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Published: August 5th 2007
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So, I'm currently sat in Jerantut, in Central Malaysia, after a hectic few weeks in Asia. This is just the first few steps of the Oriental Sprint, but it has been awesome. Much to tell, many pictures to show and food to get really excited about. I've just emerged from Taman Negara national park, which is what lonely planet describes as "...a mass of primary jungle over 130 million years old and sprawling across 4343 sq km." But hey, lets save that for later.
Singapore. I'm sort of kicking myself that I didn't get a chance to write this earlier because so much has happened since I landed. It's not that it's dulled, it's just been continually trumped by the next place I go to.
Where to start? Well, Singapore doesn't allow any chewing gum. So, when I found a fetid wrinkled packet of orbit in the bottom of my bag, I had to flaunt the Asian laws and take the chance. You know, be the renegade. The loose cannon. The leaner. The moment I popped it into my mouth (and sure it tasted good but was at the disintergration stage by then), four massive police men, armed with
rifles about as long as I am (no joke) walked round the corner and eyeballed my squidgy cheeks. I kept walking - looking straight ahead and breathing steady. This was it guys. This was trouble. But... it was okay, I squirreled it away till they were gone and then continued on with my criminal activities.
But it's a little strange seeing all the police carrying sub machine guns (hence the SMG of the title). My impressions of Asia were a little different to the reality, but things soon change once you move out of Singapore. The city is, effectively, one huge interconnected shopping mall. If you want to buy something a little out of the ordinary, lets say a camera which doubles up as a toothbrush, then Singapore is the place for you. All the big stores are here, with distinct districts between the high-flyers and the hawker centres. I even bit the bullet and sunk some Singapore dollars into two new shirts, which have since seen no end of destruction in the rainforest, but they've already had a good life. Anyway, off topic ramblings aside, Singapore is a pretty city. If you're into megalithic high rises, concrete tundras
and kitsch restaurants. Every eatery, pub and bar had some kind of twist to snag the passing punter... often the bakeries where doubled with windows for passers to watch dough being flung about, or the bar we (travel buddies and I) ended up in, called Clinic. Clinic had the slightly disturbing option of serving cocktails in a medical drip bag, complete with stand and tube to pour. Of course, we ordered it. Mess ensued when we fluffed closing the valve and gloriously expensive syrup haemorraged everywhere. But still, a good time.
China town. My favourite place. A bustling market complete with a chicken-fried-rice eating competition which I was intent on seeing - it was the grand final - but somehow got drunk and missed it. If you go to Singapore, take a couple of hours to people watch here... the tourists are wonderful. I know I know, I'm a tourist myself, but the moment you sit down, you blend into the street and all the alien eyes are on the next westerners. Often a family with a screaming child because it didn't get one of the themepark of trinkets available on the stalls (and there is everything you can
Meal Shot #25
My personal revenge for Steve Irwin. See that plate on the top right? Stingray. Oh, this Chinatown food was simply incredible. Honestly, just beautiful. imagine - one stall had a plastic full size bazooka, which was a bit cool but I didn't want that strapped to my pack for the next twelve months... something would go wrong).
Clarke Quay is the place to come for drinks. Please refer to the Chang Towers in the pictures. It's a stretch of river with a snake of bars and restaurants, each decked out in lights and having the usual range of devices to stop the tourists (me). At one point I'd become slightly miffed *miffed... lol, great* with the waterside bars and taken the brave choice of picking one of the many stairways wedged between the bars and crept up the stairs to the pub above. It was a sweet move. I was the only western face (along with my fellow English drinking buddy) in a bar of Singaporeans. Beer came and went, pool was played... badly... which is a damn disgrace but I was playing on away terf and by the time I hit the Cameron Highlands, the skills were back on lethal form. The video jukebox played nothing but Chinese Ballads, so I muscled in and slapped on Back in Black by AC/DC, then
Singapore Airport.
The cleanliness begins... - I couldn't help myself - Total Eclipse of the Heart. It got turned off half way through, which is fair. I fell in with a table of locals and spent a nice evening learning how to play dice... as in using a cup to rattle upside down, then slam, then play. It was a beautiful moment when on the first strike I scooped the dice and slammed like a pro. Only to scatter the next ten or so pick ups. Sigh.
So on a hangover and a tighter budget the next day, the zoo was the option of choice. Awesome. I love zoos. I got really excited about seeing the animals, but then as the day progressed got depressed at the cages. You know how it is. Seeing a leopard in a 15ft by 15ft cage is not entertainment. The next day was Sentosa Beach. Which is a fake beach. Completely artificial. Very weird, but nice enough. Beers were thunderingly expensive (for here, but would be about three quid back home... which is still absurd).
Well, I met some great people here - the hostel was great (Singapore Backpackers Hostel - thanks for the heads up Dad...
From the hostel.
The 'scrapers just don't stop. nice one) and I ended up spending five days sleeping on the roof because it was the cheapest and coolest. I got a strange throat infection thing, which I can't help but be a hyperchondriac about, but it turned out to just be the humidity and microbes in the air. Apparently everyone gets it.
So time to leave and trek onwards to KL. Yeah I know it's dumb to abbreviate but everyone says it here, so for all you wondering, it's Kuala Lumpur, which was five hours bus ride away. Oh yeah, the coaches are pretty awesome here. But the local buses are, uh, shaky.
Right then, with Singapore done and dusted I felt I had achieved the biggest step of this journey so far. Reaching Asia. It wasn't the cultural slap I was expecting. Everyone in Singapore speaks English and things are very very clean. But dear me, that was all about to change.
Until KL. Missing you all.
Tommy
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Heather
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Free The Monkeys!
Hiya Tom, Looks like you are having an excellent time, keep up the good work on the blogs, they're a great distraction from my daily grind.....otherwise known as work! Oh, and i'm on the next plane over to help start a monkey revolution, get the wire cutters ready, we're coming to set you free!!!! Big hugs, Heaths x