Barefoot in Singapore

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And so my Tokyo leg comes to an end. Tokyo is a fantastic place that everyone should visit at least once in their lifetime, preferably when they're still young enough to appreciate all the hustle and bustle. I may not have travelled enough to compare Tokyo to other cities, but it really strikes me as a place of extremes. Walking around urban Tokyo you won't see a single bit of greenery. During morning rush hour, literally everyone on the train is dressed up in suits. And for such a crowded city, it is meticulously clean, with an army of older service personel literally mopping the subway floors. Add to that the fact that nearly no one speaks English, and you come away with the impression that it's truly a unique place on earth. I hope to be back soon, when I have a better grasp on the language!

Checking out of my Capsule, I came to realize I didn't have enough change on me for even a subway ride. Crap. I spent precious time locating an ATM, and headed towards the airport as fast as I could. I got to the check in counter 45 minutes before my international flight, and JAL had me checked-in, screened, and sitting at the gate in less than 15 minutes. They gave me priority clearance and had an attendant walk me to the gate personally to make sure everything went okay. JAL is so awesome! I can't say enough good things about it. The service is always exemplary, and their planes are on time and very well equipped. Their food is surprisingly decent as well.

We landed in a rainy Singapore, and I headed straight towards the Hostel. Jet Lag combined with the most aggressive driver I've ever met in my life (and we were in a bus!) gave me a very nauseous 1 hour ride.

At times, Singapore feels like any other city in the US. All street signs are english (although the cars are on the left side of the road), and there is a very diverse population. Even the buildings and greenery seem familiar. I can't explain it very well, but it further accentuated the feeling that Japan is a strange place.

The hostel itself is nice, only $20 a night and located in the middle of a crowded shopping district. Strangely, all shoes are left outside, so everyone walks around barefoot. I'm in an 8-person room, and we have a movie room, nice kitchen, and great bathroom. The AC is also deliciously cold to the point that I woke up with a scratchy throat (I hope I'm not flagged for swine flu in Malaysia). Speaking of Swine Flu, the immigration desk in Singapore had thermal cameras that were scanning the crowd for overly warm travelers...

I passed out around 10PM, and woke up at 3AM. After spending the next 3 hours unsucessfully trying to get back to sleep, I finally gave up and got out of bed at 6. Oh Jet Lag, I never knew how bad you could be

-Michael

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Photos

Breakfast from Convenience Store
Rice balls (1 with mayo-tuna, 1 with pickled plum) and green tea