Long Trip South Pt 3 of 3

This is the final installment of my trip through Southeast Asia.

Table of Contents:
Melaka--aka snoozeville
Singapore--aka Western Utopia. Worth a look.
Bangkok--VIP at the movies!
Lopburi--THE MONKEYS ARE TAKING OVER
Ayutthaya--Sheep Land!
Bangkok--picking up J
Ubon Ratchathani--finally back home

Kota Bharu-->Melaka

The bus to KL was long and then I found out that I had to get to a different bus station to go on. I went to the one I thought it was but alas! So finally I met up with two English English teachers (hah!) and we went to the THIRD bus station to get a bus to Melaka. They had a guesthouse that they really liked so I tagged along.

View Larger Map

Melaka:

Melaka is a common stop for someone traveling through Malaysia. It was a Portuguese colony and a Dutch colony and a British colony at different times in its history. So there are several interesting things to see (though I personally found the city rather boring). It is interesting to note that this is a HUGE tourist destination for Singapore. The place was practically filled with ethnic Chinese tourists the whole time.

View from the gaudy tourist tower in the previous picture. The weird lollypop shaped building is a mall. It was a notable place for me because of the models used for pictures around clothing stores there. Even though Malaysia has almost exclusively Malay, Indian, and Chinese people living there, every single model was European. It was very sad.

 The trademark archetecture of Melaka, seen from the tower.

The weird dragon at the entrance to Chinatown.

 A statue of Mr. Universe.

This was a really posh place. (I hear the English people use the word posh a lot! Why can't I use it?) On the roof of a hotel.

Melaka-->Singapore

The bus was uneventful, but the border was ridiculously uneventful. Easiest border I've ever crossed I think.


View Larger Map


 Singapore:
The first thing you notice about Singapore is how green it is. They call themselves the "garden city" and they truly are. One thing that was also readily apparent is the difference in culture between Malaysia and Singapore. Where Malaysia is very Muslim in how the culture has developed, Singapore is very secular. So one of the things a guy will notice quickly is...how do I put this...the skirts get much shorter. After all, we are ridiculously close to the equator. I got a cheap bed, which is much more expensive here. About $15/night compared to the $5/night I was getting in Malaysia. People who have been to Singapore who grew up in Malaysia or Thailand immediately mention how the country is very clean first and foremost, and it is. But what I notice first is how orderly things are. The mass transit is unparalleled and simple (and in English with an English accent!) Also, you get the full brunt of being in a country where English is the official first language of the country. Also, I want to point out a demographic fun fact: Singapore is 75% ethnic Chinese. Anyway, here are some pictures:

 I thought this was funny. If you don't know what I mean, then read carefully.

One of the first things I did was to go to the Night Safari in Singapore which they claim is the only one of its kind in the world. This picture is near the entrance. I don't have pictures of animals because flash wasn't allowed. But some neat highlights:

• For anyone that ever goes to the zoo in the US: here the lions were actually awake!
• There were two interesting "houses" one with a flying squirrel (awesome to see in person) and the other with fruit bats. Now in this "zoo" there is not a single cage in a conventional sense, and many times there is nothing but open air and a disguised barrier between you and the animal. The reason these "houses" were notable was because theoretically you could touch a flying squirrel or a bat if you got "lucky" (lucky being a very relative term). Many people were in the squirrel house, but I was surprised to see no one in the bat house...until I went in. They PACKED that thing full of bats and let me tell you, it made me wish I had 360 degree vision to dodge the bats that were flying EVERYWHERE. I didn't actually get hit, but it was very unnerving to be literally walking among these flying creepy creatures.
• There were a few parts of the "train ride" where again, theoretically you could touch the animals (the less violent ones). And again I want to emphasize that Singapore is a safety-obsessed country unlike many other countries I visit. They do this stuff for the tourists and because they can. They are certainly daring and unique.
• I would have LOVED this place if I came here as an 8-year-old kid.

 Cafe in the Night Safari.

 Night view from the top of that mountain.

Yes, Singapore has its own Universal Studios.

 Touch-screen mall directory!

...read at your own risk...

Interesting building. I think it is a museum.

I heard about this building before I came, but it wasn't in my Lonely Planet. I did finally find it. That's like a boat or something on top there. Isn't that just interesting. 

This is to the right of the previous picture. It was here that I decided that Singapore would be a much better place for Ted (from HIMYM) to live because they clearly are affectionate to people who have a sense of architectural daring and creativity. I am not an architecture nerd or anything, but the architecture here was really something to behold! Pictures do not do it justice at all.

 The flying saucer I think is part of their Supreme Court building or something.

Another interesting building. 

The subway/elevated train. It was cool. Also notice the tri-pole on the left. Very practical. We should do that in DC.

Singapore-->Bangkok
I took a plane. Duh.

Bangkok:
Back in Bangkok again, I met up with Uncle Marty at the Shangri La Hotel (really famous, really posh). He didn't recognize me because of the shaved head so I almost had to tackle him as he rushed out of the elevator looking for me.

 Uncle Marty was a tremendous host (wait...this is my country). He took me and a friend of his who lives here to the nicest cinema in town. You get a recliner, a pillow, a blanket, a waiter. And before the movie you get a VIP bar/lounge and a private massage area. Good stuff. We had a lot of fun. (THANKS FOR EVERYTHING UM!!!)

 This is the spectacular view from his hotel room.


Bangkok--> Lopburi
It was actually kind of difficult to do this route because I had to get all the way up to the Mo Chit bus station. Then I ended up in a van with a bunch of military people (weird). They dropped me off at the Lopburi bus station which was really disorienting because there is not much indication on the map or in the Lonely Planet how to get the area of Lopburi with the touristy stuff. But eventually I just hopped on a bus (because I didn't know what else to do) and I ended up in the exact right place in no time.



View Larger Map

Lopburi:
Famous for MONKEYS. THE MONKEYS ARE TAKING OVER.

I think this is the one that chased me...

 I made it bigger so you can see the baby monkey.

 I cannot describe the feeling of being constantly surrounded by monkeys while a this temple and at various times around the city. It was an experience. 


Lopburi-->Ayutthaya
This was probably my most interesting traveling leg of the journey. I was going by train. At the train station I met two scotsmen. Later one of them claimed to be MI6. Of course I didn't believe him and he pulled out his ID card and badge and everything. This COULD be a Khao San Rd souvenir, but he was really drunk and whenever I asked him a question he gave a real good answer. And if you were to buy fakes of these in the States, I'm sure it would cost you over $500. He said he wasn't undercover so he's allowed to tell me (and I'm allowed to tell you). He said he was tracking down pedophiles in Thailand. I also met a French Canadian who I ended up hanging out with most of the time I was in Ayutthaya.

View Larger Map





Ayutthaya:
Famous for being the capital of Siam/Thailand until the Burmese sacked it in the 1700s.

 "Darth Vader" tuk tuk.

 My favorite ruins picture I have.

 This is for a dutch cultural heritage festival. I blew it up so you can see...the stuff...

 There is this whole weird built-up area around the floating market that I cannot call anything else than a series of tourist traps. For example, I don't remember there actually being any sheep in this so-called sheepland. There was also a tiger that you could pet and take pictures with, but he was clearly really drugged up and I didn't want to support that kind of thing by paying the guy.

The floating market.


Ayutthaya-->Bangkok
By train again. These pictures were taken at the train station at Ayutthaya.

Okay, these pictures do NOT do the cuteness I witnessed justice. There was one point when one of these dogs carefully picked up one of the kittens in its mouth and carried it over a few feet. Just the kittens and the dogs interacting, priceless! I should have just taken a video.



View Larger Map

Bangkok:
I actually thought I was going to pick up J the next morning, but alas, he was delayed half a day. But once he got here it was cool.

The steps of Wat Arun.

At this point his camera died so he started using mine.

 To take a picture of the blurry back of my head.

As well as the exotic different types of Lay's potato chips in the 711.

As well as this Nazi symbolism........

 ...........in a sewing machine ad.

Bangkok-->Ubon
Unfortunately we got a 2nd class bus for the long journey overnight back to Ubon. J is not acclimated to bus sleeping yet so he did not have a good night.


View Larger Map

Ubon Ratchanthani:
  

It began to rain really hard at my house. Jeremy decided to leave the house in the pouring rain in a motorbike helmet and without shoes. I am high and dry on my porch.

The floating restaurant we went to for dinner one night.

 J thinks all the food in Thailand is really good.


THE END it's finally finished!