Kazakhstani Perspective on Bush

My assignment for blogging this week (from my professor) was to find someone not originally from the US and ask them about his perspective of America. I met a couple from Kazakhstan on the beach in Singapore this weekend and after bumpin' the volleyball around for a bit, we started talking and the topic shifted to Bush. After they asked me what I thought about him as our president, I asked them what they thought about him and what he's doing. They said that they could only base their thoughts off of what they saw on the news and told me that he's portrayed very negatively across the globe by the media as a whole. They said that everything he does is criticized. The main thing they mentioned was how the media pokes fun at the way President Bush talks. The idea that this was the prim
ary thing they told me seemed ridiculous. How low can you go? I mean, think about it: The media really must be desparate to come up with a reason to bash Bush if not being the best public speaker is the number one thing that audiences come away with for why he's doing a bad job.

In all though, the couple seemed relatively indifferent.

Anyway, that's a international perspective on America's president.

Things to do in Singapore

Thursday night after our Mandarin test, Jenna, Mike, Andrea, and I took a bus to the Hong Kong Airport. Our flight departed on time at 8 'o' clock in the evening and we landed in Singapore at 11:20. Customs was routine and we were in a taxi on our way to "Sleepy Sam's" by 12:15, asleep by 1:15. Hostels are convenient and inexpensive, thus, perfect for college students. I've been happy with my experience so far anyway.

On Friday morning I went for that run I mentioned in my previous entry. I love exploring new areas by way of running. There must be something about it, because that's the number one thing I've been looking forward to doing in the new places I travel to. In fact I went on another run this morning as well, but I'll get back to that later.

Around 11, we walked over to Suntec City, a shopping mall and coporate center that's arranged in the position of a left-hand, palm up. In the place where the palm would be, there is the Fountain of Wealth, the largest man-made fountain in the world.

At 1 pm we went on a "Duck Tour" of downtown and Marina Bay. The vehicle we toured in actually was a boat too, hence the name; there was a ramp to enter the water and the captain stomped on the gas and we hit the water with a huge splash. That wasn't the only time we got wet either - about halfway through our time on the water, the heavens opened up and let loose on our duck vessel. Fortunately, they were prepare and we only got rained no for a breif time. the whole thing lasted an hour and our tour guide kept us relatively entertained. It was probably THE most touristy thing we could have done though, ha.

After that, I ate Subway for the first time in about a month-and-a-half. It was scrumptious, the 12" chicken terryaki on honey wheat bread, that is! I love Subway and didn't realize how much I missed it. We walked around the mall for a bit longer and then decided n catching a few Zzz's before our Night Safari at the Singapore Zoo, that was to begin at 6 'o' clock. It was a good rest and we were picked up by "Joe" around 6 as promised. Joe is a native Singaporean who was a sailor about 20 years ago. Currently, he is studying to get his Master's in Sailing where his heart seemed to truly lie. He was full of little stories about Singapore and his past. I was thankful that I'd hopped into the front seat of the bus because I had some very interesting conversations with him both to and from our destination.

He got us to the Safari by 6:30 as promised and we got in line right away for the tram ride through the night zoo. We saw many different nocturnal animals on the tram, the highlight of which was the tiger. We saw the tiger after the tram as we hiked the entire footpath. There was a viewing section with a wall of glass separating us from the beast and he happened to be hanging out right there. I think it might have been because of my camera (flash was not allowed but there is a red light that always comes on before taking a picture), but all of a sudden the tiger sprung at the glass, stopping just short of hitting it. That got our adrenaline pumping and the animal restlessly paced around in front of us for the next 10 minutes or so. It was incredible; to see the muscles rippling throughout his sleek body and his shoulder-blades pumping with each step - less than 5' in front of us - was surreal. His entire physique resonated with sheer, unadulterated, power. There was not an ounce of unnecessary fat on him. Amazing...

That one experience absolutely made the night, possibly the day.

We rode back with Joe and weere in bed by 11:30, in preparation for a long day on Saturday. Good trip so far...

Oh Yeah...!

Friday, 10:50 AM

I'm in Singapore right now, sitting in front of a conmputer at Sleepy Sam's, the hostel we are staying at for the next 3 days. I ran the city earlier this morning and just had a great breakfast of cornflakes and bananas, pb&j toast and fruit. The run was refreshing in Singapore's very tropical climate. I ran past their Supreme Court, Parliament House, National Singapore Museum, and a giant war memorial. I love exploring new places by run...

Well, time to go explore - will check back in later...

The Mekong River and More Experiences in Saigon

Saturday we arose bright and early just before 7 and had a quick breakfast before boarding our bus to go to the Mekong River Delta. We arrived around 10 and clibed onto our river cruising boat on which we enjoyed a relaxing ride on the 12th largest river in the world.

Along the way we passed some floating markets and small villages and many other boats of all sizes. It was raining lightly, creating somewhat of a dreary feeling but we still had a good ride. We stopped for lunch at a private establishment that our Viet, our tour guide, had arranged for us.

Our meal consisted of prawn, some type of fish, rice paper wraps, and various vegetables. It was good, especially the fish tail, which tasted like an extra-crunchy tortilla chip. Fruit was served for dessert. But it was after lunch that the real treat came: the chance to wrap a 9', 70-pound python around our shoulders. We had been told about this awesome opportunity on Thursday or Friday and I was eagerly anticipating it, much to the chagrin of part of the group (I'm pretty sure the detractors had names normally reserved for females but I'm not insinuating that the girls had an irrational fear of the domesticated snake - no way).

Anyway, I was the first to hold it and it was awesome. I've never actually gotten to hold a snake that big, and it was a pretty cool feeling I'll tell you. We took turns holding it and flexing with it of course while the others took pictures. All but one person, whose name I will not disclose, actually held it. That was one of the main highlights of the trip, for me anyway.

We got back on the boat and finished our cruise by docking on the other side of the river and going to check in at our new hotel that we would be staying at in Mekong City. It was a pretty posh joint and had a Mike and I had great view of the river from our balcony. After dinner that night we walked around the city and then got massages by the hotel for about $4 US! There was even a steam room and sauna that made Vietnam's heat and humidity feel like Siberia. I like the pricing system over here immensely.

The next day we cruised the other brach of the River and then took the bus home (home as in our hotel in Saigon). Upon our arrival, we unloaded and then took off to walk the city again. We shopped, and I spent about 1/30th the amount I would have to spend in the US, buying workout shirts, hats, and shorts, a wallet, DVDs, some man-prees (a European thing - basically, capri's for guys that are really comfortable and convenient), etc. There's good shopping in 'Nam.

After dinner that night we went to a cafe in the heart of the city to relax....I enjoyed a smoothie but then left before the group to venture the city streets solo. This was one of those times that I felt an urge to be alone and experience the city as I only could without any familiarity around me. I was able to absorb the sights, sounds, and smells of this interesting place introspectively. I walked through some shops and made several purchases before returning to my room refreshed. I drifted off to sleep contemplating my quiver of new experiences, on this last night in Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City), Vietnam. Life is good and I feel blessed to have been able to experience more of God's world...

(I will add pictures later but at the moment that feature's not working)

Rambo: First Blood Part II

The roar of the sea of mopeds and a few cars is almost deafening. There are far too many to count even when they are stopped at traffic lights, which is rare. Never have I longed for traffic laws as I do now, praying to God that I don't end up as an unwanted passenger on a two-wheeled vehicle from Hades.

As I would come to find out later, though, crossing the street is much safer if you do not look both ways before crossing - it won't do you any good. You see, rarely is there ever a time when a thousand mopeds aren't flying passed you as you wait to cross an intersection. Observing the local pedestrians' interaction with traffic, the moped drivers seem to be accustomed to dodging people. The problems arise if you try to sprint across the street or make quick, unexpected movements. Although you might think you are fast, the mopeds have engines and are much faster. Don't try to out think them; let them make the judgements.

Needless to say, that was the only run I went on during my trip to Vietnam. There was also a 10K race that was to be held on that coming Sunday; I really wanted to race it but was informed that we would be cruising the Mekong River then. Bummer.

After coming within inches of my life on numerous occasions, I got back to my room in time to shower, get ready, and pack my camera before heading down to have a breakfast of eggs, OJ, and bread, lots of bread.

We got on our tour bus by 8 and headed the Cu Chi tunnels, a battleground of the Vietnam War. We watched a brief, anti-American video, and then hiked through some trails, looking at (and attempting to fit into) entrances of some VC war tunnels. My attempt was largey unsuccessful.

We emerged into the open, viewing a conspicuously placed sign:



Uhuh, that's what I'm talking about. Every boy's dream came true for me that day when I shot an AK-47 and an M30. I truly felt like Rambo, oh wait, I was Rambo! Yes, they were loud; yes, they were powerful; and yes, it was one of the highlights of the trip.

But enough about guns, it's tunnel time! Imagine yourself descending into a dark pit, and then proceeding down a corridor that is about the size of the entrance to a dog house. 100 meters later we emerged, dirty, hot, and sweaty but thankful to be back in the cool, 90 degree humidity of South Vietnam. Ahh yes, the wonderful weather of Southeast Asia. I love it.

But enough with the seriousness. The next tunnel we crawled through was the lowest and smallest type, three levels down. Let me just say that I could tell it was smaller. Can anyone say, Chuck E Cheese tubes that are not made out of plastic, that are square, pitch dark, dirty, slightly poorer air quality (although not much worse for those of you who have been to Chuck E Cheese's lately), and come with spiders (big ones) for no extra charge? I definitely won't forget that one. It was an adventure, though, and I love adventures; I felt even more like Rambo - think of the scene in Part I where he's in that cave after he almost gets killed by a rocket launcher. That was me in the Cu Chi tunnels.

After all that, we had lunch saw some monkeys, and took lots of pictures of the only mountain in South Vietnam, which has a pretty flat, rice patty producing, landscape. The mountain, Ba Den, is about 900 meters tall and 15 kilometers from the Cambodian border. I asked if I could climb it but they thought I was joking around. These people don't know me too well yet.








Then we visited a Cao Dai temple, close by. Caodaism is one of the main religions of the country and is native to Vietnam (99% of its followers live there). This religion basically combines all the main religions of the world and propose that the one true God gave a revelation that clarified and reconciled all the religions to form Caodaism. Sounds like a plan but I think I'll stick with Christianity for now.

That night, we feasted on, Surprise!, Vietnamese food. Being the connoisseur of food that I am, I ate a lot. It was good. I won't describe it for you because I have much more to talk about and it will force you to visit Vietnam if you really want to know what the food is like (ok, if you really want to know you can ask me sometime).

Great sleep that night too filled with dreams of guns, tunnels and mountains...

Rambo: First Blood Part I

Thursday, 28 September 2006.

0500 hours: Waken from a brief sleep and hastily prepare for the coming mission.
0555hours: The rest of the team and myself board the bus that will take us to Hong Kong International Airport where our jet awaits, courtesy of Cathay Pacific.
0700 hours: We arrive at the airport and proceed through security smoothly.
0735 hours: Breakfast before departure.
0815 hours: I contact Kat, our correspondent back at Base Pepperdine and she gives me our mission:
Run a recconaissance in Saigon City, Vietnam, gathering information on any remaining military activity and report back on 2 October 2006.

0825 hours: I brief the team on the mission after we board the plane.
0855 hours: Takeoff!
1015 hours (local time): We land in Saigon, aka Ho Chi Minh City, amidst a torrent of rain. After passing through customs, we are met by our local contact, Viet, aka the best tour guide in the world.

The remainder of the day is spent touring Ho Chi Minh City and familiarizing ourselves with the landscape, local customs, and places of interest. In other words we checked into our hotel, ate lunch, and walked through a bazillion museums and a former presidential palace.

After feasting on three dishes that night, we call it a night earlier than usual, around 11, in preparation for the first day of our mission. It will begin at 0630 hours with an early morning run...