They take their own cutlery, containers and water tumblers when they go out. They avoid straws, plastic bags and food packaging.
Some have a compost bin at home where they dump their kitchen scraps and use the compost to fertilise plants.
Others turn fruit peels into eco enzymes for household cleaning.
When it is that time of the month, some women use reusable menstrual cups and cloth pads instead of disposable pads.
These are just some measures adopted by members of the Facebook group, Journey to Zero Waste Life in Singapore, which seeks to reduce waste in daily lives.
With more than 900 members, it was started in May by software engineer Gan Kah Hwee, 29, who wanted to spread awareness about sustainable living in Singapore.
She had always wanted to be eco- conscious, avoiding disposables and using her tumbler and lunchbox.
However, she says: "I felt paiseh (embarrassed) about doing something different. I also didn't see others doing the same."
She changed her mind after watching the award-winning documentary Trashed (2012) by British film-maker Candida Brady in April. She says: "I realised that if we don't practise 'reduce, reuse and recycle', the trash problem is going to be serious. We have to start with ourselves and not wait for the authorities to do something."
She signed up for a sustainability mentorship programme with environmental consultancy Green Future Solutions where she met likeminded participants.
She then started the Facebook group as a form of support. "We post photos of food we buy in our reusable containers. We learn from one another which restaurants and stalls don't entertain reusables and try to avoid them," she says.
The group started with about five members, including Ms Gan's boyfriend, who runs a software firm.
Then, at a climate change seminar, she met representatives from the non-governmental agency People's Movement To Stop Haze and Singapore Youth for Climate Action and invited them to the group.
They, in turn, invited their network of environmental bodies.
The group, which has about 40 new members every week, comprises mostly people from Singapore of all ages and from all walks of life.
About 100 of them attended its first sharing session on Oct 1 at the Visual Art Studio in Boat Quay.
During the three-hour event, Malaysian environmental journalist Aurora Tin shared her experiment in leading a zero waste lifestyle.
Singaporeans Eugene Tay, from environmental group Zero Waste SG, and Farah Sanwari, from Repair Kopitiam, where people meet to repair things, also spoke about their initiatives.
Environmental educator Tan Hang Chong shared tips on how to avoid junk mail while Ms Xyn Foo, of Open Book Cafe in Bukit Pasoh Road, talked about her efforts to reduce waste at her cafe by using stainless steel straws and not offering serviettes.
Vendors also shared information about eco-friendly products such as loofah kitchen sponges, bamboo toothbrushes and reusable beeswax food wrap.
Participants also got to sample "more sustainable" coffee roasted fresh by the Really Really Fresh Coffee movement, a Kickstarter- funded project that advocates roasting coffee on demand to reduce wastage, as roasted coffee has a short shelf life.
Ms Gan hopes to organise more of such sessions. "Maybe we can visit an incineration plant and recycling facilities to see where our trash goes.
We are also thinking of organising workshops on how to make toothpaste, compost bins and eco enzymes."
A YEAR'S TRASH IN A BOTTLE
Ms Aurora Tin. PHOTO: AZIZ HUSSIN FOR SUNDAY TIMES
Since the start of the year , Ms Aurora Tin, her husband and their dog, Lucky, have generated so little trash that their rubbish fits into a 500ml glass jar.
Ms Tin, 28, who works as a freelance environmental journalist in Petaling Jaya, Malaysia, made a resolution to live a "zero trash" lifestyle late last year.
She was in town recently to share her story with the zero waste community here.
She told the audience that in her job, she often writes about the importance of the three Rs: reduce, reuse and recycle.
But one day early last year, she found the dustbin next to her workdesk full of the empty packaging of the snacks she had eaten. "I felt like a hypocrite.
On the one hand, I was telling people to practise the three Rs, but on the other hand, I was creating so much trash myself."
In December, she found the "solution to her guilt" when she read the book No Impact Man by Colin Beavan, which chronicles how he, his wife and their daughter tried to make zero impact on the environment while living in Manhattan, New York.
She says: "I was very inspired and thought maybe I could do the same in Malaysia."
Taking a leaf out of the book of New Yorker and blogger Lauren Singer, who managed to squeeze two years of trash into a 16oz (about 473ml) mason jar, Ms Tin resolved to fit one year of her family's trash into a glass jar.
She was then renting a room in a condominium with her solar engineer husband, Mr Lau Tzeh Wei, 28, and their dog.
Over time, we found there are many things we can live without.
MS AURORA TIN, on embarking on a zero trash lifestyle with her husband
She tells The Sunday Times that they started preparing themselves about two weeks before the turn of 2016 to give themselves "some time to adjust, as habits cannot change overnight".
To find alternatives to plastic containers, they got family and friends to pass them empty glass jars they no longer wanted.
The couple gave away food with packaging to their friends so they would not have empty packaging to trash.
They converted their dustbin into a recycle bin.
Food waste was stored in the freezer and donated to an environmental non-governmental organisation after one to two weeks.
When they later rented a bigger space in a terrace house, they created a compost bin.
Much effort went into avoiding plastic bags and products including food, household and personal hygiene items that came with packaging which cannot be reused or recycled.
To avoid packaged products often found in supermarkets, they started buying groceries from the wet market and used a shopping bag for vegetables, tiffin carriers for wet produce such as tofu, and stainless steel containers for meat.
They stopped buying some of their favourite processed canned food such as baked beans and pasta sauce, as well as Milo packs and milk cartons.
Stores where household detergents and condiments such as soya sauce can be refilled became places they patronised.
Instead of plastic toothbrushes, they used bamboo ones, which are biodegradable.
They also made their own toothpaste from coconut oil and baking soda.
Ms Tin switched to using a menstrual cup, which is a flexible cup inserted into the vagina to collect menstrual blood.
It can be cleaned and re-used. In the last month, she stopped using shampoo.
She says: "Over time, we found there are many things we can live without.
If we really need something, we will always be able to find a substitute for it. For instance, instead of milk, we now take soy milk."
Life became simpler.
She says: "In the past, I tended to use more condiments when I cooked, but nowadays, it's just sugar, salt, soya sauce and coconut oil."
Thanks to practical tips from the book, Zero Waste Home, and the Facebook group, Zero Waste Heroes, the journey has not been too rocky, she adds.
The most challenging part was in the first few months, when she and her husband were caught out by unexpected situations.
For instance, a cup of hot Milo came back with a plastic stirrer and their checked-in luggage had a sticker plastered on it.
They have since learnt to scan restaurants before making their orders and to travel without checking in their luggage.
Her husband found it difficult at first to refuse gifts from others. Ms Tin says: "I'd get upset when he came back from events with items, such as a T-shirt in a plastic bag."
So far, however, the people around them, including Ms Tin's parents, have been supportive.
Her mother-in-law sometimes still gives her food that comes in plastic bags or apples with stickers on them.
She says with a laugh: "I would quietly forget to bring them home or reject them gently."
To date, her glass bottle is about two-thirds full and is largely filled with small plastic parts, as well as some empty medicine blister packs and used dental floss.
She believes they are on track to keep all of this year's trash inside it.
She has not decided if she will keep her trash in another jar once this one fills up. But she is sure she and her husband are not returning to their previous way of life.
They have cut their spending by 40 per cent, through eating at home more often and buying fewer things.
Ms Tin says: "We also feel healthier as we usually dine in and eat mostly vegetables and grains."
Her greatest reward? "I feel so much less guilty towards the Mother Nature I love."
BABY, LET'S BUY PRE-LOVED
To reduce waste, Mr Benjamin Tay and his wife, Lexin, put cloth diapers on their daughter, Margaret, at home. ST PHOTO: NG SOR LUAN
Being environmentally conscious rises to a new level of difficulty when one has children.
Outreach manager Benjamin Tay, 34, who carries his own lunchbox and cutlery, uses second-hand gadgets and does not drive, found being eco-conscious easy at first. But with the arrival of his daughter, Margaret, in 2013, reducing waste became more difficult.
"Babies seem to need so many things, from diapers to milk to toys," he says.
He and his wife, Wong Lexin, 33, a housewife, try their best. Margaret, who is turning three, wears cloth diapers at home and uses disposables only when they are out.
Other than a Lego set, which Mr Tay bought because she can "play with it for a long time", her toys are mostly gifts.
Her clothes are also either gifts or hand-me- downs.
Her stroller, diaper bag and storage boxes for toys were bought from a community marketplace for buying and selling.
The children's books she reads are borrowed from the library.
She sleeps in a toddler-sized bed which was converted from her cot and can be upgraded to a single bed.
The family, who live with Mr Tay's parents, are looking to buy a three-room Housing Board flat.
Mr Tay estimates he has saved at least $1,000 by turning to reusables and pre-loved items.
While he does take Margaret to toy stores, he lets her know in advance that she can only window shop and that she has many toys at home. "So far, she has not asked us to buy toys for her," he says.
When he was a child, he read a book about the impact of human behaviour on climate change and that influenced him to buy less and waste less.
Because of him, his wife of four years also does not patronise hawker stalls that use disposables.
Mr Tay sold his car this year to reduce pollution.
And to avoid creating electrical waste, he uses a second-hand phone, iPad and a refurbished Macbook.
The haze last year and its impact on his daughter - she had throat irritation and cough - boosted his conviction as an eco warrior.
He started volunteering at People's Movement To Stop Haze.
When the environmental non-governmental organisation was officially registered as a society in June, he became its manager of people and outreach.
While he is passionate about the environment, he would not go to extremes.
"I believe in making compromises. So if the coffee shop uncle does not want to pour the cup of coffee into my tumbler, I'd either finish up the cup of coffee there or pour it into my tumbler myself. Habits take time to change and he may have his constraints."
REDUCING WASTE SINCE SHE WAS 10
Ms Oan Jia Xuan, 18, uses her own reusable containers to take away food. ST PHOTO: ONG WEE JIN
This eco warrior started young and in small ways.
Ms Oan Jia Xuan, 18, started recycling when she was 10.
The Hwa Chong Institution student says: "I remember putting plastic bottles, paper, metal cans and glass bottles into recycling bags and encouraging my parents to do the same."
In primary school, she urged her classmates to throw plastic bottles and paper into the school's recycling bins.
To save paper during maths class in secondary school, she drew a vertical line down her foolscap so she would have two columns to write in, instead of just one. She says: "The teacher told me not to do it a couple of times, but when I continued to do so, he just left it at that."
She never wastes food and was shocked to learn that others do. She says: "When I was in secondary school, I saw two full trays of beehoon being thrown into the dustbin after a buffet in school. I was shocked to see so much food being thrown away."
During recess, she started reminding her friends to finish their food or to ask for less rice in the first place.
She recalls with a laugh: "I think some of them became afraid to eat with me."
Joining the Green Council, an environmental club at Hwa Chong Institution, boosted her commitment to the green cause.
She became familiar with the waste statistics in Singapore and overseas.
Realising how serious the situation was, she started to consume less.
"I realised that of the 3 Rs of 'reduce, reuse and recycle', Reduce is the most important. If we can reduce, then we don't even need to think about reuse or recycle."
To reduce the use of plastic bags and styrofoam boxes, she takes a tumbler and lunchbox to "tar pau" food and uses a container when she buys buns from the bakery.
She also takes a washable cloth bag instead of a plastic bag to school for putting her soiled clothing in.
Recently, she stopped consuming Yakult, a drink she loves. She explains: "Each time after drinking, you need to throw away an 80ml bottle and a straw."
She has also stopped buying sweets, chocolates and biscuits that are individually packaged. Instead, she buys them in bulk if she wants to eat them.
To save electricity, she has been using cold water to shower for the past year. She charges her phone only once in two days.
Some of her habits have rubbed off on her parents. Her father, 55, who runs his own business, and her housewife mother, 53, now use reusable containers and shopping bags.
They live in a five-room Housing Board flat.
Jia Xuan is so fired up about the cause that she has written to one shopping mall and at least two supermarkets and eight companies, including clothing and furniture shops, to get them to switch from plastics to reusables.
She plans to pursue environmental studies in university.
She says: "I hope to be involved in policy-making one day and help Singapore become a more sustainable country."
Incineration and recycling are a partial solution, more must be done to cut waste at its source
Over the past month, I've become somewhat obsessed with a personal experiment called "Project Zero Waste" - that is, trying to live a waste-free life in Singapore.
You're probably thinking: Is that even possible? After all, Singapore's roughly 5.5 million population last year generated - according to the National Environment Agency (NEA) - 7.67 million tonnes of solid waste. That works out to a mind-boggling 1,395kg of "stuff" each person on average threw away.
So, a waste-free life here? Well, the answer is not yet, but there is plenty we can do to get closer to it.
Project Zero Waste was inspired by the award-winning documentary Trashed, in which Oscar-winning actor Jeremy Irons goes around the world and puts the spotlight on beautiful ecosystems that have been blighted by filth, pollution and garbage.
It got me thinking that the majority of people here give barely a thought to trash because the system makes it far too easy for them to consume and discard. Thanks to the ubiquitous rubbish chute, garbage here quickly goes out of sight, out of mind.
For this experiment, I adopted a three-step strategy in order of priority: reduce consumption, reuse items where possible and recycle anything that could not be reused. Only as a last resort did I throw anything into the chute.
The household recycling rate here is only 19 per cent. The writer also cited an ST report on how up to half of waste collected from recycling bins in housing estates go to incinerators because people dump trash like used diapers into the bins. ST FILE PHOTO
I discovered first that it is easy to drastically reduce consumption of daily disposables by making use of a few simple items: coffee mug, water bottle, tupperware, tote bag(s) and handkerchief. In one month alone, those items helped cut my consumption by 50 plastic bags, 20 paper cups, 20 plastic or styrofoam food containers and countless disposable cutlery and bathroom tissues. Now, try multiplying that saving by 12 months and 5.5 million people and you get an inkling of what sort of impact such a simple step can have in a year.
Second, the majority of household waste comes from food packaging. Nearly everything on sale in supermarkets is wrapped in plastic. The exceptions include some types of fresh vegetables and fruit. At wet markets, produce is more often displayed unpackaged but sellers negate any benefit by putting anything sold in plastic bags as a service to customers.
Third, there is huge potential to cut household food waste by cooking just the right amount and by using raw food scraps to make compost. Contrary to popular belief, compost is easy to make, even in apartments, and more than half your food waste can be converted into free fertiliser.
Fourth, recycling is actually not difficult. All my newspapers and magazines get recycled, along with any metal, plastic and glass containers at the bins at the foot of my apartment block.
E-waste is more problematic as there is still no government regulation on its recycling and collection bins are, despite industry efforts, few and far between. For this, I make occasional trips to the StarHub e-waste bin located at a community centre near my home.
Finally, I realised that as a society, we are generally ignorant and apathetic on waste issues, and that is largely a result of the infrastructural set-up and policies.
Despite recycling bins being provided at all housing blocks, the household recycling rate here remains at an abysmal 19 per cent. A quick straw poll among my friends found that more than half of them do not reuse or recycle anything apart from newspapers. Many did not know that recyclables had to be rinsed, and most of them said they "don't bother".
It's one thing not to recycle but quite something else to thwart the efforts of those who do. Last week, within a minute, I spotted at least two persons dumping their lunch waste into recycling bins for paper, plastic and cans located at my office building. Last month, The Straits Times reported that up to half of all items put into recycling bins in housing estates go to incinerators because people dump trash like used diapers, food waste or soft toys into them.
Incinerators - which Singapore favours - are also controversial. They have been linked to high levels of toxins where they are located and high cancer rates, a point highlighted in Trashed.
Recently, I was served tea in styrofoam cups at, of all places, the Environment Building. I was later told by a government official that "it's okay" because Singapore incinerates its trash and has pollution control equipment. That was also the reason given in Parliament when an MP asked if NEA would consider imposing a ban on styrofoam packaging. We need to realise that the use of incinerators is not licence to make and encourage the use of disposable items that pollute the environment and cost money to get rid of.
Even recycling does not excuse the liberal use of disposable items. Across the world, it is typically more expensive for municipalities to recycle household waste than to send it to a landfill or incinerate it. Many communities fail to realise that reducing consumption and reusing items are far superior options to recycling.
It seems to me that in Singapore, the search for solutions to the trash problem is focused on the wrong places. Instead of spending more and more on incinerators, shouldn't we be pumping money into research and development to find ways to lower the cost of sustainable, biodegradable packaging? And besides setting the national recycling target at 70 per cent by 2030, shouldn't we also be simultaneously setting targets to lower the absolute amount of waste generated?
For years, the Government has favoured the soft approach of waiting for citizens and companies to voluntarily change their ways. But that is just not good enough. Going by the national data, it is obvious that public campaigns to educate people on waste have failed miserably.
The Government needs to use its legislative power to design a system in which waste is minimised from the start. That includes rethinking how products are packaged, distributed and sold, and creating channels for customers to reuse and return used items. There should be more incentives for customers to take along their own bags or cups when they buy goods.
Trash is of course not the Government's problem alone but everyone's.
Waste is linked to carbon emissions, which worsen climate change. It also pollutes land and rivers, poisons the food chain and leads to higher rates of cancer and disease. The challenge is how to make people realise that. Perhaps an "SGWaste Fund" could be set up to support projects that help raise awareness of why waste is bad.
Thankfully, there are many cities Singapore can learn from where the focus is on preventing waste, recycling and composting. San Francisco, for instance, has a goal of zero waste by 2020, and already diverts 80 per cent of its waste away from landfills. The city has banned plastic bottles, and the ban will soon be extended to all styrofoam products.
Personally, I've decided to continue with Project Zero Waste.
My wastebin in the past month has not been quite as empty as I hoped. There were days when I forgot to take my tote bags and got saddled with plastic bags I do not need. I am also acutely aware that I am but one person out of seven billion on this planet. But while I can't control the behaviour of others, I can be responsible for my own. Will you care to join me?
•The writer is the editor of Eco- Business, an Asia-Pacific sustainable business online publication. This is a monthly column on the environment.
Friends and Family mourns his death. Click.
Credit: Straits Times Singapore Click
Actor Aloysius Pang dies from injuries suffered during SAF accident in New Zealand
Singaporean actor Aloysius Pang, 28, died on Jan 23 from injuries suffered while carrying out repair works inside a Singapore Self-Propelled Howitzer in New Zealand. PHOTO: FACEBOOK / ALOYSIUS 冯伟衷
SINGAPORE - Singaporean actor Aloysius Pang died on Wednesday night (Jan 23) from injuries suffered last Saturday while carrying out repair works inside a Singapore Self-Propelled Howitzer in New Zealand, said the Ministry of Defence (Mindef).
In a statement issued late on Wednesday night, Mindef said Corporal First Class (NS) Pang, 28, died at 8.45pm. The ministry also shed light on how the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) operationally ready national serviceman was injured.
Mindef said CFC (NS) Pang, an armament technician from the 268th Battalion Singapore Artillery, was carrying out repair works inside the Singapore Self-Propelled Howitzer with two other SAF personnel last Saturday at the Waiouru Training Area in New Zealand.
“Unfortunately, CFC (NS) Pang sustained injuries when the gun barrel was lowered,” said the ministry.
The actor was evacuated to Waikato Hospital, a regional trauma centre in Hamilton, south of Auckland, where he underwent three operations in five days.
The medical team tending to him included Dr Teo Li Tserng, chief of trauma and acute care surgery at Tan Tock Seng Hospital, who was flown in to assist the New Zealand medical team.
Mindef said CFC (NS) Pang died despite attempts to repair damaged organs and being put on artificial life support.
An independent Committee of Inquiry will be convened to investigate the circumstances leading to the incident. A press conference, to be chaired by the Chief of Defence Force, will be held on Thursday (Jan 24) to present the preliminary findings.
The SAF will be making arrangements to bring CFC (NS) Pang’s body back to Singapore. “The Ministry of Defence and the SAF extend their deepest condolences to the family of CFC (NS) Pang and will continue to render assistance and support in their time of loss,” said Mindef.
His parents, as well as his two elder brothers, arrived in Hamilton earlier this week, accompanied by SAF family liaison officers.
A post that appeared to have been written by one of his brothers on behalf of the family went up on late Wednesday night on the actor’s Instagram account. The post said the last few days had been a difficult time for the family.
“Every news that were brought upon us since his last op was devastating with little signs of hope on his recovery,” it read. “We all broke down when the medical team spoke to us that his condition is worsening and we should be prepared for the worst.
"We’re going to lose a brother. And my parents are going to lose their precious son whom is only 28."
The post added: “Thus I seek everybody’s kind understanding that we are unable to comment further during these precarious time.”
Mediacorp actor Desmond Tan commented on the Instagram post: “Bro, you are an important chapter in all our lives. Nothing is wrong, just that you went ahead of us like you always do as a human and actor. We will see you in future.”
Several local artists, including Jayley Woo and Ya Hui, switched to black-and-white profile pictures on Instagram on Wednesday night.
In a heart-rending post, Woo wrote: "I’m not lucky enough to be your wife in this life. We must definitely get married in the next." Woo and Pang had never acknowledged their relationship in public but Woo said on Instagram after news of his death broke that they were waiting until they got married to go public.
Fellow actor Shane Pow wrote on his Instagram account: “It wasn’t enough being brothers with you this life. Let’s be brothers again next life. I love you my big brother.”
CFC (NS) Pang was taking part in an annual live-firing exercise called Thunder Warrior. He was on reservist duty.
He underwent abdominal surgery last Saturday evening, after the incident took place, and a planned follow-up operation was completed on Monday.
Exercise Thunder Warrior has been conducted since 1997. This year's exercise takes place from Jan 5 to Feb 2, and involves more than 500 personnel from the 268th and 24th Battalions, Singapore Artillery.
Repair and maintenance work on the Howitzer, which entered service in 2003, is usually done in teams and supervised by a commander, said a former serviceman familiar with the platform. In combat, it is operated by a crew of four.
The Howitzer is no longer in production and is currently operated only by NS battalions, added the serviceman, who spoke on condition of anonymity. The Next-Gen Howitzer high-mobility weapon system, operated by a three-man crew, is envisaged to be introduced from 2020.
There had been two other incidents that led to deaths in the past year.
In April 2018, Corporal First Class Dave Lee Han Xuan, 19, from the 1st Guards Battalion, died close to two weeks after being admitted to Changi General Hospital for heatstroke.
In November 2018, Corporal First Class Liu Kai, 22, died after a Bionix vehicle reversed into the Land Rover he was in. An Army-wide safety timeout was declared after the incident at Jalan Murai Training Area.
Yamaguchi (far right) posing with their Russian friend Yuri. They were hiking in the mountains of Svaneti, Georgia.PHOTO: COURTESY OF BOH ZE KAI PUBLISHEDMAY 15, 2016, 5:00 AM SGT S'POREANS HAVE VISITED 40 CITIES, PROVINCES IN OVER 10 COUNTRIES SO FAR ON BUSES, BOATS, HORSES By Royanne Ng
Three for the road: Singaporeans Boh Ze Kai (left), Jeremy Ng (second from left) and Atsushi Yamaguchi (far right) posing with their Russian friend Yuri. They were hiking in the mountains of Svaneti, Georgia. Three for the road: Singaporeans Boh Ze Kai (left), Jeremy Ng (second from left) and Atsushi. Three Singaporeans completed their national service last December and decided to embark on a journeylasting some 170 days, partly following in the footsteps of ancient Silk Road traders. Mr Boh Ze Kai, 20, and his friends, Mr Atsushi Yamaguchi and Mr Jeremy Ng, both 21, planned to travel fromSingaporetoChinathroughSouth-east Asian countries, before crossingCentral AsiatoIran and then cutting through Eastern Europe to final destination Moscow. Their onward journey, which started on Jan 26, is to be made without any flights, but they will fly back to Singapore in June or July. The trio had been on the road for three months when their journey hit a snag late last month. They were stranded in Georgia, at the border of Europe and Asia, without their passports for 14 days until last Tuesday. Their passports had been kept by the consular office in Tbilisi to facilitate their application for Russian visas. GUILELESS They don't expect anything from you. They just want you to share life experiences with them, to know more about the world. MR JEREMY NG, one of the three intrepid travellers, on the friendliness of most of the people they have met on their journey. Mr Boh told The Sunday Times: "So with the delay in Georgia, we lost 15 days from our original plan. This was offset by eight days of prepared buffer time, but we still had to move seven days faster. "We were planning to visit only Tbilisi in Georgia, but ended up seeing almost all of Georgia, including somewhatobscure mountain villages with great scenery in Svaneti." The young men have so far visited over 40 provinces and cities in more than 10 countries, on modes of transport ranging from boats to horses. They now have to cut short their visits to other countries, likely skipping Transylvania in Romania. The delay in Georgia was just one of the unexpected turns that they had to navigateso far. Another was an intimidating encounter in Central Asia. "We were crossing the Kazakhstan border into Uzbekistan when one of the guards approached me and accused me of being a terrorist, because I had a (body) piercing and dyed hair. He called another guard, who demanded presents or he would not let us pass," recounted Mr Boh. They were allowed to enter after Mr Boh said he was Buddhist and gave a 100,000 Vietnamese dong (S$6) note to the guard. The trip had been inspired by Mr Boh's interest in the Silk Road. He wanted to experience what it was like for people in the past to travel through the Silk Road. The former Raffles Institution (RI) student gathered Mr Ng and Mr Yamaguchi, also from RI, and they planned what will be almost half a year of travel, with a budget of $8,000 for each person. Unexpected delays aside, all three of them have been struck by how friendly most people they met were. Said Mr Ng: "They don't expect anything from you. They just want you to share life experiences with them, to know more about the world." For example, they were on a train in China, surrounded by farmers and mounds of fertiliser, when a farmer began a conversation with them on Chinese land reform. In Iran, they met an ice cream seller who insisted that they stay over at his house. When they politely declined and said they were moving on to Tabriz, he said, "My brother lives there. Go stay at his house; here's his phone number." The trio have had to battle fatigue and endure 20-hour bus rides. They also faced obstacles such as bad weather, illness or trouble with the authorities. "I had two major cases of diarrhoea, so the two others had to babysit me," said Mr Yamaguchi. But they took care of one another and took on different roles. Mr Boh, who speaks eight languages, including Russian and Turkish, said: "Jeremy is in charge of safety and insurance coverage, Atsushi handles fitness plans throughout the trip to keep us healthy and looking good in photos, while I work on pre-trip logistics like visas, and languages." Despite the long trip, their families did not have objections. "My dad was more concerned about how we funded our travels," said Mr Ng. "We decided to use money earned from NS." Mr Boh's mother Yeo Sue Ann, 51, a housewife, said: "My primary concern was safety, so I asked (Ze Kai) to change some destinations. This is not his first time travelling, so I think he can manage. But I think I will be stressed if I don't hear from him for three days." On the insights they have gained so far through their travels, Mr Yamaguchi said he was able to see various countries for himself, to see how different they are from the way they are portrayed in the media. Mr Boh added: "Sometimes, we pity people because of what we think their society lacks. We think it would make them unhappy, but that does not translate into reality. "Also, there is the cultural relativity of everything: What is acceptable or moral in one country might not be in another." Now in Turkey, the trio are moving on to countries like Bulgaria, Romania and Hungary. An account of their journey can be read on exercise silkroad.wordpress.com, while photos of their trip can be viewed on Instagram @exercisesilkroad.
