Hanoi

Randy's blur (and ours will continue).

Needless to say we were feeling pretty tired. We got to Hanoi at 8:30 a.m. their time (a three hour flight) and cabbed it for forty-five minutes to the Old Quarter. The cab driver and some cronies tried to scam us. We were taken to another cheap hotel and told that the Win Hotel was all booked and we would stay at their's. No way. We insisted on being taken to the Win and eventually the cabbie complied. He then had the gall to ask about a tip!!!! Reception at the Win Hotel seemed unsurprised as we told him the story. Apparently it is not unusual. We learned that you should always book the taxi through the hotel and they add it to your hotel bill so that the driver does not try to clean out your wallet.

The Win is a "boutique" hotel right in the Old Quarter. It has five floors and ten rooms and no elevator. The ceilings are all 12 feet and the rooms are small. The place is very clean and comfortable but hardly a 2 star hotel. The location however was excellent. Again we were in the heart of the action. Although tired we stepped out to find a bite of lunch. There are local cafes lining the street and around the corner we found an Italian restaurant where the pizza was excellent. We also found a French restaurant that we decided to return to later.

The hotel is a block from one of the lakes...the Lake of the Divine Turtle. We walked the 1.7 km around the lake and visited many of the local shops and side streets. We also booked tickets to an afternoon performance of the water puppets. This is a northern Vietnam art form and entertainment. We attended the four o'clock performance and I think we each missed a portion due to sagging eyelids. More walking, more shops and more shopping and we were all ready for a dinner at an excellent French restaurant- see the photo (but not the aforementioned). We wandered by circuitous routes back to our hotel and were in bed by 10:00.

On Friday the culture shock hit. We have never felt culture shock until now. The parts of Asia we have visited have been different but this was overwhelming. Looking back I guess it started on the taxi ride when Randy tried to smack an insect and hit the seat. The fleas flew up all around her and Kim. Kim wants to believe that they were mosquitoes. This is little better given the diseases that mosquitoes carry in Vietnam. The scam from the taxi driver rolled off of us because we were so tired but I believe it had its impact. The number of motor bikes (small scooters) is also overwhelming. The roads & intersections are chaotic. There a bicycles, motor bikes, some cars, vans & trucks. Along with this there are people walking everywhere and so many ladies carrying 6 foot long poles with huge baskets hanging from each end. Crossing the street is so scary. We were told to close our eyes & just keep walking - the motor bikes would go around us!! Well, needless to say we kept our eyes opened and the vehicles did go around us! The streets of Hanoi are amazing. They are crowded with vendors of every kind. All of the store merchants sit on little 6 inch stools on the side walk. They sell everything from their store front or from woven baskets - clothes, shoes, meat, vegetables. Families sit on the little stools to eat breakfast, lunch & dinner. Barbers set up shop by hanging a mirror on a wall & men get their hair cut & faces shaved right on the sidewalk. We could not convince Bill to have a "street" hair cut! We witnessed many women having the lice picked out of their hair - on the sidewalk!!

We walked to the open fresh market. It was sooo crowded but amazing. You can buy anything there. We were not afraid but we did feel very vulnerable. At one point Bill & Kim got stuck on one side of a bridge & Randy was on the other side out of sight. We thought we'd never see her again. She is an attraction because of her blond hair. People would stop her & ask to have their pictures taken with her. But, we did catch up with her. The streets are also very polluted & dirty - not with litter, but with the grit & grim of a dusty, dry, very crowded & very hot city. We did not do a lot of shopping.

On Friday afternoon we decided to hire a taxi & take one of the tours of the country side to visit ceramics, painters & carpenter villages. Again, the culture shock overwhelmed us. The rural areas are still using water buffalo to pull small ploughs, and the horse/pony & cart are a common mode of transport. The roads are narrow and barely passable. There are very few cars but thousands of bicycles & motor bikes. We do not know how our driver did not hit someone or how someone did not hit us! It was truly incredible but very scary. We got to the ceramics village where the local people work in huge factories to produce all of the ceramic vases, dishes, bowls etc etc that we buy in North America. I bartered long & hard to buy 3 small blue & white ceramic lidded containers. I was thrilled with my purchased at $1.00 per dish. Unfortunately, I left them on the floor of the taxi we hired!!!! Our driver got terribly lost & we ended up driving through some amazingly 3rd world villages - kids in bare feet everywhere, sellers by the side of dirt roads, pony & cart hauling, ladies walking cows through town, and no electricity, no street lights. We finally arrived at the painter's village & the driver motioned for us to go in. It was pitch dark & he was staying in the car. All of our alarm bells went off & we said no - take us back to Hanoi. We really believe that he was not trying to lead us into any trouble but we did not want to take any chances in the dark.

On Saturday morning we took a tour of Ho Chi Minh's Mausoleum, his home and the Temple of literature dating back to 1067. All of these sights were fabulous & our guide was great. People in Vietnam love Ho Chi Minh. Although it is a Communist country, this is the only place where we felt the Communist presence. We kept looking for the downtown, city area. We discovered that there really was not a central city area. They seem to have rebuilt the city in the past 20-25 years in a bit of a scattered manner. When we asked a concierge at the Hanoi Hotel for a city tour - she replied that the wasn't one because there was nothing to see!! The devastating history of the US carpet bombing of Hanoi is horrible. But, everything is referred to in US terms and dollars. It is truly an acceptance attitude that escaped our comprehension. We learned so much in Hanoi. It is truly one of the experiences we will never forget.

Hong Kong

Randy's last week is a blur. We visited Hong Kong for four days and Hanoi for three. School wrapped up with graduation on Thursday and Kim and I committed to work the recruiting fair on Saturday. We had booked flights and hotels in both Hong Kong and Hanoi. On Saturday morning we heard that the Hong Kong hotel had notified us that a room was no longer available (a better offer, I guess). We immediately began a search online and talked to colleagues. Our director, Frank, recommended the Stanford in Mong Kok (in the Kowloon section of HK). A phone call confirmed a reservation and we crossed our fingers.
Hong Kong

On Sunday we flew into Macao and ferried over to Kowloon, Hong Kong. We taxied into an apparently older part of town. Our trepidation was relieved when we got to a small but modern hotel just blocks from the Market ( Ladies Market, electronic market, Jade market, Temple market, fish market, flower market, bird market, sports market - truly amazing). The activity in the area is energizing. People are everywhere from early morning until late evening (midnight). The market itself opens at noon and closes at midnight. Each evening it is torn down and cleared away to allow for cleaning and local deliveries. Each day it is set up and the surrounding streets are blocked off to create a pedestrian mall. The market then becomes shoulder to shoulder browsers and bargainers. We took great advantage of the opportunities to get some Christmas shopping done.

On Monday we found a tour company and booked two tours. The first was a half day tour of Hong Kong island on Monday afternoon. We were picked up at a local hotel at 1:30 and toured until after 7:00 that night. It included the shopping district from British colonial times (Hollywood Avenue) the temples and Stanley market. The tour gave us a wonderful overview and we determined that we would return on Tuesday to further explore the Hollywood Avenue(shopping) and Soho (eating and partying) areas. One of the experiences was a ride on the inclined railway to the top of Victoria peak. This is the highest point in Hong Kong and provides quite a view of the harbour. The railway is serviced by a pair of old style tram cars and is said to be the steepest in Asia. We moved on to Aberdeen typhoon shelter. A safe harbour that houses the fishermen. We took a ride on a sampan with a crust old woman with a very direct approach to everything. At the end of the tour she said "55 dollars each person - you pay now!" This part of the tour showed us around the floating village that houses the fisherman's families. We drove through the outer areas of the island past Repulse Bay and on to Stanley market. Having spent time in the Ladies market we found Stanley market a little tame.

On Tuesday we went back the HK island and walked around the areas mentioned. On Hollywood we met Ken and Susan, a young couple from the college ... among 7 million people. We arranged a lunch for Wednesday. We also visited Soho for a delightful lunch at a little bistro. We returned to the hotel and prepared for the second tour...a Christmas holiday lights tour of Hong Kong and Kowloon areas. The first stop was on the Kowloon side of the harbour where watched a sound and light show put on by the major buildings and businesses on both sides of the harbour. Back on the bus we drove around for an hour on the top of an open top double Decker bus and marvelled at the neon and Christmas lights. They really get into Christmas here but we hear that the BIG celebration is Chinese New Year in February. We finished up with a visit to Temple market. Is is much like Ladies market - you can buy just about anything and most are "GENUINE COPIES". They really said that!

Wednesday was a hectic day. We went to the Jade market but didn't buy because Kim (the negotiator) didn't get the prices she wanted. Then we met Ken and Susan for a dim sum lunch. The restaurant was recommended by Ken's uncle who lives in Hong Kong. It was great to have Ken along as he grew up in HK and speaks the language. He also knows dim sum and what to order. We had a wonderful time sharing food and experiences.

We absolutely loved Hong Kong. It is the most vibrant, crowded, interesting city with fabulous sights, areas, and people.

Back at our hotel we picked up the luggage and caught a cab to the ferry terminal. The trip to Macao and the airport went well and we were in plenty of time for our 7:50 flight. Unfortunately, the plane did not arrive and we were delayed for 3 hours until 10:50. We arrived back in KL at 3:00 AM and waited in the airport until 5:30 to check in for a 6:30 flight to Hanoi.

Another Great Weekend

Last week was exam week for the college so Kim and I were busy there. Randy also kept herself busy. She has become quite comfortable with the KL transportation system and strikes out to explore the city on her own.

On Friday afternoon Kim had completed her exam marking and I had just started mine so Randy and Kim set out to shop, mostly for a dress for Kim to wear to Andrea's wedding. They tried on "THOUSANDS". When they got back to Subang Jaya we went to our favourite Japanese restaurant, Tomoe for a fabulous dinner.

On Saturday we hopped a bus and went to Melaka. This is one of our favourite cities. It is steeped in history going back to th 14th and 15th centuries. We caught a cab and rode into the old section of town where we began a tour that Carolyn and Joe would recognize. In Chinatown we picked up several gifts and souvenirs. The lunch at Geographer was wonderful. Afterwards we toured St. Paul Hill and the church ruin. It is coming up to the feast of St, Francis Xavier and the church was decorated with an altar and flowers in preparation for the celebration. This is the church that the saint regularly attended until his death. He was buried first in Melaka. After nine months the church had him exhumed and reburied in Goa, India. The official reason for the move was that the Holy See decided Francis wanted to be in Goa. In recompense they left a relic of the saint in Melaka, his right arm.

After a visit to Santiago Gate Randy and Kim took a trishaw ride. The had an excellent tour. Bill waited near the signature Christ Church and had an interesting political conversation with a local tour operator. We decided to take a bus back to KL and hopped aboard a local bus. This bus was very local, and very old. We spent 40 minutes experiencing the neighbourhoods...old, new, elegant and kampung. Finally arrived at Melaka Sentral (the bus depot) for the ride back to KL.

In KL we walked a few blocks from the bus station to Petaling Street. This is the Chinese night market. It is apparently becoming more multicultural and aggressive. Randy did some shopping and managed to get a few bargains. More than anything we all enjoyed the SPORT of haggling.

On Sunday, Randy and Kim went dress shopping again and spent the entire day walking, trying, and enjoying each other's company. I had a pile of exams to finish marking so I stayed home. I owe Randy big time for allowing me to work and for saving me from the endless round of bridal and designer shops.

On Monday we left the college and hooked up with Rand for a return trip to Bangsar. Kim and Randy had found THE dress. Kim bought it once I had approved :-) In celebration we walked over to a very upscale section of Bangsar for dinner. We had appetizers and wine at an Italian restaurant and then moved over to a French restaurant for entrees and more wine. I stuck to the usual fruit juice and sparkling water; after all someone had to get the women home.

All in all it was a very successful weekend...wouldn't you agree?

Some Political Unrest

We passed Batu Caves on the way back from Genting into KL and saw a huge crowd there. Later we heard that there had been a demonstration in KL. The Indian population from all over Malaysia held a rally at which they wished to petition the Queen (Elizabeth that is). An advocacy group here is suing England for 40 trillion ringgit (that's 12 or so trillion Canadian). They claim that the British brought Indians to Malaysia in the 1800s as indentured labour. They further claim that Britain failed to protect Indian interests when they granted independence in 1957. They want the queen to provide them legal representation for the law suit.

This is all very political and is based on a form of "affirmative action" that gives preferential treatment to the Malay race. It was originally meant to help raise the Malay out of poverty that came from their historical position as rural subsistence farmers. The Indians claim that they too are marginalized and should be granted equal treatment under the National Economic Policy (NEP) as it is called officially. Unofficially, it is called the "bumiputra" policy. 'bumi' means 'sons' or 'princes' and 'putra' means soil or earth. Literally translated it means 'princes of the soil'. The term is not exclusive to Malaysia. It is also used in Indonesia where a similar language is spoken. However, in Indonesia it is not a label for an official government policy of "affirmative action".

We had heard mention of the rally earlier in the week and we had run into police roadblocks. The rally was opposed by the police who set up road blocks around KL as early as Thursday in order to prevent the Indians from 'outstation' from getting to the protest in KL. They also shut down the LRT station near the British embassy. Then on Sunday they told the crowd to disperse and forced the issue with tear gas and chemical laced water cannon. We don't get much about this in the news media in Malaysia because it is not nice to talk about things that reflect badly on the country. In addition, the news outlets are licenced annually by the government and may not be renewed. To top it off much of the new media are wholly owned by one of the parties that make up the BN which is a coalition of parties that has governed since 1957. The BN is predominantly Malay/Muslim and it is not possible to be PM if you are not both. The minority and opposition parties also have their media outlets. Thus we were pleasantly surprised to see local reports of the incidents. The most reasonable and balanced view of things is available to us here via Al Jazeera on the Internet. (check the link for more)

Constitutionally, the people here have the right to peaceful assembly. This is subject to certain controls as a result of some emergency measures instituted in the 1960s as a result of some inter-racial rioting. At that time it is estimated by the most conservative figures that over 200 Chinese citizens were killed by Malays over the outcome of the general election. Some of the Chinese had gathered to celebrate a minor election victory and some of the Malay were insulted...and the fight was on. The emergency measures were never repealed and now all assemblies must apply for and receive police permission. These permits are almost never granted despite a local Human Rights Commission recommendation that they should be routinely granted. In the case of this recent incident the police are said to have claimed they feared that gangs were involved in the gathering and that violence would erupt.

You may also have heard about a rally on November 11 at Merdeka (Independence) Square. The opposition parties called the rally to demand election reform. In that case no permit was granted. The official reason was that it would interrupt traffic and cause local merchants to lose trade. The police then shut down streets for 10 blocks around the square. The rally was due to start at 10:30 AM and the police had the water cannon and tear gas in place by 10:00. The outcome was much the same as the most recent one. We were in Bali at the time and we saw the Al Jazeera report and video on television news there. When we returned to Malaysia we found there was and had been no local coverage.

We are safe and have never felt nor been in danger. The rallies are usually in a very limited area and we don't travel in those areas especially when difficulties are possible. Fortunately we have a colleague at the school who keeps us well informed.

This may all be a lead up to an expected general election in the next month. It is estimated that the election campaign will last less than three weeks so everyone gets started early.

Another Busy Week

Randy can't be kept down. Each day she does the dishes, laundry and tidies. We have decided to keep her here and Canada will have to do without. She often gets to the pool for a swim and follows us to the gym where she ties herself into a pretzel in the yoga class. On Wednesday she and our friend, Pam, went to the Malaysian Craft complex in KL and they walked all over the place for about seven hours. On Friday she and Kim went to Mid Valley Mall and walked the entire thing. It is the largest mall in Malaysia with some 5 km of corridor. They were looking for a dress or ideas for a dress for Kim to wear to Andrea's wedding. They came home with Christmas cards.
On Saturday we rented a taxi for the afternoon and travelled to Putrajaya, the administrative centre for Malaysia. Randy dressed for the pink mosque, as did we. We travelled on to the Batu Caves and climbed all 272 stairs. We have photographic proof that Kim and Randy made it and I took the photo (kind of like Ten Sing and Edmund Hillary). The cab driver was a very nice man but not such a great navigator. We saw numerous sections of KL that we had not intended...some of them twice. At the end he was to drop us off at Bukit Bintang but some missed communication (I know that's hard to believe) caused us to have him drop us at the LRT whence we took the LRT and Monorail to Bukit Bintang. We met friends Pam and Steve who took us to their favourite Indian restaurant (Chazal) for a wonderful meal. Afterwards we left them and we wandered off to explore a very crowded and fascinating shopping section. In short order we realized how long the day had been because the malls were closing. We weren't sure that ever happened.

We took a taxi back to the condo. We'll have to return to BB for a proper tour at another time.

On Sunday we thought to get an early start and head up to the Genting Highl;ands. We didn't. We got to KL Sentral about 12:00 and could only book the bus to Genting for 2:00. We took off for Bangsar (sort of the Yorkville area but larger). We had lunch and while I read the paper Randy and Kim toured around. They found a number of bridal shops so a return to Bangsar is also on the cards. Speaking of cards, we found a kiosk representing two companies that print wedding invitations. We have their business cards and we'll be in touch with them as well.

We caught the bus and rode forty-five minutes into the hills north of KL. The elevation change is significant (ear pop and everything). The vision that became Genting Highlands Resort must have seemed almost impossible in 1965. Today there are three large hotels (6000+rooms) two large theme parks and a gigantic casino perched on a mountaintop. The temperature is moderated from the lowlands and we almost recognized the feel of early autumn. From the lower bus depot we took a 3.4 km cable car ride the top. Bill was disappointed that it didn't end in snow. The views, though, were well worth the ride. After a couple of hours looking around we'd had enough smoke. Everywhere is a smoking zone and many people take advantage of it. By 6:00 we all had burning eyes and throats. We hopped the cable car back down and headed for home.

Randy in Singapore

This woman really gets around. Starting in Canada she has now visited five countries in two weeks (Canada, Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia/Bali, Singapore). If we count four hours in the Shanghai airport we could make it six.

Friday evening we left KL Sentral, the main railway station, at 10:00 PM. We each had an upper berth which was humorous to say the least. Getting in and out was real adventure. The rocking of the train was soothing but the air conditioning was cranked up and the car felt like a meat locker. our muscles were cramping up it was so cold. In the middle of the night Randy got up to look for the club car and a little warmth. She said that the other sleeping cars were quite comfortable. We were just unlucky, I guess. At 6:30 AM the porter woke everyone to pass out immigration cards for Singapore. We all got up and filled them out because it was warmer than the available alternatives. We were checked on the train by Malaysian officials and we disembarked on entry into Singapore territory for their immigration check. Afterwards we decided to sit in the club car and drink hot coffee rather than return to our berths.

On arrival we cabbed it to the hotel and left our luggage with the concierge. We had breakfast and by then our rooms were ready so we checked in and went for a walk in Chinatown. Randy and Kim drove some hard bargains and came away with a pile of gifts and souvenirs. Randy was worried about us repeating tours we had already taken but we had not been to Chinatown.

We returned to the hotel for a rest and refresher. At 5:00 we took the hotel shuttle to Raffles Hotel. This is where they invented the Singapore Sling and Bill temporarily suspended his non-drinking policy to enjoy the flavour. The hotel is a later 19th century establishment that retains the glory of colonial Britain. It still maintains many of the policies of the day including no shorts for gentlemen. We could never afford to stay there.

We travelled to Clark Quay, which is one of our favourite places. We took a 45 minute river tour on a bum boat and followed up with a dinner at a patio restaurant cantilevered over the river. We then took a walk to the far side of the river and discovered to our surprise that our hotel was adjacent to the river. We walked up to the Fullerton, another old and expensive hotel that is housed in the former main post office building. This again was a throwback to British colonial days but less so than Raffles.

We had a cab drop us at Orchard Road. We were in luck because this was the first night of the Christmas lights. This is a big celebration here and Orchard Road is the shopping capital of Singapore. The street was ablaze and the crowds were immense. We walked for an hour and had our heads on swivels. Apparently the same thing happens in Hong Kong and they leave the lights up until Chinese New Year during the first week of February.

We were up early and had breakfast before checking out. We left our luggage with the hotel again and took Randy on a short tour of the Singapore subway system. This is a sleek modern system that can certainly teach Toronto a thing or two. We caught the Hop On Hop Off bus and toured the whole circuit (about an hour and a half). Then by over to Sentosa Island. This is a Singaporean holiday resort. In terms of distance it is like Torontonians going to Centre Island but it has been developed into a major resort area; and the growth continues with several major projects. Kim and I were thrilled to be able to get back to the Images of Singapore display. This is a wonderful review of the history and culture of the city-state. Afterwards we took the cable car back to the mainland to get a bird's eye view of the city.

We caught a lunch in the plaza across from the hotel and then took a cab to the bus depot. Five hours later we were back in KL and the difference in cleanliness was apparent to our noses...we were home!

Bali - A Weekend in Paradise

Maybe not! Bali has the veneer of a tropical paradise and, if one sticks to the tourist beach areas, the illusion can be maintained. Kim wanted her illusions left untouched.

We landed in the late evening unsure if we had a room. A phone call from the local booking agent confirmed our reservation and we taxied over. The ride took us through some rather dismal areas of town. The roads were very narrow and most establishments (hotels and homes) are surrounded by greying concrete walls. The Lokha hotel is nice enough but is located on a very busy and very narrow street that accesses the beach. The grounds are carved out of a very small lot for a hotel, but the achievement is impressive. The three story walk up and the room were acceptable but the location left much to be desired.

After dinner we walked to the beach (about 200 metres). The shops along the street reminded us of Wasaga Beach on a poor day, although the street was clean. We found a beach side hotel with the tropical paradise grounds that we all recall from an Elvis film. We decided to stay the evening at Lokha but we booked Saturday evening at the Mandira.

Before we left for our walk on Friday evening we had the concierge at the Lokha book an all day tour for us. On Saturday morning we had breakfast, checked out, and moved to the Mandira. We had the concierge there contact the tour company and we were picked up at 8:15 at our new place. The tour lasted 12 hours and would have been longer but we were all too tired to go to the dinner that was laid on. The tour was another gem. We had a van with a driver and a personal tour guide. The guide was very entertaining and informative. I don't think he realized his malapropism when he was telling us about the "handicraps".

The tour covered a large portion of the island along with several craft houses for batik, silver, wood, and painting. We were treated to two cultural dance performance, a look at the terraced rice fields and a more or less close up of the two volcanoes. We also visited several temples and a monkey forest. While Indonesia is predominantly Muslim Bali is in fact 90% Hindu. The Hindu belief structure was explained to us in detail by our Hindu guide.

We were also warned about the hawkers who are among the most aggressive we have seen. We were told not to touch anything. Once you touch the hawkers will consider it sold and the price will escalate. They will come right into the vehicle to collect (hands head and shoulders, anyway). The best policy is to ignore them. They try to play on one's sense of politeness by continually calling, "Excuse me!" but don't make eye contact or you are through.

A big part of the tourist trade is kickbacks. We were treated to several tradesmen's homes and shops (as mentioned) where the instruction was informative and sales pitches were only slightly less intense than the hawkers. Despite this and with the counsel of our guide we were able to negotiate what we considered very good deals. The sellers probably thought that they too got the better deal, so everyone is happy.

Sunday was spent watching the surfers on the beach and lying around the pool and the tropical paradise grounds of the Mandira. The day included a spa treatment a lunch near the beach in a cool sea breeze.

Kim's illusions are intact!

Bangkok

Bangkok is known as "Venice of the East."

After class on Tuesday we grabbed a cab and picked up Randy. We had a flight to Bangkok. Kim and I had a couple of days off because of the Indian new year called Deepavali. We took a bus to the airport and flew out at 6:45. on landing in Bangkok we were shown to an information booth that happened to double as a local tour provider. We got directions and a river tour for 1200 Baht (about $12.00 each Canadian) We walked away from the booth wondering if we had just been taken.

A 30 minute taxi ride across the city of 10 million plus got to our hotel that was still on the edge of the city. At 7:30 the next morning our tour guide met us at the lobby with a van and a driver. We challenged rush hour traffic and got to the pier at the river in an hour or so. The river tour took us into the canal system where we viewed the homes and temples. Temples are everywhere. Over 90% of Thailand is Buddhist. After the boat tour we were taken to several commercial establishments. Apparently both the cab drivers and the tour providers subsidize by taking kick backs from these establishments. We had asked for a tailor. Shou (our guide) took us to James Fashion which was named number one in National Geographic. We didn't actually see the article :-) Kim and I each purchased three pair of pants. Originally they were asking 20000 Baht but Kim talked them down to 15000 plus two ties for Bill.

Afterwards we visited a lapidary company. Thailand is renowned for its gemstones. Then on to an oriental rug company where we got an education in the science and art of hand knotted area rugs. These are actually made in Kashmir, India and I have no idea why they are in business in Bangkok. We returned to the hotel to rest up. But first we booked another tour with Shou to go to a buffet dinner and a Thai cultural show. This was also complete with a driver who picked us up at the hotel. The dinner was good but the preamble and the show where amazing.

When we returned to the hotel we were met by a young tailor from James who gave us a fitting of the first draft of the pants. The service is fantastic!

In the morning we took the sky train to James Thompson House Museum. Jim Thompson is a legend in Thailand. He's an American who was here during the war (WWII) and fell in love with the place. He returned to live here during the 50s. The Thai silk trade was a cottage industry and it was dying. He took samples to New York to show to the editor of Vogue magazine. The local designers fell in love with it and the passion transferred to Paris, London and Milan. Thompson returned to Bangkok and set up business, becoming a silk mogul. He also love the Thai traditional architecture and bought up several houses to be transplanted to his property in Bangkok. This is the museum now.

We were to meet our tailor back at the hotel but there was slowness in the manufacture. We checked out and wanted to visit the Grand Palace and the Temple of the Emerald Buddha. the doorman recommended that we hire a taxi for the day. we were introduced to a delightful young Thia driver who spoke English, albeit limited. He drove us and our luggage around Bangkok and accompanied us on a walk through of the temple and the palace. Pictures don't do it justice. Afterwards we went through the regular round of haggling with local traders before returning with our driver to James fashion for a final fitting. Some small alterations to Kim's pants were necessary and we sipped tea while waiting. Afterwards our driver dropped us at the airport. We were back in our condo by 11:00 pm.

We highly recommend Bangkok and we will return!

We will post pictures later because we now have to prepare for a weekend in Bali. We're only home for 14 hours....November 26 and the pictures are up. Take a look at the right..........

Randy's Here!

Randy arrived safely on Friday, November 2. The family reunion was great and we spent a long evening talking (into the night) until everyone needed some sleep.

On Saturday we got a slow start, but that seems to be par for the course. We got up for a late breakfast and a swim. We went to KL and showed Randy around. We drove into KL because we had to return our rental car but we decided not to repeat our mistakes of Carolyn and Joe's visit. Randy thanks you for being the guinea pigs. We rode the Hop-on-Hop-off bus throughout the city and finished up at Central market with a list of places to go back and visit.

Later we took the LRT (subway to the Toronto people) to KLCC to view the Petronas Towers. We went to Kim's favourite, the Skybar at Traders Hotel. It overlooks the park at KLCC. We watched as night fell and we enjoyed appetizers and wine while capturing many photos. Afterwards we walked over to the shopping mall intending to have dinner. We rediscovered a little gelato shop and indulged so that dinner was no longer required. After some shopping we caught the LRT back to the main rail station and took a cab back to the condo. We intended to stay up to talk but everyone fell asleep over the latest glass of wine.

On Sunday we were up early to attend church with our friends Matthew and Serena. Afterwards Matthew dropped us at Sunway Pyramid so we could show Randy the local mall life (and the ice rink). We then taught Randy about cabs and trains so she would be able to make her way around KL. Randy is a very fast learner.

We visited the National Museum. Kim and I should have made this stop long ago. It is a very informative place covering all of the history of Malaysia. Afterwards we walked through the Lake Gardens park to the National Mosque. Kim and Randy had to dress "modestly" in order to enter. We then moved on to Merdeka Square. We took a cab to the KL Tower, which is their version of the CN Tower. Our intent of dinner there was stymied because you apparently have to book three days in advance for the revolving restaurant (who knew?). We went to the Mandarin Oriental for a wonderful dinner beside the KLCC park. An LRT, train and taxi ride got us back to the condo, but weariness overtook us and we were asleep early.

On Monday Kim and I went back to work while Randy ventured out on her own to KL. She visited the Aquaria and shopped around KLCC. We met that evening at a local mall and had dinner, did a little shopping and returned home to another evening of talking. It has been great!

Boogie Nite

Last Friday we attended the Taylor's College Annual Dinner. The theme was "The '70s" and there were prizes for everything from a dance contest to best dressed to door prizes to just plain old gifts for every person in the room. This was a really impressive event.

There were over 1000 people, staff and family at the event. from 6:00 to 7:00 there were games and an open bar n the lobby of the banquet room. As people gathered we got to look at the costumes of those who were dressed in the theme; the 70s disco look was everywhere, and the cameras were popping. We're in a hurry right now with Randy coming so we'll throw up the pictures later.

At about 7:30 the owner and the president arrived dressed in glitter and "afro" wigs. They led the whole group into the room to "Stayin' Alive". The Bee Gees were big this evening.

The room was a massive affair and set up as a multimedia circus. The meal was a typical Chinese banquet that you might get at a wedding. There were about 10 courses, mostly fish based (including shark fin soup).

The entertainment was hosted by a professional MC but provided by staff members in the form of a dance contest. These groups had practiced long and hard and it showed. Over the course of the dinner there were also team building games and contests with some pretty large prizes. The door prizes were awarded on the basis of draws of 50 at a time from the names of those in attendance. Some of the prizes were large flat screen televisions, laptop computers, high tech cell phones and trips for two to seven days. Everything was paid for by the college. Awesome!

Carolyn and Joe Were Here

This past weekend Kim's cousin, Carolyn, and her husband, Joe MacKenzie, tacked a few days onto the end of their three week oriental cruise and flew in for three days. We managed to get Friday off at the school and we met them at the airport on Thursday evening. All went well and we sat up until 2:30 in the morning chatting.

On Friday we took the rental car out, albeit a little later than expected, and headed for Melaka. It was great to see the city through another set of eyes. Joe is a real history buff and his take on the various cultural successions was fun. We walked all the usual places, Chinatown, St. Paul Hill and the old town. We stopped for lunch a the Geographer Cafe and headed back to Subang Jaya about 5:00.

We arrived back just in time for our reservation at a new, and our personal favourite, Tomoe, a Japanese restaurant. After dinner we returned to the condo and Joe and Bill couldn't handle it so we went to bed. Carolyn and Kim stayed up to 2:30 again.

Saturday we started late again. We woke up to a swim in our pool and a leisurely breakfast. We traveled on to Putra Jaya where we tried to duplicate the tour that colleague Moaz took us on in August. Unfortunately, we got lost repeatedly and ended up just going where the whim led us. We saw many of the usual places. When we got to Petaling Street in Chinatown it turns out Joe is an excellent haggler; he ended up getting three fake Rolex watched for about a third of the price they were originally asking for just one. I'm glad he was on our side. We hopped the LRT and rode to KLCC; we watched the sunset as it highlighted the twin towers in the night time lights. We went over to the shopping mall under the towers for dinner in a Vietnamese restaurant. back home and this time everyone went to bed fairly early (midnight).

Sunday started much as did Saturday. We headed out with a stop at one of local mega malls. Joe couldn't believe that we actually have a hockey rink in the mall; he several pictures of the Zamboni cleaning and flooding. Then we went to Bukit Bintang (a tourist upscale shopping area) for a lunch and tour. Afterwards we drove out to the airport to see them off. It was a whirlwind tour but sooooo great to see them!

Pinang

If you look it up on a map it is probably spelled "Penang." That's the English version; the Malay spelling is "Pinang." More and more the country is trying to recover its heritage and shifting spelling to Bhasa Malaysia (the traditional language.)

This was Hari Raya and we had a four day holiday so we rented a car and set out to the north. The trip took us about six or seven hours; one and a half was spent trying to find the right highway out of KL and another hour was spent getting turned around and finding the hotel in Pinang. We were warned about the traffic but the driving was OK...certainly better than a Friday run to cottage country.

In George Town the roads are very confusing. Many streets are one way (Jalan Sehala). In addition the direction of the one way can change without warning in the middle of the length and you find yourself on a side road that has no name that you can see. No road is straight so you might start off travelling east and find you are going north west and then south west. It doesn't matter because you can't get your bearings and besides the name of the street has changes four times.

Pinang is an old settlement and is showing its age. George Town is the main city on the island and was the seat of British rule. There are many colonial buildings in the city and many more abandoned buildings. The city is a little grungy. But, many of the older colonial buildings are still in use and being refurbished. We walked around the old town on Friday night and toured one of the now famous Malaysian malls. We caught a cab back and the driver was quite delightful regaling us with warnings not to trust taxi drivers. We took a trishaw ride (that's a rickshaw powered by a man on a bicycle). The driver was a great tour guide and we saw a lot of the old city. One of the most fascinating was the Chinese Jetty. It is one of about eight. They are organized according to clan and the city of origin in China. They are built out over the water and are owned in perpetuity. It is truly fascinating to tour one (and only one is open to tourists).

On Saturday we took a chance and the car and drove the entire perimeter of the island. In the highland spine of the island the roads are very narrow and winding. This causes some trepidation as the local drivers view the lanes and white lines as merely suggestions. The vistas however were truly breathtaking. We ended up in Air Hitam, a small market town attached to the Kek Lok Si temple. It makes you think of what medieval Europe might have been like with the towns that cluster around the local abbey or cathedral. The temple is a major Bhuddist shrine as well as a major tourist attraction so the people and the traffic are overwhelming. The tourist trade is alive and well inside the shrine, so you have to walk through all the hawkers to get to the religious area. A note of interest: for a fee the monks will paint your name and or message on a roof tile which is then used in the construction of another part of the temple. Quite enterprising!

On Sunday we took another tour around old town. Because this was Hari Raya weekend most tourist attractions were closed so we did not get into the fort. Afterwards we headed for Subang Jaya. On the way we noticed that the Cameron Highlands were not too far away. Only a minor detour. We left the main road and headed up. We were a little low on gas so we decided to stop at the first gas station. Unfortunately there are none. We travelled about 60 km on fumes.

The Highlands is quite an agricultural area. It is known for the tea plantations built into the mountain sides. There are also fruit and vegetable stands and pluck yourself (pick your own...not the rude version you were thinking). Because of the holiday the roads were extremely crowded. The scenery is beautiful and every turn on the mountain roads provides another great view. The roads are twisting and winding with switchbacks and hairpin turns every hundred yards. Along the way we saw a number of kampungs (camps or hick towns). These seemed to be inhabited mainly by the aboriginal population.

Once back on the main highway we felt like we were well on the way home. Due to rain, darkness and poor signage we ended up being forced off the highway and had to guess our way through KL to finally arrive home late Sunday evening.

All in all it was a great experience.

Malaysia

We would like to tell you a bit about Malaysia. It is a fabulously interesting, intricate and complex nation. It is modern and 3rd world at the same time. It is technologically advanced and frustratingly backwards. It is global and insular at the same time. The national leaders have dreams and visions of being a 1st world country by 2020 and they are working hard to achieve that goal but often they are clinging to old 3rd world ways.

Politics/Religion
The first prime minister (shown above announcing independence) who won Independence from the British in 1957 set the modern wheels in motion. He was evidently a visionary for his country and is remembered here as something akin to royalty. He negotiated independence from Britain in much the way as Canadian fathers of confederation did. We had to deal with the rights and issues of French Catholics and English Protestants in order to guarantee each their rights. In Malaysia they had to deal with similar issues for Malay Muslims, Chinese citizens and Indian citizens; it has been an interesting road for the country. In 1970 they set about raising the living, educational and cultural status of the Malays and the indigenous people through a policy known in the region as “bumiputra”. Today, some of the policies are no longer benefiting the Chinese and Indian population and though now educated and advanced many Malays are very reliant on a government hand out to improve themselves. The previous prime minister was very strong internally and advanced the policy by trying to reduce the handouts. He had good internal relations but often offended the external world, particularly the U.S. and Australia. The present prime minister (the fifth) has a little of both qualities – he knows what’s good for the country and is also a world player.

Politics here is very much race and therefore religion based. Malaysia is a Muslim country. The King and the royal entourage are Muslims and the UMNO, United Muslim National Organization, is the Muslim governing political party. However there are very large Chinese and Indian populations in Malaysia. Locals state that very generally speaking the Chinese own and run the big companies, the Indians are the labourers and the Malays are trying very hard and are given government support to find equal or greater status in the work force. While the British ruled Malaysia children learned all of their subjects in English, but after Independence the Prime Minister wanted everyone to be very Malaysian so as of 1983 all children learned everything in Bahasa Malaysia (Malaysian language). Today the students we teach are struggling with English while their grandparents generally have better English skills. The present Prime Minister has just brought English back into the schools and starting this year all maths and sciences are to be taught in English. His goal of creating a proud Malaysian country was admirable but it actually has set the past 2 generations back on the global front.

The Muslim community is celebrating Ramadan from mid September until October 12. For one month they fast from before sun up to after sun down. They may eat all the breakfast & dinner they like but only before 7:00 am and after 7:10 pm. The restaurants are packed at about 7:00 p.m. and Muslims will order their meals and then sit and wait until the exact minute when a very subtle nod from waiters or a change in the music will signal the time to break their fast – Berbuka Puasa. They very quietly and slowly begin to eat. It really is quite a discipline to witness. Unfortunately our students are extremely tired especially by the last class of the day. They will celebrate Hari Raya for four days – October 12 to October 15th. It sort of reminds of us Advent and the lead up to Christmas or Lent and Easter. The stores are teaming with Hari Raya cards, lights, decorations and foods. People are buying new outfits to wear for Hari Raya – just like Christmas (or Easter). We have the Friday & Monday off!!

Dishwashers/Clothes Dryers
Kim has done an informal survey of students and staff and to date she has not found one person or family who owns a dishwasher or clothes dryer. We are not talking the Kampungs – the hick towns – we’re talking middle & upper class families. We think we have an industry we could sell here …. Well maybe not!

Interesting things about Malaysia:
o Advanced technology in cell phones and computers
o Awkward banking systems – most places do not accept debit cards and the paper work to do anything in a bank is mind boggling
o There are mega malls everywhere. It is estimated there are more malls per capita here than in the US. They are modern theme park complexes.
o They definitely need a Staples & a Canadian Tire though!
o Their sewer and drainage systems are interesting. Cement drainage ditches run the perimeter of all building, houses and along all streets. Some are covered but most are open. When it rains for 30 minutes each day these drain ditches run with a fury. I sincerely asked early in our stay if any one ever fell into them & I was given a shocked response of “NO” and a look as if I was crazy to even think it!
o WHIMS and Occupational Health and Safety have not found their way to Malaysia. We once saw a construction worker using a huge hand held cement saw while wearing flip flops!
o The Petronas Towers in KL really are a spectacular sight.
o The people here are the quietest, most polite, generous and calm society we have ever had the pleasure to meet. We have never seen an angry student or driver or shopper or bus passenger or …
o The driving here is crazy. Motor bikes weave in & out of traffic everywhere. Motor bikes often drive the wrong way, use side walks and they park any where and every where. We have seen families of 4 on little motor bikes. We are not talking big BMW or Harley bikes – these are small motor bikes (just bigger than a scooter)
o The hawker stalls are everywhere. These are little “rustic” stands with an umbrella over head and a table & pot or pan or deep fryer and a huge variety of fried or stewed food. People line up at the grungiest of them for lunch/ diner/ snacks/ breakfast. They are always busy. And the food is very, very cheap. We have bought a few things from stands but we have not eaten too much hawker food. We are not sure our systems are ready for it yet.
o Most restaurants do not serve alcohol because most are owned or run by Muslims. If there is liquor available it is minimal and very expensive.
o Durian fruit is very popular but it really, really stinks. You can smell it from a great distance. When you walk into a grocery store that sells it (some do not) you can smell it as soon as you step in the door. We will probably NOT try it! I know this is short sighted and not adventurous – but we’ve made up our minds!!
o The fruits and vegetables at the markets are wonderful - not so great at the supermarkets. There are some markets around but they’re not as plentiful or convenient as European markets.

A Weekend in Melaka

The weekend of September 22/23 we decided to rent a car & drive to Melaka. What a great experience. Melaka is a major city about 2 hours away from KL. What a fabulous city. It is the historical centre of Malaysia with Dutch, Portuguese and British influences as well as Chinese & Malaysian. It used to be the centre of politics and finance but KL has now taken over that role. It is a small city but filled with so much to see & do.

In the 1500’s Melaka (formerly Malacca) was the biggest trading, commercial and cultural spot in South East Asia with one of the busiest ports. It adopted Islam in the late 1400’s which began the Melaka Malay culture with a new Malay language, a superior court system and a royal lineage. It was taken over by the Portuguese in 1511. The Dutch rose to power and captured the city in 1641. There are still small Portuguese and Dutch influences left in the city. The Chinese flocked to Melaka and often became more successful in business than the Europeans. Many Chinese married Malay women & created a new racial mix – the Peranakan – or the Baba- Nonya. This is still a very prominent group in Malaysia today. The British took over in 1795 and remained there until 1957. The British influence is also still very evident especially when speaking to people of our age who have British accents and of course they still drive on the left side of the road. In 1957 the Malaysians were able to gain independence & take back control of their own country. They put on a great push to develop the Malaysian culture again. Melaka went through years of mismanagement under European rule and the once bustling international port of Melaka started to decline. In 1957 the prime minister made the announcement of Independence for Malaysia from British rule from the government building in the heart of the city. The building is now the Museum of Independence – great tour! Today it is a lovely city to visit.

We had a great time touring & visiting the historic sights. It was soooo hot and half way through the day we started to use our umbrellas to block the sun – much better. China town has some of the most interesting shops (a lot of souvenir shops too) where people are still manually working at a trade. See the pictures of the man making hand made sheet metal items, the lady packaging tea by hand and the clogs that are still being made & worn by many workers in Melaka. There are 4 – 5 small temples and mosques with in a small area each with the amazing details and histories. We even saw a Tamil Methodist Church in the district.

Redang

The water is turquoise and warm, the sand is white and fine, the beach is clean and idyllic...in short "perfect."

Sunday September 16 we were up at 5:30 and left for the Subang Jaya airport at 6:30. We arrived at 6:40 and found a deserted small airport. We wandered through and located the Berjaya Air check in. We had to wait until about 7:30 for the check in to open and we had our baggage scanned and walked through to the departure lounge. This was like walking through the island airport but with a whole lot less formality. We boarded the Dash 7 at 8:15 and were on our way at 8:30 (right on time). The flight was a little over an hour and we landed in Redang. A hotel bus picked us up and took us to the hotel where we checked in but the room wasn't ready. We sat around in a wood lined British colonial style open air lobby. The wonderful atmosphere was starting to relax us.

We had been told that we were upgraded to a deluxe room and we were shown by an attendant to a second floor room in a chalet accommodation by the beautiful beach side garden. It was quaint and the only thing we had concern about was the twin bed arrangement. With a shrug we got changed and went down to lie on the beach. We met Steve and Pam who raved about their room (superior which is a step down from ours). Kim decided to take a look and led Pam to our room followed by a trip to Pam and Steve's. A few minutes later Kim was back saying "Get up, Bill, we're moving!" We stopped by reception and they very kindly and quickly assigned us the room next to Pam and Steve. It was larger, newer, and had a king size bed. The only drawback was the many many stairs we had to climb to get to it. It became our exercise program given all the great food we enjoyed.

We spent Sunday afternoon settling in and hanging around the beach. At dinner that evening we were entertained by d'island Quartet. They became our personal band. They have a large and eclectic repertoire so we played a lot of name that tune among our group of friends.

Monday was another day of beach resting and reading. We tried out our new masks and snorkels by paddling around in the bay. It occurred to us that all those tropical paradise post cards that we've seen were probably shot right here. It was perfect for a mid semester rest. We made arrangements for a scuba tour and a snorkeling trip that we had built into the package: snorkeling on Tuesday and the three dives split over Wednesday (2) and Thursday (1). More beach time and reading (or napping). It's a good thing that they built the cabanas because the sun was high and intense.

We went out Tuesday morning for the 3 island snorkel adventure and at each stop the scenery got better. We saw huge varieties of fish and a lot of exquisite coral. The trip took about four hours and we enjoyed four stops. We also got to see the entire perimeter of the island from the boat. It is an environmental paradise. There are few resorts on the island and the shoreline could have been used to film any tropical island movie. We only hope there is the political will to keep it this pristine.

Wednesday we were up early to report to the dive centre for a check dive in the pool. That went well and we were ready for the real thing. After a briefing from the dive master, Toh, we boarded a converted fishing vessel and were off to the first site. Because it had been a long time since our last open water dive we struggled a little with the skills. Buoyancy was difficult for both of us and Kim's mask kept fogging up, but the reef and its life were spectacular. We were both surfaced early because we over used our air. We were joined by a couple of new divers who burned their air quickly as well.

After everyone was aboard we set up new tanks and the boat moved to the second site. Again the reef was wonderful and we felt like we were in a scene from "Finding Nemo". Kim had difficulty with her buoyancy and about thirty minutes into the dive she popped to the surface (slowly) and could not get back down. Bill joined her and we both got picked up by the boat. The rest of the divers were up a few minutes later and we had a little extra time aboard so on the way back to the resort we got to do some turtle watching. "Nemo" again!! The turtles cooperated by breaching in several places and we got a good look at many others on the bottom. The water is so clear that we could see the bottom clearly in 15 to 20 meters depth. Basically the visibility was unlimited. The afternoon was spent on the beach.

Thursday was somewhat more relaxed. We got up late, read on the beach, and in the afternoon went to the dive centre for another dive. This time were were further away from the island and there was a bit of a swell to deal with at the surface. At depth we had a current to fight. Michael, an engineer and a dive instructor from Scotland, took us under his wing and held tight to Kim who latched onto Bill so we all stayed close together with another rookie diver. Michael was great. He managed to drag us through the current by finding the soft spots and we had an excellent view of the reef. Visibility was down from the other dives because of the current and some offshore storming that stirred up the sediment but the coral reef colours, shapes and varieties were outstanding. We saw amazing, exotic fish life but no sharks or eels (thank goodness). This dive was shorter because of the current as well. We surfaced and were picked up by the boat both tired and exhilarated.

Good news!! We had purchased an underwater camera and we will post the dive and snorkel pictures. Its a 35mm so we have to have the films developed. We'll get them burned to disc so we can post them to the right side of the blog. We have also prepared and posted the land based pictures for you to have a look at.

Friday was check out. We slept in some and then went to the beach. Kim took a dip in the ocean and Bill took a swim in the pool (so did his wallet). Kim enjoyed a fabulous aromatherapy "spa" treatment. Late check out, a short ride to airport brought us back home to Subang Jaya by about 5:00 PM. This was a most wonderful restful vacation and we will try to get back in the spring.

Mid Semester Break is Here

Since we returned from Singapore it has been really hectic. First of all we had to get our mid term marks in to our department heads. Although we use Markbook to track student marks the college has not yet taken advantage of the export function whereby we can export an ASCII file to the college database. Instead we manually transfer student marks to a hard copy and submit these to our department head who then manually enters them into the database. Too many opportunities for mistakes. We have approached the IT department about mapping the necessary fields and it looks like this will be ready for finals.

Second, we have conducted parent teacher conferences on Saturday, September 8. I wonder how that would fly in Ontario. The parents were generally very nice and supportive. When a student is not doing well they tend to place the onus on the student to improve. It is much less confrontational than we often see back home. There is, however, pressure to maintain a positive approach and help the college retain and recruit students. Some students here are on government scholarships and must maintain an 85% average in order to keep the scholarship. If they do then they get four years support at a Canadian university. There is very real stress for these students.

We joined a gym. There is a very modern gym at Subang Parade (a local mall) that is within walking distance of the college. We also booked eleven sessions each with a personal trainer. The negotiations were exciting. We dropped in to have a look and were immediately accosted by a promoter. He was very nice and he was into hard sell. There were joining fees, processing fees, training fees and a monthly membership fee. We negotiated some reductions in the fees and Aarron, our promoter, went to find a trainer to discuss that service with us. We had seen a colleague working out and decided to consult with him. Carl asked what the charges were and when we told him he said that they were ridiculous. He immediately joined us in the negotiations. But Carl doesn't negotiate, he bulldozes. He's not rude, just very forceful. He 'instructed' the promoter and one of the managers to delete the joining and processing fees; they did so. He gave them the option of having two new members or having us go across the street to another gym. In the end we paid the monthly fee and the trainer fees. The gym is not cheap even by Canadian standards. It is a high end gym, very clean with many options for exercise including extensive classes, machines, cardio area, and free weights. The cost is about the same as what we might pay at Bally or Good Life. That's pretty expensive in a country that has a minimum wage of about $2.00 per hour and many employers ignore that.

We've had several sessions with the trainers and our muscles are telling us that they are working. We are almost through the assessment part and looking forward to getting a program to work on our own. After that we'll meet the trainers intermittently to upgrade the program and check our progress. We walk to the gym a couple of times a week and follow up with dinner and a little shopping. We also try to get there on the weekend.

The past week (on Thursday) was the start of Ramadan. It is the Muslim month of fasting. That means that adults cannot eat between sunrise and sunset, not even to sip water. There are some exceptions but most of our Muslim students are pretty rigorous about the fast. On Thursday evening we went to the gym and then out for dinner. While at the restaurant at about 7:00 PM a young Malay Muslim couple sat down next to us and ordered dinner. The dinner was delivered to the table at 7:10 and they just sat there chatting; they didn't touch the meal nor did they taste the water placed on the table. The man had his cell phone out and checked it regularly. At about 7:20 they both started to eat and we looked around to notice that the rest of the people had also started to eat. Again on Friday evening we were out to shop before our holiday and we sat among an entire restaurant of people doing the same thing as the young couple the night before. This time at about 7:20 waiters and waitresses went table to table informing the guests that the sun had indeed set; the meal began.

The fast does take a toll. We saw an elderly gentleman on Thursday who was clearly in some distress. He was holding on to a lamp pole and seemed to be feeling faint. Bill's trainer at the gym asked to reschedule their appointment because he was not feeling well. He explained that this always happens on the first day of the fast, but his body adjusts in a day or so. We rescheduled. Ramadan here is a lot like Christmas back in Ontario. It ends with the celebration of Hari Raya (October 12 to 15 this year), much as Advent ends with Christmas. In the store right now there are coloured lights and Happy Hari Raya cards. In Bhasa Malayu it is written as Selamat Aidilfitri. Specialty foods are also all over the stores. Dates and Hari Raya cookies are for sale in large displays in the stores and malls. Hari Raya is like American Thanksgiving and Canadian Christmas too in that everyone travels home for the holiday. It's a great family get together. We're looking forward to it. The catch is that there are no flights available anywhere because we left it too late to book; we only started six weeks in advance and everything was taken.

This next week is mid-semester break and we have a week off. We are travelling with colleagues to Redang Island on the north east coast. It is a SCUBA diving and snorkeling destination. We are really looking forward to a restful five days. We'll re-certify our diving and take several outings to view the local underwater flora and fauna. The rest of the time is beach and rest.
Watch for pictures.

Feeling a Little Shakey

It was a really interesting morning. You may have heard about the earthquake in Indonesia. It happened about 6:00 PM local time and was 8.2 on the Richter Scale. The aftershocks were running about 6.6 and a tsunami warning was issued for the entire Indian Ocean basin. We're protected from the tsunami threat because we are sheltered by Sumatra and the quake was on the south side of that island.

As we sat in our office at 7:45 this morning everyone got the feeling that their office chairs were moving. It turned out we were feeling an aftershock. The veterans tell us that these sometimes occur and last a few seconds at most. This morning's tremor lasted well over a minute and the entire building was swaying. Not a great deal of movement but we did feel a continual pulsing effect. Nobody got too excited so we tried to stay calm as well. In the end it stopped and nothing more happened.

So all of you calm down ! We're fine!

Our Condo

We keep saying that we love our condo and the other day Mike said he'd like to see pictures. We realized that we hadn't posted anything. So take a look at the photo links on the right.

The Condo is in an older neighbourhood called Wangsa Baiduri. It has a gated entrance staffed at all times by several security guards. The neighbourhood was established in about 1985 as a development of what we would call town houses. There are a couple of streets of very large single family homes and one that even has its own guard house. The houses are all walled and gated and the properties are generally quite small by Bolton standards. The construction is brick with a coat of stucco. The rooves are terra cotta tiles (maybe some kind of synthetic.

Our condo (Boulevard Condominium) is a new building, less than two years old. It is still largely unoccupied for a number of reasons. Many of the units are owned as investments and rented out to people like us who need a longer term place to stay. The buildings (two towers) have their own security with several guards on duty at all times. The guards patrol the grounds at regular intervals. The development also has a gardening crew that takes care of the flora. The lawns and gardens are impeccably groomed. Kim probably wants to get out and tinker with the gardens but here would be nothing for her to do.

Our unit is a two bedroom that was partly furnished and had never been lived in. We have added some homey touches and are very comfortable. If any of you choose to visit (please!) you have your own bedroom. We have a small kitchen but we use it for breakfast and the odd dinner. it is so inexpensive here we often eat out in one of the many ethnic restaurants. As you can see there is a set of gates on the vestibule. This is common practice in condo and apartment buildings here. It is an extra level of security and allows for more space inside...not thgat we need a whole lot more because it really is a rather large two bedroom place.

If you saw all of the photos that have been taken you would probably think that we are obsessed with the pool. In fact it is lovely. Kim loves to get her swim in every chance she gets and as a result Bill is getting some of that exercise form as well. The pool is situated at the front of the condo right above the guard house and over the parking structure; so it is three floors above the ground. It's made up of a beautiful lawn and garden area with a nice deck and a small gym attached. The pool is about four feet deep and the water is always crystal clear and warm. At one end is a shallower wading pool that is separated from the main pool. In the main pool there is an underwater deck at one end and the return jets can be used for a whirlpool effect; it feels wonderful. It gets a little chilly if we have rain; this means it drops to about 80 degrees. That's cool when the evening temperature is around 80 plus as well. The pool has an infinity edge so we have the sensation of it going on forever.

We welcome any who can get to Malaysia to rest with us. We look forward to seeing each of you.