Day 2 in Dhaka!

Every corner I turn is an adventure here in Dhaka.....

We woke early this morning to "beat the heat" and walked over to "The American Club" about 10 minutes away. You have to be a US passport holder to become a member of this club and pay a yearly fee to use their rather nice facilities that include a pool, work out room, tennis courts, playground and dining. Rick is a member and I got to go as his guest. I have learned there is an "Australian Club" so I want to try and find out if I can get into that for the week I am here:)

On our very pleasant morning walk, I learned that Dhaka people are NOT the morning kind like the other Asians I have experienced. They stay up late and wake up late. On the walk to the club we walked through a man made track and it was great to see both women and men walking/exercising on the "track".

It was nice to get to the club and work up a bit of a sweat in the gym before sitting down to a nice breakfast....of course I ordered something "American"--iced coffee and a breakfast burrito..haha! Its been a while since I've had salsa and cheese! We headed back home and I was fortunate to join Rick's weekly meditation group. Along with feeling so centered and enlightened after our kindness meditation, I met some new friends too.

After a lounge around, we headed into the main suburb center (on a rickshaw of course!) to check out some more sari shops and antique stores. I know I know...I got a new sari set yesterday but now I'm looking for one that is red and white....the New Year colors...nothing really stood out to me today but I got a few more days to try (The Bengali New Year celebration is April 14!). Maybe I should just buy a print and get something tailor made...that's about $3 to do here! We also stopped at a complex that specialized in cheap pearls and "antiques". Rick says these antiques have literally come off old shipwrecks out in the ocean....there was some pretty interesting stuff there that's for sure.

We also had to get some thing from the pharmacy....here, practically anything can be purchased over the counter...WITHOUT A PRESCRIPTION!!! pretty unbelievable!

Bangladesh play Australia in the cricket today (here in Dhaka!) but tickets are apparently so hard to get by...I'll check scores online:)

A few interesting things I've noted and learnedso far on my second day in Bangladesh:

- There is a LOT of construction going on here in Dhaka...absolutely fascinating to watch the guys at work...they tear down and build absolutely everything BY HAND! imagine full 4 storey buildings being torn down by man power!!!!

- The government has outlawed plastic bags in the country....woo hoo! so there are some beautiful brown paper packaging bags given at stores and grocery stores!

- There isn't really BLUE sky in Dhaka...just a haze/grey...the captain on my plane gave me a "haze index" on arrival

- Every day in Rick's building the power goes out for an hour or two...that's because the city can't handle all the electricity being used..especially in the heat of the summer when air conditioners are being used constantly!

Hope you like the pics...!

Last Day in South East Asia!!!

Before turning in for the night, I witnessed one of the most live religious ceremonies of my life. It was held in a Chinese temple around the corner from the hostel with the TAO religion. OK, so in the gathering, 2 men in the religious group were randomly chosen by the "spirits" and put into a trance. One then physically put a metal rod through his chin and the other one physically cut his tongue and then proceeded to lick certain posters that were placed around the room. A procession was held before that around Chinatown where men hosited a temple to the Gods. I don't know exactly what the ceremony was for..I think it was one of the God's birthday but anyway, the cutting of the tongue was very painful to watch for me and I left after that....what an experience!

I was lucky and got a ride back to KL in a car from the owner of the hostel who had to go there to check on his house that he rents in the city. That saved me from slogging away on the buses:) and public transportation system which I appreciated. After getting back to the hostel, I headed out on a public bus to the shopping district of the city. I accidentally missed my stop so got the scenic route of the city stopping at local suburbs to pick up people wanting to go into the city. The mall was a really good one I have to say and it was perfect to wander around in as big rain spell came down on the city for an hour. I met up with my friend from KL at her work place in town to go to dinner together. We went to a local favorite restaurant of hers that featured traditional Malay, Western and Chinese foods. I was spoiled with having her treat me to dinner and provide such a wonderful experience of KL for me!

I reallllly loved Malaysia! Like I said, I don't know if its because of the wonderful fusion of cultures, people or food. Perhaps, its knowing that I can speak Chinese Hakka to people in the country, or maybe because I was fortunate to get a true 'local experience' with my friends from KL. She said I haven't really experience Malaysia unless I have been to the East (Sabah and Sarawak)...So, with that said, MALAYSIA---I'LL BE BACK!

Wow! So I've made it to my very last day in South East Asia....4 countries in 42 days...and I still feel like I just dipped my toes in these wonderful lands. Every country is so unique and special and I've reflected a lot on different parts of my trip. I have come up with words for some of the (major) cities that I believe describe it. Here are a few of them...

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), Vietnam - Edgey

Phnom Penh, Cambodia - Rugged

Bangkok, Thailand - Electrifying

Kuala Lumpur - Flair

I found Chiang Mai in Thailand very liveable and loved the Cameron Highlands in Malaysia too. I can't say I have a favorite only that this part of the world has so much CULTURE! So its been a thrill for an ex-geography teacher...the temples, religions, mosques, people, price of food hahaha....I hope my writings have all lured you into wanting to come to this part of the world....Bangladesh bound tomorrow! I think it will be my biggest culture shock that's for sure but I'm excited to celebrate the Bengali New Year and stay with long time HPA friend!

P.S. Thank you for all the fun comments about my new hair digs...we'll see how well I can maintain it all for you when I get back to the Big Island :)

Melaka Day 3

After finishing up my blog entry last night, the owner of the hostel asked if I wanted to join the night bike ride around town....Like my answer to the beach outing...OF COURSE!!! The night was a very pretty one with splashes of blues, oranges, pinks and reds blanketed across our heads.

We rode for about 30 minutes along the river that winds its way through the town. I got to see a whole different side of the town. Areas where the backs of the buildings have been painted artistically with murals, as well as traditional Malay houses that are built on stilts above the ground (probably being there for decades).

After the bike ride, a group of us headed out to a local Chinese theater production...it was very interesting for all of us and I was amazed at how elaborate their costumes and make up and stage set were. If we weren't there, I wonder who else they were performing to.

Anyway, hit a local pub on the way back where I found my dancing king on the dance floor in a (literally) 80+ year old Chinese man who could literally do the robot and will probably outlast all of us in age by the looks of his agility and movement. It ended up being another late night which got me exhausted by the time I showered and hit the sack.

I rose LATE again around 8:30pm with the decision last night made that I was going to stay another night in Melaka. Great company, great food, and a $3 bed all helped to make the decision. I had nothing on the agenda today since I saw most of the sights the day before so headed to the local pool for a nice swim. The next part of my day is memorable in that I spent the biggest amount of $$ ever since beginning my trip.

How did I spend this $60 you ask?? Well, I went crazy and GOT A PERM....yup, I thought why not go for something different and since I know I trust the Asians doing my hair...I went for it. The guys running the salon were friends of the hostel owner and they were great! they couldn't believe how dry my hair was and actually thought I had colored it so many times because of its bad texture...It's amazing what swimming in the ocean and pool does to your hair right! Anyway, with that said and 3 hours later, I have a head full of curls to take care of now. :) We will see how long my up keep lasts and photos are available to you all by request only:)!

I will head back to KL tomorrow and should get in around 3pm. I'm staying back at the same place in Chinatown and will meet my friends from KL for dinner and my last night in South East Asia....only 30 more days til I get back home to the Big Island.....

More Melaka!

Another full day of exploration here in Melaka! My morning started with an unexpected sleep in 'til about 8:30pm - surprising because I don't really sleep in. I was greeted to another warm and sunny day here in Malaysia. I headed out around 10am to start exploring the heritage sights. The "Jonker" also meaning Junk Street where the market was last night definitely has a different feel during the day. There are some cute boutiques and artsy tee shirt stalls but the most popular store in this Chinatown area is the home made pineapple tarts and pastries. Funny enough, my mother makes them too!

After grabbing a chinese pork bun for breakfast, I headed to the Dutch part of the town which is all painted red and located in the main heart of the town square. Here, local Malay Indian men line up their bedazzled and pimped out rickshaws to take people for rides around the area. Seriously, the rickshaws are just stunning with beautiful colors, streamers and flowers decorated all over the vehicle. From there, I walked up to the Church which was built during the Portuguese rule and still has the grave stones of Portuguese men and women in the church. From here, there is a great view of the straits of Melaka including the city's "ferris wheel" that takes you up and gives you a view of the city.

On the other side of this church on the hill are Melaka's two main shopping malls. Both very modern and I had fun exploring the two malls and being in the air conditioning. After lunch, it was so warm out and I was ready for a nap so decided I would check out what English films they had in their theater. Firstly, the movie was 7 ringlets each...ok so that is about $2.25 for a ticket! I saw Adam Sandler and Jenifer Aniston's movie "Just Go With It" and I don't know if I just haven't heard English for that amount of time for so long, but I was seriously laughing my head off at the film. Soooo funny! and people must have been looking at me strangely! The cheap ticket price was probably because the movie itself is pirated but the quality was great on the big screen so no complaints from me! :)

I walked along the river on the way home and found a public swimming pool close by. In seeing that, I had a thought of maybe staying one more night in Melaka....But we'll see I guess....Chinese theater performance tonight offered by our hostel should hopefully cap off the great day.

Asian Pride!

My friends from KL picked me up outside my hostel at 12:30pm. The Chinatown hub and street was still buzzing with life as I saw families with children shopping and eating well after midnight. The midnight market was about 15 minutes away from the KL city center and I was so lucky to see the city lit up at night. I learned that the midnight market gave vendors the opportunity to sell and this is important for them since maybe they had previously gone bankrupt, or are having trouble getting a business license, or maybe they are turning a new leaf over after messing with drugs and such. The market was absolutely packed and big as well. I think I was the only visitor (tourist!) in the whole place.

I could buy anything and everything from motorbike helmets, steering wheel covers to luggage sets and saris. We had something to eat at around 1:30am. Indian was the choice and my friends told me I was experiencing a typical KL "thing" with people gathered around watching football (soccer) on a big screen drinking teas and shakes (since the Muslim religion does not allow alcohol consumption). It was such a neat experience.

While heading back to the city center, we stopped at Merdeka Square to see the buildings lit up and change color. So many young people were out people watching, showing off cars and motorbikes....the typical big city thing you do:) Anyway, as I got dropped off back at my hostel at around 3:00am, the Chinese restaurant below my hostel was still going strong with customers...amazing!

I woke up late like I had expected and packed my stuff up ready to head to MELAKA about 2 hours bus drive south of KL. I was so excited since so many people have told me wonderful things about the place, including its food of course! I learned from the museum tour the day before that Melaka was fought over by the Portuguese, Dutch and British for its strategic location for trading. I packed a smaller bag for 2 nights planned there and headed out to the main bus station.

The ticket was only $4 on a super deluxe bus that was spacious and clean. I proceeded to make my way to my hostel by following its online instructions. I had to get a local bus and I was happy to walk down the main Chinatown street on my way to the hostel. This main street named JONKER STREET comes alive on Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights with a market and that was the main reason I left KL today (Sunday) to get to Melaka.

I was happy to find the hostel easily and was greeted to a very sweet place that backs up right onto the river that runs through the UNESCO world heritage sited town. I got a 3 bed mixed dorm but I guess its pretty quiet tonight and so I got the whole room to myself for $5.50 for the night.

I quickly made friends with the young guy running the place who is Chinese and he asked if I wanted to go to the beach with his sister and friends later that afternoon.....OF COURSE! I dumped my stuff and found something in Chinatown to eat (actually something that my mum makes at home which was sticky rice wrapped in banana leaf! YUM!). The beach was so cute with few tourists and no resorts or anything. The water was warm and we stayed well past sunset playing, jumping off the pier and playing with the local kids.

On the way back home, we stopped at a very local street side market and was shown all the regional Malay delicacies to try including Pandan pancakes, Malay spring rolls and most interestingly....Roti John-this is a big french baguette dipped in a curry like red sauce and toasted on a grill then topped with lettuce, tomato, cucumber and mayo...I can't even describe what it tasted like...but it was good!

What a super day that I had no idea would turn out this way. I got dropped off at the Jonker street sunday night market on the way back which was so great too. Not as big as the Chiang Mai Sunday night walking street market but still great and a lot of local families seemed around. Chinese is heavily spoken so it was neat to be able to practice Hakka to some and also just understand the Mandarin being spoken around me too:)

11pm and all showered now, ready to rest and explore the world heritage town tomorrow.....!

What an Awesome Day in KL!

Saturday April 2, 2011

What an Awesome Day in KL!

After hibernating in my room yesterday from 4pm onwards, I arose this morning at 7:30am to about 12 hours total of rest and sleep….it’s amazing what that positively does to the body. The A/C in the room is COOOOLDDDDD and luckily I asked for an extra blanket earlier in the day! I headed down to the first floor for free breakfast of toast and tea/coffee with the world news on show. Wow! Do we live in a crazy world right?! And when you are traveling, you often miss out on many of the world breaking news.

I left the hostel ready for my first trek on the public train transportation system. It was so simple, with a touch screen to purchase my ticket. I only had one stop to the main central station and then headed out of the station to walk to the National Museum. I was greeted to huge construction building sites and the need to cross a 5 lane highway but here in KL—no big deal!

The national museum had a free English tour at 10am so I jumped in on that. It honestly was the most educational 90 minutes of my life. I had a wonderful guide and learned so very much. The museum is set up in 4 galleries ranging from the very beginning of how the country was geographically formed and ending with the modern Malaysia. What an incredible country which I already acknowledged was so multi-culturally embraced. A true Malaysian can trace back 3 or 4 different nationalities in them and that’s seen in the lineage of past leaders of the country. Very cool indeed! Malaysia has been fought over by so many countries including the Dutch, Portuguese and British!

After the museum tour, I headed over the bridge to what I can imagine many KL folks do to escape the concrete jungle. A park with the national mosque and other attractions like the Planetarium and Butterfly Farm.

My dear friends picked me up from the museum and we headed out to PUDURAYA. A district outside of KL city central where the “white house” of Malaysia is, as well as the ministry of finance and another major mosque. My friends are both practicing Muslims and I had the opportunity to enter the mosque with them learning so much about the religion on a first hand friend basis. Truly a wonderful and enlightening experience.

After our time in Puduraya, I was dropped off at Batu Caves which is a temple inside caves just outside the city. Getting the local bus back into town, I stopped off for some dinner in Chinatown (of course!) . What an incredible day, which may not be over just yet since my friend asked if I wanted to go to the late night market (11pm-4am) where the locals go on a Saturday night for food and shopping. Sooooo cool!

P.S. I also found out about the VIP McDonald’s drive-thru sticker today---apparently its given and special discount benefits when you pull through the window…imagine if that was put into practice in the US or Oz lands??!!!

Krazy KL!

I have made it back to the big city and Kuala Lumpur is a concrete jungle indeed. Its the biggest transition I could give myself from spending 5 luscious days in the Cameron Highlands. The drive to KL was an easy 3 1/2 hour one as the temperature rose back down to sea level.

There is so much construction of buildings, highways, condos and more in this city, but some appear half finished so I wonder if financially the economy hit such half finished construction sites. We got dropped right in the heart of Chinatown and I found my place to stay easily across the street.

I don't know if it was the heat, pollution, increased population, humidity, or hangover that has made me feel pretty rotten all day. But after checking in, I dumped my stuff and headed out to the Chinatown markets right below me to get some ethnic food that my mum makes :) and got to also speak my language again to some of the shop keepers.

Still feeling a little crook with some stomach pains, I headed out in the heat. You gotta love it when I ask for some directions at the hostel and the folks just say head to the big sky tower. With so many highways and roads here, crossing streets is pretty crazy but people do it.

I did experience one thing that I thought was so cool today. At 1:35pm while walking past one of the most beautiful mosques in Malaysia, I heard the calling of prayer and at that time, hundreds of male worshippers were heading to the mosque to pray. I was going to stop and take a photo but decided not to because a picture can't explain the feeling that I had of such incredible appreciation for culture and religion.

I headed to Merdaka Square which is lined by a big field where there is a giant tv screen that shows movies and important events to the public. A giant flag pole also symbolizes where Malaysia first flew their flag of independence in 1957.

On the way back, I walked through "Little India" and it was certainly the biggest one I have experience all through Malaysia. With the sari shops, and curry houses all around...I did feel silly at one point when I picked up this beautiful head dress which the women wear thinking it was a great pattern for a pair of shorts! :)

Tomorrow I am planning to head to the National Museum then meet up with a dear friend that lives here whom I met traveling through Vietnam. She will take me to the "Batu Caves" which is a series of caves and temples away from the city.

So now its 8:30pm and I have enjoyed a sleep in the air-conditioned room I booked and am content from skyping with some family and friends from home...I'm sad that I don't feel up to eating dinner at all the incredible hawker food stalls below me tonight, but there's always tomorrow right...?!

One interesting thing to note is that people in Malaysia have VIP McDonald's drive-thru stickers on their cars...I really have to ask my friends tomorrow that live here what that means?? Express service? cheaper food? Pretty funny I think. Again, the English language is so prevalent here...thanks to British colonization of course!