Weekend Again

We had Friday and Saturday off, and several people went off to different surrounding countries, but I was generally a bum. Friday we went to Sentosa island and lay out on the beach near the water, which was very nice. We stayed there the majority of the day, although it threatened to storm at one point. By the time we were finished with lunch, however, it had passed over. While we were lounging, we met some Singaporean guys who had sat near us. They had a guitar and were playing Red Hot Chili Pepper songs, so we started conversing, and they were very nice. We talked for some time and shared travelling stories - several of them had been to the states, etc. They were very glad we were in Singapore and eager to make sure we were enjoying ourselves there and found it a nice place to be. Lots of national pride. I eventually got around to asking them about the national service, and they all had similar points of view about it. Although they each worked in a different part of it, they all agreed it was 'fun' and like a 'brotherhood'. One said that even though many people complained about it, it wasn't that bad. After the two years, they have to go back for about 2 weeks each year until they are 55. I asked and they said if you wanted to you could 'sign' on and do it permanently as a career. They didn't seem to have anything negative to say about it..it was very interesting to talk to them. They wanted to answer any questions we had and were eager to talk about Singapore, etc.

We eventually parted the beach and went to the aquarium, which was okay - not very large, but had several things you can't see in the states including cuttlefish, nautilus, and a dugong! Along with some sharks and such. It was good to get back to the hotel in the evening - I was burnt all along my backside! Saturday we were supposed to go to Indonesia, but I didn't go because I was so burnt. Apparently it was very scary and the girls who went were followed around the whole time by very 'helpful' men. Instead I lazed around and went to Chinatown on Saturday - nothing too exciting.

This morning we woke up at 4am! and went to Chek Jawa, the nature reserve. There was a great expanse of sea grass and exposed invertebrates on this intertidal zone. We had to wake up very early in order to get the low tide. It was quite interesting - large sea cucumbers and sea pens! Many echinoderms and Cnidarians. The anemones that were present were of all shapes, sizes, and colors. It sounds wonderful, but in truth these animals were very sparse. They used to cover the area, but a storm from Johor caused a lot of freshwater to flood Chek Jawa and kill many of the soft-bodied invertebrates, including the once-plentiful carpet anemones. Luckily, these are making a slow come back! Hopefully it will continue to be replenished with life and they will continue to preserve the area.

This afternoon/evening we went to the house of professor Lye, the woman who gave us a lecture earlier in our trip. Her apartment was in a very nice area near the MacRitchie reservoir, and all the apartments had green plants on their balconies - she said that they were required to have plants! It was absolutely beautiful, and her house was very nice and decorated. It was a lovely time - she had a grand piano and a guitar, and some of our company played and sang and it was very sound-of-music-esque. Haha.

Tonight we will go out to an "ice bar" where, apparently, it is kept freezing cold inside and shots are served in shot glasses made of ice. It should be interesting - perhaps we will end up somewhere else as well. Tonight is the last night, sort of. Tomorrow technically is the last day/night, but I imagine I shall be preoccupied with packing and trying to sleep before I have to wake up at 3am. Yay..I must say it has been an excellent trip! I have learned so much and been exposed to many many different things: ideas, cultures, religions, customs, government/policy systems..It's been an eye-opener and truly an experience I shall never forget. I imagine I'll still have things to say after we get back and I think and remember more.

Pictures! Most of these are from Chek Jawa, but there are a few random ones from Chantalle's birthday and Sentosa island/beach.

Last Days