SG TO AUS

 It was a glorious, drunken, sad and celebratory afternoon/evening on my last day in Singapore. Though not as crowded as it once used to be, we 'made merry'.

The reprobates

Jay, Kate & Aaron

A few remaining LK'rs

When it was time for me to finally leave, and all the final hugs and goodbyes had been exchanged, I grabbed my suitcase and headed for the door as the group of them gave me a standing ovation. As if it wasn't already hard enough to leave. 

And then, suddenly, the next morning.....Melbourne...

I don't normally do the B 'n' B thing. When I travel, particularly if I'm travelling by myself, I prefer my anonymity and the idea of coming and going as I please. Also, since I don't really do breakfast either, the idea of chatty holiday-makers or hosts interfering with the serenity of my morning coffee gives me shivers of horror.

That said, I was more or less forced to go the B 'n' B route in Melbourne because my trip happened to coincide with The Melbourne Cup, a gigantic horse racing event during which the entire city goes party mad, and hotel rooms, when available, are eye-poppingly expensive. I discovered a website called Airbnb which offers various home-stay options around the world, and that is how I met my charming hostess, Robynne.

Robynne a single woman who runs her own consulting business from her little house in the beautiful, bohemian neighborhood of St. Kilda. She's also a foodie, has a social conscience and loves a good chin-wag over a glass of wine. Long story short, we got on like a house on fire. I can't say that I'm a convert to the B'n'B option now, but in this case, it was meant to be and really added a lot to my stop in Melbourne.

Near St. Kilda Beach

Love that Aussie humour

Melbourne reminds me so much of Vancouver: the constant shift between rainy drizzle and mostly-warm sun, the tree-lined streets, the architecture. And then there's the people: lots of hearty, outdoorsy types in cycling gear on a constant hunt for organic-gluten-free-preservative-free bottled water, skate punks, emos, granola-munchers, business-types, artsy-types, bums, starving musicians and Japanese tourists all rub shoulders with the dog-walkers on clean streets lined with boutiques, bakeries and pawn shops.

They speak Singlish here

The one thing I noted in Melbourne that is sadly lacking in Vancouver is a thriving theatre culture. Several grand, old, well maintained theatre palaces play home to all kinds of shows. 

(Apparently, neither does Andrew Lloyd Webber)

I took a deep breath and bought a ticket to "Love Never Dies" and, while I think it's got some problems and is probably the most over-designed show I've ever seen, I didn't hate it as much as I expected to. In fact, I admit to actually sitting up and paying attention once or twice. The set, however, is so massive, complex and kinetic that I just wanted it to stop moving for five minutes !

Next stop, King Island, in the mystical state of Tasmania...

THE LAST ROAR

It was, admittedly, a surreal experience to arrive back in Singapore after 5 days of tranquility, sleep, and then crawl out of bed to do the final two Sunday shows. It was nice to feel rested, but my body wasn't happy about doing that Sunday morning warm-up after getting used to sprawling around the villa for almost a week. Also, the energy of the company on the final day was off the charts, as were the emotional levels. Our final two audiences were positively rabid and started cheering the moment the houselights went down. To do two performances in the vortex of that kind of adrenaline and high-octane emotion is exhilarating and exhausting all at the same time.

But now, it's done, and in another week, after some sweat and cursing from the crew, it will be put to bed. Already, much of the cast has passed through Changi airport on their way to various corners of the world. Having checked out of my apartment at the appointed hour, I am now parked, for one last time, at my favourite bar, South Coast (or, as I've come to think of it, my other office) until heading to the airport this evening.

The crew pulled a beautiful closing-day prank

by filling the Stage Management office

with balloons

The final warm-up

Confetti cannons during the final bow

And Singapore provides me with one, final lesson in Singlish

*****

 "...and where the journey may lead me....I cannot stay here, my family, but I'll remember my pride..."

TOUR OUR VILLA

Or watch it on YouTube for better streaming

ISLAND LIFE...

It's clear that we really are at the tail end of the tourist season here. Actually, just beginning the off season. Shops are closed, bars and restaurants are woefully empty, but we're not complaining. More sun would be nice, or course (we've had a few monsoon downpours) but at least the roads are not clogged with drunk Brits on scooters. And the weather overall is still very warm and the people are friendly. This island has such a relaxed, peaceful vibe that you have to work pretty hard to have a bad time. Even right now, as I sit in the protected outdoor sala, the skies have opened up for another 20-minute-monsoon-downpour, but Enya is playing on the outdoor speakers, the air is warm and life is good.

Breakfast at Karma Sutra, Fisherman's Village, Bophut

Doggie-poseur at breakfast

The Big Buddha

Reclining Buddha at The Big Buddha

Offerings to Big Buddha

Beer break at Big Buddha pier

Morning at the dining room table

Had the best green Thai curry of my life at this place

but was in a veritable state of hilarity at the thought

of  veretables

 Everyone who has ever moved knows that moving is a gigantic pain in the ass. You would think that it would be easy to move away from a place that you've only been in for 10 months. A place that you arrived at with two and half suitcases. Not so. The organising, shipping and administration (cancelling cell phone, government taxation issues, distribution of unwanted flotsam, etc.) have consumed the majority of the last few weeks. The final act of departure was to pre-send the majority of my belongings to Canada since I have no desire to drag them around while I slowly wend my way home through Australia, New Zealand and Tonga for the month of November. Ever-faithful-friend Tim agreed to help me drag all my crap to the post office for shipping, and documented the process.

Yes, for some reason, suitcases have to be

wrapped in paper

.(It's Singapore. There are rules)

And speaking of travelling.....here's the way things worked out....

Way back in June, or May, or some month that seems like years ago, we were told how the vacation requests would be handled. Basically, all the male performers were considered to be one 'department', and all the female performers were considered to be another 'department'. If someone from your 'department' had requested a specific week for holiday time, no one else in that department would be granted time off for that week. So, anxious to take advantage of the rare privilege of paid vacation time as an actor, I poured through the "vacation request book". The first available week for me to take time off was the final week of October. It seemed fitting, falling just after my birthday. A few months later, we received the announcement that our closing performance would be October 30. And that is how I ended up taking my vacation during our final week of performances. Of course, when we got the closing announcement, I changed my flights so that I could return to Singapore to perform on the final day, but I had no intention of giving up my Thai vacation.

At the moment, however, Singapore and The Lion King seem very distant because I am in a place that more or less forces one to start thinking of synonyms for paradise. Not only is Koh Samui unspeakably beautiful, the villa that I found and rented (owned by a delightfully entertaining American  film & TV producer) is a small slice of heaven. It is perched high on a hill, deep in the jungle and personifies the word 'luxury'. We (friend Tim & I) have not yet been here for 24 hours, and already the bliss we are experiencing is intoxicating. We have decided to do a video tour of the villa, but until we get around to filming that, here's a bit of Day One...

Transportation.....sorted

We really are staying in the countryside...

This is how to check your email in paradise

Tim cooling off

Lunch in the village

BOAT CRUISE

Since the time for our departure is drawing near, events of all kinds are starting to fill our days off. On a sunny Monday afternoon, I held a wine tasting seminar for the cast, graciously hosted by our ever-generous friend Kate at her restaurant, South Coast.

 Kate put together a beautiful list of 14 different wines, comparing old world to new world styles as well as providing fantastic nibbles through the afternoon. We were hoping that the food might help keep everyone from getting too drunk but there were a lot of dehydrated people at the show the next day. I heard, after the fact, that the twenty or so of us that were there went through three cases of wine.  

 

Kiwi Tim & I 

 

 

Our physio, Emma

and Michael who plays hyena Ed 

A good time was certainly had by all and some people even took notes worthy of a university lecture!

On a more recent Monday afternoon, a group of us headed out on a boat cruise into the Johor Strait, the strip of water that separates Singapore from Malaysia. Another event organized by Kate, including Lion King cast as well as some of the people from Voyage de la Vie, the circus show on Sentosa Island. A truly fantastic day of eating, drinking, swimming and cavorting. 

I did learn one important lesson: DON'T DRINK VODKA WITH RUSSIANS !!!

 

Pre-launch at the stunning Raffles Marina

 

 

 

Happy Campers

 

 

 

Joilson serves sausage

 

 

 

 

 

 

Russian bread with a Brazilian filling

Partying

 

Peaceful

 

Slightly damaged after a Russian vodka pounding

In spite of my vodka intake, I did have a fascinating conversation with a young woman who grew up in the circus training elephants and bears. (And in the "Ain't it a small world?" category, she even worked at African Lion Safari in Cambridge, Ontario !) It was great to hear her take on animal training (and see the scars on her arms left by grumpy bears). And I thought I led an unusual life.

Though we are coming up fast to our closing date, life at the theatre, and in Singapore, continues on. There is still a show to do every day on top of all the extra work of organising to exit the country. Not even a meerkat can escape the tasks of  'life administration'.

 ...and Singlish continues to entertain...

DAY TRIP TO ANOTHER WORLD

On my overnight trip to Kuala Lumpur, I picked up a copy of Silk Air's in-flight magazine. Listed in the back were a selection of easy getaways from Singapore. In an effort to continue to discover as much as possible on this side of the planet while I'm here, I combed through the suggestions for anything that was two hours away or less - which is how I found myself crawling out of bed a six a.m. on a Monday morning to hail a taxi in the pouring rain to take me to the airport for a flight bound for Phnom Penh in The Kingdom of Cambodia.

THE GOOD

Foremost, I looooved my hotel, The Blue Lime. The all-cement theme might be a bit too austere for some, and those not used to a tropical climate might find the mold stains off-putting but I was terrifically impressed with everything. My room, with private swimming pool, cost $75US for the night, a  kind of luxury unattainable in most western countries. The whole place is immaculately clean, the staff are extremely friendly and very helpful. (Oooo...and fresh passion fruit juice for breakfast !)

Instructions in Khmer, emailed to me by the hotel

in case the taxi driver didn't know the address.

Welcome tray

All cement room

Private pool

Enjoying private pool

The Cambodian people are lovely. Their smile is wide, honest, engaging and comes quickly and easily. The smiles I received were the exact opposite of the glassy-eyed, open-mouthed stares I witness from service staff in Singapore. I felt that when the Cambodians said, "Thank you, sir", they expressed actual gratitude. Those same words spoken in Singapore sound meaningless and false by comparison.

There is a new Cambodia emerging, barely. Scattered here and there are shiny new government buildings and the odd office tower. These structures seem cold and lifeless next to the many temples who's elegant, golden spires reach to touch heaven. The new buildings hide their people. The temples embrace them and teem with the wild, joyful chaos of life. Solemnity is reserved for business. 

 The National Museum

The Royal Palace which I was unceremonious hustled out of after

a brief tour, because the King needed to pray before

the national holiday the next day.

I thought, "Well, it's his house, after all."

Some random observations...

-All dogs in Phnom Penh have fleas. There are a lot of dogs.

-Horn honking is a second (or third) language. It is rarely aggressive though. It usually means, "Hi, I'm here beside you. Don't change lanes or we'll both die".

 Airport transportation

-Traffic lights are merely a suggestion. There are only a few, after all. If the coast looks clear, please feel free to charge on through.

-Crosswalks are nonexistent. On the smaller streets, this is not a problem, but the wide, busy avenues require you so summon your pedestrian courage and step bravely into the road, timing every step and weaving through the traffic with millimeters to spare. Or, you could wait for the Cambodians, who tend to cross in groups (safety in numbers) and hide behind them.

-It's hard not to stand out as a tourist. The white skin is kind of a dead give away. Children and adults alike will wave at you and say "Hello". Even passing by on their motorcycles they will shout a greeting.

I found this sign so incongruous that I couldn't resist photographing it

-Three on a motorcycle is not uncommon. In fact it is almost as common as two on a motorcycle. Or two and a kid on the handlebars. Or two and a basket of chickens (dead or alive). Or two with a 12-year-old driving.

-If you see a young Cambodian woman in high heels and a tight dress, she's a hooker. Unless she's wearing flip-flops and tight shorts, in which case she is also a hooker.

THE BAD

Perhaps because I've been living in squeaky-clean, rule-bound Singapore for so long, I found the profusion of garbage, dog shit and stink more than just a little overwhelming at first. My survival instinct told me to hide in my hotel room, but I pushed myself into the streets, determined to discover what lay beyond the filth.

As the stand-out-in-the-crowd-white-guy, you are at the mercy of the touts. The tuk-tuk drivers are the worst. Step one foot outside the hotel and you are surrounded by shouts of, "Tuk? Tuk?". And a walk down any street is constantly interrupted by random motorcycle drivers pulling over to ask if you want them to drive you somewhere. 

The Cambodian Riel is, literally, not worth the paper it is printed on. $1US = 4,000KHR. American dollars are the preferred currency, but no coins are used if change is given. Instead, you will be given the equivalent in Riels. I tipped my breakfast servers 19,000KHR ($4.60US) just to get rid of the wad of Cambodian bills.

THE UGLY

I had many offers from tuk-tuk drivers to take me to the infamous "Killing Fields", the site of Pol Pot's brutal executions carried out by his Khmer Rouge. I admit that I had to think long and hard about whether I should go and what I might gain from being there, other than just to say that I was there. In the end, I realized that I did not want to feel the pain of this country's past in a place where the bones of 10,000 dead still push themselves to the surface after a rainfall. Instead, I wanted to live the resilience of the place by being among the living.

The soul of this place has been beaten and crushed and almost defeated. But, phoenix-like, it is being reborn. It expresses the anguish of it's growing pains in the shit and filth of poverty, but it also expresses it's joy and energy in the sparkling eyes and disarming smiles of it's people. For what is a country? It is not a place, it is the people who inhabit it.

Phnom Penh changed me in a way I can't describe. I'm larger somehow, as though when I opened up to it, it gave me part of itself. It is not a place for everyone, but it does have something to offer to anyone. Something unique. Something beyond words. Something given, as a gift, to those who are willing to step into it's arms.