The Last Day

May 25, 2007
Kuala Lumpur - Day 25

Sadly, today is the last day of our month long expedition across Asia. With our bus scheduled to arrive in the afternoon, a couple of us made the most of the sunny morning by following Professor Johnson to the Central Market to buy some last minute souvenirs before the final departure. The Central Market is a heritage site and shopping center rolled into one. It houses an assortment of arts and crafts shops that cater to tourists: wooden crafts, embroideries, silverware, art galleries, kopitams etc., makes it a great place to find authentic Malaysian goods. Interestingly, the space is divided into different ethnic enclaves like a city. Inside the building you can find a "Little India", a "Malay Street" and even a "Straits Chinese".















Central Market

After a long 7 hour bus ride back to Singapore, we said our official group goodbyes before settling into our dorm rooms for the night. Still feeling restless, however, and with a few more hours left, I called up a Singaporean friend and headed to Orchard Road for one last walking tour of the country.
















Final group shot - minus some Singaporeans

After a late night dinner at what my friend says is the best Chicken Rice shop in the country, we wound our way into the business district and along the Singapore River to Clarke Quay where I saw my first homeless people from this city sleeping along the paved bank of the water. Even in the early hours of the morning, Singapore (for the most part), is still open for business. In the background, we could hear the occasional boom of music from night clubs. Tea shops continued to brew flavoured drinks for their patrons and eateries kept their doors open for hungry bodies tired after a night of partying. And while we sat by the Merlion, there were fishermen casting their lines into the waters and small groups of people laughing away until sunset.

I'll miss this city a lot.

These three weeks have gone by so fast. I feel like I've only had a glimpse into the different cultures of each destination we touched. This program has made me re-evaluate the meaning of being "Chinese". I'm amazed at the diversity of these people and I'm even more in love and fascinated with the cultures of this world.















One last group hug
















Bye!