Singapore to Malaysia and Back Again

     When entering a new country, a new traveler goes in ambitious. They muster up all the gusto imaginable with high hopes of an epic adventure. They strap on their Choco’s (in Cheyenne’s case), pull up their boot straps and are ready to take in every site, temple, museum, and city center the destination has to offer. Good for you my fellow Vagabond! I admire someone who is determined to take it all in without a blink. But before I give too much praise to the highly motivated rover, beware…this sort of travel will kick your butt and possibly trigger a new hip injury that never bothered you before (Yes, I say this from experience).


Cheyenne and I got into Singapore (Fri. Nov. 12) with bright eyes and high hopes after a much needed beach chill out time in Bali. To say the least we hit Singapore hard! After 4 days and a dodgy hostel with the stench of B.O. that was more like a sock in the face, Chey and I once again conquered another city.

Monsoon down pour in Little India. Like my umbrella?

Each day we walked to a different district not missing a square inch. From Little India to China town, I swear we saw every Temple, Mosque and Mall in existence…and literally there is a massive mall on every corner. We definitely saved the best for last and I think it’s worth mentioning. The Buddha Tooth and Relic Temple and Museum was amazing. There was a service going on when we arrived. We accompanied the Monks who were chanting as we made our way through the temple and learned about the life of Buddha. By the end of each day we were beat, but that wouldn’t hold us back!

Buddah Tooth and Relic Temple

Om.

High rises of Singapore sparkle at night.

Morning glory in a Singapore Mall bathroom. :)

We found Singapore new and impeccably clean, but the first set of advice we got about the country was that the 10 days we had there was way too long. Sir! You’re talking to Jayla and Cheyenne! We could fly around the world twice on a shoe string, fit a closet in a back pack and “together we think of everything”…are you telling me we can fit in a whole other country into our travels? That we did friends! Our unexpected detour included a jaunt over the boarder to Malaysia. We thought, why not? The U.S. dollar was not doing us any favors in Singapore and the more I experience the better. We hit up Kuala Lumpur and had some fun bargaining at the night market while we did most of our Christmas shopping. We saw the tallest twin towers in the world from a sky bar hotel that was so luxurious(don’t worry, we had our two –for –one Happy Hour drinks and left) and a far cry from any accommodations we were about to stay in, and we even ran into our friend Dom, from Bali. Great success.

The Petronas Sisters. View from the Sky Bar.

Our colorful Hostel in Kuala Lumpur

We were quickly off to Melaka where we spent our last two nights in Malaysia. This was much more of a quiet town, and like Kuala Lumpur, it was Chinatown where the hustle and bustle was happening. But Melaka gave us some flare with parades of flamboyant pedi cabs. Brace yourselves for this one and make your own judgment, but when a pedi cab comes peddling down the street with a funeral size flower arrangement, blinking lights and blasting music, it’s gonna turn some heads. I found them absolutely hilarious.

Pedi cab rediculousness.

Just got into Melaka

Melaka River

Singapore and Malaysia are so very different it hardly seems right to group them into the same chronicle. It was sad to see the rubbish lined streets of Kuala Lumpur after being on the clean and efficient subways in Singapore. It is humbling to pass by the Muslim Malaysian woman who covered her body head to toe after roaming the city in my tank top just days before in Singapore. Out of respect, or just simply trying not to draw attention, we dressed more conservatively, but with a jam packed agenda we were quite busy trying to do everything under the hot Asian sun; More clothes were not helping our situation. In fact, I have gotten used to feeling like a sweaty grease ball even right after I shower. I’ve even come to the point where I like, and even prefer, a cold shower. None the less, not even the thick humid air could hold these gung ho vagabonders down. Onward we went, back to Singapore to hit up the tech mall and museum we absolutely couldn’t miss! I think I may have collapsed by the end of the day. Oie!


When I first booked this trip abroad I went in thinking I was going for a long time. I thought scheduling 5 months of travel would be more than enough time to do and see all I hoped for. I mean, with no obligations to anyone on the lonely nomad trail…I do whatever I want! However, I soon found out that I was that traveler who would try to do, hear, see everything even if it killed me. I’ve learned better. I’ve come to realize a few things.


A) The reason why they call this a dream trip is because it is passing by as quick as a dream.


B) I just can’t do it all in one day (sometimes my ambition is stronger than my endurance).


C.) Less is more! As I become the vagabond extraordinaire, sometimes to fully enjoy one thing means to not experience another.