Pioneer

Day 2: Forget it, Jake. It's Chinatown.

Today I journied to China Town. Yep, it looks like there is one of these in every major city, even when you're pretty fucking close to China. That being said, this China Town (or CT if you're into that whole brevity thing) is quite a bit more impressive then the one found at the corner of Boylston and Tremont.

I explored the open markets of CT where wares for sale range from Chinese antiques to ancient Chinese remedies. Since my pops had some sort of rash, we ducked into a Chinese Pharmacist. As pops got hooked up with a magical lotion, I viewed the variety of dried goods (mushrooms, roots, eyeballs, etc.). Sadly I was unable to find any Gremlins for sale... lame.

From here we moved on to a Buddhist temple. I wasn't able to get in due to my basketball jersey (obviously they were Lakers fans), so we just peeped it from the atrium. I'll probably return on a solo mission in the coming days.

Lunch at a food court (basically the standard in Singapore) in CT. We feasted on Fried Carrot Cake (this was neither fried, nor carrot cake, go figure. Delicious though), fruit drinks (I went with sugar cane and dragon fruit), and some interesting roll type things. The food here is pretty unreal, and is definitely something not to be missed.

Bounced back to home base for a quick recharge and pool session. Following this quick interlude, we moved out towards the esplanade. Basically it is this massive theater hall on the waterfront that is known for its architecture (i.e. it looks like a giant durian). However, the Singapore T (aka the MRT) exits at the esplanade into a mall. This isn't uncommon practice as many MRT stations within the heart of the city dump you into the first or second basement of malls (which can generally run to 7-10 floors with multiple basements). Basically it took us 15 minutes to exit this underground ode to consumerism. Not bad considering being inside means air conditioning and not the Singapore heat and humidity.

Exited the esplanade, peeped the merlion statue, and headed off towards this place to get satay. Satay is this form of grilling, Macklin take note, that involves using charcoals and a fan to increase the flames. Small pieces of meat (lamb, cow, chicken) or prawns are cooked on wooden skewers over said flame after marinating for the day. Delicious stuff. However, what makes the satay experience unique is the way it's sold, again Macklin take note. Each stand basically has a guy that tries to tell you their satay. The second someone gets into their view, they immediately try to sit them down and sell them their satay. Of course they are not alone. A nearby food court also disperses their minions who are looking to sell you side dishes (rice, beans, roasted stingray, etc.), and there are a fleet of Tiger Beer girls hawking pitchers left and right. Once you sit down and have your meal, the hawkers vanish, respecting that they have either (A) won your service or (B) their opposition has got you and there is nothing they can do. It's pretty sweet and entertaining experience to watch as you munch on your satay.

Day 3

Mom and I went to the zoo, Dad went to work. I saw a lot of animal dicks today. I wasn't trying to, it just kind of happened. Most of the time they were just kind of swingin' around out there (except for that one baboon who seemed to be... interested...). Moving on from animal anatomy... This was perhaps the most amazing and beautiful zoo in the world. It was like Jurassic Park, but with monkeys and lizards instead of Dinosaurs. This place was wild (pun intended... regretfully). Truly a masterpiece of not only zookeeping but grounds keeping as well. Simply an amazing experience.

Peep the "book" for pics.