That's a wrap everybody!

In 109 days visited 7 countries, 2 autonomous regions and 1 island country, explored world cities St Petersburg, Moscow, Ulan Baatar, Beijing, Shanghai, Delhi, Mumbai, Hong Kong, Singapore and Dubai, paid with AED, IDR, HKD, CNY, RUB, INR, SGD, NPR and MNT, admired 2 new world wonders, tried to speak Russian, Chinese, Mongolian, Nepalese, Indian, Indonesian and Arabic, crossed 11 time zones, spent two weeks at an altitude over 3400m, took 52 GB of pictures, travelled on the slowest, fastest, highest and most famous trains of the world, practised at least 60 hours of yoga, learned how to surf, tried to figure out the differences between Chinese, Nepalese, Mongolian, Indian and Indonesian hinduism and buddhism, left Delhi (and India for that matter) without a Delhi belly and Bali without a Bali belly, supposedly extended my life with 25 years by swimming in freezing Lake Baikal, Siberia, explored the Mongolian steppe by horse in the footsteps of Ghengis Khan, drank vodka, ate caviar and played cards on the Trans Siberian Express, finally saw (many) dolphins in the wild and Orangutans in the zoo, crossed the Gobi desert by train, the Jaisalmer desert by camel and Dubai desert by 4WD, was slapped on the but with a burning stick in a Siberian sauna, spent time with Lenin('s corpse) on the Red Square, Moscow, admired Rembrandt's paintings in the Hermitage, St Petersburg, climbed the Great Wall, wandered the forbidden city, ate homecooked food in the Hutongs of Beijing, China and the home of Shaleindra Gupta in Goa, India, drank yak butter tea with the Tibetan monks, reached Everest Basecamp at an altitude of 5200m, ate quail in Nepal, cried for Mumtaz at the Taj Mahal, lived as a Maharaja princess at the Lake Palace in Udaipur, survived the monsoon (and a deadly busride) in Kathmandu valley, near missed a train crash in Shanghai and plane crash in Nepal, survived an earthquake in Bali and Tibet, yawned at the Terracotta warriors, wined and dined in Hong Kong, cooked porkbuns in a Chinese restaurant, bought sandalwood for a cremation in the holy city Varanasi, hung out in the slums Mumbai, survived in Goa on a daily diet of Kingfisher and Kingfish, drank a glass of wine in the middle of the rainforest of Singapore, cruised the Friendship highway, rode a bicycle in Delhi, Beijing and Ubud, smoked a sheesha in the Dubai desert, lived Eat Pray Love in Bali and much more...

Now back to the Winter Wonderland West...

The Lion City

The English name of Singapore is derived from the Malay "Singapura" (singa = lion, pura = city) hence the customary reference to the nation as the Lion City. Lions probably never lived there - the beast seen by Sang Nila Utama, founder of ancient Singapore, who gave the city its name, was most likely a tiger...















Modern Singapore was founded as a trading post of the East India Company by Sir Stamford Raffles in 1819 with permission from the Sultanate of Johor. The British obtained full sovereignty over the island in 1824 and Singapore became one of the British Straits Settlements in 1826. It became internally self-governing in 1959. Singapore united with other former British territories to form Malaysia in 1963 and became a fully independent state two years later after separation from Malaysia.










About 40 percent of Singapore's residents are foreigners, one of the highest percentage in the world. Foreign workers make up 80% of the construction industry and up to 50% in the service industry.









Singapore is one of only two cities with a protected reserve of primary rainforest within their boundaries (the other is Rio de Janeiro).









As a visitor to Singapore, you can get a refund of the 5 percent Goods & Services Tax (GST) you pay on purchases that you are taking home if you spend S$100 or more in a single estalishment.






The chewing gum ban in Singapore was enacted in 1992. It bans the import and sale of chewing gum in Singapore. This law was created because people disposed of gum incorrectly by sticking it under places like chairs or tables.

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Location:Singapore, Singapore

Christmas in the tropics

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Location:Singapore, Singapore

OuouOrangutan!

Considering the far exceeded travel budget, an Orangutan watching trip to Kalimantan was out of the question. The budget alternative: Singapore zoo. The free ranging area in Singapore's jungle allows the 24 funny creatures (btw humans and orangutangs have 97% DNA in common) to swing, climb and play. Major save!

















No worries, also spotted quite a few monkeys in the wild (one managed to steal a pair of glasses which it refused to trade for a mango, then pretended to trade them for a banana, but eventually casually threw the glasses off a cliff - obviously after it had grabbed the banana - while smiling)













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Location:Singapore zoo, Sinagpore - Singapore & Bali, Indonesia

A perfect day...

@ Shots, a cafe on Ann Siang Hill



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Location:Singapore - Singapore

Balinese cuisine VI - The essentials II: Nasi Kuning (yellow fragrant rice)

Last but not least: Nasi Kuning, rice flecked with fried onion, lemon basil, ginger and chilli which is considered food for the Gods.

NASI KUNING (yellow fragrant rice)



Ingredients

For soaking with the rice:
1 1/2 cups of white rice
1/2 cup water
1 heaped tbsp turmeric (grated)

For steaming with the rice:
5 salam leaves
2 lemongrass
3 lime leaves
1 pandan leaf

To mix with the steamed rice:
2 tbsp suna sekoh (for recipe see Balines cuisine III)
3 tsp sambal goreng (for recipe see Balinese cuisine II)
7 lime leaves (shredded)
2 tbsp lemon basil (shredded)
1/4 tsp salt
3 tbspn fried shallots
3 kaffir lime
2 tbsp torch ginger petals (sliced)

Blend fresh turmeric with the 1/2 cup of water and strain. Mix the turmeric juice withh the rice and add water to cover. Soak for 15 minutes until the rice is golden.
Strain the rice and steam with the aromatic leaves until dry and fluffy. If you use a rice cooker, add a little less water.


Fry the sunah cekoh paste in coconut oil over medium flame for around 3 minutes until it appears separated. Keep moving the mixture back and forth so it does not burn and add water if the mixture is too dry. Set aside.
Mix the steamed rice with the final seasonings: sambal goreng, kafffir lime, fried shallots, suna cekoh, lemon basil, torch ginger and salt.




Check seasonings and garnish with fried shallots. Combine all the dishes previously published and enjoy your rijsttafel!



SELAMAT MAKAN!

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Location:Ubud - Bali, Indonesia

The people of Bali

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Location:Bali, Indonesia