We've left the beach paradise of Thailand and moved on to the 'big cities' part of the trip. Kuala Lumpur was the first and it was great to finally see the Petronas towers (featured in the movie Entrapment). I decided to try my hand at a little Harry Potter-style magic:
Expecto Patronum!
The next day we went up to the top of the 4th largest telecommunications tower to get a better view of the towers and the city but then it got cloudy. It was still a great view.
This city was not as touristy as Thailand so it has been harder to find Western food. Asian food can be great for a while,
but then it can be horrible, too.
So you can imagine my elation when we found a Chilis. It was expensive, but worth it.
We then took a six hour bus ride down to Singapore and it was interesting to finally see the city that I remember learning about in elementary school as one of the strictest city-states in the world. When we crossed the border there were signs that made sure nobody imported chewing gum into the country. There are also laws against jaywalking, spitting in the streets, and all sorts of things we probably never knew about. And I just couldn't believe we weren't allowed to bring our durians (an asian fruit known for it's stinky smell) onto the subways!
There is a lot to see and do in Singapore, but the national obsessions are eating and shopping. I think this is one game I might be able to win!
I definately won at shopping. We made a stop at Sim Lim Square, also known as Geek Alley, where you can buy every kind of electronic product imaginable. I bought a new Canon camera, since my Olympus has been giving me trouble this whole year. The prices were comparable to the States, but I saved some money by not having to have it shipped over to me.
Singapore is very diverse - most are ethnic Chinese but there is a huge Indian population. There are also Maylays, and a lot of British and American expats living and working here. We went and found the church but it wasn't Sunday so we didn't go inside.
The buildings in Singapore were also extremely diverse and lots of fun to wander around and look at. There was everything from tall important business skyscrapers . . . .
to modern office buildings . . .
to colorful apartment buildings . . . .
to mosques and other religious buildings . . . .
to restaurants that look like they were designed by Dr. Seuss himself.
We decided Singapore would be a place to have some fun and soak in some history so we went to the Asian Civilizations museum and then also out to Sentosa Island. Here there is the historical Fort Siloso, where the Japanese won their biggest victory over Britain by capturing Singapore during World War Two.
Singapore is also where the Japanese finally signed the papers to surrender at the end of the war. Fort Siloso had some wax figures representing the event as it was photographed.
Sentosa Island also had a museum/activity center called 'Images of Singapore.' It was fun to learn about the history of this most strategic port city.
We went to see some giant bugs.
There were some 3D rides and a big luge and sky ride that were fun. I also really liked the giant games out on the sidewalk. Chutes and Ladders, anyone?
Pick up these sticks, Tammie!
At night there was a big song and dance show with water fountains, lasers, and fire. It was a nice relaxing change of pace to our trip. It was also nice to be somewhere that was as (if not more) clean and efficient as our own country.
But for now . . . .
Once we were feeling better we rented a taxi to take us around to see the island. It was really beautiful.
We also stopped and saw some Hindu temples. This one was right on the beach.
On the drive we also saw some really cool rice paddies. I liked the swirly design of this one:
And then I met a little Balinese friend . . . . He let me wear his hat and then he tried to sell it to me. I didn't buy it but I gave him some money to take my picture with him.
We drove up to a little cultural town called Ubud where there is a monkey forest. Women were selling bananas at the entrance. Those little cheeky monkeys stole them all!
And they really hate it when you do this:
This guy even tried to steal my wallet. I guess I shouldn't have put those crackers in there earlier . . . .
The monkey forest was a lot of fun but now it was time for some cultural immersion. Our driver took us to a place that had a traditional dance performance. The dancers acted out the part of the ancient Hindu legend, but the really cool part was that there were 70 men singing and chanting the story surrounding the dancers. 
Some parts looked like a scene from Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom. This is where the evil king comes and tries to capture the beautiful woman in the forest.
A white monkey tries to help her but then he gets sentenced to death by fire. Not to worry, though, he escapes and kicks the fire out (and all over the audience which caused a stir).
It was quite a show and one I won't forget. To complete our Bali experience we had to stop and visit the bomb memorial. The tourist town of Kuta was bombed in 2002 and 2005. Lots of tourists and locals died (see the names) and that week happened to be the week the perpetrators were put to death in Indonesia. Unfortunately there were some Muslim radicals that still praised them for what they did.
But Kuta wasn't all bad - we spent our Thanksgiving at the Hard Rock Cafe. Happy Thanksgiving! Rock on!
p.s. I know this posting is a little late - for a while the cosmic computer forces prevented me from blogging . . . .
This picture pretty much describes what we've been doing for the past two weeks. 
We worked well into the night and it was quite a sight when it was done. In the morning I noticed some of the local stray dogs had marked my fortress as their territory. At least the tide hadn't come in yet.
We found a little friend who helped us. We named him 'Oreo' (or Double-stuffed as a nickname) and he was so cute and friendly!
Then somebody had the crazy idea to put our swimsuits on and swim out to it so we wouldn't have to pay.
This is a view from above but it doesn't do it justice. We loved Koh Tao and you can see why when you see the view from our beach bungalows.
It's OK to be wrong about some things. I didn't mind finding another awesome beach.
And the runners up are:
and Maya Bay
Yay! We have a winner! Maya bay was where the movie "The Beach" with Leonardo DiCaprio was filmed.
