August 5, 2007

• the first twenty-four hours

   

  SINGAPORE CITY, SINGAPORE | LE MERIDIEN SINGAPORE, 9F è

  it’s late here, almost 4 ante, but nevertheless i want to report on the goings on of our first twenty-four hours here in enamoring southeast asia.  it’s been one heckofaday, and a fantastic kickoff to the many great sights and eats yet to come.

  we arrive singapore changi airport just past midnight, clear customs in a breeze, and meet our host david for the evening.  after dropping off our things at his stately home just north of the city, we drive to a 24-hour “hawker center,” which is essentially a bustling, outdoor food court with cheap but satisfying eats.  david orders us a malay egg and fried turnip pancake, chicken and beef satay, and–the highlight of the night–banana leaf roasted stingray (pictured below).  paul and i describe our first taste as a blend between fish and chicken. 

  

  satiated, we head home and i catch up briefly with david, discussing enneagrams, myers-briggs, and patterns of successful leadership.  slumber hits at about 4 ante.

  this morning, we have a lazy rising, taking care of a few housekeeping matters with hotels and tours we’ve booked, and finally make our way out at about noon to a local restaurant that specializes in the popular dish, “chicken rice.”  it is essentially rice boiled in chicken broth, with roasted or steamed chicken served on top.  very simple, rather cheap (~$3.50 USD), and adequately filling.

  we then make our way to kampong gelam (the malay quarter) and arab street to meander through narrow streets, lively mosques, and countless textile vendors, meeting david’s gal pal liz along the way.  the architecture is truly unique and delightfully colorful, a mix of indigenous influences and modern touches amidst largely tired, dilapidated buildings.  we stop by a small bakery serving mint cheese brownies, and i’m especially drawn to a few wall drawings that remind me of my good friend joey. 

  
  

  afterwards, we drive to serangoon road to see little india, a concentrated development of street vendors, food stalls, and local residences.  we spend part of our trek at mustafa, a colossus 24/7 indoor shopping mall teeming with goods and consumables imported from india, wrestling with the mostly south asian crowds and trying on various velvet outfits for jest.  finally, we make our way to the sri veerama kaliamman temple and admire the building’s intricate ceramic detailing.

  
  
  

  once we conquer kampong gelam and the arab and indian quarters, we drive over to the historic district to visit the highly recommended asian civilizations museum, which represents all southeast asian cultures.  on our way, we stop by the singapore river to admire the skyline, briefly entertaining ourselves as paul and i take turns holding a giant yellow python around our necks.  (“i’m britney spears!” paul proclaimed loudly.)  the ACM is serpentine, educational, and–most importantly–air conditioned, and we emerge with new memories of cultural costuming and historical role play.  who would have thought asian civilizations could be so fun?

  
  
  

  as twilight approaches, paul and i try a classic dessert of ice cream sandwiched between a slice of colored marble bread.  it’s good, and with sticky fingers, we cross the cavenagh bridge to visit the breathtaking fullerton hotel, housed in an old district post office.  there, we poke at kois with our fingers as they snip and search for food.  we continue our walk along the river, stopping at an english pub for a rude pint, and navigate the tourist- and open-air-cafe-heavy boat and clark quays (pronounced “keys,” not “kways”) in search of the next river taxi stop.  the skies darken and we finally take a return riverboat journey to the esplanade, catching a perfect shot of singapore at sunset, and later barefoot-skipping across the wide open pedang and back to the parliament house’s car park.

  
  
  

  dinner occurs at the plaza singapura at yet another food court, a surrender of sorts as david could not locate the great place he once knew that served an amazing laksa.  afterwards, we drive back to david’s place, check in and chill out at the hotel, and head out again (sans paul) in search of an alternative bar in the seedy cusp of chinatown.  our efforts fail, and we instead hang out at the hotel scarlet’s lounge bar for expensive cocktails and fatigue-interrupted conversations.  the night concludes with a rollicking zoo-tram-like tour of gelang, the city’s frantic red light district, and a thankfully brief brush with two law enforcement officials.  (david’s first time!)

  all in all, a very full and exciting day to start off a month of travels.  lets hope the tenor continues, and pray that nothing goes horribly wrong along the way!

  tomorrow: a more relaxed take on singapore, including more eats, light shopping, and the hugely anticipated night safari.  and on wednesday, johor bahru / kota kinabalu in malaysia!  our very first intra-asia flight.

  wishing everyone well.

   

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