Going to Penang

Part I:  Breakfast in Chinatown

With a long bus ride to Penang ahead, and the first decent night’s sleep in a long time behind me, I left the soft covers of my hostel bed to buy “bus snacks” at the 7-11.  After noticing that I was near the part of Chinatown where I last bought the steamed dumplings that I call “soft pillows of heaven”, I decided that breakfast was in order.  But upon rounding the corner, I found that the dumpling stand wasn’t open at this hour of the morning.  Cue Momentary Frowny face.

If you know me, then you know that I hate doubling back.  Whenever I hike or walk or run or bike, I find that turning back the way you came feels like undoing all the work that you just did.  So I chose to circle around in a way that was new to me but sort of lead in the right direction. 

Next thing I know, I am in the market.  The real market; passing tables that hold the entire half of a pig.  Walking cautiously to avoid hooves and mystery puddles of liquid on the ground, I began to make my way around still in search of breakfast.  My thoughts breakdown into two thought patterns in moments like this:  First,  I am the only white person here.  Second, oh that icky smell…and something about the movie “Contagion” thanks to Kai and our Peru experience.

I find myself turning out of that market and being called over to some plastic tables by an older Chinese woman who wants me to eat some traditional porridge for breakfast.  It seems harmless enough so she prepares the “8 hidden treasures” rice porridge.  I find when it comes to me that it is not entirely unlike the mush that Neo eats in the real world on the Matrix.  Inside my snotty looking substance in the bowl is found 8 different things.  Chicken, Pork, Red-bean, “Crispy Pork Inners”, Century Egg, Green Onion, and Lord knows what the other two were.  Century Egg concerned me the most (I have had enough animal intestine at this point that I don’t care when something is labeled “inners”).  What concerns me the most is that I am pretty sure that it is just a fancy name for a rotten egg.  I don’t truly think the thing is 100 years old, but I think that eggs shouldn’t be that color…and surely not that flavor.  After two bites of egg, I decided to push it to the side and just around it.  The porridge, as texturally unpleasing as it was, warmed my belly.

Part II: The Angry Driver

All Packed and Ready for Another Bus

Then I was off to the hostel to pack and catch the bus.  Let me tell you a little about this bus.  I am actually typing on it right now.  I was sitting behind a “young hoodlum” as my nana would say.  Sunglasses on, hat to the side, no observation of the world around him…you know the type, they live around the world.  The bus was late, and once we got on it, it continued to be late as we sat waiting for our driver to sort out all the things that seemed to be upsetting him.  At the moment that I was drifting off, it was something about tickets.

I was almost to sleep land and the seat in front of me smacks my knees.  This kid just reclined as far as he could to make himself at home.  I re-adjust and think that that is that.  Drifting slowly as the bus begins to move and to my surprise, the seat he is in can go further back.  Ouch, and no!  He has now pinned the neck of my Uke to the arm rest.  I wiggle it out and toss it into the overhead storage.  I don’t think pleasant thoughts of the young man, because really, it’s a five hour ride, you don’t need to be horizontal.

Slowly drifting again…and I awake to shouting.  The driver has been informed that the young man in front of me is eating.  And since he doesn’t seem to want to put it away, the driver continuing his rant pulls the bus over and storms down the aisle.  The boy quickly hides the goods and promises not to touch them. (At least that is my take on the situation…it was all in Malay and Chinese).  The driver paces the aisle a couple more times lecturing the bus and occasionally throwing in the English, “No Eating, No Drinking.”  I think about the chocolate filled doughnut I bought on impulse at the station and how it sits in my purse begging me to eat it.

Two hours of fitful sleep with my restricted leg room and my negative thoughts and we pull up to a rest stop.  The driver yells, “Four Minutes” and that is all.  So I run off to the bathroom, use it, and then run out so that I can have time with my doughnut.  I want to enjoy every chocolatey bite.  Two bites in and I see them unloading the bus. O.o

I walk over and the chocolate starts to go everywhere.  Apparently they are switching buses and just decided not to tell us.  As I try to down the pastry just to ride myself of the mess (meanwhile kicking myself because this is not how I wanted such a lovely doughnut to go) a teammate hops off the bus with my bag.  BUT ALAS, the Uke is still above the seat thanks to the hoodlum.  She runs on again since my mess of a melty chocolate nightmare is in no state to get it.  She’s a gem.

Upon loading the second bus they found that they couldn’t Tetris the under-bus storage like before and now two of our 60-80 liter packs are riding in seats.  The driver asked before we pulled out, “This bus is going directly to Penang.  Any bad words? OKAY!”  Whatever that means…But now I have leg room (and lap room!) so I am pleased.  And I got to type this blog up since the elderly man I am currently sitting behind has no need to crush the Americans so that he can feel like he is in a bus bed.  So yay!

Adventures in Singapore

Monday: After a Bus to Kuala Lumpur to catch the train to Singapore, I was tired…but couldn’t possibly go to bed and sacrifice those precious first hours in a new city.  I dragged a teammate outside to walk around the little mixture of Chinese and India shops and restaurants near our hostel.  And then when sleepiness got the best of me, I returned to a hot shower and cool bedroom (with a real bed!)

Tuesday: We woke and had continental breakfast (cereal and milk, possible toast) and headed down to the metro to find our way to the Marina Bay Sands structure.  That is the large building made of three towers supporting a ship on top.  We got ourselves up to the top for photo purposes, then split off into two groups.  We walked around the bay area for a bit before going into one of my old favorite coffee places from my time in Korea; “The Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf”.  We found ourselves in the historic district after that to tour buildings and a fireman’s museum.  Our wanderings took us to the University, where I was more than happy to buy Kimchi Jjigae for “linner”.  We then rushed off to the Singapore Flyer, the tallest observation wheel in the world (The London Eye comes in 3^rd.)  However, it was closed temporarily for poor weather.  So to pass the time, we ate very delicious gelatos and got fish pedicures.  When that form of ticklish-torture was over, the flyer was running again.  While we were up it, we got to enjoy not only the sights of the city, but also the lightshow that takes place in the botanical garden.  Then it was time to wander back to the metro for our trip back to the hostel.

Wednesday: The theme of today was shopping!  Everyone in my little group bought a dress, or shoes, or shorts. But I did not. I have to be sold on something hardcore to buy it.  And there was only one object that did that for me…but it was too expensive for what it was.  From the shops at Orchard Rd., we went on to Sentosa Island and Boardwalk on our long walk to the beach.  I swam a bit, and hopped into a beachside pool for fun…but then the rains came.  With my beach nap put on hold, I split nachos with some of the girls and then we took off for our next little stop.  We were told by another guest at our hostel that the best views, better than the Flyer, could be found at Singapore’s (and possibly S.E. Asia’s) highest alfresco bar.  It was ladies night so they waved the $30 cover charge and we dressed in our finest clothes (missionary rags compared to the other’s in queue).  Unfortunately due to the weather, the rooftop was closed so they only took us to the 61^st level.  The view was good, but the music loud, the floor crowded, and the lights flashy, and we couldn’t spend more than 20 mins up there taking photos before we ran off to Starbucks.  That’s more my speed even if the view isn’t as good.  :-P

Overall, this was an expensive endeavor, but hopefully, this experience has given me a little bit of the comforts of home.  Good food, touring time, and getting to play in shopping malls…though I hope to actually buy something one day…

That was the adventure that was Singapore.  Now back to teaching.

Singapore at Night from the Flyer (highest observation tower in the world)

Two Days with a Sikh

As we stepped off the bus coming back to Kuala Lipis from our little vacation in the highlands, we parted ways to run our various errands.  I headed straight home while others went to the market to buy produce.  When they returned home, they told me about an Indian man they met. Apparently, he makes friends with foreign teachers who come here and his son lives across the street from us.

Next thing I know, the man is outside our gate telling us that he is a Sikh and that it’s his new year so we should celebrate with him.  (Sikhs are the religious group from northern India; you know the ones with the turbans.)  So of course we join him, and he treats us to a FEAST of naan and tandoori chicken, curry chicken, chapatti, and more.  During dinner we discover that he pretty much owns this town.  Literally everyone knows him, and he is an independent contractor in Public Works.  He showed us his corporate rental property and we met all of the owners of his stores and restaurants.  After he received a call saying his cows were out, we took a little bit of time to wrangle his cattle in the car with loud Indian music (a first cattle roundup for me). Then he took us to his home that he built on one of the tallest hills in the city.  He showed us the view from up there, the gold jewelry from his wedding, and many photos.  Later that night he drove us home and told us that he would be in touch.

After our “corporate dental hygiene session” aka going to the dentist with friends, our good Sikh friend pulled up in his car and asked if we would join him.  Then the busiest day in ages ensued.  Iced Milo at his restaurant, accompanying him on work errands, a walk around the pond in the forest reserve (jungle), and another visit to his home where the view was even better in the day.

Next thing I know, it is time to move the cattle again.  His son took two of our girls in his truck, and I jumped on the back of his motorbike and we set off into the winding paths of his 46 acres.  Like modern day cowboys we rustled the cattle through the palm plantation to another grazing spot by motorbike.  (anytime I saw the turban dip down ,I knew it was time to duck from the oncoming branches elsewise I would be whacked in the head and have the little spiders fall on me again…boo!)

Then onto lunch at his restaurant, a look from the highest point in K.Lipis, touring around the rubber tree plantation, a visit to the Clifford school to read about Hugh Clifford who made this area what it is during the British reign, a visit to Clifford’s old house, and back home (at least I think this all we did after lunch…but I did fall asleep in the car.)

I don’t know what else this man has planned, but once again, we left with the knowledge that he would be in touch.  And I am fairly sure that it will be a good thing to stay in touch with the man who basically owns this town.  Who knows what will happen with another two days with a Sikh?

Malaysia

I was happy to fly again.  I had my fair share of buses lately and I was overjoyed for hot towels, food items, and plane movies.  And after an uneventful 8 hours to Dubai for our layover, I ended up buying a postcard for my brother, taking a picture of the tallest building in the world, and eating at McDonalds, all from the airport.  (Gross right!  I don't typically crave McDonalds...but I hadn't had it in 7 months, so there you have it.)

We took another 8 hours to get ourselves to Malaysia on another plane.  Landing in Kuala Lumpur at 11:00pm got us on a bus for the hostel for the night.  At 12:00am, one of our boys screamed, "There's a snake on the bus!" and pointed down as we all hopped on top our seats.  Once the screaming stopped, he yelled, "April Fool's"!

That was a good one... And as I finally placed my feet on the ground, I thought about April.  Wow!  We are in the Spring in America..and I left in the fall.  But those things mean nothing as I travel, other than marking the time I am gone.  And knowing that my family's lives have gone on another winter without me.

We stayed in a hostel with no windows and the comfiest beds and hot showers any poor African Missionary could ask for.  And I had the best night of sleep that I have had in months. (Plus there was Air-Conditioner which made  big difference too!)

Then a bus ride to Kuala Lipis where we are now staying at the Center we will teach in.  We sleep in the classrooms and will move our things out every time we teach.  But don't worry, we don't seem to have much teaching time.  So I am looking forward to seeing a little more of the country as we have a little more free-time this month.

I am happy to be back in Asia.  I missed this place.  But I am also struggling with some things and could use prayers.  I need God's strength because I often am just so tired and lonely that I want to give up.  But I can't quit...I won't quit.  But I can't do it on my own.  Please pray for a fresh wind, joy, and a better relationship with my team.