Singapore

I met my future roommate in Singapore.

Zabeena is from Houston, Texas and is graduating with me from UTSW in two weeks. She and her twin sister just happened to take a vacation to Malaysia. We met up in Singapore and had a wonderful two days traveling around together. Here is a synopsis of our journey.

Day 1:

Zabeena and her sister, Mehveen, wanted to see some of the natural side of Singapore, so we struck out to find the Bukit Timah Nature Preserve, where we hiked  up summit hill to the highest point in Singapore. We were surrounded by rainforest so we could not see the city. Apparently, we were standing where tigers used to roam.

The climb was steep, basically straight up. Zabeena and Mehveen here on the way down.

We made it to the top! It was not as rewarding of a view as I was hoping for, more trees. But needless to say, we had a workout in for the wonderful hawker food that was awaiting us down at the bottom.

We also, were side tracked and found a second park on the way to this nature preserve, where we had fun with our cameras and found some wildlife. 

We stopped for a rest in the shade of a park bench. Zabeena is sitting with me and Mehveen is behind us.

A very candid shot of us trying to shoot a jumping picture in front of the quarry.

Here is a great picture of the three of us. Notice I am flanked by my bodyguards. This is how we traveled around, one on each side of me.

We came upon this little bird digging around in the underbrush. I have not been able to identify it, anyone know?

And, these Monitor lizards come out of no where and have scared me multiple times on my trip. This one was a safe distance away digging for lunch. It has a long tongue with a split end like a snake.


Day 2:

First we went shopping at the biggest "Walmart" I have ever seen. It was a full 4 floors and was as big as the supercenters in the U.S.  It had 2 story grocery store included. It was located in little India, so we wondered through there, and I did lots of people watching.

Then we went to see the Merlion to get the ultimate roommate picture. 

The Merlion is the most Singaporian landmark we could think of.....so we now have proof that we were here.

After the Merlion, we wondered through the Botanical Gardens where we stumbled upon a Mother's day concert, and the surprise visit of the President of the Republic of Singapore.

Our final stop was Orchard Road, the famous shopping district.

And our final stop was for some of the Singapore's best gelato!! YUM!

And this is where my roommate bonding ended. Zabeena and Mehveen left for the U.S. that night.
Thank you both for a wonderful weekend in Singapore. Who knew we would get to know each other on the opposite side of the world? I hope to have many more trips with her to come at JPS.

Hi Everyone!

I apologize for not posting for a while. I have been having way too much fun. Below is a summary of my last week.

SUNDAY:  Dr. Yin and his wife Li Chen took me on a grand tour of Penang Island.

We stopped to try the King of the Fruits: the Duran. Which Dr. Yin claims that I am more of a Penangn-nite than he because I actually liked it, which he does not.

Dr. Yin and Li Chen treated me to lunch at the Hard Rock cafe....I had a Bacon-Cheeseburger (YUM!!). I then tried out the trishaw, which I am much more comfortable doing the pedaling than riding.

We also stopped for a walk along the beach. The water is always warm.

And, there are only little villages outside of Georgetown. Here is a Malay house in a little village on the SW corner of the island.


TUESDAY: I was chauffeured to Kuala Lumpur (KL) by Dr. Yin and Li Chen.

I went across the Penang bridge, finally! Pictured here is the Alactraz of Penang. From the looks of it, all of the prisoners could swim to shore. Maybe that is why they changed the location of exiled prisoners.

We stopped at a few fruit stands along the way, and Li Chen and Dr. Yin (here) made sure that I tried all of the different kinds of tropical fruit.

One of the stranger ones.....the Rambutan. You peel it and only eat the inside, but holding the fruit was an experience in itself.


WEDNESDAY: Traveled to Malacca (or Meleka)....a Dutch and Portugeuese influenced town south of KL.

This is town square, where the Dutch architecture is prominent.

 I went to the museum and learned all about the importance of Malacca to Malaysian history. Lets leave it at it was very important.

The only remaining portion the the Portuguese fort, A'Famosa, located at the bottom of Mary's Hill.

The Meleka Palace. Today it is another history museum, but it was built without nails and in the design of the palace from the Sultans, before they were conquered the first time by the Portuguese.

And, I walked along the river, where I saw the Dutch influence on architecture and a sea otter. 

THURSDAY: I walked around the Botanical Gardens and went to the Bird Park, Orchid and Hibiscus Garden, National Museum and Central Market.

Here in the Botanical Gardens, I ate breakfast while watching the turtles of the Lily Pond.

I had a Kaya and Cheese pastry.

My visit to the bird park included a bird show. I also had another unique experience that I was able to get a photo of with my phone....stay tuned!!


FRIDAY: I went to the top of the Petronas Towers, the tallest twin towers in the world at 452m.

I am standing in one and looking at the other with the KL tower behind it.


SUNDAY:

The end of a good week, back in Penang which I missed dearly.  Auntie Keng Hong son's and their fiances thought I should experience a Penang sunset. Apparently this one is not the most beautiful since it was cloudy, but it was quite the experience!

We ate Thai food while watching the sun go down on top of the cliff overlooking both the east and west coasts of Penang.

I leave for Singapore (or Sing) on Friday.   Happy Birthday, Monique!
Miss you all,
Allison