Singapura day 1

So I had to be fingerprinted at the Singapore Immigration just beyond Johor Bahru and as a result missed my bus from the border to Lavender Road.
The bridge across the Johor strait looks like so in the rain, though.

Pulled some Tamil out of the hat and convinced the next bus to take me to the aforementioned street.
Anyway having reached the city with dreaded thoughts of it being a lot like A Brave New World thanks to my cousin programming me so, I took a quick bus ride to China Town with MrD. I should have linked his blog in my sidebar but if not it's called the Other Side and pretty much a lot of fun to read. Had a quick bite at a local restaurant of sweet and sour pork and rice and proceeded to spend a little time exploring Chinatown.
Now one of the things I remember watching about Singapore on World Cafe Asia or some such was them interviewing this German sausage cart owner who had cheese stuffed sausages. In a cliched, yet very serendipitous moment while ambling through Chinatown, lamenting the fact that every toy store was closed, I find Erlich. Austrian, not German, he still sells those delectable wursts. And this is him.

And this is a temple of sorts.

Next was a trip to the highest point in Singapore with a 360 degree view of the city which is truly breathtaking. Again no camera but you could easily google 1 Altitute at the UOB building.
A nice walk along Clarke Quay next with the standard lineup of bars, very drunk expats and tourists and a really nice beer at Brewerkz. Both the India Pale Ale and the Oatmeal Stout are worth writing about and a trip to the joint. That was followed by a shot at Mulligan's the Irish bar and a good evening at Blue Jazz on Ophir Road. Which is opposite the interestingly titled Gotham Building.
Now we left Blue Jazz with it's very talented jazz band at 1AM and proceeded to China One (another bar on Clarke Quay). Nice little joint with some decent techno and electronica and the occasional hip hop track. However a Flaming Lamborghini later. It seemed they also had a nice alternative rock act doing a gig there. Amateur but very very tight. I have no idea what they're called though but they were great. And not just because of the alcohol.
And after that crazy night, punctuated with music alcohol and one very strange multiple martial art instructor from New York who insisted on teaching dance, martial art and finally walking till at 5 we ambled home to sleep.
Day two follows

The straits of Melaka

So my little sojourn in Kuala Lumpur came to end in a hungover morning. Hoegaarden, Guinness and Laphroiag being blamed sorely I proceeded to a temporary make shift bus terminal called Bukit Jalil. Temporary and makeshift is the primary impression the place makes in one’s mind with large sheds and tarpaulins covering some twenty odd buses.

And therefore a two hour bus ride later I was at Melaka.

As the British would say, it’s a charming little town. Quiet, largely bored with everything.

Things to do in Melaka – go to Jonker’s street. Visit the only joint to have featured in the lonely planet – the Geographer Café. Drink down another Hoegaarden with batter fried calamari. Hop down the road to this roadside Chinese joint and have a Tiger beer with pork. Proceed up the road to a chicken with rice ball joint and proceed to consume them with relish.

Settle in to a nice boat to take the river cruise – a 45 minute up and down through the river which is pretty as can be. Better at night since the graffiti on the walls of the buildings on either side is lit up as is Kumpung Morten, a riverside village.

Try to ignore the rain pelting down on you. I missed Portuguese street because of that rain.

I will have to come back here over a weekend sometime, there was a pub with an open mike night that I couldn’t visit due to companion constraints. Companion restraints rather…

I’m off to Singapore. Pictures will follow.

Update - I'm in Singapore. Happy joy!

Chamarajpet to China...

... or KLPD part 2

So the day began on a good note... bbq cheeseburger whist wistfully watching folks gorge on KFC at 8.30AM. Yeah the time when one hears the last fading notes of the suprabhatam and is hurrying to work. That time. Beef burgers and KFC. As the most important meal of the day. Need I really say any more. Things largely went downhill from thence, with mostly boring conference lectures barring one on stem cells (incidentally those little buggers are so big, folks have begun randomly injecting them around in the hope that they'll prove to be a Lazarus Pit). By evening once all was done I headed out the Central Market(Est circa 1888, much after Mangal Pandey refused beef and began it all) which is close to but not at KL Sentral. It's just off the Pasar Seni station and en route one finds this off the Pasar Seni station.

and for a better view...

Apparently Melaka, where I'm headed to next has bigger and better ones.

That apart, the central market is like Malaysia's partially regulated handicraft emporium, not unlike the Cauvery in home sweet home. So many, "I'm sorry I'm not looking for a batik sarong with a matching shirt", later I escaped and moved to Petaling Street. Where if you have a cycle you cannot be petaling because it's too crowded, la.
So this is Chinatown. What a trip that joint is. As usual fake china made goods at potentially rock-bottom prices if you have the time and energy to bargain. Street side restaurants with beer and pork. And the occasional accost from a commercial sex worker (I wanted to say whore but it's kinda politically incorrect).
Now if I'd only remembered to eat Haagen Dazs...
Anyway the day ended with Hoegaarden, Guinness, chicken and pork. And Laphroaig.
I could potentially die and go to heaven but I still have Melaka and Singapore to write about.