Quarter Century

Well, the last couple days in Singapore were great ones. One of the more unique experiences was working at Singapore's only craft brewery. I know what you thinking, but no, it was not a "hands-on brewery tour". Joe Timm passed my name along to his former boss who needed some help and Erin and I spent a couple hours cleaning and kegging beer. We were rewarded with some free cases which is a very handsome reward on the island. February 20th marked my 25th birthday, I've made it to a quarter century! For the occasion, Jesse brought us to a beach club on the resort island of Sentosa (just off of Singapore). I now understand the allure of being James Bond after I sat on a bed-side beach drinking from a coconut. That night we all met up with another Waconian for a bay-side birthday dinner. Afterwords, a few drinks turned into a few more. We hopped around town for a quick tour of the bar scene before retiring home to eat some more of the chocolate cake Erin surprised me with. Once again, Jesse, Jessi, Olive and Eleanor were unbelievable hosts. I don't know how Erin and I can repay them for their hospitality. Hopefully we will be able to return the favor to their daughters someday when they are living out of a backpack (and we will be living is Costa Rica).

The following day we hopped a bus into Malaysia. We got off in Malacca and found our charming guest house and headed to a huge night market just one block over. All the bars were tourist oriented and couldn't find a place we felt totally comfortable. After spending the last of our cash, we walked past a back alley watering hole that was definitely the ol' backpacker haunt. Everyone looked a bit scruffy and weathered and figured they were trying to stay away from amatures like me. I felt like a bit of an imposter but the following night we poked our heads in and found everyone there to be very welcoming. We had a long chat with a couple other travelers from the likes of Ireland, Norway and Hungary. Malacca is a great little town, but it is definitely a tourist hotspot on the weekends. Throughout the past, the port there has been controlled by the Dutch, the Portuguese and British. The rich European history along the river gives it the feel of old Amsterdam, and also makes it very alluring to Asian travelers. 

After 3 nights in Malacca, we headed to Kuala Lumpur. We stayed just on the border of the city center which also seemed to mark the line between order and chaos. Immediately to the west it felt like a crowded construction zone. But as soon as we went east, in the direction of the Petronas Towers, the city was organized, clean and modern. Our only goal was to see the Batu Caves. After a long train ride, walking past the guardian statue of Murugan the god of war and victory, then up a flight of 260 stairs we were inside a very large limestone cave. There were natural skylights and the far end opened up as well so it was not the dark dank cave you would typically imagine. 

Now, I am writing this entry on the patio of our beautiful guesthouse in Tanah Rata in the heart of Titiwangsa Mountains and tea region in central Malaysia. It's much quieter and cooler than our other stops. We just got here this afternoon and were planning on staying 3 nights, but that may quickly turn into 5...

We have been staying very busy and I have found it harder to update the blog than I anticipated. The posts thus far have been rather dry and informational. Stay tuned for some more insightful musings as the trip continues! 

Kedai Kopi

Erin and I have now been in Singapore for almost a week. Our wonderful hosts Jesse and Jessi have allowed us to take our time exploring the city/country. We have seen a lot of sights and eaten some of the best food around. At this rate I will be out of travel funds, back home with a couple extra pounds in no time. Singapore is notoriously expensive, but the meals are well worth it. A great selection of Thai, Chinese, Indian and Malay foods. Most importantly I've enjoyed some of the best and most varied styles of beverages, which are much needed in the 90 degree winter weather. Along with the normal hot and strong coffee in the morning, I've now had sweetened iced coffee out of a bag and cold black coffee poured from a nitro keg. Craft beer isn't too hard to find here either, but with the high liquor tax your likely to spend $30 on a pretty standard bomber of American import. We've still let ourselves indulge, but the best treat so far was when Jesse came home from work with some Stone, Rogue and Ninkasi beers. I had to pour myself the Total Domination for a little flashback home to the beautiful beer region that is Oregon. Lime juice, coconut juice, mango lassi and "lemon-lime and bitters" have become new favorites as well. 

It's my 25th birthday on Thursday and we will be heading north to Malacca, Malaysia on Friday. We have lots planned in the next 4 days but are excited to continue the journey. We are a day ahead of the US here so have a drink for me on Wednesday night, it'll be morning in Singapore but that doesn't mean I won't be enjoying some Jungle Beers by the pool at the same time.

5 days in Taiwan.

Well, we just made it back to the Taoyuan airport in Taiwan for our flight to Singapore. After landing here 5 days ago we went straight to our hotel for the night. The following morning we road the train to hot springs located in the city. It seemed like we were some of the only Caucasians in town and it was pretty intimidating stripping down to my shorts and soaking in the hot springs with all the elderly locals. That night we took a ride on the world fastest elevator to the top of the Taipei 101, which is now the 2nd tallest building in the world. 

We had talked to a girl on the plane and she suggested going to the town of Yilan an hour south of Taipei. So the 2nd morning we took a bus to the small farming town. We found a little hostel where the host lent us his bikes so we could ride to a nearby town for a small Lantern festival. It was beautiful and riding the bike was really fun. The next morning we found a street cart making breakfast and coffee and had a chance to relax. 

Then it was back to Taipei where we met up with one of Erin's college friend who now lives there. Jackie and her boyfriend Ewing did a great job of showing us the true Teipai nightlife. After a huge meal and beers we went out to a couple clubs. We stayed out much too late and the following day was a long one. 

That was yesterday, and now we are about to board our flight to Sibgapore where we will be staying with Jesse and Jessi Timm and their 2 daughters. It was be great to get somewhere warm and sunny as Tsipei has been raining for several days!

Transitions

Oregon feels so long ago. The last 2 weeks have been packed with family and friends. I've done much more than I anticipated I would have time for. It seems that trip preparation has taken a backseat to spending time with those we haven't seen and won't see for an uncertain amount of time. After spending a night in Salt Lake City we made into Boulder in time for some live music at the Southern Sun. After 2 days of unpacking and organizing, we kicked things off with a bang. Erin and I and a whole mess of old Chautauqua coworkers got together in Denver for a grand reunion. The next evening we were entertaining both our families after my parents flew into Colorado just before dinner. The following days my family and friends relaxed with one another. We even spent a night at the Luck family cabin in Allenspark. A warm fire pushed out the cold while we made dinner and played euchre. My folks left town Thursday evening and early Friday I was headed up to Nederland to ride Eldora after they reported 21" of fresh snow in the previous 48 hours. That same evening I made it to Red Rocks with the ol' Dark Horse crew to see Jurassic 5 perform in the snow. The next evening we met up with friends to see the Mountain Sun 20th anniversary funk show at the Boulder Theater. That was last night, today is Super Bowl Sunday and we are headed to Eric's to watch the game. We will say our good byes after since we will be busy before our flight to LA tomorrow. We had an awesome time seeing everyone and sharing so many memorable experiences over the last 2 weeks. The gravity of our trip still hasn't sunk in and likely won't for another couple weeks. It still feels like a pipe dream even though we leave tomorrow. I will keep everyone posted on our whereabouts when time allows. Please comment if anything comes to mind. I will miss you all.