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.

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!

CNY Traveling - Kuala Lumpur, Singapore, Penang

Chinese New Year is coming up and I get to do a bit of "working from home" since all the factories will be closed! My "working from home" will entail some hosteling in KL, crashing over at a friend's place in Singapore (hanging out with Chuen and a few other friends), and "working" at my coworker's apartment/office in Penang. Hello to good curries, fried bread, and beaches!

I'll be in KL in less than a week, so look out for pictures!

Avatar in IMAX!

I've been hearing about Avatar for more than a month now and I think everyone has seen it at least twice already. You wouldn't believe how long the lines are to buy tickets here. My buddy Angela figured that if we're watching Avatar, it's gotta be IMAX in 3D. 3 weeks ago, she booked tickets for Avatar in HK for Jan 31, since that was the closest screen and it was sold out for 3 weeks! (Actually there is another IMAX theatre in Dongguan, but HK is a much better place to be.)

After a few weeks of waiting and a day trip to HK, I have to say, it was worth it! So you can add me to the millions of people that really like this movie!

 

Chinese New Year Traveling!

Chinese New Year is coming up in a few weeks, and I get some time off! Time to do some traveling! I'll be flying from Shenzhen-> Kuala Lumpur-> Singapore-> Penang-> HK (then taking the bus across the border back to Shenzhen). This trip will go from Feb 06 - Feb 24 (yes, that's a long time). I will be "working from home" the entire time, so I'm not completely being a slacker. I love my job!

New Years in HK

I got to ring in the New Year with a few friends from HK. Here are some pix from the event!

Happy New Year everyone!

 
 
 
 

Vegetarian Restaurant in TW - YuShanGe

I stopped through Taipei a few weeks back on my way home for Thanksgiving and business in the States, and a coworker took me to this vegetarian restaurant. It was a bit pricey, but I think it was one of the fanciest dinners I've ever had. 8 courses, and each course came with a detailed explanation about the nature of the dish and why it was served that way.

  I never really had real sushi before I became a vegetarian, but I think I know what raw fish tastes like now! My coworker tells me it takes just like real fish.

  This soup came with its own bonsai tree! No, I didn't get to keep it.

  This was the main course - a steak. It's actually made of a "monkey head mushroom," and tasted really good!

Who said vegetarians can't eat raw fish and steak? :P