Catching a Ride to Paradise (August 9 - August 10)

Next Stop: Thailand!

I spent the majority of my second week in Singapore trying to convince someone else to skip the first week of school with me. This task proved to be more challenging than I thought and I realized that I was going to be traveling solo. Luckily a good friend of mine from back home, Paul Moore, had been traveling South East Asia for the summer and was on the last leg of his journey, the beaches of Thailand. After some messages back and forth, we settled on some dates and I was ready to head out.

I was scheduled to depart Singapore on Saturday at 6p.m., but I wanted to be there early, leaving no chance that I could miss the bus. I jumped on the "Number 10" to Vivo City and made my way back to the Golden Mile Complex where my bus was departing from. I made my way downtown with "the gang" as most of them were heading off to festivities as it was Singapore's National Day (Celebrating 43 Years of Independence from Malaysia). They headed off to the parade and I was left on the bus with my huge backpack and sense of adventure. This was the first time where I felt like I was backpacking. I'm not sure if it was the fact that I was wearing my huge bag and knocked the "emergency exit hammer" off it's handle, forcing the bus to stop and the driver to reset the system, or the fact that I had a one way ticket to Thailand and didn't really know where I was going, but whatever it was, it felt great. I made it to the departure station with plenty of time to spare and grabbed some snacks from a gas station nearby. I swear those snacks came to be the best snack investment of my life.

The trip to Koh Tao was about $65 Canadian which isn't bad considering the mass of land that I was covering. The trip included a "VIP Coach" from Singapore to Hat Yai (16 hours), Thailand, a mini bus to Surat Thani (5 hours) and finally a night boat from Surat Thani to Koh Tao (8 hours). In true Singapore style the bus left right on time and I settled in my seat in the back corner of the bus. The VIP Coaches lack anything really VIP except for the fact that there is air-con and the seats can lean back pretty much all the way, allowing me to sleep, much to the dissatisfaction of others on the bus. While on the bus, I met Mr. Lo, a grandfather of 9 who was heading to Thailand to visit his grandchildren. I was glad I met Mr. Lo on the bus as he had done the same trek many times and was able to direct me through all the border crossings. As we left Singapore, the bus went by the "Water Stage" and we were able to get a glimpse of the parade and we crossed just in time to see the NSE Paraglider drifting down to the main stage. What a send off! The trip to Hat Yai was pretty uneventful. I tried to watch some Kung Fu film in Thai and get some sleep. Along the root through Malaysia the bus made several stops at food centers in the middle of nowhere. I'm 99% sure that the only business these people get are from drowsy tourists looking to eat anything. I didn't really spend any time in Malaysia other than in these food/disease traps, but even from the small view I got of Malaysia, it was distinct from Singapore: everything was really dirty. I shrugged my shoulders, followed Mr. Lo and got some duck udon (that I swear was made a couple months ago). I slept the rest of the way to Hat Yai and arrived just after sunrise, right before the streets come to life.
Hat Yai & Surat Thani
Upon arrival, I was told that the mini bus would be coming to pick me up in a few hours and that I could take my time and "enjoy the sights". It was a weird feeling. I didn't want to travel too far, but I also didn't want to wait at the travel agent's office for 3 hours. I took a quick walk around the area decided that there was nothing to see as most of the shops were closed and I had no reference point for where I was other than the office. Right next door to the office there was a massage parlor. I convinced myself that my feet were sore and that they needed the treatment. I've never paid for a massage before, but it was the best hour of my feet's lives, and I knew that I'd be getting one again. After my nap/massage the mini bus arrived and I hopped on board with two friends who were traveling form Puerto Rico and Mexico (Juan & Santiago). They were on their way to Koh Phangan for the Full Moon Party that was coming up next Saturday. I was planning to attend and thought it would be funny if I pumped into them amongst the thousands of people. They through a CD (Sublime) up to the driver and we were pumped to have the minibus (a.k.a. ghetto van) to ourselves for the 5 hour journey. We were wrong. As the bus made its way, it picked up more and more people along the way and we all squeezed in and I now appreciated why they called it "mini". We arrived near the dock in Surat Thani which of course was the last stop out of all the passengers who were on the minibus. Juan and Santiago's ferry was leaving in an hour and a bit, but mine departed at 11p.m. so I waved them off and took a walk around Surat Thani. Aside from seeing the water, some funny signs and weird mannequins, it appears as though Surat Thani's sole purpose is to get people to the islands (Lonely Planet agreed). I went to go pick up some Thai Baht from the ATM so that I could get some food. I figured that I deserved some Western Food after all the busing and sketchy Malay Food Traps, so I got some pizza from a place that sold "Authentic Italian Pizza". Although it lacked the authenticity they promised, it sure did hit the spot. I sent off a couple emails/facebook posts and realized that I still had a few hours to kill.
I walked along the waterfront casually watching these thin, wooden boats zip by. I was about to sit down on the water's edge and a couple of the boat drivers started shouting at me and asked if I wanted to go for a ride. "300 Baht 1 hour" they said, I said "200 for an hour", with a bit of hesitation, one of them accepted. I wasn't really too sure what I was going to see, but at least it would make the time go by faster. The boat ride was such a surprise. After trying to survive in the hot sun with no fan or air-con, the breeze from the boat was worth every Baht. We went through this pseudo canal network in the forest and I couldn't help but feel like I was going to be mugged and left for dead for some reason, not that scenery was ominous - quite the opposite in fact, but for some reason I was ready to bargain for my life. I saw families playing in the water, men fishing, men and women gathering coconuts. There were some long stretches were we wouldn't see anyone for a while and I couldn't help but feel like I was on the Disney Jungle Cruise. I felt guilty that I couldn't appreciate the serenity of the place for itself and resorted to imaging animatronic hippos squirting water at me. As I let the feelings of Disney float away - I was brought to one of those peaceful moments in life where I'm not thinking about anything and I just... am.Danger: Slave Ship!
Back on land I spent about an hour in a cafe watching the Olympics. They kept on showing the same clip of a Thai weightlifter losing, but losing with a winning smile. It was great to see how excited everyone was getting for her. I went back to the travel agent and they offered me a shower. I wondered if they offered all of their guests this high class treatment or if they just felt bad for whoever else was going to be on the boat with me and that it would be better if they let me use one. I scrubbed up and made my way to the infamous night boat. I call it infamous because one of my mates back at NUS, Luke Murray, told me how he had taken the same boat, and how he got caught in a storm. The water was crashing all over the boat. The crew put on life jackets. He'd try to go to the washroom, and he had to jump over the all fish that were flopping around trying to suck in water that wasn't there. He got no sleep as he spent his night praying he wouldn't die. He said it was hell. I thought "To bad the sky looks clear tonight". That being said, I did want to get some sleep so I decided to get settled on the boat, and go for a quick beer run to 7/11. I jumped on the boat and I couldn't help but laugh at the sardine-can vessel I was going to be riding. I lodged my bag away and found my "bed". Right beside me a heard a couple of guys with English accents so I decided to invite them in on my plan to grab a couple beers to knock myself out. They decided to join without much hesitation, much to my delight. Kunal, Ramneet and I headed to "The Sev" and they introduced me to the joy of Chang Beer (really cheap big bottles of Thai beer) and warned me about the "Chang-Over" that I'd get from it. We enjoyed our beer outside, after sourcing a bottle opener from some Germans (of course) and got our second round of beers opened by a local who did it with their mouth. (10 points for Thailand). We made our way to the Night (Slave) Boat and decided to play cards before we passed out. I had a bit of a freak out, when one of the crew came around for my ticket and I didn't have it. Luckily, I just misplaced it (as I do many things) and we were good to go. After a few games of "Big 2" and "Poker" we called it a night. I fell fast a sleep, no doubt thanks to the Chang Beer and as I fell asleep and I couldn't help but smile about what was to await when I woke up...aside from the Chang-Over of course...

Singapore: The Beginning (July 30th - August 8th)

Who knew a month could fly by so quickly. It honestly feels like its been days since I arrived, but as I reflect back on all the stories so far, it's clear that this should be my 4th post as opposed to my second. I could probably try and blame the fact that I've been too busy, but when it comes down to it, sometimes its just difficult to get everything down.

I'm going to split the last month into 3 posts, starting with this one: The Beginning July 30th - August 8th. As I begin to write this - I'm telling myself that I will be more prudent about getting my other posts up on schedule so that I don't miss out on the details. But we'll see how this goes.

Buying. Meeting. Drinking. Eating.

July 30 - August 3
The day after I wrote my first post in Singapore, which included the fan incident, I spent the day with Chu Hwai, my welcome buddy and Vincent Ko, another Sauder student. After being treated to breakfast by my friend Hao Su, I hopped on the bus with the boys and I felt lucky to be with a local as I had no clue what bus I was on, where I was going and most importantly how to get back. We made our way to Vivo City which is one of the larger malls in Singapore. I bought my EZ Link Card (bus pass), Cash Card and hit up equivalent of WallMart to pickup the essentials: pillows, sheets, beer, hangers, etc. Chu Hwai had to run off to welcome another student at the airport, so Vincent and I where left with the task of making our way back home. There's something liberating about feeling like you're lost in a new city. As I pieced things together, I became much more aware of my surroundings and I engaged with the environment more, whether by looking for signs or asking locals where to go. We made our way back to NUS without much fuss and I got back in time to sort out my student card and student VISA. Thanks to the beauty of the internet - the beautiful Carla Culos was in town and wanted to dine out Singapore style. I met up with Carla and some friends she had made at various Case Competition. We took a walk through ultra-swanky Clark Quay, the club district with some expensive touristy restaurants right on the Singapore River (very nice). We enjoyed a load of dishes, including stingray, and it was the perfect cap to my first full day in Singapore- lah. We also paid a visit to the famous "MerLion".

I spent most of the next day, Thursday, going around campus trying to meet people. I made another stop down to the Sports Hall that was doubling as a registration centre to meet some people who were as lost I was. A big part of the reason I wanted to meet some people was that I was going to this party at club called ChinaOne, but I didn't really know anyone else who was going. Luckily - I saw a cluster of "Westerners" (that's what Singaporeans call the white kids), hanging out in the Air-Con Canteen at Prince George Park (my residence). Lucky for me I have no shame in trying to meet new people, so I grabbed some food and invited myself to sit down. It was here I met Fraser, Maria, Alex and Georgi (the first 3 of which I hang with pretty much every day now). I was happy to find out that they were planning on going to the party as well and so we decided to meet at "the steps" (the main PGP entrance) to head out later. To cut a long, and painfully boring story short - my first impression of the Singapore Party Scene was that drinks are overpriced, service is slow, and bars don't know what good music is, and walking between bars is hell as one tends to sweat an immense amount (one being me). The only good thing that came out of the Thursday Night Shenanigans was that I met a good friend Claire. I named her "Drunk Claire" (1/2 because she was drunk off her rocker and 1/2 because she's Irish). The name continues to have a purpose.

Friday was spent recovering as well as going to NUS orientation sessions (all of which were great. FALSE!) At one of the sessions, I signed up for a tour around Singapore for the next day with a bunch of other people I had met in the session. The tour was called Yummilicious and it was a Food Tour around Singapore. We headed out early on Saturday morning after being clustered into groups. Each group had a local student taking us around the sights, smells and tastes of Singapore. We made a stop to Little India (where I got some henna done), one of the Hawker's Market and a Wet Market. Most of the food was great, while some left me questioning the need to have corn in my ice cream. During the stop to the Hawker's Market, we made a quick detour to this new Buddhist Temple. The temple had such a tranquil feeling to it and the monks prayers were harmonized and beautiful. It was gorgeous outside and in and I'd encourage you to check out more pictures, along with some hilarious reactions to some friends trying "The Infamous Durian". yuck!
Some Thoughts In Between

3hr Lonely Stint
Sometime into the first weekend, I was walking back to my room, and all I could think was that I made a mistake. I wanted to be back home. The emotions weren't necessarily intense, but it was clear that Singapore/Residence/People/NUS wasn't what I had expected and I wanted to be back at Vancouver, making calls to all my friends and making sure we were going to the King's Head that night. Realistically that wasn't an option. At this point I was hanging out with a pretty big group, but no one really stood out to be as my closest friends. It was tough to think that I'd go 5 months without any real friends, and more importantly my closest ones. I was trying to figure out how to feel more connected to the people I was with, which proved to be a useless exercise. All I wanted was to have jokes with them, be able to tell them anything like I can do with everyone back in Vancouver, and although this wasn't my house I wanted it to feel like my home. I started to realize that the only thing I could do was to go forward and wait for it to work. I told myself that time would make stories and from that, friends. I tried to think of a time in my life that I felt so alone, but I'm pretty sure this was it. Part of what made it so bad was that I expected to jump right into it, and everything seemed to be moving awkwardly forward. I wanted to skip to the next chapter where I'd feel needed and connected. As time has gone on, I've far surpassed this time, but going through it was an interesting realization of my need for meaningful/deep/full relationships.

Lack of Local Connection
Speaking of feeling connected...(best transition ever) Singapore is something that I have yet to feel a connection with. The city itself is something to behold. Everything is pristine, I have yet to see someone who I'd consider poor, the city is clean and the air is fantastic, the landscape has been carved and the city feels like it's been built into a garden (where in reality the garden was built around the city). As much as Singapore presents itself as one of the most modernized city, I can't help but feel sorry for it. Everything is fabricated. It begs the question: What really is Singapore? If not for the constant makeover, what makes the city what it is. In the few conversations I've had with locals, the government appears to be engaged in some questionable activity for example: Social Cleansing: a term my friend Fraser and I made up to explain how Singapore had a plan to eliminate the lower class citizens of the nation by creating an incentive (cash) for young people with university educations to have children, while those without eduction don't get anything. But after spending more time in the city, and how clean and well off everything is, who am I to question what the government does if it works. (btw - I still question it, but I can understand how locals seem to have a "que sera sera" attitude towards their situation). If you'd like to read another interesting take on Singapore, please read the article from WIRED by William Gibson titled "Disneyland with a Death Penalty"

I feel like the people mirrors the city in a way in that image and saving face is very important to them. I have yet to meet a Singaporean who'll admit they were wrong, and for some reason I find a certain mistrust of anyone I'm buying something from. Am I racist? I don't feel so, as I never felt this way in Vancouver. Maybe ethnocentric, but the more time I spend here, the more and more I feel as though I'm able to trust and feel part of the community.
Alright - back to what's happened..

Week 2 in "The Pore" August (Aug. 3 - 8)
I was happy to find out upon my arrival to Singapore that "Orientation Week" has nothing to do with classes and it meant that I had another week off school before I jumped into lectures. This week proved that Singapore was going to be a great time as my social circle started to solidify. Rather than me list off who's who - I suggest you take a look at our facebook group to get a sense of who the gang is.

Bollywood Superstars
Monday started off with a a bit of a hit &
miss adventure downtown. My mate Liam got a letter under his door that encouraged "Well-Off Looking Westerners" to come be a part of a big commercial shoot and earn $100. The shoot was at the Esplanade Theatre so a bunch of us thought it would be pretty funny to be Bollywood SuperStars so we got all dolled up and off we went. We couldn't help but laugh when we realized the film shoot was for a tacky Breath Mint and/or Peanut Commercial (we couldn't really figure it out). We basically sat in the audience clapping for a couple hours. Once the four hours ran up (that we were told we'd be paid for) the shoot kept going. We started asking if we'd continue to get paid for our strenuous work, but the assistant director avoided our questions. Most of us decided to leave as it was clear we weren't going to get paid for any overtime work (and lucky we did leave, because a couple friends stayed behind and got offered $20 for 4 more hours of work). We're not really sure we'll be big superstarts in India just yet, but hurray for making $100 for doing nothing.


Drinking. Shopping. ARS.
That Wednesday night redeemed Singapore's nightlife. Even though I spent the better part of the night separated from the crew, I met a bunch of other Canadians (and a rowdy Irish bloke) and got smashed for $20 Freeflow (aka all you can drink). I ended the night at the Ministry of Sound on the spinning dance floor which was in sync with my spinning head. The days during the week comprised of a lot of time by the pool, sorting out my classes to make sure I got into the courses I wanted. I was lucky and got into some pretty interesting classes which should make the academic part of my time out here much better. The pictures below are some shots of the gang as we went out to one of the famous "Hawkers Markets". You'll always find clusters of old Chinese men, and at this particular time of year, see table set up with candles, incents and food for the "Festival of the Hungry Ghost". Later that week, we were able to take in a movie (Dark Knight) and on the the Friday we all went to a Korean BBQ near NUS and feasted on some great food. I knew when coming to Southeast Asia that I'd be doing my PADI Certification for Scuba Diving, but I didn't really plan how soon. I then looked back on my last 4 years of first week lectures in university, and as much as they're all good fun, you never really get much done and get sent home early most of the time. So hopping that things worked out the same in Singapore (and after confirming my assumptions with a couple locals) I decided to make my way to Koh Tao, Thailand (located in the Gulf of Thailand) for the first week of school. I told myself that if anyone asked, I didn't really miss the first week of school as I was still technically in class (just not at NUS). Claire was looking to bring a crew to meet me on the weekend of my trip for the Full Moon party, so she came with me to the Golend Mile Complex (a strip of local travel agents) to book my ticket. I was lucky enough to get the last seat on the bus leaving on Saturday, August 9th which would land in my Koh Tao on Monday morning...but I'll leave that for another time.

I spent a couple nights this week at a bar situated right behind Prince George Park (my residence), called Blooie's. It's great because they don't really mind/don't see that we just bring our own drinks and hang out. After one such evening the following conversation ensued (told in the 3rd person for my enjoyment):

Claire, Tasha and Conor were walking back to PGP after having some drinks and laughs at the bar behind PGP. While walking they talked about how lame PGP was with all its "chains & locks" and how it doesn't allow for a community to grow.

With classes, work, and exams approaching, the three of them were afraid that everyone would hide in their rooms and they'd only see each other when we they were "doing something".

That's when they decided that the students of PGP needed A Regular Spot: ARS (pronounced arse).
After deciding the name, they expending pretty much every crude joke possible:

"We love it in the ARS"
"We'll be in your ARS"
"Show me to your ARS"
etc.

They liked the name (and more importantly the concept) and decided it was important to make happen. So they did.

I hope you've enjoyed the blog and I apologize again for the huge delay. I hope to have the Koh Tao post up by the weekend. If you want to look ahead of my stories - free free to creep my facebook pictures.

Love,

Conor