Friday, August 1, 2008

Can't... Stop... Eating...

Singaporeans are obsessed with food. It's everywhere, it's affordable, and most importantly, it's delicious. I am consistently impressed with the quality of the food and the pride of the people who make it. A lot of it is served fast, but is nothing at all like our idea of "fast food." Rather, its well executed and fresh. I could go on and on about this; I think I will.

Here's the second installment of "What did Mike eat today"

I woke up, and of course my first order of business was finding breakfast. I walked a few blocks and found a little kopitiam (Singaporean coffee shop). It, like everywhere I try to go to, was a real locals place. It was pretty basic, open air restaurant with tables coming right up to the sidewalk. There were 2 guys working it, they come up to your table, ask what you want, and they go and make it and bring it to you. There's no menu, you have to know what there is. Fortunately, I did my research before I came or else I would be lost.
I had some coffee with sweetened condensed milk, soft boiled eggs and toast with kaya. The soft boiled eggs are very soft, closer to raw then cooked, the whole things are very runny. They give you the eggs in the shell, and you crack em with a little spoon and pour the contents into a little dish. You season with pepper and soy sauce and slurp it up. The toast with kaya is basically white toast with a spread made from coconut and egg, delicious.

I had a mid-morning drink made from aloe vera and lime juice, interesting and tasty.

Lunch was a trip to a hawker centre. I had stewed turtle and rice. It was pieces of turtle in a fragrant broth with a few cilantro leaves and a bowl of rice on the side and some VERY hot chili sauce on the side. The turtle wasn't just meat on the bone, but also consisted of unfamiliar parts. They seemed to be fat, cartilage, connective tissue, and definitely skin. All of it was awesome.

For an afternoon snack I had some fresh fruit. Had some durian (which brought smiles and thumbs up from locals), mangosteens and rambutans.

I just finished dinner. That was a bowl of noodles featuring shrimp and pork intestines, along with some pork meat and greens. It was ok, not my favorite thing. The broth was really good, not a huge fan of the noodles though. I'm sure people are curious about the intestines, they were alright, a little chewy, not a ton of flavor.

I'm stuffed.

Well, I'll wrap it up here, because the rest of my day was pretty much just spent walking around and sweating profusely (I think I overheated at one point, from walking too much, gotta be more careful). It is really hot here, and really humid. And the icy air conditioning is a mixed blessing as it freezes all the sweat.

Now I gotta figure out what I'm doing tomorrow, maybe a trip to Chinatown.

-Mike

Thursday, July 31, 2008

Flights delays, durians and banana leaves

Well, first and foremost I'm in Singapore, safe and sound.

I was gonna fix all the typos on my previous post, but now that I look at it, it really captured my mood quite well. Here's the lowdown on what happened. I was scheduled to leave Boston at 9:40 pm on Lufhtansa, arriving 7 hours later in Frankfurt at 10:30 am local time Wednesday. Then I was to leave on Singapore Airlines for Singapore at 12:30 pm Wednesday, for a 12 hour flight, landing in Singapore at 6:30 am local time Thursday morning. Well, my flight from Boston got delayed an hour (without them ever really acknowledging it on the departures). Additionally, for reasons unknown to me, the plane took a "more northerly route", thus adding an additional hour and a half. Do the math, thats arriving 2 and a half hours late in Frankfurt where I was supposed to have a 2 hour layover. So, after standing in line for an hour and half with 100s of other frustrated Lufthansa customers (for this and other reasons), they finally booked my on a Qantas flight leaving at midnight (Wed night/Thurs morning) direct to Singapore (12 hr flight). So I was in the Frankfurt airport for about 11 hours. It wasn't fun. I was exhausted. I had planned to stay up on my Boston-Frankfurt flight, so I could sleep on my Frankfurt-Singapore one, and thus be well rested, and arrive in the morning. Well that backfired. I did sleep 1 hour on my Boston-Frankfurt when I noticed what might happen. But basically, until I fell asleep on my Frankfurt-Singapore flight, I had been up for 32 hours with a 1 hour nap in there.
Well I made it to Singapore, my flight landed around 6:00 pm (Thursday). Its now 10:45 pm. I know I'll be able to sleep tonight too. Good thing is, I got so disoriented through all this hooplah, my body believes whatever time I tell it to believe, it feels like 10:45 pm.
I made my way to the hostel from the airport via MRT (Singapore skyrail/subway). I checked into my hostel, nothing fancy, but it seems safe and clean. Fortunately they have a little internet room which from which I'm writing this.

SINGAPORE ROCKS!

In the time between when I checked in and now, I've been exploring the neighborhood I'm in, Little India. I can see there's an array of influences making this a really cool city (though, quite hot and humid at the same time). Obviously, Indian is the primary influence around here, and I like it. All sorts of shops, restaurants and more. You hear the call to prayer blasting in the streets at the appropriate time.
And of course, I eat.
I went to this little hawker center, and there was a fruit stand. And that fruit stand had durian. and you better believe it, I ate that durian. The stand was run by (I assume) a husband and wife team. They were more than eager to prepare the durian for me. They have a bucket of water they pour over your hands so you can "wash" them. You pick out a durian, and pay by weight. They appropriately suggested a small one, about 1 kilo (by far most of the weight is shell/spikes and other hard stuff), they knew this was my first time trying one. And it only cost 5 Singapore dollars (about $4 US). There's 3 lobes inside this thing. Its kinda hard to explain. Anyways by cutting through the "shell" they pry the whole thing apart into 3 pieces, and expose the lobes (what I call them ,basically the part you eat). Inside each lobe is a large seed which you cant eat, so you eat the soft stuff around the seed (I have no idea if this makes sense).
First of all, let me say, I did indeed enjoy it.
Well, people try to describe its taste and texture, which is hard to do. Nonetheless, I'll give it a shot. Its like cooked onions, sweet custard, and very soft ripe cheese all mixed together, and with a very slight fruitiness. That being said, there's nothing I've had quite like it.
The couple at the fruit stand were funny. Before I was to set down at one of the tables in the hawker center in which they were located, they had my try it right there, behind their stand, which butted up to a side street (the center is open air). I assume they did this to see my reaction; they were very friendly. They told me to ignore the smell, which, as it is infamous for, is absolutely horrendous (not allowed on trains, in hotels etc.). Well, it tasted awesome. I had to take little bites at a time, because it is pretty strong tasting. Nonetheless I ate 2 and a half lobes (couldn't quite finish it , too much of a good thing).

I also took part in another food experience I wanted to try. A banana leaf restaurant. It's basically a meal, of which rice is the center, served on a piece of banana leaf. Banana leaves are very large and were cut into rectangular pieces roughly equivalent in size to a larger plate. So you get a nice pile of white rice (which they add to, free of charge, out of a large serving bowl they bring around, as you eat). Around the rice, on the banana leaf, are 4 different, small piles of items relevant to what you ordered. I got the vegetarian, so they were 4 different vegetable items. There was also fish and chicken as well as plenty of non-rice dishes. One was like squash cooked with lots of spices, another was raw onions and cucumber and such in yogurt, and so on. Additionally you get 3 small cups, each containing a different "gravy". One was lentil based, thick and yummy. Another was thin, spiced, and very sour. The other was kinda thick and dragon's breath spicy.

I really liked the lentil one, though they were all delicious. But basically, you pour some of the gravy on some on your rice (you pour different ones on different parts of your rice and so on and so forth, all to your liking). So the rice is wet and covered in gravy, and you eat it with pieces of your other foods (i.e. my vegetables).

Something makes it really unique. You eat with your hands. Well, with just your right hand, as proper manners demand. So you grab rice and other food with your fingers and pop it in your mouth. It's a lot of fun. And of course, the food, as you might assume, was absolutely delicious. I'm sure I'll be going back, they're nearby and VERY affordable.

So despite my hectic time getting here, I am absolutely loving it so far. I am stuffed. I'm pretty tired. I'm excited for the rest of my time here. I see myself taking it pretty easy tomorrow; I got plenty of time. Did I mention how clean and efficient it is here? I didn't, but it is very much so, but I'll save that for another time. So far, I've found the people to be quite friendly as well, such as the guy who, without me even asking, informed me we had to change trains on the subway, as the one we were on wasn't going any farther (I think my complexion and big backpack prompted him).

Well that does it for now. I'll update you all soon enough. Hope you enjoyed reading, feel free to leave a comment.

-Mike

Wednesday, July 30, 2008

Strike

Lufthansa´s on strike. that means my planes are messed up. my boston flight was delayed an hour, theen they took a route that added an hour and a half to the fflight. that made me miss my flight to singapore. so here i am in the frankfurt airport. 330 pm local time. i got a direct flight to singapore on qantas. it leaves at midnight. srz for the poor tzping. i cant figure out this kezboard. z and y are switched. i´ll fix it later. just letting zou all know. i´ll arrive in singapore 6 pm thurs night. im rallz tired. 1 hr of sleep in the past 23. runnin out of time. bze

Saturday, July 26, 2008

Before I go....

Hi everyone,
I'm leaving in a few days. I can't believe it's almost here. My plane takes of Tuesday night from Boston, going onto Frankfurt then to Singapore. I have 22 hours worth of flying and a layover to look forward to. The 12 hour leg from Frankfurt to Singapore is the most exciting *sarcasm*. Fortunately, I'll be flying on Singapore Airlines, which has an excellent reputation (they even have free Singapore Slings!). An interesting note, due to the length of the flight and the disparity of time zones, I'll land Thursday morning around 6:30.

It's been over a year since I started to get ideas of putting together this trip. I'm just about ready to go. I finally got the last visa I needed from the Lao Embassy. I have nearly all my stuff ready to be packed, just need a few small things. All my other preparations are done (I think).

I've gotten quite a number of questions about my trip, so I figured I'd post a few FAQs here.

1. Q: Why did you choose Southeast Asia?
A: Why not? It's very affordable (perhaps the most affordable destination in the world for travel). I LOVE food, and Southeast Asia has some of the best. I especially can't wait for street food and Hawker fare (Singapore and Malaysia's answer to street food). The region boasts a wide variety of cultures. It's supposed to be pretty easy to travel around. There's a ton of history.

2. Q: Aren't you afraid of getting robbed, killed etc.?
A: No. Southeast Asia is pretty safe. Of course I'll be taking appropriate precautions. If it were too dangerous, I wouldn't go there.

3. Q: You're going in the summer?!?!? It's gonna be HOT!
A: No. Yes. While technically it may be summer (leading into Fall), in all practicality, it's not. I'll be in the tropics, so the four seasons don't really apply. It's the rainy season for a while during my trip. Nonetheless, it will be hot. Really hot. And I'm not a warm-weather guy. I love snow and sub-freezing temperatures. New England summers are too hot, if you ask me. Nonetheless, I'll adjust (I hope).

4. Q: You're going for 3 months?
A: Certainly, I'm done with school, I have no job, I'm young.

Well, I think that does it for now. I might fit in one more post before I leave, not sure. Anyways, check back soon, I'll try to give an update when I arrive. Feel free to leave a comment.

Thanks for reading,
Mike

Friday, June 6, 2008

Welcome to my blog!

My first post! As you may know, I'm getting ready for an adventure of a life time that starts in less than 2 months (read the "about me" section on the right hand side of this page). Right now I'm juggling my online summer classes and getting everything in order so I'm all set to leave. I still have a lot of stuff to do, but have gotten a lot done too! These fun activities include, but are not limited to, getting equipment like a camera and backpack etc., getting medical exams, lots of vaccinations (typhoid, boosters for polio, tetanus, diphtheria, pertussis, and malaria pills, however, no rabies vaccine b/c there's a shortage... hope I don't get bitten by anything), getting insurance, getting my visas squared away, getting transportation and accommodation reservations and so on and so forth. It's all very exciting.

As you probably know, I'm a little obsessed with food, and that's definitely going to be a focus of mine, some of the best cuisine in the world comes from SE Asia. Some of it may seem a little (or very) bizarre to the Western palate, but I'm willing to try anything once (fried tarantulas in Cambodia, here I come!). I'm hoping to be updating you all every few days throughout my trip by logging on in internet cafes or from the hostels. Here's a short list of the places I'll be visiting (there's more than what's on the list below)...
Singapore- My starting point, one of the greatest food destinations on earth, home of a mix of Malay, Chinese, Indian, and Western cultures, just don't chew any gum (yes, gum chewing is illegal in Singapore)

Melaka, Malaysia- A cool old Portuguese colonial town

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia- The bustling capital

Khota Bahru, Malaysia- A pretty conservative Muslim city on the peninsula's east coast (headscarves required for Muslim women)

Penang, Malaysia- An island just off the west coast of the peninsula, another food destination, famed for its street stalls and its plantations of the infamous durian (can't wait to try it, if you haven't heard of it, you should look it up, it has quite the reputation)

Hat Yai, Thailand- a stopover point in Southern Thailand before heading to Bangkok

Bangkok- The famous capital city, I can't wait (at this point I'll be meeting with the tour group)

Chiang Mai- In the heart of Northern Thailand
Pakbeng, Laos- A rural town used as a stopover point on the Mekong on the way to Luang Prabang

Luang Prabang, Laos-The whole city is an UNESCO world heritage site, tons of temples, over 30 of em.

Vientiane, Laos- The sleepy capital

Siem Reap, Cambodia- The home of ANGKOR WAT!!!!

Phnom Penh, Cambodia- The "Pearl of the Orient", the capital, emptied by the Khmer Rouge in the seventies, home of the killing fields (where the Khmer Rouge carried out genocide against anybody they considered to pose a threat to their ideology), and is rapidly filing back up into a big city (tour group ends).

Chau Doc, Vietnam- My first city in Vietnam, I arrive by boat from Phnom Penh, down the Mekong.

Can Tho, Vietnam- The major city of the Mekong Delta, supposedly a very charming and friendly city

Saigon, Vietnam- Officially known as Ho Chi Minh City, it's the largest and probably most famous city in Vietnam. There's so much here, and I can't wait to see and taste it all (perhaps the city I'm looking forward to the most)

Hoi An, Vietnam- A small old coastal city in central Vietnam, should be fun

Hue, Vietnam- The old, imperial capital of the Nguyen dynasty

Hanoi, Vietnam- The capital, stronghold of northern Vietnam, my final destination of the trip

After Hanoi, I'll fly back to Singapore and catch my flight home 3 days later. I know it seems like a lot of places, it is, but I'm giving myself plenty of time. I'll be leaving the US on July 29, and arriving back in the US on October 26.

I'll try to update again before I leave.

Thanks for reading,
-Mike