Settle in...long one here

Let's see....the last time I gave you folks a decent update I was in Patra planning to tour the Peloponesse for its historic sites. Well, I made it about 120 km up into the mountains that day and around 4 PM found myself in the mountain ski village of Kalavryta. It was only 4 PM, but I could already see my breath hanging in the air, which was alarming. I stopped for a coffee and asked the waiter if he knew where I could camp. He told me there was a place just outside of town which had campers and such, so I could ask there. I headed down there and arrived only to find it was closed for the season (I pretty much expected this). Finally getting back into town about 630 I had the choice of looking for a hobo-camping spot in the dark and cold or just getting a hotel. I opted for the latter, even though it set me back a pretty penny. The next morning I began my climb further into the mountains but as I got into the first couple kilometers I was thinking "Do I really want to deal with this cold weather every night for the next week so I can see some ruins?". I'm not a very historic guy, so I had to admit that I wasnt willing to do it. I found a new heading and after a long climb finally could see the coast about 20km ahead of me. Epic downhill and then smooth coastal riding and I arrived in Korinthos about 6PM. I knew it would be rather unsafe to try and get into Athens in the dark, but didn't like the prospects for camping around Korinthos and certainly couldn't afford another hotel. What I COULD afford was the 6 euro train into Athens, so I did that and called my savior, Chris the Couchsurfer. He met me at the station and we walked the bike back to his apartment.
I spent the next week hanging around Athens- exploring, bothering Chris, being a general lout. I have mixed feelings about Athens. Sure...the food is excellent, the girls are gorgeous, the nightlife is kickin' and if you are a classics person, the gravity of the Acropolis cannot be denied. For me though the city was generally an eyesore and the prices were too high (7 euros for a heineken!). Overall Im glad I visited, but I certainly don't believe the place is nearly as noteworthy as Paris, Florence, Amsterdam or Dubrovnik (or many other cities...my list is long!). In any case, Athens was a great recuperation opportunity for me. We spent Christmas in a beer garden of sorts (good, but feeble in comparison to what lined the Rhine) and I was graced with the good company of Chris and the Alex brothers from Russia.
Athens also gave me time to plan my next steps. After some discussion with Richard of shiftingears.net we came to the conclusion that riding together southwards wasn't really in the cards. He had to be at work in Beirut too soon and the weather wasn't looking like it would be worth it. Sure, cold and rainy riding would be a challenge and I'm confident I would have tolerated/survived it, but what's the point of that? I also calculated that if I rode on to Beirut or Egypt I would possibly be sacrificing my financial ability to visit Southeast Asia, which is one area I was not willing to miss on this trip.
So I booked a flight to Singapore...which is where Im writing to you from now! The flight went smooth....which is to say long and exhausting and far pricier than expected (thanks to stupid baggage rules and fees). But I am here in one piece and bike appears to be in all the pieces I left it in, so I'm happy. Jenelle's awesome mother Kathy picked me up to the airport and I'm comfortably setup here in the heart of the city.
So how does it feel to be in Singapore? Pretty crazy...I am 13 hours ahead of anyone reading on the East coast US. Ive had friends over here before and knew they were that far ahead of me in timezones, but its a really strange thing to wrap my mind around. Im here writing a blog entry at 10 at night and most of you haven't even eaten lunch yet (or gotten out of bed if you're like me). I really really like Singapore though. It is pricey like everyone says. And there are lots of strange rules like everyone says. But you can't deny that its working. The city is spotless, the crime is low, the metro system is impeccable and the food- OH MY GOODNESS- the food is so awesome. It's like I've died and gone to culinary heaven. The hawker stands are delicious and cheap. If you don't want that, name your American fastfood poison and its here too. And alongside this are plenty of French, Italian and other Western cuisine options. On top of this, if I feel like I'd rather go back to my bikehobo ways and cook rather than buy my food, the supermarket is topnotch. It has ramen galore, all kinds of neat asian quick sauce and soup packets and REAL BIG JARS of peanut butter! PEANUT BUTTER! Hell yes. This is bike touring heaven. The weather will take some adjustment, since I went from about 10-15 degrees and all-day drizzle to 25-30 and thundershowers. I think I may need to send some cold weather gear home...but Im hesitant to do so until I figure out a few more things.
So what is next? Well, Im in no rush to leave Singapore but, not wanting to wear out my welcome with Bill and Kathy, Im planning on clearing out of here in the next 3 or 4 days. I will probably head for the Malaysian peninsula, but Im toying with the idea of a quick loop through Borneo and Indonesia. The only goal in sight is to meet up with my new riding partner, Daniel, in Thailand at the beginning of Feburary. I will be thinking it all over, reading and planning the next couple days and let you know before I head out.
Big thanks go out to all the folks with encouragment and gifts over the holidays. Special thanks go to Wes and Jen, Uncle Rick and Aunt D, Nana and Pap, Mom and Dad. These kind folks are a big reason for how I was able to pay the airline to get my bicycle over here and thanks to them the stories should keep coming for a bit longer. I fully expect some really exciting tales and photos to be coming soon, so stay tuned! Okay....enough rambling for now. I wandered around the city last night in a sleep-deprived New Year's Eve dreamworld, so Im considering a bit more indepth exploration tonight. Or maybe some Zzzz's are in order and tomorrow night Ill explore. Either way I will check back in soon, hopefully with some neat pics of the city. Hobo over and out.

P.S. Athens photos are up now!