Singapore & India

"If you think adventure is dangerous, try routine, it is lethal." -Paulo Coelho

I've been absolutely blessed this past year, to not only have the opportunity to work from home and create my own schedule, but to finally be comfortable financially and be able to travel at my leisure. It's been an amazing feeling and one that I'm extremely grateful for. 

It's been a while since I've posted on my blog and I've decided to change the title due to some life changes that I will speak to in a future post, but I got lost in a few digital photo albums the other day and thought I would share those memories, experiences, and photos with you.

Friday, March 7, 2014 - 9:20 PM SFO > MNL > SIN

We arrived in Singapore two days after we left San Francisco. Whew, international travel can be a bit daunting, but it's worth it to see the world and doesn't help when you have a seasoned traveller who doesn't completely get on your nerves alongside you. 

We came to see our old friend, Michael who had recently moved to Singapore for work. Taking the opportunity to visit Singapore and a friend while simultaneously avoiding paying for accommodations. I wasn't really sure what to expect. I've been to Asian countries before so I think I had an idea in mind; a. it would be hot, b. there would be a lot of asians, and c. it would be dirty. I got two out of three. Singapore is actually a thriving, modern and extremely clean country, to give you some perspective Gum is ABSOLUTELY illegal and it is strictly enforced. There is a $500 fine for spitting gum in the street and the sale is prohibited, thus all convenient stores only offer mints and hard candies that can be swallowed! 

I guess those rules pay off because the usually black sticky filth on the street is completely avoided and the sidewalks are clean enough to walk barefoot on (I wouldn't because it's 100 degrees there, at least when we went). Everything is pretty accessible and easy for tourists.  Public transportation is reliable and convenient, signs are in english, and most of the residents are ex-pats and speak english. Michael's apartment was in a central location which was helpful as he still had to work during our visit. 

My Singapore Takeaways:

• Alcohol is VERY Expensive (Ballast Point = $160 and you have order 2 weeks in advance, Thai Beer is $21) 
• Singaporeans don't have a strong history (our experience at the museum gave us the impression they just started preserving their history in the last 20+ years)
• It is very safe and clean
• There is a lot of luxury shopping to be done

Next stop New Delhi, India, Thursday, March 13, 2014 - 6:45 AM SIN > KUL > DEL

Here's a funny story and in case you aren't familiar with airport codes we went from Singapore (SIN) to Kuala Lumpur (KUL) on Malaysian airlines a few days after the first plane went missing. Needless to say we were a little reluctant to take the flight, but I guess we just decided to leave it up to fate and take the flight. YOLO. 

Now as much as I love to travel, India was never high on my must see list, but a dear friend of mine was getting married in New Delhi and her husband had planned an amazing trip for everyone, especially first timers like us and we couldn't miss the opportunity. We had to cut our trip by half since we spent some time with Michael and Tyler's work only allowed for 2 weeks off, so there were quite a few things we missed, but Gary (groom's brother) made it really simple for us to get around. Arriving in New Delhi wasn't that shocking, the airport was like any other international hub. There was air conditioning, legible signage and friendly faces and prominent looking individuals. 

Our first task was to cash USD in Rupees, which leaves an American, honestly most travellers with a lot of Rupees. Second we were to get an international SIM card so we could use our phones, little did we know that was a whole ordeal, but luckily some friendly guys at the coffee shop in the airport were really helpful. We were told our phones could take up to a day to connect so we braved Gary's directions, "find the yellow sign for rented car and ask them to take you to this address" and so we did. 

Exiting the airport was another story. There were groups of cab drivers waiting to pick you up, standing by the door trying to grab your suitcases so you'd have to get in their car. The kiosk to rent the cab looked like your typical car rental spot, but the cab itself looked like a beat up hunk of junk. The cab driver put our luggage in the trunk and waved to get in the car so we did. 

I could just stop my India tale here because it was the experience of a lifetime riding in this death trap. We gave the cab driver the address and he seemed to know where to go, so off like a bat out of hell he starts driving. The cab's interior looked stripped. The seats were ripped and the seat belt was so stretched out it defeated the purpose, so we held hands and sat still. There's a saying in about driving in India, you need three things:

1. Good Horn
2. Good Brakes
3. Good Luck

Drivers bob and weave and squeeze themselves into any crevice they can. No one really follows the marked lanes or traffic signs. It's absolute chaos. On our drive I could see how different New Delhi was from Singapore. There was a lot of trash, debris and what you would expect from a third world country. Many people are on bikes or on foot, even on the highways and public buses are packed to the gills, windows down and sans the fancy advertisements indicative of U.S. buses. 

There wasn't really a separation of neighborhoods either. On one side of the street you'd see a beautiful hotel or shopping center and directly across the street would be a shanty town made of garbage and tarpaulin. We arrive at the wrong hotel, but it was 5 stars so there wasn't any hesitation and get the right directions and bearings to get to where we needed to be. 

We arrive at the Shergills (groom's home) and are immediately greeted by their maid who brought us hot tea. I had prepped for this trip with vaccinations and probiotics since I had a serious bout of food poisoning and general malaise in Thailand, but I was still weary to drink anything that hadn't been boiled, thus hot tea was good enough for me. 

Kirby (my friend/bride) arrives to greet us and the journey begins. She has a driver take us to our hotel. An old military base turned hotel in a central location. On our cab ride there we finally got to see the extent of Indian poverty; young children carrying emaciated babies in the arms, wearing rags and begging for money. At stop lights they walk up to your car and pry their fingers into the windows, they stare at you and hold their hand to their mouths in a "feed me" fashion. It breaks your heart, but we were told not to give any money to them or they'll swarm your car/cab. Terrible, I know, but it's just the way they live. 

We missed a couple of events being that we were late, i.e. henna painting, a few cocktail parties, and shopping for the traditional garments, but we made it for the ceremony and reception along with a few other activities, not to mention trying to create our own, i.e. me dragging Tyler, in a rickshaw to an Indian train station in Old Delhi, next to a makeshift "under the bridge" town, while he's hungover, booking us a 4th class ticket (in steerage, standing room only) to Agra to attempt to see the Taj Mahal, waiting in a metal room that smells like urine for up to 2 hours for the next train to arrive, all while listening to someone in Hindi yell updates on an intercom about trains that may or may not be coming. In other words, after 30 minutes of debating we left and went back to the hotel. 

My New Delhi Take Aways:

• I wouldn't recommend going alone. Try to accompany someone from India, who has a home and speaks the language
• Indian clothing and traditions are amazing
• Fresh fruits and vegetables were highly missed, all the food was stewed in spices and our stomachs weren't strong enough for produce that wasn't cooked
• Adventuring on your own is dangerous
• The wealthy are extremely wealthy
• The poor are extremely poor
• There didn't seem to be a middle class

And here is a photo recap.

The grounds of our hotel

The view from the balcony

The Bride and Groom with the band and carriage

Team USA in Delhi

Celebrating the Holi Festival

We made so many memories in India; surviving Indian cab rides, attending a traditional Sikh wedding, experiencing all the cultural traditions, eating Tikki Masala, getting dropped off at the scariest train station ever, riding a tuk tuk, seeing the extreme poverty, having cocktails on the roof of a mansion, getting covered in colors, drinking Bhang, listening to electronica, eating marijuana fritters, dancing our faces off, and suffering from food poisoning for days.

Until our next adventure...