So, around June 2001, Janet attends a Staff Meeting at work, to be told that the Hong Kong regional office is closing, local staff will probably be laid off, and Expats must move to the Singapore Regional Office.

Bad news......we really liked HK, and were not too enthusiastic about Singapore. More worrisome was my "status" in Singapore.....in HK on entry, I automatically got a 6 month Visitor's Visa...fine (I could zip off to Macau for lunch and on return get another 6 months leisurely stay) ....but in Singapore it is only 30 days, followed by 14 days and then 7 days if you zip off to Batam, Bintam or Johor Bahru. Further, Singapore is "go-ahead, Germanic", would they welcome a 55+ retired old bastard who didn't want to work?? Janet's Company (Human Remains/Resources) said they would handle it - they had someone else in a similar situation, and they knew the procedure to follow. So we embarked on the packing/finding a flat etc.....

This is a brief synopsis of the move:

30^th Aug ? Fly to Singapore ? flat hunting ? DHL (Janet?s employer) had organized an agent (nice young lady) to show us lots of flats in Singapore ? we viewed about 20 over 2 days - found one we liked, put in an offer
3^rd Sept ? Fly back to HK
9^th to 10^th Sept ? we do lots of ?small? packing ? books, ornaments etc..
11^th Sept ? Packers arrive ? the move out of the HK flat was easy ? lots of packers, all very professional ? and as it turns out ? not a single thing broken ? not even big goldfish bowl type wine glasses ? very impressive!! - We move into Rennaisance Harbour View Hotel, HK
12^th Sept ? Still packing ? finish by 17:00 - hand over keys of old HK flat
17^th Sept ? leave HK hotel - flew to Singapore ? into Pan Pacific Hotel
18^th to 28^th Sept ? start process to get me a long-term (sponsored) Visitor?s Visa. By now - Janet had talked to others who had had to move from HK to Singapore, and they said "don't rely on what Human Remains tell you - do your own investigation" - which turned out to be prophetic - what we really had to do was..... go to a lawyer/Commissioner for Oaths (who didn't know us ? or our history), who then produced a letter (which I typed) saying ?Janet & Mike have been living as common law man & wife for 8 years? ? cost 10 quid, which I took to the British Embassy ? who took a day or two ? to produce a letter that says ?Janet & Mike have been living as common law man & wife for 8 years? ? cost 35 quid. Fill in Application Form and attach letter ? pass to DHL who have to support the Sponsorship??? they apply for me??. Wait?.
29^th Sept ? Offer for flat accepted (wow ? that didn?t take long - only 1 month!!) ? apply for Phone ? cannot do this until we have an address.
1^st October - move into new flat ? lots of unpacking etc..
6^th October ? Phone works (Ooooh ? only 1 week!!) ? apply for Broadband Internet (can only do this once Phone line exists) - and this procedure will take a further 8 working days!!
8^th October ? decide that my 30 day Visitor Visa (expires around 15/16th Oct) needs to be extended whilst I'm waiting for the Long Term Visa process to unfold. However, even this little extension requires a letter from DHL saying they support the short-term extension, and they believe the Long Term one will come through soon - so they don't want to do the Short Term one........ waiting.......
17^th October ? expect Broadband Internet connection to work?.. ? doubtful!!
Well - it did - at 21:30 that evening...hooray!!

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