THE EMPTY HOTEL

We were carted off to a huge hotel that hadn't (it turned out ) finished being built. There was no roof and that night I could see the stars as I looked up from my little metal bed .... I slept perfectly well, no snake so no problem. The next morning I was served by a very nice gentle African looking man who had a sweet smile. He put a bowl of what was supposed to be cornflakes in front of me. They didn't taste of cornflakes and the milk didn't taste of milk and what's more the orange juice did not taste of orange juice. I had my first experience of Army food for solders when they go out on a 'scheme' to fight etc. It tasted horrible and my Mum had to frown at me for a very long time until I ate it all.

Soon enough we were back in the plane and off we flew to a new and exciting life.

I remember waking up in a bus, my head was on my Mums lap bumping up and down and I could see the silowets of palm trees and smelling very moist and warm air. I must of fallen back to sleep because I don't remember anything after that , but I woke up in our new army quarter and it was wonderful and strange, and beautiful still does not describe how fantastic Singapore was. Would I have lived there forever if given the Chance .......absolutely !

We had quite a big garden with huge flowers that looked like Clivia miniata where big black bees buzzed in and out of, all day. A monsoon drain was all around each of the houses, they were quite deep. There was a huge swamp just over the dirt track where the sound of frogs and other noises could be heard aloud at night it was as though they all started their singing at the same time every single night. I loved that chorus and slept really well apart from the buzz of the mosquito, we hated them, we would spend at least fifteen minutes splatting them if they were found under the mosquito net ..it wasn't fun but there was a bit of satisfaction killing them.

It wasn't long before I met our 'Arma ' She was a Chinese lady and she had a daughter who was in her teens. She wore a typical Chinese outfit that was made of cotton and she called me ' Missy' and she called my Dad 'master', I remember that because my Mum and Dad were very embarrassed about it as they didn't believe in that sort of thing as it was too demeaning, they said. But she wouldn't change her ways. We loved her very much. Her name was Tan, I love you Tan, I wonder sometimes if you are still alive and if only I could find you xxx