Bangkok, Thailand and Cambodia (March 7- March 15)

Two nights in Bangkok (not just one)
We arrived in Bangkok, Thailand, ready for some good food and excited for the next leg of our trip. We'd been told that Bangkok is a kind of "get in and get out" town, but it was much better than expected. Sure, the pollution is awful and in one day about three different people tried to scam us, but it's all part of the adventure. There were plenty of smiling, helpful Thais to make up for the few bad apples we ran across.

Khao San Road and the surrounding area is a sight to be seen...full of backpackers (the hippie and yuppie kind) all coming together in what has become the the de facto traveller crossroads in Southeast Asia. It seems that all roads lead to Bangkok, and you can find just about every kind of traveller on Khao San Road. It is lined with cheap and not-so-cheap hotels, bars, food carts, and souvenir stands. The road is open to traffic (sort of), but getting a car through there is nearly impossible. At night the street is ablaze in neon and the streets are full of people coming out to enjoy the cooler night air.

On our first night in Bangkok, we decided to take a stroll along the river (Mae Nam Cho Phraya) that runs through the city. We ended up at Santichaiprakan Park near Phra Sumen Fort and were entertained by juggling expat hippies and aerobicizing Thais. Apparently every night at 6pm in parks across the city, Thais young and old come out in droves for free aerobics classes. It was quite a sight. The classes begin, as do movies, sporting events, and all public gatherings in Thailand, with the country's national anthem.

Here a wat, there a wat
Wats (temples) can be found on just about every block in Bangkok (and all over SE Asia, really). A few of the most spectacular in Bangkok include Wat Phra Kaew and Wat Pho.

Wat Phra Kaew is also known as the Temple of the Emerald Buddha (actually made of jade) and is Thailand's most sacred temple. Interestingly, it is the only temple in Thailand without resident monks. This temple complex is an overwhelming and beautiful group of colorful buildings complete with glimmering stupas and intricate mosaics. The complex even includes a minature model of Angkor Wat, the Cambodian temple. The walls that surround the temple complex are adorned with a mural in 178 panels, which tells the Thai version of the Indian epic Ramayana.

The Royal Palace is on the same grounds at Wat Phra Kaew. It is the former royal residence and is currently used only occasionally by the king for certain ceremonial events. The buildings have a distinct and incongruous style --- the bodies of the buildings all have a European flair, while the roofs are unmistakably Thai. Just imagine a regal European colonial white building with a glittering, intricate gold roof.

Our last stop on the tourist circuit in Bangkok was What Pho. It is the oldest and largest temple in Bangkok and dates back to the 16th century. The most spectacular feature of this wat is the huge reclining Buddha, which measures in at a whopping 46 metres long and 15 metres high! The building that houses this Buddha is barely any bigger than the Buddha, and so when you are in the building you cannot help but feel overwhelmed by greatness.

The Kingdom of Cambodia
After only two nights in Bangkok, we embarked on a side trip. Our journey into Cambodia to visit Siem Reap and the Temples of Angkor was short but magnificent. Travelling overland from Thailand to Cambodia was quite an experience. Armed with some advice from the LP Thorn Tree website and our sense of adventure, we were off.

Step 1: Take public bus from Bangkok to Aranya Prathet. Check.
Aranya Prathet is a small town about 6 km from the border with Cambodia. On the bus we met up with an Irish couple also on their way to Siem Reap, so we decided to team up. We'd read that the border area is looming with pickpockets and every manner of person trying to scam travellers, so we were on "full lock down" mode. This meant that daypacks are locked with luggage locks and big backpacks had absolutely nothing of monetary value in them (although I'd really like to try and see someone run off with my 14kg bag...that would be a sight).

Step 2: Take tuk-tuk from Aranya Prathet to border. Check.
The fare for this route is set at 60 baht (about $1.50 USD), so no haggling is necessary. We whizzed through the dusty streets in our faithful tuk-tuk (the best way to travel in SE Asia) and arrived at the border with no problems. Our Irish friends were right behind us.

Step 3: Exit Thailand and walk across no man's land to Cambodian entry point. Check.
There were far fewer touts and pickpockets to fend off than we had anticipated...a welcome suprise. We waited for what seemed like a very long time to get our Thai exit stamp....what were they doing up there? The four of us were finally oficially stamped out of Thailand and walking across to enter Cambodia. Immediately there were members of what is known as the "taxi mafia" trying to arrange taxi rides from the border into Siem Reap. (See Step 6 below.)

Step 5: Enter Cambodia.
Wait. What happened to Step 4, you ask? Good eyes, people. Read on.

When you walk across no man's land there is a huge sign that says "Arrivals". You'd go there, wouldn't you? We waited in the arrivals line, were handed an arrival card, and were eager to get through the border and on our way to Siem Reap. We knew we needed a visa to enter Cambodia, but they are issued on arrival and so we figured we'd pay for it and have it issued at the front of this line. The line was moving at a snail's pace, so it made sense. 30 minutes later we arrived at the front of the line. Chris walked up to the window, handed the agent the passport, the agent flipped through the passport and handed it back to Chris telling him that he needed a visa. Ugh. "Where do we get the visa?", Chris asked. "Back there," he says while pointing back toward the Thai border. Great.

Step 4: Get Cambodian visa. Check.
So, off we went back to a little, tiny cement block building with a tiny sign that said "visas on arrival". We filled out the application and paid the fees. The cost of a Cambodian travel visa is supposed to be $20 USD, or about 800 baht. The Cambodian government has conveniently rounded that UP to 1000 baht. (It's just easier for everyone that way, but mostly for the Cambodian border officials who pocket the extra baht.) Apparently you can argue with them and insist on only paying the equivalent of $20 USD, but for some reason we weren't feeling like our usual righteous selves. And even then you only have a small chance of actually convincing them that you should pay less.

Step 5: Enter Cambodia. Check.
Back at the arrivals area, the line was twice as long as the first time we waited in it. We kept our good humor about us and after a long wait we finally entered Cambodia. Whew!! Did we mention that it was 38 degrees celcius (about 100 degrees Farenheit) outside? Yeah, it was a joyous time for all.

Step 6: Hire a car to take you to Siem Reap. Check.
So far we had been lucky in ditching/ignoring members of the taxi mafia, but once we were through immigration they were on us again. The story is that these members of the taxi mafia work as unsolicited agents for the taxi drivers. They hassle the taxi drivers and insist that arriving traveller's pay 1200 baht instead of the going rate of 1000 baht...and then they take the extra 200 baht as a "fee." Since it took us so long to get through the border, there weren't many drivers around. It was 3:30 by this point and we needed to get going so as not to arrive in Siem Reap too late. I did not want to pay the extra 200 baht (just for the sake of principle) and was willing to walk a bit to find another driver, but I was outvoted by the other members of our group. As much as we ignored the taxi mafia guy and insisted on only paying 1000 baht, the driver sided with the mafia and wouldn't give us the proper rate. Well, we tried.

The road to Siem Reap was a treat. Ninety-nine percent of the taxis in Cambodia are black Toyota Camrys made for driving on the left side of the road, like they do in the UK and Thailand. Cambodians drive on the right hand side. This made for some interesting passing on roads with the biggest potholes we've ever seen. Luckliy it was the dry season, so if a bridge was out we could drive around it through one of the fields. Our driver was able to convince the local farmers whose fields we drove through that we did not have to pay the foreigners' toll. About halfway through the journey we refueled at a Cambodian roadside gas station, which consisted of a local shop with glass bottles filled with gasoline. The attendant gets out his funnel and your bottle of gas, fills up the tank, and you are soon on your way. We rolled into Siem Reap about 4 hours after the trip began, safe but definitely a little sore from all the bumps.

Siem Reap and the Temples of Angkor
"The temples of Angkor are the heart and soul of the Cambodian nation, and remain a source of pride and inspiration to all Khmers as they struggle to rebuild their lives after the years of terror and trauma. Today, they are a point of pilgrimage for Cambodians and no traveller should miss their extravagant beauty when passing through the region." -- Lonely Planet, Southeast Asia on a Shoestring

We arrived at the Golden Banana Guest House in Siem Reap dusty from our taxi ride and ready for a shower and dinner. After a lovely Indian meal, we planned our three-day pilgrimage through the massive temple complex that was the capital of the Khmer Empire. In three days we climbed to the top of countless temples...too many to name here. (Don't want to bore ya!!) Instead, I'll keep it short and sweet with the highlights.

We hired a driver and his tuk tuk (a scooter with a two seated, covered bench trailer attached to it) to whisk us around the capital city of Angkor. Our first stop was Angkor Thom, the moated and walled royal city that was the last capital of the Angkorian empire. Within the city walls is the state-temple Bayon with its massive, towering carved faces and intricate bas-reliefs depicting sea battles between the Khmer and the Cham, and others depicting everyday life. Another notable feature of Angkor Thom is the Terrace of the Elephants, with giant carved elephants and garudas adorning the walls. Impressive.

Another one of our favorites was Ta Phrom, a monastic complex where mother nature has had her way. Officials decided to let nature take her course, and now huge fig and silk-cotton trees grow right out of and over towers, walls, and corridors. It is an amazing sight and it is easy to get lost exploring the many plazas and ancient buildings. For our male readers, this was where the movie Tomb Raider was filmed.

Last but not least is Angkor Wat, the jewel in the crown of the temples of Angkor. Angkor Wat was built in the mid 12th century as a massive temple mountain dedicated to the Hindu god, Vishnu. The entire complex is surrounded by a moat and an exterior wall. Within the complex, the temple itself is an impressive mix of art and architecture, with three tiers topped by five huge towers. The highest tower is 65 metres from ground level (higher than Notre Dame in Paris) and if you brave the uneven and narrow steps that lead to the top, you'll be rewarded with an outstanding view. We took our time exploring Angkor Wat, visiting it on a few separate occasions. Our first trip was in the late afternoon. We wandered the exterior corridors admiring the many bas-reliefs and apsara carvings before settling in the interior courtyard to enjoy some shade (have me mentioned that SE Asia was friggin' hot?) and the beautiful light that the setting sun cast on the towers. We met a young monk who was also escaping the heat and who was eager to practice his English with us. He had a list of words to learn, and so we helped him with pronunciation and definitions. We also visited the temple at sunrise. Although the sunrise wasn't all that spectacular (too much haze), we took advantage of the cool morning air and climbed to the top of the highest tower.

As with all major tourist attractions in the poorer countries we've visited, we were constantly hounded by kids selling postcards, water, and every manner of souvenir. On our last visit to Angkor Wat, we had two very funny run-ins with a few of these kids.

One young boy (about 7 years old) came up to me and asked me to buy some postcards. I politely declined, but as soon as I did he asked me where I was from. I decided to indulge him and replied, "America." (We've found that many people do not understand "United States".) "I know your capital...Washington D.C." he shouted back. Hmm. Impressive. "What state are you from?" was his next inquiry. "California," I told him. "I know your captial...Sacramento!" Wow. "Very good. But do you know who our governor is?....Arnold Schwarzenegger!!!" That left him thoroughly confused, but I was impressed nonetheless.

Another young girl (about 12 years old) walked up to us later that afternoon and asked us if we wanted to buy some pants. She held them up and I just had to laugh because they were so huge. "No thanks. Too big., " I replied. "I have smaller, I have smaller. Good price." was her response. "No thanks," I said "Okay for you today they are free...because you are American." She was obviously joking about them being free, but I leaned to Chris and asked him if we had mentioned we were American. She heard me asking him and immediately explained, "I know you are American because you have good teeth!" That one made us laugh. :-)

The Temples of Angkor are now firmly rooted in the Southeast Asian tourist itinerary. As such, the nearby town of Siem Reap is growing by leaps and bounds. There are numerous luxury hotels (many more are being built) and the center of the town now has a very touristy flavor, with internet cafes, souvenir shops, and restaurants catering to Western tastebuds. As it stands, tourists can enter the Temples of Angkor unguided and there are very few (if any) restrictions on the number of people that can enter per day. In addition, there are very few temple employees on hand to make sure that bas-reliefs and other carvings are not touched and that delicate temple walls aren't climbed on. Sure, there are signs requesting all of this, but we saw countless people ignoring them. We wonder what this place will be like in 10 years. Will the Cambodian government and the private company that administers the temples realize that they need to put some more stringent restrictions in place to help safeguard this national and cultural treasure? We got the impression that the Temples of Angkor are being treated as a sort of cash cow, and worry what will happen to this amazing and beautiful place years from now. Yes, there are restoration projects underway right now, but from what we could gather, these were being run by nonprofit, foreign groups, not the Cambodian government.

All that being said, it is hopeful to see tourism taking root and providing some stable jobs and hope for a more prosperous economy. When you are in Siem Reap you cannot help but be reminded of the violent past suffered by the Cambodian people. Everywhere there are adults and children maimed by landmines who wander the streets asking for food and money. We were deeply saddened to see the effects of such a brutal period in the country's history, and also sad to see that people are still being affected by it today. Landmines are nearly everywere in Cambodia, and to this day people are being injured because of them. Yes, there are ongoing efforts to find and disarm the remaining landmines, but they are not taking care of them quickly enough. Before going to Cambodia, Chris and I both read the book First They Killed My Father, by Loung Ung. It is a simple but moving story of one girl and her family's attempt to escape the brutal hand of the Khmer Rouge. For me it was particularly moving because it made me realize (again) how lucky I have been in my life. The author is just a few years older than me and to think of all that she has endured is quite eye opening. Would I have survived like she did?

Well, there wasn't much we could do about the regulations at Angkor (except rant about it), and we felt a stong need to do something to help the people of Cambodia, so we did one good deed while in Siem Reap. Each day on our way to the temples, we passed by the Jayavarman VII Hospital which sported huge banners asking for donations, both the money kind and blood kind. This hospital (and two others in Phnom Penh) is run by a Swiss fellow named Dr. Beat Richner. The hospitals meet international standards of healthcare and are run almost entirely on private donations, providing free healthcare to thousands of Cambodian children each year. Anyway, we decided that since our budget is quite tight, we'd give blood. Now before all you germaphobes start worrying, we made sure that all needles, etc., were new and that everything was safe. :-) The process was quick and relatively painless!

After a whirlwind tour of the Temples of Angkor, we retraced our steps back to Bangkok...without all the hassle we experienced on the way in.

Next up you'll hear about our adventures in Northern Thailand and about our encounters with some familiar faces. Until next time....

:-)

Sunrise over Angkor Wat in Cambodia.

KL to KK to KL (February 18-March 7)

The colonial city of Malacca has been a major port city linking east Asia with the Indian Ocean for the last 700 years. Chinese Admiral Chen Ho came here in 1346 to establish trading rights with the local sultan. Since then, Malacca has served as a cross roads for traders from China to the Middle East. This fact was not lost on the Portuguese, who took over in the 1500s and built a large fort. Later, like several other places in Southeast Asia, control over Malacca passed into the hands of the Dutch, and then lastly to the British. The British did a pretty good job of destroying most of the old Malacca, but after a local outcry, they left some buildings standing. These buildings are what draw most of the tourists to Malacca today.

A guy from Maine that we met during the Super Bowl in Bali convinced us that Malacca is a destination worthy of a stop on our journey back to Malaysia's capital, Kuala Lumpur (KL). Upon arriving, we had some Peranakan food for dinner. The Peranakan people are a mix of Chinese and Malay bloodlines and have an unique culture within Malaysia. The next day, we went to the colonial part of the city. The front gate of the old Portuguese fort, Porta de Santiago, is all that remains. It is quite impressive having walls several meters thick. Right next to it is a full sized replica of the old sultan's palace, a magnificent building made out of dark wood. Built on stilts, the airy structure provided a nice break from the heat.

Above the fort ruins lies St. Paul's Church. Originally a Catholic church under the Portuguese, it was the burial place of St. Francis Xavier until his body was moved to Goa, India. After the Dutch took over, it was turned into a protestant church and then, into a munition depot by the British. Today, all that remains are the walls and headstones of the people buried inside.

After a quick tour of the remaining Dutch buildings, we headed to Chinatown to see Malaysia's oldest Chinese temple called the "Merciful Cloud Temple." The temple was full of people making their ritual prayer offerings. Down the street is Malaysia's most interesting mosque, the Masjid Kampung Kling. Built in 1748, it is interesting because of its unique blending of different styles from all over the world. For example, its minaret looks like a Chinese pagoda, and the arches inside the mosque are Greek. One of the caretakers of the mosque was kind enough to show us around and help us appreciate the beauty of this small mosque.

From Malacca, it was back to KL for a day before flying to the Malaysian state of Sabah on the island of Borneo. We were able to go there because of Air Asia www.airasia.com, Malaysia's new budget airline. It's very similar to Southwest with no complimentary food or drinks and no seat assignments. But, the seats are cheap and the planes are new. We've come across several older travellers in Internet cafes going onto the Internet for the first time just to buy tickets on Air Asia, so you know it's got to be cheap.

Sabah is the place to go to see wild orangutans, dive with whale sharks, climb 14,500 foot Mount Kinabalu, and watch the harvest of swiflet bird's nests from Gomantong caves for soup. It got a bad rap in 2000 when Abu Sayyaf, an Islamic terrorist group operating in the Southern Phillipines near Sabah, kidnapped 200 tourists from Pualu Sipidian, which is widely recognized as one of the best diving spots in the world. All the tourists were returned safely, but tourism hasn't been the same since. Sabah was also home to the first season of "Survivor". It was filmed on Palau Tiga just off the northern coast in the South China Sea.

We only had 7 days here so we decided to visit some islands just off the coast of the capital city, Kota Kinabalu or "KK" and go to the jungle to see the orangutans. There are about five islands off of KK which belong to the Tunku Abdul Rahman National Park. We joined a Japanese snorkelling group at the last minute to snorkel at two of the islands. While the tour operator told us that a whale shark had been spotted the day before, we were not so lucky. We first headed to Pualu Manukan. Once we got on the dock, you could see straight down to the bottom of the 20 foot deep water. There were large schools of fish swimming next to the boats. It looked like an open aquarium with all of the fish so close to the surface. We snorkeled off the beach for a couple of hours looking at all of the fish. The coral wasn't as spectacular as Bali, and there was sea lice (microscopic organisms that cause a little sting when they hit your body --- almost like little jellyfish but not as painful, more just annoying). After that, we headed over to Pulau Gaya to a beautiful white sand beach for some sunbathing and more snorkelling.

At Pulau Gaya, we met an older woman from San Diego who was travelling by herself through Southeast Asia. She stated that all her friends at home think she is crazy, but she was having a great time nonetheless. She promised to protect our stuff from the maruading monkeys that inhabit the island so that we could do some more snorkelling. This time we saw big groups of sea urchins on the sea floor with very long black needles and blue and yellow stars on top. I also got bitten by an overzealous Sargent Major fish, and had to give it a little kick to get away from it.

When we got back to the beach, we sat amazed looking at the huge monitor lizards roaming the beach searching for food. With their tongues flicking in and out, the monitor lizards were given a very wide berth by everyone on the beach. The monkeys were out in force, too. A small crowd of us stood watching 5 or 6 monkeys descend on some poor tourist's stuff. One monkey grabbed a large plastic bottle of water, bit through it, held it up, and began drinking the water. While I watched this spectacle with the other beachgoers around me, two thoughts occurred to me. Boy, I'm glad that is not my stuff, and why doesn't anyone stop the monkeys? At that moment, a couple of Japanese guys came running up the beach to save what was left of their belongings. When one of the guys tried to retrieve the water bottle from the monkey, the cute little monkey showed its big fangs and shrieked making it very clear who now owned the water. So, that is why nobody is stopping the monkeys, I thought. Good to know, since we were off the next day to see Borneo's wild man of the forest, the largest tree dwelling mammal on earth, the orangutan.

After a short flight to Sandakan, we made preparations to attend the Uncle Tan's Jungle Camp (www.uncletan.com) located on the Kinabatangan River. This river is billed as one of the best places to see wildlife because unfortunately most of the area on both sides of the river has been logged and replaced with huge palm oil planations, which are everywhere in Sabah, leaving a relatively narrow strip of protected forest along the banks of the river. There are many birds to been seen, including colorful kingfishers, owls, and hornbills, as well as crocodiles and monitor lizards. The big attractions include the macaque monkeys, which are everywhere, the unique looking Proboscis monkeys, wild pigs, orangutans, and even elephants.

Our trip to the jungle camp began with a short visit to the Sepilok Orangutan Rehabilitation Centre. It is one of four rehabilitation centers for orangutans in Borneo, and the only one left that allows tourists to visit and maintains its goal to reintroduce the orangutans back into the wild. Some of the orangutans were pets keep by locals or were found near palm oil planations. Many orangutans are brought to the center when they are babies because their mothers are killed. The baby orangutans are kept in a nursery where they are nourished and get to play with the other baby orangutans. The goal of the center is to teach the orangutans how to forage for food in the jungle and to climb, skills the apes learn from their parents and are not instinctual. Once the orangutans are healthy, they are taken to the forest surrounding the center where there are feeding locations. This way the orangutans slowly adapt to the jungle while not left to starve. Then, the staff slowly cuts back on the amount of food forcing the ape to seek more food in the forest.

One of the feeding locations is open to the public. On the day we were there, a huge crowd of about 50 people waited on wooden platforms across from the feeding station waiting for the orangutans to show up. Because the orangutans are free to go where they want, there is no guarantee that any orangutans will show up. We were lucky because three orangutans came swinging in for some food. They are amazing to watch, mostly because of how human they look (they share about 96 percent of their genes with humans) and how gracefully these large animals move about the trees and ropes the center has set up. Their feet are shaped like hands, so they have no problem hanging upside down or moving from branch to branch. Watching the orangutans at the center did have the feel of a zoo, but given the important work the center is doing, it's a good trade off to see the orangutans.

After the orangutan center, it was off to the Kinabatangan River to the jungle camp. It took us about 2 hours by minivan and 1 1/2 hours travelling by boat to get to the camp. The camp lived up to its advertised claim as being rustic, with small open shelters on stilts lining a small boardwalk. Each shelter contained three thin foam mattresses with mosquito nets. We shared ours with two English couples, one living in Malaysia and the other travelling around the world like us. While most of the guides were inexperienced, the food was bad, and the accommodations were worse because of the heat, we did get to see a lot of wildlife---including several crocodiles, loads of macaque and proboscis monkeys, and even two wild orangutans, a male and a female. The male orangutan wasn't that happy we were there, and dropped branches to scare us away, which worked. The female orangutan was more accommodating, and we got to watch her eating and moving about the trees for a long time.

We even had wild boars roaming the camp, and one visited our shelter in the middle of the night causing quite a stir. The proboscis monkeys only live in Borneo and are very unique looking because the males have huge noses and big pot bellies. We weren't lucky enought to get any good pictures of them, but you can see pictures of them at this web site www.proboscis.cc.

With a thorough scrubbing and speedy recovery from our jungle adventure, we were back on a plane to KL. KL feels like an up and coming city. While not as modern and clean as Singapore, the city straddles the line between old and new Asia. Arriving in KL's new international airport, KLIA, you are quickly wisked away on the new KL express train passing through Malaysia's answer to Silicon Valley, the KL Multimedia Corridor. The train is fast, quiet, has LCD screens displaying the latest English football scores as well as Dow Jones stock market closings with classical music playing in the background. From this, we headed to Chinatown for our cheap hostel. KL's Chinatown is old, grimy, filled with merchants selling counterfeit goods, and crowded with people. It is near the bus and train stations and is located in between the colonial and the new modern areas of KL.

KL's biggest attraction is the Petronas Twin towers, the tallest towers in the world at 451 meters and 88 floors. Visitors can visit the skybridge connecting the two towers at the 41 & 42 floors. The views are even better from the nearby KL Tower, which is the fourth tallest telecommunications tower in the world. KL also boasts the tallest flagpole in the world. Yes, this country is obessed with very tall things. From the Petronas towers, we visited the Kompleks Budaya Kraf, which showcases traditional Malaysian arts and crafts. Amy was invited to play a traditional marble game called congkak with some local girls. She won several games and had to convince them repeatedly that she really had never played before. We also enjoyed KL's Islamic Arts museum with a superb collection of old Korans, beautiful textiles, and minature replicas of 20 of the world's great mosques.

To escape the heat in KL, we travelled north to the Cameron highlands. At an elevation of about 4,000 feet, the cool air rejuvinated us. We explored the local jungle walks and visited the Boh tea planation. From the Cameron highlands, it was back to KL and on to Thailand for our one night in Bangkok.

Hanging out with the orangutans in Sepilok Orangutan Rehabilitation Centre.

The Petronas Towers in KL.

Singapore Sling (February 15-18)

After our direct flight to Singapore was canceled, we ended up being rerouted through Kuala Lumpur (known as KL to the locals), Malaysia. We finally made it to Singapore after an exhausting trip that involved a late night flight, a few hours sleep at an airport hotel, and an early train ride. It would have been just bearable given our lack of sleep, but with two crying babies in front of us and the train breaking down, we hobbled into Singapore's train station in the early evening ready to crash.

Luckily our hotel, the New 7th Story Hotel www.nsshotel.com, was nice and within walking distance to Little India. We headed to Little India and got our first taste of Southern Indian cuisine, which is served on a banana leaf and eaten with your hands. The waiter was kind enough to help us order and guide us through the meal. It got messy, but the food was good and spicy. Afterwards, we wandered around Little India's markets with their blaring music and pungent curry smells.

Singapore is located just north of the equator and is hot year round. When we were there, the locals said it was particularly hot with temperatures ranging in the upper 90s with high humidity. The locals have learned to beat the heat by building large air conditioned indoor spaces, mostly in the form of malls. Coming from Southern California, we thought we'd seen a few malls growing up, but there are literally hundreds of malls in this tiny country, all with the latest consumer goods. For example, we went to the Funan IT Mall, which is 7 floors of computer, electronic, audio, and video stores. It is geek heaven. We strolled through it looking at the latest high definition plasma and LCD big screen TVs, as well as the new mini MP3 players and digital cameras.

You can walk for blocks and blocks and never leave a mall or the air conditioning, which is really nice. In addition, all the malls have food courts where everyone eats. The food ranges from Subway sandwiches to Japanese noodles to Indonesian cakes.

We did venture outside to explore Chinatown and Colonial Singapore. We saw an excellent exhibition of Russell Wong's photography at the Singapore Art Museum, and visited the Chinese Heritage Museum which details the Chinese immigrant experience in Singapore. People of Chinese decent make up about 80% of the population in Singapore, with another 11% from India, and 7% from Malaysia and Indonesia. However, the common language is English, which everyone is taught in Singapore schools. It is interesting to see how all these different people and cultures from throughout Asia live with one another. In Chinatown alone, you can visit Chinese and Hindu temples, Christian churches, and Islamic mosques all on the same block.

We spent our second evening in Singapore on Mount Faber watching the sunset and taking in the skyline while sipping overpriced Singapore Sling cocktails, which are the best cocktails ever (think cherry Kool Aid with no alcohol taste). We also enjoyed a bottle of the locally brewed Tiger beer. We rode the cable cars from the the top floor of the World Trade Center near the Singapore port up to Mount Faber, which provides excellent views of Singapore's massive harbor.

Because it was so hot during the day, we visited the world famous Singapore Zoo's Night Safari (www.nightsafari.com.sg). The night safari gives you a chance to see all of the nocturnal animals in the zoo, such as lions, bats, civets (racoon like animals), and rhinos. The highlights for us included having flying squirrels the size of small cats glide right over our heads and watching the creatures of the night show. I was volunteered by a boy in the front row to demonstrate my strength by holding a 15 foot reticulated python, which I did with no problem (the snake was a lot friendlier than I imagined it would be). We also got to see a large African cat which can jump up to ten feet in the air. It uses this skill to catch low flying birds.

We were lucky enough to be in Singapore during their month long Chinese New Year celebration. The city is decorated with banners, displays, and huge roosters, since this is the year of the rooster in the Chinese lunar calendar. There are also dancing and musical performances throughout the city, which we were able to enjoy. We were given mandarin oranges by several people as a symbol of good luck for the new year.

The biggest event is the Chingay parade, billed as Asia's grandest street and floats parade (www.chingay.org.sg). Because it is held at night, the street and all the floats are lit up as they move down Orchard Road, Singapore's posh shopping street. The parade is kind of a mix between the Disneyland electrical light parade and Carnival in Rio. The parade has dancing troupes and elaborately dressed performers who occasionally stop and put on a show for the parade watchers. It also has its share of marching bands and local celebraties riding on the floats.

After four days in Singapore, we had to leave. Singapore is a great place to visit if you can stand the heat, but it is expensive. Everything there is new and modern with clean and immaculate streets and sidewalks. The city is constantly renewing itself, which can be both good and sometimes bad, like turning a historical Anglican church into a shopping mall full of Ann Taylors and the Gap. So, after another Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf ice blended mocha, we found ourselves on a bus headed north to the old colonial city of Malacca in Malaysia.

The sign says it all. The food court in the IT Funan Mall in Singapore.

Amy enjoying the cable car ride from the top floor of Singapore's World Trade Center to the top of Mount Faber.