One heck of a Friday!

It was the best of days, it was the worst of days….

Where is the juicy stuff you ask?  Friday, the mayhem began.  I am still at the hostel and since I am the first one up always, my daily routine is to get ready and pack up my stuff in the dark as to not disturb the others in the room.  After bumbling through this morning task, I headed out to the office.  The day prior I had a meeting to obtain my working pass.  Of course I was missing a document and had to return the next day, and of course that document was across town locked in my desk at work.  So I went to work.  1 hour of transport  (yes, even with a great transport system it takes a while, city of 5 million folks).  I worked for 2 hours and then went for a follow up appointment about my pass (45 minutes of transport).  And back – add on 45 minutes.  The good news is that I got my pass and so I will indeed be paid!  At the end of this blog also see some pics of the downtown/colonial area. 

So by now I am a little tired, a little sweaty, and a little hungry because I haven’t eaten yet due to my malaria medication.  No, I don’t have, which this is preventative medication.  Back a bit early from my appointment I sat down for lunch in the cafeteria.  Now if you know me, you know part of traveling is not only experiences with the eyes, but with the mouth and stomach as well.  So at the lunch cafeteria, I picture ordered what I thought was Asian meat balls and noodles.  No, no, oh no.  Fish balls and some very suspect noodle/broth combo.  I was sick immediately, could not stomach it though I tried. 

Back to work then until…2 hours later I suddenly got very red and very hot all over.   Allergic reaction.  How exciting for day 3 on the job.  So I hiked across campus sweating like champion to the wellness center arriving in a steamy sweat, red hot as a chillybad, itching like a bad encounter with poison ivy.  Fish ball soup. 

Here is the culprit.

So S$13 later (damn right cheap, efficient and prompt health care system!) I was on antihistamines and off to have dinner in Little India with my colleagues and a former Whitewater student Daniel (a young man from Singapore who did study abroad).  He took us to a traditional Indian restaurant served in a traditional way.   I will let these pics do most of the talking.

Now given the fact that I had an allergic reaction,  I decided not to take part in fish head curry with the others.   But it looked awesome.  The evidence is above.  The food was great, unbelievable to eat of a giant leaf.  Our friend Daniel luckily new all the tricks of eating hot curry and advised us to drink lime juice with it.  Next time you eat spicy food, you must try lime juice avec.

Finally, afterwards, he took us to grab the traditional coffee of Singapore, milk coffee called Kopi.  Great stuff.  Dare I say on par with the coffee in Italy or France?  Is Singapore hotter than the face of the sun?  I declare this coffee King of Coffee!

I am gassed.  It was a long week, a long day, a sick day, gluttonous day, busy day.  Tomorrow, I embrace tourism.

Singapore fun fact day 4: Lee Kuan Yew was the countries first Prime Minister, taking power in 1959, a position which he held until 1990.  His son the current Prime Minister.