Good golly, I love Bali

Slingin it in Singapore at the moment.  It's basically a big melting pot of a place with heavy Chinese, Malaysian and Indian influences.  I did some exploring by foot today and discovered that Singapore is a sprawling mass of shopping centers, skyscrapers and modernity.  I also experienced my first "hawker", which is basically just a multicultural food court.  There are hawkers all around town and you can get cuisine from whatever part of the world you fancy.  It's a wonderful concept that is extremely popular because the quality of the food is high and the price is right (about $5 for a more than filling meal). 

Before I continue with Singapore, let me tell you about my last few days in Bali.  They were relaxing and ridiculous all at the same time.  Spent a couple of days in Ubud channeling my inner 'Eat, Pray, Love' Julia Roberts alter ego.  I actually have no idea what happened in that book or movie, but I can certainly understand how that lady's heart was captured by Ubud.  Such a cool little spot, with buzzing markets, relaxed cafes, and that overwhelming Balinese friendliness and warmth.  I spent a morning in the markets, walking around the endless stalls of jewelry, batik, sarongs, and a weird abundance of phallic wood carvings (not sure what that's all about, but the 70-year old lady who tried to pawn the weiner shaped bottle opener on me was hilarious).  There was a ton of beautiful stuff I wanted to buy, but when you've got your life in a backpack, space is limited and self-restraint is paramount.  Beyond that I poked around with some French Canadien girl that I met at Echoland.  She was a flight attendant from Montreal.  Pretty cool but wouldn't stop referencing "the guide book" so that was kind of annoying and I decided that exploring on my own was a better option.  Basically just walked around and found lots of cool stuff.  Some highlights:

There are beautiful stone carved statues like this all over Bali.  The vast majority of people in Bali are Hindu, so most statues are tied back to their faith.  I believe this is Ganesha, the Hindu Lord of Success and destroyer of evils and obstacles.  This was located about 5 feet from the front door of my bungalow. 

This small little offering basket is called 'canang sari.'  You will see thousands upon thousands of these all over Bali.  The baskets are handwoven out of coconut leaves and the contents vary but normally contain a few flowers and rice or other small pieces of food.  It's basically just an offering to show gratitude to the Gods for all they have provided.  The simple offering appeases the spirits and brings good health and prosperity to the family.

Not sure what type of plant this is, but it looks pretty cool against the rice paddy backdrop.

I wasn't able to figure out what the occasion was, but I randomly stumbled across a group of about 100 people parading through the streets, banging drums and having a good old time.   This picture also paints a very small portrait of the number of motorbikes that are constantly buzzing around.

My favorite 'lost in translation' effort to date.  Not sure what those crazy Greeks are doing, but pastor sauce sounds pretty naughty.  I kid, I kid.  Ok, for those of you who need a little help, 'pastor sauce and soup chider cheese' = pesto sauce and sharp cheddar cheese.  haha, I really love this.

So after a couple days in Ubud, I packed up and made my way to the town of Sanur to meet a crazy displaced Yinzer who graciously offered to put me up for a couple nights.  I approached a couple taxi drivers to see how much it was going to cost to get me to Sanur and the only response the one guy gave me was "Sanur?  Prostitutes!"  So I wasn't really sure how to take that, but no worries.  Haggled with the other guy and was able to work out a deal to get me to Sanur (an hour long trip) for about $10.  When we arrived, we were met on the road by a lovely little Balinese lady named Supani.  Little did I know then, but this little angel of a woman would prove to be the most bad ass cook and amazing host ever over the course of the next two days.  She grabbed my bag, led me down a little street and opened a gate to a sweet little compound where I spent every second of my 48 hour Sanur visit.  There was a lovely little pool, lush tropical greenery, an outdoor seating area, and a sweet little two bedroom house.  I walked in and was greeted with a big hug by Neil, a 55ish guy from West Mifflin.  I was introduced to him through my pal Leigh, who met him in yoga class.  Neil is a total trip.  Spends half of his time back in the Burgh getting his hands in a bunch of different business ventures and the other half in Bali (and the surrounding area) doing a lot of awesome stuff like skydiving, scuba diving and surfing.  Not a bad little existence.  Anyways, he's a total yinzer and I was beyond thrilled when he started talking and revealed some truly killer Pittsburghese.  Beyond amazing.  So the first night was spent hanging by the pool with him and his buddy George, a super chill dreadlocked lesbian from England.  I got some back stories, shared my tale and immediately felt at home.  It was during this time that I realized that Neil is a total baller by Balinese standards.  In addition to Supani, he employs three other ladies who more or less wait on him hand and foot.  While I was there, every meal was made to order, every beer was delivered ice cold, and every request was fulfilled with a smile.  Ridiculous really.  I was treated to a traditional Balinese massage, an introductory scuba lesson in the pool, and more stories than I can even remember.  To give you a reference point, Neil base jumped off a skyscraper in Bangkok at 4am the day before I arrived.  So like I said, ridiculous. 



Life on the road is so hard!



That hammock and I became really good friends by the end of things...

New goal in life: get my scuba certification and return to Bali to go diving with my new buds.  Apparently Bali is one of the world's best diving spots, so I'd be remiss not to return.  George told me I was a natural during our lesson.  That may have been a lie, but I'm going to believe it anyways.

This was usually waiting for me every morning when I woke up.  Really rough couple of days.

Me, Istay, Neil and Supani.  Istay was the sweetest lady ever and liked to practice her English with me.  When I gave her a hug goodbye she said "please don't forget about us."  Impossible.

 Istay out, George in.  She's pretty bad ass.  Doesn't own a bra or a pair of shoes.  Just surfs and dives and does the things she loves.  As you can see from Supani's grip on Neil, it really is a family and I was honored to get a small glimpse of it, if only for a couple of days. 

So after a thoroughly exhausting couple of days perfecting my rest and relaxation skills, I bid my new crew a fond farewell and started my journey to Singapore.  The airport is massive and the city is incredibly clean and safe. My hostel is in the Little India section of town, which is a decent locaion for exploring the sights and sounds of this bustling metropolis.  A few highlights from Saturday's self-guided walking tour:

Skinless frogs for sale at the neighborhood grocery store.  So meaty.

Giant fish heads.  Fish head curry is a popular dish apparently.  Haven't tried it, but there's still time I suppose.

This picture is funny because that Asian couple risked their lives to run out into oncoming traffic to get this shot.  Totally worth it though. 

Lots of new, crazy modern buildings in Singapore.  This is just your typical 3 columned skyscraper with a gigantic ship dumped on top.  If you have $25 you can go up to the top and check out the views of the surrounding marina.  I'm a cheapskate these days, so I opted to take it all in on ground level.

This is a pretty cool shot of Marina Bay.  The Singapore Flyer on the left, Helix bridge that links the two sides of the Harbor, the ship building (which is called the Marina Bay Sands), the art museum, and a whole mess of glass and steel buildings downtown. 

Missed the name of this structure, but apparently its home to a library and an arena.  Looks like durian fruit to me.

Piss poor attempt to capture myself in front of a modern architectual marvel. for  On a sidenote, right after I took this picture a guy approached and asked if he wanted me to take one for me.  I agreed and was then held hostage for about an hour as he basically gave me his life story.   He was a Jewish missionary from California.  The first half hour was fascinating as he told me about his travels around the world.  Then he started talking about how America had gone into the shitter because Monica Lewinsky was Jewish and other borderline insane conpiracy theories and I started to get really antsy.  Interesting interaction, but the picture he took was really horrible and didnt even show the building.  So anyways, this is all you get.

No gum in Singapore, but they make up for it with a vast array of mint choices.  I got yelled at for taking this picture.  Luckiy I avoided being caned.  

Cheers to wordplay!  Best shop in Singapore.

So the one thing you'll notice immediately about Singapore is that there are a ridiculous amount of shopping malls and from what I can tell each one tries to outdo the other.  So I ventured into one that appeared to be pretty much brand new and was met with this.  Basically its a big waterfall kind of thing that dumps water into a river that winds throughout the mall and ends up at the mouth of a casino.  I was told by an old Japanese man that it has to do with the notion of feng shui and because the water circulates to the casino, it will bring money and prosperity to the mall.  Or something like that. 

Singapore at night.  Rather pretty don't you think?

So yeah, Singapore is not a bad place.  A big melting pot of people, architecture, and design.  Not a bad stop for a couple days, but I think that's about all you need.  I had heard that it was really expensive here and although there are some things that are priced ridiculously, I have found it to be rather reasonable.  So that's always nice. 

I think that's about all I have to report for now.  Early morning flight to Hanoi tomorrow so probably just going to do a bit more walking around today and then getting myself prepped and ready for Vietnam. 

I'm still kind of tripping out about the fact that I'm in Asia and there are many moments where I feel I'm living in a strange surreality.  But even though my head is often in the clouds, my feet are always on the ground and they have already led me to places and adventures I never could have imagined.  Life is fun. People are good. The world is beautiful.