Travel Plans: Thailand

Hey Guys! Right now it is the night before I take a train to Bangkok. Its a 20-hour train ride of fun (No Wifi, no outlets, and no. good. food.). But we make up for it with home made sandwiches, cards, and a good book or two.

While I’m on my 2 week trip of Thai-craziness (My type of craziness, mind you) I’ll be writing blog posts whenever I can and uploading them straight away. But I was also thinking of uploading day-by-day vlogs starting this week, from the train ride there to the train ride back. I made a new Youtube Channel, and as soon as I start uploading I’ll link it to my main page.  We’ll be going to more places than just Bangkok, and I’ll tell you their names as soon as I figure out how spell them.

But besides that, follow my Instagram page for new photos ——-:>

See my most Recent Post: Fried Rice and Refugees

My previous Bangkok Post: A Regular Trip

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Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam – Part 2

Hey Guys, this a part two of an article I wrote, so if you haven’t read the first bit click here before you read on!

So at this point we were over a week into the trip, and we had been able to walk around the city of Ho Chi Minh, explore the work-in-progress city of Phenom Phen,  and climb up the temples in Angkor Wat, Siem Riep, both in Cambodia. On our last day in Ho Chi Minh (Before heading to the pretty pretty beaches of Da Long) we left in the morning to the Tunnels. We took a private van over to the river, where we would take a boat 2 hours up to our destination.

Now the Tunnels were what the Vietnamese used to live in during the Vietnamese War. They dug them extremely deep at some points, with them weaving in and around the ground sometimes for dozens of meters ( They could be over 100 feet long). I didn’t now much about them before, but actually being able to crawl inside them. Well. It was defintly some hands-on experience to say the least.

We ended up being dropped off at a nice marina, waiting for the boat’s captain to get on our way. Ho Chi Minh is very city-busy, and as we sat at the side of a flowing (brown) river, we watched the little ants buzz their way across the in-construction bridge. When the captain arived we jumped into a small skiff along with 3 high school seniors from the UK who had also booked the tour of the tunnels. It was kinda a tiny boat, but there was fruit and a nice breeze (see photo for the affects on my hair below) so we were able to enjoy the 2 hour trip up the river.

My Mum and I enjoy the *slight* breeze in the back.

Bridges were so low at some points that I could’ve jumped up and touched them as we coasted beneath.

Our small skiff.

We passed by all types of barges and fishing boats. Even some rowers!

Riding up the river was just, beautiful. Green jungle was on either side of us, and there were rarely any waves (except the occasional freighter wave that made us hop like a skipping stone). In a way it reminded me of the Rio Dulce, in Guatemala. The thriving greenery all around us gave the river a sense that it was in the process of being mummified with vines, and lanky Mangroves.

We were soon pulling up to a floating restaurant full of wooden chairs, connected to a bridge that dissapeared into the mangroves behined it. As we got on I took off the corniest orange life vests I’ve ever seen in my life (You could probably guess to my relief). We trudged across the wooden creaking boards that smoothly moved back and forth from the waves, and climbed up the bridge until we were land-lovers again.

Cambodia

Some Pond-Pondering time

(From left to right) Me, my Mom, and Aunt Tiffany :)

I’m writing this on a small seated bus thats coasting past Cambodian countryside. The green luscious nature envelopes the stranded farms and houses, and as the various vehicles pass us they leave a floating trail of dust for the sorry soul behind them.
We’re exactly an hour into the 6 hour journey that unfolds itself for every traveler rolling their way towards Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam from Cambodia’s capital Phenom Pehn. It’s been 5 days since I left my home in Malaysia with my Mum and headed to Siem Reap, Cambodia to meet
with a friend of ours from Mexico. After stressful months of planning, our intricate 30 day trip was taking us to Cambodia, Vietnam,Laos and Thailand. My parents wanted to take advantage of our ideal locationing to other South East Asia Countries to travel, yet this trip is almost the last
one for us (except for a quickie to Thailand in December) before we head to the U.S.A in April. So far I’ve been to Malaysia, Thailand, Singapore, and Indonesia in this area, and Japan and Russia on the way over. Every place has been an experience (majorly a wonderful one). But this trip is almost an awakening to me
that I’m leaving so soon. I’ve been in Malaysia for 10 months! Where has the time gone?
But diving right in, arriving to Cambodia was a piece of cake. After getting checked into the country we went for a taxi, which unlike every other country I’ve ever been in we got in line without drivers fighting over us. There was no yelling or badgering, and we paid the people at a stand instead of the driver.
Siem Reap seemed dusty at first sight, and I wasn’t wrong to think so. But even though this was a con to me, everything about the city was natural and friendly. As soon as we pulled out of the airport I saw a girl no older than 10 driving a Moto, cackling mischievously while a boy not much younger pedaled on a bike behind her trying to grab on.
Talking to the taxi driver it was rainy season which was a good thing for us because tourists were few, and the ruins would be free of large crowds. We got to our hotel, and after finding a friend of ours we were meeting with who’d travel with us for the rest of the trip (All photos are from her Iphone :) ) we headed out to grab a bite to eat.
Tuk-Tuks were running rampant everywhere and we watched our step carefully as we made our way to the “main street” in Siem Reap, Pub Street. Pub Street is filled with restaurants and Massage Parlours, and the streets (already jam-packed with people) are lined with every kind of food vendor there is, from crepes to bugs. After grabbing dinner and a massage (An hour is
8 U.S.D) we headed back to get some rest for the next day of ruin exploring.
We booked a guide the night before, so after getting some breakfast we grabbed a Tuk-Tuk with him to start our “Ruins” tour. The plan was to see two different ruins consisting of palaces and temples, before heading onto Angkor Wat (One of the wonders of the world). They were all resting in the same general area, and after paying an entrance fee we rode down a long dirt trail surrounded on either side by thick forest. Meandering across the grass beside us
were pigs, dogs, and even monkeys. After watching these trios lazily peruse the ground for food, we exited the forest and road beside a moat. It made a circle around a large temple, partly covered by trees. This towering building turned out to be Angkor Wat. But we left it as soon as we’d first seen it, and we weren’t going to return until the end of it. We entered the forest again and drove on (If you can consider a clanking tuk-tuk drivable) until the trees cleared up. Tall, bold, and crumbling ruins towered ahead, and as we parked outside the crowds, elephants, with their creased grey leather skin, were feet away with their caretakers.
The first ruin was very much a ruin. It was beaten and battered, with tourist scattering along it like ants. One fine detail I took away from it was just that. All the details. It seemed as if no wall, no column, no step was left untouched, not unique. Gods, worshippers, soldiers, and monsters were depicted everywhere. Sometimes in complicated, 25 foot long murals, other times hidden behind door ways.
As we walked around, it was hard to not fall instantly into a world hundreds and hundreds years younger. Though the snorting elephants and clinking cameras were ‘delightful” anchors towards the present.
We soon left this ruin and moved on to the next one, passing by a temple so tall and steep it seemed it was meant as a slide rather than something people worshipped on. White Elephants were erected on each corner, the almost patriotic animal of this country. Our next stop was at the end of a long erected pathway that ended at another ruin, one which we didn’t bother to climb (Preserving our energy for Angkor Wat).
After more walking and tuk-tuk riding, we finally arrived to Ankor Wat. Surrounded by tall, strong walls that over the years had not lost a single breath of their bold bronze, Angkor Wat itself towered high above. Getting up there seemed to be the final chapter of our adventurous day, as the sides of it slid up with stairs steep enough to need railings. We did make it up to there though, and the view from the top offered a large pond in a backyard with two stone gate houses. The exit led an orange dusty path into the trees like a start of a maze.
In the center of the temple where we walked, there were 4 pools meant to represent the 4 main elements. They laid empty and dusty though, and for some strange reason echoing “Meows” every now and again. Oh, those were the cats in the pipes. The felines darted around, peeing on shrines (while eating the sacrifices laid out) and poking their heads out fo the ominous drains which led to who knew where.
How they got there, or why they stayed I have no idea. But before we left I made a mental note to bring catfood next time.
We left the ruins and the dark clouds that had begun to cry on us, and we were back to our hotel in time for Dinner (And a big one at that).
The next day we were off to Phenom Penn, and besides for a very bumpy 6-hour bus trip (Or was it 8?) we arrived to our hotel amongst some major construction. We didn’t end up doing much there, as the city just wasn’t our type of place. Nothing bad, but I would say that it was the least wonderful place we visited on our trip.
So after just a couple of days we were outta there, and Ho Chi Minh city is coming ever closer. My first communist country at that (Russia, to my surprise, isn’t communist. Who woulda thunk. Can you name the five which are though?).
Until next week guys!

Through Singapore (1/2)

I’ve been to Thailand and Indonesia. I’ve living in Malaysia. Believe me when I write that in the South East Asia I’ve explored, Singapore is what you find in the back of a magical wardrobe beside Narnia. Sleek silver brilliance striked with elegance and class, the most expensive country in the world was a shock to my system after 8 months of living in cabins in the jungle, trekking through dusty crowded cities, and crossing bridges into developing islands. All these massive buildings that cast their long shade down entire roads, all the international people, and all the cameras. The country where chewing gum in public is illegal was where I stayed for almost a week, and where I saw the lifestyle of the wealthiest class that exists mesh with those who sell Wanton Mee out of carts and hang their laundry off bamboo sticks. Singapore is a pretty cool place though, and I’m going to tell you all about it.

I arrived with my parents after an overnight bus ride from Malaysia, where getting into the country was easy (Though a few Arabian men were held back, most likely Singapore being cautious about Murrs). Hotel was an easy walk away from the bus station, and by the time we were checked in we were back out again. The main downtown area of Singapore is small, so walking we found an MRT Station and bought Easy-Pass cards. This turned out to be one of the best things we would’ve done, as the MRT was crazy-easy to use and got us everywhere we wanted to go for our complete stay for about 14 Singaporean Dollars each. We walked around downtown a bit once we were in the center of it all, and as luck would have it a free walking tour was starting and my Mom was more than excited to join it. Somehow we had missed the fact that the annual Olympic-Tier sports tournament was happening in Singapore for that week, and 2 free walking tours covering Little India and China Town were cancelled. But as luck would have it we were able to join the last Walking tour of the week through the business Centre and beyond. So not even 6 hours off the bus we were walking around Singapore with 3 college girls explaining this building and that fountain and this hotel. While I do enjoy these types of things, it was a major walk-athon after a short, abrupt night’s sleep. 2 and a half hours later I was more than happy to go eat do I could sit down.

But touching on Singaporean History, the nation used to be apart of Malaysia but broke off for a couple of reasons. One being that the main leader Lee Kuan Yew wanted full control, and after centuries of British Rule he wanted to grow Singapore to be free of corruption. Having a thriving trade port, Singapore was able to finance itself and grow steadily. With a strong set of rules, Singapore never as much as stumbled. One particular bump that it had to get past though was the multiple ethnicities within its borders. 60% Buddhist and just under 20% Muslim, along with Hindus and Christians flourishing abundantly, religious discrimination was something that couldn’t exist for even a second if Singapore were to reach its full potential. So intense rules stating that not even a word of hate against any other religions were put in place, and massive fees were placed upon those who broke them. This greatly discouraged everyone else, and from it the country remained peaceful. Though those were not only the intense rules to exist. Jaywalking, chewing gum, and most recently publicly drinking alcohol after 10:30 at night are all prohibited with the threat of tall looming fines placed on all of them. And I’m only mentioning a few. It’s so common to have to pay a fine in Singapore that stalls are placed across the city for easy access to those who have to pay them.

But luckily I never broke the rules while there (Actually I should rephrase that: Never got caught. I may or may not have jaywalked there but I’m not tellin’ you nothin’.). After the walking tour my Mom and I met my Father at the Crazy Elephant in Clarkes Key, a main night-time area in Singapore. Situated alongside a river, the Key is crawling with tourists. My Dad being the musician he is was invited a week before to jam there, so as he played music I played pool and watched a light show coming off of Marina Bay Sands. You know, that hotel with a ship on the top of it.

57 stories? Yeah, I think so. 57.

Scenic place, but damn is it expensive.

It was a fun night, and believe me when I say that I crashed hard that night. In the morning, we were off to China Town, Orchard Road, and the top of Marina Bay Sands (The super cool hotel I told you about. Yes. To the very top.)

Singaporean Buisness Centre

Interviews and thoughts of growing up with travel

Hey guys, how are you?

Diving right in: I’ve been thinking about travel recently and its affects on me for the past 10 years. At 16 I’ve been to 20 different countries, and I haven’t lived in one place for longer than 5 years. Its been exciting, and always different. Recent events have made me re-evauluate my life, a life without travel.

What would that have been like?

I think I would be a very different person if I hadn’t always seen places and met people as a foreigner. Sometimes I forget that always being the new guy in a place isn’t supposed to be a yearly event. I’ve grown up looking at a side of life that allows failures, lives off passion, flourishes in the bad times, and will always appreicate the good times. And now I can’t imagine living in a different way.

So I guess a little self-exploratory is this weeks blog :). Who in your life inspires you the most, and what effect do you think you might have on people in your life? For me a professional donut tester is probably the most influential.

Frosted? Yes please.

My Mom was interviewed by An Epic Education talking about our whole life adventure from the start a decade ago. So if you would like to learn a bit more about me, from leaving normal life in the U.S to sailing in the carribean, from a different perspective you can listen to it here.

Thanks for reading guys! Until next time,

Sincerely, James

Check out my last post.

I wrote about homeschooling in Malaysia!

Want to learn more about me?

Singapore

Hey Guys! A week back I had the opportunity to visit the main city of Singapore for a few days. Not just an amazing city, but an amazing futuristic super cool city. We had a fun trip there from Malaysia, my family and I took a bus at 9 o’clock at night to Singapore. But this wasn’t just any bus, it was one of the COMFIEST buses I’ve ever been on. Not only with fully reclining seats, but tv screens and feet rests were all included. There’s also this weird rule all bus lines seem to share (From Malaysia to Mexico) where the buses need to be an Ice Box aswell. But luckily this particular line wasn’t in the human-popsicle business, and it was a super cozy ride straight from Penang to Singapore.

First Thoughts on Singapore: Very green, and very concrete.

Singapore is one of the richest countries in the world, and though its been dialed down some since its almost-facist ruling in the 20th century was a huge benefactor to the success it is today. Back in the day caning and other severe penalties were put upon those who even just spoke poorly about their nation. Intense rules were placed down, and even in the 21st century new rules such as no chewing gum and public drinking being banned after 10:30 at night have been constructed. It’s a pretty strict city. But what Singapore lacks in liberty, sure makes up for how clean, neat, and organized the city is. 

Luckily Singaporeans have much more freedom now than they had before, and from it they have one of the coolest cities on Earth. And that’s my impartial opinion.

The buildings shoot up high, and as I stood in a park outside the MRT in the main business center, I felt like I’d been transported to the future. A giant tv plastered against the wall echos a commanding voice between the skyscrapers. Perfectly cut grass, immaculate shiny benches, a dozen cameras in one cor-. Oh yeah, I forgot to mention that Singapore has a hefty fine-for-everything motto, and constant surveillance is practically everywhere. 

But Singapore is also one of safest cities in the world, and I’ve heard stories of people leaving their wallets out in public overnight, and them still being there in the morning untouched. Maybe all the futuristic, super-cool looking buildings are watching over it for them.

Singapore is one of those cities I could completely live in full-time. The only drawback is the fact that its ridiculously expensive for Southeast Asia. All the meals are atleast 3-5 times more expensive than back home, and finding hotel rooms in town that were reasonable was even harder. Singapore is definently the type of place where a seemingly innocent 10 US dollar breakfast can turn into 60.

How about you? Have you been to Singapore and know a good place to stay or eat? Comment below for me!

Read “Home from Singapore” next!

Until next time,

Sincerely, James

In the Indonesian Jungle – Part 3 – Revenge of the Orangutan

At 7 in the morning rain on our tin roof had stopped and I was out of bed and getting dressed, ready for breakfest. Today was Trek day, and jeans and a long sleeve shirt were the ideal clothes to fight the bugs, though not the heat. We were heading out at 8, so we made sure to go get breakfast as soon as we could to beat our guide, and just when we finished, he popped up, his afro visible first as he climbed up the steps.

The guy that had brought us in from the bus terminal was guiding us, along with another worker from the hotel who couldn’t have been 4 or 5 years older than me. They would be bringing us through the jungle for the next 4 hours.

When we had eaten and were all ready to go, we followed our guide out of the hotel and between the stores, cabins, and restaraunts down the river. We ended coming up to one of those really dangerous, unsafe looking bridges that I mentioned, and without batting an eye we started to cross it one by one. Okay, in reality maybe they weren’t that unsafe. Though the one next to use consisted of single pieces of wood and no guard rails. But it didn’t help that it had rained the night before and the river had risen and was going very fast.

It was a beautiful day, just a bit overcast so that we wouldn’t be soaking with sweat a few minutes in, and when we got to the entrance  I realized I didn’t have to worry about the sun. Jungles pretty much cover you on their own.

The entrance to the jungle, which was a national park, was a simple arch way, and a few signs explaining what some different trees and plants are. But before we could even get to see that, another guide with a different group pointed out a Vine Snake in the trees next to use. Absolutely still and poised on a branch, in was probably about a foot and a half long on a vivid leaf green that made him blend in perfectly. Our guide explained what it was, and the only reason it stuck with me was because Vine Snakes generally pick a branch and stay there, for about 3 months. They don’t move for 3 months, besides for when an unluky critter climbs up the tree (not the monkey!) or a bird flies down onto the branch where the snake gets a meal.

When we finished taking photos, we finally went through the entrance, passed by a restaraunt-area  and by some houses until we got to the bottom of a hill, where we crossed a wimpy stream of water on a wobbly board and started to climb. Walking up a trail, we passed by Rubber Trees (A whole valley) which hold little halves of coconuts midway on them to collect the draining tree’s rubber. After spotting jumping Thomas Leaf Monkeys in the trees, we discovered coffee beans, and glowing blue spiders. We kept our eyes peeled for orangutans, but it wasn’t until an hour and a half in we spotted some.

They were in the trees, a Mother orangutan and her child, probably a couple hundred feet up. Too far up for our Iphone 3 to take photos, sp onstead we “Ooohed” and “Ahhed” from the ground, taking a step back every time the baby would try to throw something at us (luckily he didn’t have a very good aim) After a several minutes of that, we kept on walking. My dad had made a sling shot out of dried pieces of Rubber from the trees and with a perfect branch. As we walked he picked up different nuts and aimed a certain rocks, the more he shot the more flexible the slingshot became. We also had walking sticks and small crowns on made of leaves, so you might say we had become one with the jungle just waiting for the perfect vine to swing off of.

After a couple of more sightings of orangutans far up in the trees above us, we finally spotted orangutans close up.

There were a group of people hanging around our red-haired furry friends, a mother and her 2 children. They were so close, hanging out in trees arms-distance away. Some people were grabbing their hands when they reached out, others were busy taking selfies (Hi, I’m James, and I take selfies when I travel and see mokeys)

We watched them jump, swing, and play. While I didn’t agree with the way people crowded them (A decent 10 to 14 people were there) or how they thought it was okay to touch them, but it was really sweet seeing the orangutans in their natural habitat.

Again, after a spree of photos, we were off, going up and down, grabbing onto roots and sometimes reaching points so steep you rather were climbing up or sliding down (usually on your bum)

We passed by a small waterfall at some point where we got to cool off, and after a couple of hours more we were on the last leg of the trip – River Rafting.

Now I mention earlier how the river was looking quite menacing that day, so one can only imagine how it looked a couple of feet away, as I sat in a tire tube barely fitting in it with my mum sharing it with me. But our fearless guides had long, strong sticks in the back and front (we were 4 tires connected front to back) and they heaved us off into the river wielding them around, slicing through the river water was they pushed us off of rocks.

The whole rafting-adventure lasted about 15 minutes, as we passed waterfalls, and really, really, really menacing rocks. But over all, the worst that happened was that we got soaked – which was also the best thing that could have happened.

So overall, our time spent in the Indonesian Jungle was spectacular. We ended up spending the rest of the day not really doing much (besides whining about how achy we were) and the following day we ended up doing a bat cave, which was an hour of sliding through dark caves with 2 flashlights that worked (in a group of 5) on slippery rocks, trying not to smoosh crickets or the cricket-look-alikes that were really spiders sometimes the size of half my hand. Besides a countless amount of bats, I got to see swallow-nests at the very back of the cave, wading through over-ankle deep water.

After a nail in the foot (trying-on shoes injury) and the revelation that we’d been living with a rat for the majority of our stay (cookies were our casualty), we headed out on our 5th day to do 3 and a half hour of riding in a van, quite comfier than our buses, and hopped on a plane back to Malaysia.

“YOU SHALL NOT PASS”
Oh, wait. What was that?
Damn!

No Photographers were harmed in the taking of this photo.

Rubber tree for Slingshots, Croxs, Cond- … Er, and other certain rubber products

Vine Ssssnake thinking of something. Three months with nothing to do. I wonder what it thinks of?

Thomas Leaf Monkey just chillin’

Sadly, I didn’t pass the exam into their clan. Something about lack of “orange” and “…Banana-Eating Apetite”

‘Art thou’ King of the Jungle

Taking a dip was the main thing on my mind

Something I didn’t know to expect in Penang, Malaysia

I’ve lived for the past 7 months in an amazing, quite large island called Penang, which is connected by bridge to mainland Malaysia.  Being a 16 year old American Homeschooler here, I tend to ride the bus alot. I don’t know if that actually has any connection to who I am, But I do. I ride the bus alot. And because of this I’ve seen a decent amount of things, which have in turn provoked me to write this article:

How Malaysians are so incredibly kind.

Penang, Malaysia is one of the most westernized and touristy places in Malaysia. Yet when I’m riding the bus in the afternoon, and three pale 20s-something girls in Bikinis barely covered up with thin shawls and shirts that were made for someone in 5th grade, get onboard headed to the beach, I cringe. I cringe because this is disrespectful to the people who are accommodating them in their country. In Malay Culture it just isn’t cool to walk around in your Bikini. Penang’s Government Board’s have just settled an issue last month on whether Bikinis should be allowed on Beaches, which Penang is very popular for having. They ended up being allowed, but the fact that there was an actually discussion and voting sequence shows that wearing something immodest, in the middle of the city and then onto a public bus for a hour-and-a-half drive up to the beach, isn’t cool. There isn’t any law against wearing bikinis here in Malaysia, but the majority of Malaysians who’ve grown up in a strong Islamic Household won’t approve, and I think if you’re going to visit somebody else’s home, their country, you should at least try to cater to some household rules.

But when I think of this incident and what comes after wards, I can’t help but think that there are so many friendly, nice, and utterly amazing people here in Penang. On the bus, when the 3 girls boarded, the bus driver didn’t mind speaking in broken English to tell them what it would cost to get to the beach. The girls didn’t know where the beaches were, but the driver waved his hand in a careless fashion and told them he would let them know where to get off. And when the 3 girls took up the complete priority seating aisle, nobody said anything. Actually, most people who stood holding onto the sides of the bus, old or young, were smiling and nodding at them.

And that’s when I realised, out of the whole busload of people, I was the most offended. Everyone on the bus saw these three girls as the typical tourists, a mixture of some cluelessness and naiveté. They knew these girls were among hundreds of other people visiting their city not realizing that they could be insulting with the way the could dress, or the fact that the didn’t study their culture or learn a little of their language beforehand.

And I mean, c’mon. Priority seating? Really?

But yet I don’t feel like Malaysians get enough compliments on how thoughtful they are. Bus drivers never hesitate to help me out when I don’t know where I’m headed. Restaurants here cater their menus in English for Tourists, and for the past 7 months I’ve been a regular in a Chinese and Thai Restaurant down my street and only with their knowledge of English I’m able to order every time I go. I’ve even been on the bus before when an elderly Chinese man gave up his seat for a Canadian Mother and her child in a stroller, and after, when the woman was getting off the bus, a group of Malaysian Construction Workers in their twenties, picked up her stroller for her and set it down on the ground, making sure the bus wouldn’t close its doors on her. There are so many amazing people here that have the most unique and caring perspective on us, absent-minded foreigners, that it makes me smile and really appreciate the place I live.

Malaysia vs. North America (United States and Canada)

So around this time, 7 months ago, I had just arrived in Penang, Malaysia. I didn’t know anyone here, and could barely order food from a restaurant. Now that I’ve had enough time to get used to it here, I’ve been keeping stock of a few differences between here, and I thought putting some of the few differences down now would be a good idea.

1. Holidays

Nowhere that I’ve been has been more multi-cultural than Malaysia. Boasting a strong Chinese and Indian community (Just take into account that over 40% of citizens are immigrants down the line due to importation of cheap workers from a recently as the 1950’s) Because of this, and adding on a very strong Christian community aswell, people are always celebrating something. Some examples would be Chinese New Year, a month-long event, Thai Pusam, and Indian celebration of a fallen hero. And in some cases, I don’t even know what’s being celebrated but see parades or extreme water wars happening Downtown (A Thai Holiday) and just know its some sort of Holiday.

Thai Pusam 2015

2. Bathrooms

I’m used to a choice of a Urinal or a toilet when I go to the bathroom. But here in Malaysia, there is also a 3rd option, which is the most common. A simple, cut out hole for you to squat over. Yet that’s not all, because there isn’t usually any Toilet Paper, even in regular toilets. Instead a hose is in the stalls, which you use to er, uhm. You get the idea.

3. Light Switches

One of the most minor differences on this list is this one – To turn off a light you flick the switch down, and to turn it off it goes up. Something so simple through me off funnily enough, and it took me months to know if my bathroom light was on or off by looking at the switch (Which is on the outside of the door)

4. Ease of Eating out

Fast food isn’t “Fast Food” unless it’s always a 5 minute walk away no matter where I am and served to me in under 5 minutes from me ordering. Penang, Malaysia isn’t one of the most popular destinations in all of Asia for nothing, and the little stalls that are everywhere could serve you Sushi, to lasagna, to Pad Thai, to Mie Goreng. Typically under 2 USD for a meal.

Mie Goreng

5. Multi-lingual people

So because 40% percent of Malaysians have come from different countries at some point or another, Penang is a place swirling with languages. On average, people know English, Malay, Hokkien ( A Chinese Dialect). But very diverse families end up provoking their kids to learn a 4th and 5th language aswell, rather an Indian Dialect or maybe Thai. I’ve never been to a place where so many different languages can be spoken in just one restaurant by locals.

These 5 are just a few of the differences that I’ve noticed. But how about you? Have you ever been a place and been completely thrown off by something as minor as flicking a switch the opposite direction?

Until Monday,

James

A Regular Trip

I’ve been traveling for quite an amount of time. I’ve noticed, when someone travels for long periods of time or has decided to meld travel into their daily lives, they develop trends in their daily lives. Travel is usually linked to Vacation, which is basically a different way to say “Relaxation”. So a traveler is usually seen as someone trying very hard to shake off their responsibilities, like a job, moving them to the back of the line in their mind. But this isn’t usually the case, and if you want to see the world you have to learn to bring responsibilities into travel. After looking back, I figure a great example of this is my trip to Bangkok for a week.

We didn’t have our days planned out, and all three of us brought our laptops to do work (Geometry isn’t any funner in courses on a computer – trust me) So every morning in Bangkok we were out the door and working on computers at a little cafe around the corner from where we were staying. Something I’ve realized from having to stay for long-periods in a cafe is that if I get to choose, eat outside. It provokes me to be a bit more social provoking opportunities to arise. Tuk-Tuk drivers hung out right in front of where our little cafe was nestled, and we were able to chat with the drivers. From then on, we had multiple taxi drivers we could trust after getting to know them, and (sometimes) make better deals with them (Though know you or not, most of the time its 3 times higher than standard fare, so if you ever find yourself heading to Bangkok, make sure to practice your haggling-bone beforehand)

I also lent my laptop to two lost Spanish Women who had just gotten in from Dubai and couldn’t speak more than a couple of words of English. I was estatic to let them use the computer (to their surprise) because after 5 months of living in Malaysia I hadn’t gotten the chance to speak a lick of Spanish. They were surprised, though I think for the most part relieved, and I was able to practice my Spanish as they tried to find their hotel to show the Taxi Drivers.

By Noon all the work is put away, and we’re off to somewhere extra-captivating. Ruins, Shrines; Temples and Monuments. The significant feeling flowing through pieces of art hundreds upon hundreds of year old is hard not to appreciate. Mixed with some Pad Thai or Satay, our afternoon is spent enjoying the city thats opened its doors and welcomed us in. After that, there is always Back Massages for 30 mins for the price of 4 U.S.D or some perusing at the shops and stalls along Khao San Road and most of the adjoining roads. By late evening though, the other side of the world is awake, and we’re back in our room early enough to get work done so we can go back out again, or late enough that we’re a change of clothes away from calling it a night.

And I think thats it guys! I’m excited to get us back onto Malaysia, before June where I head back to Thailand again, this time a bit more on the outskirts.

Thanks for reading,

Sincerely, James