Pleasure Houses of Singapore

Now don't let the title of my post mislead you, I am not suggesting that pleasure houses should be on your list of things to do while in Singapore!

It's just that another thing I have seen in China Town (without realizing at first) was my first brothel. I walked past it and noticed the strange behavior of the men and women there. I spoke of it to my Singaporean host and was informed that I had most likely walked past a pleasure establishment. In Singapore, the land of rules and regulations, prostitution is legal.

Not that I'm opposed to it... Sex trade being one of the oldest profession in the world, I doubt it will ever really disappear, even if lawmakers would will it so. I would be interested in knowing if the legal status of the trade ensures more safety for the women. These women also have to carry a yellow card attesting to their regular health check, I'm guessing this would also have its advantage in terms public health and prevention of sexually transmissible disease. I think it would be interesting to compare statistics, although I suspect it could prove to be difficult given there would be a bunch of other factors to take into consideration.

My host advanced the idea that legalization of prostitution could be used as a tool to reduce the number of rapes by allowing single men to find an output for their urges. I'm not sure if I would go that far though...

You can read more on the subject here. 

Anyway, end of parenthesis, back to my traveling in my next post!

China Town, its Heritage Centre and Little India

It is a situation many immigrants face when they leave their country to establish in a new land, having to start over with nothing. The conditions are not always good and these can be distressing time. Similar to when people left for America to live the American Dream, Singapore was a prized destination for the same reasons. Yet, the conditions were hash for most and opium addiction became rempant. Many came to work here in order to send money back home to their family. This often became a permanent situation and one can just imagine the intense feeling of isolation that would have came from this. This is how China Town was born in Singapore, and elsewhere for that matter, people lost in a new country looking for a way to belong.

Asian Civilizations Museum

Museum are are tricky thing for me, since when you saw a few of them, it often feels as if you saw them all. However, despite how many museums I have visited in any number of countries, there are always a few that appeal to me because they go into a subject I am not familiar with.

Gardens by the Bay (Part II) - An Overview in Pictures

As promised in my last post, here is a sneak peak inside the domes as well as the sculptures I mentionned!

Gardens by the Bay (Part I)

The Gardens by the Bay, the Sky Dome and the Flower Dome are really well known Singaporean attractions for a good reason, they are absolutely gorgeous. You can stroll around for hours. To make the best of it, I would bring a good book and a picnic and just relax there. Could be a good place to go the day after landing from a long flight for example.

(Yep, that's one of the rare pictures I have of myself! On this one I am on the skywalk.)

First contact with Singapore

I left Bali for Singapore, where I was going to spend few days before heading on to the Philippines. Upon landing, first thing I needed was a metro card. I asked the lady at the counter what the best option was and I finally opted for the refillable car instead of unlimited traveling packages. It didn’t take long for me to be amazed with the effectiveness of the transportation system in Singapore. Not surprising when you think that a car is ridiculously expensive. You buy the car, have to pay a car tax equivalent to the car value and need a license to own a car for which the price varies but is around $40 000. Finally, your car has to be less than ten years old, since the license applies only to one new car and is valid only for the ten years.

I digress. Once the first matter at hand was taken care of, I met with my host. I felt slightly out of my comfort zone waiting outside in the business district with my traveler backpack and surrounded by people of all nationalities dressed in formal business attire.

Next order of business was food. You can find any food here. From pasta to cereals, from carrots, cucumbers and tomatoes to cheese and poultry. International food is more expensive though. If you know how to cook with Asian ingredients, you would save a lot of money on groceries.

You can eat pretty much anything you want here, so it’s rather hard to pinpoint what is truly local. I am ashamed to admit I still don't know what the traditional Singaporean food is like.

Singapore’s meticulous order was quite a contrast with the chaos of Bali. When you take the metro, there is a lane system on the ground you have to follow. One lane to go in the cart on either side of the doors and a space for people coming out in the middle, where God forbid you should be standing.

Also, here, you can only eat and drink in the designated areas. Same for smoking. And don’t even think about littering. Not that this would be a bad thing mind you.

I will admit that the order of Singapore was a little soothing to me after the chaos of Bali. It truly was going from one extreme to the next.

The only thing I found amiss were the smile, it seems smiling to stranger is very uncommon and strange here.

Looking Back - Bali

Things I learned about myself

• Trying to relax makes me anxious
• I knew something had changed after I lost my brother, now I think it's that I lost the little bit of faith I had.

Skills that came in handy

• Altering clothes by hand (as a kid, my first alteration looked like a Frankenstein scar, than my great grandmother showed me the proper way to do it)
• Hand washing clothes (It's crazy how, after only one day, the clothes get sooo dirty. The water was brown with dust. I had never realized.)

Things of interest that happened while I was in the country

• Eruption of a volcano in the neighboring island of Java (where I was supposed to go at first).
• Preparations for elections in April.

Main issues I noticed

• Organized begging rings
• Commercialization of temples
• Lack of garbage management
• Chaotic and sometimes dangerous driving conditions

Food of Bali

I have realized that I haven't given nearly enough importance to food as I should have. Let me remedy this now. Please note that, sadly, none of the pictures on this page are mine, since I didn't think to actually photography what I ate. Beginner mistake, I know.

I'm also including links to recipes, I have not tried personally these recipes. I have picked them based on their ingredients, if they were close to what I personalty had. Don't hate me too much if you try them and they are not good, just let me know and I will research further.

A note of caution, this will be a rather long post, because I love to eat and try new foods! Well, I love food in general...

Begging Rings of Bali

I was struck, mainly in Ubud, by the amount of women begging on the streets. Women that often had children with them, which I had every reasons to believe were theirs.

However, no matter how sorry I felt for them, I never gave them money. That is a personal choice. Since I can't tell if the money will better their situation or not, I refrain from handing out charity that could be misused. Last thing I would want is to contribute to a bigger problem. Also, since the funds I can give away are limited, I would want to make sure they have the most impact. Which is why I prefer contributing to concrete social solidarity projects. I had to keep reminding myself of this as I witnessed some very poignant poverty.

I spoke to Arya about this and I was horrified when I was informed of the reality of it. Bali has organized begging rings. These women actually have "agents" who decide the repartition of the begging women. When the women come back at the end of the day, they hand in the collected money in exchange for food, shelter and protection. Remember, the children I mentioned? They are not theirs. The women actually rent these children to boost the money they get.

In Bali, school is mandatory at the elementary level. This explains why women only beg with newborns, toddlers and preschool children.

The begging situation in South East Asian countries and Indonesian countries is complex. I spoke with a fellow traveler who recounted a trip to Vietnam, where she witnessed babies being drugged to look amorphous and sick, because they could bring in more money this way.

I consider this to be a very good example of why tourist need to be aware of every action they take and their consequence. It wouldn't do to inadvertently contribute to a bigger problem while trying to do good.

University of Denpasar, Bali

I spent my last day of my stay in Bali at the University of Denpasar. The next day I was flying out to Singapore. I like hanging out in universities as you can tell a lot about a country by simply observing life happen on a campus.

That day I was meeting with a group of students in the Public Health program for an informal discussion. The goal was to compare the Indonesian and the Canadian health systems, to the best of our knowledge. My personal interest focused mainly the elements that seem so natural to us, but that are done differently elsewhere.

It was an interesting time to have such a discussions, because Indonesia had implemented two month prior (January 2014) a public health care insurance program to give equal access to health care to its population. The students seemed to think it was a good thing, but they did mention that the program was not well understood both by practitioners and the general public.

I was surprised by how little difference there was at first sight between the two systems. Yet, there are a few differences we could come up with.

Take the nurses for example. In Canada, we have different type of nurses based on their level of competency. In Bali, a nurse is a nurse and her job is to assist the doctor. Or take the supply of medications, they are provided by doctors and nurses. It seems they do have pharmacists, but they work only in hospitals.

Another good example of differences is the management of hospitals, which in Indonesia is provided by a head doctor while in Canada you need a master degree specialized in health care administration. Also, I'm not sure if I got this right, their ambulance are not staffed by paramedics, but by emergency nurses.

One last thing that seems to vary greatly here is the almost non existent character of CPR and first aid training.

Despite small differences, the systems seemed in relatively similar. They have clinics and hospitals. To be allowed in an hospital you need a referral by a general practitioner. The public health care insurances sounds similar as well.

The informal discussion lasted about 45 minutes and was a nice way for the students to practice their English. As for me, it was a nice way to end my time in Bali before moving on to Singapore.

Word of the Day - Batik

Indonesian craft that dyes cloth using a traditional technique in which patterns are covered in wax before dying, which allows them to resist the dyeing. This process is then repeated until the complete pattern is achieved. Once the dyeing process is completed, the wax is removed.


Certain patterns could only be worn by nobility, with larger patterns indicating a higher rank.

My stay among typical Balinese‘s folks

For the last 6 days of my stay in Bali, I headed to Denpasar where Arya kindly agreed to host me. Arya is a former Balinese general practitioner who studied in Japan. She came back to Bali four months ago. While she might look young, don’t be fooled…. she’s one smart and educated woman. Holder of a PhD, she now teaches public health at a university in Denpasar.

You can imagine Arya is not only a smart woman, but a busy one at that. Despite this, she made time to show me around. With Denpasar being a hard city to travel in, mainly due to a lack of public transportation, I was pretty much glued to her for those six days. While she felt bad for the time I spent confined in her office, I actually enjoyed the opportunity to go out off the beaten tourist paths. It was a good illustrative of how travel memories are made not only by the sights you see, but also by the company you keep.

Bustling university life

I got to have lunch with her and her colleagues. All three of them had studied in Perth (Australia) and were fluent in English. I also got to attend one of her lectures and had a first contact with her students. Granted, it took place in Bahasa (the Indonesian language) which I do not speak, but I did pick up enough to understand the lecture was about a government initiative focusing, amongst other things, on fighting anemia caused by malnutrition. Under this program people can get free iron tablets. However, it seems the tablets taste horrible, which makes the program somewhat unpopular. In her lecture, she also put forward the idea that in order to combat malnutrition, more efforts should be put into growing and consuming local foods. Does this ring a bell for my Canadian friends? Finally, I also got to have an informal discussion with some of her students and together we compared the Indonesian and the Canadian health systems.

Busy plantations and markets

She also accompanied me to rice terraces and a coffee plantation, where one of the person in charge actually took the time to sit down with us and converse at length about the coffee plantations. We also discussed the Luwak Coffee making process. I have strong suspicions that this conversation would never have happened if I had gone alone as a tourist. When coffee beans, which grows in trees, becomes ripe and red, it is then eaten by a palm civet (a ferret like animal). The bean goes through its digestive track, which alters it. Once the animal execrate it, the bean is thoroughly sanitized before being roasted. This gives you the world’s most expensive coffee (although I have heard of this new process using the digestive tracks of elephants, which could be more expensive now). After tasting the said coffee, I can say the final product is a coffee much less bitter and much more velvety than the regular Balinese coffee, or any other black coffee I have ever tasted.

 (Tea and coffee tasting)

Next was a hike through rice terraces. It was extremely hot that day, which made the process rather physically demanding. We walked along the rice banks, careful to avoid walking on the rice shoots. Rice terraces are layered platforms built out of a hill side. They forms banks, which are inundated and in which the rice plants grow. A lot of water is required to grow rice, which makes the terrace system that much more efficient when you look at the way irrigation is done. The water from the top platform will flow down, ensuring efficient irrigation of the whole terrace system. I thought I understood the concept of rice growing when I looked at rice plantations, but my enchantment only grew when I stood before actual rice terraces. Comparing a leveled rice field to a terrace, would be a bit like comparing a countryside rock wall to the Great Wall of China.

(Hiking in rice terraces can get pretty physical, made even harder with the heat)

I also got to see a traditional market, bustling with life, without actually being harassed by vendors. This again was probably due to the fact people thought I was an expat living in Bali and was simply doing my groceries with my Balinese friend. It was obviously not westerner’s friendly as there were live chicken as well as whole chicken and pigs (complete with the head) for sale. As I looked at the stalls I could recognize some of the things, while some other items were unknown to me. This somewhat reminded me of farmer’s markets back home, but in a totally foreign way… Being in Bali, I wouldn’t have expected it any other way. This was a very good glimpse at everyday life.

Laid back and welcoming family

Another important moment for me was the day we spent in Arya’s family in a small village about an hour and a half away from Denpasar. She had not warned her mother of my coming because she didn’t want her mother to spend all day preparing for our visit. She wanted this to be a laid back everyday type of day. I got to taste all kind of fruits I didn’t even know existed like the mangosteen (which I absolutely loved), the snake fruit, the jack fruit and the durian (also known as the “stinky fruit”). We got to relax in a sort of elevated gazebo with no wall and I got to see her family temple. How incredible is it that every family in Bali has one of those temples at home. I’m not talking about a shrine here, but a full blown permanent structure. Granted, the size of said temples varies according to the family revenue, but still even a small temple is a temple! 

Her mother really went out of her way to make me comfortable and to be hospitable. She pushed bowls of fruits and cookies my way and insisted I enjoy a coconut to drink as well as a coffee. I was really full by the end of the visit! Yet, that wasn’t all, I noticed her slipping some sort of crackers in my backpack when she thought I wasn’t looking… But  I didn’t dare say anything, because it was such a well-meaning gesture.

It was also nice not to have people in the village staring at me so much, which I will admit can get tiring. I got a different type of attention, one of heartfelt curiosity and interest. This was a much better representation of Bali’s fabled hospitality than what I witnessed in Ubud or Kuta. I got to learn so much about life here.

I was really fascinated by the teeth filing ritual, which seems as important of an event as the first communion for Christians. The canines represent the evil aspects of human nature, such as lust, greed, anger, insobriety, confusion and jealousy. The idea is that with this teeth filing ritual, in which you literally file away the tip of the canines, you become a better person. It's a rite of passage, from what I understood.

Tanah Lot and the chaotic streets of Bali

Tanah Lot (meaning "Land in the Middle of the sea") is special for me, because I braved my fear of driving in the streets of Bali to get to it. I rented a motor bike and made my own way to it. Thankfully, it was just as spectacular as I had been led to believe and it was worth all the cold sweat!

The way there was an adventure in itself. First, I had never driven a scooter before, so I had to learn how to maneuver this thing.  It's a little different from driving a car and you feel a lot more exposed. Once you get used to the scooter, you have to brave the streets.

There you will witness the most chaotic dance of cars, motorbikes and trucks swerving around each others. This chaos is accompanied by a cacophony of honking seemingly following a code, which you alone do not understand. And you have to forget about things that you take for granted, like the obligation to follow the lane system. You could find yourself driving straight toward a swarm of motorcycles, not unlike a swarm of bees, flying against oncoming traffic. Forget also about stop lights and come to term with the idea that signalization is entirely optional. You are are far from Kansas dear Dorothy.

Yet, as I said, the temple was worth all the cold sweat as it was definitely the most gorgeous temple I have seen to date! This temple is set on a rock in the water accessible at low tide. I was lucky enough to be able to make my way to it in the shallow water. There I was "blessed" (is this how you call it?) by the priest.

I spent the rest of my time walking the grounds which, like Goa Gajah were quite extensive. They were beautiful in a different way, more rugged. However, like Goa Gajah, the site was quite a bit overflowing with tourists.

Word of the Day - Warung

Small street shop or restaurant in Malaysia or Indonesia. Think depanneur/dinner.

Goa Gajah

Goa Gajah, or the Elephant Cave, is a temple near Ubud. You can access it in various ways. I made my way there with a pedal bike, but you could easily get there by scooter if you are brave enough to face the chaotic streets.

I got lost on the way, so it took me quite a bit longer to make it there, but it is a  nice ride if you actually go the right way. But getting lost meant that it was a bit too long and hot to be entirely pleasant. However, it was quite nice on the way back (when I actually took the right path). Despite the heavy circulation around me when I was biking, I would highly recommend doing it this way. There was something rewarding about being able to stroll the countryside at my own pace.

(Statue seen on the way there)

After quite a bit of pedaling, I finally got to my destination: Goa Gajah. The name comes from the carving on the entrance of a cave found on the grounds. It was once thought to represent an elephant, but now people think it's actually the representation of a demon. What do you think?

When you step through the demon's mouth, the density and humidity of the air weigh down on you. The inside is T shaped and, on the left, there is a statue of Ganesh. I saw many people standing in front of it meditatively, as if they were paying their respect. There was an eerie feeling to it, to which the enclosed space and the incense must have contributed. Then, as you turn to get out, you can't help but notice how magical the entrance is. The striking thing for me was the light at the end of the tunnel. It's hard to explain, but to me it almost felt as if the light and darkness were actually tangible. It reminded me a little of the entrance to New Grange in Ireland.

Point of interest, this cave is listed on the tentative UNESCO World Heritage Site list.

I was told by a local that Goa Gajah receives a lot more hype than it deserves. I think I have to disagree on that one. I mean, look at the idyllic grounds! It's magical, you would almost think you have just woken up in a fairy garden or something!

 Finally, there was a bath fed with water coming from the vases held by statues of women. This water is now deemed to be holy and is used in purification ceremony to repel evil spirits. Previously, Balinese used to believe this was the Fountain of Youth.

I heard later that there was a secret path leading to the river. Sadly for my adventurous self, I had not found it or heard about it when I was actually on site.

I also met this strange priest on the grounds. I don't think he speaks any existing language, not even Balinese. I think he expresses himself in onomatopoeia. I assisted to a ceremony and I will admit I was not very comfortable with it. First he pushed his nose against mine three times (this brought his mouth to close to mine for comfort). The he made this strange smelling noise as he was pretending to smell me. I'm still not sure what that was about.

I asked a local, but she couldn't tell me what this was for. She hypothesized that this was meant to mimic an elephant, because of it's big trunk. I have a feeling we'll never know for sure.