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Published: November 23rd 2008
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Greetings!
Since Jub has been hard at work chronicling our adventure on Borneo, Animal-Planet style, he delegated to me the task of filling you in on our time in Kota Kinabalu and the past four days in Singapore. So, here we go ....
Kota Kinabalu, aka "KK," sits on the South China Sea on the west coast of Borneo within the Malaysian state of Sabah. We used KK as a hub of sorts between the jungle and peninsular Malaysia. Most of our time there consisted of various administrative tasks (namely, washing the mud out of our jungle gear). We did, however, have the joy of staying in a hotel right across the street from the Filipino Market. Each day at about 3, we watched from our window as vendors began setting up umbrellas covering a variety of food stands and market stalls selling produce, meat, and prepared street foods.
Eventually we left our hotel room to sample the street food for ourselves. We washed down yummy noodles with a delectable yet highly questionable concoction called "ABC." ABC (aka Aic Kacang) is a mound of shaved ice in a bowl, garnished with (no joke): cooked macaroni, red beans, aloe
jelly, sweet corn, and cubes of agar ... then drizzled with sugary syrup and evaporated milk. Voila! As if this weren't enough gastronomical experimentation for one night, we decided our trip would not be complete without sampling the "king of fruits," durian. Durian has earned its station on the fruit throne by sending out a shocking, fishy odor that has resulted in several hotels and public areas displaying "No Durian in Rooms" signs. Apparently durian aficionados don't mind the smell .... but, um, we are not aficionados. We managed to choke down only a bite apiece before donating our leftover durian to some excited locals. It took us a day to get the smell and taste out of our heads.
By that time, it was goodbye KK, hello Singapore. We were immediately struck by the hustle, bustle, organized flow, internationalism and apparent wealth of Singapore. Bentleys and Bimmers shared the clean roads with silver Mercedes-Benz taxicabs. And then there was the inordinate amount of Christmas decor plastering the entire city and the holiday tunes blaring in the stores. There is no "after Thanksgiving" rule in place in Singapore (and no visible sign of an economic downturn). Orchard Road, the
primary shopping area, was throbbing with holiday shoppers all week. We managed to fit in some shopping ourselves, stocking up on books at Borders and fancy new headphones for Jub at the Apple Store. It was difficult to resist blowing our entire weekly budget in one day.
After our first impression, we were thrilled to find that there was much more to the city than the eight Luis Vuittons, twelve Pradas, 300 Starbucks and hundreds of other luxury outposts might suggest . Highlights of our days there included visits to the Singapore Art Museum, the impressive National Orchid and Botanical Gardens, and the Asian Civilization Museum; walks through China Town and Little India; and a cruise up and down the Singapore River.
Much to our delight, the variety of food choices was mind-boggling. We ate fantastic Italian food and wine on Club Street one night, wandered through the Lau Pa Sat hawker center for street food and cold Tiger Beer the next, and ate all-vegetarian Indian food with
our fingers another. And, of course, we had to visit the legendary Raffles Hotel to sip on the drink invented and made famous at its Long Bar: the Singapore Sling. We spiffed up and walked in to find that approximately 20 other dressed-up tourists had the same idea, all sitting in the dark bar, sipping on fruity drinks and eating peanuts, throwing the shells on the floor. Despite the tourists, the atmosphere of the bar was top-notch, with waiters in tuxedos, rattan furniture, and dark wood interiors. We could almost feel what it would have been like to sit there 100 years ago without the flurry of digital camera flashes.
All in all, we loved Singapore and could both see ourselves getting swept up in the city life there. We left feeling sad to go. Next up: Malaysia's tower-y capital city, Kuala Lampur and the agricultural gem of the Cameron Highlands, where we will try to walk off the enormous number of calories consumed in Singapore. Stay tuned.
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Tina
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So fun!!
It looks like you guys are having an amazing time- thanks for sharing all your stories. Picture me now- sitting in the stinking office building staring at a monitor. Ah- you are so lucky to be out exploring the world!! We definitely miss you two. xo.