Welcome to Dollar Academy

I'm afraid we have had a bad start to the trip, and I very much hope things only get better from this point on.

Firstly, I have just spent half an hour writing the second blog, and when I asked the computer to load it up to the site, it shut me off. Do you know the feeling? I'm sure you do.

One girl has had to pull out because of illness, and another has just managed to get out of hospital in time, having suffered from serious septicaemia. Seventy years ago, before antibiotics came on the scene, she would have died. The good-old days? I'm not so sure.

But even worse, Ecofieltrips have failed to book the YMCA hotel for us, despite our request, and despite the fact we have used the hotel on every trip since 2001. Instead, the Strand Hotel is booked. 25 Bencoolen Street, Singapore. +65 6338 1866. It's very close by and is well situated for our first night in town, but it has no roof-top swimming pool and that will be a huge miss. I can say no more at this point, except to say I learned of this only two days ago, and we will save some money on an already rather expensive trip.

The exchange rates of the Sing Dollar and Ringgit are very poor. On an earlier trip, some bright spark christened them Singadings and Ringadings, so I'll use the same terminology from now on if that's OK with you? Ringadings are down from 6 to less than 5 to the pound. So, even the Malaysian economy is doing better than us. Mmm...

The flight leaves at 16.40 today and KLM are the preferred carrier because they always manage to seat us together. In the past, Air France and Lufthansa couldn't quite manage that, which always astonished me, and often made me rather angry.

Mr M will be at the airport waiting for you with luggage weighing machine at the ready! Can I be sexist here and say "Girls, you are warned!"?

We have arrived! All well, flight no problem, 12 hours from Amsterdam to Singapore non-stop.

All are safely in their rooms, getting ready for a walk into the city tonight. So, this is just a quick blog - more will follow later.

Firstly, a big hug for Carrie who is not with us. Such unbelievable bad luck. Everyone sends best wishes for a speedy recovery.

We are seven hours ahead of you now, so it's 6pm Sing time and 11am Dollar time.

Tomorrow there’s a free morning to do last-minute shopping for a couple of hours before we leave the hotel at 12.30 for Seletar airport where we will catch the plane for Tioman. Arrival time in Tioman is around 5pm. Then it is hoped to do some snorkelling or to go on a mini mangrove/jungle walk. In this part of the world, it’s dark by 8pm – the sun sets and rises very quickly and the lengths of days and nights don’t vary much throughout the year.

It's almost 1am (6pm your time) and all is quiet. I've struggled to get into the Internet but have finally succeeded. And, as you can see, I've managed to get some pictures for you too. Bit slow, but we're getting there.

This morning the troops were allowed to get up when they wished, have breakfast and explore Singapore for a couple of hours, before returning to the hotel to pack for the flight to Tioman. The problem with the Tioman flight is that the cargo baggage allowance is only 10kg. So, frantic efforts were made to reduce weight. For the first time, I brought a little machine to weigh the baggage, and that was most useful. Most were unable to reach the magic 10, but none were over 13kg, so fingers were crossed. As it happened we got through without complaint.

The plane was delayed, which was a pity. However, that's almost always par for the course and was not unexpected. Fortunately, there is a reasonable waiting room with AC and TV, and there were no complaints. As you can see from the photo, all were happy chappies. Our three guides from EFT are on the right.

The flight takes only 45 minutes, and flying over Tioman and landing on the short airstrip is great fun, although a careful study of the picture on the left will demonstrate that it's all just a bit too much for some! I have many more photos of sleepy persons, but I fear retribution if I print too many of them.

Once through customs we boarded three 'bum boats' and set off along the coast for Paya. The weather was lovely and it was great to be afloat again. At last, a view of tropical paradise.

This evening we had a good meal, then an hour's slide show of the fish we are likely to see tomorrow when snorkeling.

There was a big tropical storm late on, but all is quiet again; just the frog chorus to keep us company.

I’m writing this blog in the Paya Beach restaurant where forty or so folks have congregated to watch the match between Germany and Uruguay. We have a large screen, and the picture is good, but I must resist the distraction, as it is almost 3am am now and time for bed. I'm hoping the cheers don't waken our troops.

The morning started at 6.30 for some intrepid lads who went out for an early morning training session, which involved running along the sand and stopping to do press-ups from time to time. I arose a little later and took a second party of keep-fit enthusiasts along the trail to Melina. We will be visiting Melina on Monday morning, so I’ll tell you more about that later. The path is fairly rough, and we had hoped to see snakes, monkeys or monitor lizards, but, as it happened, we were out of luck. The run took 16 minutes there and back, and that was quite enough for old teacher, happy to avoid the added punishment of press-ups.

We took an hour to reach Tulai, and there we snorkelled at three different sites, including a pristine mangrove. That sounds a contradiction in terms. Aren’t mangroves just swamps by the sea? Not this one. The water was crystal-clear and the ground, clean, white sand. It’s so clear you can swim between the roots of the trees, and follow the fish which inhabit this strange world.

However, we also saw many corals, bleached white in the equatorial sun. Why bleached? Because this area has experienced an unusual heat-wave and the temperature of the sea rose to 31 degrees some months ago. These sensitive creatures have evolved over many millions of year to live within a very narrow temperature range, and now we humans have upset that delicate balance. How sad.

We were back at base camp by 5pm. However, the day was not yet over. A 45-minute walk in a different, and muddy, mangrove was scheduled for 6.15. One brave girl said: “Sir, could we not just relax by the pool between now and dinner?” “Certainly not”, came the stern reply. “This is an expedition, not a holiday”. In truth, this is really is a fabulous ‘holiday’, packed with all kinds of activities, and today was no exception.

The walk was not far, and we were delighted to see two large monitor lizards, a dog-nosed water snake and many monkeys. We saw many other less exotic, but nonetheless interesting, animals and plants. The adaptations to living in a mangrove are many and varied. Nature has so many ways of solving, what seem to be, insurmountable difficulties.

Is that it, you ask? Well not quite. With 35 individuals on the expedition, you cannot expect a trouble-free trip. Although we enjoyed ourselves, life was not a great big party for all. In addition to our sick girl this morning, two cameras were broken, someone fell, someone developed earache and there are a few with a touch of sunburn this eve. What’s more, we received news that a boy’s wallet had been found in the bus which took us to the airport in Singapore. It’s going to be returned to its owner next week – who’s a lucky boy?

Who fell and who smashed his camera? The author of this report, I’m ashamed to say. But I’m fine; just very annoyed to have lost my most treasured possession on this trip. Fortunately, Mrs McD has a similar camera, so photos will continue to appear on the blog. A new one may be purchased in Singapore next week. Better hone my bartering skills.

The day dawned bright and sunny, with very little wind, and stayed that way until late evening – more of that later.

I must mention that the weather has been particularly good. I can hear you say, “Isn’t the weather always so?” Actually, it isn’t. It’s always warm, but it can also be any or all of the following: windy, wet and cloudy. Locals comment that the weather has become more unpredictable over the past ten years, but this July it has been very settled and very warm. Calm days with clear skies are best for diving, and snorkelling in particular, because waves don’t wash over the snorkel, and the sunlight enhances both visibility and colours of the coral reefs. I had a super snorkel on my own this afternoon, staying almost motionless, and surrounded by multi-coloured fish of all shapes and sizes. It was like floating in a giant aquarium. And so warm; I rarely feel cold, swimming in the South China Sea.

Why was I on my own? A variety of injured troops were kept back at the ranch today, while the others went on the jungle walk across Tioman. So, I undertook to look after the walking wounded. There were four in all, but nothing serious: two ear problems, a brief faint in the heat and a tummy problem. All seem OK this eve, but I am concerned the ear problems will recur when we start serious diving on Tuesday.

I can tell you second hand, that the jungle walk was a success, although it’s never easy climbing 1000 feet in a hot, humid jungle, even when we take it slowly. Lots of interesting animals and plants were seen, and the photos below speak for themselves.

Half way down the far side there is a stop by a mountain pool, where all can cool off under the cascading water.

Then, at arrival on the far coast, ice-creams are bought and we climb aboard the boats for a two-hour journey home.

In the evening we went a short night-walk, and found a dog-nosed water snake in the river. However, the rain started and we were soon washed out by a tropical storm and had to run for home. Later I took some of the guys and girls out on a torch-lit exploration of the rook pools, as the tide receded. We found another water snake and five octopuses! Many photos were taken, which I hope you will see when we return home.

Now, it’s 2.15 in the morning, and most have gathered in the restaurant to watch the football final on a big screen. There will be some tired folks later today, but we have a four-hour trip in the dive boat ahead of us, and that will be a good time to catch up on sleep.

There’s a quick 20 minute walk to Melina in the morning, then we leave on the dive boat at noon, for Aur. Melina is another small resort used by Ecofieldtrips. We have stayed there before, but prefer the Paya-Aur option, as it is more varied. At Melina, there is a turtle hatchery, and this is the main reason for the walk, although the walk itself can be quite interesting.

I won’t be able to write to you from Aur, but I will keep a diary, and write to you again as soon as we reach Singapore on Friday evening. There is no internet connection on the island and we will be lucky to get a mobile signal. However, I have a satellite phone with me and will contact Dollar Academy from time to time. So, if there is an emergency and you want to contact your child, please phone the school.

After only a couple of hours sleep for many of us, we awoke to rain, and it rained heavily for the entire morning. So the walk to Melina was cancelled. Instead, we had a short lecture with slides, about the turtle sanctuary at Melina. The eggs are collected and buried in a protected area, so that they are not eaten by predators at any stage of development. If you are interested to learn more, there is a description in the 2009 blog.

The dive boat arrived at 1.30, the rain disappeared, the sun came out and the wind dropped to next to nothing. So, we had a super trip to Aur. The journey only took three and a half hours because the conditions were so good. The troops were able to sleep in various parts of the boat and sunbathe on the foredeck. This was a great way to make up for lost sleep this morning, watching the football final. Didn’t you find the football a bit dull? The few Dutch in the campsite to whom we spoke, thought Spain played better, and were ashamed that so many of their team were penalised with yellow cards.

After three hours of cruising, it was a thrill to sail up the channel and see the Atlantis dive site with golden sands lined with palms. For Mrs McD and me, it seemed like no time since we were last here. We have not always included a visit to Aur in our schedule, for reasons out with our control, but I think it’s fair to say it’s our favourite spot.

We dropped anchor off the beach and a small launch came out to pick us up. A chain gang was set up on the shore and the baggage passed from one to the other up the beach. The accommodation is fairly primitive, but of no real importance, because all waking hours are spent out on the beach, at the restaurant area, or diving.

It was good to meet Alex again. He runs the outfit, and comes specially to see us each year. He spends almost all his time in the Maldives, only visiting Atlantis about once every six weeks. In the Maldives he runs a much more spectacular outfit. If you are interested, Google “MV Orion”! It’s worth a look, but check your bank balance first.

The day was spent diving, sunbathing and snorkelling. Most of the divers did three dives. There are inevitable problems with ears, but most were overcome, with only a few opting out of the diving permanently. One poor lad discovered he had a cavity in his tooth, which is excruciatingly painful when surfacing, because the air in the cavity expands and compresses the nerves in the tooth. One of the Malay’s joked that he could drill out the cavity, to release the pressure, but we declined the offer!

I took a few folks snorkelling at two locations, and at the second, Mrs Inglis and I saw six small black-tipped reef sharks at quite close quarters. They are rather shy, and it’s difficult to get close to them, so we were delighted we got such a good view of these beautifully streamlined creatures cruising effortlessly in the shallow waters of the reef.

Another glorious day, with wall to wall sunshine + gentle breeze to keep us cool. There was demand to see sharks, so a few snorkelling trips were organised and were successful, I’m happy to say. The sharks are just under one metre long, although we spotted one larger one at one point. They are timid, but if you keep still in the water, they will swim round a little to check you out, about three metres away if you are lucky. There’s no danger. Apart from anything else their mouths are barely big enough to nip off a finger! There seem to be around ten living in the area, just 80 yards from our beach, and it’s really relatively easy to see them.

The divers go to different sites every day, and some of us joined them on the first trip, to snorkel while they dived. Some of the non-diving boys came too, and had great fun jumping and diving off the dive boat, into the warm sea. By the end of the day, all the PADI divers had completed their course. So, all the divers have their PADI Open Water (POW) qualification now – a splendid achievement.

They are diving to a maximum of 18 metres. Our insurance covers us to 30 metres, so we are well within our limits. There are four instructors and a number of advanced divers too, including Mrs McD, who now has a hundred dives to her credit. All the EFT staff are experienced divers, so we feel well protected in this unfamiliar environment.

Sun sets at around 7pm, and darkness follows quickly. But all the troops find plenty to amuse, with games of one kind or another on the sand. I have to watch the ‘rugby boys’ because their game of ‘Limmy’ is a bit brutal. The rugby ball (yes we do have one with us) is passed from one to another. Each time you drop the pass you get an L or I or M etc. When you get a ‘Limmy’ you are punished. I won’t describe the punishment; the boys say it’s not as bad as it looks, but I’m not convinced.

Life is idyllic here. I’m writing this at 2pm. All the divers have gone, and just a handful of pupils remain, playing cards, sunbathing, swimming, or playing on the windsurf board which comes with a canoe paddle and can be used any time. The board has long since lost its mast and sail, but it’s fun to play on, and the challenge is to stand on it and paddle it – much easier said than done. I’ve been out lying in the sun, but it’s really too hot. Lying out on the beach, at mid-day near the equator, you really do feel the destructive power of the sun. I love sunbathing, but this is beyond the limit for me; I’m in the shade now.

Seven of us had a great snorkel this morning on the hunt for turtles. Sadly, we were unsuccessful, but we came across the sharks again. I can now confirm there are over a dozen young ones and one adult, all living just seventy metres from our beach, in water no more than 3 metres deep. A few of us had a really good look at the adult, cruising round us, about ten metres away. A thrill to see, and, I’m pleased to say on behalf of the non-divers, that we have had much better views of sharks than the divers.

What about the wild life on land? We’ve not seen any monitors on Aur this year, but there are bats, large moths and beetles, and a few centipedes to frighten us. The latter are 10 to 20 cms long and have a nasty bite. I found one in my room the other night and swished it out quickly. Last year we found a poisonous snake in one of the girls’ showers. So, it’s not for the squeamish.

This evening, there was a talk for the pupils about the conservation of life in the ocean. Goodness, we are fighting an uphill battle on that one. The figures relating to world-wide destruction of the marine ecosystems are astronomic and deeply depressing. There are too many folks on this planet and yet it’s barely an issue on any political agenda. Take our own three political leaders, add Tony Benn, and ask yourself if family size is even on the radar. I’m deeply pessimistic about the future of the planet. The ‘golden era’ is coming to an end as food, water and sources of energy become increasingly scarce.

Some awoke earlier than others to take up the offer of a last, pre-breakfast, early morning dive. A dozen enthusiasts set off just after seven, and completed their tenth dive of the week, in perfect conditions: calm + clear sky.

There’s a profusion of tanned bodies now, some so tanned we might have difficulty getting through immigration. But some were a little reckless at the end of the holiday and overdid the top-up. The strength of the equatorial sun is even greater when reflected off the sea. So Mrs I and Mrs McD were offering skin care services at the end of the day.

We boarded our bus in Mersing, and after a short drive, stopped for an excellent lunch in a large Chinese restaurant, which we have visited many times before. Then back on the bus for the long trip south to Singapore. Happily, the trip was shorter this year because a new motorway link has been built. However, our pleasure was short-lived, because there were traffic problems in Singapore, and it was after 8pm before we finally reached the hotel. A curfew of 11.30 was set, to allow everyone a chance to unpack and go out for a bite to eat at Kopitiam, or further afield for the more adventurous.

During the night there was heavy rain with thunder and lightning. So much rain fell, that flash floods were reported in the morning news. The rain continued for a while after breakfast, so Mrs Inglis and I braved the drenching to run across the street and buy two umbrellas. We walked back 30 metres to the hotel, with our new purchases, safely protected from the rain; then the rain went off for the rest of the day – of course.

Mat and Sam from EFT turned up at 9.30 to take us all to Sentosa. We travelled by underground, then monorail to the holiday island. The MRT underground must be one of the best in the world: slick, on time and as clean as a whistle. Tickets were purchased for Underwater World, and Dolphin lagoon, and then we let everyone go to enjoy the rest of the day, with a wide range of activities to choose from, including a luge run and a new artificial wave riding/surf feature. For anyone visiting Singapore, a visit to Sentosa is definitely worth considering.

All were back at the hotel by 6.00, showered, powdered, made-up and ready for a night at Clarke Quay. Clarke Quay is the place to be on a Saturday night in Singapore. It’s a vibrant spot beside the river, and is packed with folks, out to enjoy the wide range of entertainment available on the banks of the river. First stop is always the giant swing and bungee jump. Well, it’s not a jump, quite the opposite in fact: more of a rocket chair which hurtles the three occupants at great speed into the night sky. There’s always an audience there to witness the terror and the screams of the participants as the metal contraption is catapulted into the air. Photos and movies were taken of the cool, and not so cool.

We are about to leave the hotel. All seems more or less OK for our flight out, but we can never be sure until we actually land in Edinburgh at 8.45 on Monday morning. We have had major problems in the past. eg. we were turned back over the Indian Ocean once, and had to spend an extra day in Singapore. There was another disaster a few years ago, but I'd rather not tell you about that at this moment! I'll encourage everyone to text home at Amsterdam.

Today has been a free day to shop in the city. As I write the troops are buying T-shirts from Sam in the hotel lobby.

I've bought a new camera to replace the broken one, but just a little too late to supply you with new photos - sorry about that.

The trip has been great fun, as always, and we look forward to seeing you all on return.