House Hunter's International: the Singapore edition

Moving to South Africa definitely took some adjustment after living in the USA. For one thing, after raising our family in much larger houses in New Jersey, we chose to move into a small garden townhouse with a tiny yard in Sandton. Moving to Valley Lodge was an adjustment we welcomed and enjoyed, but it was an adjustment nonetheless. 



But aside from scale, living in Sandton did not require a huge adjustment in terms of lifestyle. We still lived a somewhat suburban lifestyle near the action of Johannesburg (JGB), drove a car to get to where we were going, and did a considerate amount of entertaining and cooking at home.

But like New York, Singapore (SGP) is pretty much all-city which means an adjustment in everyday lifestyle in addition to scale. (For the record, we did look at actual houses with yards and enclosed garages in SGP as well as in JGP - they do exist -  but we have enjoyed care-free apartment living in South Africa with shared amenities such as pools and gyms. And since we are renting short time and not buying in SGP either, we are free to indulge more of our city fantasies and really step outside of our comfort zone, i.e super high-rise apartment living with a view.) But real city living brings with it more adjustments ...

Firstly in SGP everyone has a live-in maid. Neither Vince nor I grew up with a live-in maid nor did we have a live-in nanny or live-in maid when our children were young. While it is true that for all intents and purposes, between her evening dog-sitting and her three days a week cleaning and laundry service, Cecelia has been practically living at Valley Lodge, the fact remains that she still goes home nearby to sleep every night unless we are away. And she never ever cooked for us, did the food-shopping or ran errands for us.

However, the cost of finding a convenient sitter to walk the dogs when we are out of the apartment for the evening or kenneling them for an extended period of time when we are away from Singapore plus the cost of regular maid service once or twice a week totally trumps the cost of just having a live-in to do it all. Besides, many of the apartments we viewed did not even have an oven (!) and none of them had a dishwasher. They all however had a maid's room and bathroom. Sharing a small space with a non-family member will be a major adjustment. Having someone to walk the dogs and run errands however will be awesome!

Second adjustment, we are going to try to live in SGP without a car! Except for the Gautrain and the very limited Rhea Vaya, there really is no mass transportation to speak of in JGP, so everyone has a car. (Our only adjustment since moving to SA was owning one car versus four!) And with the security issues in JBG, walking as a way to get around the city was really not an option. You drive from your secure parking in Sandton to secure parking in JBG. I did walk to my local shopping center, but that is in Sandton, not JBG. They are putting in a Rhea Vaya line in Sandton that will connect to more places in JHB, but unfortunately for us that is too little and way too late.

In addition, cars are much more expensive to lease in SGP and there are zero security issues. Taxis are cheap and for the rest of the time, mass transportation is plentiful. And if you pick your neighborhood correctly, you can simply walk to local shopping centers and restaurants.

Changi Business Park

Luckily one of my favorite shows on the HGTV channel has always been House Hunters International (HHI.) Even before we moved to SA, I watched HHI like most people watch game shows. I played from home.

Now the way HHI works is that the expats-to-be are usually shown three properties in their intended city based on a previously determined wish list. View, space, proximity to work, schools, the beach, town, etc.

Our wish list was pretty simple. A space that is first and foremost dog-friendly; it must have at least two bedrooms and an office space; we would like some storage space; and most importantly, it must have a good location close to the airport and Vince's office and within walking distance to shopping and restaurants. After a few viewings, we quickly eliminated houses as a consideration. Much more space than we either needed or wanted.

Unfortunately that meant we also had to knock storage off of our wish list since the apartments in SGP really do not include the kind of storage and space we enjoyed in JGP. (Darn, I am going to have to do some more paring down of my clothes before we leave SA!) The typical apartment size also means we probably will not be doing much entertaining at home. To compensate, we added a sea view to our wish list. Yay! Back to the ocean at our doorstep!

After dog-friendly, our first consideration on choosing a location for our new neighborhood was proximity to Vince's office and the airport (his second office.) Since they are both co-located in Changi, that was easy. So we concentrated on Katong and the Eastern Corridor, an easy commute by taxi to both with a lively expat and local culture.

After seeing about 20 places altogether in four days, we narrowed it down to the following three apartments.

1. The highrise with killer views of the sea.

Plus side: Very good neighborhood close to amenities like restaurants, buses and shopping. Partially furnished. There is a private entrance from the elevator into a lobby and the living room with views of the water from all the balconies. But the dogs (and we) would have to adjust to using an elevator to get outside for a walk several times a day. And the pool and gym are small so we would have to join a club. (Not too much of a problem really as the Chinese Swimming Club with an abundance of space and amenities is just two doors down.)

wrap around balconies

with sea views

sea views from every window too!

sea view from the small but private balcony off the master bedroom!

2. Valley Lodge II. ground floor apt with wrap-around patio, and convenient green space. On the plus side, this would be so easy to move into and would mean little or no adjustment for the dogs. Open the door and they are outside for a walk. There is a huge pool and gym and a clubhouse. Down-side, not as close to amenities and it doesn't have that "wow!" SGP sea view.

3. Highrise with a view. also close to amenities. It has the most convenient location of all. It has a sea view from the living room's balcony but the apartment does not have a private elevator entrance. And it is completely unfurnished.

nice balcony

nice sea view from the living room

On HHI, the first thing the expats do is eliminate one of the choices. That was easy. #3. So now we are left with essentially what would make us happy (#1) versus what would make the dogs happy (#2).

And speaking of the dogs, here is another adjustment - this time for Lou & Serge though. Unfortunately for our canine heroes, along with other the other indignities of pet relocation, they have to spend at least 30 days in quarantine! While house-hunting in SGP, we decided to stop by and check out Lou & Serge's new temporary housing.

We were pleasantly surprised. Like their local kennel in JBG, the Sembawang Animal Quarantine Station was very roomy, the dogs can share a space, and there is daily recreation. Vince can stop by in December and bring Lou some toys, bring their favorite foods and treats and there is a special area set aside so that Vince can play with them when he visits.

nice and roomy and they can share a space!

there is an air-conditioned sleeping area and a screened in patio

fenced in recreation area for ...

... one on one play

Our decision? Stay tuned for the conclusion of House Hunters International: the Singapore edition ...

Delta Dogs

with Andrea and Djembe, Lou & Serge

We are I am always looking for things to do with the dogs on the weekends. (Somebody really should blog about dog-friendly restaurants, outings and activities around town.)

One of our favorites places to take Lou & Serge for a long walk is Delta Park on the border between Craighall Park and Randburg. One of Johannesburg's biggest parks, Delta Park is an ambler's and dog walker's paradise. It comprises 104 hectares of grassland and woodland criss-crossed with walking trails, bicycle paths and even horseback riding trails which link three beautiful tree-lined dams.

Vince and Ryan with the three boys

We like the idyllic Braamfontein Spruit Trail which borders Johannesburg's major stream. And on Sunday we planned a puppy play date there with Andrea, Ryan, baby Kayla and their Boston Terrier Djembe. It was a crisp but sunny winter's day and this being a Sunday, the park was filled with cyclists and walkers, children and dogs.





The spacious park is also home to the Delta Environmental Centre, where a wide range of fascinating wildlife-related courses are offered to adults and children. There is also a sensory trail and bird-viewing hides, and the Florence Bloom Bird Sanctuary, none of which we have visited yet.

But we do like to visit their dog-friendly restaurant, the Delta Cafe which is open every day for breakfast and lunch. The staff is friendly and the food is fresh and good. Their hot chocolate hit the spot. There was a fire in the fireplace inside today and they put out paw print-patterned lap blankets for the doggie diners outside. But the sun was shining on the patio and we didn't really need them.

Lou & Serge love our walk and lunch dates. Next time, the Sandton Field and Study Center and the River Cafe in Parkmore.

Jock of the Bushveld

Last night we finally watched the film version of South Africa's legendary book, Jock of the Bushveld. Our friends Johann and Louise lent it to us months ago as a must-see while we are in South Africa. So last night we gathered Lou & Serge up onto the couch for a double date night and popped in the DVD.

Written in 1905 by Sir Percy Fitzpatrick, it is the true story of the relationship between Fitzpatrick, an Irish immigrant who came to South Africa to find his fortune in the goldfields of Pilgrim's Rest, and Jock, the runt of a litter of Staffordshire Bull Terriers born in Kruger National Park. Fitzpatrick saves Jock from drowning and the two become inseparable through their adventures in the bushveld. Jock becomes a powerful hunter and protector and Fitzpatrick surely needs it in his new role as a goods driver from the goldfields through the wilds of Kruger to the Mozambique port.

The story reminded me of course of another noble dog book, Jack London's Call of the Wild. Like Jock, the star of this American classic is a powerful dog named Buck. Buck is half St. Bernard and half sheepdog and just like Jock was saved by Fitzpatrick, Buck is saved from mistreatment by John Thornton. Jack London wrote his novel in 1903 after his own experiences in the Alaskan Yukon during the 1890s Klondike Gold Rush.

Since Fitzpatrick's is a true story, there is actually a "Jock of the Bushveld route" in Mpumalanga which identifies many of the landmarks Fitzpatrick chronicled in the book. Now that we've seen the movie, I will have to look for some of the plaques when we go back to Kruger in August.

I've blogged about it before but I do like to use books as literary guides to the places we travel. We all read The Call of the Wild before our family traveled to Alaska in the summer of 1998 and we followed much of the same trail Buck and Thorton traveled in the book through Juneau and Skagway and up to Whitehorse.

We took a helicopter to the Mendenhall Glacier outside of Juneau and we hiked on the glacier itself. We kayaked in Glacier Bay and cruised up to Skagway where Alex and Nick became Junior Rangers at the Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park. We even took the White Pass & Yukon Route narrow gauge train from Skagway up and over the very same Klondike Trail that London and his fellow prospectors hiked and crossed into the Canadian Yukon.

In Fairbanks we visited a dogsled farm where we met an experienced Iditarod racer and her pack of dogs. It was summer so we couldn't take her dogs out for a spin but we did drive a sled ourselves later one Christmas in Vermont.

kayaking in Glacier Bay

waterfall in Glacier Bay

Nick driving a dogsled in Vermont

It really brings so much more meaning to the experience of travel when you can relate it to a book with larger than life characters such as Jock and Buck, Fitzpatrick and Thorton. Wish we could take Lou & Serge with us on our next trip to Kruger but unlike the bushveld in 1903, now there are no dogs allowed!

Melville Koppies with Lou & Serge

Eish!

Melville Koppies is a Nature Reserve and a Johannesburg City Heritage Site. It is the last conserved remnant of Johannesburg's ridges as they were before the discovery of gold in 1886.

Its geology goes back three billion years and recovered stone tools show that Early Stone Age man camped here as long as 500,000 years ago. There is a Late Stone Age living floor and within the last 1000 years Iron Age immigrants arrived. Remains of their kraal walls can be found on the northern slopes. In 1963 an iron-smelting furnace was excavated and can be seen today.

A "koppie" is Afrikaans for "a small hill." The word derives from the Dutch "kopje" which means literally "a little head." The vegetation of the Koppies is entirely indigenous and is a remarkable example of the richness of highveld grasses, flowers, and trees so close to a city centre. These ridges have looked like this for hundreds of years.

Socialized dogs on leads are welcome on Melville Koppies West and East, but not allowed on Melville Koppies Central because of the archaeological significance. In fact there are organized guided dog walks through Melville Koppies West every first Saturday of the month. Lou & Serge are very social so we decided to join the group for a walk on Saturday.

The group meets at 8:00 sharp at the 3rd Avenue and Arundel Road entrance to the Reserve in Westdene. And even though it was a holiday weekend which meant that probably many people were away, it was still quite well-attended. Make a small donation to the Friends of the Melville Koppies and you are off.

We climbed up the koppie to the top of the ridge over some pretty tough terrain for our poor heroes Lou & Serge. They are low-riders after all with very short legs! The group keeps a pretty brisk pace and their 5K walk usually last between an hour and 90 minutes.

From the get-go, Lou struggled to keep up. He finally declared the end of his jurisdiction by sitting down in the grass and refusing to get up until we turned around. Which we did.

Lou pulling up the rear!

in their defense, it was more like running the gauntlet than walking

over boulders

if it wasn't the boulders, it was the tall grass

disappearing dogs

But the views were spectacular!

overlooking Joburg

with some interesting vegetation

After our walk, we rewarded ourselves with a stop at the Bamboo Market in downtown Melville for some goodies.

Afterwards we drove back to Valley Lodge where Vince gave Lou & Serge a good brushing to remove all the burrs they picked up in the tall grass. Then it was nap time for these two tuckered out koppie explorers!

Silver Linings Parkhurst

Eskom load-shedding is annoying. No electricity. No internet. No lights. No electric stove, oven and microwave.

But there is one silver lining. When we get advanced notice that load-shedding is scheduled in our area during mealtime, we can use it as an opportunity to go out to eat. Ideally somewhere where there is no load-shedding currently. Or somewhere with a brick oven or a generator for backup. But we do not like to leave the pups home in the dark for four hours so our load-shedding dinners out are usually avec les chiens.






I had found an article in Eat Out magazine naming five dog-friendly restaurants in Joburg. Only a couple of them are actually open for dinner. Last week we made a reservation at one of them, The Burnside Cafe in Craighall Park. When we got there, we found it wasn't as dog-friendly as all that. Yes they took our reservation avec les chiens, but when we got there we found that they had moved a table for us from out under the warm and covered well-lit open-air porch into the middle of the grass where we were all alone and in the dark. Now we are very familiar with the New York concept of "restaurant Siberia." We were clearly not chic enough to be seen. Yeah well, homey don't play dat!

We are way too cute for restaurant Siberia!

We ended up cancelling our reservation on the spot and leaving to go back to one of our favorite dog-friendly towns with a slew of wonderful restaurants featuring cafe seating on the street. Parkhurst.

I was a little nervous because we didn't have a reservation and it was a Friday night. But if you get there early - say 6:00 - you can usually find a table. Stella e Luna, Craft, Coobs. Espresso Caffe and Bistro (which is also on Eat Out's dog-friendly list. So is Nice, but alas it is not open for dinner.) So many on 4th Avenue to choose from. Not only do they welcome dogs, they voluntarily put out a bowl of water for them!

@ Parkhurst's 4th Avenue Coffee Roasters

There were a noticeable number of dogs on display at other tables around town and we must have seen at least a  dozen on the street being walked while we were comfortably dining at Craft. They would all stop by to sniff and say hello!

Load-shedding just got a little more dog-friendly.

The Vredefort Impact Dome

We visited our last UNESCO World Heritage Site in South Africa, the Vredefort Impact Dome, the site of the biggest meteorite impact that geologists have yet found on earth. (SA's other World Heritage Sites are Robben Island,  iSimangaliso Wetland Park, the Cradle of Humankind, uKhahlamba-Drakensberg Park, Mapungubwe Cultural Landscape, the Richtersveld Cultural and Botanical Landscape and the Cape Floral Region.)

World Heritage Sites are designated for a variety of reasons. Cultural significance. The site of significant historic events. Scientific importance. The UNESCO World Heritage committee gave three reasons why Vredefort was considered worthy of its designation. First, for the preservation of the unique geology due to the meteor impact and its affect on the surrounding area. Second, the fact that the rings marking the impact are still visible for viewing and third, that it is located in a safe and quiet area which provides enjoyment for visitors.

the Eiffel Tower in Parys

The gateway to the Vredefort Dome area is Parys. On the banks of the Vaal River, Parys has a very relaxed riverside feel. The small town is filled with art galleries and antique shops and is known as a purveyor of Afrikaans culture and food.

We stopped at the information center to get the lay of the land and contact information for a local guide to take us to the Vredefort Dome. We were given Christo's name and contact information. Christo owns a 200 hectare farm within the World Heritage Site. His farm near Parys has the distinction of containing a high point where you can see the rings of the impact crater. (His contact number is 083 406 0841.)

Christo's farm is also home to the Kopieskrall Country Lodge and that is where we met him to drop of our car and start our tour.

close up of the black veins

Make a right at the granite slab.

Vredefort granophyre and pseudotachylite are the names given to the black crystallized impact melt-rock that flowed into the cracks of the granite. They contain broken pieces from many rock types as well as very small chemical traces of the meteorite that caused the impact.

blesbok

Most of the World Heritage Site is privately owned by individual farms and families.

"Hey, a farm dog!"

We brought Lou & Serge with us and they immediately made friends with Christo's dog Milo.

Christo and Vince and the 40 year old Landcruiser

back of the bakkie with Lou & Serge for an African massage

First, Christo gave us some history in the lapa before heading up to the view site

ready for the ride to the top!

inside the ancient kraal

On the top of the ridge is an old abandoned Tswana kraal. The former inhabitants were chased into what is now Botswana by Shaka during his conquest across southern Africa to unite the tribes.

We took our sons to visit USA's Meteor Crater in Arizona once so I thought I was prepared for what we were about to see. But the numbers make it impossible to recreate an image in a photograph that would convey the impact of the meteor on the landscape. The meteor is estimated to have been between 10 and 15 kms in diameter and upon impact - traveling at an estimated 10 kms per second - with the earth, it made a crater that was more than 300 kms in diameter!

It was nearly twice as big as the impact that killed the dinosaurs 65 million years ago. Besides being the biggest impact crater, Vredefort is also the oldest impact event. The meteor impact happened some 2023 million years ago at a time when there were no people nor animals and plants like the ones we see today. Probably the only thing living at the time of the impact were single-celled organisms. And curiously, scientists speculate that the incident may have increased the planet's oxygen level's to the point of making life possible.

The Vredefort Dome is only the central part of the impact crater. It was called a dome because the rock layers were bent into the shape of an upside-down bowl 90 kms across by the impact.

Today the edges of the Vredefort Dome are exposed in several rings which can been seen from the top of Christo's hill.

Probably the biggest effect the meteor impact had on the area though concerns the accessibility of the gold in the Witwatersrand. Gold sediment originally lie buried deep on the bottom of the ridge. But when the meteor hit, it caused the Wits gold layer to tilt and reach the surface. It is possible that if it had not been for the Vredefort impact, the gold of Johannesburg would never have been discovered.

All over the floor of the impact area you can also see a number of outcroppings of Parys granite, a rare pink granite that was mined in the last century.

"Enough of the African massage. We want to ride up front on the way back!"