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Asia-Pacific 2017

January - May 2017
A 127-day adventure by Kirsti Read more
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  • Kirsti MathiasenAsia-Pacific 2017
    Day 38

    Kathmandu

    February 17, 2017 in Nepal ⋅ ⛅ 19 °C

    Today was a good day and I feel like I accomplished a lot.

    First thing in the morning I met Ganesh for tea at a shop midway between where we're staying, conveniently only a 5-10 minute walk for each of us. We chatted about various things and I enjoyed watching the city start to wake up. He had to go back to the university to finish something with his Master's program and I went back to the house to eat breakfast and continue working on the website content. It's kind of fun this website business! I'm learning a lot about the different places in Nepal that I didn't get to, and now have a list of places I want to see next time I'm in Nepal. At some point Sudarsan brought me some noodles to eat as I managed to work for a fair number of hours solid without realizing it... I decided it was time for a break and went for a wander. Ended up running into my friend again and we had a snack together, some chick peas and an egg at a random shop in the area. Who knew such a big city could be so small at the same time.. Same as how the world is tiny sometimes I guess! It was a great impromptu meeting and I learned that my birthday in the Nepali calendar is Falgun 13th. Random facts :p

    I made my way back to the house and met Sudarsan in his shop. There I noticed that he had wine for sale! And wine that we know at home, not this whiskey type wine of the village. So I convinced him to share with me and we polished off the bottle. I had to laugh that the name was Napa Valley, like the California Winery. Definitely not the same though. It was a good wine though, on the sweet side, but delicious. We enjoyed it while eating spicy chips so that helped balance out the sweetness a bit. It would seem that here in Nepal they don't have the same categories of wine as we do - Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, etc - it's just a wine. Fine by me! I was happy. While socializing Sudarsan told me of two new project sites that he'd visited today. Project sites in need of help improving the school quality. They require materials and labour.. For one school they need windows and repairs to the structure from the earthquake. The other needs a proper toilet facility. More projects for him to find volunteers for!

    Again we ate a late dinner and then worked late into the evening on the website content. Trying to get everything done before I leave! I know I can always help remotely too, but I prefer to do it now while I'm here. The next portion of my trip is likely to be very very busy...    Read more

  • Kirsti MathiasenAsia-Pacific 2017
    Day 39

    Goodbye Kathmandu

    February 18, 2017 in Nepal ⋅ ☀️ 21 °C

    Today was my last day in Kathmandu. It's bittersweet to be leaving... I'm incredibly sad to be leaving all the wonderful people I've met behind, but I do know that I'll see them again one day! So it's only a temporary goodbye. And I am looking forward to seeing some new parts of Asia.

    I spent the morning finalizing my packing and then went to FedEx to ship some things home. So expensive! But less expensive and less of a hassle than paying for an extra checked bags on all my next flights. A big disappointment was that I wasn't able to ship everything I wanted to home.. Couldn't ship the teas or spices that I have with me :/ So now they're in my pack but that means that my half full bag is now completely full and I don't have room for any Souvenirs from the rest of Asia... Maybe I'll try to ship those things home again when I get to Singapore, could be just a FedEx requirement? I don't know. But because today is Saturday they were the only company open and I didn't have an alternative to check out. I also had to leave my sleeping matt behind because to ship that alone would have been $150! No thanks! I can buy a new one for that price. This way someone here can get good use out of it too. Or as Sudarsan said, it'll be waiting for me when I come back lol. I hope they use it :)

    When I was back from shipping my items I continued with the website for a while until the power decided to go out and I didn't have an internet connection anymore. I finished packing and am ready to leave at anytime! I also copied all of Sudarsan's Nepali Music onto my phone so now I have access to that! I'll share it with you all at home, it's definitely grown on me I quite like it :) When the power decided to turn back on I wrapped up the content that I was working on and went to have coffee with Sudarsan and Sarita in the shop one last time.. 7pm came far too quickly and the same taxi driver who took me to FedEx in the morning came to take me to the airport. But again, because I know they're temporary good byes they weren't as sad as they could have been!

    When I got to the airport I exchanged the last of my rupees into US dollars before heading to check in. In the check in line I made a friend! A fellow named Daniel from the UK. We became fast friends and it really helped the time pass by quickly. Especially because our flight was delayed an hour and half.. He's been in Nepal for 3 months and is heading to Perth, Australia to work for a year. A true nomad. We talked about random things in a very easy, natural conversation. It was great. We were even seated next to one another, I suppose because we checked in one after the other. I manged to catch a few hours of sleep on the flight and when we arrived in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia for our 3+ hour layovers Daniel and I continued to visit and had coffee together before splitting up to our different gates. (The airport here is so nice! It's like a massive shopping mall, beautifully designed with a steel structure and wood ceiling, a very drastic change from Kathmandu. I definitely felt like a bit of a slob here even though I was wearing what I considered my nice clothing in Nepal haha) Anyway, Daniel is quite a nice guy, I'm sure we'll be in touch in the future!

    My second flight to Singapore was also delayed.. We ended up departing 20 minutes after we were originally scheduled to arrive. But oh well, not like I'm in a huge rush to be anywhere! I'll write about Singapore in a separate post because technically it's a separate day.. This overnight travel business isn't as bad as I thought it would be!

    I also think it's worth mentioning that the security screening is very different here than at home... There are separate lines for men and women because they physically pat you down in addition to going through the metal detector. Good thing I'm not a super sensitive person else I'd have felt quite violated. Full grabs of the breasts and even between the legs! To all the women! Thankfully by a woman at least... Sheesh. Anyway.. Another interesting observation was that when we arrived in Kuala Lumpur from Kathmandu a flight attendant went through the cabin twice spraying some sort of disinfectant. Apparently there's a law that requires this to prevent diseases spreading... Makes me wonder what kind of diseases they're worried about. Or do I really want to know?? Oh I love learning about new cultures <3    Read more

  • Kirsti MathiasenAsia-Pacific 2017
    Day 40

    Arrival & Light Show at Marina Bay

    February 19, 2017 in Singapore ⋅ ⛅ 30 °C

    I made it to Singapore! The city is incredibly easy to navigate, I had zero problems finding my way from the airport to the hostel, Quarters Hostel. All signs are in English, I found an ATM at the airport, a nice man exchanged my large bills for smaller ones at the MRT (metro) booth, and I felt at home immediately. The MRT reminds me so much of the skytrain, the cars are actually almost identical and the graphics on the maps are the same. Actually, in a number of ways Singapore reminds me of Vancouver. When I got off the train at my station I was overwhelmed by tall buildings in a modern setting. The diversity of the people is just like home too, lots of locals and tourists mingling, and the ethnic diversity is also like home. I overheard at least 5-6 different languages on the train, and English was one of the most common. I also noticed that I wasn't the tallest person around anymore ;) Also the streets arent' as clean as I expected from what I'd heard. It's still an immaculate city though!

    My first impressions are positive, although in all honesty I'm experiencing some reverse culture shock It's strange to be back in a city with structure, order, rules, and hearing English being spoken everywhere. The lifestyle is clearly more fast paced too, and everyone is always on their phones. Like at home, but different than where I had been previously . I've gotten used to disconnecting, only using my phone occasionally! It's also incredibly hot here. And it's overcast! And Humid. And windy. At least it's not fully sunny, that would be too much for me right now I think.

    I arrived at my hostel at about noon and wasn't able to check in until 3pm. So I left my bag there and went for a wander around town. I stopped by a 711 and noticed an advertisement for a "tourist" SIM card, so naturally I bought one. They were out of the 5 day pass which is all I need so I bought the 10 day pass. $30 ($1 SG is approximately $0.95 CAD) got me a lot! A bunch of text messages and local calls, plus 90 minutes of international calling and 14 Gb of data! Crazy! So excessive. There is Netflix here though so maybe... Kidding! I don't think I'll have the time for watching movies. I also bought a beer at the 711 although it's super expensive! I'm going to need to find a grocery store and buy in bulk, there's a fridge at the hostel ;) I still had time to kill, and hadn't really eaten for 15 hours, so I stopped at McDonalds. I know I know, horrid!! But it was there and it was cheap and familiar and I was able to stay there for a couple hours catching up on my writing which all of you are benefiting from :p Nothing special on the menu there. A lot of countries have their own unique menu item at McDonalds, but not here really. There is a burger offered with an egg on top but otherwise the menu is the same as at home.

    When I eventually wandered back to the hostel I settled in and managed to get a hold of Alanna! We talked for a good amount of time before it became too late for her. I went into my room and showered, met the roommates etc. The two that I connected with the most were Youngmin, a girl from Korea, and David from Finland.

     The three of us went out for a stroll to the Marina Bay where they were having a light show of some kind. The walk took about 20 minutes and we made it just in time to see the beginning. There were so many people there thought that it was hard to see, but it was still quite impressive. There was music that reminded me of Disney, and lights coming from the Marina Bay Tower across the lake/river whatever it is. Where we were in the plaza there were fountains in the river that sprayed vertically and the lights projected onto the water to form images! The images went along with the music and told a story of sorts. I can't remember exactly what song was playing but it was pretty cool!

    After the show we walked back towards the hostel along the water, a street filled with tons of restaurants in older buildings. We stopped at a place called Dallas Restaurant and Bar and had a late dinner. We chose the place because it offered a good deal of $20 for a burger, beer and fries! Best prices we saw along the way. A good meal, reminded me of home! Way too much beef on the burger though I hope I don't pay for that tomorrow... After eating we walked down a few restaurant to a place offering $5 mixed drinks. They were $5 because they maybe had a half ounce of alcohol in them.. So we stayed for one drink and then ordered a bucket of 5 Corona for $35. Still cheaper than other restaurants! We were joined by two others from the hostel here and chatted for a bit. I guess everyone was rather tired so all but myself and one other went to bed. The two of us decided to explore a bit more and wandered over to the Clarke Quay. That is a cool place at night! It's a whole bunch of restaurants and bars that are open late, right on the riverside, and connected by a x shaped, covered area. The canopies are all glass and lit up with vibrant colours. Pretty neat! Too bad I was so tired that I couldn't really absorb it all. I'll be back though I'm sure :) I called it quits after a $14 pint.. Wasn't feeling like spending any more money! I went back to the hostel alone and slept easy. Singapore is a very safe city and I didn't once feel uncomfortable making the walk alone at night! Such a great place.    Read more

  • Kirsti MathiasenAsia-Pacific 2017
    Day 41

    Exploring near the Hostel

    February 20, 2017 in Singapore ⋅ ⛅ 30 °C

    I slept very well last night! The room is nice and cold and the blankets heavy and warm, my favourite :) I ate at the hostel, they offer a free breakfast. Breakfast consisted of toast, cereal, and eggs that you cook yourself on a little cooktop outside on the street. Basic but does the trick! Peanut butter and toast with eggs will keep you going for a while ;)

    I was invited to explore a bit with the others but I wanted to just do things at my own pace for a bit so I declined and just wandered around for a bit. I ended up at Fort Canning Park, near my hostel which is a nice escape from the hustle and bustle of the city. I read somewhere that Singapore is striving to become a "City in a Park" rather than a City with many parks, and they seem to be pretty successful. There are green spaces everywhere, and all the newer buildings have great public spaces at the base! They definitely value creating a dynamic, interactive city that engages people. It's quite refreshing. My first impressions were that Singapore is very similar to Vancouver, and that still holds true but it also has some aspects that remind me of Vegas, and the city seems to cater to entertainment in a way. With all the different sights to see that I'll describe more in later posts.. After the park I somehow ended up in a shopping mall after trying to figure out how to cross the street. I walked on an overpass and was spat out in a mall. So I explored a bit and I found a grocery store! Mission accomplished. I found much more reasonably priced beers, $16 for 6 of the cheapest ones from Thailand, and picked that up as well as a local beer, Tiger, because you always have to try the local beer! I found it funny that in the "ethnic" food aisle were items like Tostitos nacho cheese and chicken broth. Different definitions! Wine and hard alcohol is also ridiculously priced. Holy. $30 for a bottle that might be maximum $10 at home.

    From the supermarket I wandered back to the Hostel and met up with Youngmin. We ventured to Chinatown to eat lunch. Chinatown is neat, it has lots of activity, tons of food, and Chinese decor. It didn't seem quite as big at Vancouver's Chinatown but it was still worth visiting! We ate a place called
    Liao Fan Hong Kong Soya Sauce Chicken Rice & Noodle which is apparently fairly well known. And after eating I could tell why! Their BBQ pork was fantastic. Some of the best I've ever had! The chicken was average though. We waited about 30 minutes to get our food, and apparently that's a short wait. It was packed in there so I can't imagine what it looks like when it's really busy. So while waiting we wandered across the street to a department store and just browsed. We also explored the area a bit more, looking at all the souvenir shops and all the different foods. Very interesting! The only things I bought were the exciting objects of toothpaste and a notebook :p

    After eating we wet back to the hostel briefly and then went to another shopping mall briefly before heading to Sentosa Island to spend the rest of the afternoon. The shopping is the same at home, maybe just a bit more expensive! All the same brands, and lots of very expensive brands. And there are malls EVeRYWHERE. A shoppers dream. Not for me! But I was happy to browse a bit :)

    I'll talk about Sentosa in the next post.. This website only allows a maximum of 6 photos per post so I have to split them up!    Read more

  • Kirsti MathiasenAsia-Pacific 2017
    Day 41

    Sentosa Island

    February 20, 2017 in Singapore ⋅ ⛅ 29 °C

    Sentosa Island is beautiful. I had read online that it's not really worth visiting, but I think they're wrong! Maybe the beaches won't be as nice as Thailand, but I was impressed. There's a separate train line dedicated to Sentosa and we got off at the end of the line, at the beaches. It's amazing! So pretty, and quiet. I suppose it's not hot season here, but for us we were very happy to put our feet in the water. I didn't bring a bathing suit with me as I'd heard the water wasn't all that clear this time of year, but it looked just fine to me. Too bad! But, I have Thailand for swimming ;) We walked along the beaches for a while just enjoying the peace and quiet, exploring, and talking. At some point we stopped and grabbed some fresh fruit juice. I tried something called "Badung" that was bright pink and very sweet, and tasted kind of like taro. Was interesting! While exploring the beaches we met a couple from America/Canada that we talked with for a while. The first Canadian I've met on this trip! And he's from Ladner. Small world indeed. Too bad they leave tonight or we likely would have met up for drinks later.

    Anyway, after we tired of walking the beaches, enjoying the views, and exploring the little islands connected by bridges, we hopped onto the train and got off at a different stop, still on Sentosa Island though. This area was still very vast, open, and impressive, but wasn't field with beaches. There was a huge statue of a Merlion that we took photos of and there's also a Universal Studios! We didn't go into the theme park because neither of us was interested, but it made me think of a few people at home that would be interested in it.

    When we finally got too tired to walk anymore we hopped back on the train and returned to the hostel. There I did some laundry - boy is it nice not to have to hand wash things! - and we sat around for a while relaxing. At some point we made friends with a girl from Switzerland, Lu, who's here only for one night on a layover. The three of us decided to adventure to Clarke Quay to find food at the absurd hour of 9:30 pm. That was an adventure to be told in another post ;)    Read more

  • Kirsti MathiasenAsia-Pacific 2017
    Day 41

    Clarke Quay

    February 20, 2017 in Singapore ⋅ ⛅ 26 °C

    At about 9:30 or 10:00pm we - Youngmin, Lu, and I - left the hostel in search of food. We went over to Clarke Quay, because as Lu only has one night I thought it was a great place to see! And they're open late so it was a logical decision. And, now that I was actually awake I was able to absorb the beauty of the place! And the ambiance, too bad that my partners weren't in a party mood, because that would be a great place to do it. If I were rich :p

    After wandering for a while looking at various menus and not really seeing anything we were interested in / that was still open we met a local couple... I'm still not entirely sure how that conversation started but I thought I heard him say something - not a clue what - and I turned around to ask him to repeat himself. He was slightly intoxicated so didn't even remember what he had said haha. But, it turned out to be a good thing I stopped to talk to him! Him and his partner took us to a restaurant that was still serving food. A soup house? The most normal thing on the menu was pork ribs in a spicy broth. We also ordered a vegetable dish and some rice noodles to go along with it. Or rather, our new friend ordered for us after confirming that we'd eat it. What a guy! His partner was clearly ready for bed but put on a good front for us ahaha. I will not be forgetting them anytime soon I'm sure :p in fact, I exchanged numbers with them, maybe we'll even meet again. Absolutely hilarious. Anyway, we parted ways around 12:30am and went back to the hostel and straight to bed.    Read more

  • Kirsti MathiasenAsia-Pacific 2017
    Day 42

    Ion Orchard & Orchard Road

    February 21, 2017 in Singapore ⋅ ⛅ 30 °C

    This morning I made my eggs and managed to get a hold of Alanna, Kayla, and my parents! I talked to them while Youngmin and David went back to Chinatown. David hadn't been yet and Youngmin wanted to see a temple we didn't go into yesterday. I used the time to make my calls home. Sounds like everything is good at home! I'm missing the people but not the place haha. I mean, I'm still coming home at the end of my trip don't worry, but these places now have a special place in my heart!

    When Youngmin and David returned from Chinatown, the three of us ventured out to ION Orchard Shopping Mall and Orchard Street. I guess the high end shopping area of Singapore. And I can see why! The main shopping mall has 55 levels, and the construction of the mall itself is exquisite. Glass everywhere and tons of fancy glazing clip systems, for that reason alone I loved it. Again, didn't care much for the shopping, but we did explore a bit. We went into a whisky shop which was definitely up my alley! But very very very expensive. The most expensive bottle in the shop was $96,000!! Damn. Wonder how long that will be on the shelves for :p A bottle of Belvanie was about $100 more than at home, but was the reserve edition. This shop only carried the best of the best. We also went into an art gallery and all 3 of us enjoyed that I think. Also very expensive and out of our price range but nice to look at nonetheless. I saw some art I really liked by a French painted. A mixed media item that was partially paining and partially cutouts from magazines or something. Very interesting. We also stopped by TWG tea shop and Youngmin bought some teas for home. I have so much tea in my suitcase already that I refrained. Especially because you can't ship it home! I still dont' understand that... Something to do with Canada's regulations.

    When we tired of looking at the shops we wandered outside to the famous Orchard Road. It was pretty cool I suppose but I wasn't overly fussed with it. Just another shopping street if you ask me ;) Nice buildings though! We went into yet another mall to explore and search for some lunch and spent some time listening to a live piano / singing duo. Very nice! They certainly cater to a more sophisticated crowd in this area of the city. We did find a small cafe to eat in and when we finally decided we were ready to return to the hostel it was raining! It was over really quickly but it was a typical tropical storm, intense and fast. There were lots of people just taking cover waiting it out.

    Back at the hostel, Youngmin checked out and went to check into a different hotel. She wanted one night in luxury, I don't blame her! I guess she had a pool and everything there. I'll see her again tomorrow though so it's not goodbye yet :) While she went off, David and I sat in the hostel for a while Chatting. He's in the BIM business so we exchanged work stories and ideas related to our careers. He sent me his Master's Thesis Paper that I'll probably actually read. Sounds very interesting! And will be helpful when it comes to revising our CAD standards at the office. Maybe I'll ask him for more help when I finally get around to my own thesis ;)    Read more

  • Kirsti MathiasenAsia-Pacific 2017
    Day 42

    Bugis & Arab Street

    February 21, 2017 in Singapore ⋅ ⛅ 27 °C

    After Chatting for a while in the hotel lobby David and I went back out to explore a new part of town.

    First we went to Bugis street an the market there. It was pretty neat! This city is so diverse and the skyline is always changing. I love it. Bugis Street and Market was an area filled with cheaper stores of clothing, souvenirs, and candies. It was crowded and more chaotic than the rest of the city. I liked to see the cheaper prices, but I still didn't buy anything because I dont' have any space in my bag! And because nothing really caught my eye. Sorry to everyone at home, but you aren't getting any souvenirs lol. My favourite part of the marked was buying fresh juice! For $2 I got a cup of freshly squeezed red dragon fruit juice. Tasty :) And spending $2 instead of $1 was splurging ;)

    From there we wandered a few streets over to a building that David had discovered yesterday that he thought I would love. And I did! It was a very impressive building... Looking at it from a distance you'd swear that it was built at least 50 years ago but apparently it's only 14 years old. Which is evident when you start looking at the finer details.. The building looks older because it's completely stone and the style is older, see the pictures of the brown building with this post. But looking close you can see that the stones are caulked with modern techniques, definitely something you wouldn't have seen in an older building ;) But that's just my inner nerd speaking. Anyway, the building was very inspiring, and really made you feel small. I guess that it's an office building, I can't imagine working in a place like that. Another thing I really enjoyed about this particular area was the merging of different Architectural styles. Adjacent to this building was a very modern looking building with the entire outer shell made of hexagonal shapes. But still, somewhere, the buildings work in harmony here in Singapore. Maybe because there is so much mixing of styles that it doesn't look odd to have two completely opposite styles right next to one another.

    From those buildings we wanted to Arab Street which is a small, well, Arab Community. There was a temple and the buildings here are shorter and older. We stopped by a Turkish place for dinner which was pretty good! Started with hummus and pita, I had a mint tea to drink while David had a sour yogurt drink that tasted exactly like Moi (spelling?) that I have come to love from my time in Nepal. For a main I had a roasted eggplant stuffed with chicken and cheese covered in a tomato sauce. Very good! The prices at the restaurants were also a bit more reasonable here than in the area immediately adjacent to the hostel. So that was nice.

    We were in no rush to return and wandered back to the hostel slowly. We had an excellent conversation about life, views on life, and such things. We have very similar personalities I think and discussed how we seem to be mediatiors in a lot of situations among other things. Interesting how travelling introduces you to people so similar to yourself!    Read more

  • Kirsti MathiasenAsia-Pacific 2017
    Day 42

    Walk to Gardens by the Bay

    February 21, 2017 in Singapore ⋅ ⛅ 26 °C

    When David and I returned to the hostel he had to leave for the airport. We said our goodbyes and I met the new people staying in the room with me. Three lovely people from Brazil! Eduardo, Isabela, and Marcelle. They were kind enough to wait for me to shower before walking to the Gardens of the Bay to look at the artificial trees. The walk took us quite a while because we stopped to take so many pictures! Singapore is so lovely at night. This post is dedicated entirely to photos of that walk ;)Read more

  • Kirsti MathiasenAsia-Pacific 2017
    Day 42

    Gardens by the Bay

    February 21, 2017 in Singapore ⋅ ⛅ 27 °C

    When Eduardo, Isabela, Marcelle, and I finally reached the Gardens of the Bay we were amazed! I hadn't even heard of these trees before, how I don't know! Because they're beautiful. The photos don't do them justice and neither will any description. Just an incredible place you'll have to take my word on ;) I can say that I'd definitely had liked to stay there a bit longer, and definitely go at night. The lights on the trees are on until 2 am so plenty of time!

    On the way back we took a different route that gave us a view of all the trees, the Singapore Flyer (big wheel that I haven't and don't plan on riding), and the river. So beautiful. I also really liked that the Gardens weren't all that crowded, it was pretty empty. I love that about this city, it's busy but it's not chaotic or overwhelming. Our exit route was over the DragonFly bridge that took us into the Marina Bay Sands, a luxury hotel and shopping center with a casino. There's a canal inside! Very reminiscent of Vegas. There weren't too many people as it was about 1 am at this time, but there were still folk wandering around.

    When we got back to the hostel we all immediately went to bed. Except I couldn't sleep, so I went through my photos and am now sharing the best ones with you! Even at 3 am there were tons of people on our street... And it seems like this area caters to a very specific clientèle. Lots of young, scantily clad women and older business men if you catch my drift. And lots of bars in the area of course. Still a very comfortable place though, even at 3 am alone as a woman! Very nice not to have to worry. Don't worry though mom I still won't be letting my guard down ;)    Read more

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