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| China Town, Singapore |
Singapore, what a glorious surprise. To be honest, of all the countries in the South East Asian peninsula Singapore wasn't really on the top of my list of places to see. This is probably because I really didn't know anything about it - other than that it was a city and a country in one. Within 10 minutes of landing in Singapore I could tell it was going to be a great experience. Just standing on the subway on our way into the city from the airport we were surrounded by people of too many different ethnicities to count, a welcome change from the homogenous setting in Korea. It was wonderful to suddenly be able to hear multiple different languages being murmured around us as well as discovering that Singapore's first language is actually English which would help us tremendously in finding our way around.The subway system was easy as pie to use and a mere 30 minutes later we emerged onto the brightly lit streets of China Town. We found our hostel with the unrequested yet appreciated help from a group of Russian guys, dumped our bags on our bunks and went out in search of our first meal and a cold tiger beer. A plate of Satays and Wontons and 6 beers later we decided to check out the 'kareoke' bar underneath our hostel. Although the place was maybe the weirdest, eeriest bar I have ever been in - we thankfully managed to score a couple of free welcome drinks (after realizing that tequila shots were going to cost $12 a pop) and made friends with an adorable Indian girl called J who insisted on a kareoke performance. We snuck out the bar soon afterwards and crawled into bed in our dorm WITH AIR CONDITIONER. ( We have been living through the hottest part of summer SANS air conditioner so when I say it was a treat worth mentioning - it really was!)
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| Sentosa Beach |
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| So much Indian Food |
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| Ganesh |
We slept in a little and then it was on with bikinis and TO the beach. Sentosa is a 'resort island' just off Singapore which has some lovely beaches (even though they are exceptionally touristy.) We drank some fresh fruit smoothies and walked along the boardwalk snapping shots and then caught a bus to the beach. It was gorgeous and the weather was great. We did a triple combination of lay, tan and swim for most of the afternoon mixed in with some great burgers and cocktails at the BORA BORA beach cafe. We had to get back to the subway via a large shopping mall which came with a Forever 21 and supermarket with the best fresh food in the world so naturally, even in our sandy state, we bought a couple of cute dresses and devoured a bag of baby carrots and a big tub of delicious ready made guacamole as well as adding Salt and Vinegar chips and baby bell cheese to the shopping cart. We made a stopover in Little India for some dinner which was incredible. It actually felt like I was in India. Ganesh statues everywhere, loads of illegal liquor stores, scarves and saris, street stalls selling Pakoras, breyani, curries and Kingfisher beers and televisions showing Bollywood Dramas. We got a little carried away and ended up with a tray heaped with every kind of food which though delectable, was way too much to finish. After swigging down a Kingfisher strong, we needed to lay in a food coma. We relaxed in the pleasurable hostel airconditioning for a couple of hours laughing hysterically at the thought of going back to living without it while we waited for SARAH to arrive and as soon as she made it, 'we hit the town' - well as much of the town that could be hit taking into account the very expensive drinks and our tight budget.
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| Falafel Salad |
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| Strawberry Margerita |
That was one thing about Singapore that was unavoidable - the alcohol was Startlingly expensive. We managed to find ourselves a hookah bar in Clarke Quay where we drank a few margeritas and then when wandering to the bathroom Gillian and I discovered the road of dreams. A COVERED walkway lined with "express" restaurants. We almost melted when we saw the falafel stand. FALAFEL SALAD covered in yes, HUMMUS! I almost collapsed on the spot. It was mouth wateringly delicious. So delicious in fact, that we decided our night had reached the pinnacle and we wanted to go home.
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| Picnic! |
We arose at a reasonable hour and went straight back to the beach. This time stopping in at the supermarket to pick up all the necessary ingredients for a picnic. Wholewheat wraps, chicken, cheese, guacamole x 3, carrots, spinach, tostitos AND fresh AVOCADOS...mmmmm! What a perfect day - and finally our tans are starting to blossom. We explored the island a little and spent most of the day in the sea. On the way back into Singapore through the mall, we got a box of fresh sushi and more guacamole. (When I say we ate our way through Singapore, I really mean it.) We got ourselves together at the hostel and then headed into Clarke Quay for the last day of the Singapore SPICY FOOD FESTIVAL (Ummmm, really?) The food was delicious - hundreds of stalls with every kind of food you can imagine. After sitting at the lake for a while and coming out of our food coma we decided to take the subway to the zoo for a 'night safari.' I won't lie I was a little sceptical (being from a place where we can go on actual safaris with wild animals.) but it was an entertaining ride. We were able to get off the vehicle and walk to the enclosures, I can't say it wasn't rather creepy to be out in the 'jungle' at night especially as the glass windows seemed to disappear in the lack of lighting. We also got to see some baby elephants which are the cutest animals on the planet so that was worth it.
Though it was really weird to just SEE the animals sitting there waiting for us. We also accidentally took the wrong trail and ended up walking for about 3/4 of the trail that we were supposed to go on in the cart. By the time we walked out of the night safari and climbed into a taxi we were all so exhausted that we basically crawled into bed and passed out.
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| China Town, KL. |
We woke up reasonably early and went in search of a dim sum breakfast before we had to check out and catch ourselves a bus to Kuala Lumpur. The bus to KL took a little over 5 hours including the 2 brief stopovers at immigration. After checking in to our hostel (which seriously is the best hostel I have ever stayed in) which was located nowhere other than China Town. We took a walk out to the main market street and eventually settled at a street style restaurant for dinner. We were starving and ordered EVERYTHING we could lay our eyes on: Sweet and Sour Pork, Lemon chicken, Asparagas and mushrooms, fried rice, spring rolls and Chow Mein all to be washed down with a bucket full of Tiger Beers. What more could we ask for? It was sensational. We spent the evening people watching and enjoying the food and trudged back to our hostel to get in some good sleep before our big day visiting the elephant sanctuary.
The day started with breakfast and coffee at the hostel and then we hopped on a bus. We made a quick UNEXPECTED stopover at a place called deerland where we got to feed some deer - random?, hug a sloth bear - cuddly! and wrap a python around our shoulders - involuntary shiver. We had lunch and then motored on to the elephants. We arrived and were shown a video of how the elephants are moved from places where their habitats are being destroyed to safer spots on islands nearby and the like. Absolutely traumatic to be honest, the poor creatures. Eventually we were allowed to walk down to the feeding ground and feed the elephants some fresh fruit. We then went on a little spin riding the elephant (when i say a spin - not even 5 minutes) and then we went in the water with them. Although it was kind of cool to be up close and personal with these beautiful animals, I can't say I wasn't disappointed as I really was expecting more of a wild experience with the elephants. I assumed we would be going trekking in a small group and then getting to spend a fair amount of time in the water with them. I guess we just picked the wrong place because this one was just a tourist hubbub with people EVERYWHERE.
We hopped back on the bus all wet a few hours later and on the way back into KL had a stopover at the 'Batu caves.' There is a temple in a cave at the top of a giant staircase where monkeys are supposed to roam free. There were a couple of funny monkeys but most of them had retreated for the evening. We did receive a blessing and a wish bracelet from who I think was a buddhist monk, took some pictures, played with some monkeys and got back on the bus.
We all got showered and dressed back at the hostel and then took a casual walk to a recommended Malayan restaurant called Bijan. The atmosphere was lovely, the food was great (once again there was soooooo much of it) and the cocktails flowed (especially since in comparison to Singapore - these drinks were cheap as anything.) After we were nice and buzzed we took a walk down a road with rows of bars on either side and settled for an irish pub where there were buy-one-get-one-free mojitos on offer. Safe to say that after 12 of those and a couple of tequila shots and a couple of hours dancing, I was more than ready to get home to my bed. But a great time exploring KL's night life.
The next morning we got up and went in search of a Subway (I was in desperate need of a Tuna Sub and a bottomless coca cola) Instead we found possibly the best coffee shop known to mankind which provided us with coffee, coca cola, chicken, cheese and guacamole wholewheat sandwiches AND real, delicious, leafy caesar salads. It was the perfect hangover cure and set us on a positive route to finding a bus to take us to Malacca. A few hours later we pulled into Melaka after a perfect nap on the bus.
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| Malacca |
Malacca is a small, cultural heritage town in South Malaysia. It is quiet and relaxed and ideal for a few days of chill time. We checked into Jalan Jalan guest house - the most relaxing hostel in the world also 'surprisingly' located in the China Town district and went exploring. The town is a photographers dream - full of interesting things to see, hidden in all unexpected places of the city.
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| PESTO PASTA - HELLO??? |
We did some shopping and then found ourselves sipping on red wine and pouring over the extensive menu at the streetside 'Geographers cafe.' Gillian and I shared a plate of BASIL PESTO PASTA, Fish and chips and Vietnamese spring rolls. It was heaven. After a couple of hours of chilling and chatting, making new friends with a multi talented traveler from Sweden, we decided to take a little walk around town at night. We obviously did a loop of the town becasue about 45 minutes later we realised we were right back at the Geographer's cafe. Another bottle of wine you say? Well I guess I could oblige. Once we were the last people still standing, we decided that we should just call it a night. However on the walk home (granted we were in the middle of the street) a car pulled up next to us, a man yelling "hey, why are you walking in the middle of the street at this time..." Before we could respond, he quickly added "you should be drinking with me..get in." And just like that we climbed in the back of the car and drove to a 24 hour street Dim Sum shop, with plastic chairs and tables all laid out and ready for us. After a few beers, we politely declined the man's invitation to go and dance to some R&B and pick up some ladies and decided to stroll back home for a hot outdoor shower and some sweet dreaming.
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| Malacca Fort |
We wandered around the town square the next morning, taking lots of pictures and then decided to take a taxi out to the beach for the afternoon. The beach was nothing special but it was deserted and the sun was out in force. Only after about 2 hours of laying did we notice that we had been suntanning in our bikinis in front of a mosque. No wonder it was deserted. Oops. We came back into Malacca in the late afternoon and snacked on some traditional chicken and rice balls. We chilled out in the hostel for a few hours, danced a little to some folk songs, napped, laughed - the usual and then got all dolled up in our new dresses for dinner and wine back at the Geographers cafe. After about an hour of scrumptious food (calamari, spring rolls, pesto pasta, fish and chips and red wine) and listening and singing along to an acoustic set we realized how exhausted we were and settled on going back to bed.
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| DIM SUM BREAKFAST |
Early the next day we snuck out for another Dim Sum breakfast - this time a lot more affordable than the one we found in Singapore, peaced out of Jalan Jalan and got on a bus back to Singapore. After finally getting into China Town and finding an overpriced hotel after all the hostels were booked up - we set out in search of dinner. A Thai street cafe won our vote and boy did it do the trick. Prawn Tom Khai Gai coconut soup, Green Curry, Pad Thai, Jasmine Rice and Spring Rolls washed down with a few too many Singha Beers - we couldn't have asked for a better technically 'last dinner.' The Thai ladies were also adorable ( one of them was called Candy and was ecstatic when Gillian showed her Candy tattoo!) and the food was so authentic, I felt as though I was actually in Thailand. Singapore really was incredible in that regard - not only could you find anything you wanted from any country - there were about 20 different restaurants serving food from all over the world on any one block at any one time. Needless to say, we were thrilled. We decided to head out to Clarke Quay for some more drinks to celebrate our fantastic holiday but after a few puffs of hookah and some $20 margeritas - we were ready to pounce on a falafel salad covered in hummus and go home to bed.
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| Sun kissed |
We awoke nice and early so that we could get to the beach and make the most of our last full day. We zoomed through the mall, ate a sushi breakfast on the run and picked up all the necessities for another picnic. We frolicked in the sea and added the finnishing touches to our tans, drank some fruity cocktails, ate some satays at the free beach barbecue and then trudged back to the mall to pick up some last supplies before heading to the airport accompanied by a Subway Sandwich.
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| Last Day on the Beach :( |
Our holiday was so relaxing, the perfect break from the busy times in Korea. None of us really had a definite plan so we just kind of went with the flow and it worked out great. Both countries were an exciting adventure and of course the food in both made us melt. The ideal vacation: Beach, Sun, Sea, Guacamole....
The rest of summer coming soon....
Lots of love ...
Katie
We arose at a reasonable hour and went straight back to the beach. This time stopping in at the supermarket to pick up all the necessary ingredients for a picnic. Wholewheat wraps, chicken, cheese, guacamole x 3, carrots, spinach, tostitos AND fresh AVOCADOS...mmmmm! What a perfect day - and finally our tans are starting to blossom. We explored the island a little and spent most of the day in the sea. On the way back into Singapore through the mall, we got a box of fresh sushi and more guacamole. (When I say we ate our way through Singapore, I really mean it.) We got ourselves together at the hostel and then headed into Clarke Quay for the last day of the Singapore SPICY FOOD FESTIVAL (Ummmm, really?) The food was delicious - hundreds of stalls with every kind of food you can imagine. After sitting at the lake for a while and coming out of our food coma we decided to take the subway to the zoo for a 'night safari.' I won't lie I was a little sceptical (being from a place where we can go on actual safaris with wild animals.) but it was an entertaining ride. We were able to get off the vehicle and walk to the enclosures, I can't say it wasn't rather creepy to be out in the 'jungle' at night especially as the glass windows seemed to disappear in the lack of lighting. We also got to see some baby elephants which are the cutest animals on the planet so that was worth it.
The day started with breakfast and coffee at the hostel and then we hopped on a bus. We made a quick UNEXPECTED stopover at a place called deerland where we got to feed some deer - random?, hug a sloth bear - cuddly! and wrap a python around our shoulders - involuntary shiver. We had lunch and then motored on to the elephants. We arrived and were shown a video of how the elephants are moved from places where their habitats are being destroyed to safer spots on islands nearby and the like. Absolutely traumatic to be honest, the poor creatures. Eventually we were allowed to walk down to the feeding ground and feed the elephants some fresh fruit. We then went on a little spin riding the elephant (when i say a spin - not even 5 minutes) and then we went in the water with them. Although it was kind of cool to be up close and personal with these beautiful animals, I can't say I wasn't disappointed as I really was expecting more of a wild experience with the elephants. I assumed we would be going trekking in a small group and then getting to spend a fair amount of time in the water with them. I guess we just picked the wrong place because this one was just a tourist hubbub with people EVERYWHERE.
We all got showered and dressed back at the hostel and then took a casual walk to a recommended Malayan restaurant called Bijan. The atmosphere was lovely, the food was great (once again there was soooooo much of it) and the cocktails flowed (especially since in comparison to Singapore - these drinks were cheap as anything.) After we were nice and buzzed we took a walk down a road with rows of bars on either side and settled for an irish pub where there were buy-one-get-one-free mojitos on offer. Safe to say that after 12 of those and a couple of tequila shots and a couple of hours dancing, I was more than ready to get home to my bed. But a great time exploring KL's night life.
