Kampung Glam, Little India, and Chinatown

Well hello again. My travels have taken me to Kampung Glam, the name of the Arabic quarter of the city. I'm staying at an ambient hostel called Sleepy Sam's and it's right beside Sultan mosque - the biggest in Singapore. This place has a lot of charm. The people are excellent and there are plenty of back alleyways and trinket shops everywhere. I had my first Roti John just down the street. It's really not too different from a normal sandwich, with egg and beef, except the condiments are placed on top of the bread instead of in between.

Little India is the next borough over and I have never felt more riculously foreign in my life. It is a safe place though, and I managed to go inside of an authentic and very bizarre Hindu temple. Took my shoes off and the whole shibang despite awkward looks from the natives. There were millions of ornate relics all over the walls and up the ceilings. After feeling totally displaced from reality I figured it was time to leave these people in peace.

A couple of nights ago I made my way over to Orchard Road. It's Singapore's version of Times Square and it is an absolute consumer frenzy. The streets are decked out with Christmas ornaments, fake trees, and millions of lights draped from the palm trees and over the road. This place really takes advantage of dumb tourists though - water is selling there for $6 a glass.

Yesterday I took a train ride to the Macritchie Reservoir to explore the Bukit Timah nature reserve. It took me 2 hours to get there and another 2 to hike to the HSBC Treetop walk only to find out that it was closed on Mondays! It was well worth the trip because the jungle was well preserved and rich with life. On the way back I experienced a true equatorial rainstorm. The streets turned into rivers and you could literally surf behind the buses.

I've also met a few travellers from the hostel here. The group of us went down to Clarke Quay last night and had a drink at a Manchester United themed bar by the Singapore River. This area is a spectacle to behold as well - highly glamourous lounges commanding top dollar along the canal, but not without a seedy underside - Singapore hookers are in abundance and they cast their lecherous smiles as we passed by. After this we walked down to the Esplanade and saw the Merlion stature once more. The city is beautiful at night. Combined with the reservoir jungle walk, I walked close to 20 km's yesterday and my feet are about to fall off.

I just got back from the Chinese and Japanese gardens on the west side of the island with my friend Joel from Chicago. I could spend hours in the serene and contemplative parks. Rivers, lakes, bonzai gardens and statues of Confucius everwhere. On the way out we saw a 5 foot lizard walk across the path. Ultimately, I have been governed by my stomach so we decided to go to Chinatown on our way back for lunch. Ate some kind of hybrid beef dish with jalapenos and leeks and stopped at a a Buddhist temple with monks and all! Life is moving quickly here and its difficult to process everything but every day brings something new. I think I'll stay here for another week and then off to Kuala Lumpur and the Petronas Towers, but I love it here.