I can't believe the trip is over. It seems like it flew by, but if I think back to arriving in Singapore it seems like months ago. I have had an amazing time in Southeast Asia. Yes, it has been hot and I am tired, but it was the trip of a lifetime. I think back to things I did and places we visited and I can't believe it.
No matter what Discovery channel documentary you watch or historical book you read, it doesn't compare to the education and knowledge you gain from living and witnessing other cultures first hand. We board the plane at 11:55 p.m. to fly back to the United States and although I'm ready to go home, I know I will miss southeast Asia. I hope to visit again one day.
Thanks to all for following my blog and I'm sorry I wasn't able to blog as much as I would have liked. Sometimes Internet was hard to find and we stayed on the go a lot.
I only have 8 hours left in Bangkok, so I'm not going to waste it! See you soon!
Jen
Tuesday, June 8, 2010
I heart Bangkok
It is hard to believe that I've been in Bangkok 8 days and I'm getting ready to leave Southeast Asia. Bangkok was a great experience. I'm so glad we decided to visit this amazing city. At first I was very hesitate about coming here so soon after the protests, but we've had opportunities to talk to Bangkokians about the protests and ask about what they think will happen in the future. Some believe that there will be more protests and that the Red Shirts are not done. There is a Mexican restaurant near the hostel we stayed at and we've talked to the owner of the place almost every night. He has shared his own experiences living in the city while the protests were happening and how crazy things were for a few days. Yesterday we took the sky train to the site where the Red Shirts burned down an up-scale shopping mall and took pictures of the remains. It was unbelievable to see up close. You could still see the bullet holes in the glass and smell the smoke from the burned remains.
Last week we visited with Dr. Kennan's friend Nai who works at the Ministry of Social Development and Human Security. Nai and her colleagues where just as excited to meet us as we were to meet them. They really wanted to practice their English. Our discussions with them focused on Thailand's adoption process, women's issues and the recent Red Shirt events. One of Nai's colleagues told us that a bill was recently passed that allowed women to keep the prefix "Ms." after marriage and women can now keep their maiden name instead of taking their husband's name. Most of the employees were from Bangkok, but some moved to Bangkok from other parts of Thailand. It was interesting to get their viewpoints of the recent government events since they are originally from different areas of Thailand. We also discussed human trafficking. That is one of Thailand's biggest issue. June is National Anti-Human Trafficking month in Thailand. I was a little surprised that the government acknowledged what a huge issues it is, for some reason I thought it would be an issue that would not receive so much attention.
We've spent a lot of time at the markets and seeing the historical sights of Thailand. I'm getting pretty good at haggling prices. We shopped at the Chatuchak Market on Saturday. This market has over 200,000 visitors and over 15,000 stalls. Anything you can imagine was sold there. Dogs, snakes, chickens, high fashion clothes, not so high fashion clothes, furniture, incense, anything and everything was at this market. It may be odd to go back to the U.S and shop at Target and not be able to haggle the price.
We visited Wat Pho and saw the reclining Buddha. We also visited the King's Palace and saw the Emerald Buddha. The people in Thailand love their King. Their King is the longest ruling monarch in the world. Longer than the Queen of England. I've been amazed of the Thai people's love for him. His picture is everywhere. Plastered on billboards, hanging up in restaurants, just everywhere in the city. It is illegal to step on the money in Thailand (the money is called Baht) because the King's picture is on the Baht. Yesterday some of the girls and I saw a movie and before the movie began the Thailand National anthem played to pay homage to the King. I read in my Southeast Asia travel guide that in order to not be considered a rude foreigner we need to stand with our hands by our side. So, when the National Anthem began we stood with everyone else. I think it is great they play they National Anthem before movies or other public events.
There are so many cultural differences that can offend people. For example, showing the bottom of your feet is very disrespectful. You know how Americans will sit down and prop their feet next to the empty seat beside of them? Well, that is a no no. I started to do that in a restaurant the other day and quickly remembered that the bottom of my feet would be showing. When we visited the Emerald Buddha we had to sit down facing the Buddha and I forgot about the bottom of the feet thing and sat with my feet facing Buddha. An employee came over and reminded me not to face my feet to Buddha. I find these little cultural differences very interesting and respectful. Just how Thais greet each other is more respectful then our "Hello."
That's all for now. I don't want the blog to be too long. See you all soon!
Last week we visited with Dr. Kennan's friend Nai who works at the Ministry of Social Development and Human Security. Nai and her colleagues where just as excited to meet us as we were to meet them. They really wanted to practice their English. Our discussions with them focused on Thailand's adoption process, women's issues and the recent Red Shirt events. One of Nai's colleagues told us that a bill was recently passed that allowed women to keep the prefix "Ms." after marriage and women can now keep their maiden name instead of taking their husband's name. Most of the employees were from Bangkok, but some moved to Bangkok from other parts of Thailand. It was interesting to get their viewpoints of the recent government events since they are originally from different areas of Thailand. We also discussed human trafficking. That is one of Thailand's biggest issue. June is National Anti-Human Trafficking month in Thailand. I was a little surprised that the government acknowledged what a huge issues it is, for some reason I thought it would be an issue that would not receive so much attention.
We've spent a lot of time at the markets and seeing the historical sights of Thailand. I'm getting pretty good at haggling prices. We shopped at the Chatuchak Market on Saturday. This market has over 200,000 visitors and over 15,000 stalls. Anything you can imagine was sold there. Dogs, snakes, chickens, high fashion clothes, not so high fashion clothes, furniture, incense, anything and everything was at this market. It may be odd to go back to the U.S and shop at Target and not be able to haggle the price.
We visited Wat Pho and saw the reclining Buddha. We also visited the King's Palace and saw the Emerald Buddha. The people in Thailand love their King. Their King is the longest ruling monarch in the world. Longer than the Queen of England. I've been amazed of the Thai people's love for him. His picture is everywhere. Plastered on billboards, hanging up in restaurants, just everywhere in the city. It is illegal to step on the money in Thailand (the money is called Baht) because the King's picture is on the Baht. Yesterday some of the girls and I saw a movie and before the movie began the Thailand National anthem played to pay homage to the King. I read in my Southeast Asia travel guide that in order to not be considered a rude foreigner we need to stand with our hands by our side. So, when the National Anthem began we stood with everyone else. I think it is great they play they National Anthem before movies or other public events.
There are so many cultural differences that can offend people. For example, showing the bottom of your feet is very disrespectful. You know how Americans will sit down and prop their feet next to the empty seat beside of them? Well, that is a no no. I started to do that in a restaurant the other day and quickly remembered that the bottom of my feet would be showing. When we visited the Emerald Buddha we had to sit down facing the Buddha and I forgot about the bottom of the feet thing and sat with my feet facing Buddha. An employee came over and reminded me not to face my feet to Buddha. I find these little cultural differences very interesting and respectful. Just how Thais greet each other is more respectful then our "Hello."
That's all for now. I don't want the blog to be too long. See you all soon!
Monday, May 31, 2010
Siem Reap and Phnom Penh
Well our time in Cambodia flew by! That has to be my favorite place we visited so far, especially Siem Reap. The life style and atmosphere is so different from what we are use to in America. I think the last time I posted we were going to build toilets in a nearby village. Our trip was successful. We helped in the building of composite toilets for a family in the village. The toilets actually turn waste into fertilizer the family can use to grow food. The lady we built the toilet for was in her 60s, and if I remember correctly she shared her home with 7 of her children and grandchildren. After we laid the foundation and the guys dug the trench for that family's toilet some of us went to another family to help put the walls and roof on their toilet. So, we actually helped two families that day. One of the best parts of my time in Siem Reap was interacting with the locals. Although our communication was somewhat limited by language barriers, we always found a way to communicate and interact.
After Siem Reap we visited Phnom Penh for a couple of days. Phnom Penh is the capital of Cambodia. It is also the location of S21 and the Killing Fields. We spent one day visiting those two locations. It wasn't a pleasurable experience, but it was necessary to visit. Visiting S21 and the Killing Fields was as pleasurable as visiting the Holocaust Museum in D.C. S21 was a former high school that the Khmer Rouge turned into an interrogation and torture sight during their reign the late 70s. I walked into some of the cells and I could actually feel the weight and heaviness in that room. You could see scratches on the walls from prisoners and the tools used to torture them. I will never forget that heaviness I felt when I was in that room.
On a much lighter note we are going to the Tiger Temple today. Things in Bangkok calmed down and we decided to visit Bangkok. We arrived here Sunday morning or Saturday night U.S time. We are staying here until we fly home on June 8. Yesterday we saw the shopping center that was burned during the protests. It was a huge very upscale shopping center, but now it is just a burned building. I'm glad we decided to visit Bangkok, so far I love it! Well I'm off to pet a Tiger. What are you going to do today?
After Siem Reap we visited Phnom Penh for a couple of days. Phnom Penh is the capital of Cambodia. It is also the location of S21 and the Killing Fields. We spent one day visiting those two locations. It wasn't a pleasurable experience, but it was necessary to visit. Visiting S21 and the Killing Fields was as pleasurable as visiting the Holocaust Museum in D.C. S21 was a former high school that the Khmer Rouge turned into an interrogation and torture sight during their reign the late 70s. I walked into some of the cells and I could actually feel the weight and heaviness in that room. You could see scratches on the walls from prisoners and the tools used to torture them. I will never forget that heaviness I felt when I was in that room.
On a much lighter note we are going to the Tiger Temple today. Things in Bangkok calmed down and we decided to visit Bangkok. We arrived here Sunday morning or Saturday night U.S time. We are staying here until we fly home on June 8. Yesterday we saw the shopping center that was burned during the protests. It was a huge very upscale shopping center, but now it is just a burned building. I'm glad we decided to visit Bangkok, so far I love it! Well I'm off to pet a Tiger. What are you going to do today?
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
The floating village and toilets
This is just a quick update. Yesterday we visited a floating village. To get to this village we rode on our tuk-tuks for two hours and then took a one hour boat ride to the village. The village is made up of houses on this lake. The lake is very shallow and the water looked and smelled like pure mud. We saw a Cambodian floating village and a Vietnam floating village. The Cambodian village stays on the water a few months and then moves their houses to the main land. The Vietnam village, however, lives on the water all year round. The purpose is fishing. The villagers fish and then sell them to the market.
On our two hour tuk-tuk ride yesterday we went through many villages on land. It was an eye-opening experience. To witness how some people live every day made me realize how much I take things for granted. These villages didn't have running water or electricity. There houses are huts made out of bamboo. Most of the children weren't fully clothed. They would see us coming down the road and run to the road to wave to us and yell "hello" or "goodbye."They were so cute.
Today we are going to build a toilet in a village. It is more like an outhouse, not a toilet inside some one's house. I'm actually looking forward to it. I want to help the village and interact with people who live there. It is going to be 93 degrees today also. I'm going to eat breakfast and then we are heading to the village!
On our two hour tuk-tuk ride yesterday we went through many villages on land. It was an eye-opening experience. To witness how some people live every day made me realize how much I take things for granted. These villages didn't have running water or electricity. There houses are huts made out of bamboo. Most of the children weren't fully clothed. They would see us coming down the road and run to the road to wave to us and yell "hello" or "goodbye."They were so cute.
Today we are going to build a toilet in a village. It is more like an outhouse, not a toilet inside some one's house. I'm actually looking forward to it. I want to help the village and interact with people who live there. It is going to be 93 degrees today also. I'm going to eat breakfast and then we are heading to the village!
Sunday, May 23, 2010
Cambodia
It's hot! That's all... just kidding!
I thought about just posting those two words, because they pretty much sum it up. We all know there is a lot more to Cambodia than those two words. I think we arrived in Cambodia early Saturday morning around 8:00 a.m. It is getting difficult to remember dates. We changed time zones again, so it is getting especially tough to remember dates and time. One thing I can be sure of is that we haven't stopped since we stepped off of the plane. As soon as we got here we checked in to our room and went straight to Angkor Wat. If you aren't familiar with Angkor Wat google it. It is pretty amazing and just mind blowing. There are so many ancient temples still standing. It is astonishing to me that the people here are so use to seeing these huge historical temples everyday. There isn't anything in the U.S. that can compare to the temples,
The temples were built by the ruling king at the time. Each King would practice a different religion. Some temples were built as Buddhist temples and some temples were built as Hindu temples. When a new King took over he changed the temples to fit his religion. In some temples we could see where the Buddha carvings had been carved over to resemble Hindu gods. Or sometimes the Buddha statues would be removed and just a whole was left. Yesterday we visited the temple where Angelina Jolie filmed Tomb Raider. We got up at 4:30 a.m. yesterday to watch the sunrise. It was beautiful. We went to this overlook area where there was a man made lake and it was gorgeous.
Most of the people we have talked to speak English. Their English may be broken, but it is still understandable. I have noticed that when I'm speaking to a local that my English is broken as well. The other day I was ordering a drink and instead of saying "I will have water to drink" I said "To drink. I have water." I think all of us in our group have spoken like that at least a couple of times. The funny thing is that we don't even notice we are doing it until someone in the group points it out.
One thing that I had to get use to very quickly is the driving here. Although we aren't driving, we are riding, it is still nerve wrecking. We have tuk tuk drivers who will drive us around and it seems to me there aren't many rules as to where you can drive. The biggest mode of transportation is motorcycle. There are a few cars, but mainly motorcycles and bicycles. Even though they may have designated sides of the road, everyone pretty much drives where ever they want. There have been several times when I thought we were going to crash. I asked my driver if he had to get a special license to be a tuk tuk driver and he said yes. He even showed it to me. He is really good, it is just so different and it seems chaotic to us, but it is everyday driving to them. Don't worry, I caught one of my experiences on video and I will post it so everyone can see.
I didn't realize how little I knew about Cambodia's history. I have learned a lot since I've been here. The country has been stricken with war and poverty for so long. We visited a landmine museum yesterday and learned how and why there were so many landmines placed in Cambodia. There are still landmines today. Just last year a young boy was injured when he stepped on a landmine located on a farm. Landmines that were set 20 or 30 years ago are still injuring people today. The Cambodian people have faced so much hardship. I can't even imagine living through some of the things they did. I could give a brief history lesson, but that would be a very long blog. I encourage you to look up the Khmer Rouge when you can.
Last night for dinner I had cow stomach, fried crickets, huge shrimp, clams and beef. I love trying new things and the local cuisine, but I'm not sure if I will be craving cow stomach or fried crickets for a while. I also had my first massage yesterday. Once I made myself relax it was quite enjoyable.
That is all for now. We are staying in Cambodia for a few more days and then it is off to Vietnam. Have a great day!
I thought about just posting those two words, because they pretty much sum it up. We all know there is a lot more to Cambodia than those two words. I think we arrived in Cambodia early Saturday morning around 8:00 a.m. It is getting difficult to remember dates. We changed time zones again, so it is getting especially tough to remember dates and time. One thing I can be sure of is that we haven't stopped since we stepped off of the plane. As soon as we got here we checked in to our room and went straight to Angkor Wat. If you aren't familiar with Angkor Wat google it. It is pretty amazing and just mind blowing. There are so many ancient temples still standing. It is astonishing to me that the people here are so use to seeing these huge historical temples everyday. There isn't anything in the U.S. that can compare to the temples,
The temples were built by the ruling king at the time. Each King would practice a different religion. Some temples were built as Buddhist temples and some temples were built as Hindu temples. When a new King took over he changed the temples to fit his religion. In some temples we could see where the Buddha carvings had been carved over to resemble Hindu gods. Or sometimes the Buddha statues would be removed and just a whole was left. Yesterday we visited the temple where Angelina Jolie filmed Tomb Raider. We got up at 4:30 a.m. yesterday to watch the sunrise. It was beautiful. We went to this overlook area where there was a man made lake and it was gorgeous.
Most of the people we have talked to speak English. Their English may be broken, but it is still understandable. I have noticed that when I'm speaking to a local that my English is broken as well. The other day I was ordering a drink and instead of saying "I will have water to drink" I said "To drink. I have water." I think all of us in our group have spoken like that at least a couple of times. The funny thing is that we don't even notice we are doing it until someone in the group points it out.
One thing that I had to get use to very quickly is the driving here. Although we aren't driving, we are riding, it is still nerve wrecking. We have tuk tuk drivers who will drive us around and it seems to me there aren't many rules as to where you can drive. The biggest mode of transportation is motorcycle. There are a few cars, but mainly motorcycles and bicycles. Even though they may have designated sides of the road, everyone pretty much drives where ever they want. There have been several times when I thought we were going to crash. I asked my driver if he had to get a special license to be a tuk tuk driver and he said yes. He even showed it to me. He is really good, it is just so different and it seems chaotic to us, but it is everyday driving to them. Don't worry, I caught one of my experiences on video and I will post it so everyone can see.
I didn't realize how little I knew about Cambodia's history. I have learned a lot since I've been here. The country has been stricken with war and poverty for so long. We visited a landmine museum yesterday and learned how and why there were so many landmines placed in Cambodia. There are still landmines today. Just last year a young boy was injured when he stepped on a landmine located on a farm. Landmines that were set 20 or 30 years ago are still injuring people today. The Cambodian people have faced so much hardship. I can't even imagine living through some of the things they did. I could give a brief history lesson, but that would be a very long blog. I encourage you to look up the Khmer Rouge when you can.
Last night for dinner I had cow stomach, fried crickets, huge shrimp, clams and beef. I love trying new things and the local cuisine, but I'm not sure if I will be craving cow stomach or fried crickets for a while. I also had my first massage yesterday. Once I made myself relax it was quite enjoyable.
That is all for now. We are staying in Cambodia for a few more days and then it is off to Vietnam. Have a great day!
Thursday, May 20, 2010
It's a small world
So, the Internet is a little scarce here. We thought we would have access to Internet, but... we don't. We have done a lot since the last time I posted.
We left Singapore on May 16 and headed to Kuala Lumpur Malaysia. We stayed at the University of Malaysia for two nights. The first night we were there we went to Petaling St. which is a huge night market. We learned how to haggle the prices. I bought a pair of "Ray Ban" sunglasses for 10 Ringet, which is about $3 American. The vendor started out asking 25 Ringet, but my haggling skills knocked him down to 10. It was quite an experience. The space to walk through he market was about 3 feet wide. You would walk by and the vendors would start calling out to you, "Hey pretty lady, you want purse" or "Miss, you want sunglasses." It was fun for a while, but I did get frustrated toward the end because they wouldn't leave you alone.
The second day we meet with Dr. Kennan's friend, Lucy, who teaches at University of Malaysia. She is very nice. After meeting with her and some of her colleagues she and her friend Siken drove us around Kuala Lumpur to see some of the major sights. She was so helpful and nice to us. The first place we went was the Batu Caves. We climbed 270 steps to reach this huge cave which has a Hindu Temple inside. There are actually three caves, but we could only go in one. The best part of the Batu Caves was the monkeys. There were monkeys everywhere! These monkeys were ferocious too. They would come up to you and try to grab your bag, water bottle, or what ever you had. I caught one monkey on video leaping toward a woman and tugging her skirt. These monkeys must have been the flying monkeys from the Wizard of Oz. They were not cute and cuddly! I really wish I could post pictures, but the computers won't let me. After the Batu Caves we went to Putrajaya where the Prime Minister's palace is located. It was huge and beautiful!
We are now in Teman Negara, the largest and oldest rain forrest. We took a 2 hour bus ride from Kuala Lumpur and a 3 hour boat ride up a river to get here. The boat ride was great. It wasn't on a boat that you think of when I say boat. It was more of a long, narrow, wooden, sit-right-on-the-water type of boat. It was a very relaxing ride! We are staying in a hostel in the National Park and the bugs here are super sized and everywhere. The first night we were here we saw a lady wearing a Virginia Tech shirt. Someone from our group went over and asked if they were from Tech. They weren't, but they were from Longwood. It was a small group with their professor traveling for 12 days in Malaysia. Isn't that crazy? We are sitting on this local floating restaurant in the middle of the rain forrest thousands of miles from the U.S. and meet a group of students from Longwood. It is a small world. They were going to travel in Bangkok, but their Provost stepped in a few days before the trip and said they couldn't go.
I don't know if the US is covering the news in Bangkok, but there are some major protests going on there. The protests have been going on for a while, but we hoped that things would be okay now. Malaysia issued a statement warning Malaysians not to travel to Bangkok, but other parts of Thailand are okay. Bangkok is the last stop on our trip, but we aren't going to be able to go. The whole group is bummed, but it isn't worth risking our safety. We are going to go somewhere else, we just don't know where yet. I will let you all know when we decide where we are going.
Yesterday we did some hiking to overlooks in the park, we road a boat through some rapids and visited a native village. The people in the village showed us how they start fire and make blow dart guns for hunting. I felt like I was invading their home by walking through their village. They sold us handmade blow dart guns. They money helps support the village. Last night we took a night jungle walk. I wanted to see some animals, but we only saw some bugs and insects. It was a little disappointing. It was still cool to go on a night jungle walk in a rain forrest in Malaysia. This morning we did a canopy walk through the rainforrest. If you know me, you know I'm not too fond of bridges. The canopy walk was just rope brides high in the tops of the trees in rain forrest. At first I was really nervous, but I think I did really well.
Tomorrow we leave Teman Negara and head back to Kuala Lumpur for the night. We fly to Siem Riep, Cambodia around 7:00 a.m. Saturday morning. I'm not sure when or how long I will have internet access, but I will try to post something when I can.
We left Singapore on May 16 and headed to Kuala Lumpur Malaysia. We stayed at the University of Malaysia for two nights. The first night we were there we went to Petaling St. which is a huge night market. We learned how to haggle the prices. I bought a pair of "Ray Ban" sunglasses for 10 Ringet, which is about $3 American. The vendor started out asking 25 Ringet, but my haggling skills knocked him down to 10. It was quite an experience. The space to walk through he market was about 3 feet wide. You would walk by and the vendors would start calling out to you, "Hey pretty lady, you want purse" or "Miss, you want sunglasses." It was fun for a while, but I did get frustrated toward the end because they wouldn't leave you alone.
The second day we meet with Dr. Kennan's friend, Lucy, who teaches at University of Malaysia. She is very nice. After meeting with her and some of her colleagues she and her friend Siken drove us around Kuala Lumpur to see some of the major sights. She was so helpful and nice to us. The first place we went was the Batu Caves. We climbed 270 steps to reach this huge cave which has a Hindu Temple inside. There are actually three caves, but we could only go in one. The best part of the Batu Caves was the monkeys. There were monkeys everywhere! These monkeys were ferocious too. They would come up to you and try to grab your bag, water bottle, or what ever you had. I caught one monkey on video leaping toward a woman and tugging her skirt. These monkeys must have been the flying monkeys from the Wizard of Oz. They were not cute and cuddly! I really wish I could post pictures, but the computers won't let me. After the Batu Caves we went to Putrajaya where the Prime Minister's palace is located. It was huge and beautiful!
We are now in Teman Negara, the largest and oldest rain forrest. We took a 2 hour bus ride from Kuala Lumpur and a 3 hour boat ride up a river to get here. The boat ride was great. It wasn't on a boat that you think of when I say boat. It was more of a long, narrow, wooden, sit-right-on-the-water type of boat. It was a very relaxing ride! We are staying in a hostel in the National Park and the bugs here are super sized and everywhere. The first night we were here we saw a lady wearing a Virginia Tech shirt. Someone from our group went over and asked if they were from Tech. They weren't, but they were from Longwood. It was a small group with their professor traveling for 12 days in Malaysia. Isn't that crazy? We are sitting on this local floating restaurant in the middle of the rain forrest thousands of miles from the U.S. and meet a group of students from Longwood. It is a small world. They were going to travel in Bangkok, but their Provost stepped in a few days before the trip and said they couldn't go.
I don't know if the US is covering the news in Bangkok, but there are some major protests going on there. The protests have been going on for a while, but we hoped that things would be okay now. Malaysia issued a statement warning Malaysians not to travel to Bangkok, but other parts of Thailand are okay. Bangkok is the last stop on our trip, but we aren't going to be able to go. The whole group is bummed, but it isn't worth risking our safety. We are going to go somewhere else, we just don't know where yet. I will let you all know when we decide where we are going.
Yesterday we did some hiking to overlooks in the park, we road a boat through some rapids and visited a native village. The people in the village showed us how they start fire and make blow dart guns for hunting. I felt like I was invading their home by walking through their village. They sold us handmade blow dart guns. They money helps support the village. Last night we took a night jungle walk. I wanted to see some animals, but we only saw some bugs and insects. It was a little disappointing. It was still cool to go on a night jungle walk in a rain forrest in Malaysia. This morning we did a canopy walk through the rainforrest. If you know me, you know I'm not too fond of bridges. The canopy walk was just rope brides high in the tops of the trees in rain forrest. At first I was really nervous, but I think I did really well.
Tomorrow we leave Teman Negara and head back to Kuala Lumpur for the night. We fly to Siem Riep, Cambodia around 7:00 a.m. Saturday morning. I'm not sure when or how long I will have internet access, but I will try to post something when I can.
Friday, May 14, 2010
Singapore
Sorry I didn:t post yesterday and sorry for the punctuation in this post. The keyboard is all backwards and I don:t know which buttons do what! The keys aren:t arranged differently, they are just programmed differently. Right now it is 7:40 a.m. on Saturday morning in Singapore. We are 12 hours ahead of the US. The weather here is very very humid. I have never experienced humidity like this in my life. When we arrived in Singapore and stepped out of the airport the humidity took my breathe away. It can be suffocating. There is no point in fixing your hair or wearing makeup. Dr. Kennan said he lost 10-12 pounds the last time he was here, so this may be the most expensive diet I:ve ever tried!
We are staying in a hostel called Sleepy Sam:s. It is right beside a mosque. Our first night here I woke up at 5 a.m. to this deep and loud chanting. At first I didn:t know what was going on, but then I remembered the mosque right beside of us. It was a prayer chant. It was kind of calming and lulled me back to sleep.
Yesterday we spent most of the day just walking and walking and walking around Singapore. The city is very nice. It doesn:t smell, there isn:t liter all over the place, it is a very clean and safe city. One of our taxi drivers told us some of the laws in Singapore. If anyone is caught possessing marijuana the sentence is... death by hanging. If anyone has cocaine, the sentence is... death by hanging. The laws apply to Singaporeans and travelers too. I asked about jaywalking, because that will be the only crime I will commit while here. There is a fine for that, but no death by hanging! Guns are not allowed, even for recreational use. However, police officers can have guns. He said women have more power than men, which I love! Recently a man was fined $6000 and received jail time for grabbing a woman:s behind in a club. Several Singaporeans have told us the city is the safest in the world. You can walk through the city at any hour and not worry about anything. Don:t worry mom, I won:t be out walking the streets at 2 a.m. even if this is the safest city!
We met with a graduate student at the University of Singapore. He talked to us about the history of Singapore and public relations in Singapore. Singapore is not big on preservation. The student told us the government will easily knock down older buildings to build newer more attractive buildings and businesses. If you can give up your civil liberties for economic growth then Singapore is the place for you, but if you are a give me liberty or give me death type of person then Singapore isn:t for you. I think I:m a liberty or death type of person. The government has a lot of control over the press and media. A lot! The can detain someone without trial for pretty much as long as they want. The longest someone was held without trial was thirty years. From my understanding, the press is privately owned, but controlled heavily by the government. There are very strict laws as to what can be published.
Last night we went to China Town in Singapore for dinner. I had some type of meat on a stick, which was too spicy so I gave it away and some type of dough ball filled with crab, octopus and prawn. It was pretty good. I:m really excited about trying new food during this trip. While we where in China Town I saw everyone drinking this white drink and I wanted to try it. I eventually saw a vendor with this white drink so I got a cup. I think it was some type of soy milk, but Meghan joked and told me it was probably breast milk and after that I couldn't drink anymore!
I:m trying to post pictures, but this computer is not cooperating. I will find another computer and try again later. Today we are meeting with some people to learn more about public relations and communication in Singapore. Tomorrow we head to Kuala Lumpur!
Thats all for now.
We are staying in a hostel called Sleepy Sam:s. It is right beside a mosque. Our first night here I woke up at 5 a.m. to this deep and loud chanting. At first I didn:t know what was going on, but then I remembered the mosque right beside of us. It was a prayer chant. It was kind of calming and lulled me back to sleep.
Yesterday we spent most of the day just walking and walking and walking around Singapore. The city is very nice. It doesn:t smell, there isn:t liter all over the place, it is a very clean and safe city. One of our taxi drivers told us some of the laws in Singapore. If anyone is caught possessing marijuana the sentence is... death by hanging. If anyone has cocaine, the sentence is... death by hanging. The laws apply to Singaporeans and travelers too. I asked about jaywalking, because that will be the only crime I will commit while here. There is a fine for that, but no death by hanging! Guns are not allowed, even for recreational use. However, police officers can have guns. He said women have more power than men, which I love! Recently a man was fined $6000 and received jail time for grabbing a woman:s behind in a club. Several Singaporeans have told us the city is the safest in the world. You can walk through the city at any hour and not worry about anything. Don:t worry mom, I won:t be out walking the streets at 2 a.m. even if this is the safest city!
We met with a graduate student at the University of Singapore. He talked to us about the history of Singapore and public relations in Singapore. Singapore is not big on preservation. The student told us the government will easily knock down older buildings to build newer more attractive buildings and businesses. If you can give up your civil liberties for economic growth then Singapore is the place for you, but if you are a give me liberty or give me death type of person then Singapore isn:t for you. I think I:m a liberty or death type of person. The government has a lot of control over the press and media. A lot! The can detain someone without trial for pretty much as long as they want. The longest someone was held without trial was thirty years. From my understanding, the press is privately owned, but controlled heavily by the government. There are very strict laws as to what can be published.
Last night we went to China Town in Singapore for dinner. I had some type of meat on a stick, which was too spicy so I gave it away and some type of dough ball filled with crab, octopus and prawn. It was pretty good. I:m really excited about trying new food during this trip. While we where in China Town I saw everyone drinking this white drink and I wanted to try it. I eventually saw a vendor with this white drink so I got a cup. I think it was some type of soy milk, but Meghan joked and told me it was probably breast milk and after that I couldn't drink anymore!
I:m trying to post pictures, but this computer is not cooperating. I will find another computer and try again later. Today we are meeting with some people to learn more about public relations and communication in Singapore. Tomorrow we head to Kuala Lumpur!
Thats all for now.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
