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Published: November 5th 2009
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(this should come complete with 14 photos and full text, if it doesn't clear you cookies, pretty please!)
This blog is being sent from Singapore with a few exclamation marks. Firstly, that I'm in my third continent of the trip. Secondly, I've been travelling for 9 months. Thirdly, my word, it's hot here and fourthly, it's 7 weeks till Xmas and yes, the Xmas decorations are up here too.
One thing that has become clear is that I refuse to call this the last chapter of my trip! Instead it's a revival of the first and it shares a very strong determination for this not to be the end.
Packing up my tent and watching it being mutilated by my friend Lillie, was a strong reminder that I was back to living out of one bag again. The sexy money belt is back out again, the combination codes for my padlocks have been remembered and the constant checking of pockets that my purse, passport and other possesions are on me has begun. My last day in Oz was filled with many a luxury I've lived without for a while. I spent my final night in Brisbane at my
cousin's house, Stefan. It couldn't have been better! After being picked up at the airport I was provided with a very comfy space on the couch, a few slices of pizza, a glass of wine and I happily fell asleep in front of the TV watching Only Fools and Horses. I even received a birthday package from my brother and sister-in-law (woop!) with new clothes, jewellery and underwear. Hurrah!
Early the next day, I found myself back at Brisbane airport looking down at my backpack (+2 bags, not sure where they came from), my two bandaged toes and thinking, my god, I have to start this all over again. It felt very much like my first day travelling. The saying goodbye and taking off happens so quickly and then you arrive thinking what the f%$£ am I doing here living out of a bag, with no one I know around me and a million miles away from home. It sure does make you appreciate the people you know and have met and times you've had together. You keep telling yourself that you've done it before, that you will meet new people and that you will enjoy every new experience
but you can't help feeling nervous. Then, the plane lands and you have no choice but to get on with it .... and here I am, starting again in Singapore.
It's a relatively easy stepping stone into South East Asia and a refreshing introduction into what might lay ahead. Every traveller is buzzing about Thailand and the other South East Asia countries and it brings the excitement of the unknown all rushing back.
I'm based in the Little India part of Singapore - exactly what it says on the can! I can smell curries and beautiful spices on every road and the town is in the middle of Deepavali celebrations, marking the triumph of good over evil. The place is filled with pretty flowers!
The rest of Singapore is an amazing multi-cultural city. You see everyone and anyone! There are business suited people flocking around in their lunch hours, the price of a bottle of water is three times as much in a Starbucks, the posh restaurants and bars line the Marina and I have to remember to look both ways when crossing the road. Yes, it's like any other city but you don't often get to
spend your first day in a city at the beach. A guy at the hostel recently bought a boat so we got taken to a lovely secluded beach in the Seetosa part of town. We spent the day in bath temperature water on pink rubber rings and getting spectacular views of a storm over the Singapore sky-line. The following day was spent with Tom from Cardiff pounding the Singapore roads. The flip-flop burn truly returned. We visited the Merlinosa, a lion statue, Raffles, a very posh-English feel hotel, haggled at camera prices and still got ripped off, I gaupped at the jewellery shops, we ate traditional food in a local market, visited a Buddhist temple, ventured into Chinatown, walked up, into, around and out of a park only to find ourselves exactly in the same place and then had a short but very very welcomed ride on the air conditioned Metro back to the hostel. A solid six hours of walking but a great beginning to exploring the world again.
Tomorrow, I'm off to Kuala Lumpur.
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