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Friday, January 29, 2010
He Did It!
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For Suzanne
who wanted to see more of Uncle Chang's Paradise:
Watch the rain...
Marina teaching the local girls to play Chinese Checkers after she learned the game from young Swiss women who had just finished a work contract in United Arab Emigrates.
Falcom singing at the bar for Uncle. This is right as he was 'getting owned' by Uncle Chang.
Marina feeding her monkey friends.
Today Willie takes his drivers permit.
I testified in the Senate Committee of Education about the elimination of the High School Graduation Qualifying Exam. In case any of you wondered, I said they should get rid of it! Then the senators made the mistake of asking me if I thought there was a replacement and I said, "Yes, Good Teachers. Who give inflated grades. Good Principals who actually walk through the classes and see what their teachers are doing. How is it that we managed to get through high school without a qualifying exam and managed to have a successful life? And that work keys exam! I think the ACT has created for itself a fantastic market niche which will fill their pockets with our tax payer dollars! If I'm going to nail tech school why do I have to take the work key test? If people are going into a career that requires them to take the test, let them take it the way we let kids take the SAT or ACT, don't make us pay for it."
I think I got their attention. Even if it was just for 5 minutes.
Oh, and I did say that the ACLU was getting involved with the case of the Russian Old Believer Community.
Watch the rain...
Marina teaching the local girls to play Chinese Checkers after she learned the game from young Swiss women who had just finished a work contract in United Arab Emigrates.
Falcom singing at the bar for Uncle. This is right as he was 'getting owned' by Uncle Chang.
Marina feeding her monkey friends.Today Willie takes his drivers permit.
I testified in the Senate Committee of Education about the elimination of the High School Graduation Qualifying Exam. In case any of you wondered, I said they should get rid of it! Then the senators made the mistake of asking me if I thought there was a replacement and I said, "Yes, Good Teachers. Who give inflated grades. Good Principals who actually walk through the classes and see what their teachers are doing. How is it that we managed to get through high school without a qualifying exam and managed to have a successful life? And that work keys exam! I think the ACT has created for itself a fantastic market niche which will fill their pockets with our tax payer dollars! If I'm going to nail tech school why do I have to take the work key test? If people are going into a career that requires them to take the test, let them take it the way we let kids take the SAT or ACT, don't make us pay for it."I think I got their attention. Even if it was just for 5 minutes.
Oh, and I did say that the ACLU was getting involved with the case of the Russian Old Believer Community.
Monday, January 25, 2010
For Irene
Once upon a time we were laying by a pool in the hot sun...
And we were having fish pedicures whenever the mood struck us. (Oh, but they are not just fish...they are Doctor Fish with magical powers that can transform a persons entire life!)
Vince made friends with more monkeys. They are much less aggressive than the Balinese monkeys.
Can you count how many monkeys are in this shot?
Vince got out of bed at 6 am and stood in line for three hours so that I could have tickets to visit the sky bridge at the twin towers. He waited without coffee or pastry, he was really my hero.
While we waited for our turn on the elevator I caught the kids in this candid moment. This moment really made the sky bridge experience perfect.
Me and the King. Side by side at last...
Vince relaxing by our room at Uncle Chang's, waiting for the boat which promised to take us back to shore.
Marina pulled her first tooth by herself and is officially front toothless. We hollered and cheered for her while munching on a strange Malaysian Triple stack sand which at KFC (bread, chicken, lettus, hash brown, cheese bread)...as if we weren't drawing enough attention to ourselves just by being ourselves. Singaporean tooth fairies found her in her hotel and left her candy for the airplane ride. She was delighted
This is a notice routinely posted at all customs check areas. It is a sentiment I know many Americans wish our country would embrace. I know that if I were possessing drugs and saw this sign I would make a fast trip to the bathroom for some flushing action after reading this! They also took our temperature via thermal scanner as we came into the customs area...checking everyone for H1N1.
Dragon fruit: Looks so much more interesting than it tastes. The fruit itself looks like the sweet inside of a fresh poppy seed muffin; grey/tan with black seeds. The taste however is bland! Marina felt it reminded her of a kiwi. "Except without flavor"
Sometimes I wish they didn't know how to read yet...
Saturday, January 23, 2010
New Hair
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Friday, January 22, 2010
A Couple Favorite Pictures
Voted "Picture that Catches What Alana Misses About the Tropics: Sunshine, Coke-a-Cola, Happy Husband"
Voted Coolest Shot From A Taxi
Voted Mom's Favorite Shot of Her Babies (Children's Pool, KL)
Voted Best Use of Asian Inability to Understand the Subtly of the English Language by an Advertising Agency
Voted favorite picture by Marina's class (The brown lump on the left is what the squirrel has to eat in order to get the microscopic spores to get under it's fingernails to reseed the plant)Saturday, January 16, 2010
Mabul Island
(Sorry, can't check my spelling in English...)
We are just back from spending three days on an island. We are finally back to traveling in the old style, which means we spent the last three days RUSTIC!
We went to Uncle Chang's Mabul Backpackers. Our room was built on stilts out over the sea. The boat trip to the island was an eye opener. As we left Semporna and headed to Mabul, in the middle of the open sea, were houses. I don't know that I have ever seen anything like it. Now this was Borneo.
The first night on the island we felt like we had finally found our bit of heaven. We watched the sun set with a coke and a beer and the kids were playing around and all was right with the world.
That night it started blowing, and raining and the next two days were on the island with amazingly heavy rains...total monsoon action! There were no windows on our little shack room and the beds got wet. I had taken the dirty laundry to the village to have it washed but there they do it by hand and there are no dryers so the clothes never got dry. I wore no underwear for three days. In fact, I'm not sure I have been dry for three days...
That didn't stop us from snorkeling or digging the turtles and fish that swam right by our room. Vince dove each day and me and the kids hid from the rain.
When the rain would let up we would go into the village. Wow! I've never seen so many children, dirty, playing, all on houses on stilts. Many people had their houses over the water, interconnected by walkways. How no one falls off and hurts themselves is amazing. On the second night Uncle showed up so the staff got the band equipment out. Everyone had been listening to Falcom sing and so they made him take the mic and sing. Uncle Chang was so happy he gave him a tee shirt and a hat and told him that he owns Falcom now and he can't leave. Falcom wasn't sure he was joking. Marina begged Unlce not to keep him. The entire place was swinging with the band and Uncle broke out the rum and the real band took over. It was quite a night.
Mabul is a small island and directly across the island from us was a resort on pilings above the water. We were paying $20 US all meals included for each of us. Those bungalos were $250 US a night plus extra for the extra bed we would need. Luckily, because we were white we could stroll around out there. Looking down into the water we saw schools of barracuda, sardines, triggerfish, parrot fish. It was incredible. Marina just wrote to her class. One of her classmates asked if she had been to an aqurium. She said, "I was living in an aquarium!"
The village between "Uncle Chang's" where we were staying and the resorts had little stalls with candy and chips and things that the kids loved. Marina is exhausted by being pinched and poked and having her picture taken. I'm not sure they see too many white girls around there.
It is very disturbing the amount of garbage that we have found washed up on the beaches. Plastic bottles especially. Some of it is from the village, some of it is from mysterious locals. It is very disheartening. Vince thinks that they could make a handsome industry by taxing tourists and paying people by the kilo for picking up the trash. I think that's a great idea. Hopefully it won't be long before it's time comes.
One day we took a ride to a neighboring 'island' to snorkel. How they call a reef submerged under five feet of water with a luxury resort on pilings out in the middle of nowhere an island is beyond me. The fish life was incredible. The idea that these cottages were just up there, sticking up out of the sea, in the middle of know where was mind boggling. There was also an off island resort built onto an extinct oil platform, which looked cool, but you didn't get the feeling for the true island. I have no idea how much these places cost to stay but I am sure it is not $20US per person.
By the second day of all that rain I was starting to get anxious to leave there. Problem is, there is no ferry running in the morning so we had to stay another day to wait for the boat. They were definitely on tropical time. There was no rush to leave. I think Vince thought I was being a little snitty about being ready to leave until he spent the day on that micro island in the monsoon rain. They made us get all our stuff out of the room at 830 but we didn't leave until 5. I finally said, "This is so hotel California!" He agreed.
I think the thing that got me anxious is that I realized we are out of time. I have been to Borneo and I have not seen an Orangutan. I talked to this gal who spent two days in the jungle and saw orangutans in the wild and elephants and monkeys, and I realized that by choosing to go to the sea I forfeited my chance to see those things. This is a disappointment.
Word to the wise: Borneo is not a week long vacation.
Upon further reflection I realized that I may not have been to the jungle, but I have seen fabulous ocean environments and human developments that I would not have seen if I had chose to go to the jungle instead of to the ocean. Last night, sitting on the deck outside my room in the evening, a very large turtle came right up to us and took a long deep breath. It was fantastic.
Tonight we are in Semporna. We strolled around the neighborhood our discount hotel is in and saw Malaysian drive through: hawkers selling meat on a stick on the curb side where people could just drive up. We decided after being on Mabul we needed American fast food and went to KFC. It was a two story affair. The kids went upstairs to grab a spot and we got the chicken. I went up and found Marina swarmed by people, pinching her, taking her picture. Wild.
Tomorrow is up for grabs. Maybe we'll run across a monkey.
We are just back from spending three days on an island. We are finally back to traveling in the old style, which means we spent the last three days RUSTIC!
We went to Uncle Chang's Mabul Backpackers. Our room was built on stilts out over the sea. The boat trip to the island was an eye opener. As we left Semporna and headed to Mabul, in the middle of the open sea, were houses. I don't know that I have ever seen anything like it. Now this was Borneo.
The first night on the island we felt like we had finally found our bit of heaven. We watched the sun set with a coke and a beer and the kids were playing around and all was right with the world.
That night it started blowing, and raining and the next two days were on the island with amazingly heavy rains...total monsoon action! There were no windows on our little shack room and the beds got wet. I had taken the dirty laundry to the village to have it washed but there they do it by hand and there are no dryers so the clothes never got dry. I wore no underwear for three days. In fact, I'm not sure I have been dry for three days...
That didn't stop us from snorkeling or digging the turtles and fish that swam right by our room. Vince dove each day and me and the kids hid from the rain.
When the rain would let up we would go into the village. Wow! I've never seen so many children, dirty, playing, all on houses on stilts. Many people had their houses over the water, interconnected by walkways. How no one falls off and hurts themselves is amazing. On the second night Uncle showed up so the staff got the band equipment out. Everyone had been listening to Falcom sing and so they made him take the mic and sing. Uncle Chang was so happy he gave him a tee shirt and a hat and told him that he owns Falcom now and he can't leave. Falcom wasn't sure he was joking. Marina begged Unlce not to keep him. The entire place was swinging with the band and Uncle broke out the rum and the real band took over. It was quite a night.
Mabul is a small island and directly across the island from us was a resort on pilings above the water. We were paying $20 US all meals included for each of us. Those bungalos were $250 US a night plus extra for the extra bed we would need. Luckily, because we were white we could stroll around out there. Looking down into the water we saw schools of barracuda, sardines, triggerfish, parrot fish. It was incredible. Marina just wrote to her class. One of her classmates asked if she had been to an aqurium. She said, "I was living in an aquarium!"
The village between "Uncle Chang's" where we were staying and the resorts had little stalls with candy and chips and things that the kids loved. Marina is exhausted by being pinched and poked and having her picture taken. I'm not sure they see too many white girls around there.
It is very disturbing the amount of garbage that we have found washed up on the beaches. Plastic bottles especially. Some of it is from the village, some of it is from mysterious locals. It is very disheartening. Vince thinks that they could make a handsome industry by taxing tourists and paying people by the kilo for picking up the trash. I think that's a great idea. Hopefully it won't be long before it's time comes.
One day we took a ride to a neighboring 'island' to snorkel. How they call a reef submerged under five feet of water with a luxury resort on pilings out in the middle of nowhere an island is beyond me. The fish life was incredible. The idea that these cottages were just up there, sticking up out of the sea, in the middle of know where was mind boggling. There was also an off island resort built onto an extinct oil platform, which looked cool, but you didn't get the feeling for the true island. I have no idea how much these places cost to stay but I am sure it is not $20US per person.
By the second day of all that rain I was starting to get anxious to leave there. Problem is, there is no ferry running in the morning so we had to stay another day to wait for the boat. They were definitely on tropical time. There was no rush to leave. I think Vince thought I was being a little snitty about being ready to leave until he spent the day on that micro island in the monsoon rain. They made us get all our stuff out of the room at 830 but we didn't leave until 5. I finally said, "This is so hotel California!" He agreed.
I think the thing that got me anxious is that I realized we are out of time. I have been to Borneo and I have not seen an Orangutan. I talked to this gal who spent two days in the jungle and saw orangutans in the wild and elephants and monkeys, and I realized that by choosing to go to the sea I forfeited my chance to see those things. This is a disappointment.
Word to the wise: Borneo is not a week long vacation.
Upon further reflection I realized that I may not have been to the jungle, but I have seen fabulous ocean environments and human developments that I would not have seen if I had chose to go to the jungle instead of to the ocean. Last night, sitting on the deck outside my room in the evening, a very large turtle came right up to us and took a long deep breath. It was fantastic.
Tonight we are in Semporna. We strolled around the neighborhood our discount hotel is in and saw Malaysian drive through: hawkers selling meat on a stick on the curb side where people could just drive up. We decided after being on Mabul we needed American fast food and went to KFC. It was a two story affair. The kids went upstairs to grab a spot and we got the chicken. I went up and found Marina swarmed by people, pinching her, taking her picture. Wild.
Tomorrow is up for grabs. Maybe we'll run across a monkey.
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
Borneo
Borneo. Typing the name drums up the feeling of the exotic paradise that we've all read about. Here is a name that is even as fun to say as Kuala Lumpur... Kota Kinabalu. Kota Kinabalu. For those who will be around me after this, I am sorry in advance for just blurting out the name of this bustling city. Kota Kinabalu.
Thanks to the Greyhound of the sky, we arrived safely two nights ago. Vince and the friend he made in Langkawi, Wince (No, no spelling error) made an itinerary and we arrived at the airport to find a couple of guys holding up a sign "Vince Greear and Family" Wow! They whisked us right over to a travel agent who eagerly showed us the tour they arranged for us. Whow! Hello $3500 US!
It looked like a great plan, but wow! $350 hotel rooms? We may be discovering that as we age we enjoy a little comfort and are fortunate enough to be able to afford it, but we have not entirely embraced the Resort concept!
After gracefully exiting the travel agency we got to our hotel, got ourselves a 'family style' room (two interconnected rooms) and struck out on our own for dinner.
Kota Kinabalu is a really nice city. It is all modern since it had been completely leveled to the ground during WW11. I feel safe here. Everyone is super friendly and the prices are reasonable. The food is so much better than Langkawi!
The next day we were picked up early by a dive company and driven to the Northern Tip of Borneo where we struck out for a day of diving and snorkeling. It was an average dive and snorkel trip (after the one in Langkawi pretty boring) but the beach were we rested was wonderful! Amazing! White sand and huge shells washed up on the beach. The kids were enjoying themselves immensely while I sat under an Ironwood tree listening to the very loud bugs in the trees and watching the kids, all while drinking a cup of coffee! Could I have a more perfect moment? Then they served this fantastic buffett lunch and made sure we ate our winter melon soup to fight off the chill! Vince and I were laughing. Chill!? HA!
It was a long beautiful day and so worth it.
Because we declined the travel tour companies itinerary, and because Marina was begging to sleep in, we had no plans for the next day. The morning found us on our own, hiring a taxi and us forging out to see the Rufflisia Flower, the world's biggest flower.
Now, this taxi ride was by far the worst ride we've ever had. The road to the flower winds through the mountains like a snake. The taxi had no shocks. To add to this the driver was in a hurry! He was passing on the curves and we were bumping around like mad! Falcom quickly got car sick and I thought he would certainly puke right on me. Even I was feeling horrible!
Luckily the speed got us there in an hour (instead of two) we didn't crash, and there was a flower blooming!
Unfortunately, the flower that was blooming was another 30 minutes up the road from where we were. Falcom walked around for a few minutes and was passed out in the front seat of the taxi for the remainder of the ride.
We were blessed! The flower blooms infrequently and only for a few days. We were here in time to see three of these flowers, all together on one branch, on it's last day of blooming. There was a naturalist there to teach us about the flower. It takes 5 years for one flower to bloom. Marina was thrilled to figure out that when she was two this flower was planted and it waited until this perfect moment to bloom, for what seems like just for her!
After seeing some monkeys and some birds and vines like Tarzan would swing on we were off, back into that taxi for the ride from hell. It was interesting to have a chance to look out onto the mountain sides, where villagers have cut down the jungle to build their farms. We saw farmers working on these steep hill sides. Our driver stopped at a vegetable stand to buy food for his mother. "She gets mad when I'm here and don't buy vegetables for her. They are cheaper here." He told us his mother cooks for 12.
Then we stopped at a market where we bought Bali trinkets and pineapples. Beautiful ripe pineapples.
And then more taxi from hell. It was good to get back to the hotel.
Today we leave Kota Kinabalu by plane (I had the great idea to drive and see the country side until yesterday) to go to Sempora. We are hoping that Vince will be able to partake in some of the world's best diving. I am hoping to partake in some of the world's best snorkeling. The kids are hoping we have a pool. I don't know how wired the area will be so if you don't hear from me for a couple days... Imagine us in the sun, enjoying the white sandy beaches of Borneo.
Thanks to the Greyhound of the sky, we arrived safely two nights ago. Vince and the friend he made in Langkawi, Wince (No, no spelling error) made an itinerary and we arrived at the airport to find a couple of guys holding up a sign "Vince Greear and Family" Wow! They whisked us right over to a travel agent who eagerly showed us the tour they arranged for us. Whow! Hello $3500 US!
It looked like a great plan, but wow! $350 hotel rooms? We may be discovering that as we age we enjoy a little comfort and are fortunate enough to be able to afford it, but we have not entirely embraced the Resort concept!
After gracefully exiting the travel agency we got to our hotel, got ourselves a 'family style' room (two interconnected rooms) and struck out on our own for dinner.
Kota Kinabalu is a really nice city. It is all modern since it had been completely leveled to the ground during WW11. I feel safe here. Everyone is super friendly and the prices are reasonable. The food is so much better than Langkawi!
The next day we were picked up early by a dive company and driven to the Northern Tip of Borneo where we struck out for a day of diving and snorkeling. It was an average dive and snorkel trip (after the one in Langkawi pretty boring) but the beach were we rested was wonderful! Amazing! White sand and huge shells washed up on the beach. The kids were enjoying themselves immensely while I sat under an Ironwood tree listening to the very loud bugs in the trees and watching the kids, all while drinking a cup of coffee! Could I have a more perfect moment? Then they served this fantastic buffett lunch and made sure we ate our winter melon soup to fight off the chill! Vince and I were laughing. Chill!? HA!
It was a long beautiful day and so worth it.
Because we declined the travel tour companies itinerary, and because Marina was begging to sleep in, we had no plans for the next day. The morning found us on our own, hiring a taxi and us forging out to see the Rufflisia Flower, the world's biggest flower.
Now, this taxi ride was by far the worst ride we've ever had. The road to the flower winds through the mountains like a snake. The taxi had no shocks. To add to this the driver was in a hurry! He was passing on the curves and we were bumping around like mad! Falcom quickly got car sick and I thought he would certainly puke right on me. Even I was feeling horrible!
Luckily the speed got us there in an hour (instead of two) we didn't crash, and there was a flower blooming!
Unfortunately, the flower that was blooming was another 30 minutes up the road from where we were. Falcom walked around for a few minutes and was passed out in the front seat of the taxi for the remainder of the ride.
We were blessed! The flower blooms infrequently and only for a few days. We were here in time to see three of these flowers, all together on one branch, on it's last day of blooming. There was a naturalist there to teach us about the flower. It takes 5 years for one flower to bloom. Marina was thrilled to figure out that when she was two this flower was planted and it waited until this perfect moment to bloom, for what seems like just for her!
After seeing some monkeys and some birds and vines like Tarzan would swing on we were off, back into that taxi for the ride from hell. It was interesting to have a chance to look out onto the mountain sides, where villagers have cut down the jungle to build their farms. We saw farmers working on these steep hill sides. Our driver stopped at a vegetable stand to buy food for his mother. "She gets mad when I'm here and don't buy vegetables for her. They are cheaper here." He told us his mother cooks for 12.
Then we stopped at a market where we bought Bali trinkets and pineapples. Beautiful ripe pineapples.
And then more taxi from hell. It was good to get back to the hotel.
Today we leave Kota Kinabalu by plane (I had the great idea to drive and see the country side until yesterday) to go to Sempora. We are hoping that Vince will be able to partake in some of the world's best diving. I am hoping to partake in some of the world's best snorkeling. The kids are hoping we have a pool. I don't know how wired the area will be so if you don't hear from me for a couple days... Imagine us in the sun, enjoying the white sandy beaches of Borneo.
Friday, January 8, 2010
Sneaking Out
This morning I woke feeling emotionally constipated. I had to get on this blog! It is interesting being in a country where there are laws about what you can say and do. I tried to blog the other day but my blog was restricted! Imagine this racy blog not being enjoyed by greater Malaysia! Another big pro for being American!
This morning, over my favorite instant coffee on the balcony looking out at interior Langkawi, my cute husband and I tried to put our finger on the problem of this place. Had we not been enjoying each and every day? The kids have been swimming like crazy. They have been looking at geckos and monkeys. We rode a sky tram to the top of a mountain and came down enveloped by a misty cloud. The quiet was surreal! We swam in fairy pools.
Yesterday we took a cruise to a coral reef which was teaming with fish. We saw huge groupers and parrot fish. There were giant clams and barracuda. I was again struck by how wonderful my children are. Open hearted fearless Alaskans, both of them. Between Marina being a curious and chatty white girl and Falcom breaking loose with Celine Dion's "My Heart Will Go On" for the crew, both children were the darlings of the voyage. The crew were so enamored by them that they lured the reef sharks to us so that the kids could swim with sharks and gave them presents at the end of the ride. It was a phenomenal day.
I am beautifully tan (which is unusual for me) and Vince is peeling! (which is unusual for him). We have been watching the sunset on the beach and have had some interesting conversations with some nice people while the kids have been running and playing. Yesterday, as Falcom was getting his mask and snorkel on, he was standing on the white sand beach, behind him the jungle. His skin is getting so dark and he looked so natural walking into the gentle surf. Vince and i looked at each other and smiled.
So what is the problem? The food. We have not had a descent meal in a week! I think it is because the women are kept under wraps and their opinion means little but wow... a little atmosphere could go a long way! Tend a little garden and make things a little beautiful. Life is balance and this community is not balanced.
It is beautiful in the early morning and early evening to hear the call to prayer broadcasting out over the village. The song, like a baroque masterpiece, fits into the habitat superbly. I am enthralled by it! Birds singing, prayer filling the air. It is mesmerizing. No, not mesmerizing enough to veil myself and give up pork. (You can't even get pork at McDonald's here. Crazy, right?).
Yesterday while we were snorkeling, Marina started screaming "Something has got me, something has got me!" I held her out of the water while Vince extracted a crab from her hair. She was panicked but got over it. Finally, as we were in 20 feet of water and I'm not in that great of shape, I got her to put her mask back on and swim on her own. Vince took the palm sized crab and like a good dad said, "Good-bye crab! You'll be good eating for some fish for bothering my daughter!" He tossed off the crab and it raced right back to him. He took it down to a coral and it scrambled back up his arm. We both could hear the little crabs thoughts, "Please don't leave me here. Don't leave me here." It was so funny!
Vince spent the next 20 minutes carrying around that crab in his fist until we got close enough to shore to leave it safely.
Marina has re-written her favorite Bob Marley song: "Rise up this morning, Smile with the rising sun, Sweet little girl, sits on my doorstep, singing sweet songs, memory pure and true, singing, 'This is my message to you..."
Tonight, Kuala Lumpur. Another fish treatment. More hand bag shopping. Tomorrow: Borneo
This morning, over my favorite instant coffee on the balcony looking out at interior Langkawi, my cute husband and I tried to put our finger on the problem of this place. Had we not been enjoying each and every day? The kids have been swimming like crazy. They have been looking at geckos and monkeys. We rode a sky tram to the top of a mountain and came down enveloped by a misty cloud. The quiet was surreal! We swam in fairy pools.
Yesterday we took a cruise to a coral reef which was teaming with fish. We saw huge groupers and parrot fish. There were giant clams and barracuda. I was again struck by how wonderful my children are. Open hearted fearless Alaskans, both of them. Between Marina being a curious and chatty white girl and Falcom breaking loose with Celine Dion's "My Heart Will Go On" for the crew, both children were the darlings of the voyage. The crew were so enamored by them that they lured the reef sharks to us so that the kids could swim with sharks and gave them presents at the end of the ride. It was a phenomenal day.
I am beautifully tan (which is unusual for me) and Vince is peeling! (which is unusual for him). We have been watching the sunset on the beach and have had some interesting conversations with some nice people while the kids have been running and playing. Yesterday, as Falcom was getting his mask and snorkel on, he was standing on the white sand beach, behind him the jungle. His skin is getting so dark and he looked so natural walking into the gentle surf. Vince and i looked at each other and smiled.
So what is the problem? The food. We have not had a descent meal in a week! I think it is because the women are kept under wraps and their opinion means little but wow... a little atmosphere could go a long way! Tend a little garden and make things a little beautiful. Life is balance and this community is not balanced.
It is beautiful in the early morning and early evening to hear the call to prayer broadcasting out over the village. The song, like a baroque masterpiece, fits into the habitat superbly. I am enthralled by it! Birds singing, prayer filling the air. It is mesmerizing. No, not mesmerizing enough to veil myself and give up pork. (You can't even get pork at McDonald's here. Crazy, right?).
Yesterday while we were snorkeling, Marina started screaming "Something has got me, something has got me!" I held her out of the water while Vince extracted a crab from her hair. She was panicked but got over it. Finally, as we were in 20 feet of water and I'm not in that great of shape, I got her to put her mask back on and swim on her own. Vince took the palm sized crab and like a good dad said, "Good-bye crab! You'll be good eating for some fish for bothering my daughter!" He tossed off the crab and it raced right back to him. He took it down to a coral and it scrambled back up his arm. We both could hear the little crabs thoughts, "Please don't leave me here. Don't leave me here." It was so funny!
Vince spent the next 20 minutes carrying around that crab in his fist until we got close enough to shore to leave it safely.
Marina has re-written her favorite Bob Marley song: "Rise up this morning, Smile with the rising sun, Sweet little girl, sits on my doorstep, singing sweet songs, memory pure and true, singing, 'This is my message to you..."
Tonight, Kuala Lumpur. Another fish treatment. More hand bag shopping. Tomorrow: Borneo
Thursday, January 7, 2010
Marina's Letter to Her Class
Hello Class;
I had a good time seeing the monkeys. They were cute! When I gave them some food some of them took the whole entire branch of fruit I was holding out! The tiny babies were less than two years old. The light brown monkey was probably newborn.
We saw a polar bear, he was shy and turning green. Something about his fur in the sun... I don't know exactly why, you'll have to look it up. We saw a red wolf. Falcom said it looked just like the wolf in the book The Gunny wolf. It had big furry ears. We saw water buffaloes and hippos and giraffes. Our favorite was the Rain forest Habitat where we saw the lemurs and the flying foxes (bats) and butterflies. There was also a crocodile and dad said that the alligator must have had his fun because there was a little kids sandal in the crocodiles water. We also were able to feed land tortoises. They were huge and over a hundred years old!
We saw an iguana that was wild in the grass and when I get back I will show you all the pictures. Mostly, the wild animals we've seen are monkeys. Yesterday we hiked to a fairy waterfall. They say here that the water faeries swim in these pools when no people are around. It was a hard hot hike. The bugs in the jungle were very loud! We didn't see monkeys but we could hear them.
Tanner would love to hear and see all these bugs! There were little fish in the water. And tadpoles.
Yes, I was very happy to come to Malaysia. I've been eating a lot of spicy foods. Breakfast is weird...hot dogs and scrambled eggs and "Mango Squash" which is mango juice. Sometimes they have spaghetti for breakfast at the restaurant.
Everyone who lives here speaks Malaysian. All the tourists speak many many different languages. I've met people from New Zealand, Isreal, Iraq, Europe... But everyone speaks English so it is easy to get around.
I've been eating watermelon, lychee, mangosteen, dragon fruit. The dragon fruit is weird. It is white on the inside with a lot of tiny black seeds.
At the beach we pick up a lot of shells that are NOT in Alaska. The crabs are really tiny and just small. There are sting rays and dad got stung by a jelly fish and it hurt him bad. We are not digging for clams. This is not a clam beach. It is a shell beach. Tomorrow we are going to go snorkeling.
I am hoping the giant flower is blooming when we get to Borneo. You never know if they are blooming... We just hope.
Are you starting any projects in class. I am wondering how much I am going to have to catch up. What is the weather like there? Is it very very snowy? We are flying back to Alaska on Jan. 19.
Thank you so much for writing to me. I miss you all! Love Marina
Hotmail: Powerful Free email with security by Microsoft. Get it now.
I had a good time seeing the monkeys. They were cute! When I gave them some food some of them took the whole entire branch of fruit I was holding out! The tiny babies were less than two years old. The light brown monkey was probably newborn.
We saw a polar bear, he was shy and turning green. Something about his fur in the sun... I don't know exactly why, you'll have to look it up. We saw a red wolf. Falcom said it looked just like the wolf in the book The Gunny wolf. It had big furry ears. We saw water buffaloes and hippos and giraffes. Our favorite was the Rain forest Habitat where we saw the lemurs and the flying foxes (bats) and butterflies. There was also a crocodile and dad said that the alligator must have had his fun because there was a little kids sandal in the crocodiles water. We also were able to feed land tortoises. They were huge and over a hundred years old!
We saw an iguana that was wild in the grass and when I get back I will show you all the pictures. Mostly, the wild animals we've seen are monkeys. Yesterday we hiked to a fairy waterfall. They say here that the water faeries swim in these pools when no people are around. It was a hard hot hike. The bugs in the jungle were very loud! We didn't see monkeys but we could hear them.
Tanner would love to hear and see all these bugs! There were little fish in the water. And tadpoles.Yes, I was very happy to come to Malaysia. I've been eating a lot of spicy foods. Breakfast is weird...hot dogs and scrambled eggs and "Mango Squash" which is mango juice. Sometimes they have spaghetti for breakfast at the restaurant.
Everyone who lives here speaks Malaysian. All the tourists speak many many different languages. I've met people from New Zealand, Isreal, Iraq, Europe... But everyone speaks English so it is easy to get around.
I've been eating watermelon, lychee, mangosteen, dragon fruit. The dragon fruit is weird. It is white on the inside with a lot of tiny black seeds.
At the beach we pick up a lot of shells that are NOT in Alaska. The crabs are really tiny and just small. There are sting rays and dad got stung by a jelly fish and it hurt him bad. We are not digging for clams. This is not a clam beach. It is a shell beach. Tomorrow we are going to go snorkeling.
I am hoping the giant flower is blooming when we get to Borneo. You never know if they are blooming... We just hope.
Are you starting any projects in class. I am wondering how much I am going to have to catch up. What is the weather like there? Is it very very snowy? We are flying back to Alaska on Jan. 19.
Thank you so much for writing to me. I miss you all! Love Marina
Hotmail: Powerful Free email with security by Microsoft. Get it now.
Tuesday, January 5, 2010
Langkawi
Things are well with us Greears. Still no ability to add pictures...Sorry.
Jan 3
I had a perfect day in Kuala Lumpur. The Potronas Towers were amazing and being able to go up into the sky bridge was a thrill.
Afterwords we went on a ticket chase, buying our plane tickets to Borneo and our bus tickets to Langkawi. The plane tickets were sold from a stall in a mall at the KL Sentral subway station. We got our tickets and then headed into the heart of China town to get our bus tickets. Inside the terminal things were crowded and hot and descil fume filled. People were hassling us to buy our bus tickets from them. There were at least 30 bus lines. Vince didn't know what to do. I went up to a young woman and asked her if she had a favorite bus line. She did and she marched right up to it and helped us buy our tickets.
It was a perfect example of how people have been very kind. She said that just last week her friend bought a ticket and when he came to catch the bus he learned he had bought a fraudulent ticket. She didn't want that to happen to us.
We left the station and went into the heart of China Town. We ate on the street while we shopped for DVD's from a book that a hawker passed us. The street was lined with handbags and wallets and fruit and every thing.
While we were eating Falcom spotted the Fish Spa! Vince and I then went in and had 15 unbelievable minutes with hundreds of hungry fish. My dream came true! What did it feel like? It sent tingling sensations up my legs, like they were 'asleep' and waking up. Kind of. But better. It was not bad, very invigorating. When it was done my feet were smooth. If we lived near a fish spa I would definitely be doing it weekly. Yes, I liked it that much.
That night I went to bed having had a perfect day.
In the morning we went to the bus station and caught our bus to Langkawi. Vince left us in the terminal while he went to exchange some money. We waited and waited and waited. I started getting very anxious and upset. So did Marina. The bus was loading and he was no where to be found. I was determined to ask him if he could feel my anxiety...
When he finally showed up we learned that he had been delayed at the bank. He tried to leave without finishing the transaction because he was worried about missing the bus and they took his passport and would not let him leave! After I heard this story I decided that perhaps instead of thinking that he would feel my anxiety I need to realize that probably I was feeling his.
The five hour ride was comfortable and pleasant. The scenery made me think of an Asian I-5 to Modesto. Coconut trees, bananas, some farms.
January 5, 6
We've been taking a day off. The kids spent the day playing on the beach. We swam in the hotel pool and walked around the neighborhood. It has been a peaceful stay.
The Islamic culture here has it's pros and cons for American tourists. Pro...there is no crime. There is not much noticeable partying. It is a modest kind of place. It is such a modest place that it makes an American aware of how there could be a hatred of Westerners. To see the local people with long sleeves and the women with head scarves and then to see some of these women in tiny bikinis or with their boobs falling out of their shirts and the men strutting around in next to nothing as well. I could see how they could have the wrong impression of us. Con...they don't have the same sense of beauty and art as a person would find in Bali. The food is not as delicious. I've often thought of it the way I think of Anchorage. Here is a place designed by a bunch of men. Sure it is functional, but...
The beach has been wonderful. The hotel pool has been a dream. We hiked to waterfalls where faery's live today through the rain forest. We were soaking wet from perspiration but it made swimming in that little creek all the more worth it. The bugs in the jungle were loud...so loud they sounded like a siren was going off.
Then we took a sky tram to the top of a mountain. That was a thrill. We were so high up! The further we got up the mountain the quieter it became. Floating on air! Beautiful.
Today I begin planning our escape back to KL so that we can go into Borneo. Have I mentioned that I love Asia?
I love Asia.
Jan 3
I had a perfect day in Kuala Lumpur. The Potronas Towers were amazing and being able to go up into the sky bridge was a thrill.
Afterwords we went on a ticket chase, buying our plane tickets to Borneo and our bus tickets to Langkawi. The plane tickets were sold from a stall in a mall at the KL Sentral subway station. We got our tickets and then headed into the heart of China town to get our bus tickets. Inside the terminal things were crowded and hot and descil fume filled. People were hassling us to buy our bus tickets from them. There were at least 30 bus lines. Vince didn't know what to do. I went up to a young woman and asked her if she had a favorite bus line. She did and she marched right up to it and helped us buy our tickets.
It was a perfect example of how people have been very kind. She said that just last week her friend bought a ticket and when he came to catch the bus he learned he had bought a fraudulent ticket. She didn't want that to happen to us.
We left the station and went into the heart of China Town. We ate on the street while we shopped for DVD's from a book that a hawker passed us. The street was lined with handbags and wallets and fruit and every thing.
While we were eating Falcom spotted the Fish Spa! Vince and I then went in and had 15 unbelievable minutes with hundreds of hungry fish. My dream came true! What did it feel like? It sent tingling sensations up my legs, like they were 'asleep' and waking up. Kind of. But better. It was not bad, very invigorating. When it was done my feet were smooth. If we lived near a fish spa I would definitely be doing it weekly. Yes, I liked it that much.
That night I went to bed having had a perfect day.
In the morning we went to the bus station and caught our bus to Langkawi. Vince left us in the terminal while he went to exchange some money. We waited and waited and waited. I started getting very anxious and upset. So did Marina. The bus was loading and he was no where to be found. I was determined to ask him if he could feel my anxiety...
When he finally showed up we learned that he had been delayed at the bank. He tried to leave without finishing the transaction because he was worried about missing the bus and they took his passport and would not let him leave! After I heard this story I decided that perhaps instead of thinking that he would feel my anxiety I need to realize that probably I was feeling his.
The five hour ride was comfortable and pleasant. The scenery made me think of an Asian I-5 to Modesto. Coconut trees, bananas, some farms.
January 5, 6
We've been taking a day off. The kids spent the day playing on the beach. We swam in the hotel pool and walked around the neighborhood. It has been a peaceful stay.
The Islamic culture here has it's pros and cons for American tourists. Pro...there is no crime. There is not much noticeable partying. It is a modest kind of place. It is such a modest place that it makes an American aware of how there could be a hatred of Westerners. To see the local people with long sleeves and the women with head scarves and then to see some of these women in tiny bikinis or with their boobs falling out of their shirts and the men strutting around in next to nothing as well. I could see how they could have the wrong impression of us. Con...they don't have the same sense of beauty and art as a person would find in Bali. The food is not as delicious. I've often thought of it the way I think of Anchorage. Here is a place designed by a bunch of men. Sure it is functional, but...
The beach has been wonderful. The hotel pool has been a dream. We hiked to waterfalls where faery's live today through the rain forest. We were soaking wet from perspiration but it made swimming in that little creek all the more worth it. The bugs in the jungle were loud...so loud they sounded like a siren was going off.
Then we took a sky tram to the top of a mountain. That was a thrill. We were so high up! The further we got up the mountain the quieter it became. Floating on air! Beautiful.
Today I begin planning our escape back to KL so that we can go into Borneo. Have I mentioned that I love Asia?
I love Asia.
Saturday, January 2, 2010
Kuala Lumpur
I am letting that roll off my tongue with pleasure. Bucket List. Check!
Because I am being threatened by my old man I have to make this very quick and image free.
Dec 29, 30, 31 Flight
I have the best best best children travelers ever. How we keep them in motion that long and pleasant is unbelievable.
Dec 31 Singapore
We spent the day at the zoo. This is a great zoo. Open Lemur house! Can you imagine. I touched King Julienne! Also, there was an awesome children's water park that was soothing after a jet lagged day in the sun.
The evening found us at the Marina where we scrambled with 200,000 other people to find the perfect spot to watch a multi million dollar fireworks show. Sadly jet lag hit the kids hard at about 8pm. We drug them around until finally we had to make that choice Irene and I have talked about so often, do what we want or be better parents. We chose to be better parents and went to bed early with the kids. The traffic and people would have been impossible to navigate at 1 or 2 am.
Jan 1 Singapore
Spent the day trying to find the best way out of Singapore.
Ate Chili Crab at No Signboard. Delicious. Strange to eat with 5 staff standing over you. Delicious none the less. Also good thing we are not afraid of pulling food from our mouths...
Jan 2 Kuala Lumpur
Learned about Asian budget airlines. This is the future of air travel. Greyhound bus service got us to KL in an hour for the price it would have cost us to get one of us to Anchorage from Homer and back. Amazing.
Got a room at a hotel right under the Potronis Towers. Swam. Played in city water park. Looked at towers. Had first Asian rip off experience at firefly park. Very cool event. Monkeys are awesome! Firefly's in the trees were miraculous! Payed way to much for it. Still stinging from that.
Jan 3 Kuala Lumpur
Vince was at the twin towers at 6am and waited 2 and a half hours to get our tickets to walk on the sky bridge. Yes! He did it! We walked on the sky bridge. It was awesome. Now I'm trying to find out the best way to get us to a northern beach and writing this.
I am buying DVD's and handbags tonight in China Town. hee hee hee
Love to everyone. I just got my friendly Malaysian kick off from computer. (By the Malaysian, not by Vince.)
Because I am being threatened by my old man I have to make this very quick and image free.
Dec 29, 30, 31 Flight
I have the best best best children travelers ever. How we keep them in motion that long and pleasant is unbelievable.
Dec 31 Singapore
We spent the day at the zoo. This is a great zoo. Open Lemur house! Can you imagine. I touched King Julienne! Also, there was an awesome children's water park that was soothing after a jet lagged day in the sun.
The evening found us at the Marina where we scrambled with 200,000 other people to find the perfect spot to watch a multi million dollar fireworks show. Sadly jet lag hit the kids hard at about 8pm. We drug them around until finally we had to make that choice Irene and I have talked about so often, do what we want or be better parents. We chose to be better parents and went to bed early with the kids. The traffic and people would have been impossible to navigate at 1 or 2 am.
Jan 1 Singapore
Spent the day trying to find the best way out of Singapore.
Ate Chili Crab at No Signboard. Delicious. Strange to eat with 5 staff standing over you. Delicious none the less. Also good thing we are not afraid of pulling food from our mouths...
Jan 2 Kuala Lumpur
Learned about Asian budget airlines. This is the future of air travel. Greyhound bus service got us to KL in an hour for the price it would have cost us to get one of us to Anchorage from Homer and back. Amazing.
Got a room at a hotel right under the Potronis Towers. Swam. Played in city water park. Looked at towers. Had first Asian rip off experience at firefly park. Very cool event. Monkeys are awesome! Firefly's in the trees were miraculous! Payed way to much for it. Still stinging from that.
Jan 3 Kuala Lumpur
Vince was at the twin towers at 6am and waited 2 and a half hours to get our tickets to walk on the sky bridge. Yes! He did it! We walked on the sky bridge. It was awesome. Now I'm trying to find out the best way to get us to a northern beach and writing this.
I am buying DVD's and handbags tonight in China Town. hee hee hee
Love to everyone. I just got my friendly Malaysian kick off from computer. (By the Malaysian, not by Vince.)
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