To no one's surprise, Stephen was up a dawn and cracking to go; fortunately, he let me sleep until 8:30am while he made coffee and puttered about the room trying to make just enough noise to wake me, but not enough to make it quite obvious that's what he wanted to do. It was really kind of cute. *grin* The hotel gave us complimentary breakfast tickets, that we redeemed--mm good stuff. A really nice assortment of breakfast foods from a variety of cultures. There was this Thai oatmeal stuff that looked pretty tasty, but I decided that red peppers would probably not be the best thing on my stomach that morning, but maybe for tomorrow. *wink wink*.

Then we headed to out to see the city!! We really could not have asked for a prettier first day. A few rain clouds threated late in the morning, but cleared off with little other than blocking the sun for a few hours and adding to the already oppressive humidity (didn't believe that it could get worse than Houston--welcome to the tropics!). But we braved it, venturing into the vast shopping centers that dominate underneath the city when we needed a break from the heat or when an entrance looked particulary appealing.

We spent most of the day in "old" Singapore and the area right around the hotel. The first thing we did was head across the street to the WWII monument, which is an obilisk made of four free standing pillars joined at the top, with an urn thing in the center surrounded by fountains. Really quite pretty, a fitting testament to the plight of all of East Asia during WWII.

Then we headed down the street, past the Singapore Sporting Club (including several cricket fields--now there's a game I really don't understand), to the Anglican Church, which was built in the 1850s and to this day is not airconditioned. I could not imagine how stifiling it must be when full with the already overbearing humity. It was really pretty on the inside though, and set on some beautiful grounds, that, for whatever reason, were being used partially for downtown parking.

After that we wondered by the Supreme Court and old City Hall, neither of which we were allowed to enter as court was being held in the former, and they were in the middle of a business function in the latter. Neat from the outside though. It's really neat to see the neoclassical facades punctuated by palm trees and giant ferns. A bit of cognitive dissonance, but provides an interesting insight into the mindset that must have built this place.

Past these buildings we came to the landing site of Sir William Raffles, who first opened Singapore up to World Trade, establishing it as the basis of the economy to be resurrected in the 20th century, leading to it's grand economic "miracle". Behind the statue, you can see some of the taller towers of the financial district.

From here, we walked around the main river banks, checking out the sculptures gracing the outside of the Asian Civilizations Museum and the various bridges.

We didn't go into any of the museums today, preferring to enjoy the beautiful weather, and saving those for a rainy day, literally.

In light of the beautiful weather, we decided to take a boat tour of the Singapore River to learn a bit more about the various bridges and buildings along the banks. It was a bit disappointing in this regard, but we got some spectacular pictures from the water, and got to give our feet a rest and sit in the shade.

The bumboat (seriously, that's what they call it!) let us off across the river and we made our way through the Ft. Canning Gardens. It had a little walk way that every so often had signs explaining much of the pre-colonial history of Singapore, as well as pointing out some of the more significant vegetation. The trees here are really amazing, and appear to all coexist with various types of ferns and vines that over the outside of them. It kind of makes them look like something out of a science fiction novel.

About half-way through the park, we stopped at a little shopping center and had lunch at Don's Noodle shop. I had ramen with vegetables and prawns and Stephen had Udon, stealing some of my shrimp if I didn't keep a close eye on him. hehehe. His dexterity with chopsticks allowed him to steal more than a few. After that, we stopped at another little shopping center to pick up some personal items before going back to the hotel to download the pictures and allow me to change shoes. The combination of humidity and a goodly amount of walking meant my feet were pretty swollen, but a brief rest and a more comfortable pair of shoes got us back out on the trail (so to speak), and we caught the MRT (subway) back over to the Canning Gardens to finish the tour there (with freshly cleaned memory cards).

The MRT system here is really swank. Instead of buying tokens or the flimsy paper tickets with magnetic strips (that tear easily or get jammed in the machines), they issue credit card like things, that you merely hold up to the sensor at the subway gates and they let you pass. It doesn't charge you until you exit the system (again by waving the card in front of the sensor). They're also supposed to work the exact same way on the bus system, but we've yet to try that out.

Back to the Ft. Canning gardens, fed and rested, we toured through an old cemetary. In the 1970s they went through and cleared out all of the grave stones, and set them into the walls surrounding the area. They left a few up in one little corner, but the vast majority now form the wall. A really cool idea to say the least, though I imagine that family members of those "transplanted" may not be too thrilled with the idea.

From there, we toured through the spice gardens, most of which were not in flower, but those that were, were quite stunning. I also learned a good bit about the various plants that I eat regularly, but never knew how they grew. For instance, vanilla grows on a vine! So that was pretty cool.

The spice gardens turned onto a working archeological dig site, where most of the knowledge of "Pre-Raffles" Singapore comes from. So we toured through there, learning a good bit about the culture as it was before the arrival of the british. Evidently, they were not the first ones to realize it's potential as a trading post, and spent most of the 1300s, 1400s, and 1500s bouncing from one Asian empire to the next. Not really condusive to trade, I wouldn't think, but it seemed to be enough to keep the area going economically.

At this point it became obvious that we needed more picture space, and just happened to come upon the largest Tech mall in the world. So, naturally, we went in, and found a really good deal on another picture card, and enjoyed looking through some technology that is either unavailable or horrendously expensive in the states, but readily available here. Guess it really does help to be located so close to all the major electronics manufactureres.

Thirsty again, and just around the corner from the historic Raffles Hotel, we stopped in to have a drink and a snack; I could not resist having a Singapore Sling (despite the fact it contains gin *bleah*), and it was surprisingly good. Stephen, being responsible, had lime juice. We shared a platter of satay (Indian/Malay version of shish-kebobs), and being a bit tired, hopped back to our hotel for a nap and a shower (the humidity had taken its toll) before popping over to Chijmes for dinner.

Chijmes is an old nunnery, converted to a shopping mall and set of eateries. We didn't get to go into any of the shops or the old church, as they were closed by the time we got there; but it's on the agenda for tomorrow!!

We had a fabulous dinner at one of the little eateries (Breeze Garden), and Stephen discovered that yes, some people do even put hot chilies in ice cream. My desert was substantially less hot, but just as exotic: Sweet Basil Ice Cream (like green tea ice cream only not as tannin laden, really quite good). Stephen had Salmon for his main course, and I had duck. Mine was fabulous, though the vegetable selection was obviously constructed for looks and not for eating. I resisted the urge to take a picture of it, and picked around the edges as best I could (the center pieces were literally glued in place with cheese--could not get it apart to save my life).

By this point we were both pretty tired, despite the nap, so back to the hotel we went to rest up before hitting the town again tomorrow. Until then!!

Tags: monument,architecture,church,boat trip,garden,park,asia,singapore

I got all the rest of my Aberdeen seeing done! One thing I discovered, the churches are significantly more impressive from the outside than the inside. The outsides will be beautiful Granite Gothic structures, while the insides are usually plain plaster painted a solid color with very little other interior decoration. Not ugly, not pretty, just blah.

I stopped by the tourist information bureau to get information on the castles, and it looks like I will be able to see two before I leave! More info on that later.

I also got to see the Maritime Museum, which turned out to be much cooler than expected. 5 floors divided into two parts: One dedicated to offshore oil and the other to clippers and history of Aberdeen harbor.

The Offshore oil bit included a *huge* model of a rig complete with moving parts, and detailed explanations of every level, as well as the processes involved with getting oil out of the sea floor and to the refining plant.

I enjoyed the history side much more. Each floor had its own theme pertaining to Aberdeen harbor history.

The top floor was the advent of the clipper and the tea trade.

The fourth mostly on sailing ships: navigation tools (that you got to play with!), particulars of making sails, how a sailboat is rigged (complete with mast and boom to show how the pulley systems worked, that one could also play with), and diary exerpts from notable Aberdeenians.

The third floor talked about fishing, all the different methods and what types of fish they're best used to catch, and how the techniques have developed over the years. It also included a pretty detailed explanation of how catch limits are determined in Scotland.

The Second Floor was recent developments including a display on a type of training procedure for offshore oil workers that was developed in Aberdeen. So pretty cool.

Kind of wish you were with me Dad, you would have loved it! Especially the sailing bits.

Later that evening I took Brett and Kaz out for dinner as a thank you for putting up with me. We went to a little place called The Illicit Still. The food was pretty yummy, and the cider was awfully tasty.

The beer here is mostly all lagers, and the one thing I've learned is that I generally like those labeled "Ale" better. Don't know what the difference is; perhaps it's time to learn.

After that, I let Brett talk me into watching his choice of a movie. Brett and I's taste in film rarely coincides, and this one was no exception. This one turned out to be a wretched little piece called Meet the Feebles, evidently by the same director as Lord of the Rings.

Should bode well right? Let's just say this director has come a long LONG way if that's where he started. I only found one bit funny, and I was the only one who caught it. I won't go into anymore of it, frankly because it isn't worth it. Leave it to say the vast majority of the movie was just plain bad taste.

One of the things I've been noticing about my choice in movies is that I really don't appreciate excessive violence or sex. Especially torture. Mostly because I can't comprehend how one human being could do that to another, even with hate running deep. I just can't fathom it. This naturally leaves many really good movies outside of my comfort level. Titus comes to mind. Amazing film, incredibly well done. I couldn't get past the physical abuse neccesary for the progression of the story. Literally couldn't stomach it. *sigh* Perhaps I'm still much more innocent than previously thought.

Don't be mistaken, however, Feebles was NO Titus not by a long shot. So don't run out and rent it thinking you're going to be seeing good film, even from an artistic appreciation, because you would be horribly disappointed.

Then we finished "24". The last four episodes. That was a cliffhanger of a series, with some suprisingly good acting, and the kind of attention to detail that makes or breaks the show. I was really impressed. Too bad the second has already started, otherwise it might be the first television program I would have actively followed.

Tags: europe,scotland,city,museum,art exhibit,architecture,church

Well, it seems like I'm finally starting to destress, which to my body seems to mean sleep. 12 hours of it to be exact. That of course, leads to us getting a pretty late start on the day, but then again the whole point of this wonderfully timed vacation is rest, so no harm done.

We walked about the city after taking a bus into the center, and it strikes me that Aberdeen isn't nearly as old feeling as, say, Edinburgh. But the entire city being made out of granite is really cool, and they have some wonderful old cemetaries that date back into the 1600s.

Another really interesting feature are all the dance clubs and restaraunts that have been made from old abandoned churches. There's even one that features "Seven Deadly Sins Cocktails", and the inside is repleat with torture implements, aged wood, and themed menus. Yes a bit cliche, but really neat none the less.

We also stopped into the Modern Art Museum downtown, and saw some really neat pieces. One was a painting of a rumpled white sheet. Yes sounds dull, but really quite well done. The other was this nifty fountain thing with a cool interlocking copper sphere creation that the sprays of water echo. Quite cool. We didn't get to see all the exhibits though, and plan to go back tomorrow. So more on that later.

Pretty good day. I got some great pictures of the skyline and the statue of William Wallace with a seagull on his head. Right across the park from the Wallace statue was the one of Edward I, the king who executed Wallace. How's that for symmetry. I couldn't get a clear shot of it because of the way the streets and the buildings were. Too bad.

So the rest of today will probably be spent over a GO board after a film. I'm thinking Hamlet. For some reason my trip on the town has me in a Shakespere mood. Go figure. =)

Tags: europe,scotland,aberdeen,architecture,museum