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… And Nobody Gets Hurt
I went to the Jurong Bird Park today, over on the west end of Singapore. A lovely place! It was hot as a 70’s vintage Lava Lamp, and the usual 100% humidity. Made finding some of the birds very difficult, as they are apparently smarter than the humans; they were staying in cool places in the shade. So much for “bird brains.”
I did manage to see birds of all sizes, shapes and colors. Some moving quickly, some just standing and watching the parade. I cooled down a bit at the “World’s Tallest Man-Made Waterfall.” Not many birds there, but lots of overheated humanity. Riding the Panorail also made for some nice breaks from the oppressive heat.
The lories were the most fun. They have this huge aviary with about 1,000 of the friendly little birds, all sorts of colors. Children are “allowed” to feed them from a small cup of syrup, after their parents have paid for the syrup, of course. That juice brings lots of the birds around, who proceed to fearlessly hop on the arms, shoulders and heads of any children in the area. The birds don’t even blink when one of the small house-apes panics and screams because six birds want to drink from their one, lonely cup. I guess the kids have been staying up too late, watching Hitchcock movies.
After melting for a few hours, I decided to head home. My money was all spent, mostly on water. I had a San Pellegrino which set me back $9 Singapore, and a small iced tea which dragged another $4 from my pocket. I bought a hat, which I’ll write off as survival gear, and two shirts. I had just enough money left for lunch. As long as I didn’t eat that in the bird park, of course.
There’s a thriving outdoor market at the bus terminal that feeds the Jurong East MRT Station. I strolled the tents looking for spicy grub. I tried some Taiwanese-style sausage, and they were good. Most of the heat was from a heat lamp, though. I wanted chiles! But surprisingly, I couldn’t find any.
I bought some fried chicken pieces on a stick, and they gave me a small plastic cup of a red hot sauce. Looked a lot like Sriracha, but with obvious chunks of garlic and onion in it. I thought, “Boy, this looks good!” and made ready to dive in. The shop owner began to jabber at me and point at the sauce. I thought I heard ” Sila bear naughty-hottie rooing da hot sauce.” Well, I’ve heard worse in my time, and the fellow didn’t seem to be trying to insult me, exactly. I decided he must really want me to try the condiment. I dug in.
That stuff was liquid fire. My sinuses were immediately scorched clear.
Then I remembered the sign on the doors of the trains. “Sila berhati-hati ruang di platform!” Beware of the platform. Gee thanks, guy. I hope you enjoyed your little laugh. I enjoyed the hot sauce, once the pain subsided.
I guess I should learn more Malay before my next excursion in Singapore…
Enjoy the Heat!
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