Not many internet cafes here, and I really didn't have much time to write anyways, as my days were long, trying to get it all in in 3.5 days! Good thing I'm staying with my friend W and have some more friends here to tell me where to go, show me around, and speak better Chinese than me.
The first day was full of temples. I wanted to get my fortune by shaking out a numbered stick from a tube. It was 93. This year was bad for me, the music is harsh, clashing and evil sounding. My business will not make a profit, and it's not a good year to get married. I should buy a complementary Chinese horoscope sign to wear, to offset this. We also went to another temple to change my fortune by paying money and spinning a pinwheel. How superstitious is that, eh?
I met with my colleagues who were also visiting, and we went to see the Peak. It is up a funicular on Hong Kong Island. Would've have been a great view except for the major smog from pollution. The pollution index is 61! A good number is 20-30.
At night, we went to see the laser light show along the waterfront. It was a bunch off lasers reflected off the tall buildings and some buildings have their own light displays as well. Along the sidewalk, was the Avenue of stars. We found Jackie Chan, Jet Li and Bruce Lee.
The second day, we went to Ocean Park, Hong Kong's adventure land with animals, rides and games. We saw the pandas and all the marine life. It was a great aquarium with 4 levels of pools where all the fish swim together. The jelly fish display was fantastic too! Definitely the highlight. We took in a roller coaster and a couple more rides, but I think I got heatstroke again as I was feeling dizzy after a ride or 2 going in circles, which is not normal for me. I had to skip the rest, too bad, as there was a hellevator type tide I wanted to go on! We didn't make it up the hot air balloon either, as it was too windy when we decided to go.
We went shopping at many places. There are so many malls and outdoor markets here, it's crazy! You can find high end stuff, knock offs, knick knacks, souvenirs, jade and even animals for sale. There are also fortune tellers and we went to see another one. I was told my eyes leak out money, that I should get glasses. I haven't worn glasses since grade 6! And I don't think glasses are that attractive on me. I was told that life will be difficult for me until I get married, but I will not get divorced. I have high expectations and I split with my love in my 20s. I'm stubborn, even upsetting my parents, but have gotten a little better over the years. I should bring back any photo of a guy I'm interested in, and the fortune teller will tell me if he will be my husband. How intriguing is that?!
Day 3 was out to the country side, near China, where my friend W brought me to Sai Keung to see the fishing boats. We also went by a former refugee camp which is now a golf country club.
The next day, I had to leave! Got to have a lunch with a friend's sister who moved here almost 10 years ago. Been so long,and people still look the same.
I was pooped and couldn't wait to get home. This is the first trip where I felt homesick. I missed my large spacious condo, the more moderate temperature (15C vs. 35C), the amount of public space, the car I drive, the cleanliness of the bathrooms (in Asia, I have to bring toilet paper every time).
I really like their efficient transit system though. I didn't get a chance to experience the night life or see Big Buddha, but I guess I have to save something for next time!
Friday, April 16, 2010
Saturday, April 10, 2010
Cambodia highlights
Siem Reap:
favourites: Angkor Wat, Bayon, silk farm, night market, old market, landmine museum
friendly people here, not very agressive
small town, I feel safe and can walk around
things to note:
cost of a tuk tuk: $15USD/d
food: $4/entree
beer 50 cents
Phnom Penh:
favourites: cooking class, stroll along the riverfront, toul sleng museum, massage by a blind person
things to note:
cost of a tuk tuk $4/trip
things I didn't like:
Temperature: 40C, 80% humidity - it's too hot, I'm taking a shower almost 3x a day and you sweat as soon as you get outside
Very aggressive tuk tuk drivers and tour guides. I had quite a few drivers telling me stuff that wasn't true. I went by my guidebook, but they just argued with me that I was wrong, when I was right in the end. The traffic is crazy, almost no rules!
Very large city, I don't feel that safe, always protecting my bag, can't walk around my hotel at night
Very dirty, hazy air.
favourites: Angkor Wat, Bayon, silk farm, night market, old market, landmine museum
friendly people here, not very agressive
small town, I feel safe and can walk around
things to note:
cost of a tuk tuk: $15USD/d
food: $4/entree
beer 50 cents
Phnom Penh:
favourites: cooking class, stroll along the riverfront, toul sleng museum, massage by a blind person
things to note:
cost of a tuk tuk $4/trip
things I didn't like:
Temperature: 40C, 80% humidity - it's too hot, I'm taking a shower almost 3x a day and you sweat as soon as you get outside
Very aggressive tuk tuk drivers and tour guides. I had quite a few drivers telling me stuff that wasn't true. I went by my guidebook, but they just argued with me that I was wrong, when I was right in the end. The traffic is crazy, almost no rules!
Very large city, I don't feel that safe, always protecting my bag, can't walk around my hotel at night
Very dirty, hazy air.
Friday, April 09, 2010
Phnom Penh
I've been here for 3 days and have noticed that there is not as much to see here as there is in Siem Reap. The first day, I tried to search for group tours and only found one which had 2 people in it. I found central market. It's a large art deco building being renovated on the inside, so all the vendors are on the outside. Not that many souvenirs here, mostly housewares, jewelry, clothing and groceries.
Then, I found a Khmer cooking class through a brochure at Frizz Restaurant. I think that's what I'll do on my second day!
Cambodian cooking has mostly curry and spices. I learned to make spring rolls, fish amok (yellow curry) steamed in a palm leaf bowl, banana blossom salad (made from the banana flower, before bananas grow from it) and sticky rice and mango. Wow, I was full by lunchtime already and it was a full day course. I met a couple from Toronto and 2 girls from England. Everyone is roaming around Asia as well.
We finished early due to the small class size, so I had time to go to the Royal Palace and the Silver Pagoda. The King is currently here, and fed the monks this morning before the Khmer New Year, so closed the palace. Good thing I went in the afternoon. The same thing happened to us in Thailand, when the King's sister died and closed off portions of the Royal Palace. The Silver palace is renowned for the silver tiles, only some of which they display. The rest they keep covered with large rugs for preservation.
I was pooped and went back to the hotel for a dip in the pool, pretty refreshing, but the pool is deep, I couldn't really relax as I couldn't step on the bottom. I ended up getting a full body Thai massage as well as a foot massage. I just about fell asleep and it wasn't even 9pm!
On my 3rd day, I joined an Intrepid city tour. I saw the S-21 prison, now the Tuol Sleng genocidal museum. The Khmer Rouge (KR) regime led by Pol Pot, sent people here to be interrogated and tortured. There were only 7 survivors when the KR were defeated by the Vietnamese army in 1979 and 2 still living as of today. I met one of them, Chum Mey. It must be so hard to walk around the grounds and see the cell you were imprisoned in. The photos indicate the madness of those times. He has testified in the UN tribunal against one of the leaders. The other, paints the memories of S-21 and has them on display here.
The Cheoung Ek memorial was built at one of the killing fields where they found mass graves in 1980, the year after the regime was over. It was found by the smell. There are 17 tiers of clothing, skulls and bones. Even foreigners died here. I was only a child when this was all happening on the other side of the world from me. It begs the question, is there another genocide happening today? It's hard to believe this happened in modern day, 1975 - 1979.
I went to see the remainder of the main sights, including the Independence Monument (now a war memorial), Wat Phnom hill (the originating area of the city and also the highest part of the city), the Russian market (most of the foreigners after the KR were Russians) and the riverfront. I took a sunset cruise along the Mekong River and met some British ladies and an Aussie guy.
I had a massage from a blind person (it's quite popular here) at Clinic Massage by Blind and boy, he can't see, but he sure can figure out where all my knots were. I like strong massages, but this one hurt in some places. The travelling has really been hard on my body!
I am feeling a bit homesick as I am travelling alone, the country is dirty and hot. I miss my clean condo, the public transportation system, the English speaking people and the cooler temperature. I don't feel safe to walk around. I was told Phnom Penh is not full of friendly Cambodians as the rest of the country, they are more selfish due to the past, as Phnom Penh was the centre for the KR. Kill or be killed. Watch out for yourself. But in the end, Pol Pot killed all his soldiers anyways.
I am getting mosquito bites everywhere and getting prickly heat/heat rash. Well, I'll be in Hong Kong by tomorrow night, so hopefully will be feeling a little more adventurous.
Then, I found a Khmer cooking class through a brochure at Frizz Restaurant. I think that's what I'll do on my second day!
Cambodian cooking has mostly curry and spices. I learned to make spring rolls, fish amok (yellow curry) steamed in a palm leaf bowl, banana blossom salad (made from the banana flower, before bananas grow from it) and sticky rice and mango. Wow, I was full by lunchtime already and it was a full day course. I met a couple from Toronto and 2 girls from England. Everyone is roaming around Asia as well.
We finished early due to the small class size, so I had time to go to the Royal Palace and the Silver Pagoda. The King is currently here, and fed the monks this morning before the Khmer New Year, so closed the palace. Good thing I went in the afternoon. The same thing happened to us in Thailand, when the King's sister died and closed off portions of the Royal Palace. The Silver palace is renowned for the silver tiles, only some of which they display. The rest they keep covered with large rugs for preservation.
I was pooped and went back to the hotel for a dip in the pool, pretty refreshing, but the pool is deep, I couldn't really relax as I couldn't step on the bottom. I ended up getting a full body Thai massage as well as a foot massage. I just about fell asleep and it wasn't even 9pm!
On my 3rd day, I joined an Intrepid city tour. I saw the S-21 prison, now the Tuol Sleng genocidal museum. The Khmer Rouge (KR) regime led by Pol Pot, sent people here to be interrogated and tortured. There were only 7 survivors when the KR were defeated by the Vietnamese army in 1979 and 2 still living as of today. I met one of them, Chum Mey. It must be so hard to walk around the grounds and see the cell you were imprisoned in. The photos indicate the madness of those times. He has testified in the UN tribunal against one of the leaders. The other, paints the memories of S-21 and has them on display here.
The Cheoung Ek memorial was built at one of the killing fields where they found mass graves in 1980, the year after the regime was over. It was found by the smell. There are 17 tiers of clothing, skulls and bones. Even foreigners died here. I was only a child when this was all happening on the other side of the world from me. It begs the question, is there another genocide happening today? It's hard to believe this happened in modern day, 1975 - 1979.
I went to see the remainder of the main sights, including the Independence Monument (now a war memorial), Wat Phnom hill (the originating area of the city and also the highest part of the city), the Russian market (most of the foreigners after the KR were Russians) and the riverfront. I took a sunset cruise along the Mekong River and met some British ladies and an Aussie guy.
I had a massage from a blind person (it's quite popular here) at Clinic Massage by Blind and boy, he can't see, but he sure can figure out where all my knots were. I like strong massages, but this one hurt in some places. The travelling has really been hard on my body!
I am feeling a bit homesick as I am travelling alone, the country is dirty and hot. I miss my clean condo, the public transportation system, the English speaking people and the cooler temperature. I don't feel safe to walk around. I was told Phnom Penh is not full of friendly Cambodians as the rest of the country, they are more selfish due to the past, as Phnom Penh was the centre for the KR. Kill or be killed. Watch out for yourself. But in the end, Pol Pot killed all his soldiers anyways.
I am getting mosquito bites everywhere and getting prickly heat/heat rash. Well, I'll be in Hong Kong by tomorrow night, so hopefully will be feeling a little more adventurous.
Thursday, April 08, 2010
other things in Siem Reap
Well, the last day here, so I figure I'd go see what else Siem Reap has to offer. I tell you, it's hard to find! My hotel doesn't have the plethora of flyers as the Vancouver hotels do, so I had to try to find stuff from my guidebook.
I went to see the Royal Palace, which isn't grand, and you can't go into anyways. It is beside a small garden which I thought was for the King, but is actually upkept by a hotel, probably 5 star. There is also a Buddhist temple here, and the Khmer New Year is starting on the 14th, so people are starting their celebrations. Lots of flower offerings, a few groups of children and adults in traditional clothing go around the businesses for offerings and good luck? I really don't know, but am assuming that it's similar to the Chinese New Year.
We drove by the Wat Bo riverside. It's just an area of small houses/businesses, but I wanted to venture out a little bit and had lots of time today with my tuk tuk driver. I then went to Old Market. I had actually found it by accident last night, but went again in the daytime. I just love the fact that people are selling meat without refrigeration, reminds me of how they do it in Peru. I saw lots of veggie and fruit stands. I bought some rambutan, longan and lychee for my afternoon snack.
I got a ride home for lunchtime, but since I had a bowl of noodle soup, I wasn't hungry, so I wanted to write in my journal. I'm 2 days behind, but all the days are so full! I promptly fell asleep for 3 hours! That tells you how tired I am. Besides, it's a hot country and most people have siesta now, don't they?
Well, I went down to the lobby where they have some tables, usually for breakfast and decided to write. I ended talking to a Chris, a swiss guy who was roaming around the temples on his own. Too bad I didn't meet him any earlier, as we could've shared a tuk tuk or something. He's so brave to do it on his own with the lonely planet guide. Even with my tour guide, I don't feel that I can explain anything...
I went to Old Market for dinner and ate at Temple. It's recommended by Lonely Planet, but I didn't know that until I saw the sign. There is traditional Apsara dancing shows during dinner, so for me, it was a 2 in 1. I ate some fried fish with Cambodian spices, sure was tasty and served in a little palm leaf bowl!
This is such a great area for tourists to roam around. It's safe, concentrated, has souvenirs, massage places, bars, etc. Beer is 50 cents and dinner is less than $5. Your tuk tuk can take you back home for $2!
I went for a pedicure, my nail polish needed to be changed. I met a girl, Song Va and her English was pretty good for someone who works there. I had a foot massage yesterday and the guy, Thi, only knew a few phrases. The massages are so cheap, $5 to $10 for an hour, same as Thailand. If I could, I would have one everyday, but I have a sunburnt neck and shoulder so those areas are sensitive.
I picked up a tour guide from the restaurant and went through the pages, I am missing out on cooking classes and the silk farm! If only I knew, that's where I'd be right now.
So, the next morning, before the airport, I asked to squeeze in a trip to the silk farm at Atrisans d'Angkor. I just love silk and want to know how it's made. I saw the whole thing: silk worms being fed mulberry leaves, making cocoons, how the silk is extracted from the worm, spun into thread, dyed and weaved into a scarf! It's truly amazing and what a beautiful product. I really wanted to buy something, but I have already bought too many souvenirs and I have an extra 6kg in my luggage!
Aw darn, at the exit I saw a sign that I could've had a silk weaving class! I would've totally done that!!!
I went to see the Royal Palace, which isn't grand, and you can't go into anyways. It is beside a small garden which I thought was for the King, but is actually upkept by a hotel, probably 5 star. There is also a Buddhist temple here, and the Khmer New Year is starting on the 14th, so people are starting their celebrations. Lots of flower offerings, a few groups of children and adults in traditional clothing go around the businesses for offerings and good luck? I really don't know, but am assuming that it's similar to the Chinese New Year.
We drove by the Wat Bo riverside. It's just an area of small houses/businesses, but I wanted to venture out a little bit and had lots of time today with my tuk tuk driver. I then went to Old Market. I had actually found it by accident last night, but went again in the daytime. I just love the fact that people are selling meat without refrigeration, reminds me of how they do it in Peru. I saw lots of veggie and fruit stands. I bought some rambutan, longan and lychee for my afternoon snack.
I got a ride home for lunchtime, but since I had a bowl of noodle soup, I wasn't hungry, so I wanted to write in my journal. I'm 2 days behind, but all the days are so full! I promptly fell asleep for 3 hours! That tells you how tired I am. Besides, it's a hot country and most people have siesta now, don't they?
Well, I went down to the lobby where they have some tables, usually for breakfast and decided to write. I ended talking to a Chris, a swiss guy who was roaming around the temples on his own. Too bad I didn't meet him any earlier, as we could've shared a tuk tuk or something. He's so brave to do it on his own with the lonely planet guide. Even with my tour guide, I don't feel that I can explain anything...
I went to Old Market for dinner and ate at Temple. It's recommended by Lonely Planet, but I didn't know that until I saw the sign. There is traditional Apsara dancing shows during dinner, so for me, it was a 2 in 1. I ate some fried fish with Cambodian spices, sure was tasty and served in a little palm leaf bowl!
This is such a great area for tourists to roam around. It's safe, concentrated, has souvenirs, massage places, bars, etc. Beer is 50 cents and dinner is less than $5. Your tuk tuk can take you back home for $2!
I went for a pedicure, my nail polish needed to be changed. I met a girl, Song Va and her English was pretty good for someone who works there. I had a foot massage yesterday and the guy, Thi, only knew a few phrases. The massages are so cheap, $5 to $10 for an hour, same as Thailand. If I could, I would have one everyday, but I have a sunburnt neck and shoulder so those areas are sensitive.
I picked up a tour guide from the restaurant and went through the pages, I am missing out on cooking classes and the silk farm! If only I knew, that's where I'd be right now.
So, the next morning, before the airport, I asked to squeeze in a trip to the silk farm at Atrisans d'Angkor. I just love silk and want to know how it's made. I saw the whole thing: silk worms being fed mulberry leaves, making cocoons, how the silk is extracted from the worm, spun into thread, dyed and weaved into a scarf! It's truly amazing and what a beautiful product. I really wanted to buy something, but I have already bought too many souvenirs and I have an extra 6kg in my luggage!
Aw darn, at the exit I saw a sign that I could've had a silk weaving class! I would've totally done that!!!
Tuesday, April 06, 2010
last day at the temples
I went to see Banteay Srei, ladies temple. This is the favourite for tourists as the carvings are all still well preserved. Quite elaborate, but the temple is quite small. One thing I noticed is that the steps are really short in depth, it only fits my foot sideways; and they are really steep. This is definitely not a trip for the elderly or unfit. You can climb up to 3 levels and in this heat, it's exhausting.
I trekked most of the ruins for about 8 hours a day and sometimes didn't even stop to eat. I just want to see it all! After here, we stopped into the Land Mine Museum. Really good museum run by Aki Ra. He was a former Khmer Rouge soldier and now has devoted his life to clearing landmines and making the country safer.
Next up was a killing field near a Buddhist temple. There were bones and skulls encase in a glass structure so that you can see them.
Now, I am finalizing my plans for Phnom Penh. I just booked my flight and hotel for the 3 days. Things are getting pricier as Khmer New Year is starting next week and people leave work on Thursday.
'
One more night here to explore at a more leisurely pace and then I'm off.
I trekked most of the ruins for about 8 hours a day and sometimes didn't even stop to eat. I just want to see it all! After here, we stopped into the Land Mine Museum. Really good museum run by Aki Ra. He was a former Khmer Rouge soldier and now has devoted his life to clearing landmines and making the country safer.
Next up was a killing field near a Buddhist temple. There were bones and skulls encase in a glass structure so that you can see them.
Now, I am finalizing my plans for Phnom Penh. I just booked my flight and hotel for the 3 days. Things are getting pricier as Khmer New Year is starting next week and people leave work on Thursday.
'
One more night here to explore at a more leisurely pace and then I'm off.
Monday, April 05, 2010
Cambodia - temple city
I've been wanting to see Angkor Wat since I saw it in a travel slide show almost 7(?) years ago. I remember seeing the majestic ruins and deciding that I had to go see it before I die.
Well, even though I flew into Siem Reap on Sunday morning at 7am, I checked into the hotel and just wanted to get out there. I was thinking that I should rest, but I really didn't want to waste time.
Usually, the first thing I do is go to the tourist info and pick up a map and some info on tours. Unfortunately, I had no idea where the tourist info was, and the hotel didn't have any tourist material, so I just decided to go to the Angkor Wat tourist centre. I did not know that all it was was a ticket centre for Angkor. I had rode on a moto the entire way, only to go back to the hotel to get my tour guide and tuk tuk arranged for the 3 days that I will be visiting. They only sell 1, 3, 5 or more day passes. 
I finally got out at 1030am. Now, I was just happy to get out and didn't feel any fatigue kick in, even though I only had about 5 hours sleep. However, I did gain an hour as Cambodia is 1 hr behind Singapore.
My guide is Mr. Sin and my driver is Mr. Sei. We went a little too late in the day, so we did not start at Angkor Wat. There are 300 sq km of countryside with temples in it. In the temples of Angkor, there are large ones, small ones, fairly well preserved ones, and ones totally undergoing restoration. They are shrines built by the many kings in the past, and some are Hindu temples and some are Buddhist.
Although my guide spoke English, there was still a communication gap. Also, I am not a history buff or religious, so lots of facts are lost on me, but I like the stories and just seeing the majesty of it all. This is what I understand.
It seems that if the ruling king was Hindu, he instructed all his followers to destroy any remnants of the past king, so most of the Buddhist temples have pieces missing from the images/bodies. The famous one is Angkor Wat, with the 5 corn cob shaped tops, and the Bayon, the one with all the faces and Ta Phrom, the one with all the tree roots. We went through almost 10 temples on the first day, that they were all blurring together. It was almost 8 hours in the blistering sun and heat, my guide said 38C!
On the 2nd day, I wanted to watch the sunrise over Angkor Wat. There were quite a few people, but this is shoulder season, so not as many as there could've been. Unfortunately, my guide is not the best photographer, so I don't have a great shot of me and Angkor Wat. That's ok, I have lots of photos, period. I had to leave the hotel at 5am , to see the sunrise and we walked through almost another 8 temples til 1pm. I'm really making them work hard for their money! Tuk tuk is $10 USd/d and English speaking guide $25/d
I also went to see the Floating Villages to see how people live off the Tonle Sap river. It was such an overpriced tourist money grab. $40USD for ~1.5 hr boat ride (I paid more for the sunset) in a dirty river where the driver doesn't know any English (I was told all of them do and can answer all your questions). The river was really low, so boats were passing head on with only inches to spare, and kicking up dirty water along the way.
After I caught sunset atop a viewing platform on a houseboat, we drove back, but it was getting dark, and they didn't seem to have any lights (or at least they didn't use them) and I was getting scared. I don't swim, I didn't want to get dirty, I didn't want my camera to get ruined and all my pictures gone; maybe I was just paranoid, as I'm sure many tourist come for the sunset. I think I was just getting the feeling that I was being jipped, and I had no English speaking person with me to save me if I drowned!
Lastly, I went to the night market to check out more souvenirs. I already bought lots in Singapore, but I picked up a wooden Bayon face mask for a friend, and some tea and cooking spices also.
It is now midnight, and I must sleep for tomorrow. The highlight will be the Ladies temple.
Singapore highlights
Well, 4 days in Singapore and it was fun. Here are my highlights:
Most fun moment: flying trapeze on Siloso beach on Sentosa Island, adventure playground for the locals. Unfortunately not a catch on the other side, just a solo fly. I was really hoping for a catch, as I had so much fun in Whistler doing it, almost 15 yrs ago. I did 3 tries and I looked so good, apparently people stopped to watch
Most worthwhile sighseeing: all the little ethnic communities: Kampong Glam (Arab community/Malay village), Chinatown and Little India. I know, I don't even go to the ones in Vancouver, but it's great to see all the different souvenirs and restaurants.
Best foods: chili crab and the satay was really good at Lau Pa Sat Hawker centre. Really well marinated, excellent satay sauce, even for mutton. Better than any I've had in Vancouver.
Best entertainment: going out with friends having drinks and checking out the people
Most fun moment: flying trapeze on Siloso beach on Sentosa Island, adventure playground for the locals. Unfortunately not a catch on the other side, just a solo fly. I was really hoping for a catch, as I had so much fun in Whistler doing it, almost 15 yrs ago. I did 3 tries and I looked so good, apparently people stopped to watch
Most worthwhile sighseeing: all the little ethnic communities: Kampong Glam (Arab community/Malay village), Chinatown and Little India. I know, I don't even go to the ones in Vancouver, but it's great to see all the different souvenirs and restaurants.
Best foods: chili crab and the satay was really good at Lau Pa Sat Hawker centre. Really well marinated, excellent satay sauce, even for mutton. Better than any I've had in Vancouver.
Best entertainment: going out with friends having drinks and checking out the people
last day in Singapore
It was the only day it rained during my visit, but that made the weather a little more tolerable, as it has been so hot.
Bugis Village was supposed to be a shopping market of 3 floors, but it was quite the disappointment, more like a night market inside a mall. Singapore has so many more large air conditioned malls, but this was noted in the lonely planet guide, so I thought I would take a look.
Instead, I had time to hang with my friend J. We went to Boat Quay for some drinks and dessert. I actually tried real tapioca, kinda like a potato, but just sweet (but not like sweet potato). We also checked out one of the nicest hotels in town, the Fullerton. Not bad for a redecorated post office. We then headed for dinner: my last wish was to try the famous Singapore chili crab.
Chili crab at Jumbo Seafood Restaurant was awesome! and I didn't even mind all the work. I would've drank the sauce if ít wasn't so spicy. The restaurant is Chinese style, but reminds me of the old Dem Bones, where they give you a bib, and you just dig in. We didn't get that messy though. I wonder if Banana Leaf has it at home?
I wanted to go out again, so headed towards Emerald Hill by Orchard Rd. This is the happening place, tons of people out. Drinks are so expensive here, ~$20, it makes me stop complaining about home. I was getting tired, and didn't make it past 11pm. Good thing, cuz I have to get up at 4am for my flight to Cambodia tomorrow.
Bugis Village was supposed to be a shopping market of 3 floors, but it was quite the disappointment, more like a night market inside a mall. Singapore has so many more large air conditioned malls, but this was noted in the lonely planet guide, so I thought I would take a look.
Instead, I had time to hang with my friend J. We went to Boat Quay for some drinks and dessert. I actually tried real tapioca, kinda like a potato, but just sweet (but not like sweet potato). We also checked out one of the nicest hotels in town, the Fullerton. Not bad for a redecorated post office. We then headed for dinner: my last wish was to try the famous Singapore chili crab.
Chili crab at Jumbo Seafood Restaurant was awesome! and I didn't even mind all the work. I would've drank the sauce if ít wasn't so spicy. The restaurant is Chinese style, but reminds me of the old Dem Bones, where they give you a bib, and you just dig in. We didn't get that messy though. I wonder if Banana Leaf has it at home?
I wanted to go out again, so headed towards Emerald Hill by Orchard Rd. This is the happening place, tons of people out. Drinks are so expensive here, ~$20, it makes me stop complaining about home. I was getting tired, and didn't make it past 11pm. Good thing, cuz I have to get up at 4am for my flight to Cambodia tomorrow.
Friday, April 02, 2010
Singapore nightlife
Well, Fri night on a long weekend, so we headed to Clarke Quay. It is a hub of entertainment, with bars and restaurants. It looked totally different at night than during the day. The complex is star shaped, all light up and mostly covered. It was busy with locals and tourists, supposedly all year too. It reminds me of Vegas, where it was warm but cooler than daytime, tons of tourists looking for something to do, places to drink, lots of different cultures of people.
We were hoping to dance some salsa and there were 2 clubs, but it was too early for dancing. We headed to Highlander, a Scottish bar. I had to order a Singapore Sling. It was red and totally fake tasting. Drinks are really expensive here, ~$15 each. It's no wonder hostesses are trying to get your business as you walk by. It reminds me of Vegas or Mexico where they want tourists to come and spend money and try to lure them in.
We went to Cuba Libre next. They have a live band, and seats at the bar are conga drums. We could dance a few salsa songs, and there were people here who knew how to dance. When it was the DJ, 80s music was quite popular. It went totally to rap and hip hop, so we left for the other salsa bar.
Azucar was not that busy, but the band came on in about 5 min. Really good band and the some people here also dancing salsa. It's definitely not like home where people just ask people, it's more of a tourist scene where people dance with their own group. There was a group of young adults and one guy who's jeans were totally falling off, in fact, his tight whiteys were showing!
About 230 am, we decided we had enough for the day since we didn't know when the salsa band would start up again. Maybe we'll try a different salsa bar tomorrow.
Sentosa Island - beach playground for Singaporeans
So, it's Good Friday today, national holiday in Singapore. J had stayed out late, so we were having a very relaxing morning while he slept. Kinda nice to not feel the need to rush out. I made fruit salad for breakfast, I never get enough fruit on vacation.
We planned to head to Sentosa Island. It's a resort style playground with beaches made of imported sand and lots of attractions, including activities and tourist stuff. We had to go to Vivocity, the mall where we catch the monorail, Sentosa express.
Since it was about lunchtime, we decided to eat before getting on the island. Food Republic is a huge food fair with lots of hawker food. I really wanted to try laksa. Pretty good, but just about the same as home. It was so busy, that we couldn't even find a place to sit, so we got take out and ate on a bench outside. The laksa was so hot, that I couldn't hold it and sit and eat, I had to eat sitting on the floor, so Asian!
We headed for the island and all of went on the luge. These little cars that go on the road have a pull handle brake system which was hard to operate if you have a camera in one hand! I really wanted to take in all the action, but my video is really shaking going down the strip. I took a few pics of my friends, but M was laughing so hard because I looked like a local vendor with my backpack on my back, ready to sell at any time.
If you leave the handle unattended, you come to a screeching halt. The cart sits on the floor, whereas you normally have to pull up a little to raise the car so that the wheels touch the ground. Steering is left or right, but I kept going left because I was taking photos with my right hand. I'm sure this is a safety hazard. You really have to pull back really hard to actually engage the brakes. Not good for kids, as I don't see them being that strong. That was pretty fun for $12. It's better than the one at the Blackcomb adventure park though.
We walked along Siloso beach, one of the 3 on the island. Lots of people playing volleyball, soccer and Frisbee, sunbathing, and there are wave pools for surfing and bars too. Even a Cafe del Mar with music I like.
We found the flying trapeze. I've been wanting to do another catch since I went in Whistler almost 15 years ago. I love acrobatic circus and only wished I was part of Cirque du Soleil. I paid $20 for 3 swings, and then realized that I was flying solo. Even with all the classes I took, I had a hard time getting my knees tucked under the bar on the first swing. There was no catch on the other side. The photo in the brochure was misleading. They only do catches on Sundays! Well, I could at least do a knee hang and back flip exit. My friends took all the pics and video for me and I was just smiling so big when I finished.
We headed to Fort Siloso, and also past the Underwater World. My friends went to learn about history while I hung out. I saw men with snakes trying to get people to pay for photos with them wrapped around your body, large turtles in a small pool where you can even go in and wade amongst them or feed them, and peacocks.
We then went and took the skyride (basically a ski lift, and probably the same company too, doppelmayr?) There was a photo op at tower 2 and we were totally not paying attention! We saw the photo afterwards ($12 each) and J was looking, M wasn't and I was taking a picture. It was high up, so got a view of Indonesia where there were large refinery stacks and the view of the island. not bad if it was sunset.
By the end of this year, Universal studios will be here, we saw some roller coasters and a casino. So much construction in Singapore! The monorail was only $3 return, so I'm sure many families come here for cheap, as you don't have to pay for anything else if you bring stuff with you.
We headed back to Central mall at Clarke Quay to pick up a tourist freebie that I got a coupon for yesterday. It's coconut jam, 2 little bottles. Pretty cool gift for someone as I don't like coconut.
We were getting pretty weary and hungry, so we headed to Lau Pa Sat. We had satay from Satay stall #8. It's a large hawker centre with so many different varieties of food. The tables are a free for all, and some hawkers will come over trying to get you to order from them, but some hawkers only sell from their designated restaurant. The satay was tasty, better than home, well marinated chicken, beef and mutton. 30 skewers for $18. We also ordered Hainanese chicken and rice. I liked the rice better than the chicken. It was boneless, but tasted like oil, and I didn't really care for the spicy sauce. W e also had some greens and then fruit for dessert.
I wanted fresh fruit juice, but something more exotic than apple, orange or pineapple. They didn't have mango, nor guava, so I ended up buying soy milk to drink. I really want some non dairy dessert too, but it's so hard to find...even in Asia.
We headed home to rest so that we could go out later.
We planned to head to Sentosa Island. It's a resort style playground with beaches made of imported sand and lots of attractions, including activities and tourist stuff. We had to go to Vivocity, the mall where we catch the monorail, Sentosa express.
Since it was about lunchtime, we decided to eat before getting on the island. Food Republic is a huge food fair with lots of hawker food. I really wanted to try laksa. Pretty good, but just about the same as home. It was so busy, that we couldn't even find a place to sit, so we got take out and ate on a bench outside. The laksa was so hot, that I couldn't hold it and sit and eat, I had to eat sitting on the floor, so Asian!
We headed for the island and all of went on the luge. These little cars that go on the road have a pull handle brake system which was hard to operate if you have a camera in one hand! I really wanted to take in all the action, but my video is really shaking going down the strip. I took a few pics of my friends, but M was laughing so hard because I looked like a local vendor with my backpack on my back, ready to sell at any time.
If you leave the handle unattended, you come to a screeching halt. The cart sits on the floor, whereas you normally have to pull up a little to raise the car so that the wheels touch the ground. Steering is left or right, but I kept going left because I was taking photos with my right hand. I'm sure this is a safety hazard. You really have to pull back really hard to actually engage the brakes. Not good for kids, as I don't see them being that strong. That was pretty fun for $12. It's better than the one at the Blackcomb adventure park though.
We walked along Siloso beach, one of the 3 on the island. Lots of people playing volleyball, soccer and Frisbee, sunbathing, and there are wave pools for surfing and bars too. Even a Cafe del Mar with music I like.
We found the flying trapeze. I've been wanting to do another catch since I went in Whistler almost 15 years ago. I love acrobatic circus and only wished I was part of Cirque du Soleil. I paid $20 for 3 swings, and then realized that I was flying solo. Even with all the classes I took, I had a hard time getting my knees tucked under the bar on the first swing. There was no catch on the other side. The photo in the brochure was misleading. They only do catches on Sundays! Well, I could at least do a knee hang and back flip exit. My friends took all the pics and video for me and I was just smiling so big when I finished.
We headed to Fort Siloso, and also past the Underwater World. My friends went to learn about history while I hung out. I saw men with snakes trying to get people to pay for photos with them wrapped around your body, large turtles in a small pool where you can even go in and wade amongst them or feed them, and peacocks.
We then went and took the skyride (basically a ski lift, and probably the same company too, doppelmayr?) There was a photo op at tower 2 and we were totally not paying attention! We saw the photo afterwards ($12 each) and J was looking, M wasn't and I was taking a picture. It was high up, so got a view of Indonesia where there were large refinery stacks and the view of the island. not bad if it was sunset.
By the end of this year, Universal studios will be here, we saw some roller coasters and a casino. So much construction in Singapore! The monorail was only $3 return, so I'm sure many families come here for cheap, as you don't have to pay for anything else if you bring stuff with you.
We headed back to Central mall at Clarke Quay to pick up a tourist freebie that I got a coupon for yesterday. It's coconut jam, 2 little bottles. Pretty cool gift for someone as I don't like coconut.
We were getting pretty weary and hungry, so we headed to Lau Pa Sat. We had satay from Satay stall #8. It's a large hawker centre with so many different varieties of food. The tables are a free for all, and some hawkers will come over trying to get you to order from them, but some hawkers only sell from their designated restaurant. The satay was tasty, better than home, well marinated chicken, beef and mutton. 30 skewers for $18. We also ordered Hainanese chicken and rice. I liked the rice better than the chicken. It was boneless, but tasted like oil, and I didn't really care for the spicy sauce. W e also had some greens and then fruit for dessert.
I wanted fresh fruit juice, but something more exotic than apple, orange or pineapple. They didn't have mango, nor guava, so I ended up buying soy milk to drink. I really want some non dairy dessert too, but it's so hard to find...even in Asia.
We headed home to rest so that we could go out later.
Thursday, April 01, 2010
food and high end shops
So, 2nd sightseeing day for Singapore. I tried to get started a little earlier today and got out of the house by 10am. I got to the bus stop and was reaching for my map with all the notes on it, only to find out that I left it at the house! Oh well, that's ok, there were only a few more stops that I wanted to see: Chinatown, Orchard Rd shopping area, and the river cruise.
As I looked more closely at the tour description last night, I realized that there was a free Moonlight Adventure Tour. It was 3.5 hrs and started at 6pm until 930. I thought that this might be a good way to meet other potentially single tourists. But I had to book in advance, and I wasn't sure what J and M were up to tonight.
It's a national holiday on Good Friday, so J said most people will be drinking and letting loose for the long weekend, so we could meet him and his coworkers at a bar later if we wanted. M wanted to check out Little India after ~ 3pm, so we'll see what happens after wandering around a bit. Funny thing about travelling is that I like to plan what to see, but spend as much time exploring as possible. This is evident from yesterday as I only made it to a few stops.
Chinatown was my first stop. I shopped quite a bit and found another pair of capris similar to the one I bought in Thailand that I couldn't find back home. It is made of lycra material, but flares at the bottom, so it looks like a skirt but they're as comfy as pants. I also bought 3 sets of (4) oriental placemats and chopticks (so, 12 in total) for only $10, what a steal! I picked a design and colours to match the table runner I bought in Thailand too. Hmm, what will I buy in Cambodia for souvenirs then?
I found a stall that sold Indonesian desserts and tried the bamboo cakes (rice and palm sugar) and some pandan rice cakes, not bad. I stopped at the Buddha Tooth Relic Temple and made an offering of candle and jasmine garland for a smooth journey and good human relationships. I saw 100 Buddhas, they are all different and lined up on the wall in cubby holes. I saw the Protector of the Rat, the prayer wheel and orchid garden on the rooftop.
I headed to try and find the tour bus stop but missed it probably by half a block as I saw it whiz by me... That's one thing I don't like about this bus tour, their signs are not marked. So, instead of waiting for the next one 25 min later, I hopped the MRT (which I found out stands for Mass Rapid Transit) to Clarke Quay.
It's a nice quay full of restaurants, and a mall. I hopped onto the river cruise and it was 30 min of history and sights. I saw the first bridge, also used for the Grand Prix; bronze statues of 5 little boys jumping into the river, the floating football field, along with all the other cool buildings on the waterfront, the MICA building which has 911 coloured shutters and original boats from Singapore.
The lady had a really great voice and some humour in her presentation. She helped me take a photo by saying "I will help you as you look like you're alone". I was appreciative at first, and then I thought, wait, it sounds like she feels sorry for me. Yesterday, I think I only took one picture with me in it. That's the only thing with travelling alone, I don't feel like asking people to take photos for me, and in this heat, I just look horrible; sweaty all the time, my skin looks swollen, my pores are large and just feel uncomfortable, not photogenic at all. She also thought I was from Burma from the way I was dressed (I had a long sarong and tunic). I explained that I was Chinese in origin, but going to Cambodia so brought all my ethnic clothing with me.
I had got a tourist discount card from the Central mall and didn't really get a chance to look around cuz I had to meet M, but I did buy a small purse for going out tonight or tomorrow. I look too much like a tourist with my backpack and MEC shoulder bag.
Funny thing though, an elderly couple stopped me on the bridge to ask if I was from here! They were from England and had wanted to ask me about the building on the waterfront (the casino). We chatted for a bit and saw a little kitty on the multiple lane bridge and thought for sure he would get run over; I couldn't watch.
M and I wandered around Little India for a bit looking for Indian bangles. No luck. It was so hot, we ventured into a mall with AC. I found a food stall selling soybean drinks, so she got a match freeze and I got a green tea bubble tea! Cool, I love those pearls, and the stores back home don't use soy milk! Of all the cultures, you would think they would. With my food allergies, it took a long time to communicate, as I wanted to ask about their bean pancakes, which I was hoping were crepes made from bean flour. No such luck in these little ethnic communities, not wide spread English, and Cantonese wasn't working either.
We headed to Orchard Rd to check out all the shopping. It was tons of multi level malls, all high end names, and pricey goods. I got another tourist discount card from Ion mall and got a free little card wallet with Singapore on it. Cool. I love these little treats. We ended up going for tea at TWG (is that supposed to be for Twinnngs tea?). $10.50 for a pot. I had creme caramel roobois and M had a Japanese green tea. we were there for quite a while talking and resting.
We decided not to join J for a drink and headed to Paragon mall to go to Din Tai Fung, for the famous xiao long bao cuz we both hadn't eaten since lunch and it was about 830pm. They only spoke Mandarin here, and luckily the table beside us, helped us out. We ordered crab and veggie dumplings, pork chop (no drunken chicken left), and some greens. Not bad, but almost the same as home I think. I still haven't had any Malay or Singapore food. I find that I'm constantly thirsty because of the heat, but I have to be careful as I don't know when I can find a decent washroom. I'm not that hungry, and haven't really eaten that many meals since I've been here.
It was almost 1030pm, and we decided to head home. My feet were quite tired, and I was just sticky. There were so many people out, and there were long lines for taxis. There are designated stops, but we found a pseudo stop and got home by 11.
As I looked more closely at the tour description last night, I realized that there was a free Moonlight Adventure Tour. It was 3.5 hrs and started at 6pm until 930. I thought that this might be a good way to meet other potentially single tourists. But I had to book in advance, and I wasn't sure what J and M were up to tonight.
It's a national holiday on Good Friday, so J said most people will be drinking and letting loose for the long weekend, so we could meet him and his coworkers at a bar later if we wanted. M wanted to check out Little India after ~ 3pm, so we'll see what happens after wandering around a bit. Funny thing about travelling is that I like to plan what to see, but spend as much time exploring as possible. This is evident from yesterday as I only made it to a few stops.
Chinatown was my first stop. I shopped quite a bit and found another pair of capris similar to the one I bought in Thailand that I couldn't find back home. It is made of lycra material, but flares at the bottom, so it looks like a skirt but they're as comfy as pants. I also bought 3 sets of (4) oriental placemats and chopticks (so, 12 in total) for only $10, what a steal! I picked a design and colours to match the table runner I bought in Thailand too. Hmm, what will I buy in Cambodia for souvenirs then?
I found a stall that sold Indonesian desserts and tried the bamboo cakes (rice and palm sugar) and some pandan rice cakes, not bad. I stopped at the Buddha Tooth Relic Temple and made an offering of candle and jasmine garland for a smooth journey and good human relationships. I saw 100 Buddhas, they are all different and lined up on the wall in cubby holes. I saw the Protector of the Rat, the prayer wheel and orchid garden on the rooftop.
I headed to try and find the tour bus stop but missed it probably by half a block as I saw it whiz by me... That's one thing I don't like about this bus tour, their signs are not marked. So, instead of waiting for the next one 25 min later, I hopped the MRT (which I found out stands for Mass Rapid Transit) to Clarke Quay.
It's a nice quay full of restaurants, and a mall. I hopped onto the river cruise and it was 30 min of history and sights. I saw the first bridge, also used for the Grand Prix; bronze statues of 5 little boys jumping into the river, the floating football field, along with all the other cool buildings on the waterfront, the MICA building which has 911 coloured shutters and original boats from Singapore.
The lady had a really great voice and some humour in her presentation. She helped me take a photo by saying "I will help you as you look like you're alone". I was appreciative at first, and then I thought, wait, it sounds like she feels sorry for me. Yesterday, I think I only took one picture with me in it. That's the only thing with travelling alone, I don't feel like asking people to take photos for me, and in this heat, I just look horrible; sweaty all the time, my skin looks swollen, my pores are large and just feel uncomfortable, not photogenic at all. She also thought I was from Burma from the way I was dressed (I had a long sarong and tunic). I explained that I was Chinese in origin, but going to Cambodia so brought all my ethnic clothing with me.
I had got a tourist discount card from the Central mall and didn't really get a chance to look around cuz I had to meet M, but I did buy a small purse for going out tonight or tomorrow. I look too much like a tourist with my backpack and MEC shoulder bag.
Funny thing though, an elderly couple stopped me on the bridge to ask if I was from here! They were from England and had wanted to ask me about the building on the waterfront (the casino). We chatted for a bit and saw a little kitty on the multiple lane bridge and thought for sure he would get run over; I couldn't watch.
M and I wandered around Little India for a bit looking for Indian bangles. No luck. It was so hot, we ventured into a mall with AC. I found a food stall selling soybean drinks, so she got a match freeze and I got a green tea bubble tea! Cool, I love those pearls, and the stores back home don't use soy milk! Of all the cultures, you would think they would. With my food allergies, it took a long time to communicate, as I wanted to ask about their bean pancakes, which I was hoping were crepes made from bean flour. No such luck in these little ethnic communities, not wide spread English, and Cantonese wasn't working either.
We headed to Orchard Rd to check out all the shopping. It was tons of multi level malls, all high end names, and pricey goods. I got another tourist discount card from Ion mall and got a free little card wallet with Singapore on it. Cool. I love these little treats. We ended up going for tea at TWG (is that supposed to be for Twinnngs tea?). $10.50 for a pot. I had creme caramel roobois and M had a Japanese green tea. we were there for quite a while talking and resting.
We decided not to join J for a drink and headed to Paragon mall to go to Din Tai Fung, for the famous xiao long bao cuz we both hadn't eaten since lunch and it was about 830pm. They only spoke Mandarin here, and luckily the table beside us, helped us out. We ordered crab and veggie dumplings, pork chop (no drunken chicken left), and some greens. Not bad, but almost the same as home I think. I still haven't had any Malay or Singapore food. I find that I'm constantly thirsty because of the heat, but I have to be careful as I don't know when I can find a decent washroom. I'm not that hungry, and haven't really eaten that many meals since I've been here.
It was almost 1030pm, and we decided to head home. My feet were quite tired, and I was just sticky. There were so many people out, and there were long lines for taxis. There are designated stops, but we found a pseudo stop and got home by 11.
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