Do you miss flying?

[malcontent]

I agree that secondary roads in Malaysia are not the safest in high traffic areas, thanks to other road users. But not overly dangerous in my opinion - you just have to be more defensive and aware.

[malcontent]

Would you say it's a dangerous route to drive after dark with children in the car?

I would certainly prefer before dark, but wouldn’t let that stop me, kids or not.

Your comfort with this may depend on your experience. I’ve driven in many countries after dark on unlit two lane roads. In the US extensively, but also many times in ANZ & the EU as well. I also lived (& drove extensively) in the KL metro area for about half a year.

[PNGMK]

I was keen to her your take on exactly that aspect, i.e. crime/personal safety. We encountered quite an unsavory character in pretty much the very spot you're describing above. In fact, if I read the scenario correctly that day, we're lucky to come away in one piece, thanks to a keen eye on my part and a subsequent all-out sprint back to our car. It was the first time in my life I felt like quarry. Scary AF.

Would you say it's a dangerous route to drive after dark with children in the car?

It's a pretty typical road system for Asia. I don't usually drive too much at night if I can help it as the edges of the roads can be treacherous and unlit. I've put an LED bar on my car and LED spots on my motorbike specifically for that reason, this I did after a friend went off the road on an unlit road late at night on his bike (basically the road disappeared).

[nakatago]

I hope SMS got refunds for all those tickets he sent me.

[sundaymorningstaple]

[BigginHill]

I think the vaccine rollout will take time. I don't see us flying until the end of this year.

That is quite a thing to not catch a flight and be stuck on a 700sqkm island for 2 years!

Tell me about it.

One of the best things about living in SG has always been the ease of leaving it.

For some odd reason I ended up rewatching "Up in the air" on Netflix yesterday (disliked it first time around) A major flashback to the perils of constant biz travel, crowded airports, stuffy lounges, TSA... - and I can't *wait* to get back to those times!

I see many commendable suggestions to explore SG's domestic wonders in these pandemic times. Through the past 15 years here, I've seriously enjoyed doing so myself & still have todo places on my list. SG has so many interesting nooks & crannies, I've never been bored here for one second.

However, as much as SG is an eminently comfortable place to spend time, you can only explore Pulau Ubin, The Old Ford Factory, The Toa Payoh Dragon Playground, Sembawang Hot Spring & Kranji Marshes (w/a face mask ) so many times.

I suppose HK residents feel similar.

So yeah, looking forward to get freedom back, including the freedom of travel.

Any 2021 travel in Asia/Oz/NZ looks completely off & likely to carry into 2022.

Europe/US I'm still hopeful we'll see a final turn-around & reopening late summer 2021. Let's see if SG at least loosen the SHN restrictions for those who've been vaccinated. Not counting on it though, given their hard approach.

[tiktok]

I suppose HK residents feel similar.

At least they can do stuff like this: https://amp.scmp.com/sport/outdoor/hiki ... 19-despite

[tiktok]

I suppose HK residents feel similar.

At least they can do stuff like this: https://amp.scmp.com/sport/outdoor/hiki ... 19-despite

Sorry, scmp has blocked the article, but hopefully you get the idea - there's wonderful hiking in HK.

[sundaymorningstaple]

My friend, a Singaporean Chinese, has been in HK for around a decade now, working in the financial district (a major bank). He's an avid hiker and often posts pics of the various views from the difference trails he's done in HK. He goes out virtually every weekend or every other weekend.

[malcontent]

Hong Kong actually has some decent beaches too... not at all the dirty beach/tanker view you’d expect!

[sundaymorningstaple]

I reckon it does as long as you get away from Aberdeen Harbour!

[Jgrif96229]

You can probably travel now. It is the 14 day quarantine at location other than home. Makes for a long and expensive trip especialy if there is quarantine at your destination. What we miss is the most is the ability to take a free and easy getaway. All this will have to wait till 4th quarter 2021.

[smoulder]

It's approximately a year since I got on a flight, a short return trip to visit my in-laws who are in Seremban which is a short drive from KLIA. I do miss flying, not the actual flight itself for the reasons stated by others, but the Changi airport experience and generally some of the other good airports. Waiting for your flight, sipping coffee or beer, depending on the time. What I hate is long immigration queues and idiots trying to cut in.

I would have added that I enjoy driving as well, but since my wife hates anything over 2 hours, we don't do that often. And generally speaking, regardless of which country it is, I try to avoid night driving. It's just too stressful trying hard to find the road at highway speeds!

[BigginHill]

Get ready to stay in the Red Dot for another 2 years?

Depending on how you view these things, I do see signs of strong conservatism.

(others may be relieved)

Overseas travel to remain difficult even after all in Singapore get Covid-19 vaccine: Gan Kim Yong

Looks like our borders may stay effectively closed right until the virus has broadly stopped circulating globally.

That would certainly be in line with the government's current elimination strategy. A change of course would not be accepted by the local population, so I reckon they'll maintain entry restrictions, testing & SHN for the next +2 years.

A bit hard to understand why we'd even need the vaccine at all, except to counter local runaway clusters.

EU/US will probably accept a low level of asymptomatic infection circulating, as long as the vaccines stops people from getting seriously ill, potentially reopening borders late summer.

With local Singapore border restrictions staying in place, if you're a business traveller in EU/US, it may not make much sense staying in Singapore in 2021-22. Regional travel is definitely out too, so less of a reason to base a regional HQ here.

When it does resume, it is likely to take place progressively, through bilateral arrangements, which could then expand into regional arrangements, he added.

Most useless word of 2020-21: Travel Bubble.

Their estimates really are quite downbeat...

"The whole recovery is not a one-year issue... it's more like a four-year affair before you see some of these industries recovering back to where they were before," Mr Wong said.

At some point - perhaps over the next four to five years - the pandemic will pass and the economy will slowly recover, Mr Wong added.

But Mr Gan cautioned that the next pandemic could take place in that time. He urged Singaporeans to keep up the good hygiene habits they developed over the past year, adding: "Before we celebrate... you have to always be vigilant that the next pandemic is just a short distance away."

[Max Headroom]

The way most of the rest of the world is careening towards Covid hell, it's not unthinkable that Singapore ends up as one of a very select number of countries where travelers can actually consider spending a holiday whilst feeling relatively safe. A moated sanctuary if you will.

In fact, with community cases consistently negligible here and authorities uber-vigilant, Singapore could, starting from, say, the second half of this year, morph into a holiday hot-spot, perhaps together with Australia and China.

Given the lousy state of most international airlines, I think this situation would be a major boost for SQ, both in terms of its finances and its international standing.

Not to mention the fact that it would also put Singapore in general, but its effective governance in particular, on the map big-time.

However, for this scenario to happen, the entire population needs to be vaccinated.