hum-a-rich or sing-a-pore?
clearly, singapore.
so, i should tell you first that we landed safe and sound and that the flight was actually quite enjoyable. if anyone ever gets the opportunity to fly with singapore airlines, i highly recommend. really yummy food, nice soft pillows and blankets, and the ultimate: a personal entertainment system at your fingertips. there's a remote and your own little screen above the tray table. there are about 60 movies on demand as well as tv stations in comedy, sports, arts, travel, and things like that. and the usual audio stations of course. AND there are games. i played one round of super mario brothers myself. i died many times. na and i also watched Alfie and Sideways. All the movies we've paid to see since the beginning of our trip (except for Garden State) were also available. seriously. every single one. in any case, it made time fly right alongside us.
we got here and went directly to the home of our next servas host: a first generation singaporian (?) with roots in India, the national secretary for Singapore Servas, a teacher, and an all around knowledgable and talkative woman named Mullai. Our first night there (whilst feeling the jetlag quite acutely), the three of us went out to Orchard Road (see below) to meet another Servas host and a woman currently staying with her through a program called Women Welcome Women World Wide, or 5W for short. We had dim sum. i had "Dan Dan noodles" due to the lack of non-pork non-shellfish options. but they were yum noodles in a peanut sauce and i enjoyed them quite thoroughly along with the fried rice and garlic spinach thank you. Then i collapsed into sleep.
next day we went off to explore chinatown. i should pause here for a little info about singapore: an island at the southernmost tip of peninsular malaysia. used to be another state of malaysia but seceded over 50 years ago. population is about 3/4 chinese, some malay, some indian, and various others. there are about 4 million people here on this island about 20 miles wide. the country is the city is the island is the city. it's one big city and small country. flying in, after seeing a string of uninhabited lush green little islets, suddenly what came into view truly looked like something computer generated out of the matrix. huge rectangular skyscrapers, one after the other, pushed right up against the shoreline. boats in the water at what seemed like regular intervals. it did not look real. i tried to take a picture or two - i hope they came out. but anyway, singapore is really easy. the tap water is drinkable, there are very few mosquitos (haven't seen one yet, knock on wood), the MRT public transport system is clean and quite easy to use, and English is the lingua franca. so virtually no worries at all.
so yeah, we walked around chinatown, crowded with umbrellas and people selling various things - just as in all the other chinatowns around the world. we went to the chinese heritage center - a two story shophouse which tells the history of how when and why the chinese came to be in such quantities in singapore and all that. was a pretty good little museum. then we had lunch. at the recommendation of a guy selling his famous father's photographs in the lobby of the museum (he was actually really interesting - name of Andrew Yip, set up one of the international schools in singapore, studied in pennsylvania, travelled a lot, knew all about chinatown...), we made a left and then a right, and we found it: $2 chicken rice and $3 beancurd (tofu). Hainanese chicken rice is supposedly the national dish of choice here - it's completely simple. just chicken on top of rice. but it's delicious. and it cost $2. so that was great. the beancurd was yum too, by the way, as long as i avoided the chili peppers on top. After some more walking around and seeing and interesting Indian temple in the area (interesting right? chinatown? indian temple?), we devoured a sesame ball with lotus paste inside. then, all tuckered out, we headed back to Mullai's place, where we learned how to cook a chicken curry and a rice dish with raisins and cashews. then we ate them.
next day: a bit of grief in the morning, spent investigating the joys of dengue fever and malaria, researching online, and talking to mom. then we finally made it out of the house and went to orchard road. Orchard road is a sight to see. It's made up of all the malls i've ever seen in my life (and more) strung together along one street. it's crazy and huge. there are repeats of stores all the way down, and every brand you can think of is represented. i mean gucci. prada. cartier. esprit. everything you could think of. and of course, no mall would be complete without: crabtree & evelyn. anyway - it's quite astounding to see the amount of shopping. shocking.
we visited the malay heritage center, which is brand new and could use a little reorganizing to make more sense, but was informative anyway. we got pushed out at the end because our brochure said it closed at 7 but they locked the doors at 6, it seems. so at 6:15 someone came in and told us they almost locked us in. glad he found us instead, but we didn't get to see the last couple of exhibits. alas.
next we walked around the surrounding area - near Arab street - known as Kampang Gelam (kampang is village and gelam was a kind of tree that grew near there - this area was where the sultans lived). there were little streets with people selling clothing and souvenirs, locals sitting outside for bites to eat or just relaxing and chatting in malay or english or chinese or maybe hindi (everything is written in 4 languages here: english, malay, mandarin chinese, and tamil script, which is beautiful), and the sun was setting behind the huge Sultan Mosque nearby and everything was bathed in that beautiful golden dusk light. We settled in for cups of tea at a place called "ambrosia: divine pleasures" where we sat on the floor on cushions and the people at the table next to us had a hookah. their menu of mediterranean foods looked delicious but we weren't hungry (sadly) - we'd eaten a fairly large lunch and it kept us all day. that was unfortunate, because really i would like to eat everything here. so when i'm full and can't fit anymore food in, it makes me sad.
next day was today and we moved from Mullai's place over to our current location: another servas host - an indian couple, Majusha and Mahinth, with a 2 year old son, Akash. We had a yummmmmmm lunch made by Majusha after chatting a bit and Na having a grand old time playing with the nearest child. it was fish moilee (with coconut milk and some other stuff) and vegetables with paneer (that's cheese) and south indian paratha, and rice of course. we eventually ventured out to Orchard road again this afternoon in search of a guidebook for southeast asia. we did some research at two different enormous stores and ended up with Let's Go Southeast Asia over Lonely Planet. I'd love to buy Rough Guides, as they're my favorites, but the one out is over 2 years old, and things change too quickly these days. so Let's Go it is.
We came back, we futzed, we chatted with Mahinth, we played with Akash, we watched The Lion King, and eventually we ate. it was leftovers from lunch plus spaghetti with pesto sauce. not necessarily the most cohesive meal, but i liked lunch, so i liked dinner. and a little pesto never hurt nobody.
and that brings us up to date. we're both ok, i'm anxious about the next part, i think we're going to malaysia on friday (mom - don't worry) and then probably flying to bali from there. more detail remains to be figured out.
so hey - wasn't anybody worried about me when i didn't write? and don't you have comments about the pictures? hello? did i lose everyone except those related to me by blood?
much love and rice,
amy
email me
so, i should tell you first that we landed safe and sound and that the flight was actually quite enjoyable. if anyone ever gets the opportunity to fly with singapore airlines, i highly recommend. really yummy food, nice soft pillows and blankets, and the ultimate: a personal entertainment system at your fingertips. there's a remote and your own little screen above the tray table. there are about 60 movies on demand as well as tv stations in comedy, sports, arts, travel, and things like that. and the usual audio stations of course. AND there are games. i played one round of super mario brothers myself. i died many times. na and i also watched Alfie and Sideways. All the movies we've paid to see since the beginning of our trip (except for Garden State) were also available. seriously. every single one. in any case, it made time fly right alongside us.
we got here and went directly to the home of our next servas host: a first generation singaporian (?) with roots in India, the national secretary for Singapore Servas, a teacher, and an all around knowledgable and talkative woman named Mullai. Our first night there (whilst feeling the jetlag quite acutely), the three of us went out to Orchard Road (see below) to meet another Servas host and a woman currently staying with her through a program called Women Welcome Women World Wide, or 5W for short. We had dim sum. i had "Dan Dan noodles" due to the lack of non-pork non-shellfish options. but they were yum noodles in a peanut sauce and i enjoyed them quite thoroughly along with the fried rice and garlic spinach thank you. Then i collapsed into sleep.
next day we went off to explore chinatown. i should pause here for a little info about singapore: an island at the southernmost tip of peninsular malaysia. used to be another state of malaysia but seceded over 50 years ago. population is about 3/4 chinese, some malay, some indian, and various others. there are about 4 million people here on this island about 20 miles wide. the country is the city is the island is the city. it's one big city and small country. flying in, after seeing a string of uninhabited lush green little islets, suddenly what came into view truly looked like something computer generated out of the matrix. huge rectangular skyscrapers, one after the other, pushed right up against the shoreline. boats in the water at what seemed like regular intervals. it did not look real. i tried to take a picture or two - i hope they came out. but anyway, singapore is really easy. the tap water is drinkable, there are very few mosquitos (haven't seen one yet, knock on wood), the MRT public transport system is clean and quite easy to use, and English is the lingua franca. so virtually no worries at all.
so yeah, we walked around chinatown, crowded with umbrellas and people selling various things - just as in all the other chinatowns around the world. we went to the chinese heritage center - a two story shophouse which tells the history of how when and why the chinese came to be in such quantities in singapore and all that. was a pretty good little museum. then we had lunch. at the recommendation of a guy selling his famous father's photographs in the lobby of the museum (he was actually really interesting - name of Andrew Yip, set up one of the international schools in singapore, studied in pennsylvania, travelled a lot, knew all about chinatown...), we made a left and then a right, and we found it: $2 chicken rice and $3 beancurd (tofu). Hainanese chicken rice is supposedly the national dish of choice here - it's completely simple. just chicken on top of rice. but it's delicious. and it cost $2. so that was great. the beancurd was yum too, by the way, as long as i avoided the chili peppers on top. After some more walking around and seeing and interesting Indian temple in the area (interesting right? chinatown? indian temple?), we devoured a sesame ball with lotus paste inside. then, all tuckered out, we headed back to Mullai's place, where we learned how to cook a chicken curry and a rice dish with raisins and cashews. then we ate them.
next day: a bit of grief in the morning, spent investigating the joys of dengue fever and malaria, researching online, and talking to mom. then we finally made it out of the house and went to orchard road. Orchard road is a sight to see. It's made up of all the malls i've ever seen in my life (and more) strung together along one street. it's crazy and huge. there are repeats of stores all the way down, and every brand you can think of is represented. i mean gucci. prada. cartier. esprit. everything you could think of. and of course, no mall would be complete without: crabtree & evelyn. anyway - it's quite astounding to see the amount of shopping. shocking.
we visited the malay heritage center, which is brand new and could use a little reorganizing to make more sense, but was informative anyway. we got pushed out at the end because our brochure said it closed at 7 but they locked the doors at 6, it seems. so at 6:15 someone came in and told us they almost locked us in. glad he found us instead, but we didn't get to see the last couple of exhibits. alas.
next we walked around the surrounding area - near Arab street - known as Kampang Gelam (kampang is village and gelam was a kind of tree that grew near there - this area was where the sultans lived). there were little streets with people selling clothing and souvenirs, locals sitting outside for bites to eat or just relaxing and chatting in malay or english or chinese or maybe hindi (everything is written in 4 languages here: english, malay, mandarin chinese, and tamil script, which is beautiful), and the sun was setting behind the huge Sultan Mosque nearby and everything was bathed in that beautiful golden dusk light. We settled in for cups of tea at a place called "ambrosia: divine pleasures" where we sat on the floor on cushions and the people at the table next to us had a hookah. their menu of mediterranean foods looked delicious but we weren't hungry (sadly) - we'd eaten a fairly large lunch and it kept us all day. that was unfortunate, because really i would like to eat everything here. so when i'm full and can't fit anymore food in, it makes me sad.
next day was today and we moved from Mullai's place over to our current location: another servas host - an indian couple, Majusha and Mahinth, with a 2 year old son, Akash. We had a yummmmmmm lunch made by Majusha after chatting a bit and Na having a grand old time playing with the nearest child. it was fish moilee (with coconut milk and some other stuff) and vegetables with paneer (that's cheese) and south indian paratha, and rice of course. we eventually ventured out to Orchard road again this afternoon in search of a guidebook for southeast asia. we did some research at two different enormous stores and ended up with Let's Go Southeast Asia over Lonely Planet. I'd love to buy Rough Guides, as they're my favorites, but the one out is over 2 years old, and things change too quickly these days. so Let's Go it is.
We came back, we futzed, we chatted with Mahinth, we played with Akash, we watched The Lion King, and eventually we ate. it was leftovers from lunch plus spaghetti with pesto sauce. not necessarily the most cohesive meal, but i liked lunch, so i liked dinner. and a little pesto never hurt nobody.
and that brings us up to date. we're both ok, i'm anxious about the next part, i think we're going to malaysia on friday (mom - don't worry) and then probably flying to bali from there. more detail remains to be figured out.
so hey - wasn't anybody worried about me when i didn't write? and don't you have comments about the pictures? hello? did i lose everyone except those related to me by blood?
much love and rice,
amy
email me
posted by theonetheycallamy at 3/07/2005 08:45:00 AM
6 Comments:
Hi !!
Loved the pictures - great to put some faces to the people you write about.
I know you both are somewhat anxious about the next part of the trip but will be careful and enjoy it thoroughly.
I do notice that like many of our family trips - food is a MAJOR element.
I'm forwarding your blog address to more people you don't know today.
Love you
Dad
Hey, I loved the pictures, and am excited to see more. You know that we are all nervous about the next part of your trip, I hope the names and #'s I emailed to Na yesterday can be helpful. With the information of the local hosts, you will be able to find fascinating and safe places I think. I hope my girl writes soon. Let her know , Hugs and love, Barbara
NOTES ON THINGS TO BE CANED ABOUT: I forgot to mention: chewing gum is not allowed to be brought into the country. no eating or drinking on the trains. no spitting. no urinating in elevators (lifts).
and my favorite: there is a fruit called a durian which, once cut, apparently has a stench unparalleled elsewhere in the world, though i'm told it tastes sweet and mild. but, given the stench, it is banned in public areas. that's right. a fruit is banned. there's a little silhouette of the lumpy fruit with a big red line through it. don't worry, we took a picture.
OOh, I love the info about the dreaded, banned durian fruit- that's a wonderful visual!
Your new "territory" sounds vastly different from Oz and the rest of the Pacific....it must be incredible. You really have to shift gears- the people,the culture, the vistas, and the food choices! You sure are eating lots of unusual things. How's the digestive system holding up??? So many new and different spices and ingredients. I don't think I'd do very well. I DID like the name "dan dan noodles" though. I bet you got a kick out of that too.
Question, with all those shops and malls, were the prices very low? Any luck on clothes shopping?
Have a ball....take it all in....stay safe and happy.
Love, mom
Heid -- you are. so. weird. It's the one thing we can always count on.
I'm surprised I'm the only one of all of us (blood relatives and non-, and of COURSE your nonblooders are still here watching and smiling) who had this reaction: LOTUS PASTE?! That sounds jawesome. As does the other food. Glad the cuisine is kickin' into high gear.
You guys are literally lotos-eaters. Please ship me a forbidden fruit. When you get the chance.
My favorite pics are still the underwater ones.
MMS
Lotus Paste is good. You can get all sorts of wonderful lotus-pasty goodies in chinatown (the one near Canal street, not the one in Singapore). Like, at those bakery places, or dim sum or whatever. We should do that when we're all next in the city. Ohio says hi, by the way, Amy. It's snowy here. Anyway. I do remember seeing something on the food network about those fruits which start with D. The guy who walks around and eats cobra hearts and stuff had one. Apparently the really smell terrible. Regardless, I think you should start an illicit bubble gum ring.
-Alec
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