Day 39: Searching for Giant Lizards

Since we first visited Singapore earlier this year, Michael has been anxious to spot a Malayan Water Monitor. We’d heard that you’re guaranteed to spot one at the Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve but hadn’t ventured there yet because it’s not an easy or quick route using public transport. We got a rental car about three weeks after our arrival and gave ourselves another couple of weeks to get comfortable with driving on the left side of the road from the “passenger” seat (read: for MICHAEL to get comfortable with it – I’ve only driven from the apartment entrance to the parking lot so far).

We set out early on a Sunday and were thrilled to spot not just one Monitor, but seven or eight of them during our two-hour visit to the reserve. We also spotted several Smooth Otters, Water Skippers, and many birds including Sandpipers.

I have to admit that I wasn’t anxious to see a lizard that wiki told me could get up to 11 feet long. But upon seeing my first one, I was more in awe than I was frightened. While sometimes aggressive towards each other (we saw a wrestling match followed by a high speed chase between two lizards on our way out) they aren’t the least bit interested in humans, and slink away as soon as you get too close. Also, none of the lizards we saw were close to 11 feet. Many of them were 4-5 feet long and one was just 2 feet long.

Visit my picasa album to see all of the photos from our outing to Sungei Buloh.

Days 23 – 31: Becoming a Light Painter

Using aperture priority @ Clark Quay

Having purchased a DSLR camera (you know, the kind where you can change the lens) over two years ago and not getting very far past the “Auto” mode, I was anxious to spend some of my newly gained free time learning how to REALLY use the thing. I signed myself up for a 6-session course at the Canon Imaging Studio in Singapore that started the second week in July.

I loved the course! The instructor was hilarious and spoke the most fluent Singlish I’ve heard to-date (more on Singlish in a later post). The other students were mostly locals and were extremely friendly. And best yet – I learned so much and had fun while I was doing it.

The first lesson included a 10-minute lecture on why all photographers are artists. The word photography is derived from the Greek “phos” (light) and “graphis”  (painting).  Thus, he concluded, we are light painters. I’m thinking this might be a sensitive subject to those who work in the field.

Here are a few of my favorite shots from the practical lessons. The rest of the shots in the album are demonstrating certain techniques I learned. Not the most awe-inspiring shots, but quite helpful in my learning process.

Night photography @ Merlion Park: Singapore skyline

Shutter priority @ Sentosa (fake waterfall!)

Night photography @ Merlion Park: The Merlion!!

Day 25: Haw Par Villa – Not for the Faint of Heart

The Main Entrance to the Park

Brothers Aw Boon Haw and Aw Boon Par opened Haw Par Villa in 1937 to teach traditional Chinese legends and values through sculpture. The brothers were millionaires due to the Tiger Balm ointment they created and the “park” was originally called Tiger Balm Gardens after their concoction. The Singapore Tourism Board took over the park in the 1980’s renaming it Haw Par Villa Dragon World and attempted to run it as a theme park with an entrance fee. This proved unsuccessful and the fee was dropped in 2001 at which time the park recovered it’s original name.

Creepy Rats

There are more than 1,000 brightly colored statues placed throughout the park, but the biggest draw is a long narrow cavern that houses incredibly detailed and gruesome depictions of the 10 Courts of Hell. In Chinese mythology, sinners must go through each of the 10 Courts where they are punished for the crimes and misdeeds they have committed. In the final court, they kneel before the “President” and their next reincarnation is determined. I only photographed one of the ten, but if you’re interested in seeing each of them in all their bloody glory, check out this website.

This park is one of the most bizarre things I’ve ever seen. I doubt it teaches young children many lessons, but it could definitely scare them into being model citizens. You can view my Haw Par Villa photo album in it’s entirety here.

This was my favorite and must have been added sometime in the recent past - it looks nothing like the rest of the sculptures

Day 24: Sinning in the Lion City

It’s not by chance that Singapore is an extremely clean and safe country. There’s a long list of laws, fines, and regulations that make it that way. Here’s a small sampling:

• Up to S$1,000 fine for littering. I’ve read that 3^rd time offenders have to perform community service wearing a “I am a litter lout” sign, but I haven’t seen this in action.
• Buying and selling chewing gum is illegal. Contrary to popular belief, you CAN chew gum – just don’t toss it on the sidewalk (see above bullet on littering).
• It is illegal to possess firearm shaped cigarette lighters (and actual firearms, too).
• It is illegal to walk around your home nude as it is considered pornography.
• Up to S$500 fine for eating on MRT (Singapore’s subway).
• There is a fine for having standing water on your balcony or in your yard as it can promote the breeding of mosquitos (mozzies here).

Additionally, things that are legal but “sinful” are heavily taxed. The average price for a pint of beer is around S$12 and cigarettes run around S$15 per pack. You think that’s expensive? Don’t even thinking about bringing a carton of cigs in from another country.  If customs finds it in your luggage you will be fined S$500 PER PACK. Michael and I are glad we’re not smokers and expect our tolerance for alcohol to have decreased markedly by the time we move to Holland.

With all of this in mind, I was surprised to learn that prostitution is legal in Singapore. This past Saturday Michael and I visited Geylang – Singapore’s “Red Light District”. The neighborhood is divided in half by Geylang Road, with odd numbered lorongs (the Malay word for lane) to the north and even numbered lorongs to the south. You’ll find markets, shops, and restaurants in Chinese style shop houses from the 1800’s along the odd numbered lorongs. The even numbered lorongs are filled with brothels and “hotels”.

The highlight of this outing for me was not the red light district, but the fruit stands dotting the main road, which were mostly selling durian. We’ve yet to sample this exotic fruit that’s loved by many Asians but thought to be quite stinky by most westerners. There were also heaps of other brightly colored local fruits nearly spilling out onto the road. Our dinner at a Beef Kway Teow stand was less than memorable and the even numbered lorongs were more sad than lively in my opinion.

My photos are mainly of the fruit stands and shop houses. It didn’t feel right to take out my camera in the red light district!

Days 16-17: Waller Does Singapore

Ted, Sarah, and Waller speak, see, and hear no evil (respectively)

Just over two weeks after arriving in Singapore, Michael and I welcomed our very first visitor – Katie Waller! Waller is a good friend of my brother’s (so a good friend of mine) and was passing through after a business trip to Hong Kong. We were able to fit a lot in to the two days she was here: Little India, the Arab Quarter, eating at a hawker center, a walk in the botanic gardens, a tour of the CBD (central business district)/Boat Quay, and a trip to the Night Safari.

Much of the itinerary was spent in the company of Ted and Sarah Martens (also friends of brother/Waller) who were in Singapore on the last leg of an around-the-world tour. They were staying with another couple of Michigan grads that knew of another Michigan grad that was in town with his girlfriend. The whole crew had a great time at Newton Circus hawker center eating local fare and singing “Hail to the Victors” at the request of the wait staff.

Cassie, Katie, Merlion

A great shot Michael got of the Marina Bay Sands and the ArtScience museum

More photos of Waller Does Singapore here.

Day 15: Hainanese Chicken Rice and Fried Hokkien Mee

Ask any local Singaporean about their favorite pastime and they’ll no doubt name eating as #1 (with shopping coming in at a close 2^nd). Food is king on this small island where the average Singaporean eats out at hawker centers more than seven times each week (click here for a brief history of the hawker center). Meals at hawker centers start at S$3 but range as high as S$25 for certain dishes. Fine dining establishments are plentiful as well, but are far outnumbered by hawker centers and other food courts.

Since food is a cultural obsession here, I wanted not only to sample the local dishes, but also learn to make some of my favorites. Just minutes from my apartment I found a neighborhood Community Center that offers cooking workshops for a reasonable price. I signed up for my first class after we’d been in Singapore just two weeks: Hainanese Chicken Rice and Fried Hokkien Mee.

Chicken Rice is a plain looking dish that packs a lot of flavor. You boil the chicken with herbs and then dunk it in ice water to form distinct layers of meat, fat, and skin. The rice is cooked with chicken stock, garlic, pandan leaves, and ginger. The dish is served with a spicy chili sauce, dark soy sauce, and ginger.

Boiled Chickens for Chicken Rice

Bowl of Chicken Rice

Hokkien Mee is a fried noodle dish with prawns, Malaysian chives, squid, bean sprouts, and a seafood gravy. This can also be served with the chili sauce, but my Midwest US palate prefers it without! I attempted this one at the apartment and it turned out really nice.

Classroom Version

At Home Version

I also started a 3-week Japanese Cuisine course at the Community Center. So far I’ve rolled my own sushi (not the prettiest sight, but it tasted great!), and learned to make Salmon Green Tea Porridge and Japanese Green Curry. We also learned how to assemble a bento box, but I didn’t take detailed notes on that as I’m not a huge fan of pan fried pregnant fish or unagi!

Chef's Version...

.... My Version

For more photos, visit my cooking album on picasa.

Day 11: We’re Bringing Lexi Back (Yeah!)

Relaxing after a long day!

Lexi was finally delivered to us on Sunday, June 26^th, after being locked up in quarantine for 10 days. Michael and I are so happy to have our doggie back! And she seems equally excited to be back with us.

Even after 5 nights in a hotel, a 24-hour flight (with a 12 hour layover in Amsterdam), and 10 days in quarantine, Lexi seems better than ever. She’s quickly adjusted to apartment life and is enjoying her early morning walks.

Our air shipment arrived on Day 9 with all of our things and we were able to unpack before Lexi was delivered to us. Now that we have our stuff AND our dog, this place is starting to feel like home!

See more Lexi homecoming photos here.

Day 10: The Chinatown Wet Market

The closest thing to a wet market in the US would be a farmer’s market, but a few key differences make the Asian version truly unique. First, there’s far more “livestock” than I’ve ever seen at a farmer’s market in the states. By “livestock” I mean tanks or cages full of eels, crabs, catfish, turtles, and frogs. There’s also some not so “live”stock: giant prawns and fresh fish on ice, as well as stands dedicated to specific types of meat (pork, beef, lamb, and chicken).

The other key difference is the type of fruits and vegetables that you’ll find in their respective sections of the market. In the veggie section, there was a box full of muddy lotus roots, crates full of “young” and “old” ginger, and many other vegetables that I couldn’t even identify. The fruit section was alive with color: bright pink dragon fruit, spiky green and red rambutans, deep purple mangosteens, and yellow Malaysian mangoes.

The name  “wet market” comes from the fact that the markets are open air and hosed down throughout the day. The water is used to keep the “livestock” fresh as well as to clean up the meat stands after butchering.

While grocery stores are abundant and can be reasonably priced, the wet market provides a much more personal experience. It appeared that many of the local shoppers were friendly with the sellers, and both shoppers and sellers alike were more than happy to answer any questions I had about what an item was and how best to prepare it.

We arrived right when many of the vendors were closing up, so I didn’t get to take as many pictures as I had hoped. Click here to see the few I took. I promise to post more after our next visit!