Hong Kong, Singapore

From Hong Kong, Singapore, Koh Phangnan

A lot has happened since my last update. Let me fill you in. I survived a typhoon (what they call a hurricane in asia) in Hong Kong, watched the first night race in Formula 1 history, and am now looking for some adventures off a tiny island in the Gulf of Siam. This is going to be a very long post, forgive me.

Well, let me begin with the typhoon. I had originally had a 5:30 pm flight from Shanghai to HK, but they put me on an earlier flight because of quote 'very bad weather' in HK. I didn't realize it but HK was getting pummeled by the 8th typhoon of the season here in Asia. Needless to say, the plane ride was probably the scariest flight I've ever been on. The turbulence caused by the high winds made the plane rock violently up and down. At point, I just decided to say some prayers, because I didn't if the plane could land in that type of weather. I decided I would be grateful for anything as long as I survived that flight. We landed safely obviously, but at the cost of a punctured tire. Apparently, one of the tires blew up when we hit the ground.

After I landed, I had to figure out how to get to the hostel, but HK was basically shut down. There were no cars, or buses allowed on the streets, so my only option was to take a more expensive train into the city. Looking for a hostel located in a high rise in a foreign city carring 50 lbs of luggage on your back, while trying to not get swept of the ground because of the high winds was slightly challenging (Yes, i know that was a run-on). Anyway, long story short, made it to the hostel, and was basically ready to write off being able to see anything in HK the next day. Amazingly, the next day was much calmer. Sky was still cloudy and it was windy, but it stopped raining. So, I was able to see some of the HK sights, like taking the Star Ferry across the harbor. I went to the HK Museum of History, and I went to the top of Victoria Peak and was able to take some really cool pics of the entire skyline. HK, I have to say is up there with NYC and Chicago in terms of beautiful skylines. It may be the best actually. HK, like Shanghai but to an even greater degree, is a westernized city. Even though it is now technically a part of China, it is more like a city you'd find in the States than a Chinese city. Pretty much everyone can speak English, you can get any type of food you'd find in the States there, and everyone wears suit and tie.

From Hong Kong, Singapore, Koh Phangnan

After a day in HK, I took a flight to Singapore. I stayed with my former co-worker Erik. For the next 6 days there I got barely any sleep, ate really badly, and spent way too much money. But, it was a fun experience. I've always wanted to see an F1 race live, and I can now say I did. To people who do not know too much about F1. It is basically creme de le creme of racing cars. No car is faster around a track than F1 cars. They are more like jets than cars actually. In fact, an F1 car can drive upside down at 200 mph because they produce so much downforce. Ok, enough of the geeky facts, what is it like in person? Just imagine the loudest noise you have ever heard, and multiply it by 2. They produce this wall of sound that shakes everything as they go by. It's just amazing how much energy is produced by these cars. Everything vibrates, it feels like the ground is even shaking as they go by. The drivers are unquestionably some of the finest athletes in the world to be able to process so much information so quickly. And they did it at night! I highly suggest if you have the chance to see F1 live, you go. You can't appreciate the violence and raw speed of the cars on TV.

From Hong Kong, Singapore, Koh Phangnan

Besides F1, I did a few other things in Singapore, like visit Little India. I really like Little India because it really does feel like India, except it's cleaner. I went to Komala Vilas and had some authentic South Indian Thali. Mom, you'll be happy to know I took a break from eating bird brains, and had sambar satham, thyer satham, and brinjal curry. I visited a temple there, and got into a debate with this Hare Krishna guy about the nature of God. I, of course, visited Mustafa's shopping complex. It's like the Walmart of Singapore. It's huge and messy, and very easy to get lost in.

After six days in Singapore, I got tired of city life, and decided to fly into Koh Samui, an island off the coast of Thailand. From there, I took a boat to a smaller island called Koh Phangnan which is the mecca of the Full Moon party. Thankfully, I'm too early for the full moon party because I'm partied out. I'm in the northern part of the island where it is much more relaxed and village like. It suits me better I think.