I met Jocelyn in the future--or, rather, in Singapore. I arrived in the small city-state expecting to be overwhelmed, and I was not disappointed. Singapore is as close to Avatar and all the Sci-fi robot movie sets as I'll come in my lifetime.
Let's start with the metro: clean, safe, on time, well-organized. The Boston T system has always been sub-par in my mind, but after visiting Singapore, I may not be able to go back. The trains lacked the characteristic squealing of the Red Line, and everything was beautifully coordinated: the double doors opening, passengers leaving, then others boarding --none of the ungainly shoving I've experienced so often in Boston and New York. My favorite touch were little animated characters that reminded Singaporeans how to act, with names like Bag Down Benny and Give Way Glenda. It cost 5 billion dollars to complete, and was finished in the 80's, so something tells me these kinds of upgrades will never be completed by the always -broke MBTA--but one can always hope.
Below: Give Way Glenda in all her glory.
Jocelyn and I stayed close to Chinatown, which afforded us ample opportunity to sample the delicacies at the night market, which we did for every meal. (Cost may have also factored into this choice.) Jocelyn rediscovered sticky rice and insisted on sampling different varietals every chance she got; we also found a dessert consisting primarily of shaved ice and fruit syrup, which saved us in the miserable Singapore heat.
Below: Top - the somewhat mysterious dessert recommended to Jocelyn, full of unexpected flavors (ie, red beans). The jury is still out on this one. Bottom - my more conventional fruit-based dessert.
Speaking of the heat: I have come to the sad realization that I am an inordinately sweaty person. In India, I had presumed that Kate's previous residence there made her immune to the constant sweat I experienced, but when Jocelyn too did not experience this embarrassing side effect, I was forced to admit my woeful inadequacy at dealing with hot and humid climes. I must resign myself to never living places where the temperature climbs above 80F and where humidity reigns supreme. That said, this weather is infinitely preferable to the blizzard sweeping over the Northeast; it's just not a climate I can handle for too long.
Our first full day in Singapore, we explored the botanical gardens and the world-renowned orchid collection contained within. The landscape architect deserves a medal: the gardens are graceful and interesting, with multiple themed gardens (ginger garden, etc). Large lizards scuttled around on the grounds, digging through leaves for (presumably) grubs,and there were even a few flocks of wild chickens. The orchid garden contained the "celebrity series" of orchids named after environmental activists (makes sense) and KPop stars (what?).
Below: gardens for days, plus a lizard.
Afterwards, we classed it up at an ultra -hidden bar, complete with a fake lock on the front door, and a night watching the supertree light show. The supertrees are Singapore's attempt to rival nature: huge constructions of steel and ferns, lit up fabulous colors, and (twice per night) dazzling with light choreography to assorted tunes, my favorite being The Little Mermaid theme song. If I sang along, I'll never admit it.
Below: Sneaky doorway, hidden bar, Supertree light show, and the giant Hello Kitty at the airport (just for fun).
Rain the next day ruined our beach plans, so instead we wandered around Little India, spent hours in a fascinating megastore, and ate more street food. I taught Jocelyn the important life lesson of eating Indian food with your hands, a skill she will most likely never use again. We flew to Kuala Lumpur that night.
Kuala Lumpur was a brief stop for us, entirely to see the Batu Caves. The city itself was not my favorite, rather dirty and full of construction, but the caves were nice: 272 steps past the golden Hindu deity to reach the caves, which were filled with Hindu temple structures and dioramas. Jocelyn's shorts were deemed too scandalous for temple garb, so she borrowed a wrap skirt from a vendor and walked up with me. Luckily, I had brought my long skirt and was all set, but rather grudgingly put it on after noticing all the men got to wear their shorts to the top.
Below: Batu caves -Jocelyn has a new taste in skirts - inside the cave - squinty selfie - mischievous monkeys that ruled the place.
On our way down, we ventured into the aptly named Dark Cave with the help of a guide, where we saw giant centipedes with huge legs and cockroaches at every corner. Our guide made us turn off our flashlights at every stop, and I could have sworn I felt antennae brushing my ankles every time. Flatworms also live in the cave, and they possess the ability to regrow into multiple organisms if cut up. Cut one worm in half,and after two weeks you have two worms. Four pieces become four worms, and so on to a maximum of fifteen independently surviving chunks. I'm glad this wasn't widely known in the philosophic era--can you imagine the chaos this would cause in a world where the numbers of angels who fit on a pin was a big debate? Imagine tackling the subject of how many worm- souls would come out of one worm split four times. Eek.
Below: inside the Dark Cave.
We ended our time in Malaysia by trying and failing to visit a butterfly garden (it was raining), and instead examining the many species of bugs trapped in plastic in the souvenir store. I bought one to take home with me. Our flight to Phuket departed the next morning at 6am....
Below: my new best friend
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