So much to post and so little time at the computer; quite an odd turn around considering my heavy addiction to my internet laden ways of life back home.   Three cities, two countries, a cold, a fever, a huge wedding, but no signs of the runs I finally sit here to try and recap my culture shock.  I’m in Jakarta right now and ironically, the first day I try to type out what I’ve done here I  realize…NOTE TO DISCO: I had Korean food last night…and no, my Kimchee levels were not feeling low at all.

In a country where class disparities rival the times of surfs, I live in a house with six maids and two drivers to keep me sane and healthy all at once.  I got my first massage yesterday, but at 6 dollars for 90 minutes who could refuse?   In fact, there’s a lady that comes to the house and gives a 2 hour massage for 5 bucks!  Even with the dollar dropping like acme anvils, tips here are only 1000 rupia which is the equivalent of about a dime.  Again, who could pass it up?  I know I claimed to be roughing it around the world, but I’m still living up to the “when in rome…” theory.  The other option of life is actually not a possibility at all.  But to be honest, the other option of life is not an option at all. 

 

I flew out from JFK straight to Singapore.  My Americanized comfort zone hadn’t dropped off a bit when I got there.  The city is almost entirely built on the walls of massive malls and department stores.  Every other empty slot is filled with some kind of food service.  I of course would be found hiding in one of those culinary crevasses.  My dad, uncle, and cousin are eating fanatics.  I think by 4pm everyday I had about 4 meals already trying to some how flop around in the pool only to make room for the coveted ablone and shark fin dinners that took place every night. 

Singapore is immaculate for the sole reason that it is heavily regimented.  You can see it in the people here.  Conservative in every approach.  As heat and humidity approach unbearing levels, people here look clean, proper, collected and ready to move along.  Humor is delivered not even grabbing guardrails of the crude, and not just because liquor is regulated and expensive, a night out on the town with peers consisted of one drink drawn out over 4 hours chatting about NOTHING.   

I came here for my cousins wedding and let me be the first to say that it was amazing.  A wedding that would have easily put jlo’s wedding to shame.  Friday’s smaller gathering and exchanging of vows was at the famous Raffles hotel garden.  I was part of the wedding party and IT IS DAMN HOT TO BE IN A SUIT OUTDOORS.  I survived.  Wedding was ridiculous.  Saturday’s events were in the ritz carlton ballroom.  I think they booked every room in that hotel to be honest.  I’ll let the pictures speak for themselves when I get a chance to upload, but think of mini palm trees alongside the aisle, a moat and underwater lights with floating candles around the runway as well.

It’s funny even though cars are so ridiculously expensive in Singapore, there’s more e-classes than any other car out there.  

 

A big part of the reason I wanted to travel was to see the world and absorb it after the light has fragmented off the surface.  To see it unfiltered by American ignorance or more so my personal ignorance.  Even transferring to the slightest of culture changes in Asia ala Singapore, I still felt as though I was looking through the eyes of Tony Bourdain (the cook’s tour dude on foodtv).  Finding myself at awe or trying to compare too much with what I had already knew.  

 

I met quite a bit of international students in sing and I told them that I was quite jealous that they were able to grow up ambidextrous in cultures and habits.  Even the smallest things like being able to drive on the right and left hand sides of the road without flinching and of course being multi-lingual I was envious of.  Interesting response they gave was that,  kids here can grow up with a set number of cultural influences with them but are never able to expand upon that due to societal circumstances and restrictions, where as I, the American, grow up with maybe 1 or 2 cultural influences but can learn as many cultures as I want to learn.

 

From Singapore I directly to Indonesia, Medan to visit my grandfathers resting place.  Medan, even though it’s the largest city in Sumatra is OH MY GOODNESS, I cannot believe I was here when I was 9.  dirt roads, dirt covered buildings, “dirty people”, dirt dirt and more dirt, I thought I was in the city of joy at one point (swayze movie).  I wouldn’t have been taken aback if a bunch of lepers decided to crawl on top of the car to grovel for money.  The way people drive here is crazy, not in the Taiwan way where cars still follow some sort of lane assignments and that there are even lines on the roads, its more that there are no stop signs nor stop lights that direct anything or anyone so people just plunge into crossings at will making oncoming traffic veer to the side to still get in front of you.  Bus doors stay open in motion so passengers can hop on at whenever, these are mini buses, probably the size of a mini van with seats along the sides squeezing as many as 11 people on board.  That’s just the way life is there.  Traveling with my dad, any trip is always about eating.  So of course I get off the plane and stopped at Miramar for the first meal.  Authentic Indonesian food can curl your tongue with its authenticity and rich native flavors.  Curry, fried chicken, fish…great stuff.  I don’t even know how to describe it really and due to the number of meals I’ve had in the past 2 weeks, everything has slowly become an abdominal blur.  if there’s one thing I’ve had way too much of, its kuey tiow.  Fried, dried, soup, seafood, meat, you name it, I’ve had it.  Damn good though.  Curry bee hoon is great too.

 

I could honestly give another paragraph or two on tropical fruits but I’ll have to post some pictures up of eating durian in the streets.  Im gonna have to force a few of you to try it when I go home, and if you don’t’ like it I’ll surprise your fridge with some on your birthdays!  

 

That’s it for now, don’t really feel like typing anymore.  I’m off to bali in a week if anyone cares to join.  Australia seems to keep being pushed back.  At this rate, I’m not going till December. Shit, that means I’ll miss boarding season?

 

 

Playlist:

Telepopmusik – trishiak

Radiohead – thinking about you

Flaming lips – ego tripping at the gates of hell

The killers – mr brightside

The strokes – last night

Frou frou – let go

Travis – love will come through

 

I wanted to post so much on the election and the 2 campaigns.  I spent 10 hours of my flight reading on nothing but kerry and bush and blegh, now I just don’t have enough time to sit down and get enough coherent pages across.  Absentee ballot away!