Some Lovely Pictures

When I was little, my favorite part of the Portland Zoo was the peacocks that freely wandered the grounds. At the Singapore Zoo, monkeys and monitor lizards wander the grounds - Best Zoo Ever! The Zoo is located next to a large reservoir, in the largest (the only, really) undeveloped part of Singapore. I was accompanied by Matt and Heikki, a Finnish exchange student who lives down the hall.

Earlier in the day we went to Bukit Timah Nature Reserve, the only remaining plot of original rainforest that used to cover Singapore. We were there early in the morning, but were were still slick with sweat after just a couple of steps. There was suprisingly little growth directly on the forest floor, but that was made up for by the density of the canopy. Even though the sun was shining full, we were walking in dark shadows. The Bukit Timah reserve is located on the highest point in Singapore (not very high), so there were a lot of steps, but no rewarding view at the top. The best view was this:


To give you an idea of how dark it was, this is the same photo, but without the flash:


Because of its elevation, the Bukit Timah area played an important role in the WWII Battle for Singapore against the Japanese. There are still remains of the old military complex in there area. Here's an example of the seriousness of Singaporean Rules and Regulations:



The most impressive part of the Singapore Zoo was the lack of a lot of bars or cages. The majority of animals had large, landscaped living areas, and were often only separated from the people by a small bit of water, a ditch, or some landscaping. With some monkeys, there was literally nothing preventing them from climbing out of their tree and walking on the sidewalk. As a result, I could get quite close:



Here are some other good photos from the zoo:






And finally, here is a movie that I put together from video clips I took with my camera. There is no sound.


Quiz for the day: which two big cats enjoy the water?

Address

My mailing address is:
Tom Bode
Block 12 Level 3 Room G
29 Prince George's Park
Residence 3
Singapore 118426

Thanks!


Eating a mangosteen, a delicious local fruit.

Because you can only die from Malaria once...

Matt Hoffman, my roommate of two years and fellow duck here at NUS, has started his own blog, "Gullible's Travels." You can read his (funny) perspective on life in the tropics at proofihaventdiedfromdengue.blogspot.com.

Monopoly money

Yesterday, Matt, Justin and I went to Chinatown, the first page of “Highlights” in the Best of Singapore guidebook that I have. It was indeed impressive, although decidedly a tourist trap. Here, the tall buildings were filled with “antique” shops, galleries, restaurants, beauty parlors, and tailors while the sidewalks and streets were choked with vendors selling cheaper versions of everything being sold inside. There was also the occasional museum, a Hindu temple on Temple Street, and a Mosque on Mosque Street. We entertained ourselves by fake shopping, an activity I have mastered in the States – fake interest enough to engage the shopkeeper and talk hypothetically about a purchase, but to eventually leave with the money and not the junk.

Well. As it turns out, this time I lost. We entered a store selling Chinese-type clothing and souvenirs, where I was shown a black linen shirt with a dragon embroidered on the front, Chinese-looking buttons down the front, and a high mandarin collar. I didn’t think it was particularly attractive, it was way overpriced, and I couldn’t think of anyone for whom I could buy it that would like it. I tried to say no, I don't want it; no, it's the wrong size; no, I'll think about it; no, I'll come back later; no, it's too expensive - but the salesman was very pushy. I was saved initially because I had only $30 with me. Luckily (this is very embarrassing) they accepted credit cards.

(This is where I save a shred of dignity) I had tried to pay the fees for living in the dorms with my credit card earlier, and it had not worked. I thought this was still the case. So when I handed the man my Visa, I thought I was cleverly removing myself from what has quickly become for me a very awkward situation. I felt like I owed the man something, you see. He seemed so eager to sell me something, I didn't want to say no (stupid!). But apparently the street vendors keep their credit card machines in better order than the PGP finance department, because the transaction went through.

I felt embarrassed and enraged with myself for being so stupid until we went to lunch and were charged for the bowl of peanuts on the table, the tea, and some "complimentary" pastries that we didn't order (see below).

In the end, I paid $60 to learn not to feel bad about saying no, because it feels worse not to.

Here are pictures from our trip to Chinatown. I might put up some more in the next couple of days as I get them from other peoples' cameras.


The comics page of the Singapore Straits newspaper



The view stepping out of the MRT station.


$2 peanuts


The receipt - how could we argue?

Actually, it's like New York

Of all the traditions Great Britain left for Singapore, perhaps the most noticeable is driving on the left. This simple reversal complicates pedestrian life immensely. When I step into the street to cross, I look the way that the cars are not coming. Getting into the front seat of a cab, I open the driver's door. Driving on the left also means that they walk on the left as well - so I continually walk right into people. This happens particularly going into restrooms: the blind corners and thin hallways leave little room for error and necessitate quick thinking. I have failed on both counts.

The fact that I mention driving on the other side of the street as a troublesome difference should indicate that this city seems very familiar. Getting around is astonishingly easy. Not for me of course, I could get lost here just as easily as anywhere else. I follow Matt and Justin. But they seem to be able to navigate very well. I already mentioned how wonderful the campus bus system is. It connects with the Singapore Bus System ("SBS") at severl locations. SBS busses run often, are air conditioned, and the double decker busses have TVs in them. They seem to go everywhere - most importantly to the MRT ("Mass Rapid Transit") stations. The MRT system criss-crosses the island with several tracks and is much faster than the buses. Paying for all of this couldn't be easier - a one time purchase of an EX-link card lets me smack my wallet against the reader pad when entereing and exiting MRT stations or busses. It's so convenient, I have no idea how much the fares are.

Sometime, however, navigating and transferring through the public transportation is a hassle - especially when you're returning from IKEA as we were yesterday. Lucky for us, cabs are just as common here as they are in New York. Lucky for us also that cabs are not nearly as expensive here as they are in New York. A 10 minute cab ride back from IKEA to the University was S$4.50. Split three ways, the cab fare was competitive with taking the MRT.

Classes don't start until next Monday, so I've got five days to continue to explore this city. I'm going to Chinatown with a group of friends this afternoon - you can expect pictures and stories soon. Until then, here's me in front of the Sultan Mosque, on Arab Street:

Introducing Singapore

"Sweet! The trees look just like Lion King!"
"Their $2 bill is just like our $1 bill, except you can buy lunch with it."
~Matt Hoffman

On the surface, the infrastructure looks like it could be in the US. Cars, sidewalks, streets - they are all here. But the people, the shops, and everything else is varying degrees of different. The campus bus that has a stop outside of my window is like a touring coach on the inside: clean vinyl seats, air conditioning. The drivers wash their busses at least once a day - inside and out. Prince George's Park (PGP) the dormitory complex that I'm staying in, has 5000 rooms in 25+ buildings, each with 10+ floors. Open air walkways, beautiful stone and steel architecture, fountains, plazas, lighting, and landscaping seems reminiscent of a tropical resort. I took a few pictures today (you can click on the pictures to make them bigger):







Today I also registered with the University, went to the exchange student orientation for the USP (University Scholars Programme - their version of an honors college) where I met other exchange students from China and Japan and met my USP Buddy, Archana, and learned the process for enrolling in classes.

Then we went to a mall where I had dinner:



this was S$5 - about US$3.

There were also views of the port, and of Sentosa island, the resort part of the city. It costs $4 to get there by ariel tram. We hope to go later this week.

Another post from my flight

Time: 10:40pm PDT
Location: 37,000 ft above Japan
Ground speed: 530 mph
Outside Temperature: -50 C

The in-flight movies are terrible. But the food is better than the movies - chicken curry for lunch, cup of noodle soup for snack, and, although I'm hungry now, a "light dinner" which will be served about an hour before we land in Hong Kong at 2am. Refusing the three movies shown so far has given me 9 hours to contemplate seat 56C. Let me share. It's on the aisle, so my legs have more room to move. Seat 56B is empty, except for the junk that the occupants of A and C have put there. A is filled by a high school teacher returning to Hong Kong after a 3 weeks of escorting his students around Los Angeles. He sleeps a lot, so conversation is limited.

With no movies and no blab-partner, I've had the honor to be entertained by myself. I've used the uniquely dull and boring airplane environment to pursue activities that would normally not hold my attention. I read 100 pages of "One Hundred Years of Solitude" by Gabriel Garcia Marquez. It follows a South American family through 6 generations - a family that continues to honor past generations by naming children in their honor, to the point that the author included a family tree at the beginning.

I've also watched Lawrence of Arabia up to the intermission. It is an excellent film for air travel. Lawrence's courage, quick adaptation to foreign ways, and charismatic leadership make him a worthy role model for anyone seeking to lead an army - not exactly what I'm doing, but the traits are still admirable. The desert of Arabia, with all the sun and sand, provides prospective to my plane ride. Would I prefer a camel to seat 56C? Perhaps. What about an impossible twenty day march across the waterless Nefu desert, cinematically climaxing with a jaunt across the Sun's Anvil? Should my companions speak with British accents, or Chinese?

The answer, oddly, will be both.