Not Necessarily in that Order

A travel blog by Michael Munger

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Cambodia is awesome!

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Arrived in Phnom Penh

Let the adventures begin!

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EPIC THUNDERSTORM

....Every day. 

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Iced beer, and the Loy Khratong festival. Welcome to Thailand. 

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Loy Khratong celebration in Bangkok!! 17 November 2013.  Sorry about the vertical video syndrome...

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Friday morning lectures. Not even in Singapore.

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Bagged coffee! Woohoo

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Differences I've found, living in the 'Pore.

Driving on the left. Being a former British colony, it is no surprise that they drive on the left, but it was very disorienting hopping into a taxi for the first time from the airport. However, after being driven in Singapore, Malaysia, and Thailand (all of whom drive on the left) and after almost three months of living here, I have FINALLY gotten used to it. Actually, I watched some American thing and they were driving on the right-hand side, and it looked quite odd.  Remember kids, look right, then left… then right again when crossing the street.

Chopsticks. Not gonna lie here. I was completely useless with chopsticks before setting off for Asia. But now…. I could probably pick up a medium-sized baby with chopsticks. I actually prefer them over a fork. Because of the mixture of cultures, and thus food utensils, there’s quite an easy learning curve, and you don’t have to starve because you can’t pick up a piece of chicken or some rice.  Basically: Chinese food? Chopsticks and that spoon thingy. Malay and Western cuisines? Fork and spoon. Indian food? Use those hands, baby.  And while we’re on the subject…

Cheap food. Ridiculously cheap. Today I had some Sweet and Sour Pork with rice, which was more than enough to eat for me, and it was just a hair over 3 USD. A chicken rice dish at the nearest canteen is a hair under 2 USD. Singapore has pretty much adopted the hawker culture of "street food" and taken it to a more regulated level in terms of safety and cleanliness. And with the hawker culture comes not only cheap food…but…

Delicious food. Anthony Bourdain once said in one of his TV programs that the worst thing you could get in Singapore is a mediocre meal. This, of course, sounds like some typical thing a TV host would say just to set the tone for a country in one line. But, holy shit… He’s right. I really haven’t had anything bad to eat here. I even had a free dinner from one of the kitchens on campus, and it was easily one of the best dinners I’ve ever had in my life.  I mean, to put it into perspective… The school food is delicious. Yeah.  Actually, I once had fried mozzarella cheese sticks at a restaurant, and they somehow managed to perfect the concept of the cheese stick. I didn’t know it was actually possible, until that moment. (These were not so cheap, however.)

Expensive alcohol. Actually, anything related to alcohol because, while I don’t drink in the US, for legality and parent-proximity reasons, I am of legal drinking age here. Not that it would even matter because nobody checks IDs when purchasing alcohol. Quite different from the US, where the blame for underage drinking is placed on the seller of alcohol. Anyway, it’s expensive. Welllll… If you buy a warm beer from the supermarket, it’s actually not so bad. And getting a cold beer from the nearest 7-Eleven is still cheaper than other options. Those other options, of course, being bars and clubs. This, leads to tons of “pre-glowing”, as the Germans say, before hitting up some other new club, where a 330 mL bottle of Tiger will cost about 10 dollars. And of course, we’ve all seen one of my earliest posts about the 22 dollar bottle of Corona at a nightclub. Cocktails are generally about the same price, but trust me, you’ll want a beer, because you’ll at least know how much alcohol you’re actually getting.

Shopping. In general, things in Singapore are the same price or cheaper (Not including housing and cars), but for some reason clothes and non-essential shopping items are quite expensive. And there’s no cheap retail places, nor are there thrift shops.  It’s just shopping malls. HUGE shopping malls. Everywhere.  …And then Little India. The only thing I’ve really purchased here that wasn’t an “essential” was my squash racquet. And that was interesting, because despite it being in a setting that is very much like a shopping mall, you bargain down the price. But, there’s also the “real” shopping centres here. Brand stores, Ferrari dealerships, and whatever else you may desire in its own store, all in settings which say, “Spend as much money as you can.” And the culture here is quite materialistic. Even when compared to the US. Many people will spend the extra money for a nice car, despite the Certificate of Entitlement costing at least $70,000. Recommendations from locals often include where to shop, and where to get nice things. Then, there’s the advertisements which are actually quite ridiculously appealing to an “image”. And I thought the US was bad with this regard.

It’s incredibly safe here. Singapore is known for having a “nanny-state” type of government, with tons of rules and laws and huge fines and what not. But in reality, I’ve seen about 5 police officers in the entire time I’ve been here. And the result of these laws has made Singapore one of the safest, least corrupt, and cleanest countries ever. It’s so safe, it’s unbelievable. I still cringe sometimes at the liberties people take with their belongings, but it’s just not a big deal here. And, I’ve never once felt threatened at all (knock on wood), which cannot be said for my twelve days in Bangkok.

The public transportation system is so much better. World-class, especially compared to Phoenix.  Essentially, it’s a transportation engineer’s wet dream. You can get anywhere in the entire city/country with at least three sing dollars on your EZ link pass. Quite quickly too. The trains come every three minutes, and you’ll generally get wherever you need to with the train alone. But if you need a bus, you still won’t wait very long in the tropical heat before getting on a clean, air-conditioned, double-decker bus that takes you within a five minute walk of your destination. It’s quite amazing. And the fares are distance-based: you only pay the “boarding fee” once. So, you can change from a bus to the train and back to the bus, and you will only get charged for the distance and a one-time boarding fee. Long story short: public transit in Singapore works. 

The proximity to other countries. Living here and travelling around the area has made me appreciate the vastness of the United States. Back in Phoenix, it’s a one hour flight to Los Angeles and a two hour flight to San Francisco. It’s a 5 hour flight to the east coast. And you’re still in the same country! But here… It’s a five minute drive to the Malaysian border, a two hour boat ride to Indonesia, a two hour flight to Bangkok, and another two hour flight to Ho Chi Minh City. That’s just awesome. (And yes, I know Phoenix is a two hour drive from the Mexican border, but Phoenix is basically Little Mexico, run by racist old white guys, sooooo…….)

There are more differences, I’m sure, but I’m finding it very hard to recall the feelings of living in the US. Meanwhile, everything here has become the new “normal”, especially after trips to Malaysia and Thailand, which completely override any sort of culture shock that you may have left in you. Hmm, should be an interesting experience when I go back to the States. 

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Traffic in Bangkok

I think we can all agree that the universal language of the modern, industrialized world is the turn-signal. And yet, many motorists in the Phoenix metropolitan area decide not to use them, and they seem to have completely ripped the indicator stalk out of the steering column, just to make sure. This is one of the many reasons I don’t like driving in Phoenix.

The hate continues even more with Phoenix drivers, who also love the idea of “Fuck you, I need to get to my destination before everybody in front of me,” which includes the classic execution of “Use a freeway entry/exit lane in order to pass the 15 cars ahead of you.” (This is illegal, by the way, as well as being a very asshole-y thing to do.) Then, in a more general sense, let us not forget the obscene amounts of traffic in the area, due to the city’s layout of having one center, and a giant ring of residential areas around it.

And while this barely touches on why I hate driving there, it is the last time I will complain about driving in Phoenix. Ever again. This is because, after twelve days in Bangkok, I have spent many hours in the back of taxis, driving through the city multiple times, and I can safely say that these guys are fucking nuts. Morning of day three in Bangkok. I find myself somewhere in Bangkok, no idea where, and I’m desperate to catch a taxi back to my hotel to check out on time. It’s more of a residential area than a commercial area, and thus, I’m having a difficult time hailing a taxi from the street. Plus, whenever I find an open taxi, the driver refuses to take me to Khao San Road, where the hotel is. I finally get one taxi driver who will take me there…but only for a predetermined amount. Despite my attempts to ask for the meter, or bargain down the price, it’s stuck at 200 Baht.  According to a local, it should have been 170 Baht with the meter running, but after arguing over less than one US Dollar, I just get in. Turns out, all this hassle was for a reason. Two minutes into the journey, and we’re in a jam. The traffic light (which has a timer displayed on it) shows a 5-minute red light time for our queue, but only gives us an 80 second green light. So, over ten minutes later we’re just getting onto a major street…and immediately into another jam. At this point there’s nothing for me to do but try and relax. At least the fact that there are no seatbelts is less daunting when you’re averaging less than five mph. Quite literally, actually. The journey was 18 km, and it took a little under 2.5 hours to get there. It literally would have been quicker to lightly jog there. Well, in theory, at least. And, this journey took so long, despite the fact that my driver utilized the wrong side of traffic to cut ahead of the queue…three fucking times!

  The first time, the driver notices another taxi doing it. Naturally, he feels he should join in on the action, flooring it down the new lane, shifting at the redline of the little Toyota’s four-cylinder, then suddenly slamming on the brakes and ducking into an open spot in traffic. The second time, about 20 minutes after the first, he decides he’s going to do it again.

So, we sit there…he’s looking down the adjacent lane…waiting for a spot to open up in opposing traffic…when he pounces. Bam, second gear. Third gear. Accelerating to about 110 km/h, when he finally lifts off the throttle. As we decelerate, he starts looking for a spot to cut into. However, at this point, there is a motorcycle in our lane, coming at us. And the worst part is that my driver is looking backwards to get into the proper lane, and the motorcycle is also looking away to change lanes. Everything is happening quite quickly, so I make an awkward attempt to alert the driver, resulting in a high-pitched squeak of fear. Luckily this makes my driver look up and slam on his brakes, which alerts the man on the motorcycle to his menacing destiny, who then slams on his brakes. And despite a seemingly out-of-control motorcycle, and a taxicab still halfway in an opposing lane of traffic, the collision was avoided. Well, one of them was, at least. In his attempt to get out of the way quickly, my driver bumped another taxi cab next to us. But because they were working for the same company, and because it’s Bangkok, of course, a simple “sorry” wave was all that remained of that little incident. The third time of wrong-way adventures was much less dangerous, but still eventful. (Back to present-tense.) Basically, he cuts ahead of traffic, which actually is moving faster than the last time, so he only passes a handful of cars. But, when he cuts back into the flow of cars, he immediately cuts across two lanes and takes a small exit to an adjacent street…which just happens to have two policemen standing there. Obviously, they see this, and one of them jumps into the street, motions for the driver to stop in front of them, and steps back onto the sidewalk. Meanwhile, my driver is probably saying “Fuck” in Thai, and pulls up to the curb while rolling down the window. However, as the policeman walks over to the cab, my driver goes into his bag of money, pulls out some cash, and has it ready to go when the cop arrives at the window. Cop takes the cash. Driver rolls up the window. Cop walks away. Driver takes off. Yikes. More time-saving was made in the way of off-roading on a field right next to the street, but in the wake of the aforementioned events, this was not as memorable. Neither was the ridiculous lane changing between the bouts of sitting completely still in traffic jams. Ultimately, this taxi ride was just a small fraction of my time spent in the back of taxis, driving around Bangkok.

And it certainly wasn't the only crazy ride of my vacation.

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The telephone wires and shop-houses of Bangkok

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Recess week in Bangkok

If you ever had to go away to someplace so different from everything you know... choose Bangkok. It's THE culture-shock experience, and it’s so different from the US that I can't even begin to describe it. I mean, shit, it's so different from Singapore...which is only a two hour flight away. And of course, it's still functional and fun. I mean, you could go to the middle of a war-torn African country, and that would also be different. But, I don't think the night life would be as good. 

This story just scratches the surface of my entire experience in Bangkok, where every little thing has a story, but ultimately this provides a basis for why my trip was so special.

Thursday, second night of our visit, Martin and I found ourselves in a nightclub called Mixx. The drinking age in Thailand is 20, so I'm under-age. But, being two somewhat-good-looking, youngish white people walking up to a club in Thailand will provide you with some benefits including two very beautiful hostesses who clearly like you and want you in their club. 

And while we're on the subject, can I just say... Thai girls, in general, are unbelievably beautiful. It’s hard to really put a finger on why that is so. I’d probably blame the new environment for having a psychological effect on me.

But anyway... The club doesn't get busy until 1 am mostly because most other clubs close at that time, and with it being 12 am, Marty and I immediately order a cocktail at the bar. Here you find sexy-looking girls standing awkwardly, not drinking, and staring at you... Prostitutes. We order some Mai Tais, and, in true Bangkok fashion, Martin says to the bartender "there's not that much alcohol in here," to which the bartender responds by pouring more rum in our drinks. Meanwhile, the music is a mixture of R&B and hip-hop with house beats. Pretty good. 

The club starts filling up with a nice mixture of locals and foreigners. At this point you notice a lot of old European guys, who all seem to be trying to get a young Thai girl. Needless to say, this feels...gross somehow.  Although Thailand is infamous for its sex tourism, it’s still something new to me. But, ultimately, it's something that is easy to look past. 

Something else new to me, although I experienced it in Singapore a tiny bit, is the amount of girls who seem to like me. That hostess from before came down to the club when she got off work, and gave me her phone number for future fun times. Meanwhile, I find that in a club in Bangkok, a smile at any girl will result in a return smile, as well as a step closer in my direction.  A second and third exchange of smiles, and I'm dancing with her.  And meanwhile her friends are giggling like I'm some sort of Ryan Gosling.  (Is he still a thing?) And I will say it's hard to tell the difference between prostitutes and non-working girls, but when you take a step back and analyze, you can get a pretty good idea. It’s all very weird to me, considering this would never happen to me in the States. But, anyway, this is the general gist of what happens.

For most of Thursday evening, and much to the chagrin of the hostess, I dance with this very pretty girl we’ll call Apple, while my friend dances with another girl. Both locals. And the girls are buying us drinks, which is kinda cool, and we all just dance to the nice music within the crowd. Everything is fun and happy, but by 5:30 am, Apple and I feel that it is probably time to leave…

  Despite a significant difference in age, Apple and I decided to meet again two nights later. And again, one day after that. And ultimately, Martin and Tim (who joined us the day after Mixx) left for the islands in the south...whereas I decided to stay in Bangkok, living in her apartment for the rest of my stay in Thailand. This was definitely the best decision I could have made. She lived in such a cool, authentic part of town. Nobody spoke English. Menus were in Thai. Nothing was catered to tourists in any way. Every day she took me somewhere to eat, where often two meals, a drink, and pretty good service cost about 3 USD. Even if it wasn't cheap, it was still cheap. We had a pizza at this bar in one of the clubbing districts, and it's a really nice place, with an extensive collection of wine and what-not. Yet, a significantly-sized pizza there still cost 6 USD, and it was properly made! OMGEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!! She would take me to the nearest street market, and we would get cake (proper cake, not the stupid expensive crap they have in Singapore) from this girl at one of the stalls. We’d browse the clothing stalls set up on the sidewalk, and get snacks from the 7-Eleven. This place felt so authentic. So. Flippin’. Cool.

  At this point I’d like to note that while I enjoy hanging out with other travelers, I don’t like the feeling of drowning in the crowds of tourists and being specifically catered to, as if I were back in a western country. It’s a very snobby and arrogant thing, I know, because I am a tourist myself, but I can’t help but be so overjoyed and astonished at the sights and smells of places like this, where I am the only foreigner around. It’s a proper cultural experience that can’t be had at a hotel on Khao San Road.  

Overall, I enjoyed Bangkok. Despite the uncleanliness, the corruption, the traffic, the smells, the scams, the lack of safety, and the weather, it’s a charming city with a unique character. And the people there (well, the ones who aren't out to take advantage of you) are so awesome and genuinely nice. Nothing but smiles. I absolutely cannot wait to go back. 

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Trouble in Chinatown...well...more like a minor inconvenience

Here’s an interesting story about a certain experience that I'm finding happen more than I thought, especially considering the "nanny state" nature of Singapore... 

A group of friends and I are at a rooftop bar in Chinatown, and we order drinks from this menu that they give us. After about an hour, we're done with our drinks, we're done talking, and the staff is probably a little pissed that we're just ordering water. So, we ask for the bill. However, we look at the bill and notice that they've charged us more than what was listed for certain drinks. For example, I had a pint of some (actually quite good) German beer, which was $13 on the menu, but when we got the bill, it was suddenly $16.  This was the case for most people’s orders, so, naturally, we ask the waitress what the hell is up with that. Her first response was to say that they add on service charge and tax, which is very normal for restaurants and bars in Singapore. Except, the new prices were before the added tax and service. Once that was made clear, the second response was: "Oh that was an old menu, with old prices." So, we ask to see the manager.  The waitress walks inside, past the two security guards who are suddenly at the door, and a moment later, a man walks out. With barely a word spoken, he takes the bill and goes to replace it with the prices from the menu. He comes back out with the new bill, says just enough to make sure everything was okay, and heads back inside.  Oddly enough, I recognize this behavior. I’ve seen it twice before in the past two weeks. Both times were at food stalls, where they just decide they'll add on an extra dollar or two.  When I say, "Wait, it says it's only [such-n-such] for [whatever]," they immediately go into saving-face mode and fix the problem without any explanation or response. So, when I saw this manager do this, I immediately understood. And, I mean, we’re easy targets, a group of Westerners with white skin, many of whom have bright blonde hair.  It’s all pretty amusing, to be honest, but mostly because it’s not a hassle in any sort of way. (The security thing was more of a response to seven college students who could possibly cause a disruption.) This sort of overcharging is highly illegal in Singapore, so just calling them out on a difference in pricing seems to be enough to fix it. However, considering the location and touristy nature of this bar, I have a feeling it’s easy for them to get away with something like that, because a lot of people will just put their credit card down without looking at the bill.  And while we’re on the subject of the “nanny state” thing… I must say, I've only seen two policemen and one police car in the entire 20 days that I've been here. But when crime is committed, the iron fist of the law is very much a reality for both Singaporeans and tourists. As such, it’s very weird watching the liberties that people take with their own being and belongings. One thing that stands out to me is when on the train, just how many women have kept their purses slung over their shoulder, hanging behind their back, which are then pressed against me. (The purses, not their backs.) Or how many people just rummage through their wallets and take out large notes while queuing for food. The more I watch the locals do things like this, the more I understand just how safe this place is.

But, as they say, “low crime” does not mean “no crime”. 

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Attica. The loudest place I've ever been. Good music, though. 

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"I'm sorry, how much?"

It’s 8 pm, after an already busy day. Some new friends, hallmates, and I go to the bus station and head down to the MRT and eventually, to the Central Business District to meet up for a "secret" party. We get there an hour early, meet up with other exchange students, and grab a bunch of beers and drink out on a walkway overlooking the river near Boat Quay. This is legal, oddly enough. Then, we meet the organizers who give us wristbands and walk about 800 international students to a club. Alas, the club is full, so the organizers somehow got a deal with a new club, and said they'd walk us there now. Meanwhile, it's now 10:30 pm....

Turns out, somebody in our little ten person group got us on a guest list at a very exclusive club. So, we ditch the organization and take cabs to this other club. A very quick drive and a long walk through a shopping mall later, I'm next in line to get in, and the girl who told us about this list whispers to me "Iddo". They check my passport, look me over, and ask me who I'm with, so I say "We're with Iddo". The guy with the list looks at it, back at me, and lets me and my hallmate in…

If it feels like I’m rushing the story, it’s because I am. Also, I’ve just now realized I’m writing this in present-tense, so I’ll just continue this way rather than go back and change it. But, anyway, now the fun begins.

My hallmate, Tim, and I are now going through this tunnel, where we find some more friends, and take some pictures. Up some stairs we go, through a small lobby, and into this dimly lit, smoky, little club that's underground (literally). I have never been to a night club before, but I can already tell that I’m a little out of my depth. Firstly, it’s pretty small. This seems to me like it’s not a place for numbers, and I’m beginning to understand its tag of “exclusivity”. Although, I’m still wondering how exclusive can this place be if I’m let in? Secondly… well, I pull aside a gentleman who seemed to work at this place, and I ask him how much to sit down at a table. With the loud music and the thick Singaporean accent, it was very difficult to make out what he’s saying, but I eventually I come to understand what I heard: “One-kay”.  Later on, I would find out that the most expensive table costs about $15,000 SGD. Of course, now I’m feeling seriously out of my depth, and at this point, I haven’t realized that half of the group I was with was getting turned away at the door. When the other, somehow more deserving half arrives, we spend some time contemplating the idea of how expensive this place is, and browse the drinks menu, which only serves to reinforce how ridiculous it all is. $18 for a bottle of Corona, $20 for a “cheap” cocktail, all of which are before 7% GST and a service charge. And on the front page, they don’t let you forget that they will sell you the most expensive cocktail in Singapore at $32,000. Another hallmate, Martin, and I order two glasses of vodka with RedBull, which costs us $26 each. Not to mention, the bartender held up two bottles of very expensive vodka and gave the tell-tale sign of “which one?” which prompted me to point to a much cheaper brand behind the counter. Then, after an hour and a half of dancing to remixed pop music, I decide I’m done cock-blocking my friend, and I leave the club. Tim and I head outside, where we realize that we’re actually in Marina Bay, and underneath the Marina Bay Sands Hotel. It’s 1:30 am, with nobody around, so we decide to walk around and check out the views… And my God, what amazing views they were. A walk to the Helix Bridge and over to one of the vantage points, and you just get a 360 degree view of everything. It really is something that cannot be put into pictures. Out in front, across the bay, is the Central Business District rising up into the dark night sky. To the left, the Museum of Arts and Sciences glows bright white, and expels a weird sense of calm like a full moon. Then, overshadowing everything is the Marina Bay Sands Hotel, which impresses me as a civil engineering student with a love for anything structural. Over to the right, you can see the Bay Grandstands where I will be sitting in a couple months for the F1 race. And behind, the tallest Ferris Wheel in the world spins very slowly.

A phone call later, we’re drinking more beer with an American girl, all of us overlooking the bay, and talking about the most random things. While the club was definitely interesting, this was much more fun. The weather was perfect, not noisy, no tourists, and an amazing view… But it’s now 3:45 in the morning, and we decide that we should get a cab home.

We walk to the nearest major street, and there are some more international students there, trying to get cabs. Turns out, ITS BLOODY IMPOSSIBLE. Every car is a taxi, but the majority of them were hired. And then the ones that weren't hired…didn't stop. And the ones that did stop…wanted fifty bucks up front. And, at this point, there’s a lot more people also trying to get a taxi. So, it's now 4 am, and we decide to wait for the trains to start up again at 5:30 am... 

We grab some food and water at 7-11, and walk through the mall to the MRT station, where we spent like 30 minutes in front of a 2007 Ferrari Formula 1 car, with me just going off on how awesome it is. I literally could not stop. They had to feed me to shut me up. But I mean, how often do you get to stand like two feet away from a championship winning Formula 1 car?

Anyway, we decide we're going to walk to a different station because it'll be a cheaper fare, and it starts raining like... well, like it does in a tropical climate. So, despite only being out in it for about 40 seconds, we’re drenched when we get underground to the station (which is closed because it's still before the trains start). Here, we meet the same bunch of students who were trying to get the cabs before, and they're passing around a bottle of whiskey (hmm, no thanks). But it’s a very sad moment, when all of a sudden, we look at the times, and realize that today is the end of Ramadan, and thus, is a national holiday.  Translation: the trains don't start ‘til 6:30 am. Sad face.

In the end, we got back home around 7:30 am, and probably slept about 4 hours. Total money spent, which includes some beer, MRT fare, taxi ride, and a very expensive drink, was about $45 SGD, which is pretty expensive considering we got into the club for free. Overall, it was very long, very eventful, but incredibly fun night. And this was just a single night of many.

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Tiong Bahru Hawker Centre! I had a great lunch. 

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Shopping for some culture

I recently returned from shopping at the nearest shopping mall... And HOLY BLEEPING BLEEP, IT WAS AWESOME. Despite it being a Thursday afternoon, it was unbelievably packed! I mean, I guess it's no surprise because Singapore is the second-most dense country in the world, in terms of population per unit of area, but still... it was insane navigating through all the crowds. And when you go into certain stores... they're extremely small. I mean like, the aisles fit one person walking forward. So, put those two aspects together, and it becomes a fun mess trying to get to the shampoo a meter away from you.

Also, this little outing left me to realize that the claim that most Singaporeans spoke English (what with it being one of the official languages) as a typical way of communication.... was a DAMN LIE! Luckily I had my "roomie" with me, who was able to translate at various occasions, often laughing with clerks as I fumbled around with new currency. Although, I must say that I’m not exactly in the tourist zone. In fact, it was funny watching other people watch me as I ate some food at a local food court (which are like the complete opposite of food courts in the US, by the way, in the sense that the food there is actually sought after). I decided my first meal should be their national dish: chicken rice. Basically, it's some chicken, slow cooked all morning, prepared alongside some white rice which is cooked in the chicken broth. Then, pop in the key aspect of the chili sauce on the side, add some soup, and baby, you got a meal going!! For only $2.75 USD, I might add. But as I was saying, every time I looked up, I would see locals eyeing me, watching how I ate their food, how I handled it. And SWEET BABY J, it was delicious! ....And spicy. But this is no problem for Mr. Canyoumakeitextraspicyplease, and the locals, happy (or maybe disappointed?) with the lack of melting white boy, went back to their meals.  And I noticed another thing, which is odd to me, having experienced malls/shopping only in the US. The clerks don't have that sort of "happy, bubbly, politeness" that you sort of expect from ones in the US. It's just "Three fifty, please" with a sigh of impatience. And this isn't a bad thing or a social commentary on the people, because most of the Singaporeans I've met so far have been EXTREMELY nice to me, even if we can't communicate properly. It's always genuine smiles and sincerity from people you interact with, and strangers are always willing to help me with anything. So far, this country is awesome. I’m having fun riding the double-decker buses, walking to little supermarkets, buying cheap food, wearing flip flops, and you know what, even though it wasn't expected, I’m having fun playing charades every time I interact with someone over the age of 30.

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Cool currency!