Sizzling Singapore

The border crossing from Malaysia to Singapore is unique because it's actually a 1,056 meter causeway connecting southern Malaysia with the island of Singapore. The official marks my passport with a hexagonal stamp and I have officially entered my seventeenth country.

Singapore is often described as a good country to enter for first-time visitors to Asia. The streets are clean and well-marked. At markets such as Lau Pa Sat, you can be daring and eat fish heads or play it safe with simple rice and veggies. Our days were spent moving between various sections of the city and air-conditioned breaks inside Singapore's modern malls (the directories have interactive touch screens!) to escape the sizzling midday heat. Transport is made easy with the Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) train system. Most journeys around the city center cost around the equivalent of $1 usd. Our hostel is located just steps from the Aljunied stop. It's so close in fact that I can watch the train whoosh by when I am in the kitchen and hear the automated female voice say "Next stop, Aljunied." Sky Orchid hostel is the tiniest hostel I have ever stayed in with the kitchen, common, and computer areas all in one big room; the seven dorms surrounding it. The four bathroom stalls are down a narrow hallway where a sign reads "After using the toliet, please flush probably. Thank you for your Civic Mindedness." Ah, a bad English translation never fails to amuse me.

Singapore has several ethnic enclaves, including an Arab Quarter, Little India, and Chinatown. The Arab quarter is brimming with textile shops, men smoking flavored tobacco out of hookahs, and food stalls sizzling with fried rice and satay. We sit down to eat in the shadow of the gigantic golden Sultan Mosque at Hju Esah. I eat pineapple and seafood rice, while Laura orders a cabbage, egg, peanut sauce concoction called gado gado. I pluck a chip off the top and discover it is dried fish! I browse the little shops and find a striped cloth bag I love. In Little India, I marvel at the lively Sri Veeramakaliam Temple where an evening pooja is taking place. A pooja is a Hindu worship ceremony where attendants believe access with a god or goddess is possible. I watch as women in bright saris pour milk into a silver bucket, a man with white face paint stirs a pot over a heart-shaped fire pit, and another clangs one of the many bells hanging on a wooden door as incense permeates the air. Another enjoyable activity was hearing a Chinese percussion band outside the Esplanade Theater. The entire troupe performed pieces titled "Tiger stalking it's prey" and "Ducks squabbling" with symbols, large taut drums, and woodblocks.

Normally Laura and I shy away from many traditional tourist activities, because often they are cheesy, not to mention too expensive for our backpacker budget. We made an exception for the Singapore Flyer and it was well worth it. The Singapore Flyer is currently the largest ferris wheel in the world. Listening to the electronic audio tour, I learned how much of the wheel and Sinagpore itself was designed to align with the principles of Feng Shui. For example, the wheel used to rotate counterclockwise but was reversed because clockwise is considered better energy. Other decisions are based on lucky numbers including a building with the windows forming the number 13 and the fact that the ferris wheel has 28 capsules that each accomodate 28 people. When you reach the summit of the Singapore Flyer, you are closest to heaven and this is the best time to make a wish! The ride offered amazing panoramic views of the city and surrounding ocean. I am so glad we did it!

Back at the hostel, I suddenly work at 3:37am to the sound of teeth gnashing. Ugh. Some kind of animal must be in the room. I try to ignore it but I can't help myself; I click on the light and crouch down to investigate. I hear it once more and discover it's not an animal but our roommate, Don, grinding his teeth! I can't believe how loud the noise is! Don is Filipino and cracks us up with his questions about American culture such as "Is Michael Jackson really dead? People in the Philippines are not sure what to believe." Along with our other roommate, Luke, ridiculous conversation continued and the four of us giggled like sixth graders at a sleepover.

PS: Laura and I seem to be having a contest as to who can lose/break the most sunglasses. So far Laura's burned through 4 but I trail closely behind at 3. Luckily they have all been under $10. Or maybe that is why they are breaking. It's a chicken-egg question.

I say Melaka, you say Malacca

The first adventure of the day is trying to find the bus station again. Every local we ask gives different directions (perhaps they want to try to help rather than say nothing at all?) At one point we realize we are on the correct street but at the complete opposite end. Our bus leaves at 11am and it is 10:50! We dash across chaotic streets, dodging motorcycles along the way and sprint down platform 8. "Going to Melaka?" we ask 3 drivers who all reply "No." It must have already left! Then at 10:59, the Melaka bus pulls up and everyone piles in rapidly. Within minutes we begin our 2 hour blissfully air conditioned journey south to Melaka.

From the Melaka bus station, we take another bus Red Dutch Square and locate The River View guesthouse on Jalan Pantai. Mani, the owner, gives us Li Chi juice and a map detailing nearby areas of interest. Our guesthouse boasts a cozy lounge festooned with plants overlooking the river, watercolor paintings, and a serene minimalist decor. Luxury possible for $6, I love it. Walking about town I watch trishaws wrapped in colorful fake flowers ride down the street. Everywhere, red paper lanterns hang above me.

On Jonker Street, I find the Wah Aik Shoemaker which specializes in shoes for women with bound feet! The owner, Raymond Yeo, explains how his father began marketing the shoes to tourists as souviners after his last bound feet customers passed away in the nineties. Women of high social ranking would bind their feet to snare a wealthy husband. The process began as early as 2 years of age when all but the big toe would be wrapped with cloth and the arch crushed with a stone! Feet needed to be bound their entire life or the feet would begin growing again. The ideal size fit in a 3 inche shoe--known as "san zun jin lian" or the "golden lotus."

One day I explore Harmony Street--named as such because of the 3 places of worship on it. Malaysia is a predominately Muslim country but it's citizens are allowed to practice other religions freely. I enter the Chen Hoon Teng Chinese Buddhist temple and listen to 5 monks in saffron robes chant while several people listen on bended knees behind them. The monk in the middle gentlely taps on a wood carving as they chant. A man walks around handing out oranges and a woman with several sticks of incense in hand bows several times in the direction of the buddha statue. Suddenly, the monks begin to walk around the temple and everyone follows them single file. I join the end of the line and together we snake around the temple in a long line, bowing at the buddha statue when we pass.

In the Hindu temple, Sri Poyyatha Viyanga Moorthy, I am offered sweet rice and chickpeas from a rotund Indian man wearing a white sarong with blue trim. We engage in a brief conversation but in his broken English all I can decipher is that some important man is visiting the temple in a few days and will I still be around? Then he removes the lid from a silver platter and places some sticky rice and chickpeas on the tips of my fingers. "It's sweet, yes?" he asks. "It is delicious" I reply, "What kind of rice is this?" "Yes!" he answers with a smile and I laugh.

Other curious characters include Abraham who introduces himself as "a nomad from Kashmir" intent on enticing me with beautiful goat-skin bags in his shop and Gabrielle the quirky Swiss woman who owns the second-hand bookstore and a 17 year old blind cat she claims is "the most photographed cat in all of Melaka." (Are many cats vying for this title?) Abdul insists he used to play golf with Obama and that smoking is the inspiration of life while his friend is equally adament that there are actually 52 states in America. Both wish Britney Spears would send them some of her money. One thing is for sure, all the Malaysian people I have encountered are friendly!

The Museum Rakyat (The People Museum) is a mixed bag of bad English translations and historical events described as accurately as having occured in "yester year." One entire hallway is dedicated to the spinning top (also known as a gasing) and another to kites. I learn how one should never stand on a doorstep during a gasing tournament because a satantic knot may be placed there by insincere people. In the 3D gallery downstairs a large diorama with a television inside features a low-budget movie of Melaka's invasion by the Portuguese. Nearby, scenes from Melaka's takeover by the Dutch are depicted in trippy hologram form.

One evening I walk Melaka river at dusk as silent lightening flashes in the sky. I watch red river boats float through the water and the passengers take a picture of me while I take a picture of them. I startle when I hear something rustling to my right and watch some type of huge, long lizard scurry across the path in front of me and plunge into the river! Another night Laura and I boat down the river. I make small talk with the Omani family sitting across from us as we float past peeling Dutch style buildings and a Mariah Carey song wails from the radio.

The food is delicious and diverse, a reflection of the many cultures residing in Melaka. My favorite the roti pisang at Selvam--banana chunks in warm thin bread accompanied by 3 types of sauce. I wash it down with mango lassi, an icy yogurt fruit drink. All for 5 ringgets (less than $2)

Despite receiving UNESCO World Heritage status in 2008, Melaka's tourist population remains relatively small. Most conversations begin with "Hello, how are you? Where are you from?" and then "Ohhhh the USA!"accompanied by a somewhat incredulous look. Perhaps Americans routinely pass up Malaysia in pursuit of more popular southeast Asia destinations. As for me, I am fully enjoying the many pleasures Malaysia has to offer!

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

With all the free movies available on Malaysia Airlines, the 8 hour flight from Melbourne to Kuala Lumur passes quickly. Fireworks explode over the city lights as we land, most likely a part of the ongoing Chinese New Year celebration. It's almost 9pm and a balmy 84 degrees when I step off the plane. As I fill out my immigration card, I notice the following message emblazoned on the bottom "Be forewarned, death for drug traffickers under Malaysian Law" Well, that certainly is getting to the point isn't it?

After collecting our bags, we buy tickets for the KLIA Ekspres train to the city center. Then we locate the KL monorail and head toward Imbi, where our hostel is located. After getting turned around a few times we finally locate Hostel Equator and are shown to our room. For the equivalent of $10 each, Laura and I get a small room with orange walls, 2 twin beds, a locker, bedside tabe, and a whirring fan. I stay up awhile and play guitar with some Canadian guys before finally falling asleep.

The next day we explore the Central Market first, fingering batik garmets and admiring buddha wood carvings. I eat stingray for lunch and it's delicious. We wander through Chinatown which is chock full of predictable items like desginer bag knock-offs but also more interesting fare such as a row of entire cooked pigs with flowers planted atop their heads. I use a squat style "tanda" (toliet) for the fist time and instead of toliet paper, there is a sprayer you use to clean yourself.

Finding our way around is a bit challenging. Thankfully, everyone I encounter is willing to help. Hadi, the owner of Hostel Equator, gave us a map marked with attractions but KL is far from grid-like. Every "Jalan" (street) seems to tangle into another and it's easy to get confused. Luckily, the monorail provides a landmark we can head toward when lost. We stumble upon the Islamic Arts Museum and I take in the sights--everything from prayer mats to mosque models; intricate marriage certificates to Qur'an texts filled with beautiful calligraphic script.

Kuala Lumpur is an interesting city of contrasts. The glittering Petronas twin towers rise above decaying buildings. Lavish shopping complexes reside near elegant mosques. Tourists in short-shorts stand next to woman draped in burqas. Loud, dirty, crowded streets suddenly give way to quiet, picturesque garden areas. I bought a piece of gourmet cake from an immaculate glass display case the same day I watched a man slit a live chicken's throat with a serrated knife at an open air market. It's a dizzying experience, but one thing is fore sure--I truly feel I am traveling in a far away place.

Walk until your day becomes interesting

In one of my favorite books, Vagabonding, Rolf Potts suggests travelers walk until their day becomes interesting. More than any guidebook list of a city's "must see" attractions, this is the piece of travel advice I follow consistently. And today that meant I ended up crashing an open-air djemebe drum class, showing off my Matrix moves, and stumbilng upon my favorite street performence so far.

Walking along Flinders Avenue, I see rows and rows of djembe (pronounced "Jim-bay") drums lined up along the steps next to the Moving Image museum. Two guys dressed in colorful patterned clothes look like they were getting ready to teach a class. Intrigued, I sit down. Moments later the steps flood with college students. Apparently I slipped into their djembe class but the instructor is ready to begin so I figure I might as well stay at this point!

He teaches us the three basic djembe striking techniques--bass, tone, and slap. Bass occurs when you strike the middle of the drum with your palm and tone when you hit the rim. Slap is a trickier movement, requiring more relaxed fingers and specific placement of the arm. The charismatic instructor strung four drum patterns together and pretty soon most of us were, more or less, following along! I had never played music in such a large group setting and it felt powerful!

Afterwards I wander into the Australian Center of the Moving Image--a fantastic ode to the history of film, television, and digital culture. In the "Games Lab" section, I indulge in nostalgia playing favorites such as Sega's Sonic the Hedgehog and Nintendo's Super Mario Brothers. Another fun exhibit is "Voices" where a series of televisions display the variations of the Australian accent. Paul Hogan's (of Crocdile Dundee fame) "Come and Say G'Day" Australian Tourism campaign from the 80s is hilarious. But the best exhibit is within the "Sensation" section called Timeslice. You walk into a small round room decorated with the classic Matrix green code. Once you've pressed the white button you wait 3 seconds then perform your "move" at which point 36 cameras will capture you from all angles. Exiting the room, you can watch your timeslice movie on a touch-screen on the other side. It is challenging to get a cool-looking move exactly on cue but super fun trying to!

My last stop is Swanston Street where I listen to a doe-eyed french guy play acoustic guitar so gorgeously I was on the brink of tears. He plays a steel string guitar but with a classical technique, picking a complex melody with his long fingernails. Next door and up a long staircase, I dine at Gopal's vegetarian restaurant. As I enjoy my coconut marinated tempeh and mixed green salad I can still hear his music from below wafting through an open window.

TWO days to go until Asia--woot woot!

Melbourne...it's growing on me

When I first arrived in Melbourne, I was less than enthused. I just spent several glorious days exploring the picturesque Great Ocean Road and now found myself in a sprawling city of almost 4 million people. Annoyances include the infamous "hook turn" where you can only make a right from the furthest left lane, trams crowded with chatterbox teenage hipsters , and our first hostel which looked suspiciouly like it might have been a Chucky Cheese in a former life. And the girls here are so fashionable, they look like they stepped out of Bazaar magazine, making me feel like my tank top/skirt/flip flop combo isn't quite cutting it. However, these are typical attributes of city life and after a few days, I have some highlights to report--

• Child street performers: In the last 72 hours, I have seen two sisters under 12 that play better acoustic guitar than I can (well, maybe that's not saying much!), a 7 year old that has got Michael Jackson's dance moves down pat, and an 8 year old playing Billy Joel's "Just the Way You Are" on piano.




• Queen Victoria Market: Great prices on every kind of produce, fish, bread, dessert you could imagine. A smorgasboard of other items including live ducks, funky clothing, and electronics. I have gotten in the pleasant habit of swinging by there in the mornings for a fresh fruit and yogurt. Yum.
  


• New Pakistani Friends at Hostel: I met Sunny and Shayane on the rooftop of the Metro hostel. They were kind enough to share their beer and expertise in astrology as it applies to women and taught me some words in Pashtoon (sp?) as well. Therefore, I will forgive them for loving the Backstreet Boys.



• St. Kilda Beach Arts Festival: I attended a free hip hop dance workshop. Don't laugh. Ok, do because it was hilarious, especially since I was told to dance on stage and a random old guy was videotaping it.


• Central Library: Free art exhibition on Melbourne's history of shopping complete with subversive texts on shoplifting techniques through the ages.


• Brunswick Street: Excellent Indian food and a guitar store where I tried out a flying v shaped ukulele! You can also borrow free bikes from a brewery nearby called Little Creatures.


• Comics Lounge: Among the garish animal print couches and predictable sex jokes--there were 3 standout performers: Nick Cody, the Nelson Twins, and David Quirk. Check them out.

So, the happy ending to this story is that I am reminded both city and country have their respective delights. And for my remaining days in Melbourne I am going to enjoy them to the fullest!

Port Fairy Chillaxin' & Griffiths Island

Port Fairy is so pleasant, we decide to stay another night here. It has rained all day but I don't mind. A rainy day is an excellent reason to be lazy after moving from place to place. Given a snowy day, I might feel trapped and annoyed. But a summer rain is welcome. I can keep my window open and listen to its soft rhythm. I can pull on my rainjacket, walk three minutes to the bookshop, and be ensconced in a duvet moments later reading a new story while eating Tim Tams. (Tim Tams, by the way, are chocolate covered biscuit cookies--my favortite Australian treat!) Laura and I often comment how we fall asleep as soon as our head hits the pillow. Why are we so tired? We aren't running marathons here. However, we are walking alot most days and I think I continually underestimate how that combined with the stimulation of new places all the time can be exhausting--not that I'm complaining--it's a "good" tired!

In the evening, the rain subsides and I emerge to explore nearby Griffiths island. "A yankee are ya?" a local fisherman named Trevor replies when I introduce myself. Apparently my American accent is as amusing to the locals as their Australian English is to me! Trevor explains that the many burrows surrounding us are inhabited by shearwaters, also known as mutton birds. I see no live birds but several, headless dead ones--victims of the islands fox population. I meander to past rocks that look like large pieces of coal and rubbery strips of seaweed toward the blinking lighthouse. I hear a steady hum of chirping that seems to be emanating from under the ground. Alison, the hostel manager, later informs me these are baby mutton birds awaiting their parents return with dinner for them. Standing at the base of the lighthouse, I watch the sunset. The cloudy sky is pewter streaked with marigold. Rounding the opposite side of the island, I see swamp wallabies! A wallaby is a smaller, darker version of a kangaroo. I tiptoe near one; close enough to observe the rust red flecks of hair on it's belly. There are ten adult wallabies in all and a baby no bigger than a chihauhau. I feel so lucky to have seen so much wildlife in the past 72 hours! By the time I circumnavigate Griffiths Island, dusk has progressed to darkness. I follow the orange glow of streetlamps back to the hostel, giddy from a satisfying day.

Great Ocean Road

Our tour of the Great Ocean Road through Australia's Victoria region begins with a stop in the town of Anglesea. The helpful ladies at the visitor center told us the local golf course is known for it's kangaroos that roam the course! We were skeptical but decide to check it out. Ambling along the walkway next to the green we suddenly see two of them relaxing in the shade. Fifty meters ahead there are a dozen more--young, adult, and some are tagged. A few are sitting on their haunches, others are sprawled on the ground, and some are using their small paws to scratch themselves. I stare at them and and they stare back at me. Then a large lawnmower roars nearby and several kangaroos hop across the green to another cluster of trees. Two golfers walk by unfazed. Laura and I laugh--we definitely never expected to see wildlife on a golf course!

We drive further until we reach the Grey River Road near Kennet River. We were told the eucalyptus trees here contained koala bears. I thought it would be relatively easy to spot them, but someone else has to help me locate him. Suddenly, I see him! I watch in awe at this koala perched in the crook of two branches proceeds to urinate, soaking the tree trunk below him. The second koala sits in the lowest tree branch, just above my head. I marvel at his brown-gray body, beige colored chest, and fuzzy ears. He sits motionless for a several minutes then begins to grasp eucalyptus leaves with his black leathery palms and push them into his mouth! I see a few others along this route, but the proximity to the second one was the most special! We head to Apollo Bay and settle on a caravan park near the river to camp.

The next morning wake up early (partly out of excitement for what experiences the day might bring but mostly because it's cold and difficult to sleep on the ground). We stop for a hike at Maits Rest. This ancient rainforest is full of Myrtle Beech trees covered with lime-green moss and anchored by elaborate, twisted root systems. The whole walk has the aura of a fairytale land. On our way to the next site we see an echidna by the side of the road. This animal is also known as aspiny anteater and looks like it with its coarse hair and long snout.

Most of the afternoon is spent gawking at the "Twelve Apostales" in Port Campell National Park. These freestanding limestone towers formed due to erosion and stand as a dramatic contrast to the ocean and steep cliffs. This entire area has been host to enough shipwrecks during the nineteenth century to earn it the moniker of "Shipwreck Coast"

We decide to stay in Port Fairy just beyond the end of the Great Ocean Road. The hostel here is an adorable Victorian cottage-- from its decorative cast iron door to the shabby-chic lounge area and fireplace. My bed is the top bunk atop a wooden ladder that makes me feel as if I am in a treehouse. Walking around town, I admire the earth-toned building with their faded signs and roam the rows of the Ironbird Bookshop. I indulge in a kiwi fruit tart at Remella's cafe before heading back to relax after a busy day.

SIGN OF THE DAY: Seen outside a fish and chips shop in Port Campbell

"Could you please not feed the seagulls as they s*** everywhere and sometimes it lands in your food. Thank you."

PS: Although my camera is broken, we are taking pictures with Laura's camera until I get a new one. Eventually the post-Sydney ones will make it on the blog