After breakfast we went to the Genting highlands that had been recommended to us. But first we saw only outlets and a vast building complex on top of the hill housing the biggest hotel in the world, the “First World Hotel” with 7351 rooms.
That didn’t make the place more attractive, and the entertainment and indoor attractions on 4 floors and the casino made this even worse. I just want to state we saw many people but no “Westerners”. We found the cable car bringing us down to the Chin Swee temple. It didn’t bring us there directly, we had to “walk”, that means using roofed elevators downstairs, something fitting in the concept of destroying the natural beauty and exchanging it with fake things like this First World problem on the hill.
a hotel instead a summit cross
elevators instead of a hike
The temple has been built 1975-1994 and was a nice place to visit, with colourful scenes of the hell, small paths and a temple tower with good view.
special hell chambers for everybody
was a bird…
for me, it is hard to write “Sila Hormati Tempat Beribadah” at all, why should I do it at a wall?
After that we went to a strawberry farm without strawberries (out of season) but with lavender and many flowers.
getting tired but not enough to be photographed unnoticedl
At home, we watched the third part of the Chernobyl film and decided not to continue with part IV, because Hasmik wanted to go out at night and after the film you get into another mood. So, we made our Bürgschaft-recording and Hasmik left into the night. I prepared the tour route for our last day in KL with some sights we had not seen yet and a place for lunch. I told the tour to Mr.G and was curious if this would be helpful.
In the morning, I went again to the shopping center under Petronas towers to get another “super-energy-smoothie” or whatever name would be appropriate. The center was nearly empty and at that booth was another shop assistant. The result was good but not the same as yesterday. On the way out I got a bit lost, because I used an exit that led me to the opposite direction. Although every tower and sky scraper around should look special and be a landmark, in the end I couldn’t tell which is which, with a few exceptions, and when I found them, I also found back to the hotel. After breakfast, we wanted to go to the botanical garden.
I couldn’t resist – they look too funny for me, especially the hedgehog pregnancy and the guy who apparently hurt himself somewhere with that stick
We used a MRT line and after leaving the station it was very difficult to find the way, even with GPS and directions on the phone. In the end, Hasmik called a taxi although I thought it could be only a few 100m. The driver could have thought the same, because the price was low. I followed the way that he went on my phone and saw it was a big round and after completing it, he said that he also couldn’t find the entrance. But the he asked someone, and we continued by walking. We needed to ask two more times until we finally were in. On our way we saw not much that distinguished that Botanical garden from a normal park. From top of a hill we could hear, and a little bit see something else, a bird park and decided to go there. On the way, we came to a closed exit with “staff only” and wondered how else we should have gone, but we could open it and left. Regarding the fact that we were so close to it, it was again hard to find the entrance of the Bird Park. There was a long queue and we waited more than 40min. We saw a family with two little girls and in one moment Hasmik couldn’t hold back anymore and went to them to talk and make selfies.
After the entrance their parents also wanted to take pictures with us and then we knew they are no tourists from India but locals from another Malaysian town. The Bird garden was quite big, and it was interesting to walk around with or through the birds. There were places to feed them and a place to take photos with parrots. The showiest bird was an ibis and we wondered why we only saw one.
outside…
…and inside
Exactly when the “15:00-rain” started, we sat in a restaurant for a late lunch and after changing to our new room,
the new room is exactly 9 floors over the old one
we went to the KLCC Aquarium. There, Hasmik had another encounter with strangers, 3 Muslim girls, on of them completely covered. She took selfies with them and we wondered how this open and friendly behavior goes together with this strange habit to cover the face. The highlight of the exhibition was a tunnel where you are surrounded by fish on the left and right and on top.
yes, we paid for that photo…
still cannot understand the use of a selfie with Niqab etc
We walked around a bit after that but soon landed in our favorite fruit shop, where I bought another high energy oat smoothie, this time again made by the owner. Back in our hotel apartment, we watched the first 2 parts of a 5-part Chernobyl film. It was very hard for both of us but the film is worth seeing.
In the morning, we started with a walk to Petronas twin towers and the KLCC park and then went to the Batu caves.
more pics see day 113
We luckily were on the way back, when the heavy 15:00 -rain started. We had some tips where else to go in KL and one was a (or “the”) palace, but when we arrived there, it was just an old not too big building and it was closed. So, we just went to eat something in a Syrian restaurant. There was a couple with a baby girl and Hasmik saw when the father hit the daughter in the face. It was shocking and we then watched them and maybe he now was “shy” to hit her again, but does it mean he wouldn’t do it again at home, maybe even worse because no one is watching him except his wife (and I would be surprised to hear that he wouldn’t hit her, too) At the hotel, we wanted to extend our stay in that great place, but it was full. So, we found another hotel in the same building and that meant to move from floor 37 to 48, poor us!
We had an evening walk to see the Petronas Twins with light and also the dancing fountains, but for Hasmik they have a special connotation with Russian Empire. First we went to the shopping center under the towers to get some fruits. But then we saw a booth making special smoothies, with mashed oats and almonds. The owner said the oats are sold but if we wait, he would do it extra for us and his wife went to buy oats. He and his wife made it very special for us with extra blueberries and bananas on top. They are from Iran, so “neighbors” for Hasmik and we talked a bit. In the end, we where overwhelmed by their friendliness and generosity and first didn’t want to go back there. But then we did, to give them feedback and say thank you again and to have the choice to come back for breakfast.
Hasmik and I packed our luggage and brought it down to the reception to get it later (I would return on 8th before boarding “Benjamin Franklin” and Hasmik in the evening before flying to KL). We wanted to meet Lulu at “Merlion”, the mermaid-lion, and took a walk to there.
the small spot was a fighter jet, too fast for me and too bright to get it better
some of them drew very good pictures
it is not easy to arrange photos properly…
…when people are waiting to pass by, so maybe “next time”
last time, they where jumping in the dark
The way was along the Marina bay and mostly nice. For a while, the noise of fighter jets dominated the scenery, for whatever reason they flew around and up and down Singapore. With Lulu, we had brunch, starting with traditional ice cream and then a selection of Falafel, Humus etc at “Fill a pita”.
Lulu and Hasmik then went to the MRT,
time for a good-bye selfie
Lulu for work and Hasmik for the beach and I walked to the place where I should get the bus to KL. There was no sign and no one waiting when I arrived at the given time (on the ticket was written to arrive 30min earlier). But after 15min some young people came and confirmed that the bus to KL would go from there. 10min before departure time a bus arrived, but the driver told me we should wait for the next one. And this one came half an hour after the departure time, so I again had some guesswork if everything will be ok. But then, it worked well, they had a list, and my name was on it, we drove for one hour to leave Singapore, there we also had to leave the bus, walked through the departure office and boarded the bus on the other side. After a few minutes ride, we repeated this procedure at the Malaysian border and then the rest of the ride was only interrupted for a 10min break, for toilet, cigarette and food).
here, I will board in a few days. back to Europe…
Singapore departure
bridge to Malaysia (Second link expressway)
Malaysian border
and back again
For me this break was mostly for warming up again, because the AC was running like mad and when I am only sitting my body cannot cope with fridge temperatures. In KL, the bus had one stop before the one that I needed and I wondered if all the other passengers knew from other trips where to leave or had been informed better than I (I could not connect to wifi and not do roaming although the Singapore SIM card would allow it) But with asking I managed to drop off at the right place. There was a street trader selling powerbanks and although I was not sure if it would work, I bought it, because it was cheap enough to risk it and he took S$. Later I found an ATM, bought something to eat and arrived at the building of the hotel. At the reception they needed to know the name of the hotel, because there are several integrated and luckily, I found the name. Then I needed to go to another entrance, find a lift that would go to 6th floor (not every lift does and for some you needed a card to make them go). There was the reception and I got a card to go up to 37th floor and after entering a 10digit code, the door opened to a great room with even greater view. Now I only needed to get into contact to Hasmik or find her, when she would arrive from the airport… In front of the house, I had no internet, so I didn’t know if she would arrive soon and if she would try to contact me and if she would have a SIM card. So, I went upstairs again and luckily saw that she had a SIM card and had contacted me.
when this big guy moved you received a cloud of strong smell
Hasmik and I started the day with an -at her side – traditional Singaporean breakfast with Toast + Kaya and I took some rice to mix with the last part of “sea-food”, some meat and mushrooms, but now the rice was too much and I had to leave again something for lunch. Then we walked in the direction of the Armenian church with small detours to look also on some temples along the route.
Armenian rooster
saints to sell
Muslim cemetery
Then we went back to Bugis to meet Lulu for lunch. When we met, it was heavily raining, and the umbrellas only helped a bit for the head, but shoes and legs were completely wet. Lulu brought us to a vegetarian food court and while she and Hasmik at some Indian vegetarian dishes, I finally could finish my food, eating fat roasted ham in a Vegetarian restaurant. As a dessert, we took a cup of passion fruit pulp and a lavender/taro ice cream. Meanwhile the rain had stopped, and we could go to the Sultan mosque and the beautiful small streets nearby. We had another dessert, Hasmik got a “selfie-coffee” with froth showing her picture and together, we shared two small pieces of cake/tarte, before Lulu had to go. Hasmik and I then went to another place with wifi, so she could connect to facebook. The problem was that I forgot to pay when we were about to leave, because in most cases so far paying was in advance and now the waiter had to run to the street to bring me back. Let’s say embarrassing, the more, as we had been talking so friendly to the staff and had asked for tips were to go next sightseeing tour.
lotus effect
nearly buying a “fun t-shirt”
sounds like at school
We then went to Sentosa walked around in this even for Singaporean standards very artificial environment until we admitted being too tired to walk on.
Singapore…
the Sentosa Merlion
I only can repeat (see day 315) the quotation from ex-chancellor Kurz “enough is enough”. We skipped eating fruits (what we had imagined doing when we arrive at the hotel) and went to our rooms, trying to finish everything fast enough to get a bit more sleep than last night. (But I suppose that Hasmik was posting on facebook and preparing her next vlog while I was writing my daily blog entry)
In the morning, I finished most of my digital work, packed my bags and moved to the originally booked room, that was a bit smaller, but with one and bigger bed and without a fridge, that made it standard compared to “deluxe”. The I went to the MRT, topped up the card Lulu had given to me and withdrew money. Both worked well. At the airport, I bought a SIM card, but for unknown reason my normal phone could not work with the SIM card, only my spare part phone. Hasmik arrived at 13:00 and we had some time for sightseeing in the Changi airport with the biggest indoor waterfall of the world.
It is not only big it has a great design and many people tried to get good photos. At 15:00, Lulu came and brought us to the gardens at the bay where we locked Hasmik’s luggage and entered the exhibitions of the cloud forest and flower dome.
looks like a airplane with parachute
Some girl scouts offered free guided tours with “fun facts”, they were extremely shy and spoke at lowest level and the most obvious fun fact was the situation in itself. We wanted to make a tour on the supertrees, too, but the waiting time in the queue would have been too long, so we went on to meet Darren, Lulu’s husband in a Vegan Restaurant.
in Singapore I easily get suspicious that things are artificial
but these fruits are real
We had great food, olfactorily dominated by a Durian Pizza. Then we had a walk through a touristic area before Darren brought us to little India.
He went back to the gardens at the bay to get Hasmik’s luggage from the locker while we explored some crowded streets. We bought a leaf with some sweet spices on it and soon I remembered that taste, it was betel nut. The next challenge would have been to go to a barber, but there were too many customers waiting, so we went on and came to a house with many men waiting and a woman opening a iron gate and letting one in, the other men waiting for their time. Hasmik asked a man to double-check the obvious and he said they are waiting for a bad woman or some bad women. Maybe the question is, if those women are bad, what about the men waiting there and paying? Darren came, and he completed the day with a sight seeing tour through the finance district of Singapore before he brought us to the hotel. Hasmik rehearsed “her” part of the Bürgschaft, but although it was perfect, she wanted to continue practising before recording it. We stopped talking, because after this long day it was time for a rest. I ate another portion of “sea”-food that still was a bit cooled and ok to eat. On part was left for breakfast and then my ship food saving mission would be completed.
In the morning, I packed my bags to 80%, only the food that I had collected since Thursday, some clothes and my PC stuff are left. I hope that I can keep that food in a fridge or partly give it to Lulu, because it is too much for me.
the strange route was thee first hint for another delay…
“Of course” the schedule: pilot at 1000, berthing at 1200, had to change. Now it is 1500 and 1700. In the evening, Lulu would come to the hotel to meet me, but it depends what still is evening for her, if this new schedule brings problems for meeting. I didn’t know how long it will take from berthing and leaving the ship until leaving the port, but I hoped one hour is not too optimistic. After that, it is 13km going by bike to the hotel, and that is another hour, in this case it is a more optimistic calculation, because it is without detours and other problems. Normally, I go around 18km/h with the fully packed bike but with traffic lights and other stops, 13km/h is the result. I had consumed 8$ of my 10$ internet access, because I also uploaded smaller pics to the blogposts. If I only use it for uploading the texts, maybe as one longer post for each week and only update the SPOT tracking map every 5 days or so, it would last longer, although the simple fact that I connect to internet without doing anything also seems to consume data and if a page as problems loading this consumes more data than smooth loading as well.
Singapore on the horizon!
When I saw the cranes of the port, I used up the rest of my balance, closed my PC, finished packing and went down to prepare my bike, so I would not waste any time after the immigration officers arrived.
The next delay was caused by the net for the gangway. For safety reasons, the crew must fix a net on the side and bottom of the stairs and it took them a while to unravel and attach it, so the officers couldn’t come.
But then it was done quickly, and I was ashore with my bike. The captain and the port agent had communicated about my arrival and after that it seemed clear that I could go on my own to the passport control. But it was hard to find without any signs and additionally I had bee stopped and should walk. So, I walked but to be faster and lose less time, I ran and again was stopped. And everyone who stopped me, asked details about where I come from, where I want to go etc. At the border control it was not better, my delay grew and grew. When I could leave, the officer showed me a way, but that way ended with some barriers and only with the help of some sailors I could go on. Mr.G first showed me good directions, but of course he failed soon. I restarted the route, I looked at the offline map on my phone and could go one, this time without other detours, but now it was 19:30 and I had 13km to go. I rushed. I had a more flexible interpretation of traffic rules and traffic lights, although I was in Singapore, the fine city where you might pay a fine for the wrong handling of a chewing gum. But nothing happened. Sometimes, add bigger crossings with red light, I tried to get my phone started to inform Lulu, but it didn’t work. I arrived near to 20:30 and Lulu came waving and shouting when I was looking around to find the hotel. She helped me to check in and carry my luggage to the only expensive “deluxe room” that I could get. The only “deluxe” experience was the price, double of the price that I had booked online for the next days, the room was small and sordid.
The explanation of the clerk was: it is a 2-bed-room and it has a fridge. So, I used the fridge that was responsible for a 40SD mark-up to store the collected food from the ship. Lulu and I talked about our shared Iran experiences and about Uganda and about the plans for the next days and then I accompanied her to the bus stop. After that I had a long up- and download session for my youtube videos and my Austrian radio program and at 1a.m. finished the day that had started at 4:40 (I guess I was nervous). At that time the omnipresent Durian smell lessened, and I fell asleep soon. But maybe because I had not finished my worked, had not written my diary etc, I was still nervous and feared to wake up late and so I overcompensated that by waking up at 3:50 and although I had set an alarm for 6:40 (early enough!) I had two other trials to start the day before that.
this shield on ropes should stop rats from entering the ship (to see on a board with “good practice – bad practice” examples on the ship)
Today, I didn’t cut any videos, there are only fragments left and I want to wait for my last passage, Singapore – Duncerque, to find a place to integrate them. Sometime, when I had internet access, I had downloaded radio broadcasts of Ö1, the best radio in Austria regarding information. Whenever convenient, I had listened to those and after that was finished, I started editing a quite different downloaded kind of radio broadcast, the “house of pain” of FM4 Austria. In my youth, I had been embossed to Rock music like those geese to Konrad Lorenz. I am aware of the limitations of this genre, but still I like it and every now and then I find something that simply sounds great (for me). Now the main source for these rare gems is the house of pain for me. I also had some downloaded and now I edit them instead of videos while I do something else. Today, many hours were dedicated to writing a reference about my stay on “Puccini”.
It was hard work to express something not too special and not too general, so that is relevant information for the company and the crew and points out what was special this time compared to “Columba” and “Georgia”. I had edited two broadcasts of 2h each until I was finished with this paper (just 1 page) and still I don’t have the feeling it is good, but “enough is enough” (as Sebastian Kurz had said when he ended the coalition with the right wing populists that he had imposed on Austria for whatever reason – I cannot find any good one). It is my last day and from now on, I would have no “duties” that would occupy me so dominantly like the video editing. After the upcoming most probably intense Singapore/Kuala Lumpur/Malacca week, I will have some fresh stuff but that will be worked through within another week on the next ship. Some interesting things also will happen on that passage, like going through the Suez channel, but all in all I expect at least one week of freedom for reading, writing, thinking, planning, or just staring at the sea (if I am able to do that)
Yesterday for lunch, they served polenta with some meat. I got my own bowl of polenta and said I would continue in the evening and today I also took it for breakfast and still there is more in the bowl than I can eat for a meal. Do I save food by this? I am not sure, whether they will cook less when I tell them I will not eat the next food or just through away more of that instead of the polenta. It is a lose/lose situation, but for me it is not the same, because I see this polenta and if I give back the rest for disposal, it is my active deed although it sums up to the same and maybe I even could prevent more precious food from wasting, if I let the polenta go?
Another example for wasting are the tissues they use as napkins. The are at least 8x bigger than necessary and most of the people use it just once and then dip it in the food they want to waste. I keep mine for several later usage, but I don’t feel good or better, I feel helpless. Meanwhile, they burn one ton of fuel in 15-20min, that is 50-65l every minute. But the big wastage (or is it usage? – at least it is the most efficient way of transport, but of what?? Should all those things be transported across the planet?) doesn’t justify the multiple small ones. In the evening, I went down with some empty boxes/containers to fill in surplus food, because I want to eat it in Singapore. Still I wonder if the messman understands at all what I am worried about. Maybe it is just a matter of our poor English. After dinner, I asked the captain for this internet connection of 100MB for 10$. I didn’t want it so far, because I was shure, something on the PC would eat up my data within minutes. But now I wanted to know how it is and I wanted to upload my diary texts. It took him and me a while to make it run, partly, because the connection is not stable and you cannot tell if everything is done right, when the problem is somewhere else. But then it worked, and you could see the MB drip down without active up- or download. So, I tried to be fast and only opened one email, of “my” cargo ship agency. In Adelaide I had asked, if it is possible for the next ship to ask to store also muesli when the fill up their storage. I also had told them about the situation of food waste and where I could address my concerns. Today, the captain had asked me for the bill of the muesli that I had bought in Fremantle (I didn’t have it anymore). And after this email things go together: The lady in the agency apparently had taken and forwarded my question to the company as a complaint and they had addressed it to the captain. I will explain to him tomorrow, what was my request about. Maybe this is a good occasion to explain something about food waste.
Only watching the sunrise? I tried it, but then, I ran back to get my camera. I know, that will not show what I saw but it will help me to remember it. At breakfast, I ate the dinner, like yesterday. It is so far the best way to outwit the mess-man and helps to safe the food from dinner without cramming my belly. I just have too much muesli now. In general, it is complicated to get things done in a way I would like to. I always had a basket with bread on my table and asked him to cut only one slice for me (there always were 4-5), because I used it for cleaning my plate. (Those who know me more privately know that I can clean the plate without bread when there are no people to irritate.) He could do it one time, then I again got a full basket and when I (again) told him that one slice is more than enough, he put the basket on the table of the Sri Lankans, but they don’t use it. So, I asked him to give me no bread at all. Today, after breakfast my water bottle on the table (I am sitting alone, so it is mine) was nearly empty, but I couldn’t drink more. Can I leave it for lunch, or would he change it? And when he changes it, will he use it for cooking (there is only water in 1,5l bottles for cooking no bigger containers!) or pour it away because it is too little? I didn’t want to risk it, so I took it with me. One thing that I realized recently (in my 6th decade of chewing): I usually chew on one side, preferring that right one. So far, when I got aware of it and there is no particular reason not to use the left side (I “like” to bite in my cheeks and lower lip, so I often have inflammations), I change sides. And only now I learned that I can use both of them at the same time! So, I included this brilliant innovation in my awareness program during eating: chew slow (better results, less harmful), chew on both sides, put down the cutlery to stay focused on the respective mouthful and sit upright. No easy task, I tell you! Exhausted from this exercise I went back to my cabin and started a digital scavenging work. I have 3 lists with the data of my trip. The first was an excel-sheet counting from the day I left Vienna and including all data that I knew (and had to shift sometimes, when a ship was cancelled, delayed or new in the list, like in Taiwan). On my way, I completed the list, daily or nearly daily – and made some mistakes as I now found out. The second list is in the “explorer”. Here are folders of every day with all photos and videos, again with some mistakes, but at least I can check it with the date of the photos (which is correct most of the time; I also have photos with “factory settings”). And the third list stems from my blog. And here it started, first, I found out that the numbering is inconsistent, the reason was the day of publishing, that a few times was not according to the calendar. But when I looked it through, I saw numbers missing, other numbers doubled and thought, I can correct that with the other two list. And now I found out that I cannot rely on them as well. In general I am not the tidiest person and I always struggle to stay organized, but if someone asks me what bothers me more – food waste or wrong listings – I know which is the political correct answer, I don’t want to compare the deep emotional impact of both…
