Singapore did not disappoint.
Landing close to midnight threw me off a bit, but I was not ready at all for the 30°C hot humid air that hit me after setting foot outside of the terminal. The strong floral smells and the loud animal noises emanating from the lush vegetation all around were also equally unexpected and a complete change of setting from Japan.
I walked for half an hour to the Lyf hotel ─a tired, sweaty and sticky starving mess─ only to find the only available source of nourishment for the evening would consist of a small bag of Hello Panda Fun Filled Biscuit Treats.
Fortunately, once you hit rock bottom, things can only improve from there.
The next day, my one and only free day in Singapore, I did what I was most excited about first thing in the morning: visiting the Botanic Gardens. As it always is with tropical weather, I was caught off guard by sudden drenching rain at the entrance, which made me hesitate and almost turn back. I’m glad I didn’t, though, as it stopped as abruptly as it started, giving way to a splendid (albeit extremely hot and humid) morning.
Oh. My word. That place. How do I describe it using simple words? Exuberant, lush, magnificent? I love my camera very much, but the pictures I took just don’t do justice to what it was like being there. Saying plants came in all shapes and sizes would be a half-lie, since although the variety of them was overwhelming, they were all XXL. I felt as if I had been shrunk by Wayne Szalinski and placed at the core of a massive OBI style garden retailer. At one point, around the lotus pond, I was moved by my surroundings to the verge of tears. Nature remains forever a wondrous mystery to me, a fascinating miracle of existence and a never-ending source of awe. Granted one doesn’t walk throught gardens containing hundreds of tropical species every single day, but alone knowing these creatures exist in such abundance, variety and diversified beauty should be enough to maintain a general baseline sense of appreciation and wonder for the world we live in.
During my almost 3h at the gardens, I came across a hundred tourists or so, tops. Nothing compared to the massification experienced at the Arashiyama bamboo grove near Kyoto, for example. Also, most of the people I saw were middle aged, accompanied by family members or friends, and overtly as fascinated and mesmerized by the nature around us as I was. No 'influencers', no husband/boyfriend photographers exploited by their female counterparts. I think all these facts definitely had a positive impact on my mood and my train of thought.
I, once again, remembered what kind of experiences I find most joyous and uplifting, and which are those that drain me.
Long story short: after New Zealand, I didn’t think I’d love any botanic garden as much I did Christchurch’s. But I might have found a replacement for my personal number one.
That day I also enjoyed a delicious quinoa salad with chicken and the mandatory Ginger Ale at a grill place at Marina Bay Sands. Table for one with first row seat to the Singaporean skyline. There’s something freeing about taking myself out on a restaurant or movie theatre date somewhere no one knows me, and around people I know I’ll never see again.
I spent the afternoon losing track of time while exploring the luxurious shopping mall, with its own water canals and waterfall, the ArtScience museum and its 'Future World' exposition, as well as enjoying the astounding panoramic vistas over the city and the beautiful Gardens by the Bay from the SkyPark Observation Deck.
So much so, that I was once again left with nothing but another Happy Panda biscuits-based dinner that night…
And then, next day, finally I set foot on the IDKD Asia 2023. Bus line 200 took me straight to the Shaw Foundation Alumni House at the National University of Singapore according to plan, just in time for registration.
It was very intimidating at first: hundreds of radiologists of all ages, and only two other participants besides myself of European origins. A very welcoming talk held by the very warm and likeable Prof. Khong, as well as two interesting talks on spine imaging and sarcomas respectively would set the tone and high standard for the rest of the event, carried out by expert professionals, knowledgeable but charismatic and mostly very engaging (For example, I never thought I’d actually enjoy hand-wrist radiology until Dr. Hillary W. Garner flew all the way from Florida to change my mind).
Even though most workshops by far surpassed a duration most humans can consistently maintain focus for, I absolutely enjoyed most of them: from arthritis and infection by Dr. Teh from Oxford, metabolic and endocrine disease by Dr. Bredella from Harvard, to tumors and tumor-likes from Dr. Garner from Florida (probably my favorite).
I repeatedly found myself in awe of these people, wondering about the insane amount of time and work invested into acquiring all this important knowledge that they seemingly so effortlessly delivered to us in such a delightfully comprehensible and even intuitive manner, which made me view them with nothing but respect and inspiration.
As my brain was enjoying the nutritious new radiological knowledge, so was my body the delicious mostly rice and vegetable-based lunches, as well as tasty samosas and vegetarian spring rolls during coffee breaks.
But aside from the purely academic aspect of the experience, one of the most enriching was, without a doubt, the social one: having the opportunity to meet and chat with so many different radiologists from across Asia: Singapore, Vietnam, Malaysia, Indonesia, India… all of them with their unique stories, educational and healthcare systems and backgrounds… all of them for me to slowly unravel and delight in.
Most colleagues I found extremely polite, conversational, open minded and kind, and they struck me as generally humbler and more approachable than your average stranger Swiss/German resident that I would otherwise encounter at a venue like that (I hope no one fitting those criteria ever reads this).
Soon enough, I felt very comfortable and well-integrated and found myself effortlessly enjoying casual chats about our evenings, our families, our favorite speakers, food, languages…
What a wonderful, wonderful experience that I’m never going to get tired of thinking of and appreciating and cherishing… and most definitely aspiring to repeat.
I also deepened my appreciating for MSK imaging, easily influenced by the amazing talkers’ contagious fascination for it.
Definitively many good choices have been made lately.
But I also enjoyed my solo evenings in Singapore to an unimaginable degree. I think maybe the fact that English is an official language there was a key factor played in the fact that after Japan, I never felt homesick again, or like I was missing something.
The time I spent by myself I did in quiet contemplation, peace and joy ─be it going to the Mandai Wildlife Reserve (aka. Singaporean zoo) for a night safari (with the human line to get there as its wildest component), or ditching my movie theater ticket to see Suzume to go back to Marina Bay and explore the beauty of the Gardens by the Bay from the inside, as well and enjoying a tear-inducing sunset from the mall’s terrace… Another moment turned into memory by now that I hold dear ─bold pastels softly transitioning into one another, slowly changing on a clear beautiful sky acting as a background to the first flickering artificial lights of the Singaporean skyline, with small tourist boats slowly cruising on the bay waters...
There is no better word to describe what I felt in that moment than absolute bliss.
On a side note, after learning from my errors, I was determined to avoid yet another Happy Panda biscuit meal, so I armed myself with homemade lemon tea as well as Tom Yum Fried Rice with seafood from the food court (Yes, it was, indeed, very yum, but it also definitely drilled an ulcer through my duodenal mucosa that night).
I felt sad about saying goodbye to my new IDKD friends on the last day (Facebook and emails were exchanged, as well as promises of reciprocal notification in case of visit to our respective continents), but I also very much enjoyed the 5 hours spent at massive Changi Airport, strolling around Jewel mall while getting my last souvenirs and a great new book.
After around 16 hours or so of travel here I am, back in Basel.
As always, with the change of setting to a familiar one, all these newly past experiences feel both, viscerally vivid and like a faraway dream, only fueling my desire for more, more, more!
It is good to be back, though, especially considering the beautiful weather minus the stuffiness of tropical South East Asia and the mosquitos that go with it.
