47 km

While we were eating breakfast, Dave decided to get the laptop out and see how the Packers’ playoffs game was going (we had unlimited wireless at the hostel). We ended up getting hooked on watching the play-by-play field animation and notes and stayed in the hostel until the game was over. Sadly, they lost in overtime. Darn! We decided we better get on the road, since it was already 11:30.

We rode South through the city again to the bike path that follows the coast to the East around the airport. This time the city part of the ride went even smoother, as we knew a bit more of where we were going. Once on the path, it was quiet and smooth sailing without all the weekend roller-bladers. We got to the boat dock at about 1:30 and had a snack, and got on the boat at 2:00. The passenger-only boats here are called bumboats. You step on the deck on the back and then step down about four steps to the inside, which has benches on either side for probably about ten passengers. There was only one other young man on the boat, and the boat driver helped get our bikes down inside. It was a really pleasant ride as Dave and stood on the steps in the back with our heads out in the breeze. The ride to the East coast of Malaysia took about an hour and was pretty smooth.

At the Malaysian dock our boat sidled up next to another boat that was tied to a third one next to the ladder. We had to get our bags and bikes across two boats and up the ladder to the dock. I was worried, but it all went very quickly and easily, with the driver and dock guys getting things right up to the dock with ease. They didn’t even knock the bike mirrors out of place.

Welcome to Malaysia – Dress Code for Cyclists

We then had a quick an easy check-in with immigration – a small office for a quiet entry port – and hopped on our bikes to start our Malaysian tour. Wee! We were on a very quiet country road in the humidity and heat with a complete change of scenery from Singapore: small shacks and fenced in compounds lined the road. I kept saying to Dave, “We’re in Malaysia! We’re in Malaysia!” This was my first international border crossing on a bike, and it was so easy. Here we were, riding along like it was no big deal. Kids were waving and shouting, “Hello!” and giggling, and it seemed everyone had somewhere to go, mostly riding scooters.

“We’re in Malaysia! Ohmygosh, we’re in Malaysia!”

Today was all about getting ready to start the actual bike touring. I got a much needed haircut, Dave gathered some snacks (a few bags of what we call Mysterious Crunchy Snacks, all from an Indian market and all full of spices and textures we haven’t found in the U.S.), we found a fuse for our power adapter, and we ate more South Indian food for lunch. Yes, we are thoroughly addicted to Indian food in this heaven called Little India.

We also had another evening of dinner plans to look forward to, this time with someone we hadn’t even met in person yet. There is a great website called Crazy Guy on a Bike (or CGOAB, as those involved refer to it). It is a site put together by a bike touring enthusiast who thought other bike tourers might like a place to keep their online journals and mingle in the virtual world. This is one of the most active communities I’ve been a part of online, and the people I’ve “met” are incredibly nice and helpful. There are members from all over the world posting bike touring trip journals and almost all the members also read a lot of the other journals on the site. I double-posted the Great Divide journal there and am posting this SE Asia tour as well.

That’s how we met Al. He lives in Singapore and has ridden many areas throughout Southeast Asia. He writes trip journals on CGOAB as well as travel stories for ThingsAsian.com and offered to answer any questions we might have and share advice for our trip. What a terrific opportunity!

Tonight, Al also brought along Brian, an American friend of his who has also traveled throughout the area and now lives in Singapore. Al took us to one of the best Indian restaurants in the area and we shared all kinds of new and familiar dishes while talking constantly about the trip and countries ahead of us. We had a blast talking with and learning from Al and Brian over the next three or so hours. We had one country map after another out on the table while Al blasted bits of information at us. I scribbled notes about places to stay, roads to take or avoid, places to be sure and see or skip. We also learned a lot about the different cultures and political situations of the countries we’ll be seeing. Once again we’re blown away at the hospitality, friendliness, and knowledge of Singaporeans. We couldn’t believe how helpful one evening could be.

Once we got back to the hostel we sorted through and re-packed our panniers so we’d be ready to go in the morning.

Today we slept in, ate a leisurely breakfast at the hostel and then got ourselves and our bikes ready for a ride. We decided to ride out to the ferry dock and take it to Palau Ubin, an island that is part of Singapore but not so developed.

It took a while to get our stuff together, find various odds and ends that got packed in weird places (like one of our bike computers), fill up on water, and get out. But we finally did, early in the afternoon. I was really dreading this ride, as we would have to ride through crazy-busy Singapore to get to a bike path that runs around the South/East part of the Island to the ferry. I was so nervous when we got our bikes out to the curb. Dave looks back at me and asked me if I was ready. “Sure,” I replied, not really meaning it.

This was the craziest riding I’ve ever done. I never rode before living in Flagstaff. I am glad to have had a few years of commuting experience, even if it was in such a bike-friendly and small place. It helped. Despite the fast pace and the multiple lanes of traffic and the scooters splitting lanes and the blaring Indian music and the pedestrians spilling into the streets and the DRIVING ON THE LEFT SIDE OF THE ROAD, we made it. It was busy, but it was all pretty orderly. I’m sure we’ll see much much crazier streets in Bangkok or elsewhere, but for now I’m pretty proud of us.

In fact, it was a really fun and totally beautiful day. The crazy part was just getting to and from the bike path along the coast. I didn’t notice the heat today because riding gives you a constant breeze. It rained a little and that cooled us off even more. There was a lot of shade from the trees along the bike path, and much of it was a park with locals and tourist all mingling on rented bikes and roller blades. Thousands of people were out enjoying the Saturday afternoon. By the time we got out to the ferry we decided it was too late to go out to the island, so we had a snack and headed back. We got started too late. But at least we could check the ferry schedule and scope it out for when we leave here on Monday. We’re taking the ferry up to the East side of Malaysia to enter the country in a quieter place than if we rode north from the city. It all looked good and we feel prepared. In all, we rode just under 4 hours – a good warm up for our tour.

All along the ride I just kept giggling to myself that we’re in ASIA riding our BIKES and it’s BEAUTIFUL and I can’t wait for more. I feel so lucky.

This morning Knik met us at our hostel at 10:00 ready to show us his town. We decided to take a walking tour, heading first to a Taoist temple, then a sculpture gallery in an old chapel, and the Singapore Art Museum, which is housed in the old mission school house built in 1852 – very old in Singapore time. They had an exhibit of their largest paintings, called The Big Picture. They decided these large paintings never get pulled out of storage for exhibits because they’re so cumbersome, so they had a show just for them. This is a modern art museum, and these pieces were made by artist from all over Southeast Asia. There were several pieces that I really enjoyed. This is a wonderful collection reflecting the many cultures and political situations of the region and I learned a lot from our guide and the art which will influence how I see the countries ahead.

Knik then took us to a vegetarian Chinese restaurant and asked if he could go ahead and order for us and we could share. This is the normal way for Chinese to eat out together, and I was so glad he suggested it. We had a variety of vegetable and tofu dishes as well as a big bowl of noodles. Everything was fresher and more complex than any Chinese food I’ve had in the U.S. Once again, we had an incredible conversation about Singapore and its people and the time flew by.

Both Knik and See Tho are true ambassadors for their country; both were frank, thoughtful and open. We get the idea that most Singaporeans are this way. I can’t believe how much we were able to learn from them in such a short visit. It has made touring this city much richer than it ever could have been left to us and our guidebook alone. Thank you both for your incredible hospitality!

Knik had to get to work, so he dropped us off in Chinatown before continuing on in the taxi. We then walked around, looking at the extra-festive shops getting ready for the Chinese New Year coming up in a couple of weeks. Then we walked along the river to the Esplenade, where we saw some men up on the building washing all the windows. They waved from all the way up there. We then hopped on the subway to get back to Little India, as our feet were getting sore. I was wilting and in need of caffeine. We got back to the hostel, had a couple of cups of coffee and then Dave got to work on the bikes while I wrote these last two posts.

Tomorrow we venture out on the bikes to get used to the crazy traffic…

See Tho picked us up at the hostel and took us to dinner downtown. Dave and I shared a delicious and incredibly fresh seafood variety platter. We asked See Tho a million questions about Singapore and the variety of cultures that exist peacefully here, and he had insightful answers. We had a great conversation and really enjoyed his company.

We then drove to the northern part of Singapore to the Night Safari – a sort of wild and natural-looking zoo that you visit at night. We rode the tram part of the time, and got out to walk part of the time. It was a beautiful evening, with rain here and there that cooled things off.

The animals were so close, sometimes within a few feet of the pathway that the tram followed. They must have fed them right before we went by, because they were often all together and eating. The animals were from the Southeast Asia region, Africa, and South America, with many deer, buffalo, tigers, lions, leopards, elephants, wolves, anteaters, porcupines, hyenas, and others. There was a bat enclosure that we walked through with free-flying bats of all sizes. They were hanging upside-down eating fruit and sometimes flying. It was crazy being right among them. All of the enclosures were so natural looking that it was sometimes hard to believe the animals wouldn’t just jump over and say hi. The whole place was built in a rain forest so it looks and feels real. It was the most amazing and enjoyable zoo experience I’ve had.

See Tho returned us to the hostel at about midnight and we were so happy to see our box had been delivered by the airline! We are now set with all our gear.

After twenty-something hours and three flights (one of which was nearly 15 hours) we have arrived in Singapore! Three of our boxes made it, but one did not. That box contains Dave’s panniers packed with all his clothing and stuff, plus all the tools and spare parts for the bikes, among other things. He can’t put the bikes together without those tools, let alone ride without panniers and all the stuff to live on the road. So, we made a claim with China Airlines and we’re hoping for the best.

We were met at the airport by Knik, a friend of Dave’s parents. What a wonderful surprise, because we had lots to carry, including three big boxes. So the taxi driver backed up his van right outside the door and we hardly had to worry.

We’re at the Inn-Crowd hostel in Little India, an area of Singapore full of bright colors and the smells of spices and incense. Last night we roamed the streets for a while and ate an incredible Indian dinner. There are lots of vegetarian options here since so many Indians are vegetarians. We got to bed around ten and both slept really well.

Tonight we’re having dinner with See Tho, a colleague that Dave worked with in the Maldives. Then See Tho is taking us to see the night safari.

Dave just got off the phone with China Airlines and they say the box is on its way this afternoon. Keep your fingers crossed!