US Embassy Suites

Official state department travel warnings often encourage you to register with the embassy in each country you visit. I'm sure some people do it. And I imagine you do if you're working abroad, or have a specialty visa. I, personally, have never visited one in my travels. Likewise, in the unfortunate event of your passport being lost or stolen, you have to visit your respective embassy for replacement documents. Thankfully, in this case, I have not had to visit. Fingers crossed.

Today, my mom and I went to the US Embassy here in Singapore to add pages to her passport. Certain countries require no more than room sufficient for a small entry and exit stamp. You can visit three countries and not even fill up one page. Other countries, like Indonesia, require a full page for the entry visa, plus room for the exit stamp, and won't allow you entry without the proper space. We're headed to Indonesia in a few days, hence the need for the pages.

As luck would have it, we chose to visit the embassy on the day the embassy opted to change its policies. Be warned: what used to take 45 minutes now takes two days! While a pain, I can only imagine what the wait must be at other embassies and for other countries. All things considered, a two day wait is nothing compared to the years it can take others to reach a desired destination in the first place. Still, as we've got it so good, we expect such rights, such service. I've been told since a kid that I could do anything, be anything. Opportunity coupled with a positive outlook doesn't lend much favor to the word "no." And with no notification listed, either on the internet or in the embassy itself, patience in the waiting room grew thin. The embassy could join up with the Embassy Suites Hotel, and start a joint hotel and passport service. Check into your room, drop your passport in the room safe, request the necessary services, run down to the bar for happy hour. The next day check out with souvenirs from the hotel gift shop, your passport done. It's a thought...Upon finally being called to the appropriate room, complaints about the wait ended with discussions of letters to Senators!

After the embassy, we headed to the Raffles for tea. This place gets some business! June, another friend of my parents, and her husband are also moving from Singapore on their way home to Boulder. Best of luck!

So long, farewell!

Tonight we had a going away party for two of my parents' friends. Andrina and Alex are headed back to New Zealand tomorrow, having been in Singapore for 5 years. The expat community (peppered with a few Singaporeans) my parents have become a part of is at times a revolving door of comings and goings.

Gathered for the farewell at my folks' flat, we ate, drank, laughed. The women in the group get together far more than the men, so tonight the men were able to meet and carouse. I've been enjoying sparkling red wines like Lambrusco (for which the Italian in Langkawi mocked me--it's apparently swill) for a few years, but tonight shared a sparkling Shiraz. I fear it may be the Boone's Farm for red wine...at least it doesn't come in a box! I enjoy wine, regardless, and I hope haven't been a snob about it. Others liked it, too. And even men!

Getting to meet the people my parents have been talking about for 2 years is also cool. My mom, in particular, has traveled a fair amount with friends, taken Tai Chi with others and told stories about their lives. It's nice to put a name to the faces.

I have to admit, as well, I love parties. People getting together, having a meal, drinks. I just love it. And I much prefer to play hostess rather than being a simple guest. It's a delight, I think, in making sure people are enjoying and have all they desire.

We watched the sunset and chatted about our experiences. A new to the circle and the only kid in the crew, everyone was curious about my life and experiences in Asia. And while many of the men, and some of the women, work at the University, paths don't always cross, until, say, at a going away party. Tonight. Among the getting-to-know-you conversations, a strange one developed, in particular, between Kitty and Huei. The two women, both from Taiwan, found out that they'd grown up in the same area of Taiwan. Even more interesting, had gone to the same elementary and high schools. Shocked, the conversation then turned in to a battle, each woman trying to find out who was older, while revealing nothing of her own age. It was fun to watch. Cliches are cliches for a reason. Small world, indeed.

Singablanca

We had brunch this morning. Like normal. Saturday brunch at Epicurious. I had smoked salmon on a bagel. Delicious, fresh juice. Wait...where am I??

Singapore is a big deal. Cosmopolitan. Successful. Locals and expats alike enjoy the restaurant culture, nightlife, business, universities, museums. Oh, and did I mention shopping? It's a serious metropolis for Southeast Asia. From what I've seen so far, THE metropolis.

After brunch, we cruised along the Singapore river. The country, independent for just over 40 years, has combined its British influence with modern, purely Singaporean constructions. A former post office has been turned into the Fullerton, a five-star hotel. The previous Supreme Court building opposes the new one on the skyline, a British colonial one facing the alien spaceship-styled new building.

The river is lined with great views of other city architecture. One building nicknamed the Singapore calculator, banks and more banks, and a merlion! Singapore is said to have been named from "singa" which means lion and "pura" meaning city. The lion city, the fish portion of the merlion emblem represents the city's link and historical tie to the sea as a port city.

In the near-ground, the river is dotted with restaurants and bars. A mix of cultures, mostly Indian, Malaysian and Chinese, all kinds of cuisine are available, even fusion of those. Outside influences also abound. A German beer garden. And was that Hooter's? Why, yes. Yes, it was.

After our river ride, we cruised a few of the shopping malls and headed to the Raffles' Hotel Long Bar for a cocktail. Singapore Sling, anyone? The Raffles is a luxury hotel named for Sir Stamford Raffles, the founder of modern Singapore, and has also been declared a national monument. One of the top 100 hotels in the world, it is indeed a beauty. While many parts of the hotel are reserved for residents only, the Long Bar is a treasure open for all. Upon entry, you're greeted to a floor full of peanut shells. Leaf fans line the wall and alternate swings for a breeze. The bar is all dark wood, the staff in waist coats and sarongs. The setting is so classic, you expect to see Frank Sinatra stroll in with a cigar and martini. It's Casablanca in Asia...except for the Aussies in their board shorts!

Sixty-five and Singapore

I hopped on the bus this morning for Singapore. Down the mountain roads, I had a touch too much whiskey last night (thanks Helen and Celine!) and struggled to keep my breakfast down along the curvy roads. I've never been one for motion sickness, but hey. We grow in this life, right? We change. The bus had no bathroom in it either. Worrisome. But, I made it. Deep breaths are worth a lot in life. Breathing in general, I guess...

So today is my Dad's birthday. Happy birthday, Pops! So I figured I'd trek down to Singapore to celebrate. I'm excited to see my parents and their life half a world away. Today, my Dad is the same age as the year Singapore became an independent country!

Approaching the Singapore bus station, which is no more than a drop-off at a high-rise of karaoke bars, I switched on the audio and listened. ABBA. I longed to be at Lucy's in the city, dedicating Fernando to her and dancing into the night. And then came Air Supply. "I'm all out of love. I'm so lost without you..." That one is all Salome Solano!

Hey, look! Night golf!

I'm not an addict, no, I feel...

Oh, heavens, people. I have an addiction. Never having had the addictive personality that many I know and love have (or at least never admitting it), aside from coffee (oh, and maybe alcohol? I fear), Southeast Asia has officially stripped me of my non-addict status. It's called 100 Plus. Mmm. Mmm. Mmm. It tastes of flowers ever so slightly, with a hint of orange, like Fresca but SO much better. The stuff also has eletrolytes in it. Not only tasty but also restorative? I say, "Why not?" It's like a cross between Orangina, seltzer and Gatorade! Downside, of course, it's a Coca Cola product, but what can you do? Monopoly is not just a Parker Bros game.

P.S. It's also good as a mixer (at least with ice, Bombay Sapphire gin and a little lime juice).

When the world gives you mud...make tea!

Into the jungle highlands today, we were 6 ladies and Spencer, our guide, on a trek to see the largest flower in the world. We climbed into a 4X4 Land Rover and clambered into the hills. About halfway up the mountain, we encountered another Rover, tire popped, half the wheel submerged in mud. Stuck with no jack. Confusion, conference, conclusion between the drivers, we headed back into our Rover to pass the stranded. Into the mud also, just even with the other Rover, we too got stuck. The road fully blocked, both groups' trucks mud-logged, we roughed it up the rest of the hill through mud and more mud. It was the same color as Georgia red clay. I'm thankful my shoes are black...not sure it'll come out of some of the girls' sneaks.

Dan, Sana, Evelyn, Helen, Celine and me: 3 from China, 1 England, 1 Switzerland and 1 USA. An all-girl group, we crossed streams via bamboo bridges, skipped across rocks and boulders as the river widened and then took a small break at the main waterfall. All sorts of wild flora, fauna and insects stopped each of us from time to time for a snapshot. There was this one flower that looks like an alien, something created on a computer, only it's 100% natural. Not to mention gorgeous. About an hour later, we made it to the flower. Rafleesia, named for a local who first found it and a foreign botanist who kick-started a local program for new discoveries, the flower can stretch up to three meters wide. We saw two, one half-open, unable to complete its bloom because of a tree branch blocking it. And up the hill, a fully open one, three feet wide and red. What a cool thing to stumble upon in the jungle. Up close, really close, it smells like what our guide Spencer calls "a Malaysian public toilet." The flower attracts bugs inside with that smell (like a dead animal) so that they will pollinate future flowers. Only in bloom for 8 days, the flower dies after about a week after blooming never to reopen again in the same spot. If you touch it, the petals turn black, so our guide asked us not to indulge. He did say that the flower feels like leather.

Back down the mountain, we stopped at a local tribal village. Spencer called them aboriginal. We watched a demonstration with blow pipes, which the tribe still uses to kill animals. Our group was most enamored with the village children. And they with our cameras! Seeing themselves and pushing the buttons to scroll through their images caused serious giggles. I put Chichamon on my shoulders and ran through the village. Nothing like a kid to bring out the kid in you. One of the village men said, "Excuse me, miss, but that's my son. You cannot have my baby." Laughter and a big sigh, I relented.

We headed next to the BOH tea plantation.Malaysians drink 7 million cups of tea per day, apparently 5 million of which the BOH plantation produces. I learned how much more healthy tea is for you than coffee. And from today forward, I hope to make the switch. Tea is a natural anti-oxidant, contains fluoride and is anti-cancerous. Early in the plantation's history, women plucked the tea leaves by hand, but in the 80s the plantation switched to men with lawnmowers.The plantation makes black tea in varying degrees of quality and ships the tea outside of KL to add in other flavors. The tea plants themselves carpet the hills. Rolling hills of tea, it's gorgeous here. We relaxed for a spell and all had a cup of tea.

We finished the tour with a stop at a strawberry farm and then a butterfly sanctuary. At the strawberry farm, one of the workers snuck us samples of the berries. They are a bit more bitter than sweet, but still delicious. I think they were young, under-ripe and, therefore, tart. Speaking of, a strange thing happened at the farm. The worker who'd fed us all berries asked one of us to take a photo of him with another of us girls with his cell phone. Only right before the picture was snapped, the guy chose to embrace a certain part of our friend's body, an inappropriate spot. The girl taking the photo leaned out from behind the phone, in shock. Woah...what was that?!? Meanwhile, the girl in the photo who just been fondled swatted the guy's hand away. A swift departure from the scene, we rejoined our guide. We told Sana (from Hong Kong), who hadn't witnessed the incident, what had happened, and she marched off to retrieve the photo from the guy's phone. The one who had been in the photo, however, told her to let it go. What can you do?

We moved on to the butterfly farm where they also had an insect and flower exhibition. The size of your hand, some of the butterflies were iridescent. The grounds are covered in butterfly wings, as they have such short life span. It's sad to see beauty lasting such a short time.

On to roses and cacti, hibiscus and birds of paradise, the flowers were also exquisite. In the Cameron Highlands, the weather is cooler but there is still a good mix of sun and rain. I saw these pink flowers and they looked like wedding bouquets. Will you marry me? Only kidding. At the right time, the one of us who'd been violated relayed the events to our guide for future guests he might take through the joys of CH. Spencer was apologetic and disgusted but not totally surprised. Mind your bodies, ladies, at strawberry farms.

Back into town, we all agreed to meet for dinner. Steamboat at the Mayflower, we dined in local tradition, a meal a bit like fondue. A huge boiling pot in the center, ours was chicken broth, you pay per head and get the following: chicken, fish, squid, beef, mushrooms, cabbage, noodles, eggs, fish balls, and more! You drop the goodies into the pot at certain times, depending on the time they take to cook. Veggies and noodles take no time so they go in last. And from what I could tell, certain things are deemed healthier to eat first, meats and fish, followed by veggies and tofu. It's a nice coursing of a meal, not to mention interactive. And, from time to time, messy! We had a great group today. And at dinner Spence revealed that, early in the day, after we'd all been picked up, he walked into the tour office and all the guides had been jealous. A group of 6 women, a rarity, he'd struck it rich! What a ball.

We continued into the evening at the Jungle bar. Whiskey, beers, fire and fun. I love the Cameron Highlands.

Cameron Highlands

And, of course, what I figured would happen did happen. I got stuck in Tapah last night. It's not even on the map I have of Malaysia. The last bus to CH left Tapah at 3:30, which the folks in KL neglected to mention. Joy.

So after cruising the two streets of Tapah, I had satay and carrot juice for dinner. The juice is mixed with condensed milk and is too sweet for me. Like a creamcicle only carrot flavored. For satay, they run a stick through meat, place it on a grill and fan it with a banana leaf. It's hard to tell where people are from here. But, for sure, I am the only foreigner. They're all mixed up and mixed together and it's great. I'm sure it's just a surface observation of one unaware. I went to an internet cafe and was met with a fair amount of shock. A strange woman, and on her own?

My bus for CH left at 8:30 this morning. And I have made it! I'm staying in a dorm at Daniel Lodge and love it. The people are so friendly. The air is cool, a breeze, and the mountains. For the first time in weeks, I'm not sweating!

I walked to a small waterfall today and stumbled upon a snake. Looking, looking, closer, closer and it raised its head. Yikes! Anne-be-gone! The waterfall was beautiful but underneath bobbed tons of empty water bottles. I'm afraid eco-tourism hasn't truly hit CH yet. A conscious effort, I'm doing all I can to create no garbage while here, or at least nothing that cannot be recycled. We'll see.

In the evening, everyone heads to the Jungle Bar, attached to the lodge. The town has two bars, apparently, the other of which is seldom hopping. So most of the nightlife happens around a bonfire behind Daniel Lodge. They serve beer, have a pool table and keep the tunes coming. The stars your roof, it's heavenly. A great mix of people, we were Aussie, Korean, English, Iranian, Swiss, German, Southern Indian, among others. People are indeed people.