The road to Bali

Unlike Bob and Bing, we weren't waylaid in our pajamas on our trip to Bali. It was an easy 2-1/2 hour flight from Singapore. That's where the road bogged down. Like so many places in southeast Asia, Bali is plagued by too many cars and too few roads. To see any of its exotic sights takes a fair amount of backseat commitment. We devoted roughly a day-and-a-half of our four-day weekend to the roads to Bali's sites. Here are the top three we saw:

1. Tanah Lot

A 15th century pilgrimage temple that visitors can walk to during low tide. As you can see, we made our pilgrimage at high tide. The upside was a low tourist presence.

Side note: The tropical sun was brutal that day, but luckily the refreshment stand was prepared with plenty of water, juice, soda and durian.


2. Batur volcano

The volcano is classified "mildly explosive." The three cones made for interesting viewing during lunch at the Lake View Hotel. What lake? 

Lake Batur, Bali's largest lake, is to the right of the peaks (or to the left I suppose, depending on where you might be having lunch) and was formed by a volcanic crater about 25,000 years ago.

3. Rice terraces

Not much to say other than they're exotic to look at and ponder how some of them have been cultivated continuously for hundreds of years. The origins of the technique in Bali date to the 8th century.

Photo note: "The Road to Bali" image with Bob, Bing and Dorothy is provided courtesy of Wikipedia.

Mmmm... doughnuts

     Ever since I was in Johor Bahru a couple of months ago, I have been borderline obsessed with the doughnuts I bought from a little old lady in an alley near the train station as I was rushing to catch the train back to Singapore. I didn't think to take a picture. I didn't know they would be so good and so different. 
     Last week, I found a source for my obsession in Geylang Serai, which is considered the Malay district of Singapore. In this part of town you can find all-manner of Muslim food, which is how Malaysian and Indonesian food stalls usually identify themselves unlike most cuisines that are more nationalistic about it.

Would Homer approve?

     As you can see in this picture, they look pretty similar to doughnuts you might buy at a Winchell's or Dunkin' Donuts. The one on the left has the texture of a classic cake doughnut except it's made with all-purpose flour and yams. The only sweetness in this doughnut is supplied by the most excellent coating of sugar applied the moment they come out of the oil-filled wok. Pretty standard stuff.
     The doughnut on the right is the one I fell in love with in JB. There's nothing cake-like about it. The outside is deep-fried and crispy and covered in sugar just the way you'd want it. But the inside -- the less-cooked part of the doughball -- is dense and chewy. I believe it's made of rice-flour and coconut. It might also include tapioca. I'm not sure.  

Mmmmm...

     This gooey gem was labeled Getas Getas. The other more typical doughnut was Kueh Keria. Kueh is kind of a universal Malay word for cakes, cookies or puddings. There seems to be no English translation for Getas. I have since corresponded with the operator of a cooking school in Singapore who said that Getas Getas is "a very traditional kueh from my childhood days that is uncommon these days. I will keep you posted when I teach it in a class." 

     And I will keep you posted when I learn how to make them. I will include a picture of myself weighing 400 pounds (181 kilograms).

Post Script
     Today is a national holiday in Singapore to celebrate Deepavali, the festival of lights that marks the beginning of the Hindu New Year. 

Taken last year on Serangoon Road, the main drag through Little India, lit up for Deepavali (a.k.a. 
Diwali, Dewali, Divali, Dipotsavi, Dipapratipad, Depawali, Dipavali -- depending on the country). 

Flying high in October

     This is the view from the top of the Singapore Flyer, 42 stories above the city. It's the world's tallest Ferris wheel, but not nearly as scary as it may look to those of you who suffer from acrophobia. For my money the elevators on the Space Needle and the Eiffel Tower are more frightening experiences. Perhaps if they had "Champagne Flights" you could reserve as we did for our 37-minute, single-rotation ride, they wouldn't be so bad either.
     It helped knowing that the flyer's operators reversed the direction of the wheel several months after it opened in 2008 on the advice of Feng Shui masters.
     Better safe than sorry.

Gum? You just need the right connections

     One of the more infamous laws in Singapore is the ban on selling and importing chewing gum (importing includes Joe Average walking off the plane with a few sticks in his or her possession). It's been illegal since 1994. However, it's not completely illegal to buy gum as I discovered during a recent trip to the dentist for a semi-annual cleaning.
     Dentists are allowed to sell gum for medicinal purposes. I had heard about this, but didn't give it much thought because I assumed "medicinal" gum would suck. While at the dentist, I saw Orbit sugar-free gum in the glass-covered display of dental-care products available for purchase. That would work. I used to be addicted to gum, but I was forced to power through the withdrawals.
     I'm back, baby! Here's my stash. The toothpaste and toothbrush were standard parting gifts, but the gum was well worth the S$1.70 per pack.

     So how is this all possible and what's to stop me from becoming a public menace with my gum? 
     The law was amended in 2004 when Wrigley leaned on the Clinton administration to include some concession as part of the U.S.-Singapore free-trade agreement. It was one of two final, uh, sticking points in the negotiations, according to Wikipedia. The other obstacle was a minor affair called the Iraq War.
     The ban was originally proposed because one of the country's top ministers was tired of it being used to vandalize public housing projects. What pushed it over the top to become law was how easily vandals were able to disrupt subway service by sticking it on sensors controlling the doors on the new high-tech subway trains. (Seems like that raises more important questions about the subway than the gum, but that's another topic.)
     Contrary to popular lore, you can't get caned for having gum in Singapore. But you will be named and shamed. Don't underestimate the power of shame in this culture. 
     Nevertheless, it doesn't seem particularly difficult to bring gum into the country as I accidentally discovered. I bought a pack of Japanese gum in Tokyo that really did suck (and it had sugar!), but I forgot about it in my coat pocket until after I got through Singapore customs. I threw it away when I got home, so I wasn't publicly humiliated. 
     All praise to Allah, Brahma, Buddha for that!

Relief with a view

     August marks our one-year anniversary of living in Singapore. Once again, the Ghost Festival is in full swing till the end of the month, providing enough chanting and joss-paper burning to keep even the most demanding spirits satisfied during their annual visit among the living. It's also the time of year when complaints to authorities about paper burning double, over-taking complaints about foul-smelling curry. 
     Despite the incessant sing-song and spot air pollution of August, it's been a good year here. Actually, a great year. I didn't think we would visit as many places as we did and I feel fortunate for that. No new trips are planned for the immediate future, but I'm confident Margaret will need to go somewhere soon -- and I'm hopeful of being able to go along.
     One of the things I miss most about not traveling is the opportunity for discovery at Singapore's Changi Airport. Not only is it one of the best shopping centers in Singapore, which is saying a lot in country whose national identity is synonymous with shopping, but we always make some new happy discovery.
     The last time we were there on our way to Bangkok, we discovered a 7-Eleven store (thank heaven!), free computer kiosks with internet access and a men's room that thoughtfully enables travelers to keep an eye on their departure gate. 

Relief with a view.

Fully Google-enabled.

For our next trip, I'm hoping we'll arrive early enough to ride on the giant indoor slide Changi installed to amuse kids and immature adults like me.

The bright upper-belly of Bangkok

   When you arrive in Bangkok and traffic rapidly slows, snarls and stops, the city delivers one big message loud and clear -- this isn't going to be an easy place to get around. It seemed like half of every outing we undertook was spent in transit. We primarily traveled by taxi, which was fine if you don't mind spending your vacation in the back of a car like when you were a kid. (Are we there yet?!) 

Safe and sane? We survived.

     One late afternoon, hot and tired after completing the guidebook's walking tour of the Old City, we resorted to hailing one of the ubiquitous tuk-tuks (motorized rickshaws) because none of the bright pink Taximeter cabs would stop for us and we were very much ready for the comforting embrace of our hotel's lounge. 
     Unlike the Taximeter cabs, you negotiate the price upfront with a tuk-tuk driver. We managed to get him down to his asking price, which was about double the price of riding in an air-conditioned cab. Beggars can't be choosers and we did arrive at our hotel in one piece without being completely asphyxiated by the noisy jalopy's exhaust, so well worth it.
     What does one see on the Old City tour? We started at The Golden Mount, a man-made hill topped by a Buddhist temple commissioned by King Rama III in the early 19th century as a gateway to the city. There are several shrines, lots of Buddha statues and rows of bells to ring, but mainly you get a 360-degree view of Bangkok. Our taxi driver tried to dissuade us from stopping here because he said it was only visited by locals, not tourists. He appeared to be correct on that, but the views were good.
  

In the distance is the Grand Palace (look for spires in the upper middle of this frame.) The palace is the most famous monument in Bangkok and where we nabbed the tuk-tuk.

Bang a gong or ten going up and coming down at several stations.

     After leaving the Golden Mount, we found a street that seemed like a wholesale clearing house for anyone looking to start or renovate a temple. It reminded us of the street outside the Vatican lined with clothiers devoted to catholic vestments for all occasions.
   

A lot of Buddha, but plenty of Hindu stuff as well. The two blend easily in Thailand.

     Next up is the Giant Swing. First built in 1784, it was used in an annual thanksgiving ceremony to the Hindu deity Shiva for the rice harvest. 

     Brave young lads would swing by their feet at the end of a rope attempting to snatch a bag of coins with their teeth. The ceremony was discontinued in the 1930s due to the high number of fatalities associated with the ritual.
     Further on, after you pass city hall and the Democracy Monument (both sites of uprisings and harsh suppressions), you arrive at Khao San Road. I haven't seen the movie, but I understand this is where one of the characters in Hangover 2 gets his face tattooed.

     It became notable in the 60s and 70s as a gathering spot for hippy backpackers. It's still a happening place, but I can't imagine any hippies recognizing it today. The good news is you can still get tattooed, acquire every manner of fake I.D. imaginable and indulge in other Thai-high endeavors after dark here.

You know you've lost your way to tropical exotica if you come across Subway and KFC. We did not return late-night to witness the dark under-belly of Bangkok.

     Upon refreshing yourself over a "big beer" (versus a "tower of beer") at one of the many watering holes along Khao San Road, turn left and hope your deity-given sense of direction steers you to the Grand Place, which is about as grand as it gets.

    

Behind the wall are some pretty amazing treasures, especially the Emerald Buddha which is kept in the
Royal Monastery (building on the right).

     The Royal Monastery is the king's personal temple and only he can touch the Emerald Buddha, which has a debatable past. It may have originated in Sri Lanka, India or Cambodia before being carted away to Laos and then Thailand after military conquests. No pictures are allowed inside the king's temple and since I was with Margaret I didn't test the patience of the royal security force this time. Below are a few more pictures from inside the palace to close this chapter of our Bangkok report.

  

Mythical giant demons (yakshis) guard an exit to Grand Palace. 

Mythical giant birds (garudas) fending off mythical giant snakes (nadas) at the Royal Monastery.

Real Buddhist monks getting their robes just right before entering the coronation hall.

Symbolic elephants with real soldier guarding the old palace. 

Of elephant riding and wine tasting

     We finally made it to Thailand. You may recall how I ruined our original plans to come here by falling on my face nearly two months ago. But now I'm fully recovered and able to do all the normal things you'd expect when visiting Thailand, like touring one of the emerging vineyards at this latitude on the back of an elephant.
  

Your intrepid tourists atop Honey the elephant. She showed her appreciation (disdain?) by going No. 1 
and No. 2 during our tour. That inscrutable, ever-present smile is tough to read.

Ead and Honey. 

     Hua Hin Hills Vineyard is built on a former elephant corral, where the Elephas maximus were domesticated for any number of uses. Honey's keeper, Ead, says these elephants have been known to live to 100 years old. At 40, Honey is just entering middle-age.
    This vineyard, located about 20 miles inland of the seaside resort of Hua Hin (125 miles south of Bangkok), was founded in 2004 and has produced some award-winning wines under the Monsoon Valley Wine label. During our visit to the Sala Bistro, conveniently located above the vines, we tasted a Columbard, White Shiraz and Shiraz. All three were excellent, even the rosy White Shiraz.
     Our table was set with three wine glasses and a plate of Thai hors d'oeuvres. But being complete oafs, we ate all the food with the Columbard instead of waiting for the other two wines to be served. No worries, or as the Thais say: "mai bin lie."  After completing the tasting, our waitress Kanokporn happily brought us more food and a full bottle of the Columbard which seemed to go really well with Sala Bistro's Thai-inspired tapas. (Before any of you get carried away with the porn in Kanokporn's name, be advised that many names in Thailand contain this seemingly fitting suffix given this country's reputation for anything-goes hedonism. I'm fairly convinced the porn in their names was added to humor immature American males like myself.)
     

Chicken satay, fish balls, shrimp won tons, 
coconut rice treats in banana leaf, toasts 
and several dipping sauces.

Kanokporn keeping our wine glasses full.

   

View of Hua Hin Hills Vineyard from The Sala Bistro.

We spent the other two of our three days in Hua Hin largely hanging out at the beach enjoying 
the incredibly soft sand and warm waters of the South China Sea.