Lord Of The Flies

I've tried my hand at fishing off Bedok Jetty and from this rock called Sultan Shoal off our sunny island's southern coast, but I've never seen anyone do fly fishing before. So it was pretty interesting watching fisherman casting their lines into the Ausable River, a popular spot in the Adirondacks for fly fishing.

Spending the afternoon sneaking up on fishermen

Fly fishing is mostly used for catching trout and salmon. The main difference between normal fishing and fly fishing is that you don't use a sinker and bait for the latter. Instead, the fisherman attaches a lure (such as a feather or bit of plastic) at the end of his line that resembles well, flies (duh) or other tiny winged insects or larvae, to trick the fish into grabbing a quick meal that somehow fell from heaven and onto the water's surface. The fisherman repeatedly casts the line with light, flicking motions, creating constant little flickers of motion on the water. And because the line is not weighted, fishermen have to wade knee-deep (and sometimes up to their waist) into the river to cast their lines. That's why they're always dressed in spiffy suits that keep them dry (their galoshes are actually sewn into their pants to keep the water out!) and wear vests with lots of pockets, cos they don't have the luxury of sitting on the pier with their equipment by their side.

I read this on Wikipedia: " Some think people who call themselves "fly fisherman" can be elitist. There is a stereotype that fly fisherman look down on bait fisherman and others that haven't put in the time to become a skilled fly fisherman." That's fishing for Mr Uppity for you. Maybe they just don't like having their fingers reek of Eau de Prawn and the stench of dead fish used as bait in normal line fishing. I can't deny that there truly seems to be alot of skill involved in casting that fly though.

It was rather hypnotic watching them cast their lines again and again. Partly because I like following the glittering nylon string as it falls from the sky and lands in a curvy trail on the water. Also because I'm riding on their hope of getting a bite and on the look out for some action. Mostly because I marvel at their patience for doing the same thing over and over again, casting new hope with every flick of the arm.

How can they bring themselves to stop, I wonder. You'll always be thinking "one last try, one last try", in hope of landing a fish before you tear yourself away from the river. It's not that different from gambling and hoping that your last bet will be the lucky one!

Castaway!

Lake Placid (The Budget Version)

Except for it being the title for a horror movie (something to do with giant man-eating crocodiles), I have never heard of Lake Placid. It doesn't help that outside of cheering for the Jamaican bobsled team in Cool Runnings (now that was a good movie), most people on our side of the globe don't follow the Winter Olympic Games. Wherein lies Lake Placid's claim to fame.

Lake Placid first hosted the Winter Olympics in 1932 and again in 1980. Now, we all know how stiff the competition is amongst cities to host just one year of the Games. This small lakeside town must have been pretty good at it. Along with St Moritz (Switzerland) and Innsbruck (Austria), it is one of the 3 places to have twice hosted the Winter Olympic Games.

Another interesting fact we learnt on the hour-long cruise on Lake Placid: the water is so clean that it can be drunk straight from the lake. It's what you get running from the taps in hotels and restaurants, filtered but not chemically treated. With the lake being a source of drinking water for the town, while it is continually fed with clean water from springs and mountain streams, much effort is still put into maintaining the water quality in the lake. Similar to reservoirs in Singapore - although instead of springs and mountain streams, ours are fed with rainwater runoff from storm drains and canals. Wonderful.

Crystal clear lake water

There are about 300 houses on the lake, many of which are accessible only by boat. Read: rich people's houses. Many of these lakeside villas remain unoccupied throughout the year as their owners only stay there in summer, earning these houses the nickname, "summer camps". These sprawling bungalows come complete with boathouses and private docks, and may be available for rent. You just need to have truckloads of money spewing out of your ears. That's all.

Even the lakefront lodges and resorts compete for the title of 'Most Atas'. Especially the Lake Placid Lodge with it's sans children rule. Apparently, Bill Gates wanted to bring his family and kids to stay at the lodge, and offered to book and pay for the entire resort, so that no other royal guests would be disturbed by his children during their precious vacation. Nope. Sorry. Nada. The rule could not be waived. Not even for one of the richest people on earth.

It's really nice to know that money can't buy everything.

Even then, I wasn't too happy to find out that I couldn't walk around the lake. This was because most of the lakefront property is privately owned. There is hardly any public access to the shore. It may be a unique real estate arrangement that New York is proud of, but seriously, it's just not cool. The lake is public. No one owns it. But plebians like us are prevented from enjoying it, short of paying to eat at one of the fancy schmancy lakefront restaurants or paying US$15 for a seat on the cruise. Seriously guys, not cool.

Summer camp on the lake

There is some 'good' news though. There is a public campsite, located on prime lakefront real estate, that is free of charge. Yeah, you read this right - F.O.C. The catch is, it's by boat access only. Don't own a boat? Forget it, matey.

Sure, you could rent a boat but there's another catch: it's first come, first served. So if you pay through your nose for something more than a rubby dinghy, only to find the camp full when you pull up on shore... too bad! Nyeah nyeah.

That said, Lake Placid isn't really that exclusive a place. If you're content to just jet around powered by your own arm-power in a kayak. Or just soak in the view (and the petrol fumes) on the public dock. Or just forget about the lake and head into town or into the woods and alongside pretty rivers instead (see next entry!)

Drinking lake water was the only thing within my reach

PS: There are no crocodiles in Lake Placid.

One Sweet Day

Something in the Adirondacks blew me away while we were there.

No, it wasn't the gorgeous blue sky peppered with cotton balls for clouds...

Can you believe that it snowed the weekend before we got here? Unbelievable!

Nor was it the simple joy of walking through the forest on a summer day and practically drowning in all things bright and beautiful...

Stopping to smell the ... well, log.

Soft afternoon sunbeams creating light and shadows on maple leaves

Delicate apple blossoms coming out to say hello.

Nope, it wasn't the leisurely drive through mountain roads, past small villages and towns, along rushing rivers and streams...

Finally stopping to park. If only all parking lots could be like this.

Nor was it the beautiful lodge at South Meadow Farm that greeted us at the end of the lane...

Wouldn't you love to stay here? I would!

The source of inspiration for this entry was inside this non-descript little wooden hut, just quietly sitting there in the middle of the woods. It reminded me of the house of the 3 bears, the one that Goldilocks let herself into one fine day when the bears were out.

Should we go in?

Just like the house of the 3 bears, the hut was stocked with yummy deals (no nice chairs or comfy beds in here though!) In this case, it was gallons and gallons of pure Adirondack maple syrup, some of the best out there.

Sugarworks galore!

Just like the house of the 3 bears, there was no one around! This little store ran totally on an "honest system". You pick what you want, record your purchase in the log and make payment via cash, cheque or credit card (and help yourself to some change if you need to!)

We were quite taken by the trust that this farm owner had for visitors. Total strangers from all over the world who came across this quiet corner in the woods. The products were there for anyone to help themselves to. There were hundreds of dollars in cash lying around on the desk. There was a chance that visitors could leave a bad cheque, or fake their credit card details on the charge slip, or leave you a tenner or twenty short. Or simply just walk out with an armful of free stuff. But we were quite quite sure that no one did that, and were left wondering what made the "honest system" a success here, when in other places, it would be take a giant leap of human faith to trust fellow human beings to do the right thing.

Is it because you know that you're being trusted and thus would feel like a guilty immoral scumbag for taking more than you paid for? Or is it the fear of Big Brother watching in the form of security cameras that scares you? We put it down to the very simple explanation - that you want to live up to the trust that a complete stranger puts in you. And of course, that you know deep deep deep down in your heart that it's wrong to steal.

A system that runs on good ol' values - trust, honour and honesty.

The products that were up for offer were totally tantalising. Now, tell me that you wouldn't be tempted to get something for youself...

Shiny bottles of sweet, pure, natural maple syrup.

Jars of golden honey that Winnie the Pooh would die for (isn't Squeak Creek such a cute name?!)

Golden honey straws, fat with honey.

Freshly made pancake mix from local mills in tasty wholesome natural flavours.

Bottles of fruity jams and vegetable preserves chockful of natural goodness.

Red and green jelly that catches the sunlight! How pretty!

Chinese aren't the only ones who do strange things to eggs, like pickle them in horse piss to get black century eggs.

My folks totted up their purchases - syrup for the neightbours, candy for the office mates and relatives, and a little something for ourselves - left our cash in the basket and purchase details on the notepad, and off we went...

Doing the math with the little calculator from the self service station

My favourite lefties - Dad and Dan (sleeping in the car)

...while tucking into some sugary goodies from the store!

The best maple sugar candies I've ever tasted.
Golden, sparkley (really, no kidding), fragrant and totally melt-in-your-mouth. Mmmmm.

We aren't sure this 'honest system' would work back home. Sure, there are some small-scale ones going on in the office (help yourself to a packet drink and leave 60 cents in the box.) But would it work for an entire store? In a quiet location? Would people think it's stupid not to take advantage of a free-for-all situation? Or sneak in an extra honey stick or two into their purchase (it's only 20 cents each after all.) Would they help themselves when no one's watching? Like how Goldilocks sat on all the chairs, sampled all the bowls of porridge and messed up all the beds?

Do you think it would work? Share your thoughts!