After smashing a huge Singapore Chilli Crab in Chinatown, I was completely full. The crab set me back like $38 SG (like $35 AUS). I decided to eat away from the main street section, and not in the places where there lots of tourists. The train station had a bunch of places that looked pretty local, with only locals there (i.e. no white people lol). So I chose the busiest one, and rocked up to the counter to order a chilli crab. I had my mandarin all worked out and confidently ordered in chinese. The lady pointed to the kitchen, and said go to the other side. I thought “ok? What does that mean – do I get to pick a crab?”. Apparently, there were more seats on the other side of the kitchen. There were two sides to the street hawker street!

So I ordered a crab. They told me they only had big ones left and it was more than the standard price of $35 SG. I thought whatever and ordered a fried rice as well for $4 and a drink. The crab was really good and very messy. I figured when eating crab or ribs, you gotta go all in. I was sweating, my hands were covered in the chilli soup type thing (I thought the dish was supposed to be dry!!). Anyway, I met this two old Australians (like 65+ who were travelling for 3 months) from Blacktown! There was an old Asian guy and a german guy. It coulda been me and tim or me and ashby in 30 years time!

I bid them farewell, and took the train to Clarke Quay. I had seen it from a distance the other day from Boat Quay. I thought it was a strip with a few bars like Circular Quay. It turned out to be much more. Its a massive area with heaps of nightclubs and bars. Its jam packed full of people – particuarly young Singaporeans. There’s this bridge which connects both sides, and there’s people just sitting there (crammed might I add) just watching everyone go past.

Walking around, it reminded me of why I like the nightlife in Asia. It just seems to be a happening place, everyone’s out til really late. I checked out a few bars and ended up at this one called The Tapas Tree. I chose it because they had a coverband playing some songs that I was familar with and it wasn’t as packed. I just wanted to enjoy a Singapore Sling and a beverage or too in a relaxed place. One thing that I don’t like about Singapore is the cost of alcohol. A beer set me back $14.50 SG (thats like $12 Australian!). I reckon it was a pint size. The band started playing song requests, so I put in Black Eyed Peas, Lets Get Retarded. Why – because I like that song, and I’ve seen BEP perform it in person and it was mad!

The band asked who put it in, and laughed. I raised my hand and acknowledged it was me. I had spoken to the band during the break, and they seemed pretty cool. I then put in another song, Red Hot Chilli Pepper’s (RHCP)  ”under the bridge”, which is one of my favourites. I’m a big RHCP fan btw. It was a pretty good rendition! I ended up ordering two more mojitos because I liked the band and they were playing a lot of songs that I liked and knew (top 40 type stuff). The guys from the band were called Marisol, and they had toured Australia and played in some of the music festivals. One of the guy’s East told me he’d been to Australia 6 times and loved Sydney. I spoke to them outside the bar, and they were pretty cool. We talked about RHCP, including Anthony Kiedis biography,  eating Durian (and how to pick Durian fruit!), why alcohol is so expensive, and being Malays in Singapore!

A few interesting points:

- Malay is a ethnic group from the Malay area (peninsula?). These guys are not from Malaysia – as is commonly thought by most people including myself.

- pick Durian fruit that is soft but not too soft. If its too soft, it is too watery. And they confirmed that alcohol and durian is not a good mix (thanks Fozz for the tip!). Also, durian is from the same family as rambutans and heats you up. You know if you ate too much as your throat gets hot. I can confirm this!

I then left the Tapas tree in search of some more action as the crowd was dying out. It was prolly around midnight, maybe after. And the cocktails set be back like $15 each (plus there’s a service charge on top). I figured at $15 each, it was better than drinking beer.

I ended up at this nightclub called The Pump Room, which has a live band (and the guys at Marisol recommended as a happening place).   After paying $20 cover charge including a free drink, I went in. It was medium sized club, with a raised area for chilling out. The band was really good, and they were playing lots of top 40 songs. I also had another drink,  it was bourbon and coke, it set me back $18!! Are you kidding me!!

It was a pretty cool club, I recommend it if you are in SG! If you want to have any drinks, definently have them before you get to the clubs. But hey, it was my last night, and I wanted to go out and have fun. I was by myself the entire night and had a great time.

I left about 3am in the morning and headed back to the hostel. Singapore is a cool place, very safe, feels very honky as well! I really like Singapore (except for the cost of living). Food is cheap, not as cheap as say Malaysia or Thailand but its fairly clean.

I’m out like my last night in Singapore,

Matt

Things are starting to get into place – I recently bought my travel insurance and we’ve booked out flights and most of our accommodations. I recommend Travel Insurance Direct. I’ve used them for a few years now and find that its cheap and extensive coverage. Everything’s handled online and you can get a quote immediately.

The other thing I need to do is get some travel shots. I haven’t been able to find much information on the net about when to get them. But from my experience and having visited a few doctors in the past, it should be 4-6 weeks before you head overseas.

So what kind of shots should I be getting? Previously when I went to South East Asia (Vietnam, Thailand) in 2007, I had two shots which both contained 2 in 1 shots. Shots that might consider getting are tetanus, diphtheria, Hep A and Typhoid. I’m a big fan of the 2 in 1 shots because its means I have less needles!

You also need to be aware that with some injections you can get booster shots. This means that within 6-12 months you can get another shot that can last like 10 years. Some shots also last for a longer period of time.

Here are some websites that can help you find out what travel injections you might need:

Travel Doctor – You can put in the country, where you are from and duration, and it gives you some automated information.

Medicine Net

Again, as you have heard many times – there is no substitute for getting some real medical advice!

I’m out like travel injections,

Matt Ho.

In the Nation’s capital, some of mankind’s greatest achievements are for all to see. Towering over the city is the Washington Monument, the largest free standing stone masonry ever built. A portion of man’s greatest collection of art, natural history, air and space achievements, are housed in several of the Smithsonian museums. Large, Greco-Roman buildings dot the landscape of Washington DC.

Democratic institutions showing the division of the legislature, the judiciary and the state into 3 arms are found – Capitol Hill, Supreme Court, and Parliament. The names of streets read “Constitution Ave”, “Independence Ave”, echoing the principles of a free society. It was here, on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, where Martin Luther King cried out “I have a dream!”.

In the National Archives, store the three great documents from which the most powerful nation in the world was built. Amongst dim light, tight security, fire-proof, bomb-proof, titanium encased boxes, several faded documents written in long English writing are barely able to be seen. In here, stand the Declaration of Independence which gave birth to a new country. In the middle, surrounded by two security guards, lies the original U.S Constitution, the foundations of a democracy. The Bill of Rights on the other side, no less important, expounded the 12 rights of the citizens – the right to be tried by jury, the right to free speech and other freedoms which American citizens enjoy today. This became the model of other democracies and the foundations of constitutions in countries like Venezuela. The document for the 13th amendment can also be found, dubbed the Emancipation proclamation declaring the freedom of all slaves.

Idolized by their citizens are huge monuments dedicated to President Lincoln, Roosevelt and Jefferson. The immense size, grandeur, and the statues housed inside are powerful striking images. On the walls, are inscribed famous speeches and quotes which they gave, indicated their importance in fathering the United States.

The Korean War Memorial has an inscription of the words “Freedom Is Not free”, for the lives of countless men lie buried underneath the battlefields of decades gone past. Statutes of soldiers stand in battle formation anticipating the crack of gun fire. At the Vietnam Veteran War Memorial, the men are remembered by a black stone wall with their names inscribed in the chronological order in which they were killed. Lest we forget the 400,000 stars at the National World War 2 Memorial, a star for each man felled during World War 2. On the ground, it is written “Victory on sea. Victory on air. Victory on land.”

But at what cost?

To live in a free and democratic society, young men and women suffered, were persecuted, and died.

America’s capital is depicted as one of inspiration, of hope, of testament to its greatness, as one of a memorial to its dead. But there is something wrong with this picture when you walk around. On every street corner is a lamppost and a homeless person, holding out a cup and jingling the coins inside. Men and women stand outside the CVA pharmacy, the supermarkets, the parks, the train stations, the Starbucks, living in desperation. For this is the land of opportunity, but clearly opportunity never found them.

In the freezing cold they stand, in the treacherous conditions, they lie wrapped in blankets on park benches. Amidst the politicians, the lawyers, the lawmakers, the lobbyists, the tourists, are the homeless. These are predominantly men of colour, noticeably of African American race. Lincoln once said “All men are created equal” but clearly not all men live equally. Live free, die poor in D.C.

The IRS (Internal Revenue Service) building is adorned with the motto “taxes are what society pays for order”. One wonders, how much of this revenue is spent funding the war efforts of fighting foreign legions and despots and how little is a spent addressing home grown problem like homelessness and crime that exists in its own backyard. The government fights the war on terror, the war on drugs, but neglects the war on poverty.

Washington is blanketed with heavy security as it contains many of the nation’s treasures (including its beloved politicians). Armed security patrol Capitol Hill with AK-47’s and double barreled shotguns. Security screens are present at every entrance, and a policeman on every corner to boot. “Empty your pockets!” barks the angry female security guard (who probably hasn’t had her wheaties today). Patrol cars dash up and down the streets, men walk around in secrecy with walkie talkies and earphones attached. Post September 11, America is not taking any chances and has stepped up her security. A sense of urgency and quiet alarm is evident in Washington DC.

Across the river lies a funny shaped building with five sides. It looks extremely ugly, and men in camouflage gear walk around. For this is the most secretive building in the whole of the United States – the infamous Pentagon. From the outside, it looks extremely unimpressive. One cannot even take photos of the building or the train station underneath. No walk in tours are allowed and there is a sense of heightened security at the entrance, as all visitors are scanned and searched.

Opposite the obelisk known as Washington monument is another one of these Greco-Roman monstrosities. It reads “BEP”. Any 14 year old will tell you the acronym stands for Black Eyed Peas, the American rap group. However, the only association it has with hip hop is the amount of money flashing inside. For this is the Bureau of Engraving and Printing, where paper is turned green and made into money. Mountain stacks of money are printed by the minute, pressed by engraving plates and oodles of green ink stamped and secret holographic images are applied. As a final step, serial numbers are attached, money is counted, collated and ready to be used.

Where dead presidents have their faces printed on the back of money. One wonders whether these dead presidents knew America would turn out like this. They created, shaped, and influenced the development of the United States and the world from within a solitary house, white in colour, surrounded by a huge perimeter fence with an army of policemen watching over them.

Washington D.C., the home of dead presidents.

Welcome to my travel blog. I have been meaning to do this for some time (over 3 years!). I want to have a travel blog separate to my main blog inspiredworlds.com which covers digital & business.

Originally, I started travel blogging on a totally different blog, then started writing notes on Facebook. I was one of the first people amongst my friends to start using the notes section in Facebook for blogging.

I had a lot of comments and reads on Facebook, so it became the defacto place. However, it is an island of isolation because I want to share it with the world! I even created a wiki at the time called Travel on the cheap, but I gave up after I saw wikitravel.

However, these are my own personal notes and also tips for other travellers.

I’ll be heading to Vietnam soon (in a week!), so this is the main driver behind it. As well, I will complement it with travel notes that I have written over the last few years.

Starting with my favourite pieces – Dead Presidents and my 6 month summary of my backpacking trip.

Cheers,

Matt