Monday, March 27, 2006
Now Where Was I?
(Take Two) So now I've been to Singapore...
Wednesday - Jet Setting: The trip was longer and more complicated than I expected. First, it turned out that Mako's generosity in giving me a plane ticket (via her frequent flyer mileage) was undercut by a hefty fee that we both had to pay at the airport. To be sure, it was cheaper than buying a ticket but it was no minor expenditure. Obviously that's not her fault but my earlier talk of a "free ticket" was sadly mistaken. Secondly, it was a long flight with a stopover in Kuala Lumpur so we wouldn't arrive until well after nine.
I must share a few thoughts about the flight which was remarkably pleasant. Thanks to some kind of partnership deal we used Mako's miles to fly on Malaysia Airlines. The services offered to us were quite generous. Not only did I get a free glass of wine with my meal, every passenger had a personal video screen and we could choose to enjoy a variety of movies, television and even games, all of them "on demand" and completely free. The choices were quite varied and multi-national, with a number of recent films available as well as some old favorites. And would you believe I got two bags of peanuts?
With a nearly seven-hour flight (yeah, SE Asia is pretty far from here), I got to see Good Night and Good Luck which was enjoyable but felt really short on meaningful content. I found the sub-plot between Robert Downey Jr and Patricia Clarkson a total distraction and completely incongruous with the main story.
For a total change of pace I watched The Ringer which somehow managed to disappoint my already low expectations. Not only did it waste the talents of Brian Cox, an unforgivable offense, it made the curious decision to treat the retarded characters with more dignity and thoughtfulness than the regular folks. For example, the only people to notice that "Jeffy" is actually pretending are the other disabled people - somehow the young woman who supervises them buys every minute of it (before inevitably falling in love with him despite his heinous ruse). What does it say about the way romantic comedies are written these days when only the retards have common sense?
By the time we landed in Kuala Lumpur I was already pretty tired so our two-hour layover was really frustrating. KLIA claims to be the "world's most beautiful airport" but that's a bunch of crap. Aside from a couple trees in a central cage the airport offers nothing but cold steel and the usual overpriced crap (including a Cheers bar which I had to explain to Mako). Right off the top of my head I can think more appealing airports; there's the wonderful sculptures in Vancouver or even the fields of rabbits at Charles de Gaulle. Mako had no problem amusing herself with some heavy-duty duty-free shopping.
Thankfully the flight from Kuala Lumpur to Singapore was brief - less than an hour - so I kinda wish we had just found a bus or something. We arrived fairly late but had no trouble changing money and getting a taxi to our stunningly luxurious hotel, the Marina Mandarin Hotel. Our efforts to find dinner outside the hotel were stymied by our late arrival. The hotel was essentially surrounded by shopping malls which were all closed or closing - although I was hardly going to take this opportunity to have my first meal at Outback Steakhouse. Seriously, the entire neighborhood was fast-food and American chain restaurants! Thankfully we opted for room service which was tremendously satisfying.
Thursday - SE Asialand: Mako and I did our best to get up early and hit the streets on what would be our only full day in Singapore. Our first stop was the major shopping avenue known as Orchard Road. Sadly, it was just as commercially-overblown as you could imagine. Nothing but major brand names and English-language advertising in every direction. Mako had no problem getting down to her shopping; this trip was perfect for her because everything she wanted was cheaper than back home. She bought so many cosmetics and beauty-type products that they starting giving me gifts. I have some kind of male-specific facial cleanser that I'm sure I could really use.
The antidote for runaway Westernization was a trip to Singapore's Chinatown which was unlike any other Chinatown I had ever seen. The buildings all looked like old European style residences, almost like I would envision New Orleans if had ever been there. There were these really interesting buildings known as hawker centres where it was nothing but individual vendors selling a variety of cuisine. Mako was trying to find one dish in particular, something she had read about in her guidebook called Prawn Mee. Unfortunately, every place we tried didn't have it and when we saw it on a sign, the stand was closed. Eventually we gave up because we were too hungry to keep searching when there were so many other choices to be had. However, Mako didn't want to eat in the hawker centre because she thought it wasn't "clean." Forget it Mako, it's Chinatown!
One destination we were both excited about was the Singapore Zoo and its Night Safari where nocturnal animals can actually be observed at night. The two attractions are actually on neighboring properties but both are run by the same organization. We ran a bit late looking for Mako's prawn soup so by the time we got to the zoo it was only an hour until closing time. No matter, we hustled through and saw nearly every animal in the place including some great close encounters with a rogue peacock. In between the zoo's closing and the safari's opening I gave Mako her first taste of Ben & Jerry's. I know that sounds hypocritical since I bash the rampant domination of US corporations so much but let be honest - a serving of Phish Food will make me abandon just about any scruple. Besides, if every company was as responsible as they are there wouldn't be as many things wrong with globalization.
The Night Safari was really cool although none of the pictures I took came out, obviously. Flash photography was forbidden but some people did it anyway. I guess I should have been a dick and pretended I didn't speak English but I respected the animals' right not have their eyeballs burned. Probably the coolest things I saw were the porcupines who managed to look cute and dangerous at the same time. There were also some bats whose cage we were allowed to enter, pretty scary in a way although they didn't come near us.
Our evening was capped off by a night of fine riverside dining in Clarke Quay which was relatively clear of foreign dominance, although I did have to explain to Mako what Hooters meant. We almost went for some Mongolian cuisine but we were both anxious for some crabmeat and you know Mongolian seafood would totally suck. Our meal was relatively expensive but thanks to the currency exchange ($1 US is about $1.60 in Singapore) we didn't break the bank. Also, I think I finally figured out how to eat crab effectively: Treat it like fried chicken! Things get a little messy and you do need to use the nutcrackers at times but instead of scraping all the meat off your plate at the end you feel much more satisfaction tearing the shell open and chewing on the delicate insides.
Friday - Sayonara Singapore: On our last day we spent most of our time on the "island resort" known as Sentosa. I didn't pick up on that "resort" business until after we got there and I realized the entire thing was designed to draw in tourists. I'm not going to call it a tourist trap because I knowingly went there to see the pink dolphin show (Mako was very excited by that one) but I guess I expected some kind of mix of actual Singapore to go along with the sanitized sights. At least the island had free buses to take us around everywhere, that was a nice gesture.
We returned from the island to check out Little India which was set up a lot like Chinatown was. Similar looking buildings, lots of hawker centres and everything was cheap. Mako wanted to get in some more shopping before we left so we rounded out the day with another trip to Orchard Road where we also tried an Indonesian restaurant her book recommended. In the airport Mako found more things she wanted to buy and apparently I earned points just for standing next to her and smiling while she bought more creams, rinses and scrubs then I could count. In that respect she is very easy to please because all I have to do is say "yes" to her request - she doesn't expect me to pay, just to offer my approval.
We took the red-eye home via the same route and airline, although being the red-eye they didn't give us nearly as much free entertainment or food. Naturally I didn't get much sleep either but I took great comfort in Mako clinging to my arm as she slept. I guess I'm pretty easy to please in that department.
So how can I summarize the trip? I wasn't all that psyched to see Singapore and most of what I saw was the worst familiar sights of home. I know Japan has its share of McDonald's and Starbucks but at least they're surrounded by other options. In Singapore it felt like all I could get was just as easily had somewhere else. Ironically, the slogan touted about on banners around town was "Uniquely Singapore" despite the shocking lack of anything unique.
Do I regret going? Absolutely not! Going on vacation with Mako to a foreign country was a wonderful experience simply because we were together. Ideally, next time (and here's hoping there will be a next time real soon) we can go somewhere that has some kind of particular interest to me. It could be historical or maybe just cultural appeal. Hell, maybe it needs to be someplace that scares me a little, like Thailand. I know lots of people who insist that place is fabulous despite (or perhaps because of) the hint of chaos that lies beneath the surface.
In case you missed the link yesterday, photos and videos of the trip are sitting right here. I put off my homework until tomorrow to finish this story tonight, so don't say I never gave you anything. Of course, if there are any questions I'll be happy to elaborate on any parts of the story. In the meantime, I've got to get some sleep now. Lately I find thinking of Mako's arm around mine helps me fall asleep faster and more peacefully. It doesn't mean I'll dream about her (or anything positive for that matter) but it puts me at ease.
Wednesday - Jet Setting: The trip was longer and more complicated than I expected. First, it turned out that Mako's generosity in giving me a plane ticket (via her frequent flyer mileage) was undercut by a hefty fee that we both had to pay at the airport. To be sure, it was cheaper than buying a ticket but it was no minor expenditure. Obviously that's not her fault but my earlier talk of a "free ticket" was sadly mistaken. Secondly, it was a long flight with a stopover in Kuala Lumpur so we wouldn't arrive until well after nine.
I must share a few thoughts about the flight which was remarkably pleasant. Thanks to some kind of partnership deal we used Mako's miles to fly on Malaysia Airlines. The services offered to us were quite generous. Not only did I get a free glass of wine with my meal, every passenger had a personal video screen and we could choose to enjoy a variety of movies, television and even games, all of them "on demand" and completely free. The choices were quite varied and multi-national, with a number of recent films available as well as some old favorites. And would you believe I got two bags of peanuts?
With a nearly seven-hour flight (yeah, SE Asia is pretty far from here), I got to see Good Night and Good Luck which was enjoyable but felt really short on meaningful content. I found the sub-plot between Robert Downey Jr and Patricia Clarkson a total distraction and completely incongruous with the main story.
For a total change of pace I watched The Ringer which somehow managed to disappoint my already low expectations. Not only did it waste the talents of Brian Cox, an unforgivable offense, it made the curious decision to treat the retarded characters with more dignity and thoughtfulness than the regular folks. For example, the only people to notice that "Jeffy" is actually pretending are the other disabled people - somehow the young woman who supervises them buys every minute of it (before inevitably falling in love with him despite his heinous ruse). What does it say about the way romantic comedies are written these days when only the retards have common sense?
By the time we landed in Kuala Lumpur I was already pretty tired so our two-hour layover was really frustrating. KLIA claims to be the "world's most beautiful airport" but that's a bunch of crap. Aside from a couple trees in a central cage the airport offers nothing but cold steel and the usual overpriced crap (including a Cheers bar which I had to explain to Mako). Right off the top of my head I can think more appealing airports; there's the wonderful sculptures in Vancouver or even the fields of rabbits at Charles de Gaulle. Mako had no problem amusing herself with some heavy-duty duty-free shopping.
Thankfully the flight from Kuala Lumpur to Singapore was brief - less than an hour - so I kinda wish we had just found a bus or something. We arrived fairly late but had no trouble changing money and getting a taxi to our stunningly luxurious hotel, the Marina Mandarin Hotel. Our efforts to find dinner outside the hotel were stymied by our late arrival. The hotel was essentially surrounded by shopping malls which were all closed or closing - although I was hardly going to take this opportunity to have my first meal at Outback Steakhouse. Seriously, the entire neighborhood was fast-food and American chain restaurants! Thankfully we opted for room service which was tremendously satisfying.
Thursday - SE Asialand: Mako and I did our best to get up early and hit the streets on what would be our only full day in Singapore. Our first stop was the major shopping avenue known as Orchard Road. Sadly, it was just as commercially-overblown as you could imagine. Nothing but major brand names and English-language advertising in every direction. Mako had no problem getting down to her shopping; this trip was perfect for her because everything she wanted was cheaper than back home. She bought so many cosmetics and beauty-type products that they starting giving me gifts. I have some kind of male-specific facial cleanser that I'm sure I could really use.
The antidote for runaway Westernization was a trip to Singapore's Chinatown which was unlike any other Chinatown I had ever seen. The buildings all looked like old European style residences, almost like I would envision New Orleans if had ever been there. There were these really interesting buildings known as hawker centres where it was nothing but individual vendors selling a variety of cuisine. Mako was trying to find one dish in particular, something she had read about in her guidebook called Prawn Mee. Unfortunately, every place we tried didn't have it and when we saw it on a sign, the stand was closed. Eventually we gave up because we were too hungry to keep searching when there were so many other choices to be had. However, Mako didn't want to eat in the hawker centre because she thought it wasn't "clean." Forget it Mako, it's Chinatown!
One destination we were both excited about was the Singapore Zoo and its Night Safari where nocturnal animals can actually be observed at night. The two attractions are actually on neighboring properties but both are run by the same organization. We ran a bit late looking for Mako's prawn soup so by the time we got to the zoo it was only an hour until closing time. No matter, we hustled through and saw nearly every animal in the place including some great close encounters with a rogue peacock. In between the zoo's closing and the safari's opening I gave Mako her first taste of Ben & Jerry's. I know that sounds hypocritical since I bash the rampant domination of US corporations so much but let be honest - a serving of Phish Food will make me abandon just about any scruple. Besides, if every company was as responsible as they are there wouldn't be as many things wrong with globalization.
The Night Safari was really cool although none of the pictures I took came out, obviously. Flash photography was forbidden but some people did it anyway. I guess I should have been a dick and pretended I didn't speak English but I respected the animals' right not have their eyeballs burned. Probably the coolest things I saw were the porcupines who managed to look cute and dangerous at the same time. There were also some bats whose cage we were allowed to enter, pretty scary in a way although they didn't come near us.
Our evening was capped off by a night of fine riverside dining in Clarke Quay which was relatively clear of foreign dominance, although I did have to explain to Mako what Hooters meant. We almost went for some Mongolian cuisine but we were both anxious for some crabmeat and you know Mongolian seafood would totally suck. Our meal was relatively expensive but thanks to the currency exchange ($1 US is about $1.60 in Singapore) we didn't break the bank. Also, I think I finally figured out how to eat crab effectively: Treat it like fried chicken! Things get a little messy and you do need to use the nutcrackers at times but instead of scraping all the meat off your plate at the end you feel much more satisfaction tearing the shell open and chewing on the delicate insides.
Friday - Sayonara Singapore: On our last day we spent most of our time on the "island resort" known as Sentosa. I didn't pick up on that "resort" business until after we got there and I realized the entire thing was designed to draw in tourists. I'm not going to call it a tourist trap because I knowingly went there to see the pink dolphin show (Mako was very excited by that one) but I guess I expected some kind of mix of actual Singapore to go along with the sanitized sights. At least the island had free buses to take us around everywhere, that was a nice gesture.
We returned from the island to check out Little India which was set up a lot like Chinatown was. Similar looking buildings, lots of hawker centres and everything was cheap. Mako wanted to get in some more shopping before we left so we rounded out the day with another trip to Orchard Road where we also tried an Indonesian restaurant her book recommended. In the airport Mako found more things she wanted to buy and apparently I earned points just for standing next to her and smiling while she bought more creams, rinses and scrubs then I could count. In that respect she is very easy to please because all I have to do is say "yes" to her request - she doesn't expect me to pay, just to offer my approval.
We took the red-eye home via the same route and airline, although being the red-eye they didn't give us nearly as much free entertainment or food. Naturally I didn't get much sleep either but I took great comfort in Mako clinging to my arm as she slept. I guess I'm pretty easy to please in that department.
So how can I summarize the trip? I wasn't all that psyched to see Singapore and most of what I saw was the worst familiar sights of home. I know Japan has its share of McDonald's and Starbucks but at least they're surrounded by other options. In Singapore it felt like all I could get was just as easily had somewhere else. Ironically, the slogan touted about on banners around town was "Uniquely Singapore" despite the shocking lack of anything unique.
Do I regret going? Absolutely not! Going on vacation with Mako to a foreign country was a wonderful experience simply because we were together. Ideally, next time (and here's hoping there will be a next time real soon) we can go somewhere that has some kind of particular interest to me. It could be historical or maybe just cultural appeal. Hell, maybe it needs to be someplace that scares me a little, like Thailand. I know lots of people who insist that place is fabulous despite (or perhaps because of) the hint of chaos that lies beneath the surface.
In case you missed the link yesterday, photos and videos of the trip are sitting right here. I put off my homework until tomorrow to finish this story tonight, so don't say I never gave you anything. Of course, if there are any questions I'll be happy to elaborate on any parts of the story. In the meantime, I've got to get some sleep now. Lately I find thinking of Mako's arm around mine helps me fall asleep faster and more peacefully. It doesn't mean I'll dream about her (or anything positive for that matter) but it puts me at ease.
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Dan-
When in Singapore did you try to see anything remaining from the British colonial era [Raffles Hotel] or the Japanese occupation during the war?
Glad you had the trip.
DAD
When in Singapore did you try to see anything remaining from the British colonial era [Raffles Hotel] or the Japanese occupation during the war?
Glad you had the trip.
DAD
# posted by 
: 28 March, 2006 02:39
: 28 March, 2006 02:39
w00t! Hi Dad!!
We went to the Raffles Hotel after Chinatown because it was close to our hotel. Mako had some things she wanted to buy there and then we dropped off all the stuff she bought before going to the zoo.
I didn't really do a thorough check into Japanese occupation sites. Mako's guidebook certainly didn't mention any...
We went to the Raffles Hotel after Chinatown because it was close to our hotel. Mako had some things she wanted to buy there and then we dropped off all the stuff she bought before going to the zoo.
I didn't really do a thorough check into Japanese occupation sites. Mako's guidebook certainly didn't mention any...
she doesn't expect me to pay, just to offer my approval.
OMG you guys are too cute!! ^.^ It sounded liek a good time to me, but I hope you get more historic outings int he future!!
OMG you guys are too cute!! ^.^ It sounded liek a good time to me, but I hope you get more historic outings int he future!!
Megan: What else can I say? This is the first girl I've dated who's been into the whole "shopping" thing...I guess I'm handling things well but I have no idea how else to behave.
Then again, this could be a Japanese thing. She also asks permission to go to the bathroom.
コメントがあります？ Type something, please. It's less work for me.Then again, this could be a Japanese thing. She also asks permission to go to the bathroom.
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