New York City.

May 30-June 3

By the time Yeh Yang and I took the subway from JFK airport to Manhattan, it was close to 1AM. We were staying at Manhattan Inn Hostel, where I had stayed at previously with Rishi when we were in the City for the Singapore Day weekend. There was some minor delay with the checking-in because we had booked for three nights but on two separate bookings, so we had to wait for the guy to sort it out.

The next morning, I left for Ground Zero with Angela and Xinpei, while Yeh Yang went to do his own stuff because he’s been there before. You can’t really tell that the it was the site of a terrorist attack six years ago. Work is going on for the Freedom Tower, so you would think it’s just some construction site.

View from behind mesh and grille

We hung around the area for a good ten minutes, looking at the 9/11 time line, which explained the day’s events from when the first plane left Boston Logan Airport to when the cloud of dust cleared over Manhattan. There were various photographs and paintings depicting the confusion, chaos and pain the people endured that day. I can’t say I identified with what went on that day, but looking at the photographs helped me envision it, and one definitely feels sad at the suffering innocent people had to go through.

We left for the Wall Street financial district area. Seems like Donald Trump has a building everywhere. There are two in New York City alone. The New York Stock Exchange was worth looking at, but it was heavily guarded, and a huge American flag adorned its front columns. Other than that, Wall Street seemed really nondescript, a narrow street with financial bigwigs. Angela and Xinpei were quite disappointed. I think they expected more. They were probably as excited about Wall Street as I am about seeing the press room in the US Capitol and the White House. More on that in due time.

Next up was taking the free ferry service to Staten Island to see the Statue of Liberty. It’s free, so I shall not complain much. We were still pretty far away from the Statue though. Of course, also because the camera can’t zoom, so I was at a disadvantage.

Yes, that is the closest we got to Lady Liberty.

Lower Manhattan cityscape awfully nondescript without the Twin Towers

Half of Manhattan, and New Jersey in the background

We later met up with Yeh Yang again and had dinner at a Dallas BBQ restaurant located at Times Square. I think Times Square is my favorite place in the whole world. After dinner, we went to the TKTS booth to check out Broadway shows. Yeh Yang and Angela went for Phantom, which I had already watched in London. Xinpei and I went for The Color Purple, starring Fantasia. To be honest, and I admitted this to Xinpei at the intermission, I wasn’t following the dialogue very well because their Southern accent was very thick. It was hard to follow the story when half the time I missed what they were saying. I enjoyed the songs though, and I was very impressed by Fantasia. Her acting was just okay, but she knew how to work the audience with her singing. The Color Purple has a very gospel repertoire, with many of its songs having a similar style to baptist church music. It deals with the role of women during the time the novel was written and how women were gradually empowered to be equal as men and able to stand for themselves. It also spoke of the equality of mankind without being subject to differences in race and color. Surprisingly, Yeh Yang and Angela were done earlier than us, cos Phantom is notorious for being three hours long.

Met them again at the M&M’s store. There were very unique souvenirs here, obviously targeting children who will then bug their parents to buy them. I think unless you see the store for yourself, it’s hard to imagine what it is like. Three floors of everything M&M.

M&M stores have to be the most indulgent ones.

I don’t think I could ever get enough of Times Square.

The city doesn’t sleep, and its energy rubs off on you.

The next morning, we set off for Brooklyn. Yeh Yang and I settled at a bagel cafe for breakfast because Angela and Xinpei overslept and missed our meeting time. Truly, the bagels in New York are just different from those I’ve tried outside New York. It’s unexplainable but you’ll know when you try them. A plain bagel and cream cheese with hot coffee. Now, that’s a New York breakfast that I’m going to continue having in Singapore.

When the girls arrived, we walked to Prospect Park. It was designed by the same people who did Central Park. There wasn’t much in there. We came across many kids of all ages, some toddlers with their mothers or nannies, and fathers in some instances; teachers with their students enjoying a day of sports and games and other random people. From what I saw of Brooklyn, it was very much a residential borough. Of course I didn’t see enough to generalize the area, but in comparison to Manhattan, it is quieter and less crowded. It is where rich people who work in Manhattan raise their families.

It was a really hot summer day, (in my opinion, spring didn’t last long enough!) Deciding that Brooklyn didn’t have much to see, we left to return to Manhattan. Again, we only went to one place in Brooklyn and it is a very large island, so I maintain that we didn’t see enough of it to make a judgment.

We headed to Chinatown and had lunch. I’ve never had so much Chinese food in the US until I started touring with the three of them! Also walked through Little Italy, which was quite lively. The area was done up with red, white and green-colored decorative stuff, and there was a little festival of some sort going on with arcade game stalls like bursting the balloons or knocking the cups over. Soho was next. In my opinion, the stores at Soho are still kind of expensive. You can find a bargain sometimes, but generally, the area has a reputation for its vintage clothing stores, and some of the big names in fashion. It’s a mix really, you find Urban Outfitters, Banana Republic and Old Navy, together with FCUK and some other high class brands that I have never heard of. I want only cheap stuff, like everything at Old Navy prices but of a better brand! I need to be at an outlet!

We walked to Greenwich Village, which is lesser known as West Village. Jimi Hendrix used to live in this neighborhood and it also attracted many radicals seeking alternative lifestyles (read: hippies and marijuana advocates). As such, the area is rather trendy and has many bars, restaurants and cafes. Active nightlife, in other words. Also in part due to the presence of New York University in this neighborhood, hence the youthful and vibrant crowds.

We stopped for drinks and a rest at MacD’s, and also saw the famed basketball cages. Apparently quite a sight; there was a sizeable crowd standing around the court and watching a game.

See? New York City is so diverse. How can anyone not like it?

We headed towards 34th St. to meet Ha Phuong, a Vietnamese girl I met in Ithaca for dinner. She brought us to an ice-cream parlor where she said served the best ice-cream. It was actually yogurt or sorbet, I can’t remember. But it was interesting because it had fruit toppings that were actually really nice. I preferred the fruits to the ice-cream, but that’s just me.

Dinner was at a Korean eatery at Koreatown. I can’t remember why I don’t have pictures of our food, but the food was good. We shared some dumplings among the five of us, and had individual stuff. Ha Phuong and I shared stir-fried vermicelli and an udon. After dinner, the girls wanted to rush to Macy’s to buy Coach bags but Macy’s was closed. Awww.. They were so disappointed because they couldn’t buy their Coach bags. To be honest, I didn’t know of the existence of the brand until we went shopping in Chicago and I could not understand Angela and Xinpei’s fascination because I didn’t know Coach was very expensive in Singapore. Well, Angela is earning a lot of money now so she can afford Coach bags in Singapore. HAHA.

Walked Angela and Xinpei to Times Square to finish up the last of their souvenir shopping and then back to their hostel because it was their last night in the US. They were leaving for Tokyo the next morning. Spent three weeks with these girls from Miami, to Bahamas, to Chicago, to Toronto and now New York. Saying goodbye wasn’t that hard HAHA, but definitely had a lot of fun and laughter with them. Can’t wait to get home and meet up with them for dinner - but Angela can’t join us, she works odd hours now for Credit Suisse.

The next morning, it was just Yeh Yang and me. Sian. He went to search for the mysterious Macy’s while I left to get a hair cut. It was so weird cos we both thought we saw a second Macy’s the night before, but as it turns out, there’s only one Macy’s in New York City. Funny. After I got my hair cut, I left for Central Park. Actually I wanted to go to the Museum of Natural History, but the subway line that would bring me there was not scheduled for that day. Instead I had to take the subway to Columbus Circle and walk there through Central Park. In the end, I decided not to go, and walked through Central Park to get to MET instead.

Shakespeare Garden in Central Park

Belvedere Castle

View of Belvedere Lake and Delacorte Theater from the castle

Lake and Upper East Side skyline

MET

When I finally got through Central Park and out the other side, I was hot and itchy from the hair cut. I was just not in the mood to go and look at art pieces, even though it was a world-class museum. I had to leave it for another time (like in 2 weeks time, when I leave Washington, D.C. for New York, my last two days in New York, before I leave for Singapore.)

I decided to go back to the hostel, take a shower and have a change of clothes. Yeh Yang was back at the hostel too. After the shower, we left for Chelsea and Union Square. There was a flea market somewhere there and I bought a double-CD recording of Puccini’s La bohème, recorded by Andrea Bocelli, and the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra under the direction of Zubin Mehta. For $10. What a find.

We ended up at the Farmer’s Market at Union Square, where there were many farmers from around New York selling their local produce. There were potted plants of all types, vegetables, hot soups, homemade jam and local wines. Speaking of local wines, one of the stalls was from Ithaca, selling wine from the Cayuga Lake region.

We passed the Flatiron Building and settled at Madison Square Park for a rest. I think both of us were pretty tired from traveling and with the girls gone, we didn’t really feel like doing much. I know we were in New York City and we should have been high from all the energy in the city but somehow we were just a little jaded.

Flatiron Building, in the shape of an iron. Really narrow in the front.

It is a really narrow building.

We sat at in the park devising ways of how I could kidnap a baby. I couldn’t help it, they were just so cute!

I figured this could be our mug shot for The New York Times headlines after we kidnapped the baby.

Canan, Naomi and I enjoying our gryos in the same park on May 14

We were meeting Ha Phuong for dinner again, this time at Little Italy. So we abandoned our kidnapping plans and made our way to Soho for a last bit of shopping. Walked north to Chinatown too to check out the bus from Fung Wah that would bring us to Boston.

Some arch thing being built at Chinatown, near Manhattan Bridge.

Cigar maker at Little Italy

Fresh nougat

There was a stall selling fresh nougat that they weighed and chopped on the spot for you. Yeh Yang bought some to bring back for his girlfriend. I think I might buy some back too, since I’m stopping by in New York before going home.

The atmosphere in Little Italy was still rather lively. There was some kind of Catholic festival going on and a street band was marching down and playing some songs as loud as they could manage. The trumpet player at least, was pretty entertaining. He looked nonchalant as he played, but he always punctuated the ending of each song with a blast or a glissando as loud as he could manage. Trumpet players always like to steal the limelight and draw the focus to them, it’s the same everywhere.

We had dinner at a Italian restaurant. I can’t remember what we had but we had mushrooms for starters, and pasta for mains. It was yummy. I love pasta so much. Pasta with prawns, mussels and squid… Even better. Following dinner, we settled for tea at a cafe in Greenwich Village.

Ha Phuong and I at the cafe. I never realized my eyes were that small, and I have dimples. HAHA. Fat cheeks and dimples never coexist.

At the end, we concluded that I am more attractive than Yeh Yang. Earlier in the day, a Latina salesgirl at a store in Soho greeted me with a smile and a hey that seemed pretty over friendly. For a while, I thought maybe she was in one of my classes at Ithaca, and Yeh Yang too thought that we knew each other. She came up and started chatting like we were old friends, and even commented that she liked my color - the tan from Miami and Bahamas. It was really quite weird. Then at the Greenwich Village cafe, the waitress didn’t really address Yeh Yang, but me instead. HAHA, so we drew that conclusion that they just found me more attractive than him.

It really was quite a lazy day. After tea, we lazed at a park listening to a busker performing. It was quite a nice ten minutes actually, sitting there enjoying a summer evening in New York. The next morning we were leaving for Boston, so we bade goodbye to Ha Phuong, who is interning for RBS for the summer, and returned to the hostel to pack.

Toronto.

May 27-30

From Chicago, we flew into Buffalo (NY) to catch a Greyhound bus to Toronto. It’s cheaper that way, because flying into Toronto from Chicago would have incurred international flight costs. Way cheaper to break it up into flight-bus. Met Yeh Yang at the airport, his flight came in a little after ours.

We took a cab to downtown Buffalo where the bus terminal was and bought our round trip tickets to Toronto. We went out of the terminal to look for some food and was surprised that Buffalo was literally empty. I remember clearly seeing more sea gulls than people. It was a Sunday I think, so maybe that’s why it was so deserted. But Scully (one of my professors from IC) mentioned that Buffalo was one of those upstate New York cities that was booming in the days of early industrialization but is currently in a state of disrepair.

So anyway, the bus ride took four hours, and the bus got really crowded towards the end because it picked up passengers along the way, all heading towards Toronto. From the bus station, we took a cab to our hostel - Global Village Backpackers. It was not too bad. Yeh Yang and I were in the same room, Angela and Xinpei were in a room one floor below. I got into touch with Eliana, a really good friend of mine from Fairfield, who had been studying at the Uni. of Toronto for a few years now. She was going to join us for dinner.

Eliana locking her bike at the hostel before we headed out to dinner.

We walked to a Fish & Chips shop recommended by Eliana, and settled at a park to savor it. I think I’ve said this before but I haven’t had decent seafood in the US. Probably too expensive to get reasonable seafood in this country. But, thinking of calamari, soft shell crab, oat prawns….. Aahhh, very sad. Cos these are so readily available in Singapore.

Caught up with what’s going on in Eliana’s life. We were really close back in school, but after she went off to JC, we didn’t keep in touch. Funny how some people actually thought we were attached, when all there was was platonic. Weird lah. Fairfield days just seem so long ago.

We went to a little bar for some nachos and drinks, and chatted more about being vegan, and places to see in Toronto. When we got back to the hostel, Jane was there waiting for us. She’s a friend from school, doing her exchange studies at Uni. of Maryland, and joining us for our Toronto leg.

The next day, we set off early towards Casa Loma, passing through the city and the historic Uni. of Toronto. The architecture of the buildings here are a mix of old and new, urban meets Scottish tradition in the heart of the city.

I believe this is the Ontario Parliament Building, at Queen’s Park.

I have no idea what building this is; located across the Parliament Building, to emphasize the new and old mix.

Can you say the Uni. of Toronto is beautiful? NTU’s campus doesn’t even get near enough for comparison.

Last of Uni. of Toronto.

Inscription at Royal Ontario Museum - Man’s art, but Man is God’s art.

Jane, Angela, Xinpei and Yeh Yang, after a really long walk to Casa Loma.

Casa Loma is a castle built in 1914. It was, for some time, the largest private residence in North America and houses two pipe organs in its interior. It belonged to a Sir Henry Pellatt, who was famous for bringing hydroelectricity to Ontario by harnessing the power of the Niagara Falls.

Interior of the castle’s hall

View of downtown Toronto and CN Tower from the castle’s tower, currently undergoing restoration works

Jane and I in the castle’s garden

Found a little hole in the bushes to look at the CN Tower

After we left the castle, we took a cab to Chinatown for a late lunch, settled at a Hong Kong place that sold the traditional roasted fare. I had congee, and we ordered oyster-sauce vegetables. Actually, Chinese food in the US is not as bad as I thought it was. It got better as I traveled - had fantastic Chinese food in Boston at a Taiwanese restaurant, and here in Washington D.C. I found a really nice place that has Crystal Jade standard. But back to Toronto. Jane left for the hostel after lunch to rest her eyes, while we walked around Chinatown and Kensington Market, some quirky sights there.

A car filled with soil, with grass and a bush growing out of it.

The most quirky of all was finding a Singaporean restaurant in Chinatown. We couldn’t believe our eyes when we saw the signboard and the pictures of their dishes. Other than Singapore Day in New York, this was the closest to me finding Singapore in North America.

Merlion Restaurant - Singaporean without a single doubt.

Oyster with egg, and the correct chilli sauce!!!

Laksa!

Singapore Chilli Crab!!!

There were other dishes too - satay, popiah, pineapple fried rice, chicken rice, mee goreng, chicken curry, mee pok, teochew duck and in keeping with the spirit of sambal stingray, they had grilled spicy fish. HAHA. Sadly, the restaurant was closed though. Very very disappointing. Finally, a Singaporean had some sense to bring our famous hawker fare to N.America.

Toronto’s streetcar, with CN Tower background.

In the evening, we took a walk southwards towards the Toronto Harbour and Lake Ontario. Passed the CN Tower, a water fountain depicting the salmon’s journey upstream to lay eggs, the SkyDome where the Blue Jays were playing, the Air Canada Centre where WWE was taking place. There really wasn’t much to do in that area, so we headed up Yonge Street in search of a place to eat, and settled at a Japanese place.

The next day, we planned to go to Niagara Falls. We were renting a car from a company, (more on that later). Jane’s eye wasn’t doing any better so brought her to a clinic for a check. The doctor diagnosed it as cornea ulcer and recommended that we go to the hospital to see a specialist. I thought I should stay with Jane, while Yeh Yang, Angela and Xinpei went ahead to Niagara Falls. So, yet another reason for me to return to Toronto - to see Niagara Falls. Funny thing, how Ithaca is closer to Niagara Falls and Toronto than New York City, but by the time I’m done here in the US, I would have spent a total of 13 days (non-consecutively) in New York City, without having seen the Falls.

That evening, while Jane was resting, and the rest were still at Niagara Falls, I called Eliana out for dinner and we went to an Indian restaurant. She’s staying on at Uni. of Toronto for her grad studies. So that was goodbye, till I see her again one day.

The next morning, we sent Jane off to the airport because she decided to return to Maryland to get her eye treated. After that, we sent Angela and Xinpei to the bus terminal for their bus back to Buffalo. Their flight from Buffalo to New York City was earlier than ours and we were staying in different hostels in the City, so we would meet the next day. Yeh Yang and I then went to return the car, and got charged a lot of money cos the car had a minor scratch that no one really could have noticed, except the money-faced car rental guy out to make money. So, the lesson we concluded is that saving a little bit of money is not worth it and probably should have rented from a bigger company instead of trying to save some money.

That kind of bummed the whole day for us, especially for Yeh Yang. Can’t blame him for feeling lousy. So I tried to impart my skill of not letting things affect myself too much. What happened has happened, feeling lousy about it isn’t going to make things change. Yeah, so our moods picked up a little.

We left Toronto for Buffalo a little after 4PM I think. Not much to mention, except for an obnoxious police officer with a sad sense of humor. Well you see, I had all my belongings with me since I wasn’t returning to Ithaca until August. Naturally to a police officer, it wouldn’t make sense for someone who was in Toronto for three days to be carrying two large luggage bags. So I patiently explained that I studied in Ithaca for four months and this was everything from then, I was backpacking around N.America till end-June and was carrying everything with me. He then joked that I was a homeless man carrying my home with me. Yes.

The last straw came when it was time for baggage security checks. He watched me struggle to lift my bags onto their security table, because they don’t have a conveyor belt for that. After I had done that, he said, “Oh, I’m not going to check that. I just wanted to see how you were going to lift that onto the table. *Sniggers.”

…………..

Americans have surprised me with their social graces. I meet some really nice people who are just so friendly, and yet you also meet people like the above-mentioned police officer. I think that made me pretty blasé. Americans and me? Chalk and cheese.

Chicago.

May 24-27

So we took a Southwest flight to Chicago from Fort Lauderdale, FL. We were so tired from staying up overnight at the airport that we fell fast asleep even before the plane took off, without realizing that the plane was empty and there we were squeezing when we could have taken any seat on the plane.

We landed at Chicago’s Midway Airport, which was huge and quite nice considering it isn’t the famous O’Hare. We caught the train and I was really fatigued from the lack of proper sleep so I started throwing a famous fit. Well, not really, but I like how the expression sounds. But I was seriously tired and quite fed up of my blue Wilson bag. It was getting to me.

We finally found our way to Arlington International Hostel and checked in. Nice. We had a four-person room to ourselves with an attached bathroom. It was really hot in the room though. And the sink was kind of gross - it was lined with a coat of dirt that had dried up over many months. Or at least that’s what I thought it was. And we saw the Spanish couple from Key West. Such a coincidence to see them again.

I called Mezraq to ask him for must-see places in Chicago and he gave a list. Thanks Mezraq! We left for a walk through downtown Chicago. I remember being very out of it because we didn’t have sufficient sleep the night before. Sufficient sleep is eight hours per day. Well, Chicago is a very cosmopolitan city, the downtown area has tall skyscrapers every block, well… Now that I think about it, Chicago is a very livable city; lots of things to do - diverse people, cultural, the best way I can describe it is “the cleaner version of New York City”. Lots of art lining the streets, sculptures, gardens, quirky artifacts.. I think Chicago has a lot of pride in its public art.

We stumbled into a Hershey’s store that had an amazing collection of all things Reese’s. Rowie would have come close to bankruptcy here.

We were walking along the Magnificent Mile. As a side note here, when I was blogging about London and Paris, I would refer to my photos, my maps and Wikipedia so that I could blog with accuracy and add in information about the things I saw, but now I am too lazy to do that, and I have no time for that either, so forgive me. I would really like to describe the places I’ve been to in detail, but my memory does not serve me well, and if I did that, I wouldn’t be able to finish it all even when I’m back in Singapore.

So that was a long side note. Magnificent Mile - right now, I would tell you that I was following the crowd. It was a straight road after all. I told you I was sleep deprived, so I can’t really recall what we saw that day. I do remember churches, skyscrapers and the infamous Chicago wind blowing dust into our eyes.

There was a building in downtown Chicago that was really interesting. Many pieces of stone, or bricks maybe, were taken from famous places around the world, such as this - a White House piece of stone, and the one below, from the Royal Castle in Stockholm. This pieces of stone were used as part of the building. Very interesting..

Wrigley Building, the chewing gum company.

Chicago River.

We walked further down Michigan Avenue, I think that is what it was, and we came across this huge screen that was spurting water. It’s just a very big water thing.

It was spurting water, but because of Chicago’s rep as a windy city, the water was going in all directions once the wind picked up. There were many kids, and adults too, playing. It was pretty neat, because one could never guess where the wind would blow the water next.

The structure also showed a person’s face because I think behind the water is an LCD screen of some sort. And it was interesting because the water spurted out from where the person’s mouth was, as you will be able to see from the next photo.

Art Institute of Chicago

 

Chicago Symphony Orchestra

From downtown Chicago, we left for Chinatown. We took the subway there. No major complaints about their transport system, if I remember. We wanted to go look for dim sum I think. We also went to look for an optician for Xinpei cos her eye had been red for a while, since Miami..

A nondescript Chinatown

We had a huge meal at this place serving Asian cuisine from many countries - Korean, Chinese, Thai… all at one place. And they also had giant drink servings, like smoothies and bubble teas. None of us could finish our food, the portions were really huge. Then we went back to downtown Chicago, to see the Buckingham Fountain at Grant Park. We came across a marathon or some kind of massive race with thousands of participants. Quite a funny sight, considering that it was a weekday evening. Well, we figured it was some kind of charity or fund-raising thing that involved the companies in the area, cos many of them were wearing T-shirts endorsing their companies.

The next day, we headed to Shedd Aquarium. I haven’t been to one since Sea World in Gold Coast back in 2000 I think! Haha.

Sears Tower from outside the Aquarium

Icky silver slimy fish. I am averse to fish.

Despite my bad encounter with jellyfish in Bintan, I think these are beautiful!

Some kind of worm fish that sticks out of the sand.

Stone fish. Rock stone.

Nemo and Dory.

Dolphin show at the aquarium

Mother and calf Beluga whales

Beluga whales seem cuter than regular dolphins somehow.

For some reason, the aquarium had a reptile section.

Komodo Dragon

Poor shark. He can’t really help what goes into his mouth. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to eat you!”

Beautiful Chicago cityscape and Lake Michigan

Hall Se7en represented in the Windy City.

We wandered towards Little Italy and Greektown, (Yeh Yang’s idea) and somehow we got a little lost near a University, I can’t remember which one right now. Anyway, it got really windy and chilly, so we decided to have dinner early. Settled at a Greek restaurant, and this was what I ordered - shrimp and scallop. It came with rice topped with some kind of sauce. I had been craving seafood for a really long time!

The servers were really polite, and in a rush to make sure all our needs were met. I particularly remember one of them, a little man with a hearty laughter - he could pass off as Danny DeVito’s brother. Each time they lighted the hot plate (because some of the dishes came with flamin’ brandy) he shouted “Opa!” or something that sounded like that. So I just checked with an online dictionary, “Opa!” is shouted by Greeks to signify joy or celebration.

So after we finished dinner, we went in search of medication for me. I was having a slight headache, which I’m sure was caused by having less than 8 hours of sleep each night. There was a slight problem though. I had a little glass of wine with my dinner, so the pharmacist advised that I wait an hour before I took the pills.

Went to watch “Wicked” after dinner. It’s doing so well on Broadway that it was fully booked two months in advance when Yeh Yang tried to book it, so had to settle for the Chicago cast, but they didn’t disappoint. The plot is a little unbelievable at times, but many musicals are like that anyway. I still prefer musicals like RENT and The Color Purple that deal with more serious themes though. I like the music. It’s one of those soundtracks that you start to like after listening to it endlessly. Haha.

The next day, we went shopping! Took a one-hour train ride out of Chicago to a town called Aurora. There began my first experience with Premium Outlets in the US. I can’t believe that I had spent money on GAP and other brands like American Eagle, when you can get branded stuff like Guess? and Calvin Klein at discounted outlet price! Anyway. I think I spent wisely. Haha.. Seriously. I only spent on what I thought was a steal. A bargin that couldn’t be ignored. We literally went mad cos we had only about 3 hours before we had to catch the train back to Chicago - we wanted to go to Navy Pier in the evening. There also began my fascination with Cold Stone Creamery, so that made me late in meeting the rest, and we missed the bus to the train station. Haha. An excuse to shop more. But I stopped there, while the three of them shopped more.

By the time we got back to Chicago, it was dinner time. We were too lazy to go to Navy Pier so we settled for dinner at a pizzeria.

It was Chicago’s famous deep dish pizza. It’s really really thick and full of cheese. We only managed to eat a slice each; it was just too filling.

We packed the other half of the pizza home, and headed back to the hostel. It was funny how we parked our shopping stuff at the door of the pizzeria because they were too many to be brought in, so the staff very kindly allowed us to leave them behind the counter.

Back at the hostel, we packed up and got ready to leave the next morning. Yeh Yang was flying off to Buffalo, NY, on a different flight as ours and from O’Hare while ours was from Chicago-Midway. He left to spend the night at the airport, rather than take the subway at 3AM in morning cos he was scared of Chicago’s drug triads. HAHA!

Bahamas.

I still find it extraordinary that I visited the Bahamas. It’s one of those exotic locations in the world that gets talked about a lot - like most other islands in the Caribbean - but how many people can say they actually visited it?

We reached Port Everglades and there we found out that Yeh Yang and Tanny couldn’t go because of visa issues. By the time they return from Bahamas, their visas would have expired and they wouldn’t be able to enter the US. Something like that. The only reason I made it was because I had a new I-20 for my Washington summer class, so they allowed me to go. Felt really bad for Yeh Yang because he was looking forward to it. But then again, he made no attempt to hide his disappointment.. Haha. Tanny was better though. Maybe she was disappointed, but she probably didn’t want to make the situation worse by pulling a long face. Kudos. Cos I think I would have started sulking if I were denied the Bahamas. So it was to be Angela, Xinpei and me. I was having so much fun the day before, now that we had to split up, the mood was definitely dampened somewhat.

Breakfast on the cruise. Though their faces say otherwise, the disappointment of not having Yeh Yang and Tanny was still sorely lingering… Seriously!

We don’t gamble, so there wasn’t much to do on the cruise. We slept on the deck and almost missed our lunch! The meals weren’t very appetizing anyway. We arrived at the Grand Bahama Island and took a shuttle to the hotel.

The service at this hotel was not bad - they served Bahama Mama, a local rum concoction, and yucca chips as a welcome snack. And I had a double bed to myself cos Yang wasn’t here! HAHA, There wasn’t any beach near our hotel though. It was in the middle of town and there was nothing much to do at the hotel. We took a bus for a dollar each to Port Lucaya, which we were told was the main area with shopping, restaurants and the beach.

Trees stripped bare by hurricane activity.

Count Basie Square at the Marketplace.

As the sun set, the orange glow of the sky created a warm hue - the perfect setting for a wedding by the beach. And we came across two. Very nice.

Angela and Xinpei.

The closest I got to jet-skiing.

More bare trees post-hurricane.

Our second day in the Bahamas turned out really nice. We managed to score a cheap deal for snorkeling. We paid $35 each; there was a bus that shuttled us to and from our hotel, lunch was provided, and it also covered the rental of snorkeling equipment for about 8 hours at a private beach. Yeah it was an awesome deal, and the beach was amazing. The water was so clear that we could see the reefs from the shore. It was so beautiful.

 

 

In between three trips out to the reefs to snorkel, we stopped for lunch and to take in some sun. It was my first time snorkeling and was it quite the experience. It wasn’t so much the swimming because you have the fins to aid you, but the breathing was rather tricky. Dylan would find this easy because he breathes through his mouth all the time. For me, it was a matter of getting used to taking in air through the tube in my mouth, and I had to consciously remind myself to do so. I found myself subconsciously switching to my nose many times, and then grasping for air when there wasn’t any because the goggles around the nose area is airtight.

Xinpei buried under, courtesy of Angela.

 

BRRR….. It was cold from the sea breeze.

 

 

Snorkeling is tiring. Each of the three times we headed out, it lasted for an hour maybe. You feel the strain on your calf muscles as you struggle to swim against the current. The experience is very worth the effort though, because you see many different types of corals and marine life. I bought a single-use underwater camera to capture the reefs and fishes, though the photos didn’t turn out too well. Definitely want to try it again. But not at the expense of getting stung by jellyfish like I was in Bintan about three years back…

The Bahamas was really an enjoyable place to visit, but I wouldn’t recommend going to Grand Bahama Island. Maybe Nassau would be a better choice because GBI didn’t have very much to do. Oh, I have to mention the conch. It seems really common to eat conch here in the Caribbean. Fried conch, steamed conch, conch salad… It comes in many variations.

Our last day on the island, we returned to Port Lucaya to laze at the beach.. And bought some souvenirs and t-shirts for Tanny and Yeh Yang since they didn’t make it to Bahamas. It was a lazy day for us before making our way to the Port to board the cruise back to Fort Lauderdale. Once again, we slept most of it since we didn’t gamble. Cruises are just not my thing.

We arrived at Fort Lauderdale about 9 in the evening, so made our way to Fort Lauderdale Airport to meet Yeh Yang and Tanny. It was good to see them again and recount our experiences from the past three days. Apparently they had a great time in Fort Lauderdale too, glad for them. Hehe, but I was joking with Xinpei and Angela that we had to take nice pictures of Bahamas and also tell them what a good time we had so that we don’t lose out to them. Typical Singaporeans. x)

Our flight was to Chicago early the next morning, so we spent the night at the airport sprawled out on the sofa instead of getting a room for a few hours. We ended up using our laptops to compensate for our lack of connection - we didn’t have an Internet connection at our Bahamas hotel, and our auto-roaming phones didn’t receive a service on the island too.

Tanny was going to Ithaca to attend her friend’s brother’s graduation from Cornell, so we bade her goodbye and went on our way to Chicago…

Key West.

We left Miami and headed south towards Key West. We were going to stop at Everglades National Park for a look-see to decide if we wanted to do more there. Apparently not, cos we didn’t manage to make the tour timing. The tour would have brought us in a boat out to the river and swamps area to view wild crocs, a la Anaconda in those boats powered by a huge motor fan.

We took a walk instead through the park and came really close to alligators that were living in the wild. My first time seeing them up close, without any glass or wire between us. Pretty cool. We also saw other wildlife like birds and there was this particular one that swooped down from the sky so fast that we, or I, thought it was something falling from the sky. Well, it happened in a split second and next thing you know, it was flying off with its prize - a perch struggling to break free from the bird’s claws. We also walked a little trail for all of five minutes and I came across a snake, which was probably highly poisonous. Well, it slithered away before the rest could see it. Reminds me of the snake I saw during field camp back in my army days when I was proning next to it. Everglades reminded me of two things I have to get used to again upon returning to Singapore - the humidity… and mosquitoes.

You can just make out the croc, near enough for my camera that can’t zoom.

Another one, remember there were no fences or cages, though we were on a bridge.

We headed to Key West, kudos to Yeh Yang for driving so many hours. And I think Xinpei and Tanny helped out a little bit as well.. Angela and I ended up falling asleep (not most, but) many parts of the journey. The journey took longer than expected. Oh, I spotted my first Long John Silver’s along the way as well. Driving to Key West is rather fun if you have the patience and tolerance. The view is fantastic because you see the Atlantic on either side of the car, but because its a single lane for both directions, it’s hard to overtake, and it was especially irritating cos we came across many slow cars going at 30mph probably. Someone said, I think it was Yang, that Key West is a retirement place that’s why all the cars were going so slowly.

My vantage point from the backseat.

As we arrived in Key West, the sun was just about to set. It was really beautiful. We pulled into Key West after passing through many many Keys. Key West is the southernmost point of continental USA. It’s literally the end of the road, and 90 miles north of Cuba.

We were only going to spend one night here so we decided to find a place for dinner first before checking into the hostel. We stopped at the Bight Ferry Terminal, where there was loads of seafood places to choose from. Not before Yang closed the car door on Angela’s fingers though.. Haha. That one really hard to forget.

I liked Key West. Because I like seafood, and the smell of fishy breeze, and the laid back lifestyle, and the little old man playing the oboe.

This is paradise.

You know staying in hostels really allows you to meet all kinds of people. My experience in London and Paris taught me well. Haha. Our hostel in Key West was a 14-person dorm divided into three rooms. When we first entered, there was a towel hanging from one of the double-deck beds such that it completely hid the lower bunk. I just assumed that the person was sleeping and didn’t want to be disturbed by light. Then again, the lights weren’t on… Anyway, thinking nothing of it, we went ahead to choose our beds and unpack.

OK, I hate to be one of those who tells you a juicy story halfway and stop, but this is a healthy and clean blog rated G, so. To be continued… If you remember to ask me when I get back in August.

The drive out of Key West was equally scenic. Too bad it’s a single lane road, so stopping for photos would be troublesome. We were going to drive to Miami airport, return the rented car there, and take a train from the airport to Fort Lauderdale, where we were spending the night.

How nice to travel in a train over the blue ocean. The track is not in use anymore though.

Yeh Yang and Xinpei.

Angela. Loser shuffle.

We returned the car and while waiting for our train, we sat down very unglamly to play dai di. I have no idea why, but that was the first day I felt truly relaxed and comfortable with Yang, Angela, Xinpei and Tanny. I remember laughing like crazy over random silly stuff while we played. I declare myself King and Xinpei can be Queen of Dai Di. The other three, not worth mentioning…

Miami

May 15

Arrived at Miami International Airport from New York. I checked in to our hostel first, while waiting for Yeh Yang, Angela, Xinpei, Tanny and Laura to arrive from Orlando later that evening. It was extremely humid in Miami and I could feel the immediate difference the moment I stepped out of the airport - the heat felt like I was in an oven, or near a volcano. The sky was overcast with gray clouds, and it started drizzling soon after.
It was a really boring day because there wasn’t much I could do at the beach. The rest weren’t due to arrive till about 11 pm so I decided to take a walk and explore the area. Turns out South Beach was quite deserted because the hurricane season was starting - most of the beach crowd arrive in March. It was not what I expected because I thought most beach towns were populated all year round as long as the sun shines.

I was so bored after dinner that I returned to the hostel for a nap while waiting for them to arrive. They finally did and it took some time for them to check in and settle into the room. I was meeting Tanny and Laura for the first time but it wasn’t too tough warming up to them because they were easy to get along with. Everyone was too tired from the day’s travel, and also the initial disappointment from the tiny room and terrible toilets.

May 16

We were ready to be beach bums for the day. Laura and Yeh Yang were the most excited to be heading to the beach to tan. We had about an hour in the sun, maybe less, before the skies turned gray and light drizzle quickly turned into a heavy downpour (think: Singapore’s kind of afternoon storms). It was disappointing! To be honest, I much prefer snow to rain, like how I prefer cold to hot, though I don’t mind hot when it’s not humid.

 

Stuck in the miserable rain.

From left: Me, Yang, Angela, Xinpei, Laura and Tanny.

Went to Bayside Market for dinner.

May 17

The 5 of them went off to Miami Beach, a little further north of South Beach, which is affectionately known as SoBe. I stayed behind to settle some stuff then went to join them in the afternoon.

I went to meet them later in the afternoon and we rented a car. Having a car makes everything SO convenient. We drove to the downtown area and Little Havana because that’s what Lonely Planet recommends as sights to look at. I conclude that Lonely Planet is not entirely trustworthy because there was nothing to do there at all! We had dinner at California Pizza Kitchen I think.

May 18

We drove south to Key Biscayne. Along the way we stopped for lunch at a Japanese place, which was not half bad. Our plan for the day was to get to the lighthouse, which sits on Key Biscayne in a state park I think. There was a beach by the lighthouse, covered by dried seaweed, but still popular among families. There was a section marked out as the area where turtles leave their eggs for incubation also.

Clear waters of the Atlantic Ocean

After Key Biscayne, we went to a district in Miami called Coconut Grove, which had a main shopping area with eateries and we settled down at Cheesecake Factory for a cheesecake each. The servings are huge and none of us could finish our cheesecakes that came with a big dollop of whipped cream. It was so rich and sinful, but one of the best cakes I’ve had. I vaguely remember talking to Rowie on the phone because she was in LA and we were just complaining about how expensive living in the US can be, and also the American accent, our favorite topic.

We took a slow drive back through South Beach’s art deco district, with its famous neon lights signaling dusk and the start of Miami’s nightlife. There were many nice restaurants serving gourmet meals but we settled on TGIFriday’s for dinner.

Miami did not have many Asians when we first arrived and many local Hispanic children stared at us with curiosity, probably having no prior experience with black-haired, yellow-skinned Chinese tourists before. I mentioned this to Naomi though and she was surprised because Miami was a popular destination for Japanese tourists. Maybe I was just being over-sensitive. Funnily enough, the day we mentioned that there weren’t many Asians around in Miami, we started to spot more over the next few days.

 

Laura left the next day for Boston towards Spain. It was fun having her around because she had picked up some Singlish from Yang and Tanny, of course it was a weird variation but still pretty close enough. Miami was nice, and definitely a welcome change of weather for me after being in Ithaca for four months, so the sun and sea was something that I’ve missed these months. It is not a place that I would return to though, now that I’ve seen California beaches, I do think one could give Miami Beach a miss. I’ve always had higher regard for the Pacific Ocean than the Atlantic anyway. However, I would return to Key West anytime, and that would involve Miami somehow, but that is a story for another day.

Last days in Ithaca

The last day of school was May 11 and I had to vacate my campus apartment the next day. Packing was no easy feat, although I had started earlier by shipping 3 boxes of clothes and books back to Singapore, so I was pretty much set. All I had to do was to pack 4 months of my life into 2 bags and ensure that I could carry it around the US till August. You get the picture.

So I moved into the little cottage that the Swedes call home for two nights before I was to leave Ithaca. The six of us (Naomi, Jennie, Canan, Can, Paola and I) had rented a car for those two days to visit places in Ithaca that we HAD to go to but couldn’t without a car. Thinking about it now, I think we were really happy to be done with school and to be exploring the local area to experience what Ithaca is known for, but at the same time, we knew that we had to say our goodbyes after those two days, and that was always going to be difficult.

And so the day started with a late brunch at State Street Diner with omelettes, sandwiches and milkshakes. We were finally going to see waterfalls and gorgeous Ithaca in spring.

After brunch, we drove to Buttermilk Falls. Many thanks to Can who became our guide, driving and also planning where to go and what there is to see. He and Paola have really made the last couple of months in Ithaca something to remember dearly.

Some Swedish Sunshine.

It’s hard to imagine how I spent four months in idyllic Ithaca where the pace of life is vastly different from Singapore. Sure, it is a college town - Cornell and Ithaca College - but life in Ithaca is slow and peaceful. Public transportation on Sundays end at 5pm, the downtown area has just about four streets of life and we spend most of our time holed up in our apartments during the biting winter spell anyway. How I could have come to enjoy my time in a place like Ithaca surprises me. Do I dare say that I miss Ithaca now? I’m not sure I could answer that question until I am back in Singapore, but this experience has definitely taught me to appreciate Singapore more and not take things for granted. I would say though, that Ithaca has also taught me to appreciate a slower pace of life and also show more concern for the environment.

Robert H. Treman State Park

Jennie carves our names, leaving our legacy behind in Ithaca.

Me at Taughannock Falls

Cayuga Lake sunset.

After experiencing the state parks and waterfalls, one really starts to feel in awe of nature and though I’m not much of a outdoor person, I could feel myself enjoying the fresh air and natural beauty. Makes one start to think seriously about how it was all created by God’s hand of perfection and how humans are destroying the environment. When I think about how different things would have been if I had done my exchange studies in a bustling city instead, I am glad to say that I have no regrets choosing Ithaca. Although Jönköping (Sweden) would have been really awesome too.

Marina by Farmer’s Market.

We came to Farmer’s Market, which is famous in Ithaca for serving fresh food. There were stalls selling many diverse kinds of food, including Cuban and Cambodian food, sold by people who settled here in Ithaca. There was also vendors selling locally-produced fruits, vegetables and wine.

Another thing I appreciate about the US is their culture of embracing fresh produce and also the trend towards organic food, but it is simply healthier to consume compared to preservatives, and harmful chemicals.

Canan in front of the impressive Ithaca Falls.

Stewart Park by Cayuga Lake

After two days of exploring local Ithaca, it was time to finally bid farewell to Can and Paola because they were driving to Pennsylvania to find accommodation for Paola who will be doing her grad studies there next semester. It wasn’t easy and I’m not someone who is comfortable with goodbyes, so it was a quiet one with hugs and promises to meet again soon.

There began Jennie and Canan’s mad rush to pack and vacate their house. We also had to be ready in time for the bus to New York, so there were tons to do. It is already more than a month ago but that night still remains vivid in my mind. Emptying the fridge and cabinets of excess food and leaving it behind in Can’s apartment, stuffing four months into two bags, last minute laundry, sitting on the luggage so that we could zip it, trying hard not to fall asleep so we wouldn’t miss our bus, shouting at taxi operators who couldn’t understand simple instructions…. It’s the little things that stay in your mind.

We arrived in New York City soon enough and attempted to get to our hostel for the night. It was just to be Canan and I because Jennie’s mom and sister were flying in to meet her and Naomi was going to stay at her friend’s. After struggling very hard with our bags, we arrived at the hostel drenched in summer perspiration. It was the last straw for me and I immediately repacked my bag and sent another box via airmail back home because there was no way I could continue carrying those bags.

We were all tired out from packing and cleaning the house the night before as well as less-than-ideal rest on the bus from Ithaca. After a nice Italian pasta dinner, Canan and I called it a night, while Naomi went to meet her friend, and Jennie went to receive her mom and sis. Jennie came by shortly while I was sleeping to bid adieu and I was too tired and groggy from sleep to really say a proper farewell. It was really nice of her though to specially come by with her mom and sis, while making me promise to visit Sweden really soon. And I shall, hopefully in a couple of years’ time maybe.

Naomi came by too and she started crying so much. I was speechless and I really didn’t know what to say or do, but we hugged and knew that though we spent four short months as fellow exchange mates in a foreign country, those four months would mean so much to us. Naomi is a girl who has a little piece of her heart for everyone. It was definitely the toughest goodbye I’ve ever said.

Next morning, I got up earlier than I wanted to, in preparation for my flight from JFK to Miami. Canan was still sleeping and after I got dressed and ready to leave, I woke her and said I had to go. Canan is a strong girl, though I wouldn’t have been surprised if she burst into tears too. We exchanged a quick hug, and I was on my way.

May 15. New York to Miami to meet Yeh Yang, Angela, Xinpei, Tanny and Laura.

Update

It’s really hard to blog while on the road. I don’t know how Rowie manages to do it. There hasn’t been very ideal conditions accessing the Internet so far, so I haven’t been able to diligently blog as much as I would like to.

As succinctly as I can, I jot down in my notebook the little things I encounter so that I will be able to pull them out from the back of my head when I attempt to sit down and blog. It has been three weeks since I left Ithaca for my backpacking travel around the US. First was Miami, then down to Key West, then to the Bahamas, then to Chicago, Toronto, New York and now I am in Boston. I am halfway through. I leave for San Francisco in a couple of days and will be in California for three weeks, and then will be attending a summer class in Washington DC.

It has been very fun indeed, and have taken many photos to remember the places I’ve been. I’m thankful for the people I’m traveling with, because they are a source of strength to look forward to each day.

I remember my loved ones back home from time to time and draw strength from my memories as I countdown to August 9. I will be home on National Day with a little piece of my heart for everyone I love and cherish dearly.

More updates to come regularly…

Snippets of Ithaca

This blog has, for the most part of the last four months, brought you into my experiences in Ithaca. I have been as diligent as I could, to chronicle as many details as possible so that the memories will be captured in a most deserving manner, without fading into obscurity, such as the human brain is sometimes capable (or incapable) of.

I realize that what I see as important in my life might come across as unimportant to another person, so if you read my blog and decide that this is not what you want to be reading about, or that you are surprised by what you read and see, all I can say is welcome to my life, and I hope you get to know me better.

I write for myself to remember, and I write for people to know. May I ask that you do not judge me, because my words are an extension of my thoughts, and my photos, a representation of my life.

I guess it makes perfect sense now to reflect on my time in Ithaca. Like I mentioned earlier, I would wait for the right opportunity to put things in perspective. I did a little of it sitting in the back of a car traversing Florida, on the deck of a cruise heading to the Bahamas and finished up gazing out into the blue waters at the Bahamas.

My life in Ithaca wouldn’t be the same without the bunch of international friends I met. They were an awesome bunch of people that truly perked up life in the countryside. It wouldn’t be fair to say any less of them, other than these are friends to keep for life, and meet many many more times in the future. I could spend so much time thinking of excessively positive attributes to describe them, but they know what is in my heart, and that is enough. It is not goodbye. It is see you soon.

The Aussies. Daniel Cole, Holly Chandler & David Keegan.

The Japanese. Naomi Washio.

The Swedes. Canan Yasar & Jennie Hirvasoja.

The Turk. Can Coler.

The Honduran. Paola Acosta.

And of course, The Singaporean.

At Korova’s for a quiet evening.

Futsbol night at Uncle Joe’s.

Spring in Ithaca.

Freshly brewed Turkish coffee for our cold Ithaca nights.

Naomi learns the art of fire starting from Can, for our BBQs.

Sunset in Ithaca from Can’s house.

And another, with a clear view of Cayuga Lake.

Bobby from Canada.

Naomi’s birthday cookie.

Birthday girl and me.

Me and Jennie.

View of Ithaca College and beyond from Tower Club.

Party for all international graduating seniors and exchange students.

Jia Hui, Singaporean masters student at IC.

Gorgeous spring day in Ithaca.

The girls at the Commons on Jennie’s birthday.

Balloon Hug!

Pretty ladies at Miyake.

Miso soup for a good Singaporean boy.

But good Singaporean boy drives Swedish girl nuts.

Beautiful eyes = Sapporo Beer model.

Two amazing Americans, Maeve and Mikey.

A good laugh with my favorite Honduran.

Mikey, Jennie, Canan and me.

Ithaca sunrise.

Alex from Romania.

Sigg from Norway.

Such a classic pic. This is what school does to us. Our last week in Ithaca. Sad face from Sigg, bored face from Maeve, and me doing what I do best - curled up sleeping on the sofa at the Swedes’ house.

I miss my Swedes!

Yu and me.

At Gino’s Pizza. 

And so, I will see all of you soon. It is never goodbye.

Before I left Singapore some four months ago, I remember telling my Mom that students who embark on overseas studies often return changed. Whether it be their perspectives, their goals or the way they do things, there’s bound to be a difference upon returning. Whether these changes turn out for the better or worse is really for the student to decide for him or herself.

I haven’t yet decided if the changes I experienced in myself - in terms of my perspectives, goals or actions - are necessarily better or worse than before, but one thing is for sure: I can now see my future clearer than before. I find that I understand myself much better now, and I know where this is heading. Of course I do not want to set limits or conclusions for my future, but I feel like I am more certain of situations once I get into them, or I am better able to eliminate the unwanted or unnecessary from my life.

I guess this is what growing up is all about. Knowing that you aren’t young anymore, and though your parents will always welcome you into the shelter of their wings, without trying it on your own, you’ll never leave the comfort zone and experience the success that awaits you in the unknown. Failure may not be a step forward, but overcoming a past failure presents a bigger step forward than if you were to take an easy way out.

The future seems clearer now than before.