As my (budget) 1am flight arrived at Singapore International Airport 5:15am—scratch that 3:45am local time, i.e. I had LOTS of time to get acquainted. It was still dark for another 3 hours and I was not feeling one ounce of courage. Instead I wandered the near-empty terminal waiting for the dawn to come, checking internet at McDonald’s, and feasting on what I later found out was a traditional breakfast choice from a place called Ya Kun Kaya: soft boiled eggs, a very sweetened thickish coffee and cheesy French toast served with kaya, a jam like substance made of eggs, sugar, and coconut.
Around 8am, having become quite at home in Terminal 2, I forced myself onto a city bus that would take me near to the hostel, Betel Box, where I had a booking for the night. I checked in and played the waiting game another few hours until my room was ready. I met two girls sitting at the breakfast table and after chatting for a bit made plans to join them at the night sa
fari attraction. Then I wandered the city for hours taking in the sights and the FOOD! It is so modern, with huge buildings, luxury hotels, but also bustling ethnic neighborhoods of Kampong Glam (the Arab district), Little India, and Chinatown, as well as Malay food stalls asserting a strong presence. I tried special poured frothy, milky tea that is a local specialty, and also had some delicious chicken curry and naan, in addition to various odds and ends of juices (mango, sugar cane) and sweets. Then I met the two girls at Raffles, the most famous hot
el in Singapore—and huge, fancy colonial style hotel where the cocktail, the Singapore Sling is said to have been invented. I had a lovely time not getting one as they were SD$21 (still about $15) and not for budget backpacker. We trekked out on the train to the Night Safari which was up at the northern end of the island. We saw a couple shows and then took a tram ride through the night jungles, seeing Asian elephants, tigers, etc. I even walked through a bat enclosure which was only slightly terrifying.
The next day after an amazing noodle lunch (the first of many to be sure) and trying my friend’
s black chicken (surprisingly good and not that scary), I set off on a bike ride to make my perilous way to the Eastern beach, only to be stopped in my tracks my a thunderous storm that had me huddling under a hut with some 20 locals for about an hour. Finally, I’d had enough and journeyed back to my hostel braving the rain.
The next morning I was up early to squeeze in some last minute sightseeing: a view of the city from a 70th floor restaurant, the famous Merlion statue, and a brief boat ride in a traditional bumboat down the river, before heading back to catch my bus to Melaka, a four hour bus trip over the bridge into Malaysia and through the countryside. I arrived to the commercial part of the city and took a town bus to the older part where I found my lovely lodging, Kancil Guest House. I had a single room in an old Chinese house with a nice garden in the back complete with bright orange fish in a tiny moat. I chatted with the 3 other people staying there, two Belgians (one who was caring for the place as the owner had gone to Singapore for a week), and a Brit. One gave his copy of Lonely Planet Southeast Asia as he was flying home the next day—a terrific surprise seeing as I had not yet committed to buying one!
The next morning I set off to see the sights of Melaka, a city with an interesting history and intriguing mix of cultures. Talk about a melting pot, as the city’s diverse cuisine says it all—there’s Malay, Chinese, Indian, and Baba-Nonya (Malays culture intermarrying with Chinese).
Then throw in the fact that the Portuguese was the first colonial precense in the 1600s, followed by the Dutch and then the Brits, and the influences on the architecture and food are extensive and varied. The town square has striking red stucco exteriors which contrast with Buddhist temples and white-washed mosques (even one with a pagoda-style minaret) just blocks away. 
Around 8am, having become quite at home in Terminal 2, I forced myself onto a city bus that would take me near to the hostel, Betel Box, where I had a booking for the night. I checked in and played the waiting game another few hours until my room was ready. I met two girls sitting at the breakfast table and after chatting for a bit made plans to join them at the night sa
fari attraction. Then I wandered the city for hours taking in the sights and the FOOD! It is so modern, with huge buildings, luxury hotels, but also bustling ethnic neighborhoods of Kampong Glam (the Arab district), Little India, and Chinatown, as well as Malay food stalls asserting a strong presence. I tried special poured frothy, milky tea that is a local specialty, and also had some delicious chicken curry and naan, in addition to various odds and ends of juices (mango, sugar cane) and sweets. Then I met the two girls at Raffles, the most famous hot
el in Singapore—and huge, fancy colonial style hotel where the cocktail, the Singapore Sling is said to have been invented. I had a lovely time not getting one as they were SD$21 (still about $15) and not for budget backpacker. We trekked out on the train to the Night Safari which was up at the northern end of the island. We saw a couple shows and then took a tram ride through the night jungles, seeing Asian elephants, tigers, etc. I even walked through a bat enclosure which was only slightly terrifying.
The next day after an amazing noodle lunch (the first of many to be sure) and trying my friend’
s black chicken (surprisingly good and not that scary), I set off on a bike ride to make my perilous way to the Eastern beach, only to be stopped in my tracks my a thunderous storm that had me huddling under a hut with some 20 locals for about an hour. Finally, I’d had enough and journeyed back to my hostel braving the rain.
In anticipation of taking a bus to Malaysia the next day, I reluctantly left my cozy hostel and moved to one closer to the center of town and the bus depot. That even I joined the two girls for dinner at Clarke Quay, a lively, lit-up area along the Singapore River with lots of restaurants and entertainment, even a bungee sling for people wanting to loose their dinner I suppose.
The next morning I was up early to squeeze in some last minute sightseeing: a view of the city from a 70th floor restaurant, the famous Merlion statue, and a brief boat ride in a traditional bumboat down the river, before heading back to catch my bus to Melaka, a four hour bus trip over the bridge into Malaysia and through the countryside. I arrived to the commercial part of the city and took a town bus to the older part where I found my lovely lodging, Kancil Guest House. I had a single room in an old Chinese house with a nice garden in the back complete with bright orange fish in a tiny moat. I chatted with the 3 other people staying there, two Belgians (one who was caring for the place as the owner had gone to Singapore for a week), and a Brit. One gave his copy of Lonely Planet Southeast Asia as he was flying home the next day—a terrific surprise seeing as I had not yet committed to buying one!The next morning I set off to see the sights of Melaka, a city with an interesting history and intriguing mix of cultures. Talk about a melting pot, as the city’s diverse cuisine says it all—there’s Malay, Chinese, Indian, and Baba-Nonya (Malays culture intermarrying with Chinese).
Then throw in the fact that the Portuguese was the first colonial precense in the 1600s, followed by the Dutch and then the Brits, and the influences on the architecture and food are extensive and varied. The town square has striking red stucco exteriors which contrast with Buddhist temples and white-washed mosques (even one with a pagoda-style minaret) just blocks away. 
Today, after a leisurely morning complete with a breakfast of stre
et-hawker noodles (don’t know what they were exactly, but boy were they good) eaten in the peaceful guest house garden, I set off for my next destination: Kuala Lumpur. As I walked around town tonight I already got a really good feeling about the city. The Petronas towers lit up at night are a striking element to the city’s skyline and seem to appear at every turn of a street corner, likewise the sky tower. I spent time in a mall (I know what you’re thinking: you went all the way to Asia to go to a mall?!), but it was really something. 12 floors I tell you. And the food court was something out of a dream. Then I went to Chinatown via the monorail and wandered the hawker stalls, sipping on iced tea and sugar cane juice (why have one when you can have both and they cost 50 cents!). I didn’t buy anything…yet. The place is ridiculous. Underneath the ubiquitous red lanterns, Polo shirts, Prada wallets, and Puma shoes (who cares if they’re fake, they look pretty darn real!) are on sale for $20, then $15, then $10, then you walk away and they are chasing after you….”Last sale of the night…just for you!! Special customer! Only for you!!” Then I wandered back to my guest house past more amazing eateries of Malay, Indian, and Chinese food, trying to resist the seemingly limitless temptations at every turn. It’s going to be a tough couple of months.
et-hawker noodles (don’t know what they were exactly, but boy were they good) eaten in the peaceful guest house garden, I set off for my next destination: Kuala Lumpur. As I walked around town tonight I already got a really good feeling about the city. The Petronas towers lit up at night are a striking element to the city’s skyline and seem to appear at every turn of a street corner, likewise the sky tower. I spent time in a mall (I know what you’re thinking: you went all the way to Asia to go to a mall?!), but it was really something. 12 floors I tell you. And the food court was something out of a dream. Then I went to Chinatown via the monorail and wandered the hawker stalls, sipping on iced tea and sugar cane juice (why have one when you can have both and they cost 50 cents!). I didn’t buy anything…yet. The place is ridiculous. Underneath the ubiquitous red lanterns, Polo shirts, Prada wallets, and Puma shoes (who cares if they’re fake, they look pretty darn real!) are on sale for $20, then $15, then $10, then you walk away and they are chasing after you….”Last sale of the night…just for you!! Special customer! Only for you!!” Then I wandered back to my guest house past more amazing eateries of Malay, Indian, and Chinese food, trying to resist the seemingly limitless temptations at every turn. It’s going to be a tough couple of months. 
So far Asia has been a real treat. Of course the food here is right up my alley: delicious, flavourful, plentiful, and CHEAP. It's a dream come true, perhaps my version of heaven would be a street of hawker stalls (where everything is sanitary)--no problems as of yet though, knock on wood! The people are very friendly, everything seems relatively clean and high-tech, and there's plenty of culture to be had. Now the tough part is trying to decide where to go, because there are so many places to see, and never enough time...
1 comment:
Lo, I have always wanted to go to KL, so glad you're having a fab time! Hope you'll continue to keep your global audience posted - and get some pictures up :)
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