(no subject)
Since my last post, I've spent two nights in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia - and another week and a half in Singapore. Now for a phrase I never thought I would utter, "Tomorrow it's off to Cambodia."
Kuala Lumpur was good for the most part. I don't have the same love for the place that I have for Singapore. Mostly I went there to break up my three weeks in Singapore and to see my British friends (from my time in New Zealand) Kate. I don't know that I would have gone there if it weren't for her. Don't get me wrong, I'm glad that I went there, it's just that well... what do you think of when you think of Kuala Lumpur? If your mind pulls a blank, you're not the only one. I wasn't sure at all about what to expect. I went to the place knowing that due to fraud I wouldn't be able to use my ATM card at all, (changed money ahead of time), and that the drinking water was highly suspect. That's pretty much all I knew.
I stayed two nights at a hostel located near Chinatown and Kate and I spent a lot of time exploring that area as well as going to see the two giant towers that sit in the middle of the city and taking the bus to see the Batu Caves. The Batu Caves were pretty damn impressive - not to mention that I got my first wild monkey sightings. And by "sightings" I mean that Kate almost ran into one of them. And they weren't tiny monkeys. Ok, so they weren't giant either... but they weren't no spider monkeys... that's for sure. Those things move damn quick too!
While in Kuala Lumpur I had Starbucks for the first time in a long time as well. I told Kate it was ok because at least in the U.S. they give even their part-time employees health insurance. I also indulged in The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf while waiting for my flight back to Singapore at the airport. It was everything I constantly keep dreaming it would be. Sigh... Western food delights.
So much has been happening in Singapore that it's hard to know where to start. Each day/night seems to bring a new adventure. I've made a few friends, which has been great since I've been traveling alone. Nadia is a Indonesian looking for a graphic design job in Singapore, while Mikal is a Filipino who is currently working as a computer programmer in the city/country. They've been two of my main hang out buddies, although I've also had some awesome and some decently ok experiences with the other people I have met - including Anna a Jewish woman from Ohio that is now living in Asia (we only hung out for a day before she left, but we were instant friends). I've done a lot of random things with people from the hostels that I've been staying at. A group of five of us, (mostly Brits), went to the Singapore Zoo together, for instance.
Sigh... Too many adventures to write about and still remain making sense.
Kuala Lumpur was good for the most part. I don't have the same love for the place that I have for Singapore. Mostly I went there to break up my three weeks in Singapore and to see my British friends (from my time in New Zealand) Kate. I don't know that I would have gone there if it weren't for her. Don't get me wrong, I'm glad that I went there, it's just that well... what do you think of when you think of Kuala Lumpur? If your mind pulls a blank, you're not the only one. I wasn't sure at all about what to expect. I went to the place knowing that due to fraud I wouldn't be able to use my ATM card at all, (changed money ahead of time), and that the drinking water was highly suspect. That's pretty much all I knew.
I stayed two nights at a hostel located near Chinatown and Kate and I spent a lot of time exploring that area as well as going to see the two giant towers that sit in the middle of the city and taking the bus to see the Batu Caves. The Batu Caves were pretty damn impressive - not to mention that I got my first wild monkey sightings. And by "sightings" I mean that Kate almost ran into one of them. And they weren't tiny monkeys. Ok, so they weren't giant either... but they weren't no spider monkeys... that's for sure. Those things move damn quick too!
While in Kuala Lumpur I had Starbucks for the first time in a long time as well. I told Kate it was ok because at least in the U.S. they give even their part-time employees health insurance. I also indulged in The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf while waiting for my flight back to Singapore at the airport. It was everything I constantly keep dreaming it would be. Sigh... Western food delights.
So much has been happening in Singapore that it's hard to know where to start. Each day/night seems to bring a new adventure. I've made a few friends, which has been great since I've been traveling alone. Nadia is a Indonesian looking for a graphic design job in Singapore, while Mikal is a Filipino who is currently working as a computer programmer in the city/country. They've been two of my main hang out buddies, although I've also had some awesome and some decently ok experiences with the other people I have met - including Anna a Jewish woman from Ohio that is now living in Asia (we only hung out for a day before she left, but we were instant friends). I've done a lot of random things with people from the hostels that I've been staying at. A group of five of us, (mostly Brits), went to the Singapore Zoo together, for instance.
Sigh... Too many adventures to write about and still remain making sense.