Batu Caves

For my last day in Malaysia I ventured outside the city to visit the nearby Batu Caves. This is an amazing site by any standard. It is an early Hindu ritual site, essentially what feels like a naturally existing Cathedral. The sandstone mountains open up to provide a surreal setting for a hindu ceremony.

Sounds echo, the light is dramatic and the texture of the walls speaks volumes. An architect would struggle to produce such an effect.

No I move north to Thailand. Be back soon… : )

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

I traveled up the Malay Peninsula from Singapore to Kuala Lumpur, the capital of Malaysia. Bus travel seems to be a good option to travel over land, Trains actually move a bit slower in this part of the world, and “VIP” Buses offer direct routes and have comfortable spacious seats.

Kuala Lumpur (“KL” as it is known) Seems to be playing “catch up” in comparison to sparkling Singapore. The city surely doesn’t lack in culture, it is a diverse mix of Malay, India, Arabic and Chinese. However, because recent development was built upon early infrastructure, this city is hard to navigate without a clear system of organization.

Because both the main bus terminal and (not so central) Central train station are under renovation – there is really so sense of arrival for the city. The iconic Petronas Towers help to orientate oneself in the city, especially when over cast skies and an equatorial sun make it hard to sense the cardinal directions.

The primary public open space is at the base of the Petronas towers. A large water feature flows through out. A common element in both KL and Singapore is the integration of rain water runoff into the street scape. Even when it isn’t raining, if I’m able to break though the humming of the city I can hear water flowing.

It is quite incredible the number of travelers I have encountered thus far. I had no idea so many young people would be trekking though south east Asia …

Orchard Central

This “Vertical Mall” opened their door sin May. This striking design, a product of DP Architects, showcases the vertical circulation and provides vibrant presence on the main shopping street of Orchard road. The Green Roof Sky Park is open to the public and the parking levels go as vertical as the shops. Retail is HUGE in Singapore .

At night time I went down to the Marina…: )

NUS + SAM

Today I ventured out of the city center to visit the National University of Singapore (NUS) Department of Architecture. School is out of session (Summer Vacation) but luckily staff was there to assist me. I was able to see their Student Archive exhibit, Located on a mezzanine level of a large space that appeared to be the Presentation Hall where they conduct critiques.

I’m NOT stealing ideas, I’m just thinking about how I could use them or improve upon them :)

I was looking for Studio Projects that tried to address Urban Issues of Singapore, among other things



Next to the Architecture Department, was the recently founded CENTER for SUSTINABLE ASAIN CITIES. It is research center for graduate students of the College of Design and Environment. View their Websites here

After all this I headed to the Singapore Art Museum for the afternoon. The current featured exhibit was of a painter/artist local to Malaysia/Singapore that is the iconic name for fine art in the contemporary age (Post WWII). Yeh Chi Wei shaped contemporary art for the region and was most famous for his Leadership in the TEN MEN GROUP. He organized Malay artist go on Travel excursions in search of New Material and inspirations. Sounds Familiar!?! Please check out his work! (Click on the side arrow to see more paintings)

Singapore

On My first day in Singapore I venture to the Marina district to marvel at the Modern additions to the densely populated City State. Along the way, I visited Fort Canning Park, a Central Acropolis from the British colonial Era, As well as passing through the Little India district. The Marina Bay district is the financial and commercial center of Singapore, with construction cranes piercing the skyline.

One thing that I can’t ignore is the climate, Hot and humid. However, there are several urban design mechanisms I have already noticed that address this. Almost are sidewalks are shaded by buildings overhanging above, to try and stay cool. Main streets are also shaded with large trees creating a Canopy (like the rainforest in which the city occupies) over the streets. Even more so, the busy urban space is actually indoors. Almost every city block has inter-connecting interior atriums that lead to other streets. All of which is air conditioned and houses the most important local activity: shopping.

Travel

So after 24 hours, 5 movies, 4 airplane meals I finally made it to Singapore. It is 2:00 am and I’m exhausted so I went straight to me hostel, the Fern Loft. When flying westward during the day, you move with the sun, so it stayed light for a very long time. I went to reach for my sunglasses (to cover my eyes for a nap) which were hanging on my search collar (true California fashion), but they weren’t there. NO Way. First my wallet, and now my sunglasses. So, it doesn’t take a genius to know that if I boarded the plan with my sunglasses, they have to still be on the plane somewhere. I looked all around, under my seat, checked the bathroom, nothing. With more than half the people on the plane speaking very little English, I decided to draw a picture to illustrate my issue.

Sure enough, someone from a few row back found them on the ground. I started feeling better after that. And now that I’m on the ground, it feels a lot better. I’m quite in the traveler’s state of mind just yet, but soon enough.

Packing for 10 weeks can be bit overwhelming. On one hand you figure ‘I must take everything – I must be prepared” while on the other hand, being over there for such a long time it is nearly impossible to account for everything prior to the trip. Well, I tried. Considering the amount of ground I will be covering, I wanted everything to mobile, out of the back pack.

I checked, double checked, triple checked. And it wasn’t until I was more than half way up to LAX, (coming from San Diego) before I realized I was missing one thing. My wallet. Perhaps it was just the one thing I over looked because it doesn’t belong in the pack. I don’t know, I can’t explain.

Well… Dad Came to rescue – He Dropped everything, met my brother at the park and ride to grab my wallet, charged up Highway 5 to the 405, getting to LAX in the nick of time. I was sweating bullets, pulling my hair out, all of the above. The airport staff was able to expedite the wallet pass security and rush it up to the boarding gate. It all came together. Quite incredible.

So I took this as a lesson to stop and think. You know, keep my feet on the ground. Even though, right now I am 32,000 up in the air.