After five years of intensive workout at DataXu, each employee is granted a
month off in addition to the standard unlimited “Personal Time Off”. I
believe that means that you have a month off from expectations, which is
awesome.
I’m hoping that this comes across as a series of insights and potentially inspirations instead of “my greatest vacation”, which is the story that the photos beguile. It was awesome, no doubt, and I have my wife, Celine, to thank since she was tour researcher, organizer, and operations enforcer to ensure the best of times. Think Fantasy Island, if you know of that reference.
The plan was to use Celine’s home country, Malaysia, and family as a hub and travel along several spokes to unique places. It was to be a surf and turf menu of activities dominated by food and adventure, punctuated by rest and travel. Rather than luxury travel the emphasis was to connect with each other and the people and places around us. It was a throwback from our backpacking days — just a little less frugal since we are getting more used to creature comforts and have more means at our age :).
Celine and I realize that this may be the last time we travel as a nuclear family unit, just the four of us. In fact, Danique who is already 19, attempted secession early on but that was squelched immediately with an iron fist and she fell in line nicely. Mieke who is 16, was pulled in momentarily into the drama but also settled into the rhythm of family travel.
Malaysia
Food, family, and friends. Did I mention food? Malaysia takes first place in the food category. Malaysians are justifiably proud of their cuisine. Just to be clear, we never once ate in a fancy hotel or Michelin star restaurant. Most of the food was in hidden places that only the people hip to the local scene can find (you know who you are sister in-law). Each restaurant meal would begin with a flurry of orders in Malay, English or Cantonese. Intense focus on the food as plates arrive with constant commentary on the flavor of this orange coconut curry vs that fish sauce for the roti cannai. As part of this ritual the plan for the next snack or meal would be laid out in detail. Where was the best Mangosteen, Rambutan or Durian fruit? How about the best this and that — mostly things you’ve never heard of.
Did you know that certain fruits are warming and others are cooling? It’s all part of the knowledge that every youngster in Malaysia knows from birth. Durian is one of those heaters. Don’t mix with whisky unless you want to sweat a bunch. Durian is finally getting a rap in the world; don’t smell it, just taste it. I liken it to blue cheese for westerners; more like cognac really. The obsession is extreme. Even the cake they presented for my birthday was filled with a rich, pulpy, golden durian cream. Durian is graded very carefully and ranges in price from $2 to $15 a kg (even reports of $27 in Singapore), which is a king’s ransom in those parts. Keep in mind that you’re paying for a heavy shell. Think coconut husk with spikes. Oh, and don’t sit under one of those trees.
I’m hoping that this comes across as a series of insights and potentially inspirations instead of “my greatest vacation”, which is the story that the photos beguile. It was awesome, no doubt, and I have my wife, Celine, to thank since she was tour researcher, organizer, and operations enforcer to ensure the best of times. Think Fantasy Island, if you know of that reference.
The plan was to use Celine’s home country, Malaysia, and family as a hub and travel along several spokes to unique places. It was to be a surf and turf menu of activities dominated by food and adventure, punctuated by rest and travel. Rather than luxury travel the emphasis was to connect with each other and the people and places around us. It was a throwback from our backpacking days — just a little less frugal since we are getting more used to creature comforts and have more means at our age :).
Celine and I realize that this may be the last time we travel as a nuclear family unit, just the four of us. In fact, Danique who is already 19, attempted secession early on but that was squelched immediately with an iron fist and she fell in line nicely. Mieke who is 16, was pulled in momentarily into the drama but also settled into the rhythm of family travel.
Malaysia
Food, family, and friends. Did I mention food? Malaysia takes first place in the food category. Malaysians are justifiably proud of their cuisine. Just to be clear, we never once ate in a fancy hotel or Michelin star restaurant. Most of the food was in hidden places that only the people hip to the local scene can find (you know who you are sister in-law). Each restaurant meal would begin with a flurry of orders in Malay, English or Cantonese. Intense focus on the food as plates arrive with constant commentary on the flavor of this orange coconut curry vs that fish sauce for the roti cannai. As part of this ritual the plan for the next snack or meal would be laid out in detail. Where was the best Mangosteen, Rambutan or Durian fruit? How about the best this and that — mostly things you’ve never heard of.
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| Rambutan in the market |
Did you know that certain fruits are warming and others are cooling? It’s all part of the knowledge that every youngster in Malaysia knows from birth. Durian is one of those heaters. Don’t mix with whisky unless you want to sweat a bunch. Durian is finally getting a rap in the world; don’t smell it, just taste it. I liken it to blue cheese for westerners; more like cognac really. The obsession is extreme. Even the cake they presented for my birthday was filled with a rich, pulpy, golden durian cream. Durian is graded very carefully and ranges in price from $2 to $15 a kg (even reports of $27 in Singapore), which is a king’s ransom in those parts. Keep in mind that you’re paying for a heavy shell. Think coconut husk with spikes. Oh, and don’t sit under one of those trees.
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| Durian and Mangosteen |
One reason that the food is so awesome is the variety offered by resident cultures: Tamil Indian with roti, dosai, and curry sauces; Malay with shrimp, fish, and beef chili sauces; Chinese, Thai, the list goes on. Chili crab, Lala clams, just for starters. One of my favorite dishes is Shrimp Petai (see: sambal-udang-petai-shrimp-and-stink-bean-in-chili-sauce). Served in a spicy chili sauce with a relatively expensive green bean coming from long pods that I hear grow high in the trees. It’s one of those dishes that have a similar after effect as asparagus, just so you know.
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| Mother-in-law's to be famous petai-shrimp-and-stink-bean-in-chili-sauce |
As far a family and friends goes there’s a lot to talk about and I’ll leave that for another story. Suffice it to say that Celine’s mother and father and four other siblings now live in the Kuala Lumpur area and they all have their unique lives and families. Loads of fun and gatherings. Once again, nothing says I love you like a good chicken satay.
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| Satay just getting started |
... or Nasi Lemak.
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| Nasi Lemak on banana leaf |
In the US, breakfast is a hearty portion of cereal or eggs. In Malaysia, it is Roti Canai, Dosai, or an unlikely breakfast contestant: Char Kway Teow.
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| Roti Canai and Teh Tarik (pulled tea) |
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| Char kway teow |
Ok, I can't resist one more dish but not for breakfast:
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| Pepper crab |
End of Foodie section for now.
Many are probably curious what it’s like to be a visiting American in a Muslim country? Interesting, for sure. You haven’t lived until you see a woman in a full black garb completely covered from head to toe fly off a banana boat ride in the ocean. It’s just one of those things that is perfectly normal there. Many of the very conservative people are actually tourists from the Middle East, I’m told. In Malaysia there is an entire Muslim society within the Malaysian society. This is a deep and fascinating topic that really begs for more detail than can be provided here. What can be said is there are rules that apply to the Malay Muslims and other rules that apply to the remaining citizens. There is preferential treatment and quotas for education and special relationships for business. In spite of this, people co-exist very happily as far as I saw. We felt welcome and had many jovial interactions in the markets and on the streets.
Cambodia
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| Edge of Tonlé Sap lake, the largest freshwater lake in Southeast Asia |
One of the highlights for me was flying into the Angkor grounds near sunset by motor scooter with Mieke. With the wind in our hair (not so easy with helmets) we wiggled through the Siem Riep chaotic traffic and eventually found the main road to the temple complex. Since I had navigated that already twice that day (once for sunrise and another with Celine) I felt confident to open the throttle and feel the exhilaration of true freedom. Then best judgement prevailed and I slowed down to take on the role of naive tour guide. We passed the most famous of temple grounds, Angkor Wat, and continued on the whirlwind tour passing by many temples, walls, fields and jungle. Since it was our last day it was bittersweet for me. We all had seen the insides of some of the temples two days before and I could have continued on for a while. Night was falling so we made our way back to the hotel in Siem Riep through the complete chaos they call traffic.
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| One of the many impressive entrances |
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| View from Angkor Wat inner temple |
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| Classic view of Angkor Wat from across the moat |
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| One of a multitude of carvings in Angkor Wat |
The day before Celine and I took the scooter through distant parts of the temple complex. Another magical experience. Each part was unique and impressive. It’s hard to imagine the effort to construct the elaborate and extensive structures or to carve so many intricate carvings. Today, cranes are used to restore these structures block by block. By looking at the volume and mass of blocks strewn in pure randomness it requires an intolerable measure of patience by my judgement. Luckily for everyone, I’m no archeologist.
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| Ta Prohm "Tomb Raider" temple |
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| Preah Khan |
That day we passed the Land Mine Museum twice. We almost didn’t stop. That would have been a huge missed opportunity to come to a deeper understanding of the impact of war. There was a small, simple sign on the road, so unassuming and modest, so easy to miss. Honestly, it brings tears to my eyes. Here is why. A young boy of 9 was forced into the Khmer Rouge, who everyone should know is one of the most brutal regimes in human history. They are the perpetrators of what is named “The Killing Fields”. This is a must see movie for anyone over the age of 16.
It turned out that this young boy was REALLY good at placing land mines. He placed thousands of them. At some point he realized that he was working for the wrong team and managed to escape. Then he worked for the other side. At the end of the conflict he realized how terrible mines were. They are designed to maim, not kill -- wounded soldiers slow down an army more than dead ones. Now they were only maiming civilians, thousands per year. He started clearing mines with a rake and stick. He married, and together with his wife they cleared thousands of mines for years.
The government eventually got nervous and made him get “educated” in mine removal in England. After he successfully “passed” he was told that he should be teaching the class. Regardless, he got a certification and some real gear and continued. He was in the field clearing mines the day we visited the museum.
Luckily, the mine fields are known and marked now, and the injury count has reduced. There are still many, many mines. At the current rate it is estimated to take 20 years to clear them all. Occasionally they’ll find an unexploded 500-pound ordinance, which contains gun powder that can be used to explode mines. It kind of gives you pause to just go for a hike in the fields as we would do back at home without too much thought.
Fortune would have it that our tour guide is a leader in the organization. He is an American volunteer who is instrumental in managing and funding the operations, museum, as well as a school for affected youngsters. It’s one of those experiences that make you want to give more and take less. See cambodialandminemuseum.org.
Sometimes it is the simplest of experiences that leave a big impression. Celine and I stopped in a small store near to our hotel to grab some water. The young lady at the register was clear and commanding as the new found day. This surfaced Celine’s natural curiosity. What was she doing behind the register? She was the owner, it turns out. Why run a small business instead of getting a higher education? Her mother gave her a choice and she chose business because it is her destiny and “makes her strong”. Celine and I simply loved her clarity and typical Cambodian sing- song voice. Lovely. What a beautiful and incomprehensible language. Celine asked about the alphabet since we had no clue. Boy, we weren’t ready for that. A flurry of upper and lower marks and a whole lot of sounds that sound too similar to separate by my ears. We both wish her the best.
Then there is the shared experience with our nuclear and extended family.
We all piled into a van the first day and visited several of the main temples
in earnest. Angkor Wat, the main temple with its giant outer moat and
multiple square complexes leading to the center temple with a
commanding view. Ta Prohm, the "Tomb Raider" temple with its magical, long rooted
trees growing on the structure starting 50 feet above the jungle floor.
The face temple, with giant Buddhist faces facing all directions.
Ornate carvings, gateways and statue lined bridges were everywhere you turned. It makes you wonder in awe on how and why this was all built. Between 9th and 15th century AD this was one of the most sophisticated civilizations on the planet. It is believed that the society eventually collapsed due to drought and political factors.
Borneo
The US State Department had issued a warning to avoid eastern Sabah due to ISIS activity. It didn't help that ISIS declared war on Malaysia on July 5th - presumably for enabling infidelity of religion.
As in any endeavor one must weigh the risks and rewards. With the latest information and assurances from our diving center host "Uncle Chang" we decided to proceed with Celine’s carefully laid plans (along with some ridiculously cheap Air Asia flights, which deserves special credit and recognition) and fly to the heart of darkness.
A short flight followed by a typical insane shuttle bus ride brought us to the small coastal town near the island of Mabul. I’ll admit that the first walk through the market (the same one we visited four years earlier) was a little unsettling. I was keenly watching for evidence of car bombs and malicious activity. Luckily, things were very ordinary for that part of the world. I kept on reminding myself of statistics and how big the world really is. After a while we settled into a relatively settled state.
After the hour boat ride we arrived to our diving center on Mabul. This is diving centric hotel on stilts with very basic amenities. So basic in fact that we only had salt water to shower and brush teeth. The food was also simple. After some adjustment of expectations, we adjusted fine. We did have opportunities to purchase fish, crab, and even lobster from sea gypsies who would float by every once in a while but we decided to keep with the included fare. We knew that food pleasures would be rich in other parts of our travels.
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| How did Angelina find her way around here? |
The face temple, with giant Buddhist faces facing all directions.
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| Bayon |
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| Banteay Srei |
Ornate carvings, gateways and statue lined bridges were everywhere you turned. It makes you wonder in awe on how and why this was all built. Between 9th and 15th century AD this was one of the most sophisticated civilizations on the planet. It is believed that the society eventually collapsed due to drought and political factors.
Borneo
The US State Department had issued a warning to avoid eastern Sabah due to ISIS activity. It didn't help that ISIS declared war on Malaysia on July 5th - presumably for enabling infidelity of religion.
As in any endeavor one must weigh the risks and rewards. With the latest information and assurances from our diving center host "Uncle Chang" we decided to proceed with Celine’s carefully laid plans (along with some ridiculously cheap Air Asia flights, which deserves special credit and recognition) and fly to the heart of darkness.
A short flight followed by a typical insane shuttle bus ride brought us to the small coastal town near the island of Mabul. I’ll admit that the first walk through the market (the same one we visited four years earlier) was a little unsettling. I was keenly watching for evidence of car bombs and malicious activity. Luckily, things were very ordinary for that part of the world. I kept on reminding myself of statistics and how big the world really is. After a while we settled into a relatively settled state.
After the hour boat ride we arrived to our diving center on Mabul. This is diving centric hotel on stilts with very basic amenities. So basic in fact that we only had salt water to shower and brush teeth. The food was also simple. After some adjustment of expectations, we adjusted fine. We did have opportunities to purchase fish, crab, and even lobster from sea gypsies who would float by every once in a while but we decided to keep with the included fare. We knew that food pleasures would be rich in other parts of our travels.
Mabul and many of the other islands in that region are a paradise losing
the fight, sadly. The trash epidemic of the seas and land are taking a heavy
toll. Over fishing and, in particular, dynamite fishing, is wreaking havoc.
One of the dive masters told me you can hear the explosions in the water
during some night dives.
The big attraction is Sipadan, which was ranked by Jacque Cousteau (one of my idols) as one of the best dive sites in the world. Fortunately, this is a sanctuary. Since access is tightly controlled and limited to 120 or so divers a day the ecosystem is still healthy and vibrant. Coral walls descend into the deep and offer caves and potential for large creatures. Even on the surface we saw 15 or so large turtles; some over 4 feet long.
We didn’t experience the school of barracuda’s this time but did swim through a very large school of Jacks. All captured on video with my amateur skills and frame of mind :).
As promised, there was security posted every evening just in time for dinner. Most nights several young men made their way along the boardwalk to their post with guns and ammo. They were cool and calm and spoke in low voices amongst themselves. There were additional military patrols in and out of the water. It was a strange feeling. Comforting and unsettling at the same time. I kept on wondering how they separate friend and foe. What would I do if there was trouble? Luckily no activity happened other than the faint glow of cigarettes in the dark of night. Hopefully, it goes back to being a chill diving destination soon.
Myanmar
This is a tale of two cities: Yangon (formerly Rangoon), the capital city, and Bagan, which is known for thousands of temples strewn throughout the countryside. As a result of extreme military control, Myanmar had been largely inaccessible to the western tourist. Now it is becoming quite the tourist destination but still not mainstream by any stretch.
The big attraction is Sipadan, which was ranked by Jacque Cousteau (one of my idols) as one of the best dive sites in the world. Fortunately, this is a sanctuary. Since access is tightly controlled and limited to 120 or so divers a day the ecosystem is still healthy and vibrant. Coral walls descend into the deep and offer caves and potential for large creatures. Even on the surface we saw 15 or so large turtles; some over 4 feet long.
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| Personally, I would have selected a softer pillow |
We didn’t experience the school of barracuda’s this time but did swim through a very large school of Jacks. All captured on video with my amateur skills and frame of mind :).
As promised, there was security posted every evening just in time for dinner. Most nights several young men made their way along the boardwalk to their post with guns and ammo. They were cool and calm and spoke in low voices amongst themselves. There were additional military patrols in and out of the water. It was a strange feeling. Comforting and unsettling at the same time. I kept on wondering how they separate friend and foe. What would I do if there was trouble? Luckily no activity happened other than the faint glow of cigarettes in the dark of night. Hopefully, it goes back to being a chill diving destination soon.
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| Uncle Chang's |
Myanmar
This is a tale of two cities: Yangon (formerly Rangoon), the capital city, and Bagan, which is known for thousands of temples strewn throughout the countryside. As a result of extreme military control, Myanmar had been largely inaccessible to the western tourist. Now it is becoming quite the tourist destination but still not mainstream by any stretch.
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| Yangon is filled with buildings ripe for inspired renovations |
Yangon is a city with too many cars, which is typical for pretty much every city on the planet. It does, however, seem to have a flow issue — it took two and a half hours to travel about ten miles. On the upside we did get to endure repeats of every variation of Gangnam style video imaginable. The pop sensitive among us were about to blow. Mercifully, it stopped without incident.
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| Gridlock |
Myanmar is slightly less Buddhist than Cambodia (weighing in at slightly less than 90% vs over 95%) but monks seemed to be everywhere in Yangon and temples were towered in gold. We impressed the temples on ourselves and the girls acquired some gaudy disco light thing (every dorm room needs one, I guess) and golden poster thing from the Buddhist bazaar entrance hallway (picture velvet Elvis). Inside the temple compound were a lot of golden domes and statues of Buddha everywhere; each with a different theme. Real worshippers were intermixed with predominantly Chinese tourists.
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| Yangon downtown with a modern temple |
As far as language, it sounded like a cross between Mandarin and Cantonese to me so I was somewhat shocked to hear that Celine didn’t have one clue. As an aside: She is the type of polyglot that just learns languages innately, without a structural basis. I’m the opposite and need the crutch of sentence structure to hang words on. As an aside, I was so fascinated that there were times that Celine translated between two Chinese (Mandarin and Cantonese). What? You two read the same language but cannot communicate — and Celine, who can’t read or write it, is translating? Weird.
Celine, forever curious, asked about the alphabet. We were explained that letters are a variations of zeros. Wow, that’s deep. That’s beyond oneness. I guess that’s what you get in a land full of Buddhist monks.
The archeological area of Bagan was a truly magical highlight of the trip. One contributing factor was the absence of tourist hoards. Not quite sure why they were absent but we appreciated it immensely. After a “first class” overnight bus (espresso, snack, water, and wet nap provided! Above and beyond was the free transfer bus to Yangon center after return) we arrived in a small town just outside the Bagan archeological site. The following days were filled with the four of us tearing up the dirt roads, paths, and fields with electric scooters (“E-bikes”). We got to experience range anxiety first hand. Celine’s scooter crapped out a way’s out the first day so I did what everyone tells you not to do as a kid and took the scooter and held onto a good one. Nearly ripped my left shoulder off a few times but managed to get back without too many lasting side-effects. It’s stuff like that that turns tourism into adventure, which is always welcome after the fact.
Over the 3 days we became more and more emboldened and wandered
through the small paths and eventually hit the limit in some random field
between pagoda and small ravine. No one explained the sand to e-bike
power ratio. Luckily we prevailed and avoided a very embarrassing
conversation with the rental agency. Each temple had uniqueness; some
you could climb and enjoy spectacular views of field upon field of Stupas
and Pagodas and cacti and palm trees. The serenity was just a treasure. I
dare say that even the girls felt this (between selfies, of course).
It’s worth mentioning that every place had its food and drink specialty and we (and I really mean Celine) were hell bent on finding it. After a few hit and misses we found a wonderful small restaurant with mango lassie that called us again and again. Bagan is next to a giant river so fish was on the table but we stuck to mostly simple dishes that were, generally, tasty.
Bali
Our first clue that we were not in proverbial Kansas anymore -- in terms of excessive clothing in the heat of South East Asia — was a somewhat frightening, wild eyed dancing lady statue — all in full topless glory, if you will. I’m not quite sure where that fits in with the rest of the Bali experience so we’ll just move on.
I’ve heard from many that Bali is the place to go. Well, it certainly is oriented towards tourism. As the final leg of the trip it was welcome to hang out without much fuss. We did dive some more and had a wonderful dive with Manta rays swirling about a “cleaning station”. Since the water wasn’t the clearest that day it was almost more exciting when a 2-3 meter flying wing with its curious eyes suddenly appears in view. It was magical as they flew around and over within 3 meters, I’d say. My biggest challenge was to video without someone under me blowing a thundercloud of bubbles obscuring the view. Honestly, I was more part of the experience than videographer, and since I’m not getting any National Geographic worthy shots it’s better that way.
A huge surprise on another dive was a passing Thresher shark with its majestic tail lovingly caressing the water. Pure grace coming straight at me with broad sweeps and then, without another perceptible stroke, slides by and slips off into the deep blue. It was an exhilarating 15 seconds and even better to live to tell the tale, arh. The other live to tell the tail experience involved a rather long and active Banded sea snake. In the back of my mind I knew that there was no antidote, but that was of no concern in my dreamy existence. Trust in me...
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| Where are we? |
It’s worth mentioning that every place had its food and drink specialty and we (and I really mean Celine) were hell bent on finding it. After a few hit and misses we found a wonderful small restaurant with mango lassie that called us again and again. Bagan is next to a giant river so fish was on the table but we stuck to mostly simple dishes that were, generally, tasty.
Bali
Our first clue that we were not in proverbial Kansas anymore -- in terms of excessive clothing in the heat of South East Asia — was a somewhat frightening, wild eyed dancing lady statue — all in full topless glory, if you will. I’m not quite sure where that fits in with the rest of the Bali experience so we’ll just move on.
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| Not sure how to think about this. |
I’ve heard from many that Bali is the place to go. Well, it certainly is oriented towards tourism. As the final leg of the trip it was welcome to hang out without much fuss. We did dive some more and had a wonderful dive with Manta rays swirling about a “cleaning station”. Since the water wasn’t the clearest that day it was almost more exciting when a 2-3 meter flying wing with its curious eyes suddenly appears in view. It was magical as they flew around and over within 3 meters, I’d say. My biggest challenge was to video without someone under me blowing a thundercloud of bubbles obscuring the view. Honestly, I was more part of the experience than videographer, and since I’m not getting any National Geographic worthy shots it’s better that way.
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| Celine with manta |
A huge surprise on another dive was a passing Thresher shark with its majestic tail lovingly caressing the water. Pure grace coming straight at me with broad sweeps and then, without another perceptible stroke, slides by and slips off into the deep blue. It was an exhilarating 15 seconds and even better to live to tell the tale, arh. The other live to tell the tail experience involved a rather long and active Banded sea snake. In the back of my mind I knew that there was no antidote, but that was of no concern in my dreamy existence. Trust in me...
So many cute pufferfish.
Of course, no boat trip is complete without Celine chumming the waters. I’ll give her credit for 100% perfect score until the trip with 2 meter waves. We all have our strengths and weaknesses.
We did travel more and saw a traditional Bali dance and Mieke and Danique did see a pair of Dutch-Asian hybrid boys around their age. Is that what we look like? they asked. Mostly the eyes, yes. Like in other countries we did find awesome food and quickly found favorite new drinks like mango pulp with a scoop of coconut ice-cream and a lime tonic to cool down. Of course we had to sample satay and compare with Malaysia. All lovely to my taste.
London
This was not supposed to happen. All Cathay Pacific flights in and out of Hong Kong during the 12-hour window of my planned arrival were cancelled due to an epic Typhoon... the biggest in years. Surprisingly the flight out was still a go (I’m assuming that there were several go-no-go meetings).
Regardless, I couldn’t get there and fate was telling me that it wasn’t going to happen. There would be some lucky passengers lying down on full rows of seats to Boston but I wasn’t one of them.
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| One little piggy |
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| Two little piggy |
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| Three little piggy |
Of course, no boat trip is complete without Celine chumming the waters. I’ll give her credit for 100% perfect score until the trip with 2 meter waves. We all have our strengths and weaknesses.
We did travel more and saw a traditional Bali dance and Mieke and Danique did see a pair of Dutch-Asian hybrid boys around their age. Is that what we look like? they asked. Mostly the eyes, yes. Like in other countries we did find awesome food and quickly found favorite new drinks like mango pulp with a scoop of coconut ice-cream and a lime tonic to cool down. Of course we had to sample satay and compare with Malaysia. All lovely to my taste.
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| Traditional Bali Dance |
London
This was not supposed to happen. All Cathay Pacific flights in and out of Hong Kong during the 12-hour window of my planned arrival were cancelled due to an epic Typhoon... the biggest in years. Surprisingly the flight out was still a go (I’m assuming that there were several go-no-go meetings).
Regardless, I couldn’t get there and fate was telling me that it wasn’t going to happen. There would be some lucky passengers lying down on full rows of seats to Boston but I wasn’t one of them.
Luckily my trusty purveyor of “operational excellence” managed to pester
the Avios frequent flyer staff for 6 hours until they booked me a flight on
British Airways using a seat normally reserved for paying customers. The
alternatives were grim. We’re talking a minimum of $800 USD for one way
or weeks to find an Avios seat. Neither was within budget.
I would return to Boston a day later than originally planned but who would balk at spending 8 hours in London with some friends? What kind of friend will pick you up at the airport at 6 in the morning? Only the best of friends, of course. Not wanting to be a total slouch I changed some Hong Kong dollars that Celine had given me earlier. The teller had to actually look up the notes in a currency archive book, they were that old. I almost regretted the transaction after getting one bill and pocket full of pound coins and other metal thingies. How do people walk around with all of that coin?
So, angel M picked me up and whisked through the country roads. Super green everywhere. Old stone houses, woods and fields, Elton John’s driveway, and finally to the insane asylum. What a tranquil place these days now that it’s been converted to high end residences. After some coffee with good friend R. M took me on a walk over the grass with a remarkable number of slugs and through the woods. On account of my drowsiness I didn’t quite get where we were heading. I heard something about visiting Windsor. I wouldn’t imagine such open space with deer and geese everywhere so close to London. After a short period the fields opened up to “The Long Walk”, a 2 mile royal road straight to Windsor castle. Dramatic and so cool. There aren’t any castles in my back yard.
Next stop; shower and to the ramparts proper. After a whirlwind tour it was off to lunch in a French pub (what does that mean?). I had the best fish soup (more like chowder) with cheese and croutons.
The last treat was a local brew in an old pub. When I say old, I’m talking about a structure built in the 1480s. That’s before Columbus had his first pint in the Americas.
Alas, after brief goodbyes with R and M, it’s back to the airport and off to Boston for me. The end of my journey. Now, I just need the rest of the party to return.
Istanbul
I would return to Boston a day later than originally planned but who would balk at spending 8 hours in London with some friends? What kind of friend will pick you up at the airport at 6 in the morning? Only the best of friends, of course. Not wanting to be a total slouch I changed some Hong Kong dollars that Celine had given me earlier. The teller had to actually look up the notes in a currency archive book, they were that old. I almost regretted the transaction after getting one bill and pocket full of pound coins and other metal thingies. How do people walk around with all of that coin?
So, angel M picked me up and whisked through the country roads. Super green everywhere. Old stone houses, woods and fields, Elton John’s driveway, and finally to the insane asylum. What a tranquil place these days now that it’s been converted to high end residences. After some coffee with good friend R. M took me on a walk over the grass with a remarkable number of slugs and through the woods. On account of my drowsiness I didn’t quite get where we were heading. I heard something about visiting Windsor. I wouldn’t imagine such open space with deer and geese everywhere so close to London. After a short period the fields opened up to “The Long Walk”, a 2 mile royal road straight to Windsor castle. Dramatic and so cool. There aren’t any castles in my back yard.
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| The Long Walk |
Next stop; shower and to the ramparts proper. After a whirlwind tour it was off to lunch in a French pub (what does that mean?). I had the best fish soup (more like chowder) with cheese and croutons.
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| The Carpenters Arms for lunch |
The last treat was a local brew in an old pub. When I say old, I’m talking about a structure built in the 1480s. That’s before Columbus had his first pint in the Americas.
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| The Thatched Tavern - a farm house circa 1480 |
Alas, after brief goodbyes with R and M, it’s back to the airport and off to Boston for me. The end of my journey. Now, I just need the rest of the party to return.
Istanbul
Dan rushed up to me at work around 5 pm the day of my departure from
Boston. He informed me of the terrible airport bombing in Istanbul. My
family had flown to Malaysia via Istanbul the week before. Dan looked
visibly relieved when I told him that I was flying via Hong Kong. While in
Malaysia, a coup was attempted. This is not looking good. All return plans
are up in the air now. The coup was like the Typhoon... a violent storm
passing through in a matter of hours. Then apparent calm. Just some
cleanup to do.
After careful consideration we decided that Celine and the girls would proceed through the gauntlet of Istanbul. With a planned 20 hour layover the strategy was to keep a low profile — cover up the knees and shoulders and to not broadcast American. Of course, when a very helpful attendee at the hotel asked where they were from Danique said Holland. He was so excited and started rattling off in Dutch. Danique promptly turned around and walked away. Smooth. Real smooth. I hope she learned some lesson that day.
It turned out that people were just people and doing their thing. They met the most kind and gentle people. Very kind, in fact. After dinner Celine was offered 3 camels for one of the girls. Given her skills I'm sure she could have negotiated 5 at least.
Retrospective
KFC is everywhere. A new 24hr two story KFC opened in a small town we visited and it was packed at 10 pm with cars lining up on the main road 10 cars deep. Who would have thought?
It's also the first time I've seen a Dominos Pizza backpack.
Or cans of gas... what could possibly go wrong?
Selfie sticks are a hazard. They’re also exceedingly difficult to avoid in your pictures in any tourist destination. So many times I had to enlist powers of Karma to avoid taking a stick and hitting a home run with a mobile phone soaring over a temple wall. Ok, my two daughters are obsessed with selfies, it is true. What is funny is that we were taking pictures of the locals and they were taking pictures of us — we even had local/tourist “family” photos together, all smiling away. Luckily we didn’t become Facebook friends with everyone.
Wiring is complex.
One thing of note is that I really didn’t notice many American tourists during
After careful consideration we decided that Celine and the girls would proceed through the gauntlet of Istanbul. With a planned 20 hour layover the strategy was to keep a low profile — cover up the knees and shoulders and to not broadcast American. Of course, when a very helpful attendee at the hotel asked where they were from Danique said Holland. He was so excited and started rattling off in Dutch. Danique promptly turned around and walked away. Smooth. Real smooth. I hope she learned some lesson that day.
It turned out that people were just people and doing their thing. They met the most kind and gentle people. Very kind, in fact. After dinner Celine was offered 3 camels for one of the girls. Given her skills I'm sure she could have negotiated 5 at least.
Retrospective
KFC is everywhere. A new 24hr two story KFC opened in a small town we visited and it was packed at 10 pm with cars lining up on the main road 10 cars deep. Who would have thought?
It's also the first time I've seen a Dominos Pizza backpack.
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| Pizza Backpack |
Or cans of gas... what could possibly go wrong?
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| Does that "L" stand for Learner's Permit? |
Selfie sticks are a hazard. They’re also exceedingly difficult to avoid in your pictures in any tourist destination. So many times I had to enlist powers of Karma to avoid taking a stick and hitting a home run with a mobile phone soaring over a temple wall. Ok, my two daughters are obsessed with selfies, it is true. What is funny is that we were taking pictures of the locals and they were taking pictures of us — we even had local/tourist “family” photos together, all smiling away. Luckily we didn’t become Facebook friends with everyone.
Wiring is complex.
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| We should hire this guy. |
One thing of note is that I really didn’t notice many American tourists during
the most of the trip. Until Bali I was one of a few Caucasians. Occasionally I’d
be aware of that but mostly I was just me. The majority of tourists were
Chinese. They were generally easy to spot since they always travelled in
clumps headed by some leader. Sometimes they all wore the same hat so
they were especially easy to identify.
Seriously, though, there are many things to say. I’m grateful for so many things — the time off with family and friends, the opportunity to travel and experience so many things.
I feel like we are so privileged in Boston to live in luxuries that are unknown to much of the world. I’m not just talking about material wealth. I’m talking about personal safety and freedoms, open spaces, physical and mental vitality, opportunity for growth, and many other things. What I noticed is that even the wealthy miss out on lifestyle opportunities that we have here; like a simple barbecue camping in the woods in Maine or eating a lobster in McDonald’s (how is that even possible?).
From a Western point of view Malaysia has a curious blend of tolerance and strictness. Secular freedom is reasonably liberal; religious freedom is bound by your religious membership; political freedom is, by Western standards, very restricted. My limited experience gives me the impression that most citizens are a-political. In general, people appear to mix in markets, malls and restaurants without friction between race, creeds and religion. There is always a buzz of Malay, Tamil, Mandarin, English and a host of dialects. Life just flows.
Boston isn’t the cleanest place but relative to many places in the world it
scores pretty darn well. No open drains (open drains are a buzz kill let me
tell you). For the most part we don’t have random missing pieces of
sidewalk with unsavory consequences. Concerning the natural environment my observation is that Malaysian Borneo has a bad trash problem. On land and sea there is a lot of plastic. It was shocking to ride along streams of plastic for miles in the ocean.
Then there is the rain forest. Much of the rainforest is just plain gone, from mountain top to valley. Endless seas of palm oil trees have replaced rainforest without restraint. It's a sad sight to see but there is still much to save. If you've seen the gentleness of Orangutans or Proboscis monkeys that call Borneo home you'll agree.
Many of us in America have the belief that we can change the world. This is simply not on the map for most of the world. For a few it is on the map, however, like the dedicated people clearing mines. There are people doing amazing things and making a positive difference. This is one reason for travel -- to seek inspiration and to gain some understanding of the true needs of the world.
I’m hoping that you and I will be inspired by these stories. Out of 3000 photos of the journey only a precious few hint at the whole story. Luckily, I do have many photos of special experiences to share with family and friends. Many of the magical moments were experienced without interruption — no click of the camera. Just pure moment.
Thanks to all. Thanks to all the kind and gentle people we met. I’m so grateful.
p.s.
Sadly, an earthquake hit Bagan after our trip on August 24 with some casualties in the surrounding area and many temples affected. See: BBC News of Bagan Earthquake
Seriously, though, there are many things to say. I’m grateful for so many things — the time off with family and friends, the opportunity to travel and experience so many things.
I feel like we are so privileged in Boston to live in luxuries that are unknown to much of the world. I’m not just talking about material wealth. I’m talking about personal safety and freedoms, open spaces, physical and mental vitality, opportunity for growth, and many other things. What I noticed is that even the wealthy miss out on lifestyle opportunities that we have here; like a simple barbecue camping in the woods in Maine or eating a lobster in McDonald’s (how is that even possible?).
From a Western point of view Malaysia has a curious blend of tolerance and strictness. Secular freedom is reasonably liberal; religious freedom is bound by your religious membership; political freedom is, by Western standards, very restricted. My limited experience gives me the impression that most citizens are a-political. In general, people appear to mix in markets, malls and restaurants without friction between race, creeds and religion. There is always a buzz of Malay, Tamil, Mandarin, English and a host of dialects. Life just flows.
Then there is the rain forest. Much of the rainforest is just plain gone, from mountain top to valley. Endless seas of palm oil trees have replaced rainforest without restraint. It's a sad sight to see but there is still much to save. If you've seen the gentleness of Orangutans or Proboscis monkeys that call Borneo home you'll agree.
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| Palm oil plantation near Kuala Lumpur |
Many of us in America have the belief that we can change the world. This is simply not on the map for most of the world. For a few it is on the map, however, like the dedicated people clearing mines. There are people doing amazing things and making a positive difference. This is one reason for travel -- to seek inspiration and to gain some understanding of the true needs of the world.
I’m hoping that you and I will be inspired by these stories. Out of 3000 photos of the journey only a precious few hint at the whole story. Luckily, I do have many photos of special experiences to share with family and friends. Many of the magical moments were experienced without interruption — no click of the camera. Just pure moment.
Thanks to all. Thanks to all the kind and gentle people we met. I’m so grateful.
 |
| Daily Offering in Bali |
p.s.
Sadly, an earthquake hit Bagan after our trip on August 24 with some casualties in the surrounding area and many temples affected. See: BBC News of Bagan Earthquake
Sounds like an amazing trip that was good for the senses and the soul.
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