To say Thank You to Google, for Street View.

[shoshe]

60 years ago, my parents met and married in Singapore, whilst in the RAF, we as a Family subsequently went back on 4 more 3 year tours there with the RAF.

Mom and Dad buried one son there, and his remains were moved after we left, lived in various houses, and always said they spent the best years of their lives there.

Sadly Mom, died 18 years ago, and Dad is now 82, and could never fly that far , although
DH and I went back in 2001 on honeymoon.

Yesterday I sat with Dad and we explored Singapore again by Street View, we went to all the places that he went with Mum, (well all that were still there, Singapore has changed a great deal), but there was still enough for him to see. We went to Kranji, to were my brothers remains were re interred, and to Tiger Balm Gardens were they got engaged, and to the Church in Changi, were they married.

We went to Montreal Rd and found the house we lived in the longest, and could see the Palm Tree he had planted, when lightening hit the one that was there before, the gate Dad put up, to stop my little brothers getting out on the road, and the window boxes he had made, which was wonderful considering we left that ouse to return to England in February 1972!

It made a old man, who gets out very little, so very very happy, so for all the negative things I have heard about Street View,

Thank You so much Google.

That's wonderful

That's a great story and given me some ideas......

The street view of my house includes me and my teenagers and dogs, we saw the camera vehicle ans rushed out to be in the pic!

Sorry disappeared mindees all woke up.

Fluffy and Maltesers, we were all probably there around the same time, we always went to the night market, one of my loveliest memories.

My Family were there off and on from 1956 till 1974, so over a longtime, we saw some changes as well, we went to the opening of Jurong Bird park, and I was amazed how much bigger it was in 2001.

Shoshe - your family must have been there at the same time as my grandparents - in Singapore mid 50s to early 60s, I think. And what a lovely story.

I've used Streetview extensively while trying to find somewhere to book for a holiday in Scotland - I've fallen in love with some places, ruled others out completely. It's been invaluable.

Shoshe, how lovely for you and him.

what a lovely story,bet that made him so happy.

What a lovely story, so touching.

That's so sweet. I love all the little unforseen ways that technology improves peoples lives.

I love that story.
I really like streetview. We've been trying to buy a house in the south from scotland and it's been really useful in looking at potential houses and then ruling them out from up here as you notice all the less than ideal things in close proximity.

Reading your post gave me a big lump in my throat.

My dear Dad who I miss dearly back home in Australia says he looks up my house in London every week on Streetview just to think of me. Insert big sniff emotcon.

Thats so lovely! I did the same with my grannie (she is 87) around all her childhood haunts in the UK - she was absolutely AMAZED at the detail you can get. She loved it too, and was so relieved not to feel she had to make a long trip that could have ruined her memories.
I'm not that pro it all generally speaking, but for that half an hour it was the best invention in the world!!

Shoshe, we were there from 1967 - 69, my dad was in the RAF, based at Seletar. I have been back briefly, had a 2 day stop there on the way back from Australia a couple of years back. It's changed so much! Fantastic place to visit though, we were in the hotel at 10.00 pm and in a water taxi doing a tour of the harbour by 10.30. My partner didn't know what had hit him, he thought we were going to bed, but I told him Singapore city was just waking up. Brilliant place, and the people are so friendly.
ChunkyBrewster, you've just made me tear up, in a nice way.

Fluff we were in NeeSoon then Woodlands in late 68till Feb 72!

Which school did you go to?

DH and I went back for two weeks in 2001, and had a wonderful time, we managed to go into the Montreal Rd House as it was being painted and the painters let us in, apart from have glazing and A/C nothing had changed!

I am thinking of moving to the Big Smoke, and finding it invaluable.

I loves it.

shoshe

i hear ya.... i grew up in SE Asia myself and now in UK (the clue is in my MN name!)and just had to respond to your post.

Google Streetview is, for people like us, just heaven sent.

You just made me all teary....what a lovely thing to do.

We used street view to narow down choices of roads to look at houses on. We also viewed the house that we have put a deposit on in Belgium. It is a fantastic invention IMO and entertains dd for great stretches of time as she wanders round England. She regularly checks up on Nanny and Grandads house to make sure nothing has changed. I think she thinks they go round every day taking photos.

We are trying to move house. We get the details-look on street view and decide if we want to view or not. It saves so much time.Fantastic.

we use it when taking buses to unknown places as we can see what the bus stop and route looks like and know when to get off (driver often forgets to tell you).

I am sat in Singapore reading this thread. What a lovely story.

Shoshe you should send your story to the Straits Times, I am sure they would be very interested.

There is a great respect for elders here and there is lots of interest in the history of the island plus new technology. Your story combines all these elements.

Argh, I hate threads like this

Now I have to re-apply my mascara and stiff upper lip.

And add tissues to the shopping list.

How wonderful this story is - really lovely.

Fleur can you find me the email of the Straits Times, Dad has actually written his life story, in it is obviously all about his times in Singapore, would love to see if they would be interested.

I just went to check whether you can do the same for Kuala Lumpur - we lived there for 6 years at around the same time, and it would be lovely to show my parents. Sadly, no street view there yet, but I will keep an eye out for it.

I boarded at the army school in Singapore, so will look there on my own behalf!

I found it fab as part of family research I have been able to see the areas my ancestors lived in in England - including a number of houses that are still standing. So very exciting to imagine what it would have been like. It also means I am able to show my mother et al where her/their grandparents lived in Wales before they emigrated.