Singapore: My General Impressions

Blue skies are the perfect background for the Marina Bay Sands hotel.

"What a fun city, but it's so...small." I thought in my hostel bunk on my last night in Singapore. 

Well, to be fair, great things can come in small sizes. Quality over quantity. You know all the bumper stickers sayings that back the little things in life. 

In terms of size, Singapore fits right in with those sayings as the core area of the city sits on a physically small area of space. But as all the David over Goliath phrases tell us, small things sure can pack a punch. I knew Singapore was a small city before, but I didn't realize that it was literally possible to visit all major districts and tourist spots in only two full days.

Night view of part of the Singapore skyline.

Visitors to the Republic of Singapore should know that it is a sovereign city-state, which means the city has its own government and therefore functions like it's own country.

In my opinion, one should not fly halfway across the world for the sole purpose of exploring Singapore. But if you you live in Asia and need a weekend getaway, or if you're planning a trip to Malaysia, the Philippines, Indonesia, ect., Singapore is worth two days in your itinerary. It's honestly one of the best places I've been to in terms of food and history, a place where Chinese, Indian, Malaysian and imperialistic British culture collide in an amalgamation of color, taste, and expressions. The diversity of Singapore is apparent as there are four official languages: English, Chinese, Tamil, and Malay.  

Exploring the Sapporo Beer Museum

The iconic Sapporo Beer logo.

The museum entrance.

Known for it's annual snow festival, indigenous Ainu culture, and shiroi koibito（白い恋人）or "white sweetheart" cookies, the city of Sapporo is also synonymous with beer as Sapporo is the original home of the Sapporo Brewery. Hence, any visitor to the city must stop by the Sapporo Beer Museum（サッポロビール博物館）.

Whether you're a beer aficionado or not (I am the former, ha!), the Sapporo Beer Museum is a great place to visit as it conveys Sapporo history from an interesting perspective. The iconic beer company not only introduced the well-known beverage to Japan, but was also a defining presence in the alcohol industry during both Japan's pre-WWII and economic miracle days. Today, the company has internationalized and is one of the most respected beer brewers in the world. In fact, it is the best-selling Asian beer in the world. 

Trippin' Out at the Seoul Trickeye Museum

Although they're getting visibly old, the paintings at Trick Eye Museum Seoul are gorgeous!

When you're an adult, it's refreshing to visit places that make you feel like a kid again. I'd say the best place to do that in Seoul is the Trickeye Museum. 

"I'm a genie in a bottle~"

With locations in major cities like Singapore, Hong Kong, and Phuket, the Trickeye Museum features numerous brilliantly painted sets where you can take fun pictures. As the name suggests, the sets play tricks on the eye. With the use of simple props and the extension of the paintings from the wall to the floor, visitors will have a blast posing for Instagram worthy photos. 

Some of the illusions require a bit of mild contortion to pull off (i.e., crouching and laying on the floor), but mosts guests will find the majority of the exhibitions accessible to them.

WWII's Baby Nurses: Remembering the Himeyuri Students

The haunting portraits of the Himeyuri students displayed at the Himeyuri Peace Museum.
Source: Yahoo! Japan

"Whenever I saw dead bodies on the ground, I thought I wanted to die before the others so they could bury me. My fear was to be the last one on Earth." 

   --Hideko Yoshimura, Himeyuri survivor (Japan Times, 2007)

Although they attended high school in Japan over 70 years ago, the girls of Okinawa Daiichi Women's High School and Okinawa Shihan Women's High School were, in essence, like any other high school girls you'd find in any place at any time. They giggle with their friends, shared secrets, played sports, and studied hard as they worked toward graduation. But unlike many other high school girls, the young women from the two high schools were mad to grow up quickly during the chaos of the last days of World War II. Shooting and basic nursing care lessons progressively took precedence over math and Japanese classes. Eventually, they traded their school uniforms and classrooms for nursing outfits and crude cave clinics. By the end of the Battle of Okinawa, 12,000 American soldiers, 200,000 Japanese soldiers and civilians, and 136 Japanese schoolgirl nurses perished. 

The Iwamakura Monument on which is inscribed
a poem dedicated to the fallen girls written by
Mr. Seizen Nakasone, one of the Himeyuri teachers.
It was erected on April 7, 1946.

Even in the chaos of war, how could those girls have imagined losing their lives in cave bombings? What raced through the minds of those who held grenades to blow themselves up in order to avoid capture? What were the last thoughts of those who leapt off the capes at the southernmost tip of Okinawa island toward an imminent death in the beautiful turquoise ocean? 

And what of the survivors who had no choice but to leave their friends to die and live on with indelible memories of crude surgeries and the smell of death? 

The Himeyuri Peace Museum may not answer these questions for you, but after your visit, you will feel the pain of the Himeyuri or "Lily Corps" girls. You will feel their heartache and the echos of their unfulfilled wishes caused by tragic, untimely deaths. 

Himeyuri was the name given to the military nursing unit formed by 222 students and 18 teachers from the two women's high schools. After training as part of the curriculum in 1944, the girls were sent to the front lines on March 23, 1945 to assist the Imperial Japanese Army. 

Reflection: 21 Solo Days Through East Asia

Overlooking the ocean in Okinawa.

Hiking, biking, laughing, crying...it seems I experienced it all when I took a 21-day trip through East Asia from mid-January to early February of this year.

I've taken a few solo trips before, but none were as long and extensive as this one. As day one of the trip approached, I felt a new kind of anxiety and excitement. 

Would everything pan out?

What would I learn about and see?

How would I hold up on such a long trip?

Have I finally gone too far?

I planned to travel by train, ferry, and airplane to each destination, just me and a suitcase. Expectations? I can't say I had any. Well, I knew I'd have to change currencies and SIM cards several times! But I truly didn't know what to expect. Comments from others on travel websites can only give a Pollock-style preview of what you might see on your travels. What others see and describe online may or may not be an accurate picture of your destinations. So, even in this technological age, traveling still means going off into the unknown.

Hawaii State Art Museum

"Hanauma Bay Series: Ronin Samurai" (1982), a watercolor by Masami Teraoka (1936-).
This piece is done in Japanese Ukiyo-e influenced style and is my favorite piece in the museum. 

The Hawaii State Art Museum is comprised of four galleries—the Diamond Head Gallery, the Ewa Gallery, the Sculpture Lobby, and the Sculpture Garden—and features the work of over 100 Hawaiian artists, most of which are Asian American (i.e., Chinese or Japanese), or who moved to Hawaii and spent a significant time in the state. Although the majority of the pieces were created in the 1960s, there are a few newer works of art. 

The history of the museum is quite interesting. The building began as a hotel in 1872, which was converted into a YMCA in 1917, then subsequently used as a military outpost during WWI. Since then, it has became the Hawaii State Art Museum and the home of the Hawaii State Foundation on Culture and the Arts. It is also a popular wedding venue, likely because of the gorgeous scenery.

Patrons can visit the museum for free; therefore, there is no excuse not to stop by if you're in downtown Hawaii! While the gallery is small, the artwork is beautiful and rich.

The Römisch-Germanisches Museum

The museum with a glimpse of the Dom on the left.

The Römisch-Germanisches Museum or Roman-German Museum (RGM) is an archeological museum conveniently located next to the Dom and Schildergasse across from Cologne Main Station, so there's no excuse not to visit!

Like many other museums in Europe, students under the age of 25 who produce a students card are able to receive a discount on their admission ticket. When I visited the museum (June 2014), student admission was just over 3 euros (~$3.35). 

Imhoff-Schokoladenmuseum Köln

The museum entrance.

The Imhoff-Schokoladenmuseum Köln is one of the most popular museums in Cologne, and in Germany. Its popularity was apparent the day my friend and I visited as there was a large, international crowd there. Admission is expensive at 9 euros, but children can enter for 6 euros, and if you have an international student ID card like I did, you pay 6 euros.

Naturally, the admission price does not include entrance to the museum cafe which serves a variety of specialty chocolate treats and drinks. We thought the cafe might be expensive, so since we were on a tight budget and knew we would make purchases at the gift shop after exploring the museum, my friend and I opted to skip the cafe.

The Louvre

The main entrance to the Louvre is just under that glass pyramid.

It might sound a little crazy, but my least favorite museum visit was the Louvre. I don't think it has anything to do with the actual museum, the exhibits, the location, or anything. I think it mostly has to do with the timing both because I went at a busy time of day and my trip to France was short (10 days). I think if I had gone later in the afternoon after lunch, there would have been less people in the museum. Also, if I had several days to return to the Louvre,  I would have seen a lot more of the gems the museum has to offer.

A courtyard outside one of the wings of the museum.

Instead, I visited in the morning with a friend when all the tour groups were coming in - well, in general, a lot of people were arriving at that time because, I assume, many tourists start a least one of their days in Paris at the Louvre. Due to the number of people, it was difficult to get a good look at and take pictures of the famous paintings and sculptures. I would definitely recommend spending a complete day or two at the Louvre checking it out. I think this might be a little hard for tourists who come from out of the EU though. If you are an EU citizen 25 or under you can enter any museum within the union for free. If you are that same age but not an EU citizen, you get a discount, but perhaps it might not be big enough to justify paying money to get in the museum multiple days in a row since, unfortunately, there is no multiple day pass to get into the Louvre. In my opinion, it would definitely be worth it. 

When you disregard my mistake in terms of timing when going to the Louvre, it does live up to expectation as it has a seemingly endless catalogue of things to see. The map that you can pick up at the first floor of the museum is offered in several languages and tells you in detail where all the popular paintings and sculptures (Mona Lisa, Seated Scribe, Gabrielle d'Estrees and one of Her Sisters, etc.) are located. There's no need to worry if you're directionally challenged like myself, haha. All the different rooms in the Louvre are named and color coded, and there are several people around which are paid to help you get where you'd like to go.

Tuileries Park & Musée de l'Orangerie

Just inside Tuileries Park.

A manmade lake in the park in front of
the famous Luxor Obelisk with the
Arc of Triumph in the background. 

I chalk it up to my unfamiliarity with Paris, but I didn't know that Musée de l'Orangerie was in a park until I was led there by my friend. I didn't think it would be anything special, but Tuileries Park is gorgeous and worth a stroll or a sit if you're tired.

The day I was there, several people were visiting as it was a beautiful day. In my opinion, parks in Paris often have a "beach" feel as there is usually gravel rather than grass on park grounds. So, I felt everyone at Tuileries Park looked like a bunch of over-dressed beach-goers, especially around the artificial lake since it resembles a swimming pool. Nonetheless, the scenery was great, and I was content to be one of the many enjoying it.