Australia

We wanted to check off another item on our "500 things to do before we die" list.
We DID! A scuba dive on the Great Barrier Reef. Lady Musgrave Island is on the southern end of the Great Barrier Reef and despite some logistical difficulties we made a dive there.

Kim: I realized last Sept that I could not find my NAUI card here or at home in Bolton. We did three dives in Redang, Malaysia in September and they never asked for our cards. They just accepted our word. We did do a refresher lesson in the pool which was very good for Bill and me. Now, one would think that I should have got to work on a replacement card back then - but no, I did not do that. Last week in Australia as we were making arrangements to dive I remembered my lost card!! Dumb but true!

We actually took a chance and drove to a small town called 1770 to do our dive on the GB Reef last Tuesday. They had not sent out the large boat that takes people to the island since the Saturday before because of hurricane weather offshore and very rough seas on the way out. It was very iffy about trips. Finally on Thursday they sent out the boat but it was a very cloudy day and the seas had really been stirred up over the past 2 weeks with the storms. We did some snorkeling, an island tour and a glass bottom boat tour in the morning. The island is a coral and sand island and is a sanctuary to millions of birds - Kim was not a happy traveller. And ... it smelled so badly of guano. But ... it was really interesting & our delightful tour guide kept us entertained and informed. We went for our dive in the afternoon. Our dive master was great. He did his intro lessons with a couple of people in the am and we dove with 3 other experienced divers (very much our level of experience) in the pm. He accepted my word that I was certified. Luck was on my side. The dive was terrific. We saw a small sting ray about 5 feet right below us, a mid sized shark who luckily was not interested in us and glanced with annoyance at us & lazily swam away, a number of turtles - one which also lazily swam away from us. The visibility was about 30 to 40 feet. It was a bit murky because of the storms and there was no sun so we did not get the brilliance the sun brings to the reef colours. The reef was still very interesting and there were many beautiful colours on many sections. But, our main goal in Australia was to dive on the Reef and we did. It was great!

All in all it was a wonderful trip. We only had a week so we took a flight to the Gold Coast and didn't try to do too much. Sydney was 1000 km to the south & Cairns was 2000 km to the north. We decided that we would not try to do city tours - we've seen so many wonderful world cities. We made this trip a nature adventure. So, we rented a car and started driving. A day in Surfer's Paradise was exciting and as the guide book says "brash, glib and in your face". The place is full of the young and the beautiful (and Bill). Almost everyone, young and old, is well tattooed and pierced. There is plenty of shopping and the main activity, obviously, is surfing. The beach and the surf are breathtaking The golden sands stretch on for miles and the surf is mesmerizing. We walked for many kilometers along the beach - beautiful!

We travelled up to Hervey Bay on the Sunshine Coast and made a side trip to Tambourine Mountain on the way. Tambourine Mountain is a highland plateau , the name mountain is hyperbolic. It is a string of three small towns scattered among several national parks and conservatories. The villages are home to crafts, art and wineries. There are also several enticing restaurants to be visited. We took a tropical forest walk to a very scenic waterfall at Curtis Falls. It was very serene.

Hervey Bay is a sleepy little town that has, as its reasons for existence, the local retirement community and the jumping off point for Fraser Island. In its former capacity it has a local nickname of "God's Waiting Room" - there are so many retired people there. Fraser Island is the world's largest sand island and a world heritage site. It is wonderful! The ride over to the island took about fifty minutes by barge and we landed on the beach, really...see the photos! We toured around on a four wheel drive bus. There are no paved roads on the island. All roads are sand tracks and you could never travel it without a 4 wheel drive. Peter, our driver, is an encyclopedia of knowledge about the local flora, fauna and history. We were treated to a walk in the rain forest, although we had to stick to the sand road. A buffet lunch broke up the trip. We drove at 80 kph on a beach that is a legal main state highway as well as a landing strip for small aircraft. We visited a beach wreck - a large luxury liner that was beached on its way to Japan just before WWII and just left there. We waded through a dazzling fresh water steam - Eli Creek - so refreshing. Everything that day was so new and exciting to us. It was a fabulous day.

The next stop was quite further north on the Discovery Coast in a small town/village/park at the end of the headland of 1770. It is so named because it was the first place that Captain Cook set foot on Australia. This and the town of Agnes Water are mere dots on the landscape that serve the fishermen and trips to the Great Barrier Reef. In Hervey Bay and in 1770 there is LITERALLY almost nothing else to do. In Agnes Water we stayed in a little motel with a very interesting proprietor, Lex. He took time out to show us around at dusk to see the local kangaroos. It is so hot there, the kangaroos sleep in the shade all day and they come out at dusk - 5:30ish - and start grazing. You can see them along many of the side roads, in people's gardens and in fields beside the roads. We spotted so many families of kangaroos. Most just look up and stare at you and seem unfazed by cars or people. The ones we saw are wallabies. They are very passive and are not very dangerous. The large red kangaroos that are quite powerful and will jump at you are much further inland. Lex intends to visit Canada in the next couple of years and we hope we can return his hospitality. The last day was a whirlwind drive back to the Gold Coast with side trips to Noosa, a wonderful upscale version of Surfer's Paradise, and a river cruise in Brisbane. Brisbane is a beautifully well organized and clean city. The downtown core is made up of beautiful architecture and a wonderful, people-oriented waterfront. (OK - so we did one city!)

Although we saw only a small part, we would sum up Australia as CLEAN, green and breathtaking! It is a beautiful, inviting place and we would love to return for more extensive explorations. The people we met were so friendly and helpful. We loved our nature adventure!

Cambodia

This past week we ventured off to Cambodia. Wow - what an experience. We had one "OMG!" moment after another. I don't know if we can do this trip justice.

The whole country has been set back to the Stone Age because of the devastation of the Khmer Rouge reign of terror 1975 through 1979. They killed off all of the intelligentsia, the academicians, the prosperous and the rich. They left the poor, the destitute and orphans. The people left had no skills, knowledge or industry. However, they have picked themselves up and have started to rebuild their country. It is a country of very young people. Twenty to thirty year olds are directors, managers, and they basically run the country's business. They are dedicated and committed but there is so much to do in every aspect. Tourism is their big boom so they have lovely hotels and some great restaurants. But, there are also many scams going on - so you have to be wary at every turn. Many countries - especially France and Japan - are investing in Cambodia so there are some areas of advancement. The health care system is abysmal. There is no sense or system of sanitation and litter is everywhere. Basic health care is poor in the cities and non existent in some rural areas. Our friend worked in mental health in Ontario and she is trying to help the people of Cambodia but she was told that although mental health is a huge problem - because of post war traumas, that is the least of their worries at this moment. They need health care professionals, clean water, supplies, better clinics, and most of all their population needs to be educated on basic health care and hygiene. We saw the most "Oh My God" things there - naked children everywhere, children begging on every street, vans with 20-30 workers perched on top of the vans with that many people inside too.

We flew into Siem Reap on Monday morning and once ensconced at the hotel we booked a tuk-tuk and driver for the day. This is a favoured mode of transportation that has a motor bike pulling an open passenger compartment. Because we started late (10:30) he only asked US $15.00 for the day.

We went to Siem Reap to see the ancient temples of Angkor Wat (and there about 300 other temples in the area). The temples are amazing, immense, ancient, awe inspiring. Our guide was fabulous and told us all about the Angkor empire and the advanced civilization that existed from 800 to 1400 AD. Most of the time we were slack jawed at the scale and beauty of the temples. Angkor Wat (which literally translates as "Holy Place" or Holy Temple") is the largest religious worship site in the world. The moat defining its boundaries is 180 metres wide and surrounds it on all four sides. The site itself has a perimeter of about 6.5 kilometres. The entire temple with its many buildings and towers is made completely of dry laid sandstone. The statues, carvings and bas relief are very impressive...because I can't find another word that suffices.

We also visited a former (1300s) capital city called Angkor Thom (which translates a "Holy City") with its Bayon temple. The temple is made up of 54 towers with four faces on each tower. They are supposedly of the many-faced god but the guide and guidebooks say they bear a striking resemblance to the king himself. We got a great tour of some of the bas relief sculptures here and we are impressed (again) by the unexpected depiction of the everyday life and the sense of humour of the artists. In this one you can see a tortoise, held by a woman, biting the rear end of the man in front.

The temple most familiar to North American movie goers is Ta Prohm...Angelina Jolie filmed part of Tomb Raider movie there. The trees in many of the temples grow right out of the rock and as a result the jungle has dismantled many parts of these monuments. It is such a shame. But Japan and Korea are heavily involved in the restoration of many of the sites. Some of the overall destruction is also man made. The country has vacillated between Buddhism and Hinduism depending on the preference of the king of the day. Many tolerated other religions but the people generally tended to follow the king. In times of change carvings and statues were sometimes destroyed or buried to be replaced by the new faith and its icons.

One of our side trips was to the floating village on Lake Tonle Sap. The lake is a source of almost half of the country's protein because of its abundance of fish. The floating village is the living quarters of many of the fishermen. The poverty is staggering. We travelled down a dusty gritty dirt highway that is undergoing widening. Along the verge were houses made of sticks. Many are just platforms on fragile stilts and having a thatched roof. The more splendid ones have grass or stick walls. Children run about naked and often adults sleep away the day on the platforms…evening is for fishing. We climbed over three other boats tied end to end to get to the one we were to ‘cruise’ on. The ten minute ride down river to the lake was punctuated by small canoe like crafts pulling alongside and children of four to seven years old jumping aboard to sell everything from bananas to coke for ‘one dollah’. The local schools were also floating, built on large barges and including a gym on the second floor for basketball and football (soccer). Once on the lake we were again approached by beggars and sellers but this time most were Vietnamese. The fishermen and their families live aboard permanently anchored boats and barges. They paddle out onto the lake in small canoes, fish and sell their catch to some of the shore people who arrange transport to the cities. But the destitution is visible in almost everything. We wonder at our luxury and the morality of gawking at their lives. But we know that without the tourism they might have no life.

By the end of the second day we were templed out and had arranged a bus ride to the capital, Phnom Penh. This was a high grade coach; we're not sure what made it high grade except that it was more money (US$12.00). It was cramped and hot because the further you are back on the bus the less the air conditioning is effective. Six hours is a long ride but we got a lot more of the flavour of the country. Kim commented that it's the "Three Little Pigs" over and over again. We'd pass a brick house followed by a stick and then a grass one; but most of the houses were of stick or grass with a number of wooden structures thrown in.

Phnom Penh initially gives the impression of a modern city. Then we learned about the almost total lack of sanitation. In a few pockets the odour of urine was very strong. That aside, the people are wonderful. We found them polite and helpful when our language differences allowed for communication. Everyone, though, made a stab at English which is good because we had no idea about Khmer.

We did a preprogrammed walking tour of the downtown as laid out in the 'Roughs Guide'. At Wat Phnom Penh we ran into a scam of people standing on the stairs trying to collect 'one dollah'. When Kim pointed out that a couple of locals had entered without paying, the response was something like "They're free you one dollah!" We walked on to another stairway and got the photos we were seeking. The area was very crowded and the predominant population was of beggars on the stairs. The central market is a rabbit warren of narrow walks between overpacked stalls mainly selling clothing. The floral part of the market was magnificent and we noticed subsequently that many people here loved their flowers. The local shopping mall was next and we had heard and we confirmed that they have escalator trainers standing by to instruct visitors in the art of the moving stairway. The National Museum was our last stop of the afternoon. It contains a large number of Khmer sculptures from scattered temples.

We made a considered decision to avoid the Killing Fields and S21. Most will know of the former. The latter is a high school that the Khmer Rouge turned into a prison and torture centre. People taken there rarely ever came out except to be transported to the mass graves at the Killing Fields. Maybe we were squeamish or just cowardly but we felt no compulsion to see the remnants of that regime when other evidence was all around us.

We met friends Steve and Pam for dinner at the FCC (Foreign Correspondents Club). This is where the journalists came to file their stories and take a rest during the Vietnam war. The food was great and the company better.

On our last day we took a tour of the Royal Palace and the Silver Pagoda. The pagoda is named for the fact that the entire floor is tiled in silver. They are, of course, protected by carpet over most of the area. All of the architecture is wonderfully Cambodian except one building. There is a French colonial building in the middle of it all. It was donated by Napoleon III after his empress Eugenia had used it during the dedication of the Suez Canal. It is ugly and out of place in this setting but has been deemed a national heritage building. I guess they won't be getting rid of it any time soon. We finished up our trip with a little shopping and a drink at a sidewalk cafe on Sisawath Quay for some people watching.

This has been a revolutionizing experience and we feel the need to do something to contribute to the rebuilding of this ancient and destitute society...but what?

Happy New Year

Happy New Year everyone!

We haven't been too faithful to the blog this month but don't worry, you haven't missed much. The "happy new year" greeting is twice apporopriate though. On Saturday, February 2 we start a full week holiday for Chinese new year. This is a big deal here in Malaysia. A large majority of businesses are owned by Chinese Malaysians and this is the only time that they close up shop, some for up to two weeks. Of course the other facet is our regular January 1 greeting.

We have started back into our teaching routine. Bill and I still teach Business Leadership & English Literature respectively but our timetables are a little different from last term. We're settling into a new schedules. We have a whole new cast of students in each of our classes and once again they are the most respectful and motivated students we could ever meet. Kim's sudents are mostly government scholars so they have to achieve 85% overall to keep their scholarships to go to a Canadian University - they are sooo keen! We have had a couple of voice-over sessions and we expect to do quite a few in the next two months. They are fun and something very different for us. We are also coaching a couple of children who are doing the little girl and boy parts. They are as different as night and day and each is delightful in their own way.

We have gone back to exploring more of the KL area again. A trip to the National Islamic Arts Mueseum was wonderful. The art, the history and the mosque models were fascinating. We had another great 18 holes of golf with Matthew and Serina in Port Dickson. We were not quite as hot as our first round last October - the humidity has been a lot lower for the month of January. The temperature is always 32 daytime and 23 night time. It has been quite pleasant actually. We have also explore a couple of "bars" yes ... but not for the drinking but for the view of KL. There are a number of beautiful hotels that have spectacular views of the city & the Petronas towers but the Sky Bar where we visited with Carolynn, Joe & Randy is still the best. We have wandered around the Bangsar area which is filled with ex-pats from around the world and has some very upscale malls & boutiques. This is where Randy & I found my dress for Andrea's wedding. (Note from Bill:We had to go back for a fitting and the dress is really KIM! It is not simply elegant it is Kim's dress.)

Our holidays are still a great part of this adventure. We started back to teach on January 8th and we had a day off on January 10th!! It was Dawala Meharasam which is the Muslim New Year. So everyone had a holiday.

Two weeks later we had a holiday for Thaipusam. This is an Indian/Hindu holiday that is more celebrated in Malaysia than in India. Pilgrims come to the Batu caves temples and other temples in the area of KL from all over the world. Batu caves had a small crowd this year. They usually get 1.5 million but only a meagre million showed up. Three Hindu colleagues travelled to a temple in Klang for the celebration. There are some pretty scary practices that involve carrying heavy objects or dragging heavy things on hooks piercing the skin. Have a aloolk at this link for a few ictures from this year
http://www.malaysiasite.nl/batucaveseng.htm
We didn't attend because of the crowds but a few colleagues did. Instead we went back to the golf course.

Chinese New Year is Feb 7th & 8th but we have the whole week off - from Sat Feb 2nd to Sun Feb 10th. Amazing eh? We are off to Cambodia for the week. We are looking forward to that adventure. The very sad history of that country is so interesting. Well, we'll let you know about it after we return.

A final note for January, we have given notice and we are returning home. In June our Malaysian adventure will be over. But don't hold your breath; this may just be the beginning of the next stage.

Christmas in Malaysia

We cannot believe we have been in Malaysia for 6 months. The time has flown by. It seems like only yesterday that we had this crazy idea. On the other hand it seems like we have lived here for a long time. When we return from a trip here we are happy to be "home". It is still very strange to call this condo "home". Although we have not put a lot of money into decorating the condo, it is cozy enough for us to be very comfortable and happy. We are looking forward to our second term of teaching. We have a few more travel plans for the spring. The end of our year here will be fast upon us.

We tried very hard to get into the Christmas “spirit”. Although the malls have splendid displays and the Masses during Advent at Assumption Church were very much like home we missed being with our friends and family very much. Our new friends in Malaysia are wonderful and we had many visits and meals with them. We really did enjoy ourselves. It does not replace family though. It is so difficult to get into the Christmas spirit when the temperature is 25 to 30 degrees everyday. But, the malls have the most amazing decorations that we have ever seen. People go to the malls just to view & photograph the Christmas displays. A little while ago Bill & I were at the Mid Valley Megamall (yes they call it a megamall - because it is so huge) & the Centre Court Christmas display was breathtakingly beautiful. The theme was carried throughout the mall to the smaller North South East & West courts & each was more beautiful than the next. They have been piping Christmas carols throughout the malls since mid November. Each department store has a small Christmas section with a few tree decorations. However, I am finding it very difficult to find Christmas decorations for the home, kitchen or table. I found some Christmas cake, pudding & napkins at Marks & Spencer. That's it!! But I was able to find a couple of small decorated table top Christmas trees & a few tacky decorations to make our condo a little more festive. It will do!!

Our New Year celebration was also a lot of fun. We organized a BBQ at our Condo complex and 17 of the Canadian staff came. We had a great BBQ dinner and then everyone came up to our condo for drinks & chatter. At 11:50 we all made our way down to the pool and we watched as the hotels nearby heralded in the New Year with amazing fireworks displays.

We wish all of you a wonderful New Year filled with happiness and prosperity.

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?