Now that we're having a rest at my Uncle's house in Singapore (for both Christmas and New Year's Eve), I've been trying to update the blog with photos (see the three posts below). Unfortunately, I haven't had much time to write about what we've been doing since we left India, so here it goes. Before that, however, I want to say thank you to everyone we've met over the last few months and especially thanks to our amazing travel agent at STA in Los Angeles, Chai V., who continues to be an excellent source of information for us and always gives prompt replies to our numerous questions! I also owe Molly C. from UCLA Chemistry a shout out here on the blog, since I promised her one many months ago before we left. Hi Molly!!
We arrived in Singapore from New Delhi early on Dec. 21. And let me reiterate 2 things about India: (1) Delhi is a great city. It's fun, lively, and nearly hassle free. (2) The rest of what we saw of India is worth skipping except for the Taj Mahal, Fatephur Sikri, and Varanasi. So it was a relief for us to get on that red-eye flight to Singapore.
My uncle met us at the airport early in the morning, and our first few days here were relaxing and refreshing. Do you know how good a nice bed and a clean hot shower feel after 2+ months in Nepal and India? Do you know how nice it is to be able to drink tap water? And not have to worry about power failures? Or grubby guys checking out and grabbing your wife? It's the perfect break for us because Singapore is so cushy (all links in this post are pictures) and there are no touts anywhere!. Plus, we were getting a bit homesick, having been away for so long already, so being with family here for both Christmas and to usher in the new year is a great feeling. Plus, my grandma is cooking excellent vegetarian food for us every day; curries, soups, stews, noodles, and today she's making spring rolls!
We mostly spent the first few days watching movies (Curse of the Golden Flower and Night at the Museum) because it was raining all the time, and in different shopping centers around Singapore, because we needed nice clothes for Christmas and New Year's but only had our grubby travelling gear! But after Christmas (which included a mellow party here at my Uncle's house with amazing home-cooked food!), my cousin took us around a bit and to another Christmas party the next day (26.Dec), and my uncle took us hiking at Bukit Timah Nature Reserve (on 29.Dec). We climbed to the peak of Bukit Hill (163.63 m... compared to our trek in Nepal (link to Nepali Treking Post), even our out-of-shape and sluggish bodies could handle that one!). After that, we
went out to lunch with him at the Tanglin Club and had some excellent Italian food and amazing fresh salads (do you know what it's like to be vegetarian and not able to eat a salad for 3+ months?!).Then on the 29th, J and I took a bumboat up to Pulau Ubin, a small island nature reserve off the north east coast of Singapore. There, we rented bikes and rode around observing weird mud skippers (fish that live as much in the water as they do on the land, where they walk around with special pectoral fins!), the rare
Oriental horn bill (a bird), tiny crabs with one huge claw, and gigantic spiders amongst an endangered black mangrove swamp. (Justine's note: I also was attacked by the elusive Singaporean mosquito, which ruined my legs for the new skirt I wore for NYE. Drat!!)Last time I was in Singapore, my days were filled with endless mahjong tournements, where my aunties and grandma robbed my brother, Chris, and I blind! Finally, two days ago (on 30.Dec.), I got my aunt and cousin to play mahjong with Justine and I, but not for real money since we're still novices. It was a great time and Grandma helped Justine climb out of the hole before my cousin took all the chips.
My sister, Lisa arrived yesterday in the morning (31.Dec.) and promptly went shopping with Justine (at least I'm off that duty for a while!) (Justine's note: Puh-leaze! I am on an island of huge shopping malls, haven't seen decent clothes for practically five months, and barely visited any stores here. Of course Lisa is going to the mall with me!) After lunch, we took up another mahjong tourney while Justine napped. I was ready for real money (S$7 buy in), but Lisa insisted on a practice
game. Of course, within an hour, she had everyone's chips after she won with a well-played limit hand!! Good thing we didn't go in for real! After taking a nap myself, L, J, and I got ready and took the bus downtown for NYE festivities at the Esplanade (fireworks over the harbor) and had drinks at Harry's bar. Although it was really crowded, it was super fun, we got good seats, and the fireworks were quite nice over the water after the rain cleared up. Note that it's not October, because Justine and I almost went to Thailand before NYE, like we had planned, and we likely would have been in Bangkok last night for these bomb blasts (link goes to news story).Justine and I do leave for Thailand on 3.Jan, going to Bangkok first, then working our way south to meet my sister on Phuket, where she's staying for business. After that, we'll spend time on some of the other islands, like Phi Phi, Ko Samui, and the nature reserves in the south. Sometime in late January, we fly up to Chiang Mai for some more hiking, camping, and elephant riding before crossing into Laos to take a slow boat down the Mekong.
Well, that's all for now, and we wish everyone a really happy and healthy new year! Don't forget to check out the rest of the pictures from Singapore here!
-Mike
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