Singapore, Indonesia and Cambodia
I was going to skip my birthday this year do crossing the international dateline. We flew through Japan and got to have a couple hours of my birthday there after-all.
Stayed at Shangri-La Hotel.
After meetings Aaron Hill, Chris and I visited Chinatown, Little India and the Malay istory museum. All these cultures are what make up Singapore. Many of the markets are filled with cloth, skirts, rugs, baskets, pillows (unstuffed), jewelry, hats, wood carvings, and the usual keychains and magnets etc. Had dinner at the Hacker Center where there were probably 50 Asian food vendors all outside and pressuring you to buy from them. We all ate something strange and drank coconut water.
Night zoo safari
Sat 12th Aaron Hill, Chris and I flew to Bali Indonesia town on Ubud.
People clamor around you pressuring you to buy their spices, trinkets, handbags, scarves etc. If you buy anything they pressure you to buy one more for half price.
Traditional Dance
Loved hotel with ponds and carp and pools. Outdoor bathroom.
Rice paddy tour
Monkey forest - very aggressive! Jump on you and stole something out of Aaron's shirt pocket. Started to run off with a ladies purse! One kept pulling on my skirt.
Had a wonderful Balinese massage. Hour massage for $6.50!!
14th - Tulamben. Chris and Aaron scuba dive with Scuba-dooba-doo! It's strange here - ladies do the carrying of things. It was women who carried the scuba tanks from the shop to the water for the divers. with other things they wrap a wet twisted towel on their head as a cushion.
It's very hot and sweat rolls down our skin.
Got to eat Balinese banana pancakes. It's like they fry banana and pour crepe batter over them, then fold it up in quarters on the plate garnished with coconut and syrup and more bananas.
I love waking to the sounds of the earth. A breeze in the trees, roosters, pigeons or doves. I love to feel like I am a part of the earth with all senses rather than in a box with manmade air.
There is something about 3rd world countries that's so dear. The people are so sweet and yet the criminals are more aggressive. The unfair distribution of wealth is more noticeable. A big bellied man stuffs himself while a boney skinny man goes hungry. A plump girls whines for more ice-cream while a skinny child would be so happy for a piece of bread. How can we share and even this out? When food spoils we throw it out. Why does wealth spoil people? And that is why destruction follows - the Lord will someday discard the spoilage.
Chris and Aaron did two day dives and a night dive. While they were gone a sweet lady with a baby asked if she could give me an hour massage for 100,000 rubles ($12.00). I accepted and received the most incredible massage that you could ever imagine. I gave her $20.00 to help her children. She hugged me with such love and gratitude, did the prayer hands Hindu ow saying "thank you miss Debbie" Everywhere here I'm called "miss Debbie" and I love that.
15th Daily I see people sweeping with brooms of straw from the center of coconut palm leaves. Gas stations are little stands along the road with 2 or 3 liter size glass bottles of gas and a funnel. I love Mimpy, room #2 in Tulumben! All the hawkers trying to get you to buy are very polite and stay on the beach and do not intrude on the grounds of the restaurant or hotel. They do their darndest to get you to make eye contact so they can beg you to buy.
Chris and Aaron did two dives and then we headed to the Sheraton in NuaDusa. It was gorgeous with many pools surrounding it. We were greeted with a man who rang a gong and beautiful Asian girls dancing. Another brought us cold water to drink.
There are lizards everywhere, even in the thatch ceiling and lizard poop gets all over the bedspread.
People all seem so pleasant here. They have pleasant peaceful expressions, even the young boy pulling a heavy load in the sweating heat. I expected a completely different expression on his face than what I saw. It was just so pleasant. Most everyone is so courteous. Drivers do weave in and out and beep the horn but never with look of anger but with curtesy - just letting them know you are there.
16th Siem Reap Cambodia via Vietnam.
Sweetest people. Very poor country and love tourists. They're humble and don't seek to take advantage of others. We ate in a place where there's a live crocodile pit! Pretty Asian dancers.
Thurs 17th Road an elephant! Angkor Wat Temple. It was beautiful and so hot! About 100degrees today. Many children clamor around waving their wares and cry out "one dolla". We came with many one's, thanks to Aaron Hill telling us about this. I only wish I could have counted all the kids and given each one of them a dollar.
It was cool because a brand new mall opened up while we were in town. It had an escalator to the 2nd floor and was that a hit! The mall was full of happy Cambodians ha ha. They were filled with delight as they gathered at the escalator to learn how to ride it. A little boy at the top kept throwing a stick down and delighted in watching it ride up to him. Of course kids tried walking down the up escalator like everywhere else in the world.
