Day 172 - I'm home!

Back with the siblings, once again. But I will return - a bit like 007. I like that.

Day 172 - 12th December

07:30am. I've landed back at Heathrow Terminal Four. The flight was pretty easy for 14 hours, just sitting, watching films and eating food. Vietnam airlines is pretty impressive, one I'd highly recommended.

The tube ride was an hour into central London. I was eyeballed half the way by grumpy travellers who stared at me, wondering why I had two huge bags with me.

The temperature was six degrees, a far cry from the average thirty I've been used to travelling around Asia. I'll need to get used to that. It may take a while.

Once I arrived at Victoria, I had a spot of breakfast and waited for my train to roll in. I was buzzing to see my family again. Five months and three weeks is a long time to be away. I was looking forward to seeing my niece at her christening on Sunday. Christmas was going to be a great occasion.

The second train journey of the day was just a routine one hour trip, one I'd done many times before when going to London. And before I knew it, I was home again. In Maidstone and heading across town towards my home.

And the reaction on my return was priceless. Everyone played the part and made me see how great it was to see them all again. The video below is my documentation of said reactions. Enjoy!

Day 171 - Returning Home!

It's time to go home, but just for a while.
 
Day 171 - 11th December

So it's confession time. My travelling time is up. Not forever but for a while because in two days my niece is being christened, in a few months one of my friends is getting married and in September next year, I am best man at another friend's wedding. Team those with Christmas and you'll see why I'm going home.

So nobody at home knew and I set off around lunchtime into a windy and very wet Singapore city, heading on the MRT towards Changi airport. It was an impressive place, big enough to be three football stadiums combined.

I had a two hour flight from Singapore to Ho Chi Minh which was pretty mundane and not much to write about. I was offered a meal which I took on. It was a tasty sweet and sour pork with rice and a fruit cup for dessert.

I then had a six hour stopover in Ho Chi Minh airport. I settled in a bar and did some reading over a few beers. The excitement was building and I was ready to be at home. Unfortunately one thing stood in my way - a 14 hour flight back to London.

I sat and waited it out. The beer was cold, the book was funny and the time flew away before I knew it.

I couldn't wait to get home. In less than 15 hours, I'll be back on home soil. In 18 hours, I'd been knocking on my front door! Come on!!!

Malaysia and Singapore Recap

So it was my last stops on the map before an eight month break, to get some more money, attending a christening and a couple of weddings, a stag do and finally, Christmas Day - always a Millen hotspot on the calendar.

Malaysia - Kuala Lumpur

30th November - 07th December

Top 5 moments:

1. Petronas Towers

2. Sky Tower (even though I was terrified of the height of it)

3. Batu Caves

4. Times Square Mall (with a rollercoaster built in)

5. Jalan Alor - Street Food


Singapore

07th December - 10th December

Top 5 moments:


1. Marina Bay Sands Hotel

2. Chinatown Eating Street (including Fatty Weng)

3. Fort Siloso

4. The skyline!

5. The Metro - it was pretty slick


What a trip!

Day 170 - Fort Siloso, lightning strikes twice and Fatty Weng

It's a history kind of day.

Day 170 - 10th December

So whilst talking to Dad the day before last, he mentioned about the huge defeat the British had in WWII right here in Singapore. A little research led me to find Fort Siloso, the largest remaining fort in Singapore and as ever, the history surrounding it drew me. I get that from my dad.

Selatang Sentosa!

So I set off for Sentosa (the island where it is situated) and arrived after an hour mucking around on the MRT, a monorail and walking up the beach.

The grounds were extensive.

It was free to get in and I only paid $6 (£3) to visit The Surrender Chambers - the waxwork reenactments that document when the British surrendered to the Japanese after being bombarded by them when trying to get supplies into the fort. It still stands as the greatest defeat in British Military history.

This was kind of creepy and I was in there alone.

The walk up was picturesque and already I was getting into the history mode. The Surrender Chambers were great, equipped with footage of the battles and surrendering. I thoroughly enjoyed that visit - yeah, I might be a geek, but I don't care!

Ventilation chambers for the ammunitions men.

Is it me or are the cannons pointing at the fort?

From then on, I sauntered around the grounds, reading all the usual placards, visiting the tunnels where the ammunition was stored and supplied to the cannons above, which pointed out to the ocean.

I read this sign which made me a little nervous but I didn't have any issues.

Why do I put myself through this?

On my way back down the hill, I thought I might as well take a look of the harbour and surround areas from the Sky Walk. I noted a sign that said not to go up the Sky Walk during or just after a thunderstorm but it was only overcast so I was in no danger.

I ascended in an elevator and went the 36 metres upwards to the sky deck. No-one was up there and I laughed at my sheer luck. As I looked back toward the city, I saw the clouds darkening. But I was still fine, no worries.

There's a storm coming Mr Wayne.

A Scottish guy in his sixties, named George joined me and suddenly the sky opened and an incredible storm began. We saw forks of lightening crashing down over the city and thanked our lucky stars we were a safe distance away to watch it.

Now you see it...

Within minutes, the rain was bucketing down like hail around us as we ducked for cover under the Sky Walk's small roof area. The lightening began to grow closer so we retreated to the ground and waited in the foyer bit for it to pass.

Now you don't!

I know I wanted to get into the mode of Fort Siloso's famous battle but I didn't want a simulation of it! The thunder was deafening and I mean deafening. I was getting more and more nervous as the rain smacked me in the face.

In the end, George and I jumped on the shuttle bus and headed back to the MRT to get back to our districts. It turned out he was only one stop up from me at Clarke Quay so we spent another hour or so travelling together.

In that time, he told me bits about himself and I realised once again that travelling was a special experience. Every day something new happens and it just makes you appreciate life - yeah, I might sound like a dick to some, but if you've travelled, you know what I'm getting at.

George had lost his wife when she was just 53. He told me how they'd planned to travel when they retired and it just had me lost for words. He said he was enjoying what they should have been together but enjoyed every moment. He was one of those people I nodded my head at with great respect.

He also told me about this restaurant in Chinatown called Fatty Weng. Fatty started out as a small street hawker but over the years developed into a big restaurant and then finally settled in a modest place in 2007 in Chinatown. George highly recommended it. How could I ignore such supposed, sound advice? I'd recalled seeing it a couple of night before as I wandered.

So here I go, Fatty.

So after I shook his hand and disembarked at Chinatown, I went straight there.

I feel a bit bad she's cutting that up in front on me. Pressure's on!

A meal fit for Fatty!

I had half a duck in two servings - the first with pancakes, veggies and sauce, the second with egg fried rice and a Tiger beer. Boy, I wasn't disappointed. It was so, so, so good. I even ended up talking to a Singaporean couple who found it fascinating to know I was travelling on my own and were asking me questions about where I'd been, how I'd enjoyed it and so on.

By the time I finished eating, I was stuffed and ready to pay out big time. A meal that good had to be pricey. To my delight and surprise, it was only $57 - £29. For the size of the portion and with the beer, it was a fantastic deal.

It looks horrible, it's actually pretty good.

Never content, I tried some minced pork slab that I've been seeing everywhere. It wasn't bad.

To round off another great day, I went souvenir hunting for Christmas presents for the family. I found some good bargains that didn't break the bank - sounds cheap, but Singapore can be pricey - but you need to ignore everything I've said above to believe me.

What a way to spend a day, aye?

Day 169 - That wasn't in the script!

Absolutely unforgettable

Day 169 - 09th December

After a shower, I thought I'd get to work and do a few hour on my sitcom before heading out for the day.

Ha!

That went out the window when I looked down and realised it was 3pm! I'd started at 9am.

I worked for a further three hours and was only up to episode five of six. There's always more to be done, that's why I love it. I did get to speak to my sister for a bit again before heading out to Chinatown for a cheap dinner.

The Marina Bay Sands Hotel by night.

Afterward, I looked at the time. It was eight thirty. I had two choices - go back to work and ignore Singapore or go see the city by night. You'll be pleased to read I set off for Marina Bay Sands Hotel and purchased a ticket for the Sky Walk Observation Deck.

I felt OK going up but when I stepped out, I realised my mistake. It had parts that had small panes of glass that came up to my waist but then just cables that went across to stop you falling out and more glass, higher up. I almost dropped my phone when I pressed it, into what I thought was glass, and my hand went straight through. Why, oh why?

I had to brace myself again the back wall but once I took a few minutes and composed myself, I suddenly saw why. The views were just - well, just look at the pictures. I'll be back to writing later on...

Amazing huh? Yeah, I know. Beauty in it's entirety.

No explanation required.

Crazy trees.

After coming back down, I headed to the surrounding parks and walks along the waterfront. What a way to spend the evening, just wandering in and out of nooks and crannies. Every turn produced something new, whether it be a winter fair, tree sculptures, stadiums, skyscrapers or just the harbour. I'm so glad I took the walk.

Awesome shot, if I do say so.

Stop it! Just stop it.

As I rounded the front of the Marina Bay, I walked along the decking and just stood in awe of the Singapore City skyline. What a magnificent view it was. I even came up with a new book idea so what a bonus!

I spent so much time wandering, it was near 1am when I got back to my hostel.

Another fantastic day in this incredible place.

Day 168 - Time to Explore, Singapore!

I really like this place.

Day 168 - 08th December

So what a comfy night's sleep in my new digs. The bed might not look like much but believe me, it's mighty comfy (sorry, I was watching To Kill A Mockingbird).

So I had a quick freshen up and headed straight out to explore.

Sultan's Mosque

I walked North, towards Little India and found myself open mouthed and staring at everything, left, right and centre. Singapore really is a fantastic city and I was only just starting.

One of the hundreds of shopping malls, it seems.

I found City Hall, Raffles Hotel and Sultan Mosque on my travels as well as an abundance of shopping malls (too many shopping malls)!

I liked this street. Artsy.

Not that I have much when it's long, but my hair was becoming an annoyance. I could feel it wobbling in the wind and I refuse to succumb to a Bobby Charlton. So one of my tasks for the day was to find a barbers. Sure, I passed plenty of hair salons, hairdressers, even a Toni and Guy, but I'm not paying SPG$50 for a clipper job - I'm not a 'Cheap Charlie' as my Koh Samui contingent named Matt, but it's literally a five minute trim. It ain't worth £25.

After doing a loop near Shaw Towers, I found myself wanting to get to Marina Bay Sands Hotel (the famous, three towered hotel in the east of the city). I thought I'd take a shortcut through Suntec City Shopping Mall - how big could it really be?

Turns out, five complexes in one, a convention centre and a Fountain of Wealth big! I spent a good fifty minutes in there, just wandering around, trying to find an east exit.

Marina Bay Sands Hotel. Impressive, huh?

I jumped on Promenade MRT and headed to BayFront station. When I came out, I found the Marina Bay Sands Building. It was incredible. Wandering around inside, I felt like a small fish in an ocean. It was just enormous. I did get to see some of the athletes from the Asian Paralympic Games here in Singapore which was worth the visit.

I'd found a barbers, not too far from my hostel, so I set off after it. Two hours later, my hair still wobbling, sweating in the humidity and wandering around some deserted backstreets, I decided to get some Wi-Fi and find a reliable source for a haircut.

That reliable source was CUTS, a Korean style barbers situated in Raffles Place. Another hour later, wandering around with my HERE Maps and getting lost in two further malls, I found it. It was, bizarrely, located inside the underground shopping precinct that formed part of the MRT station. It got weirder when I had to put $10 in a machine for a ticket number - it was like being at the deli counter in Tescos!

But hairs off to them (sorry, bad pun), they did a cracking job and even vacuumed my head afterwards. Not a normal service but worth the experience.

I made a few hours stop to talk to my mum and sister. We had some laughs, especially when they tried to guest my favourite song, going from my clue of his name relates to William to Elvis Presley and Nat King Cole - the mind boggles sometimes. My dad made an appearance as well and it made me miss Christmas at home.

What a dinner winner!

I headed back to Chinatown, the night creeping in and had some dinner at one of the small stalls. This time I had a fantastic duck and pork combo with rice and soy sauce. You can't argue with this sort of grub at $6 (£3) a pop. The portions are great!

I wound down with a little writing (yes, wound down) and cracked on with the formatting of my sitcom. Before I knew it, four hours had passed and it was midnight.

What a day!

Day 167 - Singapore will never be a chore.

I'm off to Singapore!!!

Day 167 - 07th December

What the bloody hell do Starbucks puts in their coffee? I haven't slept right for two days!

By the time six thirty rolled around, I'd only managed four hours sleep. I showered and packed up before heading aross to Times Square Mall and checking in.

A wreath doughnut and Oreo cheesecake with a Caramel Coffee Chiller.

I had a Krispy Kreme start to the day which was good and the sugar helped me get back to normality again.

The coach was forty five minutes late in leaving and the air conditioner conked out ten minutes into the journey so we had to stop at the roadside for another twenty minutes while they fixed it.

I was befriended by a man in his sixties from Malaysia who now had emigrated to Australia and a couple who lived in Kuala Lumpur but we're off to visit their daughter and two grandchildren in Singapore. We discussed politics (that was actually a lot of fun), language barriers and my writing. They seemed fascinated by it, or so I thought so. We chatted for a good hour or so before I had a little snooze.

At the customary rest stop, the emigrated Malaysian guy offered to buy me some lunch as I swigged from my bottle of Coke. He really was a great chap. I thanked him but declined, knowing I had my snacks with me. 

He shook my hand and wished me well with my onward journey. I reciprocated. He reminded me of an Asian Dustin Hoffman. If you can get that picture in your head, you'll know how great this guy really was.

I lost the couple at the entry border to Singapore but I did manage to have a further conversation with them between the pitstop and the border so I didn't feel too bad.

Food Street, Chinatown

We arrived in Singapore just after five thirty and I jumped on the subway and moved over to Chinatown. When I came up from underground, the exit was right in the middle of Pagoda Street and what a fantastic way to open up my trip in Singapore. It was lively, it was vibrant, it was like being back in China again. I loved it.

I walked to the end of the street and immediately in front of me, there was my hostel. It looked swanky but it can go one of two ways with one of two sayings - badly (looks can be deceiving) or well (don't judge a book by it's cover).

Nice bed.

It's not that far down.

As I was led up to my six bed dorm I thought, this looks alright. It's all door fobbed, there's a communal ironing board, nice toilet block and a cafe. Yeah, I could stay here for a while happily. Once inside the room, I was told I had a loft bed. I looked up a giant ladder to see a horizontal platform and well, I was blown away. It was private and comfortable. I was delighted.

I headed back out for dinner. I had a tasty Brisket that later didn't agree with me (heed your own warning Dan, avoid the beef!) and wandered Chinatown looking at trinkets and souvenir shops.

I'm loving Sungapore already and it's only just begun!

Day 166 - The Last of Lumpur

I hope to see you again someday, Kuala Lumpur.

Day 166 - 6th December

So my plans for an early night were thwarted by my earlier four grande, black coffees and the dinner down at Jalan Alor. It was a case of me laying in bed, my heart thumping from the caffeine and unable to sleep until 3am!

When I woke up, I washed and went for a gentle stroll to Chinatown for one last meal in Kuala Lumpur before my bus to Singapore in the morning. I stocked up on some snacks for the trip - something has to go wrong surely!

I'm going to miss KL. She's been a whole heap of fun! 

I went back to my room and packed. My backpack is torn on one side and now showing its age. I've had it since 2009!

Again my plan for another early night went out the window. It was too hot and the fan in my room seemed to be assisting the heat, not cooling it down for me.

So Singapore in the morning, my wallet's already bleeding!

Day 165 - I feel like Kevin McCallister, just in Home Alone: Lost in Asia

I have no idea why I took this photo.

Day 165 - 05th December

So I worked through the night. By the time I finished it was 5:30am. That's how nuts I am about writing. It's not the first time and it won't be the last. And I loved every second of it.

The great news is I finished the sitcom. Yep, it's finally completed to a full draft stage. It will take tweaks and minor changes but the groundwork and most of the material is there. This is the one. I know I say it but this one just has me laughing out loud (not in a big headed way either). I think the balanced of characters, their backgrounds, the settings and scenarios, and the jokes are perfect. I'm proud of this!

By 8am, I was showered up and moving off for breakfast. If I didn't, I'd be sitting in my room all day editing and that's not good. I had three missions for the day - find a post office, find a new iPod cable to replace my lost one and book a bus ticket at Berjaya Times Square.

I found an apple retailer in the shopping district but the grumpy sales assistant told me 'not open until 10! Go!' Feeling slightly victimised and pretty shattered, I went next door to Starbucks for an Americano to wake me up. Whilst waiting for 10am, I finished The Women in Black. Definitely read it, it was awesome and had me right there on them marshes. Crazy ghost bitch!

When the retailer opened, I went to the partner store across the street. Screw the rude assistant but they didn't have a replacement cable because Apple want you to buy a brand new iPod to get it. Sod that!

I went to the shopping complex which was just five floors full of IT gadgets, parts, cabling and other hardware. I managed to get a replacement for 20 ringgit. Happy days. One down, two to go.

I moved to the next shopping centre but the Post Office was deserted. They weren't opening.

That bidet is like the fountains at the Belagio in Vegas!

Now for the disgusting part. This blog documents the good and the bad. When using the toilet, I turned to find no toilet roll. No problem. Use the bidet and then pull up, grab tissue paper, back in, pull down, dab, sorted! I'm trying not to be so graphic. In short, the bidet was broken so it sprayed like a sprinkler, there was no tissue in the dispensers. There was only one cubicle! With water all over the floor, my shorts and my boxer shorts drenched, I had only one alternative and no wipe was not an option. I had to do it the Indian way! I hang my head in shame before you and please be assured I washed my hand fifteen times to be sure it was sanitised.

Merry Christmas!

Moving swiftly on, I went to Berjaya Times Square Shopping Mall or fifteen stories of pure hell! The fifth floor has a theme park inside it which is pretty cool but I wasn't paying the admission for one ride on a roller coaster. 

Too much for me.

A roller coaster in a shopping mall. That's kind of cool.

I found the bus company and booked my bus whilst confusing the poor assistant with my mumbling English. Sorry! But that was two down, one to go.

Seriously walking around this district I felt like I was lost in a big city, trying to find my way out so kind of like Home Alone. And as it's Christmas I can accept that comparison.

What I thought was probably the easiest to accomplish became a nightmare. I walked for kilometres with my phone's smart nav either to find the post office had closed down or had never existed in the first place. The local, although trying to be helpful, were directing me back to the mall where it wasa deserted post office.

A cracking hot dog.

In the end, I abandon the mission and went for lunch (bolognese hot dog - I've got to stop eating crap) and went back to Starbucks to continue my editing of my sitcom. I'm hooked now, it's too late.

I Skyped in with the folks and received all the latest gossip from the home front - my niece's christening is proceeding to plan, my brother's wife is struggling with two slipped discs and my sister has a new haircut. Quite a variety I'll admit.

After a little more work and four grande, black coffees inside me, I headed to Jalan Alor for dinner. I had a spicy dish then I'd intended and it had me coughing profusely in front of the locals. What a plonker!

Day 164 - Sky Tower, dinner on the town and an all nighter (writing, calm down!)

Shit!

Day 164 - 04th

So another late wake up after another late Skype session was throwing my body out something chronic. Nevertheless, it was great to catch up and I was going to get through it easily. Just an early night was required, that was all...

I continued work on my sitcom. I'm getting closer to the end now and then I'll have six good episodes to edit and sent to the BBC. But I have until April so I have plenty of time to mound it into something that I think has a lot of potential. Even my tutor on my open university course told me it had real potential.

Anyhow, I was writing that watching Malcolm in the Middle on Netflix. Do you remember that show? It turns out it more hilarious than I remember, mainly down to Hal the dad, brilliantly played by Bryan Cranston. If you get a chance, watch it. It helps you relive your teens (if you were born circa 1988).

I'm also reading The Woman in Black by Susan Hill. It's very atmospheric but has me gripped. I can't really what happens in the film so it's idea for reading the book.

As the sun started to go around 6:45, I rushed into the shower, readied my self and set off for the Kuala Kumpur Tower. Being scared of heights already wasn't helped by a dodgy looking lift appearing, the doors jamming half way between opening and the walls peeling. It look like something out of The Tower of Terror. 

The main viewing point in Kuala Lumpur - The Petronas Towers

Love the sky in this.

Why am I thinking E.T.?

As we ascending up the 400 odd metres, I started to feel queasy and when we reached the open observatory deck, my legs went to jelly. I was on my own for the first time on a huge structure like this. I had to pull myself together or risk ruining the experience, I slid along the wall like I was in stealth mode. I've been on taller structures but I've always been with someone. It's sounds a bit melodramatic but I honestly thought I was stuck to that wall for a while. Once I found my legs, I took in the views and relaxed a bit more.

Not bad!

This was awesome. That marshmallow on top was great.

Afterwards, I gorged myself to a chicken and Swiss cheese sandwich followed by a pecan brownie and ice cream at Outback Steakhouse. All the weight I shed in Cambodia has suddenly come back ten fold now I'm not exercising. Need to get my gut back to swimming or some other form of exercise, and soon!

By the time I got back it was 11pm and all I could think of was finishing that sitcom. So I sat down and wrote, and wrote and wrote. I didn't realise it was the earlier hours until I zoned back into reality and checked the computer desktop.

But it didn't stop me!!!