Our Days in Malaysia

At the beginning of our sabbatical we met a man named Bud Bouchet in Hawaii who was traveling back to Thailand where he had lived for the last several years. He was retired from the military but had taken a civil servant job as an attaché and his last post was in Bangkok. He and his wife were going to move to Malaysia for their retirement years. We spent some time together in Japan and then again in Singapore. When we departed ways, he told us about the 'Jungle Train' through Malaysia. We have been captivated by this thought and his stories ever since.

This post is coming from seat 3B aboard the southbound train from KL Sentral, Malaysia to Woodland Station in Singapore. We are traveling in the first class section and it is charming. We have taken to reading the blogposts of a fellow train traveller and knew  exactly what we needed to do before boarding the train. We are set.

We have had a transitory visit here in Malaysia. We flew in from Lao and knew we would only spend about four days in this country. We looked forward to the train ride just so we could see the life on other side of the tracks. People come from all over the world to this area to eat and shop and to celebrate in some of the local customs. The Deepavali/Diwali festival begins this month. It is also known as the festival of the lights and many Hindu people celebrate this time with vacation and travel. For the many Hindu people in Malaysia it is a time of preparation and celebration. One of the most distinguishing symbols of the celebration is the beautiful and intricate art displays around the city. The symbol is the peacock and it is often depicted in a rice drawing. Here different colored grains of rice are meticulously laid  out in an intricate patterns. They are beautiful...

We have mastered the skill of public transportation and now look forward to the challenge of trying new forms of travel. We rode the monorail throughout the city for mere pennies and had an opportunity to see many things. The city is dense so we put on our walking shoes and just explored. In this way we could see and experience many different things. There is a Chinatown and Little India, a muslim area and the largest shopping complex I have ever seen. The Petronas Towers. This is the destination place of so many travelers we met while here in Kuala Lumpur. And, while I am not a shopper, I will have to say it was an exquisite architectural structure.

We tried the local food and it was delicious. We ate at an Indian restaurant where the owner took a liking to us and had us try every dish he was preparing. It was the best I have ever had and I wish I could make these things for you. We had had a little problem with the hotel we had originally booked for our stay while here in Kuala Lumpur and ended up staying in another place. But, when they heard that it was Tom's birthday, the hotel manager invited us over for dinner and gifted us with a delicious dinner and a most beautiful view of the cty. We felt so honored by this special treatment.

I sit in my window seat and within thirty minutes I am out of the city and deep into the jungle. Sometimes I can not even see the sky above me for the multitude of greenery. When there is a clearing I can see the water laden clouds and know that a storm will soon ensue. I am excited to be exactly where I am and look forward to the next several hours. I am excited to be homeward bound...