We haven’t felt like blogging lately at all. We have been too busy cramming in every last beer and pub as possible in the Bath region (and succeeding quite well). In the time since we last wrote a blog entry, lots has happened. On our way in from Malaysia, were unexpectedly detained by British immigration…
Farewell, Sun
This might be the last day we see the sun in quite some time. Certainly the last day we wear sandals. No more laksa. No more wantan mee. My parting words are this: We have been in Malaysia for 4.5 months and have barely scratched the surface of what there is to see, experience, and…
You Say Goodbye, I Say Hello
Argh. Today we found out that the apartment we wanted to rent in Bamberg fell through. It was the only one with enough space and amenities for our needs. Bambergians–and Franconians in general–defy the German stereotype. They can be woefully backwards and out of touch with technology. The apartments there have doilies and floral wallpaper…
Our Take on Brunei
It was like taking a 20 minute flight to the Middle East. We descended into Brunei before we’d even bothered reaching cruising altitude and were greeted with Shell signs in Jawi (Malay written in Arabic script). The skyline of the capital is dominated by mosques and photographs of the sultan are everywhere. Even the town…
Leaving KL
Leaving KL was actually a very difficult process for us. We had settled into routines that made us very comfortable. We had even adapted to the miniscule supply and exhorbitant price of serious beer. We have our lunch hawkers Salwah and En Sham, with whom we became friends after eating at their stall five times…
Cat City, Borneo
The Kuching experience began with one of the most fantastic sunsets I’ve seen in a long time. The town, one of the largest on Borneo at nearly 1 million people, actually feels quite small in the core area. It was not a long walk from our hotel at the edge of downtown to the riverfront…
Langkawi – Dry season, huh?
Apparently, our visit to Langkawi took place in the dry season. The wet season must be one degree of wetness away from Atlantis I guess. Isn’t that always the way with beach vacations? Rain, rain, rain. But let’s back up a minute. I was really out of sorts getting ready for the trip, just not…
Beerfest Asia Puts the Pour in Singapore
Singapore is a hard city to pin down. The best way to describe it to my Florida friends is Boca meets Hong Kong–an artificial, soulless, new, manufactured, wealthy, consumer-driven zone, yet one that does not totally lack the character and culture of Asia. It’s got green space, public transport, and street food but an Epcot…
A brief note on Kyrgyzstan
I just wanted to write a short note about the crisis in Kyrgyzstan these days. I spent some time there in 2004, and I spent four days in particular in Osh, which is now the epicentre of the violence. The events are described here. Osh is one of the crazier places I’ve visited. It can…
FOUSs (not ROUSs): Fruits of Unusual Size
If wild goose chasing were a sporting event, Josh and I could easily be world champions. We chased a lot of geese on Penang island, but luckily the ones we caught laid golden eggs. Penang Days 3 and 4 consisted of a lot of hunting proverbial wild waterfowl. First we seek what we both heard…
Low Expectations Yield High Results
I said I wouldn’t be caught dead there, and it is the most unlikely place we would have ended up watching the opener of the World Cup 2010 but there we were in seats suited for VIP at the Hard Rock Cafe. Some things are simply meant to be. Our first choice of venue, Bayernhaus,…
If MSG doesn’t kill me, it will make me stronger: Penang Day 2
1. We wake up, we get a caffeine injection. At about 11AM we walk about twenty minutes down the road to a nondescript one-way street because we have a solid tip on the town’s best white curry mee: noodles in coconut milk broth with the chili paste served on the side. On the way we…
Love and Barley 