Ballin' in Bali

Our exotic holiday in Bali started with our first experience on Dutch Royal Airlines (KLM). Without fawning over the exceptional service, nicely prepared food, and free cocktails - I will say it's one of the best airlines I've ever flown on and the best part is that we got Delta SkyMiles for it!

Now, as an American, I have found that many have heard of Bali, but some might not know exactly where it is. We may know it's exotic and tropical and on the other side of the world and, thus, assume it's in the South Pacific, like Fiji or Bora Bora. Well, I realized I haven't embedded a map in a while and this may be the perfect opportunity, so here it is:

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Bali is one of the many islands that make up the rugged and geologically active Indonesian Archipelago and is the first stop Jen or I have ever made south of the Equator. It's got volcanoes and beautiful beaches and was a great place to relax and get away from it all. However, getting in and out of the country can be a little hectic.

Bali is a place that is making the most of tourism. Having said that, for anyone reading this that may be planning on going, there are some things you might want to know before you get on a plane. After landing and before reaching immigration, you must pay $10 US to get a coupon that then allows you to get an Indonesian visa. We were not aware of this and waited in line for immigration twice - once without the coupon and once with it. The thing literally says that it's "$10 US". We were pretty much the only white people without an Australian accent and found it a little strange that they use the USD as a benchmark on the other side of the globe. Does every culture carry greenbacks around when traveling internationally? We're Americans and we didn't even have any US Dollars. I remembered I gave my last $3 to our driver/porter in Vietnam as a tip (he was the little guy in the picture)... but luckily they let us pay in Singapore Dollars.

Once you're out of the airport, there's a very long taxi queue where you pre-pay for a taxi - the price depending on what town you're staying in. For us to get to the Westin Nusa Dua, it cost 95,000RP ($10 US). Again, since it was our first time in Bali, we didn't know any better because everyone was in the queue. Had we known, we would have flagged down our own cab because it cost only 75,000RP to get back to airport from the hotel - and that was WITH a decent tip. We did get a little even, though - the first taxi driver outright asked us for a tip and we gave him the equivalent of 30 cents (he scoffed at this, but we were too tired to care). I figure, if I have to pre-pay for a cab ride... you don't get a tip. If I don't see the meter running, fuggedaboudit!

So, despite the frustration with transportation and more crazy SE Asia traffic, paradise awaited us. The Westin Nusa Dua Resort is spectacular! Great food, amazing service, friendly staff, and a bed you could sleep for days on end in. So what would you guess was the first thing we did after checking in? Well, being south of the Equator, we immediately went into the bathroom and flushed the toilet to see which way the water swirled. I kid you not! Unfortunately, the toilets they have don't swirl, so I guess we'll just have to plan another trip somewhere in the southern hemisphere to get our empirical proof.

The resort wasn't packed, but it was definitely a very popular spot for families. It's also very popular with people from Russian-speaking countries. Normally, I would assume that all people who speak Russian are from Russia; however my new friends Zoia and Zhanar at GSU who are from Moldova and Kazakhstan, respectively, have enlightened me (Privet, ladies!). After some thought, it became clear why Bali would be popular with Russian-speaking tourists... can you imagine what the weather is like in THAT part of the world right now?? Brrrrrrrr! There were also a large number of Aussie tourists, but Australia is relatively close so it made sense.

The beaches of Bali are gorgeous, you just have to heed the warnings not to swim past red buoys due to sea urchins and jellies - which was a first for us, so we spent most of our time at the humongous Westin pool. The pool and ocean were as warm, if not warmer, than bathwater. We actually got OUT of the water to cool off, but most of the lounge chairs are cooled underneath tiki huts or umbrellas - each with a flag that can be raised to signal the waitstaff you need a drink. Speaking of libations, the main beer in Indonesia is Bintang Pilsner, which seems to be very popular (considering the number of Bintang labeled tank tops I saw for sale) but I didn't think it was very good. However, I discovered another beer that is brewed in Bali - Storm Ale - that I enjoyed immensely and wish I could find in the States.

The Bali weather is hot and humid under the equatorial sun, but it never rained until the day we left... however,when it rains in Bali, the droplets are so large its deafening. It rained so much water in a few hours that the carp ponds near the pool actually began flooding into the open air restaurant where we were eating lunch.

On Saturday, Jen and I went to Kuta, the main tourist and entertainment district of Bali. Overall, Kuta is not a quiet place and it was packed with shoppers perusing the local shops. There were tons of surfers and high-end surf shops, but we were left wondering why as we stood on the sands of Kuta Beach and gazed upon gently toppling waves that a body-boarder could barely love. However, it was nice to get off the resort and see something new to the island. While at Kuta, I made my obligatory Hard Rock Cafe stop and the attached hotel with its massive pool and real sand beach.

Bali itself is an odd mix of ancient traditional architecture and contemporary buildings.There are many beautiful, ornate temples and statues, but it seems little is being done to preserve any of it. Jen and I had seriously considered booking some sort of excursion to the larger northern portion of the island to see the volcanoes, but the traffic is so crazy that it takes an hour to only go 8 miles to the airport from where we were staying. So we decided to just make it a lazy Christmas by the pool and on the beach - a decision that turned out just perfectly.

Unfortunately, the journey out of Indonesia was as frustrating as the journey in. It started with an oddly curious ticketing agent who lingered with our passports and wanted to know when we were going back to US... like it was any of his business. He actually asked to see our tickets back to the US and kept speaking Indonesian to a security agent behind him who was also eye-ing our passports. Talk about unnerving! Then the agent proceeded to spend more time looking at our (used and expired) Vietnamese visas than the one his country issued us on the next page.The fun didn't stop there, though. As we proceeded through immigration on the way to the gate, we were asked for 150,000RP each to be allowed to leave. The last time I saw this kind of racket was in St. Kitts as Jen and I were trying desperately to get off the island and they wanted something like $45 US. Not that I'm interested in finding this out personally, but what happens when you don't have the money to leave? Our Indonesian visas said that we were not allowed to remain in country past Dec 29, so what happens if we don't have the money and that day comes and goes? Are we cast off into some tourists purgatory to await judgment? Point is, if you go to Bali - have US$ on you for the way in and a couple thousand Rupiah for the way out. Regardless, if you find yourself on this side of the globe, Bali is worth a stop-over - especially if you want to relax and enjoy the sun.

Selamat Hari Nata (Indonesian for Merry Christmas)

As our family and friends gather in the early afternoon hours of Christmas Day, December 25th is coming to a close here in Indonesia. With 20 minutes left to go, I look back at what has been an interesting experience it has been to be on the other side of the world and south of the equator for a holiday like Christmas.

Technically, it's summer here. Granted, it's always summer here, temperature-wise. But for the southern part of the globe, Christmas is a summer holiday. In Bali, we traded white snow and freezing temperatures (who am I kidding? it doesn't snow in Atlanta for Christmas) for caramel sand and an ocean like bathwater. To be honest, we have to remind ourselves that when the weather report calls for 30 degree temperatures - they mean celsius, which is close to 90F. But we've eaten well and the Indonesian people have been great about wishing us Merry Christmas.

Jen and I went to Christmas Eve mass last night at a Catholic church on Bali (pictured). It was an interesting experience because... yep, you guessed it... once again it wasn't in English!!! Don't get me wrong, they had an English speaking service, but after 2 Sundays of Advent in Korean and Mandarin, why not add Indonesian as well? It was interesting, because despite the familiarity of the ritual, the music was traditional for this culture and added a little pinache. A little flair, if you will.

While eating well is a big part of Christmas (at least, for me it is), we miss those with whom we gather around a table more than anything. We've learned that it doesn't matter what part of the world you live in or what the temperature is outside, it's being with the ones you love that makes it feel like Christmas. To our family and friends from coast to coast and on every continent around the world - may your days be merry and bright... and may all your Christmases be white.

Should I satay or should I go?

A couple blog entries ago, after Jen and I went to the grand opening of the first Wendy's in Asia, I mentioned that the street was blocked off for all the satay vendors who open up their small cooking shacks and start roasting charred animal flesh into the sweetest smells you could ever imagine. Well, tonight we decided to venture back up to the market and traded square burgers for chicken on a stick.

This is not your traditional outdoor food market. When you walk up, the waiters all represent different satay shacks and they're in hot competition for your business. Even after we acknowledged a guy and decided to sit at his table, we still had 3 other waiters come by and throw menus in front of us reciting their specials. It's like the ultimate a la carte, with beer from one person, rice from another, and satay from any one of 8 others. There was beef/mutton satay, chicken satay, prawn satay and a variety of BBQ dishes with rice - all offered numerous times from different people. We decided on a simple plate of what looked like 25 chicken satay with 3 small bowls of peanut sauce and it was gone pretty quickly. During the meal, we had about 4 different people approach us, not selling food, but napkins and moist towelettes.

It's one of the most competitive eating environments I have ever seen, but the quality of the satay was worth any level of harassment. There was even one satay stand having a contest for the single person who could eat 80 satay in less than 20 minutes. Maybe I'll try that later, but in the meantime we got stuffed on meat on a stick. We're going to have to go back again before we leave.

"Goooooood Morning, Vietnaaaaaaaam!"

This past weekend, Jen and I visited Ho Chi Minh City in the Socialist Republic of Vietnam. For those of you not familiar with Ho Chi Minh City, you may remember it by its former name - Saigon. Saigon was the capital city of South Vietnam during the Vietnam War. After 1975, it was renamed Ho Chi Minh City. It's the largest city in Vietnam and is divided up into 24 districts. District 1 is the economic core of the city and has much of the tourist destinations, as well as most of the nicer hotels and restaurants.

Before I get to the trip, I should describe how an American going to a country like Vietnam differs from going to, say, Canada. When Americans go to Canada, we are questioned by the customs agents and if they are satisfied we're not a danger to their country, we are issued a visa in the form of a stamp and we're on our merry way. Vietnam is a little different. They like to know a little more about the people coming into their country so visitors must apply in advance for a visa and surrender their passport for a few days. If everything checks out, you get your passport back with a unique looking visa:

We took off to Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC) on a small budget airline out of Australia - Tiger Airways and headed to Tan Son Nhat International Airport in HCMC; a very modern and shiny airport. It's also very easy to navigate. We had already arranged transportation through our hotel and were told a driver would be waiting for us outside. We weren't sure about how much money we would need (an oversight on my part) so we went to an ATM to get money. I looked to a currency exchange place next to us to see how much we should get and it listed the dong (Vietnamese currency) at 18,500. Something about that left Jen and I apprehensive, because what if we got it wrong and pulled out too much VND and it emptied our bank account? We decided to wait and look up more info from the hotel. Once we met our driver and sped off from Tan Son Nhat, like our trip to KL, the adventure began immediately. I could describe the traffic, but the video we shot does a better job. This is a short intro with the highlights and the traffic we encountered to the hotel.


After surviving yet another journey and arriving at the Hotel Riverside overlooking the Saigon River, Jen and I set out to find a bite to eat as the sun set over HCMC. We still needed to hit an ATM, so we verified the exchange rate - $1 = VND18,500. It also helped to see the prices for things in the hotel listed in VND. The Cokes in the mini-bar were VND21,000 a piece, so we felt pretty good about withdrawing a few hundred thousand dong. We did a little research on places to eat and discovered that HCMC is a destination for foodies. There are more restaurants here than you could ever eat at in a lifetime. We decided on a place that was recommended to us and also listed as a tourist's favorite - Temple Club.

We got a map from the front desk and set out on our culinary journey. I like to think I'm pretty good with a map, but I underestimated the challenge of finding a restaurant in a place where little, if any, speak discernible English. After 45 minutes into what should have been a 10 minute walk, we were about to give up our quest when we finally discovered Temple Club hidden in an alcove next to a restaurant we passed 5 times. I'm glad we didn't give up because it the food was unbelievable! The restaurant was the former site of a Chinese temple and was adorned with art and architecture that gave it an early-1900s feel. I had Peking Duck in an orange sauce and Jen enjoyed a vegetable plate that we finished off with a nice slice of cheesecake. The food, plus a few rounds of Tiger Beer (my new favorite) cost VND700,000 or $39! So in addition to outstanding food, HCMC is very inexpensive.

We turned in early Friday night and got up early Saturday to roam the streets of HCMC and see the sights. As we walked out of the hotel and made our way toward the center of District 1, we realized there is an initiation that all must pass if you want to see the city. We had to learn how to cross the street. Traffic lights and lanes mean little and there is a pecking order to traffic - the larger object has the right of way. So, we watched for a break in traffic and stepped off the curb, inching our way and remembering one other rule - don't stop moving! The thousands of scooters anticipate your moves and either dash in front, or they maneuver around and behind you. After a 20 or so street crossings, it gets much easier. But this is what you face at nearly every intersection at all hours of the day or night.

So what did we see? Well, it was a whirlwind tour of the major architectural and historic buildings of HCMC. We started with the Saigon Opera House, built in 1897 and a symbol of the French influence when this was considered French Cochinchina. We could have gone to see a concert that night for VND200,000 (about $11) each, but there was still a lot to see. We tried to go in, but it was closed for cleaning in preparation for tonight's performance.

Our next stop was the People's Committee Hall, another example of 1800's French architecture, which is the city hall for HCMC. It was originally a hotel, Hotel de Ville, but later used for government. We hoped to see the inside, but the hall is not open to tourists. This part of town has another feature that is evidence of French influence - very wide boulevards. The streets around city hall are divided with greenspace in the middle and each side features a roadway 4-5 lanes wide. The park made a nice place to stop and take pictures, but the menacing traffic still made you feel like a wounded guppy being encircled by sharks.

Continuing with the French theme, HCMC has its own Notre Dame Basilica. I can only imagine this rendition is not the same size as the one in France, but it a beautiful church with well-maintained landscaping. We had hoped to go in, but Saturday is the only day they don't have services. This quickly became the theme of our trip... until we went next door.

Next to the Notre Dame Basilica is the Saigon Central Post Office, a huge Gothic structure that also reflects the French influence in the region. It has a large main room with service windows down either side where many tourists send postcards home to friends and family. At the far end of the room hangs a large portrait of "Uncle Ho" - Ho Chi Minh himself.The large Christmas tree in the middle of the Post Office was just one of many throughout the city, where the holiday season is a big deal.

After the Post Office, I made my obligatory stop at the Hard Rock Cafe. It was a nice break from the heat and a chance to enjoy a fabulous local beer - Saigon Special. We entered the underground cafe and noticed the shiny appearance of everything. I asked an employee how long they had been open and sat there astonished when she said, "2 days". The memorabilia was outstanding and a live band added to the merriment.

After refueling at the Hard Rock, Jen and I set off to see what I considered the main attraction of Ho Chi Minh City, Reunification Palace. Reunification Palace is the large government building that was the "White House" of South Vietnam before 1975. It's where the then-President lived and worked until the North Vietnamese Army crashed the front gate on April 30, 1975 and took over the palace, ending the Vietnam War. I had thought that this was the building where the last of the helicopters had taken off just hours before the tanks came through, but that was actually the U.S. Embassy a few blocks away. I had seen documentaries on NatGeo and the History Channel about the building, so I was very excited about being up close and personal. However, like the rest of our trip, we were not able to go inside. It turns out that it closed a mere 5 minutes before we got there for a function going on the rest of the day. Bummer! However, there is a great deal to see from the outside. The large boulevard of Le Duan Ave runs southwest from the Notre Dame Basilica and right to the infamous front gate of the Palace. On the north end of the grounds are tanks that look like the same ones that came through and there's also a fighter jet that could be the one used in a bombing on the Palace by North Vietnamese spies who had infiltrated the South Vietnamese Air Force in 1972. As we looked through the fence at the expansive grounds, I couldn't help but wonder what it must have been like 35 years ago.

After the Reunification Palace, we visited another museum and headed back for dinner. We found a great place to eat, did some shopping, and got to bed early again since we had a 9am flight back to Singapore. Overall, Vietnam is an exciting place today, despite its tumultuous history. It's very alive and I cannot emphasize how great the food is. In the 2 days we were there, we never saw one ambulance or police car - which is unusual for such a large city, regardless of where it is. Most of all, the people were great and very friendly.

It's waaaay better than fast food.

When I first learned that I would be spending an extended amount of time in another country that was known for its multitude of dining options, I figured it would be easy to swear off fast food. Honestly, it hasn't been so bad, considering I rarely eat things like Mickey D's or Burger King and our building is flanked by either one. However, I have to say that there's little I wouldn't do right now for a Chick-Fil-A #1 combo meal with a lemonade. Oh, and that new sauce they've got... you know... the smokey honey-mustard BBQ sauce. Mmm, mmm, mmm, mmm, mmmmmm!

Don't get me wrong, the food in Singapore has been surprisingly good. From the pork dumpling soup at a nearby hawker center to the divine chicken satay we had at an Indonesian place, the food has been wonderful. Portions are definitely smaller and I am feeling somewhat "lighter", but I'm not the best when it comes to a diverse diet and every now and then you've just got to get a little taste of home.

I got a pleasant surprise when Mom forwarded me an article about the first Wendy's opening in Singapore on Tuesday Dec 15. Jen and I are big fans of the square burgers and with the kind of heat over here, you can't imagine how good a Frosty sounds. The inaugural location is at the Lau Pa Sat Festival Market, which is a huge hawker center near the central city (see Jen's earlier post), and is just a short walk up the road. Jen and I had been discussing how we needed something a little more familiar and we thought it would be fun to walk up to Lau Pa Sat, grab a bite to eat, and see if the new fast food joint was generating any buzz. Needless to say, it was buzzing.

When I say buzzing, I don't mean like a beehive. I mean like standing beneath massive power lines - BUZZING!! The place was crazy and had two queues that actually met up to one another in the back of the restaurant. It was obvious that it would be a long wait and we were starving, but I REALLY wanted a Frosty and Jen kind of had her heart set on some Wendy's chili. So we decided to brave the lines and wait our turn -- and man, am I glad we did. Not only was the food delicious, but we learned some interesting things about Singaporeans and, perhaps, Asian culture in general.

It's safe to assume that Singaporeans love burgers. Everyone was getting burgers and, oddly enough, baked potatoes. I think the potato is fairly rare and not indigenous to SE Asia, although you can find small ones at the local Fair Price (local Singaporean grocery), but I know one of the things our apartment lacks is an oven - which is kind of crucial to making a baked potato. Perhaps this makes it a delicacy. As we waited in the queue, Jen and I watched scores of eager Singaporeans order their square burgers, but we also noticed other interesting habits. For example, Wendy's has straw dispensers that drop a single straw out of the bottom when one depresses the lever. Jen noticed that the Singaporeans were either distrusting of this operation or unfamiliar with it and rather elected to open the top and grab one out of the pile. Also, Wendy's is a "dispense-your-own-condiments" kind of operation and offers two types of sauces for dipping one's golden fries: Ketchup and Chili Sauce. Both have nearly the same reddish hue, so they look the same from a distance. The labels on each dispenser were also illegible at our distance, but we did notice that those dining in were not dispensing into the same paper cup-like containers that we have in the States. Instead, Wendy's offers these wide, plastic, saucer-like containers that are much more difficult to handle. As we got closer, we noticed one was sputtering and showing signs of being empty, while the other was flowing freely with every pump.

Had this Wendy's been located on American soil, I would have given you 10:1 odds on that empty dispenser being designated for ketchup; but as this is Singapore - we bet it was the chili sauce and bet correctly. I'm not sure what's behind the cultural love for chili sauce in Singapore, but it has become the staple condiment.

Overall, there weren't any major differences between Americans and Singaporeans in how they went about fast food. We did notice that the guy taking our order responded better to our pointing at the picture menu than what we actually told him - despite speaking the same relative language. Of course, we weren't strangers to Wendy's so we were able to fire off our orders easily, which may have been too much for the novice manager to handle. I think the most interesting fact was that the place was SO jam packed on only it's second day. Is this the result of good advertising? If so, we never saw a commercial or billboard. Was it because Singaporeans were able to visit a Wendy's in another country and knew it was good? My understanding was this is the first Wendy's in Asia. Is it just the fact it's an American fast food joint? Perhaps it was the legend of the mysterious Frosty. Is it ice cream? Is it a milk shake? Who knows for sure? But man, it was good!

I have to close by saying the Lau Pa Sat Festival Market adds to its already exciting culinary delights when the satay stands open up at night and close down the street in front to use as table-space. We had to walk through the satay market to get home and you can't imagine how good the smell of seasoned meat on a stick roasting over open flames is. It's also a big hit with the locals, making competition for patrons rather fierce. Even with the satisfied and full look on our faces, we were still offered several opportunities to sit and eat satay. We're going to have to go back and report on it as well.

Not so lost in translation

After a short and lazy weekend in Singapore, Sunday rolled around and, as it was the 3rd Sunday of Advent, Jen and I went to church. I remember several weeks back, when Jen first arrived here, I gave her directions to an area that contained several churches. Since then, Jen found one in particular that she liked, The Cathedral of The Good Shepherd, and so we decided to head there. Unfortunately, we woke up with 20 minutes to go until the 11am mass (or so we thought).

The first time Jen went, she walked the entire journey. This time, being behind schedule, we decided to take the MRT (Singapore's rapid transit) a few stations, which would shorten our journey to just a few blocks. Once out of the City Hall MRT Station, we got a little turned around and it was past 11am, but we figured being tardy by 15 or so minutes would not be a big deal. Finally, we reached The Cathedral of The Good Shepherd and entered quietly from the side. This cathedral is the oldest Roman Catholic Church in Singapore and was first built in 1833. Since the building has no A/C, all the doors were open and all of the sanctuary's 50 or so fans were at full speed. Once out of the heat of the sun's rays, it actually makes for a nice experience. It was now about 11:20am and oddly enough, the congregation was semi-full and extremely quiet. The pulpit was silent and there was no sign of a priest. Whew, we made it... or did we?

Living in Singapore, you don't expect to see a great number of Caucasians. There are a number of ex-pats here, not to mention loads of European tourists, but once you get out into the everyday culture and are no longer in the tourist or commercial areas they get much fewer. That said, it should have come to no surprise that the congregation was almost entirely of Asian decent. The more I looked around (which is remarkably easy as a 6'3" person in SE Asia) I realized we were the ONLY Caucasians in the crowd. Jen and I wondered what service we had come upon. Then, suddenly, the service started. The priest emerged from behind the altar and the worshipers revealed their prayer books written in... uh oh... Korean!

Turns out, the English service was at 10am... but we thought there might be one following at 11am. Unfortunately, the next English service was at 6pm. Despite the language barrier, we stayed for the service. I still have no idea what the sermon was about, but the great thing about a Catholic mass is that it's... well... catholic. Catholic literally means "universal" and no matter what church you attend in any part of the world, the ritual is the same. Almost like a "ritualistic Rosetta Stone", we knew exactly when the Nicene Creed and Lord's Prayer were happening since the rhythmic nature of each is unmistakable. There were a couple minor differences, though. At one point, before communion, everyone filed out of the pews and went to the altar with red or green envelopes. What are in the envelopes? Alms? Jen and I were especially conflicted on what to do at this point because 1) the envelopes might have been prayer offerings for loved ones and 2) dropping alms at this point in time might be bad form. So we just kept our seats and tried to look inconspicuous. Also, during what some call the "peace offering", the tradition was slightly different than in the States. In the US, the priest offers peace to the congregation and then the congregation offers it to everyone around them with a handshake or what have you. During a Korean mass, they give you a bow with their hands together and say, what I can only assume as, "pyeonghwa" which is Korean for "peace". However, it's done in a rapid-fire succession... like ballerinas, they swirl and pivot and bow to everyone and everything around them. "pyeonghwa, pyeonghwa, pyeonghwa, pyeonghwa". Imagine 300 people all doing this all at once... then imagine two Westerners sitting there, dumbfounded.

I looked at Jen and said, "This is SOOO going on our blog!"

Lessons in efficiency

Last night, Jen and I went for a movie-date night in an area with lots of shopping, Bugis Street.


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The area was buzzing with teenagers and holiday shoppers and the exterior of the Iluma @ Bugis Mall was covered in illuminated panes that changed color every few seconds. Unfortunately, we forgot the camera (a mistake we won't make again), so you'll have to use your imagination a little.

We went inside and proceeded up to the top floor where the cinema is (not to be confused with a theatre - that would be place to see a play or symphony) and got in line for tickets. Once we reached the counter, we asked for two tickets to Ninja Assassin (I obviously picked the movie) and the guy asked us which seats we wanted to sit in. Now, Jen had warned me about this but it still seems like a good (albeit strange) idea. To pick our seats, the guy pointed to his computer screen embedded in the counter that showed a map of the theatre and available seats. Everything was computerized and navigated with a mouse.

Next we proceeded to the ticket-taker, who stood in front of a short escalator that we took up to the our designated theatre. The seats were super ergonomic, yet obviously made for people smaller than myself. I only hope the people behind us didn't have their view obstructed by my large western noggin. After the exceptionally bloody and action-packed flick with Mandarin subtitles (if you haven't seen Ninja Assassin, it's full of gore and awesomeness. Dare I say, it is legend.... wait for it... DARY!) we were ushered out the exit next to the screen and not the door at the top where we entered. I guess Singaporeans don't want people seeing more movies than they paid for. Plus, the halls are narrow and this prevents traffic jams. We exited through service hallways and emerged back into the mall's food court. It was now time for dinner.

After perusing the various tastes available, Jen and I settled on sushi at a very ornate and fun-looking Japanese place. The hostess sat us at a table and presented us with HUGE menus full of pictures and descriptions of everything available. She then asked us if this was our first time. We nodded in confirmation and she showed us the unique and technologically advanced ordering system they employed. Each item in the menu had an optical sensor pertaining to it and she handed us a large, talking light pen that is used as a reader.  The sequence went like this:

1. Touch the item (the pen audibly confirms each selection)
2. Touch the quantity you want at the bottom of the menu
3. Touch "Enter"
4. Repeat for all following items.
5. Once done, touch "Review" (the pen reads your entire order)
6. If correct, touch "Send"

After touching send, a waiter comes by in about 1-2 minutes with drinks and a short printout of your order with a checkbox next to each. In Singapore, everything offered to you, from dining checks to business cards, is respectfully presented facing the patron and held carefully on the outside edges. Service here is, for lack of a better word, phenomenal! Over the next 5-10 minutes, several waiters came by with our items and checked each one off as delivered. Once we finished our delicious meal of Hamachi (Yellowtail Tuna), a salmon roll, dumplings, a baked whitefish roll, and 2 A&W root beers, we proceeded with our printout and completed customers service survey (very common for restaurants here) to the checkout counter to pay. On our way out, as it was while being seated, every employee we passed greeted us in a fashion reminiscent of "Welcome to Moe's". We were profusely thanked for dining with them.

During our meal, Jen and I pondered the efficiency in all of this - fewer waitstaff servicing all tables, faster service, and more accurate ordering. The culture on this side of the globe is so technologically driven, I was left wondering why we don't adopt the same types of innovation in the States. In my days as a software consultant, I know from experience that Americans are often hesitant toward change. Nearly every project I was involved in had workers who were so set in their ways that they viewed our new software as a threat, as opposed to seeing the efficiency in it.

On a final note, I also want to point out that competition for patronage is fierce. Every restaurant we approached to look at the menu had a host or hostess who immediately greeted us and offered us a bound menu to hold. Others would usher us over to take a look while asking us what we found appetizing. Customer service and presentation in Singapore is as important to businesses here as is efficiency, which leads me to believe that profits are earned by repeat patronage and not by jacking up prices. Also, the price on the menu is the price you pay... taxes are included. Tipping is not required and not expected; a habit that is very hard to break!

Tonight is our first weekend together in Singapore, so we're headed out to see the nightlife. There's a huge bar district (Tanjong Pagar) right next to our apartment where we had Indonesian food the other night (excellent!) and we'll be reporting next on what the city is like when the sun goes down.

Kickin it KL style

My trip to SE Asia started with a bit of a bang. After a 1am Saturday arrival, some quick shut-eye, and a brief tour of downtown Singapore, Jen and I hopped an 8:00pm Saturday flight to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia - locally known as KL.

KL is the capital of Malaysia and is located about 380km northwest of Singapore.


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After a short 30 minute flight, we arrived in KL and our adventure began immediately. As I waited for our luggage to arrive at baggage claim, Jen took care of the ground transportation. According to various travel websites, it's important to only hire government sanctioned drivers - otherwise you run the risk of getting ripped off. After getting our bags and finding Jen, she introduced me to Ismail - a well dressed chauffeur who led us to our transportation. Ismail's attire should have clued me in that we weren't making the hour-long drive into KL in a taxi, but I didn't expect to come outside and be ushered into a black Mercedes sedan (way to go Jen!). We got into our sleek ride and sped off to the city. As the bright lights of KL rose on the horizon, Jen (who had been rather quiet, taking in the Malaysian landscape) all of a sudden starts talking rather loudly. Bewildered, I look at her and she motions me with her eyes to look toward our driver (who was not Ismail). I looked at our driver through the rearview mirror and noticed he was drifting in and out of sleepiness! I immediately recalled the driver's previous actions and the way he bobbed and weaved through traffic. I thought nothing of it at the time, having been to another country before, you expect other cultures to drive with a little more gusto. However, seeing our driver's tired state, I felt my eyes get wide as I looked back at Jen and continued the conversation at my usual high decibel level. We even tried to include the driver in some conversation, which semed to do the trick. Luckily, if anything were to go wrong, we were in a Mercedes and it was handling beautifly - even if the driver needed a Red Bull. We got to the Hotel Equatorial around 11:30pm, relieved to be alive and on steady ground, so we checked in and crashed for the night.

It was an early Sunday morning when we left the hotel to start our day. The centerpiece of most KL trips, at least the first time you visit, is the majestic Petronas Twin Towers. Petronas, a major energy company headquartered in Malaysia, built the towers in the late 90's to house their headquarters and at the time of their completion in 1999, were the tallest buildings in the world. You may recall their feature placement in the movie Entrapment, starring Sean Connery and Catherine Zeta Jones, where they represented a branch of a huge international bank. I have to say, it's popular - we knew this and got to the towers at 8am (the ticket booth opens at 10am) and there were already  few people there. Here's a shot of the line for tickets:

I could go into a lot of fun facts about the Petronas Towers, but we shot some video of our time there and the tour guide does a better job.

Our next stop was the KL Tower, which is a huge communications tower with an observation deck. Unlike the Petronas Towers, there's a small fee to go up, but the view is 360 degrees and a great way to see KL.

As you can tell from the pictures, KL is a sprawling metropolis and a booming economy. It doesn't have a great deal of can't-miss attractions, but the subway and monorail are easy to use and there's a ton of shopping - from the high-end Aria Mall to the multi-cultural Central Market. One very cool feature is the KL City Centre Park, which lies in the shadow of the Petronas Towers.

KL is a perfect weekend destination with inexpensive 5-star accomodations, but if when you fly into KLIA, take the express train into the city and save yourself the heart attack from a sleepy driver behind the wheel of a high-powered German automobile. There's lots more video and more tales to be told about KL, but we'll save those for later. Don't forget to leave your comments!

"Reunited and it feels so good..."

I'm not sure why a classic R&B song by Peaches and Herb actually popped into my head as I started this entry, maybe it was because I heard it used in a television commercial - go figure, I remember something I saw on TV... positively shocking, I tell ya!

Since it is obvious I made it to Singapore (unless there were plane crash reports that I haven't heard about yet), I think I'll take a few minutes and discuss airports and air travel.

Point #1 - Maps are your friends.
I entered Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport a good 1.5 hours prior to my 8:35am flight to Minneapolis (shout out to the 'rents, Dude & Mumsie, for providing prompt airport shuttle service) and made my way through security to A concourse. My departing gate was A10, but I was in desperate need of coffee since my English paper was still looming over my head and due 12 hours after landing in Singapore. As I made my way to A10, I passed a Starbucks at A16 with a line that resembled the main security queue on a Monday morning. It was becoming painfully obvious that coffee was not in my near future.

But thanks to one of the many terminal maps around Hartsfield, I found there was another Starbucks at A2. I walked to the end of the Concourse and, alas! Indeed there was... without a line, no less. I walked up and asked the two very bored employees for a "leaded large coffee-of-the-day". They looked at me funny (coffee of the day??) probably because it was not a "venti chai soy non-fat mocha-latte frappicino hold the whip" and I had obviously been ordering too many coffees at GSU - where was my Starbucks lexicon?? "Sorry, venti", I said.. and thank goodness, because I wouldn't want "large" to be considered "tall", which we all know is anything but.

Point #2 - service with a smile
After departing the Minneapolis-St. Paul Airport on NWA 321 to Tokyo - an 11-hour flight on a packed to the gills 747 with crappy seats and no individual entertainment screens - and introducing myself to the guy next to me (a practice I highly recommend prior to any inter-continental flight, especially if you're flying alone), I was greeted by what I can only hope was not one one of NWA's finest flight attendants. Now, I should point out that I've flown enough to appreciate what these people do. They're not simply "waiters and waitresses of the sky" and recent events (such as planes finding their way into the Hudson River) prove we should hope we never have to see them in action. That said, this one - we'll call her "Debbie" - had a demeanor like she was at the tail end of a long shift and someone called in sick.

Debbie obviously was not happy to be there and it showed because she had the bedside manner of a Kraken. She barreled through the aisles like a bull in a china shop, giving passengers nanoseconds to respond to her diffuse offers. I found this out the hard way when I awoke from an upright slumber to find Debbie was offering drinks and had just moved onto the lady in front of me. As she was pouring some O.J., I gently touched (not tapped, not flicked, not scraped) the back of her arm to get her attention. The second the pad of my fingers came into contact with her skin, she jumped as if she thought she was alone in a dark room and someone went "boo!". "Don't do that! For real!", she exclaimed. I'm sorry... "for real"?? Did she really just say that?

Debbie looked like she had a lot of skymiles on her, telling me two things:

1.  She should be able to multi-task a little better without snapping at a passenger who just simply wants a Coke.
2. Her assigned cultural generation moniker does not end in X or Y, so using terms like for real do not make you hip and it doesn't make me feel bad about "startling" you.

I finally got my Coke... but for the rest of the trip I (and the guy next to me) kept wondering how much Debbie had before the flight.

Point #3 - Carry-on luggage should have something "just in case"
I always hear horror stories about people whose luggage gets misplaced and they're wandering around a new city in the same clothes (especially underwear) they flew in, until their belongings make their way to the hotel. Jen had already brought with her some of my shirts and shorts, so I did what I thought to be the smart thing and just threw in a clean pair of boxers. Sensible, right? Well, yes... but here's another tip for those of us who take up more of a seat than others: pack your deodorant in your carry-on, regardless of where your toiletries are. After 30 hours of traveling through multiple cities with varying latitudes, temperatures, and humidity - you're going to be in need of a shower. Unfortunately, even first class doesn't have one of those.

My Mom, the thoughtful and diligent caregiver that she is, made travel kits for me and Jen containing Emergen-C, travel-size Tums, breath mints, hand sanitizer, toilet seat covers, you know... the essentials. Well, Mom, here's another thing for your future "flight survival kits" - travel solid deodorant.

My apologies go out to the polite young Japanese girl who sat next to me on the 8-hour final leg of my journey from Tokyo to Singapore. I started to offer her one (or all) of my 14 "free cocktail" coupons (courtesy of Diamond Medallion SkyMiles member and road warrior extraordinaire, Bob Chapman - you're tha man!) as a peace offering, but she didn't look old enough to drink.

Shopping Around

This weekend was a long one due to a local holiday, Hari Raya Haji on Friday, Nov. 27. It is called the "Festival of Sacrifice" and it is celebrated by Muslims to commemorate the willingness of Ibrahim to sacrifice his son as an act of obedience to God. I, however, worked through Friday, but enjoyed working from home.

On Saturday and Sunday, I went to check out some of the local shopping, trying to support Black Friday from here! Everyone says it is amazing and they aren't kidding - you name it, Singapore has it!

I walked up to Cathay where I caught a movie at a local Cinema (not to be confused with the word "theater" here because that will take you to the local Arts Theater...on the opposite side of town!). I window shopped at Cathay and saw lots of fun things - an alarm clock that rolls off the nightstand after you hit snooze and you have to wake up to chase it around to turn it off! Ha-ha! I saw an Obama burger, looks like most everything American has now been termed Obama. It looked like an ordinary burger, but I guess his name sells over here.

I saw Orchard Road, which is THE shopping place to be (all pics from Orchard Rd). They have contests going on to vote for the best decorated building, so each of the gigantic shopping malls (all 6-8 floors high) have decorated for Christmas. It's just beautiful, if it weren't 100 degrees outside; you could imagine that you're in a wintery wonderland. There are Christmas tunes playing everywhere and just a fun hustle-and-bustle environment. You could actually walk inside a Christmas tree and the inside was lit up with beautiful blue lights (pics of the outside and inside of the tree).

Each of the "malls" are side by side and line the street. Each floor is dedicated to something new: men's, women's, children, food court/grocery store (always in the basement), restaurants scattered throughout, and so much more. The sidewalks from the stores to the streets are huge and decorated with local art. They are also mostly covered due to the sun and rain here. They want people to shop no matter the weather. The boutiques are what I could only imagine the Streets of Buckhead could one day be - Prada, Dior, Louis Vuitton, Dolce and Gabanna, Giorgio Armani, etc. I could live this life! Lots of fun, but very

exhausting... and I was good; I didn't buy a thing, but I made a list a mile long!

As a last stop before home, I went to enjoy my long overdue Turkey! We, of course, had to work through Thanksgiving since it's an American holiday. So, I spoiled myself at P.S. Cafe in the Paragon shopping center. It was a sandwich with turkey, cranberry sauce, mayo, cheese, bacon...deliciousness!

Checking out my new city

Well, after a full week of work, I woke up this Saturday morning and set out to explore Singapore. I took about a four-hour walk (not nearly covering the city). I walked by the Singapore Stock Exchange (SGX), Lau Pa Sat Festival Market (pic #1: place where I had lunch yesterday with some co-workers), Merlion Park (pic #2: erected in the 1970s by the Prime Minister to welcome all visitors to Singapore; has the famous lion statue that is the symbol of the city), Esplanade Park (by the Singapore River which had an old boat race going on), Parliament buildings (where the Singapore Cricket Club was in a game out in the front lawn), China Town (pic #3: with fun open markets), and ended with a tour of a Buddhist Temple. Whew!

A few random thoughts: I have never seen a city with so much construction going on all the time (pic #4). My co-workers said if you leave the city for a couple years, then you might not recognize it when you come back and now I believe it! I kind of forgot how close I was to the equator and didn't apply sunscreen when I left the apartment. With all the tall buildings every other step is in the shade, but alas, I still got a little pink. After my big adventure, I stopped to get some yummy noodles and chicken (my staple food for now).

Debunking Singapore myth #1: Everyone says it's so hot, but it feels a lot like a summer day in Atlanta, but there is a breeze...so very doable!

Debunking Singapore myth #2: Everything is super expensive. Things are expensive, don't get me wrong, but if you eat with locals, then it's very affordable. Today's lunch was S$3.50 (which is about $2.50 USD).

Workin' for a Livin'

I've now completed three days at Porter Novelli-Singapore. The group in the office is amazing - they work hard and are all friends, just like in Atlanta.

The round building in the distance is ours (not the blue one). Right across from the office build are lots of great places to eat. I think they are called Hawker centres (no not a typo, they write in the Queen's English) :)

Home Sweet Home in Singapore

I arrived safely in Singapore last night. I left 11:45 am ET on Friday, Nov. 13 and arrived Sunday, Nov. 15 at 1 am local time. Once the sun came up this morning, I unpacked and settled in my new place.

After that, I checked out the city around me and went grocery shopping. I was in need of a few essentials like water, bread and toilet paper. :) There is an open air shopping center right around the corner so I bought some local fruit - delicious - and the essentials.

After looking around, I decided to explore my own building and found the gym. It is located on the 31st floor, so working out was fun and educational. I oriented myself with the surrounding skyscrapers.

A few differences I see from Atlanta to Singapore:

1. Bread in Singapore is about half as big as the U.S.
2. Cars and escalators are opposite sides than in U.S.
3. People on the street are super friendly in Singapore - saying hello as they pass you by
4. Most everything is written in English, but there is a lot of Chinese writing as well
5. Florida OJ is about $8 Singapore dollars

More to come as I explore the city more...

And so it begins...

Jen left yesterday for Singapore and, according to the website for Northwest Airlines, has landed. I haven't heard from her yet, but I'm anticipating that she's traveling from the airport to her apartment. She's got an awesome place located at 10 Gopeng St. that apparently overlooks the pool.


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Once I talk to her, perhaps she can post some pictures of the place... I just want everyone to see where it is we're going to be staying.