The first Post
I have been in country now for at least two and a half weeks. It feels absolutely normal! Yes, nothing has been a suprise so far. Singapore was predictable if not a little chaotic. They were celebrating Chinese New Year. Everywhere there were huge figurines of pigs. Pigs dressed and undressed, covered in gold and red, all for luck. Each night I was there they had parades through China town. Going out for dinner was an exercise in demography. One had to battle and slip through a veritable gridlock of humanity. I managed it but it was not easy. Fortunately I was able to get to the food street which was not as crowded as the rest of the streets. I had a lovely meal of seafood Laksa.
I was in Singapore for more than one night because I had to go to Police Headquarters to get back a Bronze Spearhead that the Singaporean Police had confiscated last time I was there. A problem of not having import or export licences. The trip to the Police HQ was uneventful, it was just around the corner. Getting into the building was another matter. You had to submit to interrogation just because you wanted to get in the door. There was more security .than at an airport. Finally I won the prize, my very own personal ID card for my time in the building. I spent a very enjoyable time with a young Simgaporean lass who had been assigned to my problem.
Problem solved. I paid for the import export licences and eventually the spear head appeared. With it in my hot little hand all I had to do then was to assure them I would export it from Cambodia.
I had an afternoon and morning left in Singapore. The afternoon was spent indolently looking through Singaporean Shopping Malls. The exercise was very interesting. I got this sort of "epiphany" as I was looking through this exhibition of fine chinese porcelain. The whole thing was quite exquisite. The pieces were individually quite expensive but each was a work of art, plain to see. There were two styles of pieces on sale. One was definitely for the home market with very strong chinese characters and designs, the other was clearly targeted at western tastes with western influences and designs. This is how it has been for eons. Westerners come and benefit from new technologies which they take home and perfect. Then they sell the new versions back.
The next morning brought a re-enforcement of the trading nature of the place. I visited the Museum of Asian Civilisations. I got there in a convaluted joirney that involved an unsuccessful hunt for "Change Alley". It was a tourist thing from my youth some 57 years ago. I walked the wrong way from the MRT station. When I realised my mistake it was too far back so I continued to the next MRT where I caught a train to near Raffles Landing. I walked to the museum from there.
On the ground floor they had a new exhibition of this Indian trading vessel that was found off the coast of indonesia. If I remember correctly the boat was from the 4th century common era. The hold was intact and they found hundreds of pieces of glass, porcelain and pottery. All from various places in China. Apparrently the boat was headed to Java when it sank in a storm. It was amazing to see something from the period I have been studying. I had always wondered about the boats that went from India to South East Asia, what they looked like, how they were rigged? Now I had the real Mcoy in front of me. It was another brick in the wall of my understanding. This was the period of Funan about 700 years before the Khmer Empire. The place was festooned with boats from all over... Bhagdad, Alexandria and all over India on the East coast and the West! It must have been a very busy place. And that brings me back to this thing where they had a 2 tier trading system. Firstly there was the stuff for export, designs from Arabia and Bhagdad, colours and special stones noted in the east. Then there is the local market stretching right across SEA. These had things useful to the locals in thier own colour and design. Both of these trading goods were evident on the boat. They had stuff for the markets in Arabia but also stuff for the indonesians that the boat could trade for Spices, pepper and the like. I really enjoyed myself there. The upper floors are the permanent exhibition. It was fascinating andvery interesting but I marked it down for the paucity of information and acknowledgement of the Khmer Empire. There were bugger all references to the Khmers and it was usually in the context of discussing something else. I felt the slight on behalf of all Khmerophiles.
The return to my hotel went via the "Tin Tin " shop which is very near my hotel. They have everything Tin Tin there. I spent a very pleasant while there looking at models of Tin Tin, Captain Haddock and Snowy, thumbing through comics and books. I ended up with a T shirt and a double book. A happy camper.
My time was up, I caught a cab to the airport and flew away........ next stop Phenom Penh.
Below are random pics taken near the museum.
I was in Singapore for more than one night because I had to go to Police Headquarters to get back a Bronze Spearhead that the Singaporean Police had confiscated last time I was there. A problem of not having import or export licences. The trip to the Police HQ was uneventful, it was just around the corner. Getting into the building was another matter. You had to submit to interrogation just because you wanted to get in the door. There was more security .than at an airport. Finally I won the prize, my very own personal ID card for my time in the building. I spent a very enjoyable time with a young Simgaporean lass who had been assigned to my problem.
Problem solved. I paid for the import export licences and eventually the spear head appeared. With it in my hot little hand all I had to do then was to assure them I would export it from Cambodia.
I had an afternoon and morning left in Singapore. The afternoon was spent indolently looking through Singaporean Shopping Malls. The exercise was very interesting. I got this sort of "epiphany" as I was looking through this exhibition of fine chinese porcelain. The whole thing was quite exquisite. The pieces were individually quite expensive but each was a work of art, plain to see. There were two styles of pieces on sale. One was definitely for the home market with very strong chinese characters and designs, the other was clearly targeted at western tastes with western influences and designs. This is how it has been for eons. Westerners come and benefit from new technologies which they take home and perfect. Then they sell the new versions back.
The next morning brought a re-enforcement of the trading nature of the place. I visited the Museum of Asian Civilisations. I got there in a convaluted joirney that involved an unsuccessful hunt for "Change Alley". It was a tourist thing from my youth some 57 years ago. I walked the wrong way from the MRT station. When I realised my mistake it was too far back so I continued to the next MRT where I caught a train to near Raffles Landing. I walked to the museum from there.
On the ground floor they had a new exhibition of this Indian trading vessel that was found off the coast of indonesia. If I remember correctly the boat was from the 4th century common era. The hold was intact and they found hundreds of pieces of glass, porcelain and pottery. All from various places in China. Apparrently the boat was headed to Java when it sank in a storm. It was amazing to see something from the period I have been studying. I had always wondered about the boats that went from India to South East Asia, what they looked like, how they were rigged? Now I had the real Mcoy in front of me. It was another brick in the wall of my understanding. This was the period of Funan about 700 years before the Khmer Empire. The place was festooned with boats from all over... Bhagdad, Alexandria and all over India on the East coast and the West! It must have been a very busy place. And that brings me back to this thing where they had a 2 tier trading system. Firstly there was the stuff for export, designs from Arabia and Bhagdad, colours and special stones noted in the east. Then there is the local market stretching right across SEA. These had things useful to the locals in thier own colour and design. Both of these trading goods were evident on the boat. They had stuff for the markets in Arabia but also stuff for the indonesians that the boat could trade for Spices, pepper and the like. I really enjoyed myself there. The upper floors are the permanent exhibition. It was fascinating andvery interesting but I marked it down for the paucity of information and acknowledgement of the Khmer Empire. There were bugger all references to the Khmers and it was usually in the context of discussing something else. I felt the slight on behalf of all Khmerophiles.
The return to my hotel went via the "Tin Tin " shop which is very near my hotel. They have everything Tin Tin there. I spent a very pleasant while there looking at models of Tin Tin, Captain Haddock and Snowy, thumbing through comics and books. I ended up with a T shirt and a double book. A happy camper.
My time was up, I caught a cab to the airport and flew away........ next stop Phenom Penh.
Below are random pics taken near the museum.
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