I'm sitting in the lobby of Tempat Senang waiting for the ladies to finish their morning spa treatments. My three hours last night was enough for me. I had avocados in my hair, a milk bath with cookies and tea, and an aromatherapy massage. The hair massage was the best and bathing in milk wasn't bad either. We're on the island of Batam, and it's definately a change from bustling Singapore. On the taxi ride in you could see lots of Islamic Minarets in the predominately Muslim country. Hearing the call to prayer at sundown last night was really interesting how it echoed throughout the whole island. The setting at the resort is really peaceful. There are lots of tropical trees, lizards, and of course bugs around. It's nestled on a small hill next to a ... read more

The last 2 nights have been party nights. Thursday we had a durian party at Silvia and Tsu Yang's apartment. 20 or so of karin's family came over to enjoy the pungent fruit that Anthony Zimmern of Bizzare Foods will not eat. You will get a fine of $1000 if you bring durian on public transit because it smells so bad. I had to try it and it wasn't too bad. Weird texture but tasted somewhat sweet. Last night we celebrated Karin's grandpa's 80th bday. He had 70 of his closest friends and relatives out for a tasty 9 course dinner. We then went out to the famous Raffles Hotel. I'll post more later. We went to the zoo yesterday and night safari. I better wrap this up. We are about to go to a rural ... read more

We're about to begin day 4 in Singapore. It's 13 hours ahead of back home if you were wondering. Yesterday we went to the resort island of Sentosa. It's a small island part of Singapore with lots of tourists attractions. We rode a cable car across the bay and got some great views of the city and ocean to Sentosa. Karin's uncle, Aloysius, treated us to a tour of a nice aquarium and a 3d theatre. Karin and I then strolled down to Siloso beach and lounged for a few hours. The scenery was really picturesque. Only thing that could have made it better would have been if I could have had a monkey join me with a cold beverage under the palm trees. I still have yet to spot a wild monkey. We spent the ... read more

Hey everyone we are in moscow. After a 12 hour plane ride we're halfway there. I still really dislike flying but I started to get Over it and slept for about an hour. Singapore air is 1st rate. Karin's taking advantage of the extra room at the air port and was doing lots of stretches. Well I think they're checking us in. This is one crowded and hot airport can't wait to leave for Singapore .... read more

It was a peaceful last day on the continent for josh and me. Once we made it to the hotel, there were a fair amount of naps as there was a lack of better options for the most part. We did manage to go to the alcampo next door which was the biggest grocery store I've ever seen. We ate at a fast food restaurant that specialized in fried chicken for our last real meal in Europe. Tomorrows an early morning, so I'll be brief. Just wanted to say thanks to everybody who read and commented on the blog. Even though we're having a lot of fun, it gets lonely sometimes and it's nice to hear from home. Even though I'm not ready for the triple digit heat, I am looking forward to seeing everybody. Signing ... read more