I'm now back in Shenzhen and I'm about 4 shades darker (I can tell when I look at my sandal tan and farmers tan - I'll spare you all a photo of it :P).
It is good to be back home - I do love my room! Time to get back into the swing of things... I think I'll start with a visit to the Peak in HK tomorrow!
Saturday, February 27, 2010
Penang!
After Singapore, I flew to Penang to hang out with a friend of mine, Wong. Here's a picture of him and his family where we got some awesome Indian food. Who needs plates when you have banana leaves! Very classy!
I stayed in Penang for 7 days where I got to continue doing nothing but eat, sleep, and relax. Check out the view from our balcony! Wong gets this view every day! Talk about having an awesome place. The air is fresh, the view is fantastic. Very refreshing!
My trip through Malaysia and Singapore have confirmed that I love Indian food. Half of my meals during the trip were Indian food! Check out this Poori the size of my head! Fried bread and lots of it. Yum! Add some good naan, curry, dal... I could eat it every day!
Here's a picture I took while watching the sun set Batu Ferringhi (a touristy strip of beaches in the northern part of Penang).
I now get to check off another hotel on my list of famous hotels visited. (I've made this list since I've unintentionally been to most of them!). The Sarkies Brothers founded a bunch of hotels toward the end of the 19th century/ beginning of the 20th century. Here's a Wikipedia link.
In chronological order, the hotels founded by the brothers were:
* 1884: Eastern Hotel, George Town, Penang, Malaysia
* 1885: Oriental Hotel, George Town, Penang, Malaysia
* 1889: Eastern and Oriental merged into Eastern & Oriental Hotel (visited Feb 2010)
* 1887: Raffles Hotel, Singapore (visited Feb 2010)
* 1891: Kartika Wijaya, Batu, Java, Indonesia[1]
* 1901: Strand Hotel, Rangoon (Yangon), Burma (Myanmar) (visited July 2008)
* 1910: Hotel Majapahit (as Hotel Oranje), Surabaya, Indonesia
I guess this means that I need go to to Indonesia!
Here's a picture of the pagoda at the Kek Lok Si Buddhist temple (supposedly the largest in Malaysia). It gets all lit up for the Chinese New Year! What's crazy, is that every lantern and every tile in the temple is "sponsored" by someone. "Sponsored" meaning someone made a donation to the temple to have that lantern hung or tile tiled.
When I see these anodized aluminum bottle openers, I can't help but think about the hours it took me to machine a few of them in the machine shop (you might even own one of these!). Here, you can buy one for less than usd1!
This is a photo of the biggest ant I have ever seen! It's an ANT, and it's HUGE!
I went for a short hike in the Penang National Park to Pantai Kerachut which opens up to a secluded beach! No people, no litter, clean water! Went for a nice swim on a beach all to myself!
I stayed in Penang for 7 days where I got to continue doing nothing but eat, sleep, and relax. Check out the view from our balcony! Wong gets this view every day! Talk about having an awesome place. The air is fresh, the view is fantastic. Very refreshing!
My trip through Malaysia and Singapore have confirmed that I love Indian food. Half of my meals during the trip were Indian food! Check out this Poori the size of my head! Fried bread and lots of it. Yum! Add some good naan, curry, dal... I could eat it every day!
Here's a picture I took while watching the sun set Batu Ferringhi (a touristy strip of beaches in the northern part of Penang).
I now get to check off another hotel on my list of famous hotels visited. (I've made this list since I've unintentionally been to most of them!). The Sarkies Brothers founded a bunch of hotels toward the end of the 19th century/ beginning of the 20th century. Here's a Wikipedia link.
In chronological order, the hotels founded by the brothers were:
* 1884: Eastern Hotel, George Town, Penang, Malaysia
* 1885: Oriental Hotel, George Town, Penang, Malaysia
* 1889: Eastern and Oriental merged into Eastern & Oriental Hotel (visited Feb 2010)
* 1887: Raffles Hotel, Singapore (visited Feb 2010)
* 1891: Kartika Wijaya, Batu, Java, Indonesia[1]
* 1901: Strand Hotel, Rangoon (Yangon), Burma (Myanmar) (visited July 2008)
* 1910: Hotel Majapahit (as Hotel Oranje), Surabaya, Indonesia
I guess this means that I need go to to Indonesia!
Here's a picture of the pagoda at the Kek Lok Si Buddhist temple (supposedly the largest in Malaysia). It gets all lit up for the Chinese New Year! What's crazy, is that every lantern and every tile in the temple is "sponsored" by someone. "Sponsored" meaning someone made a donation to the temple to have that lantern hung or tile tiled.
When I see these anodized aluminum bottle openers, I can't help but think about the hours it took me to machine a few of them in the machine shop (you might even own one of these!). Here, you can buy one for less than usd1!
This is a photo of the biggest ant I have ever seen! It's an ANT, and it's HUGE!
I went for a short hike in the Penang National Park to Pantai Kerachut which opens up to a secluded beach! No people, no litter, clean water! Went for a nice swim on a beach all to myself!
Singapore!
After Melaka, it took me just 4 hrs to hop on a bus and cross over to Singapore. It has been described as the "world's only shopping mall with a seat in the United Nations," which I will agree with. Streets are clean, everything is orderly and thought through. It's awesome.
While I was there, I got to meet up with a few friends from Stanford. Chuen, Kiat, Kevin, it was great hanging out with you guys. Thanks for showing me around.
There were lots of really cool buildings, including the Esplanade, a theater near the bay, also known as "The Durian."
Grabbed dinner and a cold beer next to the Singapore river - reminds me a bit of the Seine when I was in Paris!
Of course I had to take a picture with the Merlion!
While I was there, I got to meet up with a few friends from Stanford. Chuen, Kiat, Kevin, it was great hanging out with you guys. Thanks for showing me around.
There were lots of really cool buildings, including the Esplanade, a theater near the bay, also known as "The Durian."
Grabbed dinner and a cold beer next to the Singapore river - reminds me a bit of the Seine when I was in Paris!
Of course I had to take a picture with the Merlion!Sunday, February 21, 2010
Melaka
After KL, I hopped on a bus to Melaka where I got to roam around the city. Lots of old buildings from its days as a Portuguese, Dutch, then British colony.
My room at the Jalan Jalan hostel in the heart of Chinatown.
Some good Malaysian dessert, cendol: shaved ice, syrup, red bean, gelly. Yum!
A walk down Jonker's street in Chinatown.
More buildings in Chinatown.
My room at the Jalan Jalan hostel in the heart of Chinatown.
Some good Malaysian dessert, cendol: shaved ice, syrup, red bean, gelly. Yum!
A walk down Jonker's street in Chinatown.
More buildings in Chinatown.Sunday, February 7, 2010
KL
I've only been in KL for 2 days and I really like the city. People are really nice and helpful. It's great when you're in a country and you don't feel like you need to be on guard all the time as a tourist. Everyone is eager to help me find places or make recommendations. Maybe the biggest difference is that people here all smile! No one in China really smiles, so it's great to be back in a smiley place!
I'm staying at the BackHome KL Hostel, and it's fantastic.
http://www.hostelworld.com/availability.php/BackHome-Kuala-Lumpur/Kuala-Lumpur/35901
Went to the skybridge at the Petronas Towers. It was a really nice clear day outside. Though it was a bit warm and humid, it was relatively comfortable.
You bet I ate a lot of Roti Canai. I had 4 of them yesterday, and I'm just getting started!
Went to the Batu Caves, a Hindu cave complex where Indians come to worship.
At the base of the KL tower they had a really small exhibit of lizards, snakes, spiders, monkeys, and other small animals. I think this snake around my neck probably could have eaten me if it hadn't already eaten it's 15 chickens for the month!
I'm staying at the BackHome KL Hostel, and it's fantastic.
http://www.hostelworld.com/availability.php/BackHome-Kuala-Lumpur/Kuala-Lumpur/35901
Went to the skybridge at the Petronas Towers. It was a really nice clear day outside. Though it was a bit warm and humid, it was relatively comfortable.
You bet I ate a lot of Roti Canai. I had 4 of them yesterday, and I'm just getting started!
Went to the Batu Caves, a Hindu cave complex where Indians come to worship.
At the base of the KL tower they had a really small exhibit of lizards, snakes, spiders, monkeys, and other small animals. I think this snake around my neck probably could have eaten me if it hadn't already eaten it's 15 chickens for the month!
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