The Best Part About Asia: My Sized Urinals

Days after leaving India, I found myself in the sprawling city-state metropolis known as Singapore.  Talk about complete opposites.  Towering skyscrapers dominate the landscape in this tiny little country.  It is what I would imagine all of the major cities of the world will look like in 100 years.  The place feels like an endless maze of walkways, subways, and malls.  At one point I walked out of a mall and tried to cross a major road.  I soon discovered a tunnel that led to the other side.  Upon entering the tunnel, I realized that it was simply a continuation of the mall under the street.  Even the center where the Explorer was docked was a mall.  Malls, malls, malls, malls, malls!

An extensive metro subway provides and cheap and easy way to travel to any part of the city.  Singapore boasts everything from infinity pools atop massive hotels (google: Marina Bay Sands) to a Universal Studios resort.  Like Mauritius, we were only docked here for one night.  Of course, that night happened to be Halloween.  We had a blast riding around the country on the subway visiting various bars and clubs.  At night, the entire city glows with a multitude of multicolored lights that line the sidewalks, buildings, and streets.  My friends still make fun of me for saying that the only thing I remember about Halloween night is the color purple.  Singapore is an awesome place, but if you go be prepared to spend quite a bit of money.  Drinks cost about $10 a pop and food is pretty pricey as well.  Also, try not to break the law as they will not hesitate to throw you in prison for years or shell out a few whacks from the cane.  Like I said, we were only there for two days, which was definitely enough to see everything and blow through a good chunk of change.  Before you could say "Singapore sling", we were already on our way towards Vietnam.

The trip between ports was so short that they did not bother scheduling classes as we traveled to Ho Chi Minh City.  After a few days spent recovering from Singapore, I was thrust into the amazing world of Vietnam.  The first thing I noticed was the absurdly tall tower perched right next to our ship.  The recently built megastructure includes a massive heli-pad which makes the building appear as if it were sticking it's tongue out at you (funny because helicopters have been outlawed in the city since the end of the war, sort of like saying "haha I'm so rich my building has a helipad for no reason").  The tower seems out of place compared to the rest of the city, but soon I believe the skyline of Ho Chi Minh will not be that different from Singapore's.

One cannot visit Vietnam without experiencing the traffic.  Motorbikes dominate the roads, alleyways and sidewalks.  Automobiles do not stop at intersections, but keep on going--somehow avoiding collisions with cross-traffic.  They simply look directly ahead and try not to hit whatever is directly in front of them.  Much like fish swimming together in a school, other motorists react and traffic flows smoothly through the intersection.  One of the most entertaining things to do in the country is to try and cross the street.  On multiple occasions, I stepped in the path of a sea of motorbikes.  As long as I kept walking at a steady pace, the bikes would bend around me and I would walk away unscathed--an environment that is very conducive to wandering drunk people.

Speaking of that, the nightlife in Vietnam is unbeatable.  Any place that sells 50 cent Tiger Beer is my kind of country.  The food (like everywhere else) is great.  Get some pho every chance you get, just watch out for the little peppers they give you.  One small slice in a large bowl of pho is enough to get your tongue going (DO NOT bite into a whole one).  If you feel like dancing, head to a club called Apocalypse Now (yes seriously) which has a nice outdoor seating area and sweaty dancefloors on each level.  Just watch out for the hookers...actually, that's a good rule of thumb for all of Asia.  The cheapest way to get around is to hire the motorbike drivers.  For a dollar they will take you anywhere in the city, plus you get a fun ride as you hold on for dear life on the back of one of those things.  Carry single dollar bills with you as almost anyone will accept them as payment.  Singles are very handy when shopping in a market or going out for the night.  When I was there, the exchange rate was roughly 19,000 Vietnamese Dong to 1 USD.  It was nice going to an ATM and seeing my account balance register in the millions.

Besides partying, exploring Ho Chi Minh, and pretending to be a millionaire, I traveled to visit the reason why the US lost the war in Vietnam, the Cu Chi Tunnels.  When I say tunnels, I mean insanely small gopher holes that the Vietnamese somehow crawled through for miles.  The one I went through required the use of my hands and knees, and it had been widened for tourists.  I've never felt claustrophobic before but these tunnels did the trick.  They were hot, muggy, and pitch black.  The area also was home to B-52 bomb craters, pit-style traps, and a shooting range.  I am proud to say that the first gun I ever shot was a fully automatic AK-47.  While my time here was a fun-filled day, I cannot imagine the hell both sides went through fighting in this environment during the Vietnam War.

In contrast to shooting guns, I took a peaceful trip to visit Buddhist temples and ride a canoe through the Mekong Delta.  These sights were interesting to see, but unfortunately the excursion was a SAS trip.  The one piece of advice I would give to anyone who is considering sailing on a voyage is to sign up for the least amount of SAS trips as humanly possible--unless you are keen on sitting on a tour bus all day with people who are too inexperienced to make their own travel plans.  Yes, I did just use the word "keen".  Between the new lingo I have picked up on this little jaunt around the world, and all the inside jokes I have with shipmates, none of you will be able to understand what I am talking about when I get home...which is in less than a month now.

My introduction to Asia was a very strange odyssey indeed.  We were all shocked by a culture that is so incredibly different than ours, yet is somehow so similar.  We were also shocked by the tragic death of one of our own in Vietnam.  I will spare the details of what happened on a public space like this blog, except to recommend that you all enjoy every second of your lives, because our clocks are always ticking.  You know, "seize the carp", or however the saying goes.

I just got done with an insane adventure through the lands of China and Japan.  I have 10 awful days on the ship until Hawaii, so I will have plenty of time to post more updates.  America here I come!  It is hard to believe that I am leaving my last international port in a matter of hours.  I have to say, I'm kind of bummed to be heading back to the States.  But listen to me, complaining about having to go to Hawaii.  Hope you are all having fun on Fall Break.  I'll be celebrating Thanksgiving in the middle of the Pacific.  No turkey day football for me this year.  Anyways, bye bye for now and check back in a few days for more ramblings.