My flight was originally scheduled to land in Singapore from Perth at 7:30pm, but luck has it that mine was changed so that I was not getting in to Singapore until 2 am!(you gotta love the low-budget airlines that can just change their flights whenever they want to; I guess you get what you pay for). So I ended up sleeping in the airport, which by the way wasn’t such a bad thing.
Singapore: Disappointment Island
Out of the all the cities that I visited, Singapore was the one that I was most disappointed with. When the airport is the city’s best feature, it doesn’t bode well for that city. But what an airport it was: modern and sleek facade, well-appointed decorations, natural light bathing most of the airport space, wide concourses that allow your eyes to be at peace, and best of all, free Wi-Fi!
I mean don’t get me wrong, Singapore really is as sanitarily clean as people say, but to me, there’s something off about it. But, for what it is worth, there are certain parts of Singapore that I enjoyed. Being a former British colony, certain architecture elements were present, as evidenced by neoclassical buildings in the theatre and museum district, which were well-preserved, and for the most part, well constructed and not bastardized.
For my tourist-y thing, I paid the Roaring Lion a visit. It was a good place to people watch, with tourists taking goofy pictures with the Lion, to businessmen and women grabbing happy hour drinks nearby. What I enjoyed the most, however, was Little India. It was the antithesis of the sanitized Singapore; not that it was filthy, but there were definitely gum wrappers and such in the streets. It was a lively place, with bars lining up the crowded and bustling streets, street vendors hawking everything from seasonal fruits to used electronic gadgets, and restaurants that fill the streets with enticing aroma.
But I guess the fact that I missed out on spending time with Harsha and that I didn’t have a strong desire to visit Singapore in the first place, almost made me regret stopping by Singapore; I kept thinking that the day and a half that I spent in Singapore would’ve been better spent in Bangkok.
Bangkok: I think I died and went to heaven
Oh, where do I begin? I’ve wanted to go to Bangkok ever since I tasted my first Tom Kah soup from Royal Thai in La Jolla, and I have heard nothing but great things.
Thai food is my favorite cuisine, and boy, did I eat my heart out while I was here; I must’ve eaten at least four times a day while I was in Bangkok. I found this Thai buffet restaurant that served all sorts of yummy goodness, from green curry, all for 250 baht (which was about $7.50). I also found this other Thai restaurant near the hostel that I stayed at, and by the time I left, they knew my name and my order (tom kah, green curry with chicken, and bottled water) all for a reasonable price (130 baht for my whole meal , about $3.85). There was this one late-night eatery, however, that gave me the “tourist” price when I ordered, but I have read about it beforehand, and apparently they do it to everyone, so I don’t feel slighted. The funny thing is, at first, when I sat down, the lady thought I was Thai, gave me the Thai menu, and started talking to me in Thai. When I gave her a puzzled look and replied in broken Thai that I only speak English, she gave me the “tourist” menu, equipped with photos and such, and of course the requisite increase in price (about 200 baht difference, which is about $6.00).
Out of all the cities that I have traveled to this trip, I was warmly received by the Thai people the most. I know 3 words in Thai, but they’ve got me through, with help from a LOT of hand gestures and facial expressions.
Here’s where I met Juan Pablo, an Argentinean traveler with model-like looks in Bangkok for the holidays, who was on his way to Madrid for work. We were staying at the same hostel, and I met him the night before I left for the Philippines. Who would’ve thought that I would be practicing my Spanish in Bangkok? Through CouchSurfing, I met Daniel and Kyla, who owns this diving place in Phiphi, an island an hour away from Phuket by ferry. I promised them that the next time I’m in Thailand that Phiphi will be a definite stop.
I decided that a little pampering would go a long way, and so, I went to this day spa in the Sathorn area, that was equipped with a pool, gym, sauna, steam baths, and a Jacuzzi. Amazing is all that I can say: for 1500 Baht (about $44), I had access to all of their amenities, plus a 2-hour full body massage and a 45-minute body scrub treatment. My masseur was quite professional and gave a really good massage; I felt quite relaxed and reinvigorated afterwards.
Philippines: relax and recharge
Words cannot fully describe the four days that I spent in the Philippines. All in all, it was a very relaxing and refreshing time with my family that I haven’t seen in awhile. I haven’t seen my oldest sister in two years, since I went back last time for my other sister’s wedding, and before that, the last time I saw her was when she dropped us off the airport eleven years ago when we moved to the US permanently. I have always felt closest to my oldest sister, despite the ten year difference between us; it must be the Pisces thing. I bought myself a webcam so we can talk to each other in Skype. With my busy schedule and the time difference, we are trying to do this at least once a month.
My favorite time of the year is Christmas, and being a Catholic country, Christmas is a big celebration in the Philippines. Streets were decorated with streamers, parols (star-like Christmas lanterns made out of bamboo and paper) adoring the homes, and fake Christmas trees embellished with the usual accoutrements.
My godson wanted to go hiking and camping, and so we went to Subic Bay for camping, and explored the surroundings and went hiking with the natives that were running the campground. Manong Edwin even made me a spoon and fork set, with matching glasses, made from bamboo. The next day, we went to Camayan Resort in Subic Bay for some scuba diving, kayaking, and good ol’ fashion sunbathing. Good times indeed.
Shopping-wise, I can never get enough of the Philippines. So much that I ended up with a WHOLE suitcase full of stuff, and not spending a fortune on it. The other bonus is that these clothes are unique and that not a lot of people will have them. I’m not a snob when it comes to clothes (well, ok, maybe a little); I don’t get bent out of shape when I see someone wearing the same shirt as I am, though as much as possible I try to look as “unique” as I can, whatever that means. I mean, we all don’t wanna walk around looking like page six in the Banana Republic catalog, now do we?
Bahrain: handcuffed by a Bahraini policeman
No, no, it’s not what you think. I didn’t violate any Bahraini laws, or anything like that; it’s more of the curiosity-killed-the-cat kind of thing.
My next destination from Manila was Paris, but I had a stopover at Bahrain for eight hours, and so, I decided to pay my friend Presita, the hilarious girl that I met at my friend’s sister’s wedding last October, a visit. I paid my 5 dinars (about 13 US dollars) for my two-week traveler visa as I was clearing through immigrations, and waiting for me outside was Presita and her special Bahraini policeman friend. Her special Bahraini policeman had his handcuffs lying around in the backseat, and goofy little me HAD to try them on. There was a scary moment where he couldn’t find the keys; I’m not sure if he was just playing with me, or liked the concerned look on my face as he was searching for the key. They finally turned up, but not soon enough to prevent me from incurring sore wrists and a good lesson.
Next week’s column is Part Three of the trilogy, and it’s all about Europe, my adopted continent.
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