Bali.

Where to start, maybe the headache.  This is day five I think.  Anyone that knows me also probably knows I have really bad headaches that drone on for a few days.  I don't make much of them, but every now and then they catch up with me.  This time, I managed to get sick on the way to Bali and so not only did I have the headache I had a cold and sore throat.  All with the beach 3 minutes away, meanwhile me in bed sweating and moaning like a Black Martin Sheen from Apocalypse Now, minus the liquor and the war of course.

The flight from Kuala Lumpur was wonderful enough.  Beautiful skies, short, excited.  Hop off the plane and clear customs in a breeze.  There is an ATM there so you can pay for your Visa on Arrival.  It is no sweat at all.  When I hit the ATM, I realize I have finally made it!  I take out 1.2 Million IDR.  So I am officially a Balinese Millionaire, huh?  But that is only 100 USD.  So After I pay the 25 for the visa on arrival I am no longer a Balinese Millionaire.

  I am thinking finally Bali and respectable beaches.  Anyone who knows me also knows I love a good beach.  So I am looking forward to coming in, getting some shut eye and heading out to the beach.  First things first, I remember I needed to catch up with my oldest daughter in the states so I give her a call.  We talk for a while.  I look at the clock and it is past 2 in the morning.

No big thing I figure, I can stay up as late as anyone.  Wake up the next morning ready to head to the beach.  First things first, a proper fresh made watermelon juice.  Before I can have it though, I have to walk and get it.  That's when the headache came, then the body aches.  Later in the day, the cold.  So no beach for me.

While waiting for the room to be prepared I figured the hotel spa might be a good idea.  I mean the price can't be beat.   85,000 IDR is about 7 USD.  If you had a bad headache and wanted more than anything to sleep what would you do?  Plus the sign looked so promising...  so I decide to go for it.

The massage was more than respectable, and the prices on everything here are amazing for value.  For example, my room is under 30 USD a night, although you could pay 200 USD a night as well.  Food can be had for about 2-3 USD for a more than respectable meal.  Although I would have to say the food in Malaysia is better.  Still, there is value to be had if you avoid touts and do your own thing.  This one guy wanted me to spend 1,000,000 IDR (85 USD) for a pair of flip flops out of our mutual love of Obama.  As I ran out of his store disgusted he yelled, okay 100,000.  Found them later on for 45,000 (3.50 USD) at a convenience store.

So last night I finally made it out to the beach.  Still with the headache, and the beach made it a bit better but going on day five... at least there is a wonderful beach!

The dog runs past us, cuts me a look as he runs out to the water alone to swim.  He looks at me like, what are you waiting for?  Oh you don't know?  Then a second later he is in the water doing his thing...

More to come.

Penang Hill

Photo album from Penang Hill

So I try to avoid places that are overpriced.  I mean, why should I pay money to climb to the top of a hill, if I can walk there for free.  I have legs, I like to exercise, and that is especially true if it costs three times more for me to ride to said hilltop than a local resident.  I don't want to be overcharged.

All that is true, but sometimes, when the hill is huge, really huge and the view is really really beautiful you have to pay.  The ride up was worth it, and you were paying for the ride and not the view...

Penang Hill is a place to spend an afternoon if you are in Penang.  I wish I had come here sooner.  If for no other reason, for the monkeys.  They seem to have a good sense of humor and are willing and able to eat if you offer them food.  Of course you should never do that.  I mean, you might end up with a lifelong friend, like the monkey from Monkeyshine, who comes to think of you as his or hers.

Also worth note, besides the beautiful views and the monkeys is the wonderful garden - Monkey Cup Garden, more than worth the extra few RM to tour.  They have a lovely garden of not only monkey cups but also other exotic plants, insects and the like.  In addition there are a couple restaurants on the top of the hill, not to mention a temple and a mosque as well.

Monkey Cups

Venus Flytrap

• Photo album From Penang Hill

Where to start? Penang

Photo album of Kek Lok Si

Maybe best to start where I am and talk about where I was, and then where I am going.  Hope you can keep up!  First of all, this is my second trip to Malaysia.  The first time I visited only Penang, then took the sleeper train to Bangkok.  I thought it was an interesting trip, but a little bland.  We stayed in a area called Batu Ferringhi, which if I remember right means foreigner's rock.  All in all the area is overdeveloped.  The small beach is nice enough, but there isn't much there.

This time, I decided to start the voyage in Kuala Lumpur and then make my way to Penang via a cheap Air Asia flight.  The flight was under 30USD and was less than an hour.  Instead of staying in Batu Ferringhi I stayed in Georgetown with its wonderful selection of food and proximity to temples and shopping.  I mean I can walk out of my hotel to the temple of Quan Yin, then turn eat breakfast, or have coffee and head out to the beach or sightseeing.  All on the bus route from Komtar center.

So the first day in Penang, that is exactly what we did.  We woke up and had porridge.  What - porridge?  Yup, porridge, Chinese people have a thing for porridge apparently, so me and the lady had some porridge, it was pretty darn good rice porridge too.

She cracks me up when she says porridge, it is more like porridge aye.  But same thing.  I mostly eat vegetarian, but Chinese tend to have to cut up some meat and put it in everything.  Since this is a Cantonese joint, they cut up chicken and put it in the porridge, more or less just for flavor.  It is a pretty delicious dish.

In my opinion, and I suspect I am in the minority, Kuala Lumpur kicks Penang's butt insofar as food, but the food here is pretty good too.  You just have to hit the small places and avoid bigger places.  Anyways, after we ate we walked to the temple of Quan Yin and made offerings.

Yesterday we visited an Indian temple when we visited Penang Hill.  The thing most interesting about Penang is that all religions are represented here and they all manage to live in peace.  This is a mostly Muslim city though, so you hear the call to prayer throughout the day but there are plenty of Chinese who are mostly Buddhist or Taoist.  Then there is a Christian population, not to mention all the Godless heathen tourists that come through for thrills on the way to or from Bangkok.

Me, I am here waiting to travel onwards.  All the cheap flights flow through Malaysia right now.  Air Asia is a savior for budget scrapped travelers like me.  So thanks to Quan Yin and Buddha and Jesus and Allah and Jehovah for that.  Anyways, besides the temples there is the food, but I will talk about that on another day.  Good food, good temples and monkeys... back to the temple of Quan Yin.

There is a bigger temple in the middle of the island that I went to earlier today.  It is the largest buddhist temple in Asia, from what I read.  This temple Kek Lok Si has a huge statue of Quan Yin, this one is like a neighborhood buddhist temple.  After that we went to Penang Hill and Monkey Cup Garden.  I will have to make a photo album of that trip.  For now, enjoy a few pictures of Malaysia and Georgetown in Penang.

Photo album of Kek Lok Si

Free from China - Well Not Really

So I managed to get out of China for a bit.  China is a wonderful country and is a very interesting place to live.  In fact, I think it has replaced Egypt as my favorite country to visit or live in.  However, there is a problem with living in China, China has an ongoing war with all things google.  As such, blogger is not very easily accessed inside China, thus the blog hiatus.

While I am out from behind the great firewall I will be updating the blog on all things I have done while in China and around and about Asia.  I managed to take some wonderful pictures and have a fun and exciting time.  I lost a few traveling companions along the way, but I will be catching up with the best of them soon.  Also, I managed to destroy a SD card with some of the best pictures of the journey.  Of course it wasn't backed up.  So it reminded me that I needed to start putting some of my favorites that I did keep on the web.

Anyway - it looks like I will be heading back to China soon anyway.  Business before pleasure.  Have some things to take care of before I can move on to more exciting locals, like Nepal and India.  But in the meantime, I will  be updating the blog with my travels to Beijing, Zhaoqing, Hong Kong, Bali, and a train journey I am planning from Saigon (Ho Chi Min City), Vietnam to Yunnan, China and further through to Hong Kong.  That should be quite the adventure, and should put my 10 words of Mandarin to the test...