Sing, Sing, Sing (with a Swing) Benny Goodman

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4-25-07

I know, I'm posting this one about ten days late.  So sue me.  I'm in Indonesia somewhere now and the internet connection just aint what it could be.  Besides, I was only in Singapore for two nights so it shouldn't even count at all.  At least that's what all these 'seasoned' travelers keep telling me.  Sidebar: there is definitely a snobbery elite amongst the globetrekking backpackers of the world.  It's like anyone who spends less than a month in one place or country is a lower life form, yes the dreaded tourist.  These pros (usually from Western Europe of course) think that you need to sleep in mud huts and eat bugs for a whole rainy season to be considered the end-all-be-all . . . a TRAVELER.  Well, call me Ishmael and a tourist then.  I like clean rooms that I don't have to share with bunkmates, man or animal, and sometimes two nights in a country is plenty.

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Take Singapore for instance, a very nice, very clean, VERY orderly city.  Remember, this is the place that caned that American kid for writing graffiti on the wall.  After all those tags I had to paint over for the Board of Ed, I love em for it.  Well it's a former Brit colony who took that stiff upper lip thing a bit too far.  Everyone told me to stay in li'l India because it was a bit more relaxed, which I did and which it was.  But the rest of the town was pretty cool.  It reminded me of Hong Kong  and was actually more like what I expected Hong Kong to be, a bit of colonial charm amongst the money grabbing hi-rises.

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Still, it was just another city and after growing up in NY a big city has to really wow me to deserve more than a couple of days exploring.  So there you go, a quick profile, very few pictures and a long wait until the Indo blog.  Consider yourselves lucky.

Bill

PS-  A VERY HAPPY BIRTHDAY greeting to Moms Benson!  Love ya and wish I was there with you today!