GZ Expat, Part II

The Jetty

Don't you just hate it when this happens?

Before: After:

Apparently in the middle of the night, a boat running without lights rammed the jetty pier and knocked it into the ocean.  Tai-tai and I were awaken early in the a.m. to a loud crash.  We thought it may have been another large thunderstorm...but nothing was going on.  Just a large noise and nothing.  We found out the next morning this is what it was.

The knuckleheads that ran into this thing came to the hotel seeking compensation for the damage to their boat.  Uhhh...right.  Something along the lines that the pier was not lit and the couldn't see it.  Hmmm...wouldn't it help if you ran your boat with lights??

The sad part...tai-tai and I were to have our anniversary dinner out on the pier.  Just the two of us, a cook and a waiter.  Watching the sunset and enjoying a terrific meal to celebrate 20 years.  Trying to think of a plan 'B'...the hotel will continue to work on it for us. 

Back to Langkawi

We arrived here late...but no worse for wear.

Flight was delayed about 1 hour our of KL.  The only way we figured this out was by checking the screen and seeing the different time on the flight. Ughgh.  A 3 hour wait had turned into a 4 hour wait.  As we were getting on the plane, I mentioned to tai-tai, 'you think the driver will hang around to take us to the hotel?'  Well, how prophetic.  The driver that was scheduled to pick us up got tired of waiting and took off.  But, the rep from the hotel quickly arranged another van for us.  Gave me just enough time to pick up a bottle of Bacardi and champagne in the duty free shop.  Langkawi is a duty free island...great prices on stuff here.

We have essentially done our old routine while here.  Sleep in...go for a morning walk, run, swim...get ready for breakfast after that.  Then...hang out by the pool...all day.  Some people find this boring.  But, when you come from a place in which the sun is incredibly filtered by layers and layers of pollution and the pool in your complex is either too dirty to swim in or their are too many kids screaming and bouncing about, the pool at a resort is the place to be. 

In the course of the first week here, I finished two books.  I am not a big book reader...but I got a hold of a couple good ones.  Very quick reads for me.  Now, I am back into the Vince Flynn novels.  Starting from the beginning.  I bought the first three novels in Singapore...hope to be able to find these novels in Hong Kong the next time we are there...not sure what I will get though. 

Expat son's birthday was terrific here.  We ordered a cake through the hotel (which they said was on the house...and you wonder why we return to the same resort year after year???)...black forest.  Expat son had a few goodies on the table and some balloons as well.  During the course of the day, we played in the pool...went kayaking in the ocean and he just generally wore me out with request after request of activity.  Today?  I am burned out and back in the room typing this up!  Ha.  During the course of the day, I took expat son to the hotel gift shop so he could pick out a toy or something for himself.  He grabbed this toy monkey that had a t-shirt from the hotel.  Cute...because the hotel has a ton of monkey's that swarm the place in the mornings and evenings.

He slept with the monkey that first night...got up and headed out to the pool.  That afternoon when we returned, he looked for the monkey and it was gone.  Vanished.  Apparently the housekeeping folk just gathered up the linens and didn't notice the monkey was in the midst of all of it.  We asked around if they could check to see if they could locate the monkey.  Nothing that night...but, the next day, we got back to our rooms after a day in the sun and there was the monkey on the bed.  Rescued from the clutches of the washing machine!!

More to come...

Back to Paradise

We are back in Langkawi for two weeks.  Not much blogging to be done here, as there is no internet connection in the rooms.  I have to go out of my way to the business center...and I just don't want to do that.

Suffice to say that this stay is just as good as any other.  The crowd in the hotel is different from the crowd during Chinese New Year.  This crowd is more heavy middle eastern arabs and aussies...rather than the taiwanese and british reitirees we get in the winter months. 

Today is Expat son't birthday.  8 years old today...so there will be birthday cake and a couple of presents for him today.  He's been telling us all what to do all day, so that is a good day for him...heh.

Will try and post more in a couple days...but you know how holidays are.  I just laze around.

Oh...BTW...I finished The Case For Democracy (see my book list on the left).  Incredible book.  I blew through it in 3 days.  Great ideas from a great thinker...I look forward to seeing if this plan he has will indeed go forward.

Singapore photos

Photos have been posted of Singapore here.  Lots of bad pictures in this batch.  The zoo was a very dark and rainy day...struggled with the shutter speeds on the camera.

Tai-Tai and Me

Life-like African depictions of Tai-Tai and me...found at the Singapore Zoo (click the picture to get a full size version).

Singapore

Not much posting while we have been here...there has just been too much to see, do and eat here. 

We are staying in the historic Raffles Hotel.  This has been a first class place all the way.  Undoubtably the best hotel we have stayed at.  We've had some packed days...in summary...

Day 1:  Arrive here a little late.  We got our luggage settled...walked around Raffles a bit to familiarize ourselves.  Booked tea in the Tiffin Room and then walked the close in neighborhoods to Raffles.

Day 2:  Our big plan was to explore the Singapore Riverfront area...walk around the historic parliment houses area and take the river boat cruise.  As soon as we stepped on the boat...it started raining and didn't let up the entire day.  We ended up having Singapore Slings in the Long Bar. 

Day 3:  The Zoo.  Weather was not going to stop us...we bought umbrellas.  We arrived at the zoo and it started pouring down rain.  We waited about 30 minutes for it to stop.  As it began to let up, we started our walk into the zoo.  No rain the entire visit...until the last exhibit!!  After which, we were soaked through...even with the umbrellas.  The Singapore Zoo is the best zoo in the world...no question.  We were all amazed at the variety and openness of the exhibits.  Incredible.  We finished off the day with some shopping around Orchard Road.  Very nice shopping and malls.  Finished off with a dim-sum dinner!  This city is SO different from Hong Kong. 

Day 4:  Back to the waterfront!!  This time...we had very nice weather.  We popped over to the quay and had some Indian food for lunch.  Very nice...eating right on the water watching all the office workers pour out of the offices for lunchtime. 

We are currently slated for tea this afternoon.  We've been getting things packed up and ready for departure tomorrow morning to Langkawi.  Long travel day, as there is no direct flight from here to Langkawi. 

I'll get photo's uploaded in the next few days...I've got a load of them. 

Delayed flight

Don't you hate it when you wake up early (4:30am) for an early flight...check out of the hotel...get to the airport to check in, only to find out your flight is delayed.  This is the case today...and here we sit in Bangkok Intl Airport for an extra hour. 

Busy in Bangkok

We have been on the move since arriving here in Bangkok.  Late dinners and full days worth of touring, hanging and having fun. 

The last couple of days were spent in Ayutayah (the ancient capital of Thailand) and hanging around a man-made lake while the kids rode wake boards.  Not much time to write anything, as we are heading out for dinner and then an early flight to Singapore tomorrow morning.

Pictures of Ayutayah are here...

Wake Boarding are here...

I've got some movies that I will post later of the kids on the boards.  It was a great day spent with friends, food and fun.

Bangkok...and more photos

We've been in Bangkok for a couple days.  Haven't had too much time to upload pictures or anything.  So, I have just uploaded some pictures from KL here.  Check them out.  At some point, I will go through and put in some captions on the pictures...just no time right now.

Arrived in Bangkok on Tuesday and have been on the go ever since.  We met up with some old friends and had some dinner and just hung around and visited for the day.

Wednesday, we had grand plans to visit the palaces and temples, only to wake up to torrential downpours all day long.  Instead...shopping.  We hit a bunch of malls and just walked around and took in the place a bit.  Today will be the palace day...tomorrow we have an all day tour planned for Ayutayah (sp?).  Loads of pictures of that when we get back, I am sure. 

Muslims and massacres

Lots of stuff on TV and the papers about the Srebrenica massacre anniversary.  To think about how the events unfolded and how they could have easily been avoided had the USA had the guts to take action when actions was needed...read this piece in the WSJ...

If American policy makers want to avoid facing another Srebrenica on their watch, they must never let the U.N. determine the mission. Allowing the Europeans to "take the lead" is also a bad idea. Above all, Srebrenica is what happens when Western policy makers reject taking pre-emptive measures against gathering dangers, so that by the time the dangers are obvious it is too late to do something.

So...here I am in Malaysia.  A country of very diverse cultures (Malay, Chinese, Indian) but a country in which Islam is the official language.  This is the time of year in which Arabs travel to Malaysia for holiday, to escape the searing heat of their countries.

The crowded shopping malls are full of men with their all black-clad wives with only their eyes visible.  It is an odd sight.  It is also very odd to watch these same women line up at the Dior perfume stand awaiting their sampler of the latest offering.  Although covered head to toe, they still want the best the world has to offer.

Prior to 9/11...I never even looked twice at these people when we would see them in the airport or wherever.  It's different now...and I don't like what it has done to me.  I look suspiciously at those that dress this way...I wonder are they with us...or not??  I don't like the feelings I hold. 

Perhaps in the waning weeks, some of that feeling started to go away...and then we arrived on July 7 and London was bombed.  Bombed by what the BBC and CNN call 'bombers' or 'extremists.'  No...they were Arab terrorists.  Arab.  Not Mexican...Chinese...Uzbek.  They were Arab...so I am suspicious when I see them in the airport or the mall. 

Driving through the bizarre city of Putrajaya the other day, we were heading down a road and I saw a box lying in the right hand lane.  No people around...just a box.  I drove slowly and far beyond the box...and then thought to myself, I guess I shouldn't have watched Gunner Palace just before coming over on our trip...I was flipping out a little about that.

It comes down to this...I am on holiday.  Our boys are fighting the terrorists on their turf, freeing and helping muslims determine their own destiny...and they terrorists strike London on the day I arrive.  We remember the massacre in Srebrenica and try to figure out our mistakes so it will never happen again...while terrorists lay down packages on trains to blow up the innocent.  And all this makes me suspicious of everyone around me. 

Tomorrow we are off to Thailand for a week.  Change of pace and some new scenery.  More pictures to come!