Sunburnt, starving and stranded at sea

Rico Hizon takes Outlook on a tour of Singapore through the extraordinary stories of people who live there.

After his boat capsized off the coast of Singapore, John Low spent four days alone clinging onto a flotation ring. When he was rescued he was badly sunburnt, starving and starting to hallucinate.

Leslie Danker is the resident historian of the Raffles Hotel. He has been working there for 47 years and he introduces Rico to the Singapore Sling, the country’s signature drink.

Judith Knight’s son Jake was born with cerebral palsy and a rare genetic mutation. So she decided to quit her high flying corporate career and open the Wings Therapy and Learning Centre, a dedicated centre for children and young adults with neuromuscular disorders.

Every Sunday, bird lovers in Singapore gather at the Kebun Baru Club to watch their feathered pets take part in the traditional singing competition. Outlook spoke to the power couple of the bird singing scene – Ida Lyla Kassim and Zaini Yahya, who own a 13-time champion white-rumped shama called Phoenix - and to bird enthusiast Amir Finches.

Picture: John Low
Credit: BBC/Alice Gioia