Massive Singapore Make-Up Post

So I've been SO busy having SO much fun in Singapore that I've slacked on the whole blog post thing, so here's a bit of a catch up:

Day 1: Santosa

I arrived in Singapore to the warm embrace of not one but two Phillipino families. Lara's family is currently not only housing me but also housing their old friends the Hernandez's. Mel Hernandez and Lara's father are old Navy buds and the families have been good friends for years now. Despite how great it's been to be in a clean, modern city that speaks English and has a favorable exchange rate, easily the best part about being here has been living in a home with a family. After all the hostels and hotels, the coconut husk mattresses and the sleeping on the floor, just staying in a nice (to say the least) house with not one but two beautiful families had been a real treat.

On my first full day here we first had a fun and relaxing morning at the pool and then all headed to Santosa, a man-made island that is full of fun, touristy stuff to do. To get there we went through a big, nice mall called Vivo City and got tickets on a cable car, or gondola that goes across the water and over to Santosa. As soon as we landed we walked out to see some Indian guys offering Snake Charming. I was in India for four weeks and so nothing like this but soon after Monica and Jesse, the children of the Hernandez's tried it I decided I had to get in on the act. After each of them had a different snake on them, I asked and was granted the request of having two snakes on my shoulders. The gentlemen placed a turban on my head and played a flute as the two docile and harmless snakes rested on my shoulders. Fun stuff.

We also saw the Merlion, a giant statue of, well a Mer-Lion, basically a lion-headed fish, that is HUGE and very cool. And then we went down to the bottom of the Island where we took a ski-lift up and luged down. The luges were part sled, part go cart and were lots of fun and not 100% safe. Regardless after some slick maneuvering from me, a crash from Lara's brother Totoy and a resulting friendly slow-down by Jesse (who by all accounts caused the crash) I was able to take the lead and win the "race" down the hill. This then resulted in Totoy (age 11) and Jesse (12) claiming that I "cheated" and "ruined the ride," which I believe would have been claimed regardless of what happened as long as one of them didn't win. After the ride we grabbed ice cream (which cheered everyone up) and sat on the man made beach as it got dark.

The View From The Cable Car:

Me Complete With Two Snakes And A Guy "Charming" Them With A Flute Behind Me:

Sunset In Santosa:


On The Lift, Ready To Luge:



As the night fell, we returned to Vivo City for dinner at a very large all-asian food court. If America is the world's melting pot (which it is) then Singapore is Asia's melting pot. I have no idea how to recognize a native Singaporian because they seem to be unrecognizable. Here I see all forms of Asian people; Chinese, Phillipino, Japanese, Thai, even Indian. It shows not just in the people you see but in the different areas of town (like Chinatown and Little India) and in the food. Anyways, this food court represented all of these Asian cultures and was not only delicious, but affordable as well. I had a scrumptious Thai Chicken Rice as well as several pieces of peanut chicken from god-knows-where that Mrs. Deguzman fed me (her favorite pass-time). I also had something called Cheng Dol for dessert (the Phillipinos told me they call it Halo Halo) which was essentially red beans, green jellies that looked about the size of inch-worms, crushed ice, syrup and milk (possibly coconut milk). It was tasty, to say the least though the red beans where a bit dry to taste despite the fact that they added excellent flavor.

On the way home Mr. Deguzman regaled me with information about Singapore's rich history. Essentially it is an island at the southern tip of Malaysia that sought and earned it's independence and has been rapidly progressing ever since. This is fascinating to me because while countries like India and China are becoming world super powers they have as many problems and as much poverty as the rest of the world combined, however because Singapore is so small (I guess) it's able to just be one big, super modern, super clean, super cool city.


Day 2: Malaysia and Clarke Quay

My second full day in Singapore brought me, Lara, Mrs. Deguzman, Joy and Monica out of Singapore. We took the short trip through immigration and across the border to Malaysia where the Malaysian Ringgits were about as kind to me as the Indian Rupees were. It technically wasn't my first trip to Malaysia as I had a three hour layover at the Kuala Lumpur Airport on my way into Singapore, though I didn't see much more of it on this trip. We basically went to a HUGE mall there where we spent the whole day. Upon our arrival we found a place called Thai Oddesey where I got a Traditional Thai Massage. "What is a Traditional Thai Massage?" you ask. Well, essentially a small Asian woman beats the crap out of you for one or two hours. Thankfully I got the one hour session so I only spent the minimum amount of time with her, driving her elbows into me, crushing each and every part of my body separately and twisting my limbs and my whole body into positions I had never thought possible. I kept vigilant throughout the painful hour by reassuring myself that it HAD to feel good in the end and while technically it did I can't say for sure whether I felt good because of the massage or just pure relief that it was over.

After our massages we enjoyed a pizza lunch and then shopped until we dropped. I bought a sweet zip-up from Baby Milo (close relative of everyone's favorite, Bathing Ape) a new shirt and pair of shoes for the night's outings, and a nice, pink and black, flat-brimmed hat that Lara helped me pick out (it'll probably hafta wait for my hair to grow out again though). We also were sure to stop by one of many DVD stores where I was able to buy several illegal DVDs that will help me catch up on all the Summer movies I've missed. I've already seen Transformers 2 and Land Of The Lost and I'm currently watching Public Enemies.

Huge-Ass Malaysian Mall:



That night me, Lara, Monica and Lara's brother Luigi all hit the town. We took a cab to Clarke Quay a very awesome and very convenient part of town. It's basically a long walking avenue, leading to the water and covered in case it rains. It encompasses a lot of Singapores hottest, restaurants, bars and night clubs making it very very easy to spend the whole night there (as we did). Our first stop was at a place called Cuba Libre where an excellent live band was playing Cuban Music (including a great spanish cover of "I Will Survive") and the Mojitos were delicious. After that we headed to Amarakesh, a Moroccan hookah bar (did I mention that Singapore is a melting pot) where we enjoyed a few hookahs and I failed miserably at teaching some of Luigi's friends to blow smoke rings or do a french inhale. Next was my favorite bar of the evening, a place called the Clinic in which drinks are served in IVs, shots are served in syringes and instead of chairs and benches they have wheel chairs and hospital beds. Having been a long time wheel chair owner myself (if you don't know, don't ask) Lin Woo and I showed off our mad wheelie skills and our new friend Esther bought us a round of syringe shots. We then ended up at a club called Zirca where we had a long bought of dancing to a fantastic DJ and the girls enjoyed dancing up in a cage with a floor that would hydraulically lift up and down. Then we ended the night in classic fashion at the (once again) international headquarters for late-night-drunken-eating, you guessed it, McDonald's. I enjoyed my McChicken and we called it a night.

Lara and Me Ready To Go Out:

The Whole Gang At The Hookah Bar:

Monica And I Taking "Shots" At The Clinic:

Rocking The Cage At Zirca:


Day 3: Chinatown and Bugis

My third day here started just like my first (though I slept in a bit more because of the previous night's events). Lara, Monica, Totoy, Jesse and I spent the morning at the pool, having fun and playing marco polo (classic). Then after I was good and sunburnt Lara took me out to a new part of town. First we went to Chinatown where the first thing that caught my eye was a completely badass Chinese silk robe complete with a huge, embroidered tiger on the back. Haggled, bought and sold. Next a guy lured me into a tailor's shop. One of the things I wanted to do in India but didn't have time to do was get a nice, underpriced handmade, personally tailored, new suit, so I gave the store owner some time to talk me into it. After some haggling and considerable fashion advice from Lara I was getting sized up for a silk-cashmere blend, complete with a tailored shirt and two ties for about $350 American (not bad).

Me In Chinatown:

Getting Fitted For A Suit:


After Chinatown we headed to Bugis (Boo-Gees) where on one side of the street is Singapore's largest outdoor market and on the other side is a very large mall, complete with essentially two food courts, one with meals and the other with snacks and desserts. There I had some delicious food and bought an array of exotically (not really) flavored Donuts for both families to enjoy. I also got a few gifts at the market and had a sugarcane juice (delicious). Lara and I also took the MRT (the train here) to and from our shopping trips, which was delightfully easy to figure out, easy to get on (similar card system as SmartTrip in DC) and very clean and modern as I'm sure you've noticed comes with the territory here. Upon our return home Luigi was cooking up some fantastic beef and corn on the barbeque and I was quickly issued a beer by Lara's father. A great end to a superb day of shopping.

Sunny Happy Fun Time Japanese Photo Gallery

So as promised in my last post here is a gallery of all the images and videos I wanted to put in the last few posts but didn't have strong enough internet to get online. Enjoy:
Holy Shit I'm in Mario World:

Literally:

Matsumoto Museum Of Art:

Random weird Japanese signs:

Keep this in mind ladies:

For when you need a good cry:

Me and the Cap'n Make It Happ'n:

Creepy Japanese Anti-Smoking Sign:

Tommy Lee Jones Should Be On Every Vending Machine Worldwide:

You You:

Random Nature Thing I Stumbled Upon:


Matsumoto Castle


El Barto, from our Mexican Restaurant:

Matsumoto Friends:

Sushi:

Dan With a Meat Stick Claw Game:

Me and Dan in Shinjuku:

Sayonara Japan

So let me start this post by breaking the bad news to you. I failed. I failed myself, I failed all of you, but most of all I failed America. I did not find and purchase any Engrish t-shirts. I want to especially apologize to my good friend Sean Brogan as this was my ideal gift for you from my travels and I know you especially would have appreciated a broken, japanified statement across your chest. Oh well, now I have a reason to return.

The good news is that Dan and I had a wonderful last day in Japan. We woke up after our rousing evening out with the King of Matsumoto to play Badminton with some of his students and his boss Mas. It was fun, for me at least (Dan's a little badminton-challenged). We also played some basketball which was also fun but a bit different. For what seemed to be mostly reasons relating to the famous Japanese respect, very little defense was played and there was almost no contact. Also they didn't really check the ball up between possessions, a phenomenon Dan and I did our best to explain but didn't really attempt to force on them as a rule. It was definitely a great morning though no good for my blister ridden feet (though I performed valiantly regardless, like a proud samurai warrior).

After badminton and then lunch we hopped a train back to Shinjuku where unfortunately Dan's friend from training could not be reached and thus we split a hotel at the same place i stayed my first night. We hit the town and decided that I could not come all the way to Japan and not get sushi so we found one of Tokyo's many famous sushi-conveyer belt restaurants. Essentially several sushi chefs stand in the middle of a large, oval shaped counter with a conveyer belt going all the way around. Anyone can come in and sit down and simply wait for an appealing plate of sushi (always two pieces to a plate) to come around with different styles of plates marking differently priced sushi. I had a few fishes, something that might possibly have been octopus and a delectable crab (two plates worth). As I was getting full the two of us decided that in honor of our good friend Zach Capp, as well as to satisfy our own palettes we needed to have some eel before we left. Unfortunately we hadn't seen any so I decided to take action armed only with an extremely limited but somehow effective Japanese vocabulary. I caught the attention of the nearest chef with a polite, "Su mi ma sen" (excuse me) and then simply asked, "Unagi-ke" (Eel?). Problem solved (I felt very worldly). And on top of it all it really hit the spot (thanks Zacho!).

Despite the fact that the streets were very busy with people eager to celebrate the coming day's work-holiday entitled "Happy Monday" we didn't really find much success with any bars. We went into a few but never stayed long at any. One of the first we went to we found because a black guy on the street tried to hand us a pamphlet to it and I simply asked where it was. Instead of giving us directions so we could find it later he insistently took us there, where we then felt pressured to pay the 1000 yen cover (about $10) that thankfully came with a free drink. The bar was called Casablanca and there weren't many people there (though it was early). The interesting thing about it was that as we were led there and again as we left we noticed that we had been led into a red-light district of sorts. Filled with a fearful curiosity we walked the greasy streets but avoided the signs and hawkers offering girls, good times, pretty reasonable prices and "hookers" from one very blunt man. At one point a very scary looking and oddly tall Japanese prostitute tried to solicit herself to me quite aggressively. Not desiring to be hassled I grabbed Dan around the shoulders and said, "No thanks, this is my boyfriend." Horrified she responded, "You Gee!?! You Gee?!?!" We kept walking until we returned to a less scary neighborhood.

Having pretty much given up on the bar scene, and not wishing to walk anymore (at least I didn't) we were enticed into one of Shinjuku's many arcades. There, we found several floors of loud, Japanese video games, most for 100 or 200 yen per play ($1-$2). The first floor was almost entirely made up of claw games that were, if possible, even bigger scams than american claw games with prizes varying from Japanese plush toys to boxes of Ritz and Oreos. Other floors had Pachinko (of course), virtual horse racing, strange strategy games that involved moving cards around on a horizontal screen, and all kinds of arcade games. Dan and I were most delighted by Mario Kart 2, not exactly like our Mario Kart as most noticed by the fact that I played as Pacman, and a Rambo video game that was just Stallonishly awesome.

As we walked home, ready to call it a night, not more than two blocks from our hotel we heard strange and joyful Japanese singing coming up from the vents of a basement level bar called B Wing. Thoroughly intrigued we had to at least take a look. There we found a winding-down Japanese girl's 22nd birthday party. We also met a nice bartender, a Chinese guy with the American name Jared (don't remember his Chinese name) who pretty soon got us singing Karaoke, another requirement of my Japanese adventure that I almost missed out on. Apparently when the Japanese normally do karaoke it's not like our karaoke with one performer at a time in front of the whole bar but rather several smaller karaoke rooms that you would go to with a group of friends. The idea of Dan and I alone in a karaoke room singing to each other did not appeal to either of us, thus we had not yet done it. Fortunately this was set up a bit more like our karaoke and so soon we were singing "Ice Ice Baby" by Vanilla Ice, which brought on the request of "Lose Yourself" by Eminem and eventually (you guessed it) "Mr. Roboto" by Styx.

Though the new friends we found enticed me into staying out later than I had hoped, I was glad to have something a bit more eventful happen on my last night in Japan. Overall Japan is really a crazy place. It's much cleaner and more modern than India which is nice, but there's also much much less English and much much higher prices which is not so nice. I think that this just shows that I'll really like the next leg of my trip, Singapore, which is clean and modern (if not futuristic) like Japan but should be more affordable (I'm not sure about the language there, but at least I'll have a fluent tour guide with me).

(Note: As you may have noticed my Japanese posts have had a serious lack of visual content to help you through the drudgery that is reading a Matt Portman piece. Relax, there are plenty of pictures that I will put up as one big gallery once I get some solid internet).