Flowers, Showers and Indian food

First full day in Asia, and its been a busy one. 11pm and I am once again falling asleep at my netbook. But, its important for me (and some of my family/friends) to write what happened in the last 24 hours before I start getting behind.

Last night before bed I got a bit homesick. It was my first day on the road and while I know things will get easier, I was too tired to be rational. I wasn't able to get in touch with my parents, but thankfully my cousin Becky (also a seasoned traveller) was available to chat and give some good advice. I only mention this story because this is my journal and an event which I think I'll want to remember in the future.

This morning was a new day. Well, almost. I skyped with my sister which didn't seem to help matters and then with my parents. By the time I got off, the two Korean sisters who were staying in the room came back from breakfast and told me it ended at 10 giving me less than seven minutes to eat. I rushed down to grab a few pieces of toast (turns out breakfast goes until 10:30). The girls asked what my plans were for the day and we realised that we all wanted to go to the Botanic Gardens, so they invited me to join them.

Getting to the gardens involved the MRT and a bus, but we eventually made it. It was incredibly green inside with tall trees, a lake, lots of plants and flowers and even a couple of swans waddling around. A girl was walking near us on her own so I said hello. Kathy is from Chicago and is in Singapore visiting her boyfriend who has an internship here for a few weeks. Like me, she has the days on her own but nights are busy. So when the sisters left, Kathy and I took a bit more time to explore the gardens. The sky had continually gotten grayer as we walked along, and we left the park just as drops were starting to fall. We barely made it to the bus stop when it started pouring (and I mean really pouring). By the time we got off the bus at Boat Quay it had almost stopped. We were looking for a place to eat when Kathy stubbed her toe and we had to make a detour to the pharmacy so that she could clean it up given that it was bleeding on the inside. Not a very pleasant accident. We finally found the restaurant we were looking for, but they stop serving at 2:30 and it was 2:45. Out of ideas, we simply wandered to a place serving Thai/Vietnamese that offered us 30% off food. The location on the water was perfect, but the food could have been better.

As I left lunch to do some exploring on my own, it starting raining again. Out came the poncho as I was set on seeing some buildings in the colonial district. I got to see the Asian Civilizations Museum, the Old and current Supreme Court, the music hall, etc all before stumbling upon the famous Raffles hotel. Lucky for me its a bit of an open plan and I was able to stroll around the shops and courtyards while staying dry. Eventually I made my way to the Singapore Art Museum which had free admission so I took a quick peek. By this point it was almost 6 and I was feeling tired, so I walked back to the hostel and ended up taking a short nap.

I was out again just after 8 to meet Alwyn and Luke (another Wash U grad) for Indian food. We went to a restaurant which he's been eating at since he was eight. Needless to say the ambiance has changed a bit, but the food was delicious. We ordered their famous Fish Head Curry, plus some tandoori chicken, a spinach dish that I don't remember the name of, and some naan. The curry had a bit of a kick, but it was tasty (and something I would never order on my own). Thanks Alwyn for another fantastic meal, and for doing all the ordering!

Ok, now its really time for bed since this post became a lot longer than I anticipated. Got to get a good night sleep. More tomorrow.