singapore has only hills, the tallest (Bukit Timah) at 167 meters.

We have been asked by several people, "Will you miss Singapore?"  The answer is an easy yes.  There are so many things about Singapore that make it such a wonderful place.  Because I heard this question so often, I began to wonder if the question was motivated by people extremely proud and happy to be in Singapore, or because of a secret desire to get away from it and be somewhere else.  Perhaps it is a little of both.  I think that fortifies my belief that everyone should see and experience other places in the world, to better understand other cultures and societies, and to better appreciate what we each have at home, where ever that may be.

Is there anything about Singapore that I will be glad to be away from?  Well, only one--  the humidity.  I was told that I would become accustomed to it after a year or so.  I never did.   It is fall here in California (where I am as I write this), with beautiful fall colors of red and yellow, a bit cool (certainly by Singapore temperatures) and I am enjoying it immensely.  I am a dry climate person, which perhaps requires more than a year to appreciate and adjust to the humidity.  My fear is that the warmth of the tropics (about 81F to 83F every day) will make it difficult for me to deal with any cold weather of Idaho.  Another adjustment.

Our last week in Singapore was a grand finale-- we attended the world touring production of Richard III starring Kevin Spacey , had high tea in the Tiffin Room of the grand old Raffles Hotel (so P.O.S.H.!), and stayed on the 35th floor of the Marina Bay Sands Hotel, with a commanding view of Singapore's marquee center, Marina Bay.  Each day we were able to share the MBS infinity pool experience and the Sky Deck with different Singapore friends--  a great closure to our two year expat experience.

My intentions are to post a few more pictures and tales of our adventures that somehow never made it to the blog--  Tasmania, Cambodia, Vietnam, etc.  There is considerable work ahead as we move back into our house, and other priorities, but Casting About Singapore still has some gaps to be filled.

The last cast--  but as all serious fishermen will tell you, there is always "just one more cast...."