All Good Visits Must End

One busy week flew by in a flash, and Mom & Dad were ready to return to good ol' America!

Could you really blame them?!  Here were their lush accommodations...  Although I have 2 bedrooms, we had to shack up motel-style with two beds in one room because it was too cold here and my tiny heater simply can't reach the second bedroom!

Dad couldn't make it through the doorways.  He had a sore back from all of the hunching over!

The family in my family room.  All 3 of us on the tiny couch wasn't so comfortable.

 

At the airport sad to be leaving their favorite daughter ;)

Singapore: Final Thoughts

My last free evening in Singapore, I wanted to try a signature dish called "chicken rice", so me and 2 new friends from Thailand decided to try out Hawker Center. A Hawker Center is basically a giant food court with hundreds of authentic vendors, and the food is super cheap. The tables are also kind of dirty, and locals are constantly coming up to you trying to peddle their food, too. So you take the good with the bad...

Chicken rice was good. It's exactly what it sounds like: a bed of rice with strips of chicken on it and of course some special sauce. The strange part for me was that the entire body of the chicken was cut into strips, so I had tons of small bones I had to pick out or spit out while I was eating.

After dinner my Thai companions wanted to take me to Chinatown for some yummy dessert. They've been in Singapore many times and said they knew just the place! Here's a pic of me in Chinatown. It is decorated for the Chinese New Year (which begins Feb 14th). Dessert Time! It's called Milk Snow Ice and is a cross between ice cream and a snow cone. I got mango flavor--super yummy!!

On my fifth day in S'pore, I woke up and was ready to move on to my next adventure. I was getting tired of the hot, humid temperatures that made my hair frizzy and the air thick & sticky.

I overheard some Asians in my training class talking about where they went to dinner the previous night, and they said "We went to a restaurant where you could litter peanut shells!! It was so COOL!" That made me smile. Welcome to any Texas Roadhouse, Outback, or Logan's!! Comments like this help me remember that America has some pretty cool things, too!

My hotel in Singapore had a great buffet spread, and I got to try many new fruits such as: dragonfruit, guava, papaya, and yellow watermelon.

On the final day I also found out to Singaporeans take the concept of "feng shui" very seriously. For instance, the Singapore Flyer used to rotate in the other direction when it first opened, and then it was discovered that it was bad luck, so they switched it and now it rotates in the same direction as the sun!! In addition, the new building that I kept taking pictures of which has 3 columns is designed that way due to feng shui experts!! They say III or the number three is going to bring good fortune and many people to the new attraction!!

My final stop was, of course, the Singapore Airport. It's rated one of the best in the world to have a layover! There are many attractions and things to keep you busy, including 300+ shops, a free movie theater, indoor nature trail with koi pond, napping areas, spa services, and even a butterfly garden!!

I felt like I was at Krohn Conservatory!! Singapore really prides themselves on being a "green" city, and here's some human-sized recycling containers!!

The arrival area of the airport.

Even the departure area is pretty and colorful! Few people are here because they are either getting a massage or checking their email on one of the 200+ free internet terminals!

Finally, people all around the world call Sinagpore "a fine city" because they are known for their strict rules and fines that go along with them. I kept a close eye out, but I saw few such signs. Besides, I say there is nothing wrong with a little order in this world and having signs to warn people of the consequences. Here are some real-life examples:

--Smoking in restricted areas $500

--Spitting in public $300

--Not flushing a public toilet $150

--Littering $500

--Using chewing gum $800 (they don't sell it in the city, and possession isn't a crime--just chewing it!)

It's not always a fine--some times the penalty is DEATH for your crime! This is on the S'pore Immigration card!!

Day trip to...

Day Trip to... the AIRPORT ?!?

I know this sounds strange, but the Nagoya airport in and of itself is a destination! Tourists go there all the time to shop, eat, watch planes, and even take baths! I wanted to do a trial run to see if I could get to the airport by myself anyway, so I decided to make a fun trip out it.

First, an aerial view of the layout. The airport is on a man-made island with one road & train line in and out! I marked a tiny red arrow where the Sky Deck is on the map, so you have a "You Are Here" point of reference.

Every where I look in Japan is festive holiday stuff. Here is a giant snow globe with the airport mascot dressed in his Santa gear.

Nagoya airport has an outdoor "Sky Deck" to watch planes take off and land. They also have a gender-segregated indoor public bath so you have the plane activity to keep you entertained as you soak. I have not tried the "bathing nude in public" business yet, but it's on my list of things to do in Japan. My biggest fear is that the bath tubs will be too darn hot for me to handle, so I will just be stark naked sitting on the edge with water up to my ankles... (Can't you just imagine the Japanese women thinking "Who is this giant white lady, and why isn't she in the water?!") Plane touches down.

I love the ocean as the backdrop as it taxis to the terminal!

I went browsing through all the stores, but did not make any purchases. Before catching a train back to town, I did pop into an Italian cafe for a strawberry/pineapple gelato cone! Yummy!!

The train ride was pretty easy. I'm becoming a pro at all of this public transportation business. I bought a first-class ticket on the way there, meaning I had an assigned seat and there is room for your luggage. This is most likely the way I'll need to get to & from the airport in the future. On the way home, I decided to "slum it" in a regular train car. It was packed, a little smelly, and I was getting nauseous from riding sideways. Oh yeah, and a woman sitting next to me really wanted to practice her English out on me. (Train rides are sort of my personal time, and I usually enjoy the silence and people watching.) I guess I've learned my lesson, and I will spend the extra $4 to ride in comfort for 35 minutes on future trips!!

India: Chennai continued

A new day is here, and this is the view from my Chennai hotel suite. I was on the 7th floor. It's going to be a very hazy and humid day. After I opened the curtains this morning, I realized I also had a private patio. The door is on the right side.

Not something I would actually want to hang out on since it was quite dirty with pigeon dropping and even trash! Also, the heat & humidity in Chennai is killer for November!! I did step out for a weather check, but quickly came back in to the A/C.

The miles long deserted beach on the Bay of Bengal. We went to the port to see containers loading & unloading, but there was a strict "no photos" policy. The men walking around with rifles were pretty convincing. I decided not to take any chances. I don't want to end up in India prison or an Indian hospital!

My lunch at the dismal Chennai airport. No shops. No restaurants. Only a snack bar. But this chip flavor "Cajun beats" is pretty unique and, in Indian style, pretty spicy!!

Here's the airport. Not part of it. The whole thing. No jetway boarding. Everyone takes a bus out to the runway and then walks up the stairs.

Chennai Airport runway. The red & white building on the left is air traffic control. I see there is a jetway on the right, but do not be fooled. No planes come up close enough to the building.

Also of note is airport security in Japan, China, & India. No one is quite as hyper as America. You can bring liquids (although the sign says not to), you can wear your shoes (even my steel toes), and India doesn't metal detect women. We go behind a screen and get patted down.

Another posh hotel room in New Delhi... Mini bar on the left, bathroom on the right.

Another big bed, which I'm thankfully for. Tomorrow night we're taking the red-eye back to Japan, so sleep will be sketchy.

Hotel bathroom. I haven't featured all of the toilets I came across in India yet on my blog, but let me assure you it's not a pretty sight. I do appreciate a clean Western toilet much more now.

Here's a pic of me on the way to India. I was so excited to see English TV again. It didn't matter that it was in the children's section at Hong Kong or Pink Panther!!

Here's a few extra tidbits on India I've been taking notes on:

I said there were no traffic laws, but I don't think I mentioned that when traffic is stopped on one side of the road, cars occasionally flood the other side of the road, and start going into oncoming traffic. It's like a death wish!! I'm told that India follows the U.S. closely in the number of automobile fatalities. It's pretty crazy since India's speed limit is 40kph, but now that I've seen it I'm not surprised!

The hotels here remind of vacation resorts in Mexico. The workers are all so friendly and happy and willing to help while speaking in their accented English. There are usually multiple amenities, too, like a pool, spa, restaurants, shopping, etc.

Most buses were colorfully painted and often with religious sayings on them. Many even had streamers, ribbons, tassels, and ornaments strung up inside.

All women (even babies) have their ears pierced. Gold jewelry is very popular. Most men even had at least one gold ring on.

No smoking is allowed in any restaurant in India. That's a nice change from Japan, where smoking is not allowed on streets or sidewalks, but please light it up all you want inside of buildings... Yuck!!

OMG Bugs are crazy here!! I noticed they were crawling on others while at the Transystem yard, and then upon inspection, I realized they were all over me, too. Ants on your shoes and in your socks. Spiders on your legs, and many other weird creepy crawlies. Sometimes I would make a big fuss and start brushing them off, and people just laughed at me. (Probably thinking "Silly girl!") In addition, flies are every where. Crawling all over your food in restaurants. Buzzing around your head even in airplanes. It was so bothersome. Again, I was the only one who seems to mind.

There are a few American food places here that people were eager to point out. McDonald's, which I've already mentioned. Also, Domino's Pizza, KFC, and Pizza Hut. Their menus are, of course, modified and are generally only vegetarian options (even KFC, I'm told!!) I also saw a "Kentacky Chicken Corner" from the car one day. The spelling cracked me up, but I'm sure it is a wannabe KFC.

Even in the poorest conditions, I saw many people on cell phones, which I really found ironic. But then I started reading the billboards, and perhaps it's because cell phones are so cheap. Service providers often charge calls by the second, and the texts are charged per character. LOL.

We had lunch at a golf club one day, and I saw another course in Bangalore. There are no golf carts in India, but no worries because you will get a uniformed caddy (super cheap) at your service! I hear the actual greens fees are not too expensive, either. (Although this was from the Japanese guys, and they may be poor judges since the price of golf is astronomical there.)

One very ingenious thing was that most public buses had small gutters on them. This is so during the rainy season, the windows can stay open and very little water gets in. Most of it drains down the front or back of the bus.

Inidia: Chennai

My adventure in India continues! On to Chennai, which is a port city 300 km away from Bangalore. We choose to take the 40 minute flight, but other Mitsui folks decided to drive to check the road conditions. It took them over 6 hours. YIKES!! That's what a 40km speed limit among other things will do to you! Here is the open-air airport in Bangalore. The 2nd nicest airport in India I'm told (partly because it's only a few years old). The killer part for me was the birds (mostly sparrows) flying every where. They were on restaurant tables eating leftovers, roaming around the seats at the gate. No one seemed to mind, except me of course!! Shopping was awesome. They have such cool foreign things, and it's all dirt cheap. I only bought one thing, but maybe I will find some luggage space when I fly out for good on Friday!

Here's a back-side pic of all of the hired drivers waiting for their passengers with signs. No one is allowed in the baggage claim area, which makes it relatively safe. In general, only the affluent can afford to fly. A little girl (probably 7) in the airport restroom came up to me and asked "Where do you come from?" I told her America. She repeated it and giggled. Then all of the other women giggled. I have no one idea if they were laughing at her or me. Regardless, they don't see a lot of Americans here, and certainly fewer females. I really get stared at non-stop.

Welcome to Chennai! Were the weather is mid-80's, super humid, and rainy!! This is also the part where the hoodlums come out. When walking to the car with our driver, some man tried to "help" me with my luggage. I told him no, and he kept saying "same company". Sure thing, buddy! Then after our luggage was loaded (and I watched) the same man helped me into the car. He wanted a tip. Uhhh.... get lost!

Traffic jam. You can see all of the water lying around. Not surprisingly their drainage system sucks here, but then again that would happen in every city if they had downpours like Chennai, too. Funny to see 100's of motorcycles abandoned on the road though, as their owners huddled under trees, awnings, whatever they could find.

I think there are some people living under the highway overpass. But they have a couple cars!! Chennai looks about 10 times poorer than Bangalore. Shocking to say the least!

Here's our ride all week. It's a Toyota Innova made in India. It's a 7-seater car. Nothing like my Clifford (the big red Buick Enclave), but still pretty spacious in these parts.

Cows are not just sacred... they are useful to haul things around in the city!

Motorcyclists waiting in traffic. (This is after the rain.)

Another pic of the poor conditions. Nice cow lying about and water every where. Here's the traumatizing part: Even through tinted windows, I was busted by the locals for taking a pic. This woman came up to the car window and started tapping incessantly. She was begging for 5 rupees and had her newborn baby with her. It was horrifying and depressing all at the same time! After I ignored her, she moved around to other doors, tapping and asking for money. This went on for a good 3 minutes since we were at a dead stop in traffic. Probably the longest 3 minutes of my life. Thank goodness her baby was sleeping. If it had been crying or otherwise looking miserable, I probably would have lost it! This was a rude awakening for me. I realize these people are just trying to survive, and yet I find it so darn picture-worthy. Needless to say, I didn't take any more pictures of the locals or their surroundings today.

My hotel room in Chennai. It's a suite, and bigger than my entire apartment in Japan.

Sitting room with a huge touch screen remote for all of the gadgets in the room.

Generally, I'd be impressed and loving this room, but given the day I've had, I wonder if it's a bit over the top. And perhaps they should take a look outside, and see the disparity between the social classes here in India.

Hallway into the bathroom.

Next stop: Soak in the tub, then off to bed. Another full day ahead. Tomorrow we go to the Port to see overseas containers being loaded/unloaded, and then catch a plane to the capital city of New Delhi.

One more nugget before I sign off: when we enter a hotel, they check the undercarriage of the vehicle for bombs, pop the truck and scan the bags, and then we have to go through a metal detector before we enter. I'm told there's been some bombing issues in Mumbai, and now people aren't messing around.

India: Bangalore & Bidadi

Wow, so much to say about India. It has been overwhelming so far. I'm having trouble putting it in words, but I'll try my best! But first... the trip. We need to work up to the main event! Nagoya Airport. For everyone who wondered how I would manage by myself in December, mystery solved. All signs are also in English. Oddly enough all pilot's announcements have been in English, and the first flight attendants announcements are also in English. The Nagoya airport is beautiful. I keep forgetting that Nagoya is a port city (since by apartment is nowhere near it), and the airport is actually on a man-made island since they ran out of space on the mainland!! It is also fairly new. Opened in summer 2005.

Me and my travel buddy, Jacky. (Real name: Quan Wen, Mitsui trainee from China.) This is the first trip to India for both of us. We do have some language barriers, though. Jacky speaks Chinese and Japanese, and is learning English. While I, of course, speak only English, and am learning Japanese. We make quite the dynamic duo!! The Japanese immigration people were giving me visa issues at the airport and required me to pay the 3000 yen to leave (about $33). LOL. I will have to investigate so I don't have these problems with my next flight! My hotel room in India. A king-sized bed!! I forgot what is was like to sleep like royalty!

Bathroom. Notice the cool window from the bathtub looking into the bedroom!

View from hotel room.

Here starts the fun of my drive to work. I apologize that all of my pics are taken through a window of a car, but it's probably better for me that way! Kids walking to school.

Auto-rickshaws. These things are every where, kind of like an Indian taxi. We were told never to take public transportation. We actually hired a driver for the entire day through the hotel. Same goes for a ride from the airport. The hotel will send a driver with a sign for you.

Streets of Bangalore. The man on the left has no pants, more like a plaid towel wrapped around himself. The women always look beautiful, dressed in bright "sarees" (not head-to-toe burkas as I was expecting!) despite their crappy surroundings.

"Time for school, kids!" 3 deep on the motorcycle made me giggle, but it was quite common!

A bunch of locals having breakfast. Shoes are optional everywhere, and if you have them, they were undoubtedly flip-flop style sandals so your tootsies were all dusty and dirty.

Not sure what everyone is waiting for. India has more people than I have ever seen in my life!!

These piles of green fruit (I presume) are everywhere, but even the locals could not tell me what they were! Always a pile of fresh ones (left), and a pile of rotting leftovers (right).

More people just watching traffic go by.

A Hindu temple. Very beautiful.

Mopeds and motorcycles are everywhere, but then again so were buses, cars, and trucks. The distance from the hotel to work was 30 kilometers (~20 miles) took at least 90 minutes. Sometimes 2 full hours. Top speed is 40 kph (~25 mph) in the entire country of India. Even for the truck drivers carrying auto parts or finished vehicles!!

I saw everything on this ride to work. There are sometimes lines on the road, but they mean nothing at all. 2 "lanes" easily becomes 4 (or 5)! Honking was non-stop. I think it was more "I'm coming up on the left side of you"or "I'm behind you", than "Get out of my way". Drivers didn't seem fazed by anything, and people were walking everywhere. In the middle of the road, between cars, etc. I was too afraid to even roll down a window!! This experience beats any other crazy taxi ride I've ever had in Mexico, NYC, or Europe! Unbelievable.

Goats just chilling. I also saw many stray dogs (all the color of dirt) that no one seemed to even notice. Cows were roaming about eating trash from the ditches. (Cows are sacred in India and cannot be served in restaurants without a permit. Even then the only restaurant the locals could name who served beef was Hard Rock Cafe!) Sheep and chickens were also seen. I was told to watch for monkeys, but alas haven't seen one scampering by our Toyota yet.

A cow on the side of the road. Plus some super-skinny locals. I saw plenty of well-fed Indians around, too. I wonder if it's a status thing. Hey, look at me, I'm a fatty because I can afford to eat?! I have no idea... just a theory.

Piles of trash are everywhere.

Some homes we passed on the way to work. These are not slums. These are lush accommodations. I saw many slums in the distance, but never got close enough for photos. As I mentioned before, perhaps it's better that way.

Indian barbecue for dinner. We cooked it right at the table. Pretty yummy, but SUPER spicy. They ordered me special "no spice" skewers, but even those babies packed some heat!! I am told this was the nicest restaurant in town, and the cost for unlimited barbecue appetizers (shown above), a large buffet, and a dessert bar was 500 rupees ($10.80) Everyone was very accommodating and was always concerned that I was enjoying my food. They even let me pick out our lunch spot the 2nd day. I choose the canteen (cafeteria) at work. It is only 1 choice every day (vegetarian curry) for 25 rupees (~$0.50). I figure when in India, better eat like the Indians!!

Kerri & Jacky at work: Transystem, sister company to Transfreight. Lucky that I look so damn cute in a baseball hat since it's part of our safety gear!

They cut the grass by hand here... No joke. This guy has clippers, and he worked on this for hours.

One of the few places there weren't thousands of people around!!! Indian Oil gas station. All over the city, I still haven't seen a sign for the price of fuel.

This woman is carrying sticks on her head. No hands, just balance. And I can barely carry a cup of water with 2 hands from the kitchen to the living room without spilling it.

This arch separates Bidadi (where work and the Toyota plant is located) from the city of Bangalore. It is 6km from here to the hotel, and it took 70 minutes to get to the hotel from this point!! The driver today told me that once you are in the city limits, there are no driving rules, no traffic lights, no streets signs, no LAW!! Just people and vehicles everywhere. Before we reached this arch, the driver pointed out the police on the side of the road to me. There were about 8 officers, and one had a speed gun. The fine for a speeding ticket is 300 rupees (~$6.50). Can you imagine?! People were so paranoid about getting and ticket and fine. As I mentioned, things are cheap here in India, we passed a McDonald's that advertised a "Happy Price Menu" for 22 rupees (~$0.48). One featured item was the McAloo Tikki burger. Since I know they don't serve beef, I googled it: McAloo Tikki burger is a veggie burger made with potatoes, peas, and spices, topped with tomato, onions, and a veggie-tomato mayo. That's it for now, but plenty more tidbits to come. I made "notes" of all the nuttiness, and I still go to Chennai and New Delhi later in the week!