Blogs from Bugis Village, Singapore, Asia

Da die Fahrt sich erfahrungsgemäß in die Länge ziehen kann starten wir früh am Morgen. Frühstück wie gehabt im Hotel. Wir treffen das chinesische Pärchen vom Vortag, die uns stolz verkünden am Abend 1.1Kg Hummer gegessen zu haben – na, ja Eiweisvergiftung scheinen sie nicht zu haben, es reicht noch für einige Eier zum Frühstück. Wir verstauen unser Gepäck und los geht es anfänglich Richtung Kuala Lumpur, dann auf Landstraßen Richtung Süden. Die Gegend ist nur wenig besiedelt und so kommen wir gut voran. In der Nähe von Segamat machen wir Mittagspause und decken uns nochmal mit Früchten ein. Weiter geht es über Labis und Yong Peng auf die Nord-Süd-Autobahn, die die Metropolen Kuala Lumpur und Singapur verbindet. Der Verkehr wird nun merklich dichter, wir kommen aber immer noch gut voran. Mein Rückspiegel auf der Fahrerseite ... read more

About a third of Singaporeans identify themselves as Buddhist. Vesak Day is a big deal on the Buddhist calendar, commemorating the birth, enlightenment, and death of Buddha. (Kind of like Christmas, Epiphany, and Easter all rolled into one.) It happened to fall on May 5th this year, my second day in Singapore. A caveat is in order here. I am not a Buddhist, and any mistakes I make in writing about Buddhist practices or thought come from my faulty research, not from any disregard for another’s beliefs. I try to be as clear as I can within my limits of understanding. Buddhism in Singapore is mainly of the Mahayana school, rather than the Theraveda school practiced in Thailand. The Thai version is heavily influenced by Burmese monks, Singaporean Buddhism is strongly influenced by Chinese immigrants. There ... read more

So Jeppy has filled you in on our progress up to Surfers paridise. This is where I take over again, notice the sudden improvement in writing style and wit. Firstly I should note on my version of our small split before Byron. We visited Newcastle, which had the largest ocean baths in the southern hemisphere (10 points to who knows the one in the northern hemisphere). We stayed for Sunday and had a relaxing night of recovery from Sydney. In Port Macquarie we decided to go for a stroll to see the sights. As the rest of Australia though map distances are decieving as Aussies have no reason to build things close together. So it was probably a deserved kip on the beach when we finally arrived 6km later! Coffs was a strange mix. The terrible ... read more

I promised myself before leaving Canada that I would enjoy a Singapore Sling during my time in Singapore. Completely cheesy, I know, but it had to be done. Alcohol is quite expensive in Singapore – they make mixed drinks in Canada look quite cheap. Examples: A half pint of Tiger beer cost about S$9.00 at an Irish pub. Mixed drinks cost at least S$10.00. My Singapore Sling cost S$17.00. Yes, S$17.00. I’ve never paid that much for a drink in my life. The most expensive drink I think I’ve ever had was a Screwdriver in the south of France for about 10€, but that was kindly purchased for me. …but I said I’d do it. I researched prices for a Singapore Sling in Singapore, and it turns out that the S$17.00 was quite reasonable by Singapore ... read more

Arrived! 12/9 (3 days ago) Jetstar plane was very late - left at 3pm instead of 11am, so we didn't get here until 10.20pm local time. Apart from that it was smooth and the cabin only about 1/3 full, so a pleasant trip. Also the qantas lounge was lovely and a godsend when such a delay - very civilized. It is 28 degrees and smoggy. The suburbs are 'aerial' ie all multi-storey apartments. We are pooped and going to sleep very very soon. 2 13/9 We went into an alleyway and had hawker food for breakfast then we did a self-organised walking tour of places of worship, and saw a buddhist temple, a Hindu temple, a mosque, a synagogue and 3 christian churches; all in the space of 3 blocks. The people go into the temples ... read more

Hi Everyone! Well tonight is our official last night in Asia before reaching our final destination which is Perth Western Australia. At this point I'm fairly exhausted from all the travel. After being on 12 flights in 10 weeks and not to mention the other 100s of miles we travelled overland I think it's all finally catching up with me. That said it has been such an amazing experience, with so many countless memories, pictures and funny stories. It is going to take me some time to process it all! It's hard to pick one thing or one place that was my ultimate favourite although I will say I will DEFINITELY be back to Vietnam as I loved it there. Kuala Lumpur and Singapore took some time to get used to as they are much more ... read more

Sin City as seen from The Fairmont Hotel during Buffet Brunch. ... read more