I’m glad that the time has come again to open the computer, sit down and write.
It took me quite a while because the last few days were full of activities, flights and sleepless nights.
I’ll try to go back a little more than a week, to the days after the wedding in Hyderabad, even though a lot of water has passed in the Ganges since then.
In the days after the wedding, the rice bags were closed, the decor was returned to the attic and the schedule cleared up. I tried to use the last few days in India to wander the streets, explore the city and crave everything India has to offer before I returned to Western culture again.
On the first day after the wedding, I visited a stunning 11th-century fort called Golconda. I wandered through the Muslim neighborhood adjacent to the fort, which reminded me of a combination of Jaffa and India, except that Abu Hassan was replaced by a place that sold me a masala dosa for 30 rupees (1.2 shekels, even better then Abu Hassan).
My beloved masala dosa
The rest of the days I spent mostly with the Hyderabad gang (Liran, Snigda, Shrija, Barat and Vinky). We went to a local movie that tried to be Hollywood but came out a little too dramatic. Not a hit movie, but it was a hit so much that the shake I ordered came straight to my seat in the theater.
We were in an escape room and we were a second away from stealing the diamond, we ate at an all-you-can-eat restaurant where I celebrated my birthday according to the Indian calendar, Barat taught me to play badminton and we visited the cows of the temple.
Very, very fun days with really sweet people who entered my heart and I will try to keep in touch with them!
These days were also accompanied by excitement about the “real thing” that was approaching - New Zealand.
But it is known that on the way to New Zealand, you must stop at:
Singapore
Singapore…
What a place…
Apparently god wanted to make some kind of example for the country and created Singapore.
From the moment you land, you realize that something is different here, everything is neat, clean, clear.
I took the metro from the airport to Chinatown and after a morning coffee at Starbucks, I went for a wander. It was about 8 o’clock and the streets were pretty empty, but when I arrived at the complex of stalls, I saw a place bustling with life. Already at this early hour of the morning, the vendors were selling the turtles, eels and clams that they love so much. The sight of the poor animals huddled together in very small cages was not particularly pleasant to me, considering that the rice I had eaten a minute before probably wasn’t very vegan.
One of my favorite things to do in big cities is get an unlimited metro pass, it cost me about 20 Singapore dollars for two days. The metro in Singapore is amazing, so many lines that can take you to any point in the city with crazy frequency.
So after unlimited travel, the first stop was Gardens by the bay, a huge and beautiful park by the bay.
The botanical garden inside the park was amazing, a huge variety of plants from all over the world. From South American cacti, through Mediterranean olive trees to monstrous baobab trees.
The fatigue from the flight was felt on the walk along the way To the Red Dot Museum. Luckily, on the way I came across a casino that raised my adrenaline level to the point where I didn’t feel tired at all. After depositing my bag and camera, I entered the casino like a little kid entering a candy store.
The truth is, I really felt like a kid. I didn’t know how this whole thing worked, what the procedure was for me to throw my best money down the drain. After wandering between the slot machines and the blackjack tables, I decided that the most classic thing was to lose my money on roulette.
Just me and the dealer, she explains to me how it works and what the chances of winning are in each of the options. I decide to be solid and put 30 Singapore dollars on red. Of course I lost, the house always wins.
A sense of responsibility came over me and I decided that now was not a good time to indulge in gambling. I got up and walked towards the exit, when on the way I noticed a drinks machine, I asked one of the employees if it was paid and he replied no - Yay! I had a coffee that was pretty reasonable, and it was the most expensive coffee I’ve ever had, a coffee for 30 Singapore dollars.
Coffee at the casino
From the casino I continued to the Red Dot Museum, which is a design museum that houses products that have won the coveted Red Dot design award. To be honest, the products there didn’t usually knock me out of my chair, which surprisingly were mostly from giant companies like Apple and Philips.
I arrived at the hostel, a good hour’s nap was enough to recharge my batteries for now and I headed towards the Chabad House Singapore. I wanted to experience at least one candle lighting this year. It was nice to meet some Israelis and chat, we lit candles and I continued on my way.
The next day I went to one of the malls to look for a computer bag. On the way I met Marco (not who you think). Marco is a cool, Italian guy who flies an Airbus for Emirates (worth keeping in touch).
Among the shops in the mall I found a place with flight simulator, I put my hand in my pocket and paid 150 shekels for half an hour where I would be a fighter pilot, my wet dream since I was 10. It was very cool, the simulator works with VR and it feels almost real (well not really, but it’s the closest I’ll probably get). The instructor explained how to take off, land and do cool tricks in the air, he was proud of me and said that I was flying beautifully.
The moment came and I had to move to the airport. Metro and I was there.
At the airport in Singapore there is a mall called Jewel which is full of shops and also the tallest indoor waterfall in the world (how many indoor waterfalls are there in the world?). Anyway, I thought this was a good point to go back to the photography classes I was taking for myself and that’s where my first long exposure photo was taken.
After a not-so-bad Subway (thanks Liran and Snigda for exposing me to the concept). I went to find out if my bag was sent straight to New Zealand or if someone threw it in the trash. Of course, in Singapore, as in Singapore, everything is done legally and the bag will meet me at New Zealand (which made me walk around in pretty smelly clothes for a few days).
The airport in Singapore is a wonder in itself. It has so many things that people come there a few hours before just for the attractions, like a free movie and a butterfly garden. When we finally got on the plane, the pilot informed us that there was a problem with one of the systems and that they would now try to fix it, which really calmed the passengers.
We took off and I was able to sit down and finish the job that started somewhere in Shalom Aleichem 38, completing the Lord of the Rings trilogy.
I must say that I am not a big fan of science fiction, we watched the first two films in the middle of the night and I am aware that I closed an eye or two in many parts.
The third film was definitely the best of them and the proof of this is that I did not fall asleep at all. The film ended and I gave the pilot permission to land.
Here I am! New Zealand!
(This post was written after I have been in New Zealand for a week but I will not give you any spoilers)