LANDLORDS' PROBLEMS AND SOLUTIONS WORLDWIDE - TASKS

 

1 LANDORD & OWNER EXPERIENCE

Whilst living overseas, renting in Singapore, I was a landlord in London.

What are the landlord's main problems?

1 Payment of rent - or lack of it. Unemployed tenant. Covid and self-employed worker.

2 Empty flats - insurance, dirt, leaks, vandalism, squatters, expenses of council tax and maintenance.

3 Children - damage and overcrowding.

4 Pets - damage to the flat, the common area, noise annoying neighbours. |New legislation says you cannot refuse to have pets for no good reason. A good reason would be that you are already bound to no pets by your own contract. You might be allergic to animal fur and feathers, as I am. A good tenant might be willing to have pets neutered and wormed and to take out insurance. 

On the plus side, one tenant told me that after a neighbour got a cat, the mice problem ended. 

5 Noise

You can download an ap on a smart phone to check noise.

6 Tenants leaving tenancy early too early or too late

7 Mould

8 Equipment failure.

9 Furnished or unfurnished.

10 Gardening, garage doors, subsidence drains, storm damaging fences and patio doors.

Useful Websites

When the landlord came round and saw the skimpy curtains a few weeks later, he said, I wish you'd told me last month, I could have got them replaced. Now it's too late. Landlord's loss.

The moral is, make sure anything missing or broken is listed on the inventory and recorded in an email immediately. 

It's good for the tenant. And good for the landlord.

 LANDLORD'S problems

Protecting Building From Damage By Movers 

On moving in and out, tenants had to pay management to put protective baffling on the lifts and corridor floors and flat doorways. This is very sensible. 

As a landlord we should have this in the UK. Instead as a landlord, I suffered from complaints that the corridor carpets were ruined by tenants moving in out. 

I have tried to keep the flats fully furnished and not to allow furniture to be moved in and out.

Fire Safety & The Elderly

If you rent out to retirement age people, the advantage is that you don't have children creating noise and damage.

On the other hand, an elderly person might keep burning the toast and setting off the fire alarm.

They might fall over steps outdoors or in a hallway or stairwell and blame the owner or building management if a light bulb has not been fixed instantly. 

The solution to the light bulb problem is to stock replacement bulbs on the premises. The person in charge or changing light bulbs could be the resident porter, or another resident of the building, or the person reporting the problem could collect the key to the light bulb cupboard. 

A whatsapp group for residents could ensure another person provides a ladder, or person to ensure safety of the person changing the light bulb, and the protection of the cupboard from theft. 

Landlord problem - Leaks

In London we had a leaking heated towel rail in the bathroom. I tried two plumbers who were not available. 

I looked online and up popped an ad for a 24/7 service. They wanted about 90 pounds paid upfront, which I paid. They said the plumber was on another job half an hour away. I said ok. 2.30 pm. I go half hour postponement until 4.30 when it was dark. Then I was told the plumber agreed with the tenant to come back next morning. ok. I did not want to drive over in the dark and hang around. Later Sunday the towel rail burst sending water everywhere. The porter called the fire brigade who turned off the water and the electricity.

Next day the plumber arrived. He fitted a new towel rail and charged about nine hundred pounds.

He said that the radiators were on the same system and also likely to leak, and that would be about six thousand pounds. 

I called back the other two plumbers.

One said the towel rail was not on the radiator system but on a separate system which was turned off under the bath. 

The other one said that the towel rail on the hot water system should not have been stainless stell, which you identified by attaching a magnet. 

The original plumbing company would not tell me the maker or guarantee of the towel rail and said the guarantee was from their company. I would not let them do any more work for me because of their huge prices and unhelpfulness. The staff on the phone were very soothing and knowledgeable. But the plumber had not turned up in time. I then had to spend another thousand or so on replacing the wooden floor of the hall which was flooded, plus the disruption of time spent choosing flooring, pulling up the old damaged flooring, wait for concrete floor to dry, survey, choosing new flooring - I refused to have glue down flooring because I'd had that previously and when replaced, the carpet fitters said the wrong glue was used and instead of pulling up sheets, you had to chip off the stuck down panels inch by inch which took hours and cost me a lot. Glue could also be a fire risks.

Landlord problems - Fire Alarms and Extinguishers

After the New Year's Eve fire in Switzerland, I am now looking at supplying a fire alarm, fire extinguisher, and fire blanket. I am included to not get the fire blanket. Neither I nor any other amateur would be likely to risk getting close enough to put down a fire blanket.  Spraying powder or anything else from a distance is more likely to be done.

FINDING A NEW TENANT

DIY

Advantage

Advertise online for free or low cost.

Disadvantage

You could be inundated by time wasting replies and costly research into credit worthiness of people who turn out to have no income, to be bad payers, to have criminal records, bad references for damaging property, overcrowding and creating mould. Old tenant not leaving, so your prospective new tenant is lost or you cannot move back into your former home and take up a job or get married. 

Agencies

Management

Landlords' best practice

For landlords

1 Answer immediately. 

2 Fix problems quickly. 

3 Use check-a trade. 

4 Ask your local whatsapp group for reliable plumbers, electricians and other workers such as gardeners, fence builders, drain fixers.

The tenant is not a friend, but a business contact. 

Keep calm and carry on.

My family say,

 'It's not a problem, it's a task. Everything collapses after twenty years and needs replacing. That's what money is for.

Check reviews on Websites on tradespersons and businesses

checkatrade.com

tripadvisor.co.uk

Useful Websites on Fire Alarms

https://www.fireprotectiononline.co.uk/small-kitchen-fire-safety-bundle

£56.12 for smoke alarm, fire blanket and fire extinguisher (powder).

..................................

https://simplyextinguishers.co.uk/landlord-fire-safety-bundle

£46.79

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Fire extinguisher and bracket 

£16.49 on ebay

.................................................

https://www.fireandsafetycentre.co.uk/collections/quantity-discount-available

£38.27 triple bundle

You might also want a carbon monoxide detector.

You can buy a combined smoke alarm and carbon monoxide alarm.

also check ebay, amazon, lidl and asda. costco uk and costco usa.

HOW DID TRAVELLERS BOOK ROOMS AHEAD BEFORE THE INTERNET? How can you get emergency beds and insect proofiing?

Over breakfast, my husband, Trevor, and I, discussed how travellers might have booked rooms and meals ahead, before the era of the internet.

Empty Rooms

I speculated that, as in hotels nowadays,  the best, most expensive room might be left empty for VIPS. 

Dormitories

The cheaper rooms were like dormitories. The inn keeper just kept  adding more people for more money. 

A giant fowl or animal on a spit fed everybody. Or a casserole. You kept the casserole going and added more vegetables or meat if more people arrived.

Stage Coaches

You knew what time the stage coach arrived each day or week, and the maximum number of people it carried. Also the number of horses which would need to rest overnight and be watered and fed.

Big Beds Shared

Famously the Great bed of Ware in the Victoria and ALbert Museum in London would sleep six. Family or strangers. 

Shakespeare's Saying On Beds

Remember Shakespeare's saying about sensible people sleeping straight in bed. To keep other people's arms and legs and sex organs away from you, and yours away from them. 

Servants' Accommodation

Servants of the inn, and servants of the visitors, could be demoted to small rooms, closets, corridors, spaces under the beds, watching the owner's possessions, chairs, straw on the floor, attic rooms, stables where they could watch that the horses were not stolen overnight. Up in the attic. Down in the cellar. Outhouses. Under the awning out in the yard on a fine day.

Modern hotels have samll, single rooms at the back with no outlook for coach drivers. Sometimes a hotel which has no accommodation can find a basic, empty room (at a lower price) for a desperate traveller in an emergency, especially if the traveller need to stay with a group.

Somerset Maugham, Mosquito Net

Somerset Maugham, my husband rememered, had written in one of his books how he sent a  rider (or even a runner) on ahead, to warn of the master's arrival. 

Advance Hotel Checks

When Trevor worked in the USA, before a big conference, the organizeer's well paid PA would arrive a day, or two, earlier, to check the accommodation, (also, I imagine, the conference rooms equipment, and the food) 

This cost the company a fortune. But in previous centuries labout was cheap, so sending your servant on ahead was not expensive.

Somerset Maugham travelled with his own mosquito net. On one occasion there was no accommodation. But the host had a day to build a temporary hat with a roof to keep off the rain and insects.

Helpful Hammocks

A traveller in Asia or Africa would also take their own hammock. Emergency bed hung from a tree or poles attached to walls or ceilings or an a shape from the floor. A hammock unlke a bed with legs would keep you high up. Away from crawling insects which would climb up bed legs. above, dogs, cats, rats, mice, snakes, even chickens. 

The mosquito net would keep out other insects. And small mammals. Cats. Catch bird droppings. 

Modern Cockroaches - Worst

A released hostage kept in tunnels in Gaza told the UN how they were moved to a worse area with cockroaches.  

Modern Anti-Insect - Best Rooms

In Finland every hotel has some rooms designed without fabrics on walls and floors for the benefit of allergy sufferers. If you need one of these rooms, book ahead to be sure of getting one.

Future Inventions NeededFor Travellers

 In hotels I prefer to sleep with clothes which cover ny neck, arms and legs, to avoid getting insect bites. You can spray a room before leaving it.  

Whe I lived in Singapore, if I was expecting workmen to arrive early in the morning, I would sleep in a caftan. That meant I was covered if I needed to answer the door, or the workers arrived whilst I was still in the bathroom or eating breakfast.

What if you have to leave a building instantly on hearing a fire alarm? Dressed only in night clothes!

You cannot return to the building to collect clothes. Or they are covered in smells of smoke, dirty soot, or water from sprinklers.

Maybe somebody can sesign a caftan which can zip up, or close with pull ties at the neck waist, hem and cuffs, to convert into an insect-proof sleeping bag. For emergencies, or travel. Even for afternoon naps on the beaach. And daytime or evening or overnight in airport lounges.

Portable Changing Cover

A portable changing cover from Temus costs under five pounds sterling (maybe postage free or postage extra, depending on whether you are a new or old customer, making a big order, have a free postage offer, and other factors. If this or something similar has a hem or you are a handy sewer or can iron on tape and insert ribbon, you could make a drawstring base.

Drawstring Safety & Security

You will want to avoid a drwstring neck which could accidentally tighten. One solution is to have the drawstring only half way. Do up at the front with a qhuck release sanp fastener and fold over fabric.

To prevent drawstrings breaking when in constant use, they can be doubled. Or carry a spare. 

Temu also sells lightweigh hammocks for your garden (to try it out) and travels. The price varies from about six pounds sterling to seven pounds and a bit, in Ausgust 2025. The price varies depending on secification and colour, depending on the demand and supply of an item. 

I go for fun red. Red is a reminder that it's still there and should be packed up to go with you on quitting the campsite or hotel. Green is less conspicuous.

If you are searching on the internet, the UK spelling is traveller, with a double l. Americans simplify spelling, following the Webster's dictionary, using a single l, traveler.

Lots of ideas here. Please share links to your favourite posts.

Useful Websites

Somerset Maugham

Shakespeare

Temu Hammock

https://www.temu.com/uk/ultra-light--300kg-load-capacity-breathable-quick-dry-2-x-premium-carabiners-2-x-nylon-straps-outdoor-indoor-garden

How can you get rid of ants, cockroaches, lizards, mosquitos and spiders?

In the UK at home we have had ants, silverfish and spiders. On holiday in Greece at a hotel I encountered little lizards running up the bedroom wall. In America I saw cockroaches for the first time. In Singapore we get ants, and cockroaches, and lizards - and mosquitos!

Ants
We have bought three brands of ant traps in Singapore. The ant traps you buy in Singapore are designed so that the ants eat the poison and take it back to the nest and poison the queen ant. The instructions tell you not to kill any ants you see but let them go back to the nest. It will take up to a week for the last ant to disappear.

Cockroaches
One system I have heard of is to spray them with hair spray.

In Singapore we just spray them with anti insect spray. It is horrible to inhale. You have to shut the door and get out of the room. We keep the spray on the work surface near the sink so it can be found and grabbed in a hurry.

Lizards


Mosquitos
When I first went to Singapore I was bitten a lot and I read that mosquitos and other insects are attracted to flowery perfumes, so I stopped wearing perfume. Instead I stocked up with lavender and citrus products, lavender hand creams and bath gels and lemon soaps.

Everywhere in Singapore you see signs on banners, posters and leaflets about the Mossie Wipeout. This is prevention rahter than cure. You are asked not to put saucers under plant pots nor to have any kinds of bowl in a public place which could catch rain water where mossies can breed. The main concern is not malaria but dengue fever.

Mosquito Fogging
Buildings have regular mosquito fogging in Singapore. But you still get mosquitos and biting insects.

Fogging in India.

Spiders
So many systems are available. You can try the simplest which is to put a see-though drinking glass on top. Slide a piece of thick paper underneath. Carry the spider outside, or to the nearest window. You have to be sure that the paper is not thin and flexible or it bends and the spider wriggles out.

Another method is to vaccuum clean, if it is on the ceiling or some corner where you cannot reach it and capture it.

I once had a spider-catcher with a pyrmid of transparent  plastic on the end of a stick and a flat sliding piece which could be moved by hand or would fall if you rotated the end of the stick.

It worked very well. But you got up rather close to the insect. I preferred the vacuum cleaner which allowed me to stay at a distance.

Mosquito proof clothing
It is also advisable to wear long sleeves and long trousers and socks. the fabric should be insect proof.  Check the weave. I think woven horizontally and vertically is usually tighter than knit which is loops. (Or is it the other way around?)

Craghoppers make protective clothing.

You

Useful Websites
https://www.99.co/blog/singapore/7-effective-ways-to-get-rid-of-lizards/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mosquito_control

About the Author
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker. Please share links to your favourite posts.

Cockroaches? Reminder to self: bay leaves and ammonia are anti cockroaches. But where are the cockroaches? And the Cures?

Just Disgusting - or Dangerous?
Apparently they spread salmonella and E-coli. It stands to reason that anything running from place to place, from garbage and drains along work surfaces to food and all over your crockery, is bound to be spreading something unwanted and unseen.

Even if they were not downright dangerous, they are disgusting. Am I alone in not liking cockroaches?

Maybe my loathing for them is because when I grew up in the UK, I had never seen a cockroach. Now I know that hospitals in the UK have had cockroaches. If you want to know, you can do a google search. I don't want to know. But I know that global warming is unlikely to make life harder for insects which enjoy hot humid conditions. Also we have so much stuff nowadays that it's harder to move everything about and vacuum clean everywhere, unless you are a minimalist. So you can't escape by going to the UK, in my opinion.

USA
When I travelled to the USA, a cockroach crawled under the cubicle divider in a public toilet. Not much you can do about insects at an airport, in a toilet. It's fight of flight. If you have just got off a flight, your next move is 'flight' out of the airport. You might alert the toilet cleaner. I remember doing that.

She did not look surprised, just resigned. She picked up her broom and bucket and toddled over to my cubicle. Nothing to see.

Singapore's Cockroaches - American Reactions

Afterwards, in Singapore, I met members of the American Women's Association, attached to the American club. I wondered if the American women, in their spotless large apartments, cleaned by maids, would be upset to learn that Singapore had cockroaches.

I asked an American woman, "I have seen Have you seen cockroaches in Singapore? Yes? Were you shocked?"
She was not the least alarmed.
She shrugged, "No. We have bigger ones in Texas."

I thought for a moment that she might be joking. I checked on the internet. She was right.

Yes, there is such as thing as a cockroach officially named the American Cockroach.

What about other countries? Cockroaches do not appear on tourist board sites. Nor even on the tell the truth warnings.

Cockroaches In Residences
In Singapore my husband and I moved into a brand new building. We were waiting for our possessions to be shipped in. We had not yet bought new furniture.

But there was a cockroach. On the kitchen work surface.

Cockroaches In Food Courts
Later, I remember seeing a cockroach on the floor, at a food court, known in Singapore by the old name, hawker centre, a basement food court under a shopping mall. I called a large Indian man who was sweeping nearby. I pointed to the scuttling cockroach.

The big man grinned. He trod on it with his huge size 11 shoe. He walked off.

I was horrified. Wasn't he upset to have bits of dead cockroach on his shoe? I would feel disgusted. I would immediately wipe the soles of my shoe. Then wash the soles. Change into other shoes.

Now I know about sage. I asked my family to buy it in the supermarket. I have planted it in pots. I have labelled the pots with little wooden sticks from ice cream lollies.

I have  not seen a cockroach for days. In the morning and late at night I cautiously turn on the light and look and listen.

Prevention - Sage
Prevention is better than cure. I decided to plant sage. The plant has two uses. You can use it in food. It supposedly repels cockroaches.

Sage from wikipedia

Sage - The Saviour
I am watching the sage. If it dies, I shall re-plant.

I put the solution of sage in the title of this blog post. I know I should not reveal all in the title but ask a question and let the reader read the post for the answer. The real reason I put the answer in the title is so that next time I want to remember the cure for cockroaches, I shall scan down my posts and find the answer instantly. I hope this helps you, and entertains you, so that the anecdotes district you from your disgusting memories with a smile and sende of satisfaction.

Cockroaches will always be there.  But not near me nor you, if we take care.

Cockroach cures - my research says
1 Wipe surfaces with ammonia.
2 Plant sage.
3 Call somebody else. Let them step on the cockroach, remove bits, wipe and wash soles of shoes.
4 Spray cockroach with hair spray. Wait for it to die or put it out of its misery immediately.
5 Suck up bits in a vacuum cleaner. Empty the vacuum cleaner into a lined bin in the house and empty the secured bin liner into a chute outside your home or office.
6 Inform cleaning services and ask them to eliminate cockroaches.
7 Put on shopping list: insect spray including anti cockroach on label, sage, hairspray.
8 If you are nervous, move somewhere which does not have cockroaches.
9 If you are not nervous, start a cockroach clearing business.
10 If not nervous, and not wanting to work, offer to clear cockroaches in return for other favours such as cooking, or shopping, or simply for goodwill.
11 Fill gaps and holes which allow insects to enter from outside or elsewhere in buildings.

Useful Websites
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cockroach
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salvia_officinalis

About the Author
Angela Lansbury
Travel Writer and Photographer, author and speaker. Angela has lived in the UK, the USA and Singapore.
If you want to contact me or link up with me, go to LinkedIn, Facebook or Twitter and like my posts and share links to your favourites.
If you want to attend a Toastmasters club, go to Toastmasters International org, find a club.
Please share links to your favourite posts.

  

Pandan Leaf Versus Cockroaches?

Problem
I get in a lift which is already occupied by a stranger, who is carrying something even stranger, folded green leaves. What are they?

Answer
I say, "Good morning".  After a moment's hesitation, I add, "May I ask, what are those green leaves?"
"They are pandan leaves. We usually put them in the car to keep away ants and insects."
"The same pandan leaves you cook in cakes?"
"Yes, they have a lovely smell. Try!"
He holds them towards me and I sniff. I scarcely detect anything. I can never understand the local enthusiasm for tasteless green pandan cakes, reminding me of pistachios and peppermint.
However, their new use excites me. I ask, hopefully, "If I put some in the kitchen, would they keep away insects.?"
"Yes."
"Where do I get them from?"
"In a wet market." (A wet market is a traditional open-sided 'outdoor' market, with a roof and open sides, and a floor wet from fresh produce, dripping liquids, unwrapped food, and sometimes driving rain.
Our lift (called an elevator in America) reaches our mutual destination, the ground floor. I say, "Thank you for the information!"
I think: you learn something every day. Even a journey in a lift is not a wasted minute if you make conversation.
In business coaching, we learn to give an elevator speech, introducing ourselves, a succinct sales pitch.
When using a lift in an office block, you can put your practice into action.
In a residential property, I find a better conversation opener is to ask about what your companions are carrying, a violin case, or a bag emblazoned with the name of a shop.

Pandan and Insect Repellents
After the encounter with the man carrying pandan leaves, I looked them up. I found a report on research done by the National University of Singapore (called NUS for short).

Pandan leaves are popular with taxi drivers to keep insects out of the car. Pandan leaves are a popular repellent against cockroaches.
Fresh leaves hold their smell longer than dry leaves, The stronger the smell, the more effective, not surprisingly.

Other even more effective cockroach repellents are, in alphabetical order:
cloves, crushed garlic, ginger, lemongrass, turmeric.

Pandan Cake
I shall look at pandan cake in Singapore with new interest. I shall scan gardens, parks, wet markets and supermarkets with new interest, looking for the pandan plant.

Useful Websites
https://www.hunker.com/13428254/pandan-leaves-for-insect-repellent
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pandan_cake
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pandanus

Angela Lansbury, author of How To Get Out Of The Mess You're In.

Dropping more ideas on droppings

Problems
What is it? (Black dots. Live or dead/ Animal or insect dropping? From what?

Answers
A Singaporean told me: If it's on the floor, it's probably cockroaches. But if it's on the walls, it's more likely geckos.

Author
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer. Books on Amazon.com and Lulu.com

A Frank Talk About Cockroaches

Problems
You see something moving, in the food. What is it? How do you get rid of it? You see a trail of something tiny and black under the washbasin. It's not ants, no legs, not an insect. What is it?

If it moves and has six legs, it's an insect. Especially if you squash it and out comes something squishy. If it never moves and has no legs, and is solid, it's a dropping.

Answers
Tiny and black, solid, no legs. Really small. Like a tiny ant. What is it? Looks like cockroach droppings. No need to call the exterminators - yet. Check it yourself. Cockroaches. Probably. Look up anything you've got and compare it with pictures on line.

What to do? This is a memo to myself. You can do what you like but if I have grandchildren asking (I don't, not yet), or young neighbours, expats just arrived and puzzled, this is what I would tell them I do.

Apparently eating insects will be the next big thing, probably next century. However, meanwhile, eating insects is not for me.

Prevention
Don't leave any food out on work surfaces or even in cupboards overnight. Nor while you are away (if you have a second home somewhere hot like Florida, or New York in summer, or Singapore any time of year.

Put everything into sealed containers. Those expensive sealing containers, sometimes on special offer in the cheaper shops and supermarkets. Stock up.

Get a big fridge. Store everything in the fridge. It's sealed and cold.

I'll add more stories later. Come back for more good and bad news. While I'm gone, check your cupboards.

Stories
Cockroaches
You might see cockroaches, as I did, on the floor of the toilet cubicle in New York (between me and the door). I saw one on the floor of a Hawker Centre in Singapore. I called one of the cleaners, an Indian about six foot tall and broad. Would he dare to chase it about, pick it up and scoop it into the pan on a long handle, with the long-handled brush?

He just shrugged and trod on it. He walked off.

Not what I was expecting.

He came back and continued sweeping. I finished my meal. I no longer felt hungry.

I trod carefully on my way out. I couldn't see it. Where was it? Swept up? Of stuck, squished, on the bottom of his shoe?

Tip
If in doubt, or terror, don't be afraid - to ask somebody else for help.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cockroach
http://www.pestworld.org/news-hub/pest-articles/fascinating-cockroach-facts/

Author
Angela Lansbury, travel writer, author, speaker.

WWII in Singapore - video and museum at the Old Ford Factory

All that's left of the outside old Ford Factory is the wonderful art deco exterior.

All that's left of the interior is an accurate reproduction of the surrender table, where the British surrendered to the Japanese, plus chairs from WWII, which might have been the actual chairs used.

The price is a mere Singaporean $3 and free to both Singaporeans (lots of schoolchildren visit) and permanent residents (expats who are long time residents but still hanging onto their birthplace passports, such as British passports, which prevents them from becoming Singaporean).

The museum has a small number of books and gifts on sale at the entrance. To the right is a movie theatre room where you can watch a video of about half an hour which is an overview of WWII, or one of several other films, one of which is two hours long, so it's worthwhile to make repeat visits on your own or with friends, family and tourist visitors.

The overview video explained two things to me:

1 The end of the war was foreseen by locals and the Japanese after the air Battle of Midway, which reduced Japanese air power and like the Battle of Britain was an essential step towards success on the ground for the Allies.

2 a) The Japanese had previously invaded China and because of opposition groups fighting openly or covertly again Japanese in China they regarded the Chinese in Singapore as a potential threat, which is why Chinese deemed political were massacred at the start, in worse danger than the Indian and British or European POWs and civilians.
2) b) Tan Kah Kee, who has a station named after him on the Downtown line was on the Japanese hitlist.

3 The Burma railway was important (to the Japanese) because Burma was the barrier between Thailand (to the north of Malaysia) and India. With lack of access by sea, a land bridge was essential.

On a jollier note, we see how crops were grown locally. Goats provided milk. Pigs and chickens were fed cockroaches. I always wondered what use coach roaches are!

On display is a white wedding dress. Two ladies gave accounts of their wartime weddings.

The Japanese surrender marked the end of WWII. Although food rationing continued, and the buildings had to be rebuilt, it was a chance for the restoration of peace and prosperity.

The war in Europe had already ended about 6 months earlier. The bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, according to the testimony of Singaporean residents, brought a swifter end to the war in Asia.

It was not until decades later that the mass graves of missing Chinese massacred on the beaches and elsewhere were found.

A nice end note is Lee Kuan Yew's dignified and conciliatory commend on the WWII memorial, that is not to recall old enmities but to honour lost ancestors.

Photos being added shortly.
Please share this with anybody who might be interested. I have other posts on varied subjects and videos on YouTube and Facebook and LinkedIn pages.
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker.