So we totally stink and have procrastinated on putting up India posts/photos. I promise to get around to it, maybe, someday.
Just a quick update if anyone still checks out this site, we sadly left Asia and joyfully returned to San Francisco. We've got a beautiful new apartment on Russian Hill that we adore and I am back at work at the University. Nick sheared off his luscious hair and is looking for gainful employment - but until then he is enjoying the time to bike and be a homebody as I work hard being his sugar momma ;)
This blog was a wonderful way of keeping people updated with our lives and we are so happy to have all these great memories documented. I hope that you all enjoyed keeping up with us and who knows...maybe we'll put up wedding photos in May or something.
Love to you all, Marie.
Tuesday, November 23, 2010
Sunday, August 1, 2010
Whoo-Zoooo!
There was a huge storm during the night that woke us up at 4:00 am. It sounded like a hurricane! When we woke up it was gray outside but luckily not raining. We had breakfast in our hotel - soft boiled eggs on toast with blackberry jam and butter. Then it was off to the zoo!
We took the subway then the bus to get there. We were disappointed to learn that the bird park wasn't as close to the zoo as we initially thought so we couldn't go, but we got tickets for the zoo and the night zoo also. The first thing we did was pull on a tamarind's tail! It was awesome! We watched feedings ALL day. Polar bears, cheetahs, hunting dogs, lions, giraffes, a king cobra, Komodo dragons, baboons, elephants, crocodiles, and so much more! We loved watching them eat! We especially enjoyed watching the cheetahs and baboons. The lions seemed uninterested in dead chunks of meat - you could tell they wanted to hunt. The baboons were very amusing, and there were so many! While the polar bear, cobra, and crocodiles were interesting to watch, the rude and pushy crowds took away from the experiences.
We saw all the exhibits and really enjoyed meandering through the lush, jungle-esque park. We liked the expansive views of the reservoir and all the gigantic trees. It drizzled for most of the day but it was still nice out, we FINALLY had a relief from the sticky heat!
We ate lunch at the zoo and were most pleased with the outcome - chicken curry with yellow long grain rice, a chickpea curry, raijta, and pappa dam (crispy flat bread that is almost like a giant spicy potato chip). It was a decent amount and quite tasty.
Our favorite exhibit was the white tigers' home. We adored watching them lounge, lick themselves, and pace back and forth. They are really beautiful animals. Again, we also really enjoyed the baboons, as well as the goats. We liked watching the family dynamics of the two types of animals. It was very comical - especially when it was feeding time. :)
We finished the regular zoo at about six, and had about an hour to kill before the night safari began at seven. We went through our photos and wrote in our journal before meandering over to the night zoo. We decided to do the walking tour individually, instead of taking a guided tour full of people. We saw some great animals - tigers, hyenas, hippos, and more. We brought the tripod for some low-light photos, but unfortunately very few animals cooperated by staying still for us. There weren't many photos to be had. Even more unfortunately, we realized pretty early on that our bug spray was depleted and I was getting eaten alive. We ended up speeding up our tour to try and see everything and keep the damage down.
One exception was the bat cage. Free flying bats - extra cool. We walked into the humongous exhibit to big bats, little bats, bats everywhere flying all around us! They were dangling, flapping, munching on fruit, and were not at all bothered by our presence! It was quite fun. After that, we made a hasty getaway for the bug-free confines of the bus and subway back to Chinatown.
After returning to our hotel for a brief moment to drop off the tripod and our bag, it was back to Maxwell Center for more fantastic food! I got wonton mee, which is spicy, tender pork with a chili shrimp paste for dipping. The pork was laid on top of some great, soft noodles with greens that had crunchy stems. It also came with wonton soup. It was completely satisfying. Nick had fried fish soup for dinner. It had a wonderful broth, with several big chunks of flaky fried fish, greens, white noodles, and tofu. It was absolutely delicious! Another successful day! We have one more day in Singapore, and then it is off to Kolkata!
We took the subway then the bus to get there. We were disappointed to learn that the bird park wasn't as close to the zoo as we initially thought so we couldn't go, but we got tickets for the zoo and the night zoo also. The first thing we did was pull on a tamarind's tail! It was awesome! We watched feedings ALL day. Polar bears, cheetahs, hunting dogs, lions, giraffes, a king cobra, Komodo dragons, baboons, elephants, crocodiles, and so much more! We loved watching them eat! We especially enjoyed watching the cheetahs and baboons. The lions seemed uninterested in dead chunks of meat - you could tell they wanted to hunt. The baboons were very amusing, and there were so many! While the polar bear, cobra, and crocodiles were interesting to watch, the rude and pushy crowds took away from the experiences.
We saw all the exhibits and really enjoyed meandering through the lush, jungle-esque park. We liked the expansive views of the reservoir and all the gigantic trees. It drizzled for most of the day but it was still nice out, we FINALLY had a relief from the sticky heat!
We ate lunch at the zoo and were most pleased with the outcome - chicken curry with yellow long grain rice, a chickpea curry, raijta, and pappa dam (crispy flat bread that is almost like a giant spicy potato chip). It was a decent amount and quite tasty.
Our favorite exhibit was the white tigers' home. We adored watching them lounge, lick themselves, and pace back and forth. They are really beautiful animals. Again, we also really enjoyed the baboons, as well as the goats. We liked watching the family dynamics of the two types of animals. It was very comical - especially when it was feeding time. :)
We finished the regular zoo at about six, and had about an hour to kill before the night safari began at seven. We went through our photos and wrote in our journal before meandering over to the night zoo. We decided to do the walking tour individually, instead of taking a guided tour full of people. We saw some great animals - tigers, hyenas, hippos, and more. We brought the tripod for some low-light photos, but unfortunately very few animals cooperated by staying still for us. There weren't many photos to be had. Even more unfortunately, we realized pretty early on that our bug spray was depleted and I was getting eaten alive. We ended up speeding up our tour to try and see everything and keep the damage down.
One exception was the bat cage. Free flying bats - extra cool. We walked into the humongous exhibit to big bats, little bats, bats everywhere flying all around us! They were dangling, flapping, munching on fruit, and were not at all bothered by our presence! It was quite fun. After that, we made a hasty getaway for the bug-free confines of the bus and subway back to Chinatown.
After returning to our hotel for a brief moment to drop off the tripod and our bag, it was back to Maxwell Center for more fantastic food! I got wonton mee, which is spicy, tender pork with a chili shrimp paste for dipping. The pork was laid on top of some great, soft noodles with greens that had crunchy stems. It also came with wonton soup. It was completely satisfying. Nick had fried fish soup for dinner. It had a wonderful broth, with several big chunks of flaky fried fish, greens, white noodles, and tofu. It was absolutely delicious! Another successful day! We have one more day in Singapore, and then it is off to Kolkata!
Saturday, July 31, 2010
Sweet Singapore!
We got up at 4:30 am to get a cab to KL Central. We had the nicest cabbie ever. We liked his "no joking" phrase that he would say at the end of every other sentence. He told us how great the trains were - you can check into your flight from the train station and your bags get checked straight from train cargo. We took the bus to the airport though, because we weren't rushing and it was a lot cheaper. The lines at the airport took FOREVER. They were completely inefficient and it was frustrating.
After we finally checked in we had Old Town Coffee for breakfast one last time. They had perfectly soft boiled eggs on toast and a sweet bun with chicken ham (no real pork in a Muslim country) and melted cheese. We also had to have one more amazing cup of milk tea and white hazelnut coffee.
The flight to Singapore was a breeze, it took under an hour. Customs was equally easy. Our bags were waiting for us at baggage claim. If only all airport experiences could be so pleasant. We took the subway into the city - it was clean, easy, and quick. Our first impression of Singapore was that it is a very clean and nice city, but a lot of rules! We checked into our hotel - a renovated opium den! - and then went off to find some food. Maxwell Center has dozens of food stalls, all very cheap, and some of them are world renowned for their fantastic dishes. We scarfed down some delicious fried rice, egg, veggies, Hianese chicken and pork. We also had some refreshing pineapple juice with big chunks of fresh fruit in it.
After stuffing ourselves with delicious food, we got back on the subway and headed to Orchard Street, where all the big shopping is. Singapore is clearly a wealthy country. It was overwhelming. In less than a kilometer, we counted three Mont Blanc stores. How unnecessary. It felt very superficial in this area, so after a bit we decided to move on, after snacking on an ice cream sandwich - a chunk of mint chip ice cream wrapped in multicolored bread. Interesting.
It was a gorgeous day, and many areas were very picturesque. We went to the City Hall area, and saw the Supreme Court, Parliament, and many tall buildings (that are all quite close together). The Children Olympics is being hosted here, so many of the roads are closed due to parades and other events. We saw the new hotel that was just built with a giant cantilever on top - it is impressive, holding a bar, restaurant, and Olympic sized pool. Ironically, our only negative impression of the city is that it is TOO clean. It almost feels like Disneyland here. Cops are everywhere, and there is a general feeling that you need to ask permission for everything.
We saw the War Memorial, then were lucky enough to see the military practice a 21 gun salute for the upcoming parade. Afterward we thought we stop at a bar or cafe and have a cold one, but everything was closed! We decided to buy some brews and head back to Maxwell's to sit and nosh on some snacks. In a 7-11 we found a Singaporean beer called Baron's that was 11.8% alcohol in 50mL cans. Whoa. We sat in the outdoor section of the Maxwell Center as the sun went down, chowing down on some tasty dumplings and spring rolls, and after a couple Baron's, we called it an early night and headed back to get some much needed rest.
After we finally checked in we had Old Town Coffee for breakfast one last time. They had perfectly soft boiled eggs on toast and a sweet bun with chicken ham (no real pork in a Muslim country) and melted cheese. We also had to have one more amazing cup of milk tea and white hazelnut coffee.
The flight to Singapore was a breeze, it took under an hour. Customs was equally easy. Our bags were waiting for us at baggage claim. If only all airport experiences could be so pleasant. We took the subway into the city - it was clean, easy, and quick. Our first impression of Singapore was that it is a very clean and nice city, but a lot of rules! We checked into our hotel - a renovated opium den! - and then went off to find some food. Maxwell Center has dozens of food stalls, all very cheap, and some of them are world renowned for their fantastic dishes. We scarfed down some delicious fried rice, egg, veggies, Hianese chicken and pork. We also had some refreshing pineapple juice with big chunks of fresh fruit in it.
After stuffing ourselves with delicious food, we got back on the subway and headed to Orchard Street, where all the big shopping is. Singapore is clearly a wealthy country. It was overwhelming. In less than a kilometer, we counted three Mont Blanc stores. How unnecessary. It felt very superficial in this area, so after a bit we decided to move on, after snacking on an ice cream sandwich - a chunk of mint chip ice cream wrapped in multicolored bread. Interesting.
It was a gorgeous day, and many areas were very picturesque. We went to the City Hall area, and saw the Supreme Court, Parliament, and many tall buildings (that are all quite close together). The Children Olympics is being hosted here, so many of the roads are closed due to parades and other events. We saw the new hotel that was just built with a giant cantilever on top - it is impressive, holding a bar, restaurant, and Olympic sized pool. Ironically, our only negative impression of the city is that it is TOO clean. It almost feels like Disneyland here. Cops are everywhere, and there is a general feeling that you need to ask permission for everything.
We saw the War Memorial, then were lucky enough to see the military practice a 21 gun salute for the upcoming parade. Afterward we thought we stop at a bar or cafe and have a cold one, but everything was closed! We decided to buy some brews and head back to Maxwell's to sit and nosh on some snacks. In a 7-11 we found a Singaporean beer called Baron's that was 11.8% alcohol in 50mL cans. Whoa. We sat in the outdoor section of the Maxwell Center as the sun went down, chowing down on some tasty dumplings and spring rolls, and after a couple Baron's, we called it an early night and headed back to get some much needed rest.
Friday, July 30, 2010
Last Few Days in Kuala Lumpur
Yesterday we got up early to go to the Sky Bridge at the Petronas Towers. We got there at 8:00 am only to find out they had sold out of tickets at SIX in the morning. WEAK. Our morning was completely shot. We wandered around for a few hours, then went back to Old Town Coffee at the bazaar near the river. Nick got a cold white mocha that was especially delicious. We got some more gifts and decided that today was going to be a relaxing day without much touristy stuff.
We had lunch at a reggae bar and restaurant. As much as we enjoy the Malay cuisine, we had a desire for some Western food. I had some pasta with chicken, pesto and Gorgonzola cream sauce, Nick had fish and chips. Both dishes were tasty, but nothing spectacular. We spent the afternoon drawing, writing post cards and staying out of the exhausting heat at our little table in the bar.
Dinner was at the same curry buffet we ate at the first night here. The men who run it are so welcoming and polite. We had huge plates of yellow rice this time with hard boiled eggs, spicy beef curry with cloves, and more orange fried chicken. We also enjoyed more of the milky teh tarik, the hot orange tea that is super sweet and deeply satisfying. We can't get enough of it.
Today we slept in and went to check out the orchid and hibiscus gardens. We were seriously disappointed - there were almost no flowers in bloom. There were some really beautiful paths and vines hanging off the trellises however. The few orchids they did have were vibrant orange and white with a dark yellow hue. We expected more. We did find a cute snail, though!
On the way back from the gardens, prayers started. We were captivated by the singing and praying that was blasted from the loudspeakers hanging outside the mosques. You could hear the echoes of similar songs and prayers being said all over the city. We were also stunned by the sheer amount of parked cars and motorbikes. Cars were quadruple parked on the streets and a sea of bikes took up the sidewalks and all available space.
I got serious heat exhaustion shortly after the prayers. It has been intensely hot and it was a little scary - I just physically and mentally shut down. It felt like my brain was melting. Nick got me back to the hotel, kept me hydrated, and made me eat some coconut so I wasn't totally depleted. I crashed and slept for quite some time. We spent most of the afternoon in the hotel as I recovered.
After the sun started to go down and it wasn't nearly as hot, we went out to get some savory Chinese noodles, roasted chicken, and greens from a stand off an ally on Petaling Street. The noodles were salty without being overpowering. The chicken was beyond tender and juicy. The greens were very fresh and crunchy! We also grabbed some more of the fried curry pies with egg. I can't wait to try to bake some when we go home. Then we went to the curry buffet place just to have some more of the sweet milky tea that we love. Today was a budget day - 23 ringgits overall for the two of us, which is roughly $8.00. We will miss Kuala Lumpur! Tomorrow it is off to Singapore!
We had lunch at a reggae bar and restaurant. As much as we enjoy the Malay cuisine, we had a desire for some Western food. I had some pasta with chicken, pesto and Gorgonzola cream sauce, Nick had fish and chips. Both dishes were tasty, but nothing spectacular. We spent the afternoon drawing, writing post cards and staying out of the exhausting heat at our little table in the bar.
Dinner was at the same curry buffet we ate at the first night here. The men who run it are so welcoming and polite. We had huge plates of yellow rice this time with hard boiled eggs, spicy beef curry with cloves, and more orange fried chicken. We also enjoyed more of the milky teh tarik, the hot orange tea that is super sweet and deeply satisfying. We can't get enough of it.
Today we slept in and went to check out the orchid and hibiscus gardens. We were seriously disappointed - there were almost no flowers in bloom. There were some really beautiful paths and vines hanging off the trellises however. The few orchids they did have were vibrant orange and white with a dark yellow hue. We expected more. We did find a cute snail, though!
On the way back from the gardens, prayers started. We were captivated by the singing and praying that was blasted from the loudspeakers hanging outside the mosques. You could hear the echoes of similar songs and prayers being said all over the city. We were also stunned by the sheer amount of parked cars and motorbikes. Cars were quadruple parked on the streets and a sea of bikes took up the sidewalks and all available space.
I got serious heat exhaustion shortly after the prayers. It has been intensely hot and it was a little scary - I just physically and mentally shut down. It felt like my brain was melting. Nick got me back to the hotel, kept me hydrated, and made me eat some coconut so I wasn't totally depleted. I crashed and slept for quite some time. We spent most of the afternoon in the hotel as I recovered.
After the sun started to go down and it wasn't nearly as hot, we went out to get some savory Chinese noodles, roasted chicken, and greens from a stand off an ally on Petaling Street. The noodles were salty without being overpowering. The chicken was beyond tender and juicy. The greens were very fresh and crunchy! We also grabbed some more of the fried curry pies with egg. I can't wait to try to bake some when we go home. Then we went to the curry buffet place just to have some more of the sweet milky tea that we love. Today was a budget day - 23 ringgits overall for the two of us, which is roughly $8.00. We will miss Kuala Lumpur! Tomorrow it is off to Singapore!
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
Butterflies and Frog Soup
We woke up late-ish. Another great breakfast at the hotel. This time they had scrambles with big slices of yellow peppers. We decided to go to the butterfly park. We got stuck trying to cross the river by foot and almost got trapped on a freeway. We had to double back. We found an old train station. Nick was pleased. It's close to the hotel, too. Figures. We got across the river, checked out the tracks, then found the KLRT headquarters. It is an amazing, gothic building. We love all of the British influence.
We then went to the National Mosque. I had to wear a lavender robe with a hood, Nick did too. We discussed how once you cover up a woman, they get seductive eyes. The people at the mosque were so polite and welcoming. It was breathtaking, but the sounds of jackhammers as they fixed the fountains detracted from the “holiness” of the experience. I loved the feeling of the large, cool slabs of marble under my bare feet.
We finally got to the butterfly gardens. Awe. 120 species, over 6000 butterflies. We were like kids in a candy store with our cameras. We enjoyed all the little paths and dense foliage – even though there were other people there, we felt isolated. It was magical with all the water features and fluttering insects. Such vibrant colors! I found a part of a butterfly wing that we kept as a souvenir. We chased butterflies for over an hour. I freaked out over the poor mouse in the monitor lizard's tank – he just sat there shivering as the giant lizard watched him, biding his time. I couldn't stick around to see him get eaten.
Next, we went to the Islamic Art Museum. Such a great design for the building. Very open, LAEGE spaces. Immaculate domes. Lots of white stone surfaces. Great lighting. We were mind boggled by the Qu'arans, the calligraphy, the sultan's thrones and royal objects. I want to be an Indian princess. They had incredibly large detailed models of all the important mosques in the world. I wish we could visit them all. Nick loved the weapons – intricate, carved bone handles, wicked twisting blades, weathered battle axes and even a mace. Again, the people were overly polite and so welcoming. We felt like honored guests, not sweaty tourists.
As we left the museum our stomachs rumbled, so we had street food for lunch. We devoured some chicken schwarma in a bun with crunch cabbage, mayo, and a sweet and spicy red sauce for 3 ringgits. Back on Petaling Street we also had some fried curry dumplings with hard boiled egg – flaky, hot, savory, and utterly delicious. We bought 4 for 5 ringgits and some change from an older Chinese lady with a great voice and warm eyes. Got some interesting fruit pudding. Nick had kiwi and I had pineapple. It was like milky fruit jello. Odd, but refreshing.
The afternoon was lazed away as we napped. For dinner, we had to try the frog leg soup with mushrooms, greens, and large flat egg noodles that was around the corner from our hotel. It was served in clay pots in this alley that had rats crawling underfoot. I squirted lime juice and spooned chili paste into the soup to make it tart and spicy. The frog soup was made by a nice lady and daughter working together. The frog was chewy and salty. The broth was fulfilling. I enjoyed the noodles the most though.
We're in love with the dried coconut. We've gone through three bags and also bought brown sugar toasted coconut tonight. We are coconut fiends and completely addicted.
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