Luka in Singapore Blog #2 Singapore, Malaysia (Tioman Island/Kuala Lumpur)

WELCOME BACK

to the Luka in Singapore blog! It’s been an action-packed few weeks since I last posted and I have so much I want to share with you all. I went to Malaysia twice, visited Singapore’s red light district (on a class trip), celebrated Mid-Autumn Festival, and more.

Tioman Island, Malaysia My first trip from Singapore was to Tioman island off the coast of Malaysia. I went with two German friends from my hall, Jan and Joris. We took a 3.5 hour bus then 2 hour ferry to get there. We figured out our entire itinerary after we got there with the help of a friendly old man who had set up shop right outside our chalet. We rented out motorbikes and drove around the island, went on a snorkeling boat trip (and got wicked sunburns), hiked from one side of the island to the other, and relaxed on the beach. We spent the evenings having dinner by the beach and playing poker at home. Such a perfect little weekend trip. And to make it even better, everything in Malaysia is ridiculously cheap.

Our accommodation

Snorkeling stop

We put on sunscreen I promise

Hanging on the beach

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia The very next weekend I took the bus to Malaysia’s capital, Kuala Lumpur. This trip was incredible. I went with a different group of friends this time: Johannes and Philip (Germans), Bernardo (Portuguese), and B (Chinese-British). In retrospect, it's impressive how much we packed into our 3 days there. We had some great dinners and assorted Asian fruits in Chinatown. We visited the beautiful Batu caves with the golden statue, colorful steps, and Hindu temples.

Batu Caves

We also went shopping at an enormous mall then went to the top of KL tower to watch the sunset over the city. At the observation deck, we saw this awesome rooftop bar through the observation binoculars. Then some other exchangers including Jan and Joris sent us an address to meet up at for evening drinks, and when we got there it was the same bar we had seen! The bar had a great view of the Petronas twin towers, and it had a pool but it was closed after 9pm. So right before we left, a bunch of us stripped down and jumped in the pool for some rebellious fun.

Rooftop bar by the Petronas Towers

Then we got foot and back massages before climbing up the roof of our friends’ apartment building via a sketchy AC unit and roof panels. Sitting atop the city in the middle of the night was magical, surrounded by the famous skyscrapers of KL. We called a grab (the Uber of Southeast Asia) home at 4:30am and the driver had decked out his car with colored disco lights and party music, so we sang and danced the whole ride home. That night just couldn’t get any better. On our last day, we visited a traditional Malay enclave called Kampung Baru which has been preserved within the city amid the skyscrapers. We ate a delicious Malay lunch using only our fingers for rice, fish, and chicken.

Malay lunch in Kampung Baru

I visited Malaysia’s National mosque and independence square. Then we ran through a jungle and went swimming in the river. In the evening, we went to a restaurant called "Dining in the Dark" where it's pitch black inside and all the waiters are blind. We had to feel around for our food and guess what we were eating before they showed us the menu at the end. It was such a fun experience and we were all crying with laughter by the end of dinner. That concluded our amazing weekend trip to Kuala Lumpur. I made memories there I’ll have with me forever.

Geylang (red light district) For my urban economics class, we went on a nighttime field trip to Singapore’s red light district, Geylang. It was shocking to see how openly people used and sold drugs, especially considering how strict the laws are and how prevalent security cameras are. And really interesting to learn about the government’s approach of essentially outsourcing prostitution. For example, prostitution is legal but only for migrant workers from China, Vietnam, Indonesia, and Thailand. They are regularly tested for STDs and pregnancy, and if they test positive they are deported. We saw brothels, sex shops, beer gardens, drug alleyways, and gambling locations. There were men selling sex drugs on the street, mostly for erectile dysfunction, and they were made from tiger penis, pangolin scales, and more. They had everything laid out on a cloth with a string crossing overtop, so if there was a police raid they could just grab the string and everything gets bundled up in the cloth as they run away. The government knows about all of this, and they let it happen because it contains it in one area, so the rest of the city remains the clean and orderly Singapore that is advertised to the world. Geylang is also known for its great food. After the tour, we went to a Michelin-rated restaurant and had delicious charred noodles.

On the streets of Geylang - we were warned not to take many photos, so this is the best I've got 

中秋节 (Zhōngqiū jié) - Mid-Autumn Festival

Mid-Autumn Festival is a Chinese festival from the lunar calendar on the day that has the brightest and fullest moon, and it coincides with the mid-autumn harvest. We went to Chinatown to join the celebrations and eat. We ate Singapore's classic Hainanese Chicken Rice at a hawker center and had mooncakes which is the traditional food eaten on the holiday. Then, we danced with some old Singaporeans who were square dancing in the park. It was a great evening.

Dancing at the Mid-Autumn Festival in Chinatown

月饼 (Yuèbǐng) - Moon Cake

Campus Life

I've been kept busy on campus with a variety of activities. I'm still playing for the soccer, takraw, and ping pong teams in my hall. I ran a 10k and joined some HIIT sessions led by my friend Johannes. Schoolwork has started picking up so it's now becoming a bit more of a challenge balancing classes, activities, traveling, and job searching, but I'm managing well so far. I played my first footy game with the Singapore Wombats and scored 2 goals on debut. I've made lots of friends now and have been hanging out with exchangers and locals from my hall and elsewhere. I'm loving life so far in Singapore!

Botanic Gardens

Singapore Botanic Gardens

Fig tree at the Botanic Gardens

Durians

Durians are one of the most famous fruits in Southeast Asia. They're sold at street vendors all over Singapore and they are renowned for their pungent smell. It's a very hit-or-miss taste for each person, and in my opinion, they're horrible.

Durians

No Durians on the bus! Too smelly

Economic Update

Singapore's stock market is slightly down this month, tracking relatively closely to American and European markets. With interest rate hikes in the US and across the globe, Asian market sentiment is down with recession fears. The Singapore dollar has declined recently, along with many of Asia's currencies, relative to the US dollar. In Singapore's property market, shophouses—a historic terrace style building used for living and business—are skyrocketing in price as investors search for aesthetic and historic-based buildings to test businesses in ("$4.5m profit in 14 months: Soaring demand continues to push up prices of S'pore shophouses"). Luckily, many of them have been conserved by the Urban Redevelopment Authority to be enjoyed by the public.

Shophouses on Koon Seng Road

Looking ahead

I'm in Bali this week and it's absolutely fantastic! This adventure belongs to the next blog, so stay tuned in a few weeks' time. Next week, I have four job interviews, a midterm essay, and an exam. Then I go see the F1 race on the weekend. Busy times ahead!

Conclusion

Thanks for tuning in! Wishing you all the very best, and I look forward to catching up. I hope you enjoyed the blog. See you next time.

Singapore's famous Hainanese Chicken Rice!