Tuesday, June 20, 2006 . 3:59 AM

Back from Charleston

Hey avid readers of the blog but who refuse to tag, I'm back from Charleston, South Carolina. Was a good experience. Quaint town with unique architecture. Very different from Atlanta. Stayed at this hotel overlooking the mouth of the Ashley River. Don't you just love the soothing effect of the water and the wind that caresses you as you stand there in awe of another of God's amazing creation. Went to Boone Hall which was spared during the civil war. They even have the original slave houses without the slaves of course. Thinking of those slaves suffering during those times, makes me feel so sorry for them but also enraged at the atrocities that the Americans committed in those times. Went into the mansion where they filmed " The Notebook". Del was so excited.

Had dinner at Hyman's(!@#!?). Sounds crude I know. But the seafood was really good. Supposedly the best in the area or something. The Alaskan King Crab was sweet and juicy but Lana was commenting that the ones in Alabama were much better. The lobster tails were oh-so-yummy but oh-so-tiny. Ate until I nearly puked. My stomach has really expanded and I'm really gaining weight. I feel tight in my jeans now. Shit man. They had horse carriage rides around town and some of the roads were laid with bricks like in the olden days. It has a really rich history. Charlseton is reputed to be one of the most haunted places in US. Wonder if its a gimmick but everyone wasn't up to go for the haunted tours except maybe Lana. She loves to scare her guts out till she literally pukes everything out.

Went to Cypress Gardens the next day. Had to row our own boats around the swamp and gave ourselves a scare when we thought we saw alligators in the swamp. Haha. Saw some pretty unusual and freakish looking sea creatures. Saw a really prehistoric looking catfish which must weigh like a few thousand pounds. Was really relaxing but it was a hot day so I felt quite lethargic after a while oh but we sighted a baby alligator while walking on one of the trails.

Visited Oxford College on our way back and ate in Little Malaysia. Haha. Uncle is super man. He drove 5 hours up and and 5 hours down without feeling sleepy. Have to hand it to him. I think I prefer to be driven around then to drive. Haha. We were out of fuel in Charleston and we drove by the ghettos. It looked quite bad. Maybe its just a preconceived notion or just something real deep-seated but are Blacks really that bad?

Just had another case of child abduction yesterday. Really not safe man. Think I won't raise my kids here after all. No wonder kids here have this harness thing which looks more like a human version of a leash. On a lighter note, its so cool talking to people here. You ask them where they are from then they can tell you a whole colourful history like they are from Florida and moved to NY and so on but for us, we can only say "oh I was born in Hougang and moved to Ang Mo Kio which is like a few bus stops away" Sheesh. I need to get out of Singapore.

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