evdog

Koh Samui, Singapore, and Kuala Lumpur

As it turns out my little detour proved to be unnecessary, order has since been restored to Bangkok. Without benefit of a crystal ball or insight into Thai political protestor mentality, better safe than sorry.

My last couple days in Koh Samui were quite relaxed, spent time on the beach and in pursuit of fresh seafood. Before leaving Thailand I was determined to give one local bar munchy food a try, bugs. At at a local pub I sampled BBQ grasshoppers, small beetles, and grubs. If I didn’t look too close and sort of ignored the texture, they only made me mildly queasy. I can’t say I’m a big fan.

A second visit is always easier, making the second time around in Singapore a stress free trip. Despite the fact I really liked my last hostel, I switched it up and stayed in a different one in Little India. Much like the first time through, the fellow travelers proved to be an interesting mix of people. Relatively cheap beer, at least compared to the Singapore bars, and a nice patio combined to provide a lively evening of discussion.

My only real task in Singapore was to purchase a Japan Rail Pass, a must have for my Japan visit and only available for purchase outside of Japan. After a quick breakfast of dumplings in Chinatown, I tracked down the travel agency licensed to sell the pass. The agent posed a question, green car or coach? Crap, I had not researched the difference. Not one to purchase much of anything without first consulting Google, I spent the better part of two hours trying to find wi-fi. Thanks to a friendly barista at Starbucks, I was offered a complimentary login and hunted down an answer - going with standard coach.

The next morning I caught the early train to Kuala Lumpur. The seven hour journey was certainly comfortable, but not overly scenic, primarily dense jungle with the occasional farm settlement. Sitting two seats in front of me in a rather empty car were two guys from Seattle. They were on there way to Bangkok before starting a combined bus/train journey all the way to Beijing. The 50 hour “express” train sounded a little long for my liking.

Kuala Lumpur proved to be interesting, but a bit vanilla - big city, multicultural, Chinatown, Little India, food stalls, and mega shopping malls. I had a couple great meals, one excellent Malaysian meal at a little restaurant next to the hostel. Claiming ignorance, I took the owners recommendation and was pleasantly surprised by a spicy chicken dish with coconut rice, pickled fish, and roasted peanuts.

I took a walk over to KL’s #1 attraction, the massive Petronas Twin Towers. They strike an impressive profile, especially at night, dwarfing the rest of the city like a water tower looming over a small town on the Minnesota praire. Keeping with the night market theme, I checked out the Little India night market, where I had an excellent corn stuffed pancake.

My last task of operation Exit Thailand was to do laundry. It being a Saturday I was unable to find a shop willing to complete the job by end of day. The spector of arriving in Japan to greet Mr. Nakagawa, my gracious host in Tokyo, smelling rank and looking dingy had me searching for a self serve laundromat. Google revealed an answer and even a map, but both proved to be less than accurate. After getting ripped off by a cabby, I arrived at the destination, Happy Self Service Laundry, only to learn be informed in a mocking tone that “self service not mean self service”. OK…then what does it mean? My tone won me no friends. Not a bright spot in intercultural relations. The shop three stores down agreed to turn it around by 5pm. With time to kill I had the spiciest bowl of soup to date. The spicy brew initiated a crazy ten minute rapid fire hiccup fit. The patrons were giving me funny looks (more accurately stated, funnier looks, given that I’m generally met in Asia with utter befuddlement), as machine gun like hiccups escaped the giant. The amused waitress brought me a glass of water.

I write this aboard an Air Malaysia flight to Tokyo. Thanks to cousin Sada, I will be greeted at Exit A by Mr. Nakagawa. I look forward to spending some time exploring Tokyo before making use of my rail pass.

Have had difficulty finding wi-fi, a day has passed. There was a regular welcoming party waiting to greet me upon arrival in Tokyo, a couple of Sada’s friends and one of his former instructors, Mr. Shibuya. After arriving in several airports on this trip by my lonesome, it was a welcome change. I spent the day getting acclimated. Mr. Nakagawa introduced me to his neighborhood, pointing out the affordable restaurants, subway stops, and 7-11s. I will save the details for when my iPod is fully charged.