This Laura's first "failed state" visit, to Myanmar (Burma). Along with Utah and Long Island, this falls into the category of "Places I may not have seen if work hadn't sent me". Anyway, this is the Shwedagon Pagoda, where all things glitter.
This is the hundred meter stupa, surrounded by all kinds of Buddhas. Below, some examples sporting the latest fashions.
This is the shiniest Buddha.
This picture shows some of Buddha's lesser known deity friends, who provide support.
Families, couples, everyone hangs out here.
This child demonstrates the proper praying position.
These people sport the recommended outfit.
So, next time you're in Yangon, don't miss the Shwedagon.
The vegetable of the week is, well, this one. I did not succeed in identifying it or figuring out how to eat it, but it tasted like a raw zucchini.
The fruit of the week is the purple dragonfruit. This is one I know about: it's what happens when a kiwi, a watermelon, and a beet combine.
The flamboyant beer mascot of the week is Kirin, the fluffy lion/dragon monster. Did you know that Kirin beer, along with other Asian brews, have rice in them? Yes, Laura in Singapore is also educational.
The cute animal of the week is Cusstard, one of Singapore's adorable yet tough gutter kittens. We tried to feed him milk and he nearly attacked us. I guess he's more into chocolate and cigarettes.
The shocking exposé of the week is Heather, Alex and Barry engaging in violent sport! And liking it! Poor little plastic duckies.
And then Barry burnt his face out by trying to out-macho a minuscule hot pepper.
Last weekend, Singapore's downtown streets were replaced with a glowing race track.
Inside the track, flat pointy cars drive around really fast a lot of times. They are kept inside a cage so they don't escape. For entertainment, I became a moderate fan of Timo Glock, who surprisingly came in third (this may be him):
When the cars go rogue and crash, the disciplinary car comes out to shame them. Below is what the spectator sees.
Here I am demonstrating my moderate enjoyment, as well as the view that $100 tickets get you.
You can get a better view by wearing a special uniform and keeping your hands above your head, but we did not know this in advance.