Helsinki - three old ladies

Therese and I found Helsinki to be a very peaful place.  The people are very trusting, the streets clean (except for the morning of June 1, as there must have been a lot of people on the streets drinking and making a hell of a mess !).  A very pleasant city.

Therese and I were walking along a quiet street, looking for a church (that had a very tall spire) but we were out of luck.  As we had no pressing schedule, we were meandering, minding our business, when we were approached by old lady #1.  

She spoke to us in passable English and asked if we were heading toward the square where the singing would start at noon .  We had no idea of what she was talking about.  She went on the explain that they were going to gather to sing a national Song that some politicians where talking about banning.  The song had some Christian connotations, and given that the population was becoming more varied (about 80% of the population is Lutheran).  But the locals were standing up for their song and culture, and we're going to gather around the corner and sing it together.  Around 3000 people were expected.

We arrived at the square about 11.20, so, plenty of time.  It was like a market square, with a few stalls, a few people, and a cafe with tables and seats.  One of the tables was free, so I asked Therese if she wanted to sit down and have a tea.  We settled down, and I went to the counter to order a coffee, a tea and two local cakes.  All for €9.50.  I returned to the table with our drinks and noticed that next to us was a lady with two enourmous poodle like dogs.  Meet old lady #2.

She introduced herself as a retired opera singer, and her two dogs, were also retired champion show dogs.  I liked them.  They got to know me.  The lady went on to tell us about the event, and that her sister, who ran the Helsinki Opera, was organising this event.  She felt very strongly about the threat to their national / cultural show and wanted to let the people express their feelings about this proposed ban.  She explained that there would be a bunch of opera singers appear on the balconies of the apartments around the square and that they would sing the song.  And be joined by the crowds gathered.   More than 2000 people were expected.  It was not a large square, so I expected that it would be crowded.

Old lady #1 dropped by to say hello, she had found her friend and moved to sit on another table.   A few minutes later, another old lady approaches us and asks if she can sit down on our table.   Meet old lady #3. This lady was also Finnish, but had lived in the sates for 25 years and been very successful in the corporate world.  Now, she was living out here days in her beloved Finland.

This lady told us more about the song and the event.  Now we considerd ourselves experts.  The conversation moved on to the living conditions in Finland and the mood of the people.  Apparently, not all is well in Finland.  High unemployment, people are depressed, and the government is divided and unable to act decisively.

As we talked, the crowds were growing, to the point were the square was full of people.  All of a sudden, we heard clapping and about 20 men dressed in black tie came out on the verandas of some of the flats that were facing us.  Within a few minutes, the head of the helsinki opera spoke (not in English) and we assume introduced and talked to the issue of the national song.  A lot of cheering and clapping followed.

All of a sudden, the men started singing, and more than 2000 voices joined them.  It was an amazing experience.  People were voicing their stand by their presence.  Every time the chorus started, voices from all over were heard.  

It was an amazing experience, one that we would have missed had we not been meandering and been happy to talk to some of the locals.  Three old ladies and two dogs called Boris and Carlos.

Helsinki - a blog on the bog

Why ?  This is one of the things technology has made possible.

The 12 hour flight on Finnair was pleasant and time passed quickly.  We had great seats , lots of space, just behind business class.  Service was great.  Fellow passengers all looked Nordic.  The entertainment system worked well.

We arrived in Helsinki 15 mins late.  It was 10 degrees, cold , rainy and windy.  We are not prepared for rain.  A little cold we can cope with.  Let's hope for the best.

Now, on though customs and pick up our bags and catch a bus to the center of Helsinki.

Singapore - Part 4 (various photos)

I can't say that we have done much tourist stuff in Singapore, but we did manage to have one of the world's largest coffees, and enjoyed the night show at Marina Bay.

Truly, this coffee was ginormous.  The Ice Chocolate besides the coffee was a large size.  John = happy !

The above photo was taken just before the water and light show shown every night in Marina Bay (near the Casino).  It last for 15 minutes and is very spectacular.

And no, we did not eat any of the smelly poo fat on offer (but we did eat in that same Thai restaurant) some delicious meals.

Singapore - Part 3 (Frogs legs, Crab and golf)

In my life, I have never tried frogs legs or crab.  However, on Sunday my hosts in Singapore, Andrew and Hien, took me to a local food court on. Holland Drive,  one of their favourite eating places, which they visit almost every Sunday evening.

Although the restaurant serves normal meat (ie, meat), their best dishes were seafood based, including black pepper crab and frogs legs with chilli and ginger.  I thought if I don't try some now, perhaps I never will.  Andrew' son, David, said that the frog tasted like chicken....  doesn't everything taste like chicken ?

So I did.  And I survived.  

Frogs leg meat was very tender.  Probably the most tender meat that I have ever eaten.  It was ok.  Most likely an acquired taste,  Not sure I would acquire it, but , it was not the end of the world.

Crab meat was different.  Not what I had expected,  it looked like, jelly.  Tasted a bit like jelly meat.  It was ok.  I survived.  Again, not sure I will ever eat this again.

I always say, new experiences are good for the soul.

****

I played a few rounds of golf in Singapore. 

The first round was on a course called Vanda.  It was beautiful.  By Australian standards, it was enormous,  the club house was like a palace.    And quite formal (ie, please tuck your shirts in, sir).

The first 4 holes were very difficult for me, cause apart from being a little stiff, it was hot and very humid.  Although we had a cart, it was exhausting.  Then the rains came.  And it bucketted down.  At first we stayed in the cart, as it had rain curtains, but then we moved to a covered area where we could rest and get a drink.  Rain lasted about 45 minutes, and it was very heavy.  Once the downpour was over, the course Marshall let us know that we could continue our games after about 10 minutes.  Wow, drainage must be fantastic !  And it was,  the course played really well (except for the bunkers as the sand was still wet).  I didn't break any records, but my game got better  after the rain.

Round 2 was on a course called Warren.  Very impressive clubhouse.  This one had a resort attached to it as well.  I played better at the Warren course, and I got to like the clubs I was playing with (Andrew had a spare set), especially the hybrid fairway club - as I could hit this as far as I could drive a ball with the 3 driver.    We had a nice lunch at the clubhouse when we finished, with our playing partners - Mark (an acquantance of Andrew's) and Adena (a Hungarian expat Who seems to play golf everyday and met up with Andrew and Mark a few months ago).

All in all, a very civilised and pleasant way to spend  your days.  The only drawback were my eyes.  They seem to shut more often out in the open, probably the sun, and glare. Not being able to clearly see where your ball goes is not nice, and having to stop suddenly whilst walking to get my bearings is also annoying.  But, c'est la vie !  I take the good and the bad and move on.

Now I am looking forward to picking a Therese up this afternoon from the airport, and probably go out for dinner tonight around Marina Bay and watch the water and light show.

Singapore - Part 2 (the day I got kicked out of a massage parlour)

I am an average person who enjoys a massage everyone and then.  The massages I have are either Thai based (very acrobatic ladies ) or Chinese (lots of pressure), but all of them are above board,  no funny business.  Well, that is, until today.

Here I am, minding my own business, walking in one of Orchard Rd's modern shopping plazas, looking at some electronic stores, camera shops, and the odd taylor.  Funny how all of them want to meet me, introduce me to their wares, give me their best price for a suit with some free shirts thrown in . . . and even when I ignore them they want to give me ther business cards...  So, her I am, wondering around these shops, when I turn a corner and see a couple of massage places next to each other.  I am about to ingnore them and walk past, when one of the ladies approaches me and talks me into a massage.  $50 for half an hour, but $70 for one hour.  I figure that that is about $58 AUD,  so I think, that's not bad, I might give this a go.

The massage shop is fairly plain, with two rooms side by side.  I am shown the first room, asked to disrobe and lie down on the table.  I'm cool. Been there, done that.  I lie down, looking forward to a relaxing massage.

Knock, knock, I hear.  Can I come in ? asks one of the ladies.  She starts to gently massage my back, and adjusting the towels around my waist and legs.  So far,so good.  She was being very gentle for the first few minutes and I though, yeah , a nice soft massage ! Little did I know !  Not what I expected !

What extras would you like ? She asks.   I say : no thanks, just a massage.  She kept on going gently up and down my back and asked again : what extras would you like ?  I say again, no thanks, just a normal, relaxing , massage.  She started to get a little nervous, saying : but most of out customers ask for something extra.  I say, I don't want anything extra.  Just a normal massage.  Her next response surprised me : I don't know what to do !  I don't know how to give a normal massage.

You don't know what to do ?  But this is a massage shop, isn't it ? Her arms move gently up and down my back, and she kept on saying, I don't know how to give a massage ! And proceeded to explain that the $50 or $70 they charged went to the shop owner and any extras they provided was for tips and their income.  And I thought : shit !   Where am I ?  What have I done ?

The lady then said she'd go outside and ask her friend.  I thought, great, perhaps her friend know how to give a massage.  But I thought wrong.  She came back saying that I had come to the wrong place, that if I wanted a normal massage that I should go next door, and that they would give me a refund (only $20 mind you), and that they would be happy to see me go !

I could not believe what I was hearing !  I was being kicked out of a massage parlour !

What do I do ? I'm disappointed, as I feel cheated out of a massage , but also realise that I better cut my losses and get out of there quick smart !  I get dressed, make sure I have all my bags, walk out, claim my $20 (I feel like asking for all of my money but dice against making a bigger scene).  As I walk out, the lady says to me, for you, normal massage, go next door !

I walk out, back into the real world, amongst the taylor's and camera shops, and turn left.  Immediately, another massage shop appears and the lady says : massage sir ?

I smile and say, no thanks, I think I have had enough for today ,  and move on.  Not sure if I confused the lady, but boy, was I glad to get out of there !

ps- I found a reflexology (foot massage) place, making sure the chairs were visible and that there were other clients in the shop and get a foot massage instead.  Not as good as a full body massage, but safe !

**********

Singapore - Part 1 (trip to Singapore)

The trip to Singapore was uneventful.  Customs queues in Sydney were long, but moved well.  Duty free shops were exciting as usual, but my attention was fixed on the Apple store, with my perennial fixation of comparing the MacBook Air with the MacBook Pro. Still not sure which one I will get in the future.

I was one of the last on the plane, and realised that there were a lot of empty seats.  I was seated on 25D, an inner aisle seat, and the two middle ones were empty.  In fact, the plane would only have been 60% full.

A meal, two movies ((Savong Mr Banks and another one which I have already forgotten) an attempt at meditation and then a snack (pizza) were enough to keep me busy for the 8 1/2 hour flight.  

Singapore May not be overly hot, but the humidity is oppressive.  Getting through the airport took a lot longer than expected, as the customs queue I was on was the slowest.  May have taken around 35 mins.  By the time I got through, my luggage was on the carousel and Andrew was waiting for me.

Andrew and his family live in a nice, house on the outskirts of Singapore, a very neat, upmarket, neighbourhood.  We went for a few walks (Andrew daughter goes to dancing classes down the road) to drop her off and then pick her up.  Dinner was exquisite ( (Rona, their housekeeper does most of the cooking) and we settled down to which parts of a rugby match (Waratahs vs Rebels).  I was very tired by 10pm (midnight by my clock ) and excused myself.

Slept we'll, woke up a few times, but was able to toss and turn and fall back asleep.  Got up at 8.30, had some breakfast, had a chat with the family, and am now ready for a new day .