"Your joking right, you'd rather come home and watch Lost
than stay and go somewhere where it might be a long time
before you get a chance to go again? I thought I raised you
better, boy did I screw up!!!!!"
Mom, you didn't screw up. If you are planning on throwing a surprise welcome back party for me on May 21, better call it off, because I won't be on the plane. Instead, I will be coming home June 8 at 6 a.m. (I was trying to avoid the notorious west coast-midwest redeye, haven taken it once before, but all the seats on the Hong Kong-California legs that would put me into Dallas in the evening were booked). I will be leaving Singapore at 1620 on the 7th, arrive in Hong Kong around 2000, and leave Hong Kong at 0030 on the 8th, arriving in San Francisco at 2200 on the 7th, leaving San Francisco at around 0100 on the 8th, arriving in DFW at 600 on the 8th (gotta love dateline hopping!). I was also able to secure the seats I wanted on the Cathay Pacific operated legs--a window from Singapore to Hong Kong, an aisle from Hong Kong to SFO (there's really no point in getting a window, since it will be dark the entire flight).
My next stop after the Cathay Pacific ticket office (located right next to Clifford Centre, btw)? The bank to make sure my atm card will work for the next two weeks.
Getting to Laos will be a little problematic and pricier than usual because of the mess in Bangkok. Seeing as how the last time there was a political protest in 2006, they managed to shut down the airport, if you can avoid flying through Bangkok, then by all means do it. Fortunately, I can by going through KL (sign you've been travelling for too long in SE Asia/become a backpacker a-hole? You always refer to Kuala Lumpur as KL).
My general plan will be to fly from Kuala Lumpur to Vientiane, the Laotian capital (Laos happens to be one of four countries that I have physically seen (not from an airplane window), but not actually visited--when I was in Thailand six years ago, we went to a town on the opposite side of the mekong from Laos--the other three? Lebanon, Syria, and Jordan).
After spending a day or so in Vientiane, I will head to the backpacking haven of Vang Vieng--known for its tubing and party scene. The stop, at minimum, is functional--Vang Vieng is on the road between Vientiane and Luang Prabang, and will break up one very long (10 hours) bus ride into two medium length rides. The 25 year old german nurse who I met on the boat ride from Battambang to Siem Reap was telling me about the place, and she said that even if you weren't into the party scene or tubing (she wasn't), its still worth the stop because it is incredibly beautiful. Vang Vieng also has another side to it that can be looked up, but one that I won't write on until after I've left Laos--let's just say that I intend on being extra extra careful there.
From Vang Vieng it will be onto Luang Prabang--the old Laotian capital, and a UNESCO world heritage site, where I will probably be spending the most amount of time in Laos.
After Luang Prabang, time permitting, I will go to Phonsavan to see the Plain of Jars--Phonsavan was also one of the major bombing targets during the U.S. Secret War in Laos (Air America and all that) and is notorious for the large amount of unexploded ordinance found near the town (the town is fully safe now, but I'm not going to go off the beaten path). From Phonsavan, it will be a flight back to Vientiane and either to Phuket in Thailand or Singapore, depending on how much time I have.
So, what did I do today other than arrange stuff? I went to fort soliso on sentosa island--the site of the last british holdout during the invasion by Japan. It happens to be located on Singapore's principle beach and pleasure resort island--it felt like going to disneyworld or six flags, to be quite honest, only it was extremely, extremely clean. If you are looking for a picturesque beach view, then don't go to Sentosa--you'll see some pretty blue water, and some surrounding islands, but you will mainly get a view of the giant container ships, oil tankers, and cargo ships moored nearby, as well as the various port facilities and an oil refinery or two--tropical idyll it is not.
I then wandered through Singapore's Chinatown, where stuff is actually cheap. I actually went there last night to eat (tip: if you need something cheap and good to eat in singapore, go to chinatown--i did little india--where I'm staying--the night before, and thought it was overrated--so did my stomach), and discovered a new poison of choice. Since getting into singapore, I haven't had a single beer because the stuff is so expensive--instead, last night I found another cold thirst quencher that is probably as close as mortal man will get to ambrosia: freshly squeezed sugar cane juice. It's delicious. I am far from an adventurous eater, but I can attest that the stuff is amazing. Yes, it is nearly neon green, but there's nothing artificial about it.
Another thing that is cheap in Singapore? electronics. Because my memory stick is now full, I wanted to see about getting another memory card for my camera. I got a 2 gig memory card for 18 singapore dollars--cheaper than my hostel bed.
As much as it is fun to make fun of Singapore for its emphasis on cleanliness--there are some hilarious signs that are posted to emphasize courtesy, like one where a man emerges from a smoking room all aghast, and a woman exclaims that it looks like he's just seen a ghost--his response? No, I just saw what was left in the toilet--there is apparently a seedier side, one that isn't really brought up. Prostitution is legal here, and the town does have its own redlight district.
So, chewing gum is banned (other than nicorette) but paying for sex isn't? Go figure.
Lost can wait. I'm willing to guarantee that they will have full copies of the final season on dvd here before the last episode is actually shown, so I will probably borrow (I would never pay for pirated dvds! Never! Well, never except for when I bought several when I was in Thailand, but thats small potatoes compared to some of my friends) someone's copy to see if I can watch the sixth to last episode.
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