A Brief View of Vietnam

Heyo,

The two weeks following our trip to Thailand was compromised of a mad rush to study for our finals and take them. On Wed Dec 1st, both Dan and I completed our last final in our Statistics class. We then headed downtown to celebrate a little bit. The next morning we headed to Vietnam, which is what most this post will cover. I set up the trip with the intent that we would experience the culture of Vietnam the second day and the history the third. We arrived in Vietnam around 2pm and made it through the very strict customs. (We had to do a lot of work prior to leaving Singapore so that we would be allowed into the country) We spent the afternoon visiting the main attractions of Ho Chi Minh City (previously called Saigon). Just for those who are wondering, Ho Chi Minh was the leader of the country (the vietcong in particular) during its most difficult times including the Vietnam War. He is considered the only father of the country and a very respected man, thus the reason of the name change of the city. In addition, all women who sent their sons to the war are considered the mothers of the country. To the right you see me flashing the peace sign in the post office of Ho Chi Minh City. If you look at the pictures linked

at the bottom you will see that most of the buildings appear from france, which is because of their presence there in the early 1900's.

Because of this, the city is nicknamed the orient of Paris. The next day we signed up for a tour to go see the Mekong Delta, which is the most southern part of Vietnam and also the most fertile land which makes it good

for farming. The picture to the left shows me on one of the boats we were riding through the jungle. We ate food cooked by inhabitants on a island and listened to them play music. The food was amazing, although at the time I was a little concerned about getting sick, but all turned out well. The next day we headed to Cu Chi Tunnels which is located in the city of Cu Chi. This is where the Vietnam War took place. The north (Vietcong) lead by Ho Chi Minh were north of the city while the American and southern Vietnam were located to the south. The Vietcong constructed over 270 km of tunnels to transport warriors and keep women and children safe. These tunnels were very complex with areas to diffuse smoke, air holes, and entrances located in strategic places with escape routes that lead to the Saigon river, where they would emerge under water. The tunnels were constructed small to prevent Americans from maneuvering easily in them. While at the Cu Chi Tunnels we also learned about contraptions used to horribly injure American soldiers,

it was very fascinating and pictures of these contraptions can be found in the link below. We were allowed to go through a 40 meter section of one of the tunnels which was enlarged to make the task easier, however it was still significantly small and a little nerve racking, since there was no light. The picture to the right shows Dan ahead of me. We had our backpacks with all of our stuff which made it even harder. Our tour guide told us of a story where an American Vietnam Veteran came to see the tunnels. He weighed 120kg and was urged not to go because of the possibility of getting stuck, however he said that he had to see them and wanted to before he died. He did get stuck, and after pulling on him from both directions they got him out, and although very bloody he was just so happy to have seen it. They were really neat! After we arrived back in Ho Chi Minh City, Dan and I went to the War Remnants Museum. It is a highly controversial museum but I really wanted to see it and learn more about it. Although I wasn't expecting what I was about to see. The first floor was laid our with hundreds of pictures of deformed Vietnamese from Agent Orange along with all the weapons used in the war (this floor was by far the most horrifying), the second floor consisted of war pictures and the Vietcong side of the story while the third floor consisted of letters and news paper and magazine pictures from the US (the US story was here although probably slightly biased by the Vietnamese). Outside was a replica of the jail cells. We spent about 3 hours here and I learned just about everything you could about the war. I'll probably never forget it.. Soon after we got some dinner and then headed to the air port to fly back to Singapore.

We found it really interesting, that after all of this stuff that the US has done to the Vietnamese that they all still love Americans and were possibly the friendlies inhabitants that we have visited. Our tour guide of the Cu Chi Tunnels said it very well at the end, "we thank you for coming to see this part of our history, we are not here to say that we were in the right or were smarter, we are here just to show our way of fighting and its the one of the few parts of our history that we have pride in." Another tid bit of information is even though Vietnam is still considered a communist state, it is a very forward thinking communist state. They call themselves communist, but for every major decision that they have, they send out surveys to the public to get their input, which is why some call it a fake communist country or communist with a democratic spin. The country is moving forward fast and will probably in no time be just as developed as Singapore. Ho Chi Minh City will be opening the longest under water highway tunnel in south easy asia in the next year and have 4 metro train systems being installed. All in all, the trip was by far the most educational of all the trips that we have done, and I would highly recommend it. And the food was amazing! If you would like to see more photos which will tell the story with more detail click here.

In approximately 9 hours I will be heading to the airport to catch my plane back home. My study abroad experience here at Singapore was eye opening and definitely worth my time. I look forward to telling you all more about it when I get home. This will be my last post. Thanks for reading, I hope you enjoyed it!

This is Brett Hauser Signing off from Signapore!! Later

Thailand (Phuket, Koh Phi Phi, and Krabi)

Whats Up,

Dan and I went to Thailand this last weekend. We arrived at Patong Beach, Phuket, Thailand Friday night with the hope to see some of the towns crazy night life, however it was raining... So we ate some dinner at a Lebanon restaurant, pictured right, which was really good and then hit the hay with the hope that it would be sunny for the rest of our trip. We woke up Saturday morning to a little drizzle although it cleared up pretty quickly. We walked around the Patong beach, had some lunch, and then caught our taxi to the ferry terminal located on the other side of Phuket which took us to Koh Phi Phi, a tropical island paradise. By the way Koh translates to Island.

After a short ferry ride we arrived at Koh Phi Phi. It was amazing, there were limestone cliffs that shot straight out of the water with blue water surrounding them.

That evening we walked around the island which is really small and for the most part compromised of only paths, and thus no cars are seen unless you venture out of the tourist haven. It was by far the coolest atmosphere I have ever been in, very relaxing, with very friendly inhabitants and visitors. After walking around a little bit we decided to visit the fish doctor. A pic of this can be found to the left. We had seen this in Bali, Indonesia but never tried it. Basically you walk in and have your feet scrubbed by friendly staff so that later when you put your feet in to the fish tanks you don't harm the fish. As you put your feet in the tank you feel a bunch of little slippery things attaching to your leg, which are teeth-less fish that suck along your leg and improve circulation and remove dead skin. It was scary at first but then became very comfortable. It was definitely a high point of the night. We then got some ice cream and then headed to one of the beach parties to discover Phi Phi's night life. It was pretty cool. The next morning we woke up somewhat early to go snorkeling. It was one of the most beautiful things I have ever done. The fish were so colorful and the water was so blue, clear, and endless (we could see 50 feet down with no trouble). Our tour guide asked if anyone wanted to see sharks and so Dan, I, another guy on our boat said yes. And sure enough after following him for a while, we came across a group of sharks measuring 15 feet or longer, and looking just like greatwhites, but our tour guide called them sea sharks, so not 1oo percent sure if they were, but nonetheless it took my breath away. To the right is Dan and I on our long tail boat, which can be seen if you click the link at the bottom of the post. Long tail boats get their name because of the huge tail they have which is a shaft with a prop on one end and the engine on the boat side. Its the only way of getting around and is pretty efficient. They carry 5 to 12 people. After a little snorkeling at two different places our tour guide took us to maya bay, a tourist favorite and then cliff jumping, which was also wild. Then right before we headed back into shore he stopped so that we could see some monkeys which can be seen at the bottom. Soon after getting back to Phi Phi we caught a ferry to Krabi, where sadly the trip turned for the worst. The tour book that I have for Thailand really recommended eating at the street side shops along the pier. The food was really good, although around 430 am I thought differently when I got to taste it all again. Dan and I both got pretty sick and since we had already bought tickets to Railey beach we woke up early to ride a long tail boat to Railey beach which was really beautiful, although Dan and I just laid on the beach for the 6 hours until our ferry came to pick us up to head back to Phuket. It was a bit of a downer, but we definitely got in some good relaxation on the beach. Overall our trip to Thailand has been my favorite yet though, especially Koh Phi Phi. The locals were amazingly friendly and didn't beg for our business, a completely different atmosphere then Bali, Indonesia. More pics can be found if you click here.

We have 20 days left until we head home, however these next three weeks are going to be the hardest. Finals start Saturday and go on for two weeks, however we both have our last final on the 1st and so we are going to go check out Vietnam before we head back to the states on the 6th. I probably wont post again until after our Vietnam trip. Thanks for reading and hope all is well in the states,

Later,

Brett

Cousin Laura and Mom visit Singapore

Hey,

Last weekend my Mom and Cousin Laura arrived in Singapore to visit for a week. I spent the whole weekend touring Singapore with them along with a few nights last week after classes. We spent Friday checking out Clarke Quay and then Saturday we hit up Sentosa Island and the new Marina Bay Sands Resort (which I hadnt toured yet) followed by a little walk around the bay. The resort was really neat, and just as we had been told the water flowed right over the edge of the building from the pool.

It was pretty wild. A pic of us on top the Resort can be found to the right. Sunday they toured my campus and then we did a 5 mile hike through a bunch of parks connected in the city. In addition to these little adventures they toured a Budhist, a Hindu, and a Islam temple along with China town and Little India. They learned a little about the history of Singapore at the Singapore Museum. Overall it was a really fun time and I am glad they could make it. More pics can be found here.

In a hour I am leaving for Thailand and so will post again when we get back on Tuesday. Hope everything is going well in the states.

Until then, later,

Brett

12 Hours in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Hey There,

Over the past weekend Dan and I went to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. We left from Singapore at 12am on sleeper bus bound for KL. We had to go through customs a half hour into the trip but then quickly fell into a deep sleep until our arrival at Times Square in Kuala Lumpur at 4am. This trip was suppose to take 5.5 to 6 hours but took a mere 3.5 hours because of lack of traffic. We didnt get much sleep... The bus dropped us off at the times square bus stop, everybody seemed to have somewhere to go but us, if felt kind of weird. We had no food (besides some peanuts) and were soon to find out no money (couldnt exchange money until 10am). So we sat around watching the homeless sleep until about 6 when we asked a times square hotel security guard if we could use their bathrooms. We had gone in there earlier to see if they could exchange our money however wern't treated very nicely since we wern't paid customers. The security guard was friendly though and said to not worry, so we brushed our teeth and then left for Batu Caves, located 7 miles north of Kuala Lumpur (KL) via a cab who said he would

accept our singapore money. We arrived at the caves around 645, although they didnt open until 730am but got to see the morning religious ritual (Batu Caves is a Hindu Temple). A guy who appeared to be exercising stopped to talk to us while we sat on the street curb. He was very friendly and happy to see us. He recommended taking the tube, or the train back into the city for a cheaper method of travel, and so he exchanged some money for us so that we could pay for the train. He was awful nice. The caves were cool but dont have a whole lot other to say about them. By the way those are some 280 stairs to the left of the statue, used to get into the cave. Quite a hard task when you are really tired.. We then caught the train to the KL Center where we ate some breakfast and got some coffee which helped for a few hours.. Soon after, we rode the Light Rail to the KL Tower which had a 360 degree view of the city. It was really informative and had a tight view. After this we ate some lunch, and then walked through downtown KL to get to the Petronas Towers, 3rd tallest towers in the world, they were the tallest in 2004. To the right is a picture of the Petronas Towers, although not taken by me, it started to rain so I couldn't get a shot.. Tickets to get a view from the bridge half way up are very hard to come by. People wait in line starting at 5am and then sales start at 8 and all tickets for the day are sold out by 830am. I had read online though that if you go in during the afternoon and just stood by the ticket office, sometimes people didnt show up for their time slot and so you could take their spot. We were quite lucky, and sure enough two tickets were available, so we got to see the view, although not as cool as the KL tower, still really neat. The picture of the bottom is of Dan and I and a man from Nigeria who had to have a picture with us. He was really friendly guy. It then started to down pour and so we took a cab back to time square to eat dinner and catch our bus back to Singapore at 430pm. Overall the trip was quite an adventure, but I think just about the right amount of time. Gotta tell you though I was a little worried about how the day was going to turn out when we were dropped off at 4am and we found out about our predicament. If you want to see more photos you can click here. We only have 5 weeks left here, time is flying. My mom and cousin are coming next week, thailand the week after, finals, and then a mini trip to Vietnam before we hitch a ride back to home sweet home. Hope all is going well back in the states. Ill post again next week.

Until then, have a good one,

Brett

Quick Update

Hey there, I just thought I would write a quick update since I havn't posted in a while. School has been keeping me really busy. In the second half of the semester here is when all the classes do their labs, it makes life pretty hectic, but I am just about done with all of them. Other then school work I have just been trying to enjoy Singapore. Last friday I went climbing to a local boulder (climbing with no rope under 20 ft) spot here and had a real good time, the atmosphere was pretty tight and everybody was really nice. So I hope to do that more often. With that being said though, I only have 7 weeks left here, I have 4 more weeks of classes, a study week and then two weeks of finals. As far as expected upcoming trips. The weekend of the 30th of October we plan to go to Kuala Lumpur Malaysia, the week after that my mom and cousin Laura will be coming here to check out Singapore. Which should be fun! The week after that is our study week which we will be spending part of in Thailand and then after our finals we are going to make a quick trip to Vietnam before our trip back to the states. It is all coming to an end real fast.. Dont have much other news then that, hope everyone is having a good fall season, I will post again after our trip to Malaysia in two weeks.

Until then, later,

Brett

BALI, Indonesia

Hey there, from the 18th through the 24th Dan and I were in Bali. It is an island located in southern indonesia known for its night life and tropical get away. Most of the visitors are Australians. It was a 2 and a half hour flight from Singapore. We arrived in Kuta on Saturday night the 18th and headed to a resort for the first two nights. Kuta is the heart of the night life in Bali and is located on the southern tip and is also known internationally as one of the best places to go surfing. Upon unloading our stuff we headed to a local bar called Uncle Norms, more relaxed type of bar then most in Kuta. Sunday we rented some surf boards on the beach and hit the waves. We were using the bigger boards, not the short boards, so within a short amount of time, both Dan and I were getting up no problem, it was alot of fun. The pic to the left is of me holding the money I converted to rupiah, the bills are 100,000, and I just so happened to have a little over 2.9 million in my hands, no big deal or anything.

Monday we decided to rent some mopeds to get around the island for

the next four days. Because of safety and liability issues most people opt to rent a driver and a car for the day, however we were looking for some adventure and freedom and a cheaper method of transportation. I never thought that I would actually be driving in the crazy no rules indonesian traffic. However after driving for four days, I have a new respect for their rules or lack of them when it comes to driving. Basically larger vehicles have the right away, and little vehicles like mopeds can weave in and out of traffic but use theirs horns with the larger cars help to do so safely. The horn is method of communication rather then a way to away to show your anger. The reason why I think they are doing it right, is because everybody has to be an active driver, no traffic lights, no stop signs, no rules. You communicate with the cars around you and everybody is alert, and so you are always ready for something to happen. With that being said it is quite a tiring process. To the right you can see my moped.

Monday night we stayed in Ubud, its a pretty large city. We only had reservations made for our first two nights in Kuta, so we didnt know what it was going to be like getting a room. However as soon as we arrived in Ubud, hotel managers were riding around trying to get us to come to their hotel, so we could barter as we rode along. It was very efficient, and after going with one and checking out the room, we batered even farther getting the room for 120,000 when he wanted 300,000 for it, they were really hard up for cash, and we found the walk away to be very effective. By the way 9,500 is about 1 dollar US. In the morning we got our free breakfast delivered to our room. Their were monkeys all around us on the roof of the hotel and running along the telephone wires, it was pretty crazy. Dan didnt want his papaya and so in a matter of seconds of him standing up, a monkey dropped from our roof and started eating, it was pretty funny (pic to the left). After breakfast, we checked out a temple in Ubud, and as if we hadnt seen enough monkeys, we went into a monkey forest to see hundreds more.

We then headed out for Mt. Batur with the plan of stopping along the way to see the rice paddies which can be seen to the right. They were pretty magnificent. Now, one of the down sides of riding a moped is that cops can pull you over for no reason and ask for millions of dollars if you dont have a international license or an indonesian license. (They are quite corrupt although they have been doing a good job taking out terrorist groups in Bali) Anyways, we read up about how to handle this situation before we left in case we encountered it. Dan read somewhere that you can try to convince the Police that your license from the US is international. So low and be hold, as we were climbing the mountain on our mopeds, we come around a corner, and there was 5 officers motioning us to pull over. After stopping we showed them our insurance, which thank goodness was in order, and then they told us that we didnt have the right license, and so we started our attempt to convince them otherwise. It was pretty humerous, although at the time, we were trying to keep a straight face, but the fact is they really didnt have a clue if it was or not, they just wanted money, but after 15 minutes they gave up and said we could continue on. We were pretty thrilled, although we had only about 100,000 in our wallets and the rest in our bags, so they wouldnt have gotten much.. We arrived at Mt Batur and instantly a guy names Tobali befriended us and showed us around, basically took us to his friends restaurants and hotels, but it was all good, he was really helpful and it was all cheap. He spent the whole day with us, taking us to the most sacred

indonesian temple on Mt Anung.

Wednesday morning we woke up at 330 am and were driven to the base of Mt. Batur, a 5 minute drive. Mt Batur is an active volcano and famous for its sunrise views from the top. We had to pay for a guide earlier the day before, since it is all monitored by the government. (another way to get money from tourist) Our group was compromised of a french couple, a german couple, two french girls from london, and another french guy (alot of French!). It was a really good group though, and we all became friends pretty fast, picture of group is in the photos link at the bottom. It was a very strenuous hike and we pretty much sweated all the way through all of our clothes (just t shirt and shorts at that time). It took about 2 hours to get to the summit, and we all got there around 6am, however we couldnt see more then a few feet because it was literally in the clouds. It was also really cold, but that was ok since we brought dry clothes and a sweatshirt, so all was good. Our two guides cooked eggs on the steaming rocks which was pretty neat and really tasty. We then started down a different, longer way with the hope of seeing a good view, since at this point we still hadnt seen the inside of the volcano. About 800 ft down from the summit, it cleared for a little bit so that we could get a pretty good view, everybody was pretty excited. The crater was HUGE, and actually a Sweden kid fell down and died last spring, (first death on the mountain) and so they told us about that, and showed us where it happened. About 6 hours from when we left we arrived back at the base, said good bye to our trek mates and then headed back to the hotel to pack up so we could continue are trip up to the Northern part of the island at Lovina Beach.

We spent a night at Lovina beach, watched a Bali Dance Show and did some swimming, and then thursday morning we started our trip back south to Kuta. Along the way we stopped at the Gigit waterfall, which was refreshing and then tanah lot temple on the south western side which had some pretty good views. We arrived in Kuta around 4pm thankful to be safe and without any incident with our bikes. The renters were also really relieved I think, since we had worked up a deal for a little bit more dough, that we wouldnt be responsible for anything, even the theft of the bike, they just wanted cash so bad they signed our agreement and probably prayed that nothing would happen. Thursday night we once again spent at Uncle Norms, they always have live music after 8pm which was really nice. Friday we went to the beach to get thrown around by the waves some more and decided to try our luck with the short boards which didnt go so well, but was fun none the less. We then hired a driver to take us to a temple on the southeast side and then the airport after that. The pic below is of me at the temple. Whenever you go to a temple you need to rent one of the little dresses as you can see, so we always looked pretty goofy.

Overall it was a really fun trip. One thing I wasn't expecting though, was the begging for our business, they dont understand the word NO, and by the end you just learn that you just ignore them or give them a wave of your hand. Although some, girls who wanted to give us massages, would follow us all the way down the street, rubbing our arms, as if we were going to change our minds, it was kind of annoying, but I guess part of the culture. I think Todd, the husband of the french couple that we climbed with summed Bali up pretty well, "Theirs three religions here, hindu, buddhism, and muslim, but they all have the same god... the RUPIAH." But with that all being said, everybody we encountered were very friendly, and one guy even took the time to draw us a map of Ubud, because we kind of got lost. More pics can be found here. I have got a pretty busy week coming up here with some midterms, so I probably wont post for another two weeks. But until then, have a good one, Brett

A Little Update

Hey there, Just thought I would write a quick update since it has been a while. This last Saturday we finally got our student pass which is shown to the right. It was quite an ordeal, they are quite particular about how things are done. We had brought a picture of ourselves since we were told to, but it was not adequate even though we had followed all the passport photo rules so we had to go get another one (looks a little more scary then my other one), in the midst of all the chaos at the immigration building. But after about 2 hours we were official with this card which is now scanned every time we cross through customs, making the process very fast. I'll finally be able to feel like a local at customs, wont have to wait in the long lines. After getting our passes we got some lunch and set out on an adventure to get Dan a backpacking backpack. We ended up at a place where there was a bunch of shops selling backpacks via bartering. We spent the rest of the afternoon bartering with the owners before finally making a decision. I brought my backpacking backpack from home but felt the need to get a small hydration pack as well. I had a general idea what the backpacks went for but was not positive, so when we got back to our rooms we looked online at an outdoors website and found out that we had done a pretty good job, Dan saved 30 US on his backpack, and I 10 US. It was a pretty good feeling. Not much other news though. Next week we will be leaving for Bali Indonesia which is about a 2 and half hour flight form Singapore. We will be there during our semester break and will be leaving on the 18th and returning on the 24th. We plan to do some surfing and then travel around the island, with the hope of climbing one of the volcanoes called Mt Batur.

Ill post again when we get back from the trip, hopefully with a bunch of pictures,

Until then, have a good one,

Brett

Closing Ceremony for Youth Olympic Games in Singapore

Hey there, Yesterday night (Thursday) we hit up the youth olympic games closing ceremony in downtown Singapore. We got tickets about 2 weeks ago for 15 dollars each. Upon arrival we got an official olympics canvas party bag which included a lit up hat (pictured at bottom), flags, food, noise makers and other little light toys. It brought back memories of birthday parties and the included party favors. Anyways it was a really neat ceremony and very motivational, although it was pretty warm and humid. There were shows and fireworks put on by Singapore and then the normal olympics closing ordeal and then China the next summer YOG host put on a little show. Some more additional info: The actual stage is a like a barge which floats in the bay. It is able to be moved around on the water and is called the float @ marina bay. The winter YOG will be held in austria 2012 and summer will be held in China 2014. For those of you who dont know this was the first youth olympic games ever, the people in Singapore are pretty proud of it. If you want to see more pics of this outing click here.

We dont really know yet what we are going to be doing this weekend, but whatever it is, it will be pretty chill. Ill plan on posting again in a week er so.

Until then have a good one,

Brett

Bintan, Indonesia

Dan and I went to Bintan Indonesia over the weekend starting on Friday the 20th. We wire transferred money to a man who owned the resort about a week before we left and then shortly after we started receiving emails about our reservation. They sounded very happy to meet us and said that there would be a man at the ferry terminal to give us a ride back to the resort. We left friday afternoon around 130 and started our journey to Indonesia, we had to ride a bus for about a half hour, then the train for about a half hour and then a bus again for about a half hour before we reached the ferry terminal on the eastern side of singapore. Upon waiting to board two ladies came up to us and asked if we were going to Yasin Bungalow Resort, which we were. They were very friendly and happy to meet us and happened to be the weekend manager and one of the workers. They told us there was another 7 visitors on the boat as well and that we should just look for them after we got through customs. We then departed Singapore at 630 bound for Bintan. Two hours later we arrived at the TG Pinang port in Bintan, made it through customs and hopped in to a van with 7 other guys from NUS who were german exchange students, as well as the resort driver, and the two ladies. It was about a 45 minute crazy drive to the resort. The city is packed with motor bikes and everybody weaves in and out of traffic at very high speeds, it was a little bit nerve racking. Upon arriving at the resort we found out that there was about another 20 exchange students there from SMU, another college in Singapore. We then spent the rest of the night and into the wee morning hours hanging out with our peers at the resort bar and diner along the beach. There were students from Germany, Canada, Malaysia, Spain, and France.

We woke up saturday morning to go snorkeling with a our new snorkels that we bought the day before at a Scuba Shop in Singapore. We went out pretty far to where there were rocks in the water, we didn't see anything huge, however did see a bunch of really cool fish and different critters. I dont know what most of the fish were called, but did see the yellow and white striped coral fish. They all seemed so calm and didnt seem to mind us which was neat.

The downside of this adventure was that I underestimated the morning sun and got a pretty burnt back and neck, although after lunch we spent the rest of the day hanging out on different beaches along the coast with sunscreen on. To get to different beaches we were transported for free by the resort in the vehicle to the left. We then hung out with the other exchange students (The night manager is a DJ and had music blasting all night) and then hit the hay. We had lunch sunday and then the resort took us to the port for departure at 130. The ride back was real interesting, since the night we arrived we hadn't seen all the shacks along the road outside of the city. It is definitely a poverty stricken country, although they all had big grins and waved to our driver. The city was packed just as friday night and was interesting watching the driver maneuver around everybody. Our boat left around 140 and we were back at our residence in Singapore by 630. The trip was a good get away, although we were happy to get back through customs in Singapore and then finally back to our rooms. Overall we spent 125 US on the room, visa, transportation, food, and drinks. It was a pretty cheap get away. More pictures can be found if you click here. The pictures at the end are right before we got to the port, they dont really do justice to the craziness, but through them in anyway.

As far as this upcoming week, we start tutorials, which are break away classes. There is alot of homework that I need to get completed before them. On Thursday Dan and I got tickets for the closing ceremony of the Youth Olympic Games, which should be neat. I will let you know how it goes.

Until then,

Brett

Downtown Singapore Clarke / Boat Quay

Hey there, I had my first week of classes last week. I am taking Statistics Engr based, Mechanic of Fluids, Environmental Engr and Micro Biology, and an art and history class. All of my teachers are really good and are real good at keeping their students attention, so it should be a good semester in the academic department. Last night (Saturday) Dan and I went downtown to see a part that we havnt yet. Its along the Singapore river and goes by the name of Clarke Quay and Boat Quay and is really where all the night life occurs in Singapore. We walked around for a little bit and then got some drinks and sat on the "bridge" which is in the center of Clarke Quay and where alot of our fellow classmates meet up and hang out for the night. While we were sitting there we noticed triangles flying over the river just a little ways up the shoreline. We decided to check it out and and found out it was actually rc planes made out of kites with led's all over them to light them up. They had a store near by that sold them and had info about them, so I picked up a business card so I could look at them back to my room. They are really cool, and if you want to watch a movie of them or see pics click here. Supposedly 3 years ago for Singapore's 42nd national day, they flew 42 of them over the harbor. Anyways I found it all real interesting. If you want to see more pics of our adventure at Clarke Quay click here. I probably wont post again until a week from this monday. We are planning on going to Bintan Indonesia next weekend which is about a 55 min boat ride south of Singapore.

Until then, peace,

Brett

Singapore National Day August 9th

Monday night Dan and I headed downtown to help Singapore celebrate its birthday. 45 years ago on August 9th Singapore became independent. It was a pretty cool celebration with a lot of music. There was even an air show that completely blew my mind, I have never seen jets do such rediculous maneuvers so close to buildings. There was then a firework show which was quite brief but full of colorful fireworks being shot off from 9 different locations around the bay but mostly in the center of the bay. At the conclusion of the show, Dan and I moved to the waters edge to take some pictures as can be seen to the left. If you like to see more pics of the night click here.

We started class today, tuesday which went really well. I really like the professors that I have met so far. With that being said though, I will probably not post again for about a week. Hope everybody is doing good.

Thanks for reading,

Brett

PS: it has been brought to my attention that my Sentosa post may have been a little misleading, the island it self was not man made, although the island has been enlarged, the only man made part to it is the beach.

The Singapore Zoo, Little India, and China Town

On Friday Dan and I went to the famous Singapore Zoo located 3 transfers and a hour and a half bus ride away. The Zoo has no fences, and most of the animals are free to roam around, meaning some will even come up to your feet. Its really cool! The more dangerous animals such as the lions have a little moat between them and the path, although the moat seems awful small... The Zoo also has a night safari which starts when it gets dark, around 7pm. So before the night safari we went to KFC and got a family dinner since we were both famished. We surprisingly finished all of the food. We bought tickets for both the zoo and the safari since we had came so far to see it. However what we didnt understand is that we bought walking tickets only. So when it came to getting into the vehicle we were told that we could only walk, however as we were exiting another staff person came up and directed us to a vehicle. We tried to explain that we didnt have the ticket to do so, but because of the language barrier he was confused and so were we, so we just took the ride. It was a pretty cool ride, the path it took was actually separate from the regular zoo and so we saw animals that you dont see in the zoo such as the laughing hyena. Afterwards we walked the path which was incredibly humid and hot since the night part of the zoo is located in a rainforest. All in all though it was alot of fun, minus the bus rides. More pics of the Zoo animals can be found if you click here.

Sunday we went to Little India and China Town. The smells and craziness of both places was mind boggling. We walked around Little India to experience the India culture as best as possible and then went to Mustafa which is a huge shopping center located in Little India which is basically 5 Sams Clubs on top of each other, starting 3 floors below ground. This place has everything you could ever need, it was amazing and quite confusing. It should be noted that the Indian community is pretty close knit in Singapore and so many come here to shop no matter where they live in Singapore. China Town was a short train ride away from Little India, so we decided to check it out. It wasn't quite as exciting as Little India

but had a lot of food to offer, so we had some meat (kind of like beef jerky) which was really good. I also took a picture of a fruit called a durian, which has a spiky shell and a very distinct smell. It is only found in South East Asia. Some people love the smell, I am one of those people, and some cant stand it, therefore it is prohibited in any public transportation or public area. A professor at ISU recommended that I try it, and since I saw it today I thought I would take a picture of it, but have not yet tried it, but I do plan to. You can find more pictures of our Little India and China Town trip if you click here.

Later,

Brett

Singapore's Sentosa Island

Today (Thursday) Dan and I and our friend from University of Arizona, Darryl went to one of Singapore's main attractions, Sentosa Island. It has just about anything you could dream of, if you have the money to pay for it that is. The island is completely man made and is still having new additions and more sand brought in each day. A tram takes you to the island where you can de-board at peak of the island or the beach on the southern side. We decided to hit up the top to see if there was anything free to look at. We started by walking through the rainforest on the island when we heard a shriek above us and saw that they had a zip line. So out of the blue we decided we were going to ride that to get to the beach. It just so happens that it was one of the most expensive attractions, but definitely worth it. You cant possibly arrive at the beach with any cooler fashion then falling from the sky. They hooked us up all on separate zip lines next to each other and then without warning let us all go. It was quite an adrenaline rush. I even took pictures while riding. Upon arriving at the beach we walked around, crossed a bridge that brought us to an even smaller island that had a sign stating that it was the southern most point of Asia. It made us wonder what Indonesia is part of. We then played around the beach before sitting down at a restaurant to get some dinner. The meal was delectable as can be seen below. The water and view across the ocean however was lacking because of ships waiting to get into the port as seen to the bottom right. But I guess thats what you get for a commercialized city. If you would like to see more pictures of this journey please click here.

Thats all I got,

Brett

Singapore's Parks

Tuesday and Wednesday Dan and I decided to explore Singapore's Parks. Tuesday we went out to conquer a 6 mile hike that connected 3 huge parks that were located throughout the city. We started at Reflections of Buikit and Kent Ridge and then headed to Telok Blangah and then finished with Mt Faber, one of the highest points in Singapore at 106m above sea level. We started at a few meters above sea level.. These parks are connected via different bridges. There are steel walkways (pictured left) which travel above the tree tops with a height of 10 to 60 feet above ground. It provided us with stunning views. In addition to this steel bridge we crossed the Alexander Arch which is a pedestrian bridge shaped like a curved leaf and then the Henderson Waves pedestrian bridge which is an engineering marvel. (Pictured right)

This 11o ft high bridge is the last link before arriving at Mt. Faber. The hike was much more strenuous then expected with hundreds of stairs and a constant incline. Although the views made it well worth it. We then descended to Vivo City where we caught a bus to bring us back

to PGP.

On Wednesday morning we went to Botanic Gardens. This is a lush oasis far away from the skyscrapers in downtown Singapore. There are about 8 miles of path surrounding three lakes with cafes sprinkled throughout the park.

It is a good place to escape the commerce and wild side of the city. There are numerous trees that tower over 100 feet with massive above ground roots, along side many tropical plants and flowers. There are numerous art pieces made of stone that can be found throughout the park which just add to its uniqueness. As Dan and I left the gates of the garden we were quickly brought back to reality when we found out that we didnt have enough money on our ezlink cards to get back to campus. So we got to spend some more time in downtown Singapore trying to find a top up machine. We got back to PGP around 4 and then chilled for the rest of the night playing ultimate around campus. More pics can be found of these two hikes if you click here.

Later,

Brett

2nd day in Singapore: Mass Transit

This is a picture of a view from my room on the 11th floor at night. More photos of the arrival and my room in Singapore can be found if you click here. Yesterday, Monday, Dan and I decided to go to VivoCity to get our cell phones. VivoCity is a huge mall, very comparable to Mall of America. It took some planning to get there though. The bus drivers speak very little if any english and so preparations need to be made first so you know where you are going. The transit system here is pretty amazing though, you can get anywhere in Singapore for about 1.50. All you need is a EZ link which is card that you scan whenever you get on a method of transportation and then you scan it again when you get off. It measures the distance you travel and charges you accordingly with a max around 1.50. We did have to make one transfer to get to the mall, and luckily did so without any trouble. The bus to the mall was a double decker which was fun to ride. We have been trying to get cell phones ever since we got here but have had quite a communication barrier when talking to dealers. We now understand though that cell phones are hand phones and that prepaid is called top up card. It is definitely good to have that purchase behind us now though. Its been quite humid and warm here, but at least is no longer raining. There is a strong breeze that comes off the ocean, and since my room is above most other towers around me, I get pretty good circulation in my room. Thats bout all the news I got.

Until next time,

Peace, Brett

The Longgg Flight

Well Dan and I started our trip at 530 am here in this pic as we departed from our families in Des Moines. While waiting at the gate in Des Moines we couldnt help but notice this guy (skinny old chinese man who looked a little bit rough) who was yelling into his phone, "whats time, time, time, time, no clock clock, time there" over and over and over until we boarded. One of us kind of joked about the chance of him sitting next to us on the flight. We didnt see him again until we boarded the plane for our 14 hour ride to Tokyo, when we happened to notice that he was sitting right next to me. Shortly then after everybody was told to get off the plane since there was a maintenance problem. About 40 minutes later we reboarded, and the pilot had somehow got our trip of travel slightly altered so the ride only took 12.5 hours. However it was plenty long enough. That interesting guy sitting next to me ended up being friendly and he watched old black and white movies the whole ride. My only complaint about the man would be the minor stench that followed him around, but i survived.. Upon arrival in Tokyo, Dan and I who were in a weird state of mind because of lack of sleep had some McDonalds and then made our way to our gate. Our last flight into Singapore occurred with both Dan and I sleeping most of the 6 hours. A taxi took us to our residence while giving us a little tour of the downtown Singapore, everything built here seems to be a engineering marvel, pictures of these buildings will follow later. We checked in and then walked around the grounds of our residence for a while before hitting the sack at 330ish in the morning.

I woke up to class 4 rapids in my room. It was raining and there was literally a waterfall flowing over the edge of my windows. It was quite a shock, however I had put everything away and so nothing got wet besides the floor. This place seems to know that this could happen and so all the furniture is on rubber stilts, which is good. I got a squeegee and pushed about a inch of water out my door.

Dan and I spent most of the day exploring the city and riding the bus around. I gotta say though these bus drivers are not nearly as friendly as those wonderful bus drivers in ames, IA...

The Beginning

Hey there,
Thanks for checking out my blog. I will be flying out of Des Moines Friday morning at 630am with my friend Dan Hunting. This will commence our 28 hour journey to Singapore with lay overs in Houston, TX and Tokyo, Japan. Dan and I will have quite a long time to get to talk about who knows what. Hopefully he remembers to brush his teeth...

We will be arriving in Houston 830 am and then departing at 1050am.
Arriving at Tokyo 220pm and departing at 550 pm their time, 1220am and 320am US central time.
Arriving at Singapore half asleep 1155pm Saturday night, 1055 am Saturday morning in US central time.

As you probably noticed Singapore time is 13 hours ahead of US central time.
Feel free to Skype me at Powerhauser

Next post will be from Singapore and hopefully a little more exciting.
Peace,
Brett