Christmas in Singapore

Another Christmas has come and gone. Here in Singapore it was mostly in evidence through mall decorations.

The Shoppes @ Marina Bay Sands

Ngee Ann City

My favorite is the Ngee Ann City tree. I can't confirm it, but I believe it's the biggest tree in Singapore. It's also closest to my favorite bookstore.

Well, on Christmas Eve my coworker convinced me to join her on a visit to Gardens by the Bay, a large park that hosts a Christmas festival.

Upon arrival, I was surprised to learn that the festivities were sponsored by AIA, which is my insurance company. The same insurance company that has delayed reimbursing me for a hospital visit a few months ago. That's one way to sour a Christmas festival right from the start.

Just kidding. I was still chipper. But I was also a little cranky. Come on, AIA! I expect a slight delay in insurance payment, especially since our insurance cards don't work at hospitals. A two-month delay is getting ridiculous! Argh!

They had a number of carnival games, which I proceeded to drop $20 to play. I didn't win anything. My coworker, on the other hand, who never plays carnival games tried one, and on her first shot she won a stuffed minion. I was feeling a bit emasculated. Although judging from my past sports skills, I think that's about par for the course.

A merry-go-round sat in the middle of the activities. I was tempted to ride, but it was $10 a ticket! Talk about over-priced. I blame AIA again.

To keep my Christmas cheer, we moved on from the pricey activities. We meandered down to the super tree grove, which played host to a choir singing carols.

The lights were rather pretty, but the weather was extremely hot. I believe the temperature was somewhere close to 80 degrees and very humid. It had rained most of the day, and if I recall correctly, it rained again later in the evening.

Anyway, the heat and sweating detracted from the Christmas-y environment. The lights were still beautiful, though.

All in all, it did put me in a semi-Christmas mood... aside from the crowds. The park management implemented crowd-control measures at some point while we were looking at the lights. On the way out of the park we were unable to exit via the subway entrance. We ended up having to walk around the bay on a 2 kilometer detour to the subway.

Fortunately, these were the only crowds I had to deal with over the holiday. I spent Christmas Day in relative isolation reading books, watching movies, and napping, which I enjoyed much more than public celebrations. All in all, it was a Merry Christmas.

Hope you all had a good one in your part of the world!

Langkawi, Malaysia

Since I didn't travel home for the holidays, I decided to treat myself to a pre-Christmas trip in the region. After looking for cheap plane tickets, I finally settled on Langkawi, Malaysia. One of my friends came along to keep my company and take pictures for me. 

Langkawi is an archipelago of small islands off the Northwest coast of Malaysia, just next to the Thai border. It's a popular weekend destination for Singaporeans and Malays. While I'm not always up for such resort living, I decided to give it a go and see what the draw was. I found a small resort that seemed interesting, and I booked three nights in a wooden house. 

I was pleasantly surprised when I showed up and saw the condition of my room. It was a traditional wooden house that had been adapted to become a hotel room. The house was lifted above ground on posts, and it was very airy. The air conditioning wasn't very effective, but the windows caught sea breezes perfectly. 

Anyway, I'm not good at lounging in my room, so I had to visit the beach. It was quite beautiful... but very, very hot. 

The next day I rented a motorbike to travel around the island. Look at my sweet ride. 

The first stop was the Langkawi cable car, which goes from a spot near the beach to the top of one of the mountains. It's quite popular, and there was a two-hour line. Fortunately for me, my friend and I were rushed to the front of the line because they needed two more people to fill a car of four. My friend blames our luck on my white skin. Apparently I stand out. 

The view was pretty impressive. At the top of the mountain is a walkway where you can go to take pictures. 

The breeze on the mountains was a welcome change from the heat and humidity at the beach. In the distance we could see some of Thailand. The picture isn't very clear, but the islands in the distance are Thai. I was also pleased to run into a number of Thais working on Langkawi. 

After making it back down the mountain, we rode the motorbike in a circle around the island. There are beaches everywhere. I forgot the name of this one. 

There's also a black sand beach where most of the residents are fishermen. They had all docked their boats when we passed. 

Personally, I didn't think the sand was really all that black. It was just darker than the white sand on the other side of the island. Still pretty, though. 

On the way back to the resort, we took a detour up Gunung Raya, the highest peak on Langkawi. We were hoping to see the sunset from the mountain, but clouds had already surrounded the peak. I had to settle for a semi-obscured sunset from a lower point on the mountain. 

Still was nice, I guess. I mean, when you're on a tropical island for vacation, can you really complain that the clouds don't cooperate for your sunset picture? Yes. I suppose you can. 

I had to take a picture with the sign that said we were 2,000 feet above sea level. Didn't realize I looked like such a goof. Oh well, I guess I wasn't trying to impress anyone. 

The next day we took a boat trip to visit some of the surrounding islands. It was nice. 

One of the islands we stopped at was called the "Pregnant Woman" island. In the middle is a fresh-water lake. Local legend says that to swim in the lake can help women become more fertile. I decided a dip couldn't hurt. 

At another island we got to watch sea eagles dive into the water. No pictures unfortunately, as my camera is not good at such shots. 

The final island was white sand beach. Quite pretty. If I weren't so white and prone to getting sunburned, I could have enjoyed the beach a little longer. Curse my tender pale flesh! 

Well, it was nice trip. I also got to make friends with some cats at the resort. 

One decided to move into my bungalow. I repeatedly kicked it out, but every time I opened the door it ran inside and took up residence on one of the chairs. I eventually gave up and accepted that I'd be sharing a room with a cat. It also joined me for breakfast each morning. You can see it here sitting opposite from my spot at the breakfast table. 

Phu Kradung

I enjoy hiking, but living in Singapore leaves me few options. During my last weekend in Thailand I decided to climb a mountain I have long wanted to summit: Phu Kradung Mountain. It's not a particularly tall mountain, and Thais have long considered it a domestic tourist destination. As far as I know, though, fewer foreigners add it to their itineraries, with good reason. It's not particularly outstanding when compared to hikes in other countries; you wouldn't travel all the way to Thailand to hike something like Phu Kradung.

"Once in your life climb Phu Kradung"

That said, it's still pretty. Its summit is also considered the coldest place in the country. That's a pretty big draw for me. I miss feeling cold.

The first portion of the hike is a 5.5 kilometer (3.4 mile) climb up the face of the mountain. This portion of the hike was fairly strenuous, although not outside the capabilities of the moderately fit, especially since there are multiple stops along the way. Each stop has readily available snacks, food, and drink for sale.

Besides, if you don't want to carry your own pack, they have strapping fellows (and some women) who will carry it to the top of the mountain for you for a small fee. I carried my own pack, although everyone else I met on the trail had availed themselves of the porters. In my mind, though, it's not real hiking if you pay someone to carry all your stuff.

Along the way, you travel through elephant territory. I didn't ever see an elephant, but I did see a lot of elephant poop. Pretty sure that means they were around.

The view from the top

Without elephants to stare at, I was forced to content myself with the scenery. It wasn't the worst.

Congratulations to me!

It took my party about 4 hours to reach the summit. Our meandering pace was set by a few of our party who were a little less athletic. Proof that anyone can make it to the top given enough time. Once to the summit, the remaining 3.1 kilometers (1.9 miles) to camp were flat and leisurely. The mountain top is a plateau and has sandy spots as well as boggy marsh areas.

After arriving at camp, I decided to rush to the closest cliff and watch the sunset. No one else in the party joined me, so the 2.2 kilometer (1.4 mile) walk was rather quiet. Perfect chance for a selfie.

The extra effort was worth it.  The sunset from the cliff was beautiful.

Once I made it back to camp, we had dinner at one of the many food stalls set up around the campsite. I was a little surprised that there is almost a village at the top of the mountain which serves the needs of the campers.

They also keep a herd of local deer well-fed and a bit too domesticated. This fellow walked from stall to stall begging for treats.

The next morning we were up before dawn to watch the sunrise at the Eastern cliffs. Clouds fill the valley overnight, and they last until the sun rises and burns off the fog. It was a wonderful sight.

While it wasn't particularly cold, I was reminded as to why I don't love staying in tents. Also... leeches. The campsite is home to hoards of leeches that find their way onto your ankles if you're not careful. I had to pry a few off my legs.

The second day we walked around the top of the mountain, stopping at a number of waterfalls on our way to the far Western cliff. It was the end of the rainy season, so the waterfalls were probably not as impressive as some other times of the year. Even so, I enjoyed the sights.

We eventually ended up at Lom Sak Cliff, the spot most Thais aim to visit when they come to Phu Kradung. I was the only foreigner I saw during the visit, and when I sat down for this picture, I heard multiple cameras go off. I'm guessing I can be found in multiple memory cards throughout the Thai countryside. It was a fun picture.

Here's the sunset unmarred by myself.

The next morning we made our way back down the mountain. We then rode a pickup to the main road where we waited for a bus under the iconic mountain that has become the symbol for Loei province.

Unfortunately along the way my sandals broke. The sole cracked while crossing some rocks, and they became almost unusable.

They endured until I made it down the mountain, but alas, they've made their last trek. I bid them a fond adieu. They were my friends through many adventures.

The weekend was over, as was my time in Thailand. Back to Singapore.

Here are the distances I hiked over the three-day trip:
Day 1 - 13,552 meters (8.42 miles)
Day 2 - 26,731 meters (16.6 miles)
Day 3 - 9,050 meters (5.62 miles)