First of Nine Lives Used...

Had my first near-brush with disaster this morning, but by sheer luck, I averted it. Well, I'm being a bit overdramatic... it would have been more of an inconvenience, not a disaster. But anyway, so I decided I was going to fly out from Singapore to Kuala Lumpur this morning and out of cheapness, I bought a ticket for a 5:55 AM flight... It was like $50 versus $120 for all the other flights throughout the day. Which was fine -- I would still be able to get a decent sleep, but it meant that I had to wake up at 4:00 AM to make my flight. Like the responsible kid that I am, I set a couple of alarms on my phone: 3:45 and 3:55... neither of which sounded for reasons I still am not sure of... Somehow, I naturally woke up that morning and had the sense to check my clock. It was exactly 4:00 AM. So I made it to the airport ok and was able to get out of SG and to Kuala Lumpur... Whew!




But it wasn't without a little bit of sadness... I was having a LOT of fun hanging out with my sister, Melissa, my brother-in-law John and their kids (my nieces and nephews), Kirin and Lily. But, my experience has been that the joy of traveling is the feeling of being untethered -- disconnected from your life -- and the unpredictability. It's like being a pebble that was slung from a slingshot. So I had to leave, and fairly quickly. But I'm really glad I started my journey in Singapore. It's a great jumping off point for a SE Asia tour -- a perfect place to ease yourself into the foreign-ness that is SE Asia. And it was so wonderful to spend time with Melissa and her family. I missed them all so much...




I got my first taste of Singapore on Monday afternoon. After I posted my first blog, I decided to strike out and see what I could find. Ruby was so kind as to loan me her gate key and Kirin's bus pass (which, like an idiot, I forgot to give back and have with me here in Malaysia... Sorry Ruby!). I'd heard Little India was a fairly fun an interesting place, so I chose that as my destination. Its always a little unnerving using a city's public transportation system. I searched for online resources to see if I could find a trip planner, but couldn't find out. After a while, I gave up and just jumped on a bus. Luckily, I was headed in the right direction. I stopped by a little market to check out their wares first and to ask around for directions. One of the shop owners was kind enough to give me instructions on how to get to Little India and I made it there before long.




Little India was cute, and fun, but what stuck with me the most about my first adventure was just how safe I felt the whole way. The strictness I had read about was nowhere to be found. No intimidating police milling around -- I think I saw one police car the whole day. In fact, throughout my experience, the only manifestation of this alleged 'strictness' was that I couldn't buy a pack of gum when I felt like chewing one. Gum can only be purchased at pharmacies and only the 'nicotine' and 'dental gum' varieties, legal because of their health benefits.




On Tuesday, I met with Melissa and John for lunch (during their work day no less...). Melissa and I met first at Lau Pa Sat, a complex of street food stands rife with cheap but delicious eats, otherwise known as a 'hawker center'. There are many of these through out Singapore. SG is a global financial center now; these 'hawker centers' are sort of a throwback to its roots which were more similar to poorer SE Asian countries like Vietnam or Cambodia. But as I understand it, despite the bargain basement prices for food, hawker centers are highly regulated for cleanliness, even moreso than the surrounding restaurants. So not only can you find a bargain at these centers, but you'll also be eating some of the safest (and most delicious) food in Singapore.




I was able to find something there that was very similar to a food that I ate a lot as a child -- Penang Goreng, or "Banana Fritter". It's a slice of banana that is battered and deep-fried... and utterly delicious. The heat melts the banana into a warm pudding, and the batter is fairly neutral in flavor but adds a layer of crispness. It's dripping with grease, but it is a rich and decadent treat.



After Lau Pa Sat, Melissa went back to work, and John walked me over to Chinatown, where I would spend the afternoon, before returning to work himself. He gave me a brief tour of Chinatown before dropping me off at the front of Ann Siang Hill Park which connects to two sides of Singapore's China town. The street that we stood on, shown here, was once the frontage to Singapore's harbor. All of the land beyond that was filled in -- man made -- and it's is now home to Singapore's financial district, a giant steel forest of skyscrapers.




As John walked away, I turned and walked into Ann Siang Hill park, the city to my back. I nearly forgot it was there as I was absorbed into Chinatown's nostalgic architecture and decor.




But when I reached the top of Ann Siang Hill, I turned around and saw this...




A mass of old buildings with Chinese-style roofs huddled together against a backdrop of concrete and steel skyscrapers. In a way, I kind of feel like this sums up Singapore and a lot of booming SE Asian countries (including Malaysia) right now. Singapore only officially became a country after the Second World War, which makes it a virtual infant... Yet in that short time, it's matured into one of the worlds most vibrant economies. The same has happened in Malaysia, and yes, it's now happening to Vietnam as I understand it. Sights like this just serve as a living reminder of Singapore's rapid growth and the industriousness of its people.
Anyway, I'm heading out now. I'm about to head up to the observation deck and sky bridge of Malaysia's famous Petronas Towers, those round twin towers that you so often see in movies... But I had a bunch of video and pictures of Singapore I wanted to share with you all, so I just put them together in a video. Hope you enjoy it! I'll talk to you all again soon.

Location:Singapore, SG