Facebook has begun to nudge this blog out of my life. I admit it, I posted my pics from the recent trip to China on Facebook weeks ago, and I've barely given this blog a second thought. I promise to put up beautiful pictures of the Chinese countryside, accompanied by thrilling explanations of my many adventures, soon.

My good friend Liz (she joined me on the trip to Peru last year, and is one of the pink-shirted women pictured below) and I have taken the plunge and purchased tickets to Hong Kong. This particular trip is inspired by my little sister, who moved to Macau last September to work as a gondolier at the new Venetian Hotel. Of course, I could not pass up the opportunity to visit Colleen while she's living out there, and Liz is always game for an adventure. So we'll be spending two weeks in August exploring the wonders of Hong Kong, Macau, Guangxi (mainland China), and maybe even Vietnam. It's ambitious, I know, but when am I not ambitious?

Just back from vacation in Peru. I'm too tired at the moment to go into great detail about the trip, but it was AWESOME. The trail was a real butt-kicker (7 days trekking on the Salkantay trail and Inca trail- our highest pass was at 16,400 feet and we literally climbed thousands and thousands of stairs...). Unfortunately, I'm very disappointed in my photos as they just don't reflect the magnificence of the Peruvian countryside- hopefully some of the photos from the others in the group (a couple of whom had much better cameras) will better show just how gorgeous the scenery really was....

I'm back in the US! Sitting at my mom's house about to embark upon some serious bar studying. Very happy to be back in the US - already enjoying the many comforts of things like a comfortable bed, cool nights, fresh Oregon strawberries, and the company of friends and family. So, I'm off on my many weeks of studying.... since this blog is targeted toward my at-home audience while I am traveling overseas, it is temporarily suspended until the next big overseas adventure. I will make sure to send out an email when that time comes, though it probably won't be for a couple of years. The horror! ;-o Until then, you all know how to contact me via email- I'm here and very contactable!

My last day in Singapore, and what do I do? Sit around at home, clean my room, study, get bored, contemplate going out and then think that there isn't really anywhere I want to go, or anyone to go anywhere with.... Not a very exciting last day, let alone last week, in Singapore! I was talking to my roommate, Doshila, today and she mentioned that she thought no one ever fell in love with Singapore. It's a good place to live for awhile, but, well, there really isn't all that much to LOVE about this city. Like it, sure, but there's no passion here. Funny, I've had this conversation with multiple people lately. When Miah was visiting we talked a lot about how this is a town where the White Man is God- it's almost still colonial in some of its mindsets. These white, male expats sweep in and live in their high-rise condominiums on Orchard Rd. They hold really high-paying exec positions at multinational corporations and spend their days having people suck up to them at work and their nights being fawned over by local women. After this most recent visit, Miah even started to think twice about moving here. She's not sure if she could put up with that sort of environment and attitude- not to mention that she (and any woman moving here actually) would have to just give up on the idea of finding any sort of relationship, let alone even dating, while here! Apparently a very high number of marriages break up out here, mostly because the husbands can't resist the local temptation. Quite sickening really.

What was the point of this discussion? Ah, well, I think it is that I had a good year here but I'm not actually going to miss Singapore that much. The things I love to do here are not really special to this city- going out to eat with friends, wandering around town and shops at night, going to the movies, etc. These are things I enjoy doing anywhere. And indeed, I am really looking forward to hanging out with all my friends in DC! I will miss travelling around the region- I do LOVE places like Bangkok, Chiangmai, Luang Prabang, Hoi An, Ubud.... but I will be back on vacation sometime, no doubt!

A friend suggested that I take this week off to enjoy my last week in Singapore and go visit my favorite spots, etc. But I couldn't think of a single thing that I really wanted to do before I left. huh. I think I will try to get some studying done instead. Definitely time to head out of here... 4 days.

Less than a week now until I leave Singapore, and I'm getting that feeling everytime I go anywhere that it is my last time there (probably true for awhile- though I'll probably be back to Singapore in the future. It is an easy stop-over on the way to many places). Yesterday I had my last "outing" and went with Miah to Pulau Ubin, a small island off the East coast of Singapore. It is known for being a rustic island that is an escape from the urban atmosphere of Singapore, and like stepping back in time 30 or so years. Well, I wouldn't exactly rave about Pulau Ubin as a must-see location for any tourist coming to Singapore, but it is kind of a nice place to visit. Something different. There's not really much to do there, and it's quieter than mainland Singapore, which can be a blessed relief. We rented bikes and rode around the island for about an hour, while getting bitten by many mosquitoes, then went and sat near the jetty at a hawker stall where we had chili crab. The East coast is known for its seafood, and the chili crab was definitely good, though I can't say I noticed it being anything special compared to the other chili crab I had with Miah at Chinatown in the fall. It was a very relaxing evening though, and I was glad I had the chance to visit Pulau Ubin before heading home. Here are some pics: