When You Wake Up On The Wrong Side Of The Planet

Stupid: Being called a bitchy little terrier that woke up on the wrong side of the planet.

(I had tried to say I had woken up on the wrong side of the bed. But being that I am in Asia and how astronomically I had blown something out of proportion, it kind of was the wrong side of the planet.)

Sort of cool: Trying to be adult enough to acknowledge the person was right and apologize for being a complete wicked witch that morning.

The Value of Destination Known - Singapore

I have been a serious world traveler for over a decade and have long been aware that thematic travelers tend to enjoy their travels more than those whose destination is unknown.

There are the more common themes, gastro-tourists, night clubbers and art museum connoisseurs.

But there are also more unusual themes, the guy who played a round of golf in every port (Mark Dugger), the girl who manages to find the farmer's market/street food region of every city (Kathy de la Cruz), the geocacher at every opportunity (Darren). 

I have always envied them their sense of purpose and destination, the intrinsic convenience of knowing where to go without having to think about it.

As I wandered Singapore’s Garden by the Sea, two days after Malaysia’s Penang Botanical Gardens, it dawned on me, after near decades of travels, what my theme is.

I like gardens. 

A realization spawned by one of the most spectacular gardens of the world.

I guess this should not have surprised me. My first vacation, where I chose the destination, was backpacking in Hawaii. Recently, where was I happiest, Malaysia in the rainforest. My job takes me from city to city, which is exciting, but not my natural domain. I am happiest outdoors. Now I know, apparently, that means city gardens.

I left the ship in search of hair gel, stumbling upon the gardens completely by accident. I returned to the ship, enchanted.

Cool: Gardens and discovering my urban touristic theme.

Stupid: Despite perhaps hundreds of acres of beauty, the Singapore Gardens by the Sea has by far the worst postcards I have ever seen.

It Is A Hard Job, But Someone Has To Do it

Cool: I was required, for work, to hit two bars before 11am.

Stupid: How unexciting it actually was.

But it sounds cool.

The details: On a cruise ship, some of the largest spaces onboard are bars. So naturally, large meetings are held in bars. That kind of kills the alluring illusion.  Nonetheless, nothing like starting a Tuesday at 8:30am in “Luxe,” a luxury bar.

Cool: Walking down the corridor at work, around 2pm, to find waffles and an ice cream sundae bar set up.

“Why?” you ask

“Why not?” I ask.

Stupid: The required lecture on BMI tomorrow.  (BMI meaning body mass index, and the lecture meaning “Are you fat?” Oh the irony….)

Not That I Needed A Reason, But Here Is A Good One

Today was one of the most amazing days of my life, for reasons I can’t really explain.

When you live aboard a ship, which travels from port to port daily, days are not dates or days of the week. Days are places.  Thus, today was Penang, Malaysia.

I left the ship, went to the mall where I grabbed a Starbucks Frappuccino, and from there hailed a taxi to the Botanical Gardens.

I had read to beware of the cheeky monkeys at the gardens. So my first stop when I arrived at the gardens was a bin (aka trashcan) to toss my Frappuccino in.

Monkeys are not stupid. They hang out between the bins and the entrance. Seeing this naive, white tourist approaching, clearly with yummy drink in hand, one charged for my Frappuccino. 

Startled by this fast approaching, small, but no doubt ferocious monkey, I kind of shrieked and the Frappuccino was thrown aside as a diversion tactic.

Mission accomplished! The monkey grabbed my Frappuccino and high tailed it up a tree to enjoy.

I was outsmarted by a fifteen-pound monkey. But it was worth the photo op.

My cheeky friend, playing it coy, up the tree:

From there I wandered the gardens and was blessed with miles of Malaysian rainforest trails.  I love hiking, heat (85 degrees F), humidity, lush green growth, a blue sky, solitude, in a world away from home.

 

Before leaving home, my girlfriend somewhat ordered my return to travel writing, with the twist of post-cancer (times two), cognizance.

As I dripped sweat and gained altitude, I honestly could not think of a place in the world I would rather be.

 

Today was a reason I survived cancer.

 

 

Return To Sea

As I sit here, about to depart Singapore for Jakarta, I feel strangely at home in this place I have never been, and have only stayed three hours.

You see, I am a traveler at heart. Airports, airplanes for that matter, bring me a comfort I cannot explain.

So Stupid Cool, a concept born of my adjustments as an American student living in Scotland, sent as an email distribution before the days of blogs, is hereby reborn after a three year sabbatical.

The last three years, I returned to land (as sailors call it after working at sea). It was a strange three years, a combination of university studies for a masters, months spent in Los Angeles traffic and an aggressive year long, quite frankly disfiguring, cancer treatment.

The plane just banked and I am treated to a marvelous sunrise over Singapore.

Stupid Cool was started to allow me one complaint about living abroad and then one mention of something I appreciated. It was a mental exercise to assist my adjustment and tell my friends and family about my travels. It morphed, in steps, from something "Stupid" about Scotland and something "Cool" about Scotland (sent via an ever expanding email distribution list, when blog was a typo not a word) to a travel blog around 2004.

Now Stupid Cool returns.

So with that…

Stupid: Nope, I got nothing.

Cool: I love Singapore airport, decked out with abundant displays of vibrant, robust, full-bloom orchids. They also have a butterfly gallery, which I did not walk through in the dark at 4am. But I did cross paths with an airport working transporting an escapee, a big brilliant blue exotic butterfly.

Also Cool: a shower after 26 hours of travel with eight more to go.

Next stop: Jakarta, where I board my once home, Crystal Symphony, a 950 guest luxury cruise ship where I will work and travel nearly 20,000 miles over the next three months.

P.S. Thought of a "Stupid."

Stupid: The health insurance company which nearly prevented me from attaining and traveling with my cancer medication for this trip.

But I am here now!