Gucci

I went back to Petaling Street Market in Chinatown with Ryan. I caved and bought the knock-off Coach purse. And a pair of knock-off Gucci sunglasses. How could I say no when a man was running after me with the purse yelling "110, 100, 90, 80, 70, 60, 50, 40!" At 40 ringgit I turned around a bought the purse. Not a bad deal if I do say so myself.

The sunglass sale was almost as comical. There were signs all over for 15 ringgit sunglasses - but I didn't like any of them. I pointed to a pair I thought I would like sitting on a table and inquired as to the price. The lady said "Oh, too much" in a very serious voice, "35 ringgit." I almost burst out laughing. Thirty-five ringgit is about $12. So I bargained a little and walked home with a pair of slightly over-the-top blingy (is that a word?) sunglasses. But I was in Chinatown, what can I say?

SPICES!!

I've been hoping to buy a variety of spices while in Malaysia if for no other reason than the novelty of it. The spice trade was such an influential factor in world history from the movement of ideas and inventions overland between Asia and Europe to the maritime exploration that led to the "discovery" of North America - I just thought it fitting to buy spices while in Southeast Asia.

I finally made it into a grocery store and found some spices. I almost died when I realized how cheap they were. I did not think I was going to get so excited about SPICES, but really, they were CHEAP. A package of a spice that might cost $5 at home was about 60 cents here. So I stocked up on all the spices I use for canning and pickling. And then some. And then I found the baking aisle. They and almond extract and other flavors for equally exciting prices. So I bought some of those too.

We were also buying some snack food, cereal, and milk at the same store. I was prepared to drop a few bucks. I was shocked (and pleasantly surprised) when it all rang up to about $33. All those spices and extracts would have easily cost more than three times that at home. Dang, that was a good deal! We'll just pretend it didn't cost me four digits to fly to Malaysia. 

Adventures on Langkawi, Malaysia

Langkawi truly has been a tropical paradise.  Perfect beaches and sunsets, lush mountains with refreshing waterfalls, it is no wonder this place is a vacation destination for travelers and Malaysians alike.
Yesterday we drove to a nearby town hiked to a waterfall.  The guide book mentioned natural pools that you could swim in and slide between.  The water was perfect and the sliding was absurdly fun!
We rented a car for two days and were able to visit many sights around the island.  We are thankful for my friend Rich driving, all we had to do was sit in the back and remind him to keep left.  We got one flat tire but did manage to get it changed.  We were missing the crank to the car jack but I thought to steal the hood support from the engine compartment and it worked like a charm.  Today we are  headed to Melaka south of KL.
--Ryan

Tropical Paradise

We're on Langkawi - laying on the beach and drinking fresh fruit juice and smoothies. The town we're in is touristy, but does that really matter when the beach looks like this? Yesterday and today were beach days, tomorrow and Sunday we're renting a car and sightseeing. I'm hoping the waterfall "with refreshing pools" lives up to the description in Lonely Planet. Now it's time for more cold drinks and dinner.

Getting into the swing of things and the Islamic Arts Museum

The domed ceiling in the Islamic Arts Museum

An example of Rescht embroidery

The Quran

Ann Marie looking very professional for her first presentation about Alaska to local Rotary clubs

I'm getting more and more comfortable everyday getting around KL - figuring out where the light rail and monorail stations are, where good walking routes exist (and where they don't), and where to catch a cab. Ann Marie and I are also getting better at bargaining with the cab drivers. Even though the cabs are metered, there are certain places where they can get away with setting a price because there are no public transportation or walking options. One of those places is Lake Gardens where the National Museum and Islamic Arts Museum are located. At first, Ann Marie and I were too timid to bargain or afraid of being stuck without a ride home. Now, we're getting the hang of it and even walked the 15 min home last night from the monorail station when the cab drivers insisted the trip would cost 10 ringgit (it cost 3 ringgit on the way there). Even though 10 ringgit is barely more than $3, we knew enough to know that was three times what the trip should cost!

Yesterday while Ann Marie was in class I visited the Islamic Arts Museum. There were so many beautiful pieces of art, from tapestries, to clothing, jewelry, copies of the Quran, and ceramics. My memory was also refreshed about the spread of Islam into this part of the world. I think the last time I actually learned about the spread of Islam was in ninth grad social studies. Maybe it's time to do some brushing up on one of the world's major religions!

We've had a busy few days exploring KL and I am now ready for some relaxing on the beach. Ann Marie, her roommate Tomoko, and I are heading to the airport this morning to fly to Langkawi. Ryan and his co-worker Rich are meeting us there. They are taking a ferry from southern Thailand and are probably already on their way. We might be too busy laying on the beach to update for the next few days!

Kuala Lumpur in Two Days

Ann Marie and I at Lake Gardens

My first time at Stonehenge! (Just kidding, it's a replica. In the middle of Kuala Lumpur. Random?)

Ann Marie and I in front of the Petronas Towers

A night market

Petronas towers at night

Today is my third day in Kuala Lumpur and we've already packed in a lot of city sight seeing. On Sunday, we visited a couple of parks and markets and I tried to get used to 85 degrees with 85% humidity. Yesterday I wandered around alone while Ann Marie was in class. What we've learned is that Kuala Lumpur (KL) is not very pedestrian friendly. There are several forms of public transportation from buses to light rail and monorail, but sometimes, even if you can see a rail station, busy roads and a lack of cross walks make them almost impossible to get to! Luckily taxis are also very inexpensive here and during normal daytime hours you can hardly pay over $3 to go anywhere in the city (after 10pm they have a 50% surcharge though). It cost us a whopping $8 to get back from a concert downtown last night.

Yesterday I visited the National Museum where I learned all about the history of Malaysia. Then I headed to the Central Market, then Chinatown and Petaling Street Market which I found by using my failsafe method of following the hoards of other tourists. Petaling is a big market here where you can get everything from clothes to DVD's to cheap handbags. I did sort of want to buy a purse, but I could not bring myself to wear something Prada or Coach even if it's fake! After Chinatown, I was determined not to take my third taxi of the day, but instead to make it home by myself on the light rail. I found the station no problem, but a big bus transfer station seemed to block the light rail platform and I couldn't find the staircase. With the help of some security guards I finally found it, bought my ticket and made it on the correct train. I thought I was home free when trying to exit at KL Sentral (Ann Marie's stop) the ticket gate ate my ticket and wouldn't let me out (I guess I put it in the wrong way?). So I  had to pay another ringgit (~30 cents) to exit. KL Sentral is a huge station and I was very happy to recognize the exit and Ann Marie had taken me through the day before and get myself headed back to her apartment. I knew if I couldn't find my way back, I could just hop in a cab. But I made it on my own! It certainly helps that almost everyone speaks English here and people are very helpful.

Today, after Ann Marie's class, we're headed to the Forestry Research Institute outside of KL. On Thursday we fly to Langkawi (an island in northwest Malaysia) where we're meeting Ryan and relaxing on the beach!

Urban berry-picking

Not exactly the type of berry patch I'm used to.

The biggest berries are always just out of reach!

Even though I'm only home for a few days and even though I have tons of unpacking, laundry/cleaning, and repacking to do, it has been KILLING me that there are blackberries everywhere and I'm not picking them! So I skipped out on organizing for my Malaysia trip for a little while and went urban foraging. This consisted of walking around my neighborhood with a ziplock bag looking for blackberry bushes hanging over the road. I found three pretty good patches and picked about a quart and a half. Of course, the big plump berries were always just out of reach. It's always tempting to think "I can just step in there with one leg and pull that branch down..." but the thorns on these bushes are no joke (nor are the giant brown spiders). These are Himalayan blackberries, introduced to North American in the 19th century and different from the Common blackberry many people are familiar with on the East coast. They have nasty thorns. Really nasty; I came home with a little blood on my arm after getting a little too greedy. They'll also rip holes in your clothing if you get snagged. The key is to find a place where the bushes are hanging over the road and just pick right on the edge. It's a hard rule to follow when the best berries are just out of reach though.

This is a totally different type of berry picking than I'm used to in Kodiak of course. This is a type of berry picking where you have to be worried about being hit by cars and trespassing in someone's yard, rather than the kind where you have to worry about over-sized bears and pushki. And since I never saw blackberries as a kid (they don't grow in Alaska), they are still a little unreal to me. Everytime I see a really nice juicy bunch of blackberries, all I can think of is a book called "Jamberry" that I had as a kid. My parents read it to me so many times that I can still hear parts of it in my head. They probably can too.

More fun in the sun - beach, zoo, and troll

Kendall and I on the ferry to Whidbey Island

Kendall and her dad picking out seashells to take home

Kendall and her mom at the zoo

Could this kid be any cuter?

Kendall feeding a bird in the Willawa room

We enjoyed more beautiful sunny weather for the rest of Doug, Jenni, and Kendall's visit to Seattle. We took the ferry to Whidbey Island and hung out on Double Bluff Beach for hours on Sunday. It felt hot to me but it was a nice break from the desert heat for them. Yesterday we spent most of the day at the zoo where we saw all sorts of exciting animals and Kendall got to feed some tropical birds.

We also visited the Fremont Troll - which Kendall has been asking about. She had also been speculating as to whether it was "real" or not. When we got there, she marched right up to it, walked/climbed all around it, touched it, and finally declared it to be "not real." It's funny to remember that six-year-olds have a different sense of reality than we do, they're still figuring it out.

Doug, Jenni, and Kendall left last night and I am back to unpacking, doing laundry, and packing again. Only three more days until I leave for MALAYSIA! If you want to read about the sorts of adventures I might be having in Malaysia, check out my cousin's brand new blog in Kuala Lumpur: http://6636miles.blogspot.com/

Doug, Jenni, and Kendall in Seattle

Kendall at the Space Needle

Kendall intently wiggling her tooth at the aquarium

Doug, Jenni, and Kendall at Pike Place Market

Kendall and her tooth, bloody napkin and all!

The six-year-old toothy smile

I made it back to Seattle just in time to meet my uncle Doug, aunt Jenni, and cousin Kendall for the holiday weekend. This is the first time they've been to visit Seattle since I've lived here. A couple of years ago, I sent Kendall a book called "Larry gets lost in Seattle." It's about a little dog who gets separated from his owner and wanders all over Seattle visiting famous landmarks while trying to find his way home. Kendall has read this book many, many times and had a few things picked out that she wanted to see here.

The first thing on the list was the Space Needle and the weather couldn't have been better! It was in the 70's and we had clear views of the Cascades, the Olympics, and Mt. Rainier. Kendall told me after she got here that's she's been studying sea animals in school, so we headed to the aquarium where we saw among other things, harbor seals being fed.

All the while we were downtown, Kendall was furiously working on pulling out a loose tooth (she just lost her first one a few weeks ago). She was VERY serious about getting that tooth out, even to the point of making it bleed! Despite all the encouragement from her parents to let it come out on its own and not pull too hard, almost every time I'd look back at her while walking down the street, she'd be wiggling away at that little front, bottom tooth. After the aquarium we visited Pike Place Market, where she excitedly announced she had finally lost the tooth! Doug and Jenni quickly got the video camera out while Kendall proudly displayed her tooth and bloody napkin.

After Kendall's bedtime, a lengthy discussion ensued on the appropriate amount of money a tooth fairy should leave. Doug and Jenni were in a bit of a pickle with Kendall's first tooth as they were camping and the smallest bill they had was a $5 - so Kendall got $5 for her first tooth, a bit of a high standard (my first thought was wow, that is some inflation!). Apparently tooth-rewards are also quite the topic of conversation on the first grade playground, making keeping up with the Jones's a concern. We even googled the going rate which seemed to be anywhere in the $1-$5 range. In the end, a reduced rate of $3 was decided upon. If any disappointments arose in the morning, it would be explained that one's first tooth was special and subsequent teeth result in a slightly smaller monetary reward. Jenni also pointed that Kendall won't believe in the tooth fairy forever; there are only so many times when loosing a tooth will be this special. That was a funny conversation to listen and one that I've never really thought about when I imagine having kids some day!

Tomorrow we're on to another landmark Kendall is keen to visit: the Fremon troll. She's been asking whether it's a good or bad troll. I guess we'll have to find out...

Fall and Fairbanks

High bush cranberries

The view from the forest floor

Fall colors

Ginny and I at Silver Gulch in Fox

I am just about to leave Alaska...sad to leave the beautiful fall colors but glad to be going home for the first time since July. We finished our project on the Tok Cutoff Highway a day early so I got to spend a little time in Fairbanks with my brother. He now lives in the student apartments where I lived 7 years ago (was it really that long ago???). The one he lives in has been remodeled, but hanging out there brings back the memories! I also got to see Ginny and Bill and stuff myself with delicious food at the Silver Gulch Brewery. They gave me some honey from their first year of keeping bees. Can't wait to get home and try it!