Claustrophobia

[Mi Amigo]

Been meaning to make a visit to St. John's Island for a long time; thanks for the reminder.

In the meantime, I try to seek out some (relative) peace and solitude during my weekend cycle rides around East Coast Park, Changi Beach, etc. Sometimes (but sadly not always) I'm able to find a secluded spot to rest and look out to sea with no-one else in view. A rare treat here.

Hannie, you're definitely not alone, as you've already seen. I suspect this is something that affects many/most expats here at one time or another.

[x9200]

Nb. it is also possible to rent a chalet over there. Few years ago the price was rather high but now I see is very cheap. It looks like a long term accommodation worth to consider:

ca $135 per week off school holidays
http://www.sentosa.com.sg/en/nature/sou ... ns-island/

Shall we have the next gathering over there?

[sundaymorningstaple]

[Hannieroo]

I saw that, my boys would love to stay there. I have a large beer cooler.

I'm glad it's not just me. I did wonder if I was going a bit crazy.

[sundaymorningstaple]

Nope. You are as sane as the rest of us.

Thinking about it, that's not much of a compliment, is it!

[Hannieroo]

Reassuring and scary all at the same time.

[zzm9980]

If you like openness, Singapore and Hong Kong are certainly not the places to be.

You've not been to Hong Kong, or spent time outside of Kowloon or HK Island.

Hong Kong is loaded with giant amounts of open space, which is one of the reasons I like it so much more than Singapore. 30 minute MTR ride and you can be hiking up a mountain and not see more than a handful of other people for hours. Keep in mind HKSAR is significantly larger than Singapore: 1100km2 vs Singapore's 700km2 (and that includes all of Singapore's unused portions in the middle, the north west, and the islands).

Google image search for "Hong kong hiking trails":

https://www.google.com.sg/search?q=hong ... iAewjYHYDA

And the humidity and heat is only suffocating like Singapore's half of the year

Yeah, I haven't been to HK. But I have heard couple of things about it. One, there is too much lighting in the nights and the city has one of the highest levels of light pollution in the world.

Two, space constraints, I have heard some people live in boats because living on the land is too expensive.
Another thing, I heard not sure, if it is true, the rooms in HK are so small and cots are so small, that if you are taller the average oriental height, you need to put a stool adjoining to the cot to stretch your legs.

You should hear the things I've heard about (insert random extreme edge case here) in India!

Just saying, form opinions from your own observations, not those you hear/read on the Internet unless you can verify them 100%.

[bgd]

I can be in Malaysia in half an hour and do that quite frequently. I also spend a lot of time on East Coast Park. For me that stops the walls closing in.
Having spent a lot of time living in large cities I am pretty strategic and do my best to limit exposure to large crowds. Crowds drive me insane but that isn’t specifically a Sg problem, although my tolerance of Sg crowds is less than some other places.

[movingtospore]

If you like openness, Singapore and Hong Kong are certainly not the places to be.

You've not been to Hong Kong, or spent time outside of Kowloon or HK Island.

Hong Kong is loaded with giant amounts of open space, which is one of the reasons I like it so much more than Singapore. 30 minute MTR ride and you can be hiking up a mountain and not see more than a handful of other people for hours. Keep in mind HKSAR is significantly larger than Singapore: 1100km2 vs Singapore's 700km2 (and that includes all of Singapore's unused portions in the middle, the north west, and the islands).

Google image search for "Hong kong hiking trails":

https://www.google.com.sg/search?q=hong ... iAewjYHYDA

And the humidity and heat is only suffocating like Singapore's half of the year

Yeah, I haven't been to HK. But I have heard couple of things about it. One, there is too much lighting in the nights and the city has one of the highest levels of light pollution in the world.

Two, space constraints, I have heard some people live in boats because living on the land is too expensive.
Another thing, I heard not sure, if it is true, the rooms in HK are so small and cots are so small, that if you are taller the average oriental height, you need to put a stool adjoining to the cot to stretch your legs.

Well, for the taxi drivers, that is probably true. But if you make a reasonable salary, your apartment will be smaller on average than Sing I think, but OK.

For me, the best part of HK is that people are SMART. But that is a whole different thread.

[zzm9980]

You've not been to Hong Kong, or spent time outside of Kowloon or HK Island.

Hong Kong is loaded with giant amounts of open space, which is one of the reasons I like it so much more than Singapore. 30 minute MTR ride and you can be hiking up a mountain and not see more than a handful of other people for hours. Keep in mind HKSAR is significantly larger than Singapore: 1100km2 vs Singapore's 700km2 (and that includes all of Singapore's unused portions in the middle, the north west, and the islands).

Google image search for "Hong kong hiking trails":

https://www.google.com.sg/search?q=hong ... iAewjYHYDA

And the humidity and heat is only suffocating like Singapore's half of the year

Yeah, I haven't been to HK. But I have heard couple of things about it. One, there is too much lighting in the nights and the city has one of the highest levels of light pollution in the world.

Two, space constraints, I have heard some people live in boats because living on the land is too expensive.
Another thing, I heard not sure, if it is true, the rooms in HK are so small and cots are so small, that if you are taller the average oriental height, you need to put a stool adjoining to the cot to stretch your legs.

Well, for the taxi drivers, that is probably true. But if you make a reasonable salary, your apartment will be smaller on average than Sing I think, but OK.

For me, the best part of HK is that people are SMART. But that is a whole different thread.

PSF costs are higher in prime areas, but the thing I like about HK is that there are *options*. All different sizes in different price ranges all over the place. You happy with a 500sq/ft 2 bedroom shoebox? You can find something in Mid-Levels (a nice expat spot just outside Central - comparable River Valley or something here) for under $3000sgd/month. They also have the same monstrous Orchard Rd Penthouses at $10,000-$15,000/month, but there is variety because the market isn't being monopolized and controlled by the same few companies.

People in HK Smart? Overall compared to here, i'll admit they're a bit less blur. I don't know if I'd go that far though.

[kookaburrah]

I used to live in Toa Payoh and looking out the window all I could see were HDB blocks. I'd leave the house and there'd be masses of humanity everywhere. I thought I'd go crazy.

I'm now in Bukit Batok, in a condo abutting a reserve. It's a bit far and definitely less convenient, but I don't see one single HDB block from any of the windows. Much of the view is trees, actually.

Totally worth it.

[sundaymorningstaple]

^^This!

The only thing better is having a ground floor unit where you can run out of the balcony door into the grass barefooted! And yes, I did it all the time when I lived in Seletar Camp.

[Hannieroo]

That is one of the reasons we have a house, I don't think I'd do too well being loomed over.