A Canadian friend who has been living in Cambodia, Zorica, left today after a 3 day visit here in Singapore. I enjoy having friends visit because it gives me an opportunity to get out and be a bit of a tourist. Zorica's visit overlapped with Alex's on the first day, so the three of us went shopping in Chinatown and then to dinner at Boat Quay. Alex, who is half Chinese and has been to China several times, was especially enthralled with Chinatown as she found some great bargains and loved that it was very condensed into a small neighborhood.

The next day Zorica and I did the Little India -- Kampong Glam--Bugis--Colonial District walk that I have adopted for showing all of my friends Singapore's many ethnic neighborhoods in one day. Actually this is the "north of the river" tour day, and the "south of the river" tour day includes Chinatown and the quays. See how my tour director experience is so useful? ;-) We also stopped off at the National Library to see a terrorism show that I have been hoping to see. I was a bit surprised that it was so small after all the advertisements I have seen for the show around town. I didn't learn anything new for my thesis, but it was interesting to read about Singapore's history with terrorism- threats from the communists post-independence, bombing the MacDonald House, hijacking of a Singapore Airlines flight, bombing of an oil refinery, etc. One thing that seemed very typical "Singapore" to me was where they had this huge timeline of terrorist attacks around the world- 9/11, Lockerbie, Tokyo, Madrid, etc. And there, surrounded by all the dates of attack after attack, they had a date stuck into the timeline that said "Singapore foils ____ attack"- making Singapore appear singularly effective in fighting terrorism!

That night we went to the night safari, which was SO cool!! Now, you all know that I am not an animal person, but I loved it! I actually really wished Colleen was here to go to the night safari, because I know it would have been so awesome for her- imagine Portland zoo lights, but add in hundreds of jungle animals! The coolest was seeing a huge rhino really up-close. They have done a really excellent job making you feel like you are out there with the animals. There are no visible fences at all- even when by the lions and tigers and bears (oh my) and sometimes you feel like you can almost reach out and touch the animals (of course, you can't though, at least I think so...).

Yesterday we took the cable cars to Sentosa Island and had a bit of a walk before it started raining. So then we went off to Clarke Quay for some Mexican food, came back home to spiff ourselves up a bit, and went to the New Asia bar. This bar is famous because it is on the 70th floor of a building, with a panoramic view all the way to Indonesia and Malaysia. After our brief stop at New Asia, we went to the Long Bar at the Raffles Hotel, which is where the Singapore Sling was invented. Sipping bright pink Singapore slings ($17 for one drink- drinking in Singapore is soooo expensive), munching complimentary peanuts (at least something is free!), tossing the shells on the floor, and taking in the colonial feel of the bar is pretty much a de rigeur experience for the visitor to Singapore.

After Bako, Alex, Jenny, Olof, Dave (an Australian traveler we met at our guesthouse), and I arranged a tour to go out to the longhouses of the Iban people. We decided to stay 3 days/2 nights so that Alex and I could make it back to Kuching on Saturday before flying out Sunday morning. So, we headed off early thursday morning with our driver and guide, Paul, stopping here and there to show us pepper plants on the side of the road and for lunch at rest stop, before we made it to the river that the Iban live along. We left our van parked in a shady spot under the trees and went down to the river where a couple of Iban boat men were waiting to take us up river to their home. We motored in long wooden boats up a river that looked like your typical jungle scene for about 30 minutes before their longhouse came into sight. The people who lived in this longhouse had built a separate longhouse to lodge tourists, which certainly made it slightly more comfortable for us, while still being able to observe and take part in activities with those who lived there. Jenny mentioned that the longhouse was rather like a barn for humans. It was basically a long wooden structure with cubicle after cubicle containing two damp mattresses and a mosquito net. After dropping our stuff on our beds, we had some tea and went up to the main longhouse to meet the people who lived there. It was very interesting walking through the place and meeting a shaman, the chief, as well some of the young men and women and their children. We saw how they built the house, and watched many women weave traditional ratan mats for the floors. We also sat around and drank a lot of whiskey and rice wine with the men. In fact, it appears that most of the men pass their entire day, every day, sitting around and drinking.

The longhouses are mostly stuck somewhere in between old traditions and modern life. I think they mostly maintain certain practices and build their houses in the traditional structure for the sake of tourists, though no doubt there are some tribes deeper in the jungle who have more genuinely maintained their culture. The people in this tribe were primarily christian (we met others in another house who were all bahai- seems the missionaries made their mark on this part of the world), and had many religious posters tacked to their doors. We also got a few secret peeps behind the hidden doors to the families' private quarters where we could hear music blasting out over speakers and where we were told there were televisions and many other conveniences of the modern world. And of course, I didn't mind the fact that they had a generator that provided electricity, as well as running water that enabled for decent toilets and showers!

The next day we went on a short hike through the forest and learned about making rubber, setting traps for hunting (very ingenious contraptions made of sticks and string, etc), and saw some old burial grounds. Oh, we also got to use the blowpipe (you know like in Indiana Jones - or was it Sherlock Holmes or something like that?- where the tribal people blow poison darts at their enemies?). It was surprisingly easy to accurately hit a target- I succeeded in piercing the designated papaya on my second try. Then it was back to the boats for a trip up-river and an afternoon spent swimming around in the river and cooking lunch over a fire. We roasted meat and had some rice and cucumbers cooked inside bamboo tubes.

That afternoon when we took the boats back to the longhouses we were surprised when our boatman leaped out of the boat past us and sprinted up the muddy embankment, returning a minute later with a gun. He and the other boatman took off back up the river with the gun, leaving us all curious on the bank, wondering what they had seen. We heard a shot ring out and about ten minutes later they were back with a giant iguana lying on the bottom of the boat. So that evening we had a special "treat"- roasted iguana. Not my favorite meat ever. It was so chewy you could barely get it down. Alex mentioned that it was a bit like chewing iguana bubble gum.

A delicious meal of ferns, pumpkin, and pork was followed by a night of revelry. Some of the young guys from the longhouse came down with their guitars and we all sat around drinking rice wine and singing- well, if you could call it that. Our rousing version of Hotal California went something like this, "mana a hmmm in the ditan, saw a shmarrarra loo, mmmm mmm Hotel California mmm errrr mrrmaaamooo". The Iban guys speak very little English, and don't understand any of the lyrics, so basically sing in their best imitation of English which is generally very far off the mark.

The next morning we watched a cock fight (de-clawed and no killing) and then back to the boats and the van for the ride back. We stopped off at an orangutan center where we saw the huge animals swinging from the trees, before we made it back to Kuching late that afternoon.

A couple pictures of the longhouse and a boat:

Just got back from Borneo and there is A LOT to write about! I'll do my best here. My friend Alex Kung came out to visit from Chicago on Friday, and then I had my exam Saturday morning and gave Alex a 10 hour walking tour of Singapore for the rest of the day. We flew to Kuching, Malaysia (on the island of Borneo) on Sunday morning. Found a nice little guesthouse that was in the Lonely Planet called the "B&B" and pretty much immediately met a very cute Swedish couple- Olaf and Jenny- who were also staying at the guesthouse. We all got on very well from the beginning, though Olaf and Jenny departed the next day for Bako National Park and Alex and I decided to spend some time exploring Kuching. Kuching is one of the nicer Malaysian towns that I have visited- a very developed waterfront and a main street lined with souvenir shops at one end of town, and big hotels at the other end of town. Here are a couple pictures of me at the waterfront:




Besides exploring town, we went to a cultural center set up with life-size models of the homes of the many native peoples of Borneo. There were longhouses of the Iban people, nomadic huts, tall houses on stilts used by those who made their living fishing, and many other structures. In fact, it was very interesting for me because the longhouse lifestyle of Borneo seemed very reminiscent of the longhouses of some of the native peoples of Alaska and the Pacific Northwest. Of course, a notable difference would be that Alaskan longhouses were built to withstand the cold, while these were in the tropics and built to keep cool and withstand the wet. We saw some demonstrations on how to make birds nest soup (made of bird regurgitation- yuck) and how to make some sort of palm flour. Then we went to a dance show that ended with the cheasiest rendition ever of the "Malaysia Truly Asia" government tourism campaign song. It was like a Miss America Pageant song that totally destroyed any seriousness of the show. It was pretty cheesy from from the start anyway....

Here is a picture from the cultural center- it is set in a very lush and beautiful part of the country:



The next day we decided to take a day trip to Bako National Park, which is known for having extraordinary flora and fauna and being the oldest national park in Borneo. We took a rickety old city bus about 45 minutes outside of town to a jetty where we could catch a motorboat out to the park (the only way to get there is by boat). Unfortunately we couldn't take a boat immediately because the water was too rough, so we sat around with some very grumpy Germans, waiting for our summons to the boat. By this time, Alex and I realized that a day trip was a bit too limiting, and that we better spend the night out there if we really wanted to see the park. So we finally boarded a boat that the driver skillfully maneuvered through surprisingly large waves, waded onto an empty beach, and walked up to the nearby national forest headquarters, where we were able to successfully secure a room for the night and a map of the hiking trails around the park. And we also found Jenny and Olaf, who were lurking around the one and only cafeteria, looking for food. Not only that, but we had our first sighting of one of the huge bearded wild boars that like to wander around the park grounds, and come right up next to the main buildings. In fact, that evening we even witnessed a good-natured fight between two boars right next to where we were eating our dinner! In fact, not only were there boars around, but tons of mischievous macaques waiting to get into our rooms and steal our belongings:



After lunch we set out on our first hike around Bako, a 3.5 hour loop trail through the jungle with a 45 min detour to see some of the proboscis monkeys that Bako is famous for. And wow, that first sighting of a proboscis surprised the hell out of me. Here we were, wandering through the jungle all by ourselves, with only the chirping of birds and insects all around us, and I look up to see a HUGE monkey standing right in our path, drinking from a puddle. I stopped, shocked at how huge and strangely human-like the proboscis was, and admittedly also a little shocked and worried for my own welfare when next to such a large wild animal... The monkey quickly swung back into the trees and we heard it crashing around over our heads. How to describe the probsocis? They have huge protruding noses, are a reddish-orange color, have long tails, and are probably about as big as half a human. They look exactly like a muppet!!

So that was exciting. Then we continued on with our hike and didn't see anymore monkeys. But we did see some cool pitcher plants and other jungle plants. About halfway through the hike we were caught in a huge downpour and got absolutely drenched. This really sucked cuz we didn't have any extra clothes as we had not initially planned to stay the night! Luckily when we got back the German girl let us borrow shirts and we ingeniously used the bed sheets as sarongs. Pics from Bako:

Successfully put in several hours studying for my constitutional law exam yesterday, moved the bulk of my belongings to my friend's apartment, went out to the airport to meet Alex at midnight, came back and collapsed on the couch for 5 hours, woke up and hauled myself across town to take my exam, zipped back across town to meet Alex for lunch, and just returned from about 10 hours walking around Singapore and showing Alex the sights.... I am exhausted but now I have to pack for Borneo! We leave tomorrow morning and will be in Borneo for the rest of the week.

Despite the fact that I should be studying for my exam on Saturday, I am going to go ahead with another blog entry. Spent Monday evening through Wednesday in my old Thai hometown, Chiangmai. It was sooooo good to go back and I LOVE that town! Even though after 4 years a lot had changed (tourism has exploded and McDonald's and Starbucks have found their way into this previously untouched city), it is still the place that I know and love. I went back this week for a specific reason- Loi Krathong! This is the Thai festival of lights that is one of the biggest holidays of the year, and Chiangmai is the place to celebrate it. My friend Heather came along with me and we had a FABULOUS time.

We arrived Monday night, and after the longest-ever wait to get through customs (1 hour standing in line) we finally got to our guesthouse, and set off to find some good food. I tolok Heather to my favorite Chiangmai restaurant, Riverside. Mmm, probably the best food I have had in months! We stuffed ourselves full of nam prik ong (Northern thai specialty- a spicy tomato-based dip with fresh veggies), beef with basil, and tom yam soup (another old favorite- though it can be found throughout Thailand), and of course had a few cocktails to toast the holidays! Riverside is a fabulous restaurant because not only is the food good, but they always have live music and it is right on the riverfront. This was all the better during Loi Krathong because the riverfront is the site of all the festivities. Here, the river is adrift with flower wreaths adorned with candles, and the sky is full of homemade paper lanterns that drift so high that it looks like a sparkle of orange stars lighting up the inky black sky. People are in a very festive mood and shoot firecrackers out over the river and sell all kinds of local delicacies along the banks. Here are some pics from the river:





Day two was basically spent doing one of my other favorite things in Chiangmai- shopping! Chaingmai is famous for its night bazaar which sells all kinds of things from Thai handicrafts to bootlegged CDs and DVDs to t-shirts and tennis shoes. Of course, we couldn't wait until the evening for shopping, so I took Heather to my favorite fabric shop. This is a wholesale shop that exists in a back street of the Wararot market, where you can find beautiful hand-woven materials made by women in the hill tribe villages, as well as some of the highest quality thai silk. We also rented a motorbike during the day and spent several hours speeding around town and visiting some of my old haunts.

Here are a couple of motorbike pics:




Of course, we couldn't resist going back to Riverside for dinner again that night, though this time we tried one of the other Northern chilli dips- nam prik num. I had forgotten just how spicy this one was! And I have to admit that I've lost a bit of my tolerance to spice....

Day 3 we planned to take a cooking class (this is one of the best things to do in Chiangmai- so fun and you get to try lots of great food), but Heather had eaten something that disagreed with her and we agreed that in such case a cooking class might not be the best idea. So later, when her stomach ache had died down a bit, we hopped on the motorbike and headed out of town to the Bo Sang umbrella village. More shopping....

So, here's a pic of Heather and I (she is very tall). Now I need to get back to studying!

Here are the promised shots of Clarke Quay, sooner than expected. I ended up going there for a great seafood dinner last night with a friend- an American lawyer who teaches legal writing at NUS.





So, it's very nice and cheery and I like that it is on the water.... but see what I mean about the space pods? I hate those things. It's worth going down there for some of the restaurants though.

Time to post some Singapore pics since I haven't yet- mostly because I haven't taken very many pictures. But here are a few:


This is the special market they had in Little India for Diwali. Very colorful- lots of flowers and jewellery for sale.


Here's me drinking a coconut juice in China Town.


This area is called Boat Quay. It is on the river and a good place to come for dinner. There are lots of pubs and restaurants lining the waterfront. I've only eaten here once with my friend Miah cuz it tends to be on the spendy and touristy side. I think it has a good atmosphere though- much better than Clarke Quay, which is too modern for me (looks like space pods on the water). I'll have to post a picture of Clarke Quay sometime soon.


Here's one of the main streets in Little India, gearing up for the Diwali celebrations.


And, last but not least, what I think is the most picturesque street in Singapore. In Kampong Glam, the Malay part of town, and a great place to come enjoy a traditional Malay tea or mango smoothy.

Good news that I found a good place to live next semester! As many of you know, I am not very satisfied with where I live now, due to the inconvenience of the location. I managed to find an apartment in a GREAT location- perfect, really. It is 10 minutes from school on a direct bus line, walking distance from the metro, and in a great neighborhood called Holland Village. I already go to Holland Village quite often because it has good restaurants, coffee shops, etc. It will be nice to just walk down the street to a coffee shop to study if I want. Plus, I will no longer have to share a bedroom and my new room will have a desk and internet access, meaning that I can actually study at home if I want to! I never thought that I would think of this idea as a "luxury" but see what living in Singapore has done to me. Also, it is right across the street from a good grocery store and hawker food stalls, both of which are open 24 hours. Ah, I am so happy about this new development.... Too bad I can't move in until January 15th. Oh well, it's worth the wait. My roommate is a girl from Mauritius who studied here at NUS and is now working here. Her current roommate is from Denmark and is just finishing up a 6 month internship in Singapore.

Every time I go out and explore Singapore, I find the city more and more fascinating. There really is a lot to see and do here- I feel as if I have barely touched upon all the possibilities. I'm glad I have a couple of friends coming out to visit because it will give me the perfect opportunity to get out and be a "tourist" for a bit. I already have ideas about things we're going to see and do!

On Sunday I went with Heather and Jess (and Jess's friend Brody who was visiting from Canada) to the colonial part of town (Raffles). I haven't spent that much time down there at night, but it reminded me of just how beautiful the colonial architecture is. We went to dinner at Chijmes, which is a gorgeous colonial compound that is now filled with shops and restaurants, with a beautiful old chapel right in the middle (though it is no longer a church- they use it now for different events, like a launch for a new product, etc.). After dinner, we stopped by the Raffles Hotel, which is the oldest hotel in Singapore. Jess is thinking about having her wedding there, so we wanted to check out the ballroom. Raffles is also famous for it's Long Bar, where tourists now go to have a Singapore Sling. I hadn't been in the Long Bar before, having had my first Singapore Sling at the courtyard bar in the Raffles, but have decided that I will definitely go back sometime and join the other crowds of tourists in buying the vastly over-priced drinks at the Long Bar. The ambience is worth it- a two-story bar with a long bar (hence the name) on each floor and a spiral staircase rising up from the middle of the room. Wicker chairs all about with traditional grass fans waving from the ceiling. Very "The Quiet American".

Next, we strolled over to the Esplanade, which is Singapore's equivalent to the Sydney Opera House, though the building here looks more like a hedgehog (thanks Emily, it's proved to be a very useful analogy). The Esplanade is also the closest Singapore gets to having a waterfront. Out behind the building there is a small open-air concert venue and a promenade. You can gaze across at the skyscrapers of Singapore's Central Business District, and the magnificent Fullerton Hotel that crouches at the base of the towering buildings on the waterfront. The Fullerton Hotel used to be the old post office, and it certainly rivals Raffles and Chijmes for the best architecture in town. I've heard it also has the best champagne brunches and chocolate buffets....

*WARNING* With the exception of the one month I will be spending travelling through Borneo, Thailand, and Laos with friends (Nov 20 - Dec 20), the next few months of entries may be sparse and boring, due to the fact that I will be studying for the New York Bar Exam and wanting to shoot myself in the head whenever I am not studying....

Singaporeans hold wakes in the courtyards of the public housing buildings. I was leaving my friend's apartment this afternoon and was quite surprised to have to walk right past a coffin set up near the elevator for friends and family to come and say "goodbye". My friend told me that it has something to do with the Chinese belief that when people pass away they don't get to fully move on, or don't actually realise they are dead, until everyone has said goodbye. So wakes need to be held near home and somewhere that is easy for people to stop by. Can't imagine a more convenient place actually.