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Sri Veeramakaliamman temple
This is the roof of a temple, awesome! Waking up at 5:30 am (getting better), I was treated to a huge downpour that seems to be a daily feature of Singaporean life. The whole room was emptying out, with a pair of Brits who were teaching primary school, and a city Councilman from the Philippines, both heading towards Kuala Lumpur. They were all awesome, funny people, and hope to meet them again! The people are surprisingly nice, and although I picked hostels because they are the cheapest, they are definitely the number 1 choice for someone traveling alone.
With the rain in the background, and aching feet from my non-stop walking (I've averaged well over 5 miles a day), I was actually looking forward to spending the entire day indoors and reading/watching movies (I learned my lesson not to walk in the rain in Tokyo). Halfway through reading a travel memoir about Singapore, the torrential downpour magically stopped and the sky cleared up. Ugh. I felt obligated to pack my extra shirt, strap on my shoes, and go walking, so I headed towards Little India.
Little India is a place you should go to on your third or fourth day of your Singapore visit, after you have
Samosas
I spent a minute confusing the guy by asking for Samoas. It was surprisingly not bad for something that looked like it had be sitting there for a week. experienced most of Central Singapore like Orchard Road, the CBD, and even Chinatown, as they are all very clean and orderly places. Little India is a very gritty contrast to these places, and the fact that it is a very short subway stop away from the city center is fascinating. You walk through a real maze of shops that are all connected by extremely narrow alleyways, covered by a never-ending system of awnings that shield you from the sun. There is a distinct tourist feel (cheap singapore curios, fabrics, overly friendly waiters at the door), but the dirt and grime seems real enough. I didn't actually go into any temples or buy anything there; I think that I've taken for granted how similar most Asian countries are that was too scared to dive into something totally different. Maybe next time, with an Indian friend!
I retreated back towards Lau Pa Sat for a reliable Hawker Stand lunch. I had Korean food this time around (Dol Sot BiBimBap), along with some Pork Shu Mai, for a total of $6.17 US. I don't know why I've been ordering Korean food in Japan and Singapore, but it is a very comforting slice
Jelly Drink
This was awesome, like drinking one of those little jelly cups of familiarity in a foreign country.
Once again, I was determined to stay inside all day, but then I remembered that I wanted to go rock climbing in Asia! I didn't go outdoor climbing, but the indoor climbing suited me just fine. I went on a trip to Jalan Besar to visit the local rock climbing gym. Although it should have been a 5 minute walk from the station, I ended up going in the complete opposite direction for half an hour before asking for directions, and had to cab it there, ugh. Anyway, I got there, paid the usual exorbitant day pass fee (I've been spoiled by Penn's $5, free equipment rental, free belayer goodness) to go bouldering. First off, the shoes were terrible, with some kinda shoddy repair job done to the toe, and the material dug into my skin so painfully that I had to rip them off my feet every 2 minutes.
However, the climbing was awesome! I didn't get to climb that much because the shoes were so bad, but the routes were amazingly cool, and there were so many walls. It was good to finally get a good workout during my trip.
Mogu Mogu
Kind of a letdown after the Jelly drink, but not terrible. And also, Singaporeans are ridiculously strong and dedicated to their sport. I saw the most beastly climbers I have ever seen in my life that day. There was even a little girl (I'd guess about 10 years old) who was ripping up routes I couldn't even touch. I saw her do a monkey bar walk
backwards and
up a staircase. I've re-evaluated my standards of what a good climber is, so I guess I need to push myself a lot harder now!
I then jetted towards the airport as fast as I could to meet Kathy! Her flight was a little delayed, but she arrived! She said she was sporting a new haircut, and I thought she might be wearing a face mask (en vogue these days), so I was afraid I might not be able to spot her. But out of the corner of my eye, I saw that blue rolly backpack...
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