More Malaysia

Boy and Girl Scouts has once again taken over class time, so I will post more about my trip to Singapore and Peninsular Malaysia.  I realized there were a lot of photos I didn't post, so let's see 'em.

Sky buckets we took to the tackiest hotel in the world, I mean the biggest hotel in the world. 6, 118ish rooms.

Here it is in all of its tackiness.

And tacky on the inside too.  Casinos, McDonald's, and roller coasters.  And American pop culture.

Looking away from the hotel towards the beautiful, chilly mountains.

A model.  I think they included all of the buildings to make the 6,000 rooms.  See the sky buckets coming down the mountain.

A really good public school in Malaysia.  

Word of the week, English!!!  All of the students are bilingual in English and BM, and some other languages too.

Principal of the school.

Achieving excellence if you ask me.

I think this bridge is gorgeous.  Putrajaya is the seat of the government, but the capital is Kuala Lampur?  This is in Putrajaya

Petronas tower in Kuala Lampur Malaysia.  Not the tallest or biggest anymore.

The bottom of the Petronas towers is a mall where you can spend your oil money.  I think that is a petroleum molecule up at the top floor.

Singapore and Malaysia

Shanghaied to Singapore.  Over the weekend I was swash buckled into a trip to Malaysia and Singapore.  I am not complaining too loudly.  “They” say that you can find out a lot about a relationship by going on a trip together.  Well, me and 34 Thais went on vacation together and I decided we are not soul mates.  “Let’s just be friends”.  Mostly it was a strengthening exercise in patience and keeping cool.

Everything in Bangkok sweats.  This is Don Muang Airport  at 4:20 am.

Melaka is a neat town in Malaysia.  This is where my group of 34 Thai friends left me to find them about a mile down the road.  I asked them how long we would be here, but Thai people don't usually like to give out details like that.  So, I had fun wondering what to do without a phone, without a number to call, and without any idea where our hotel was that night.  Thankfully, it all worked out, I found our bus, again a mile down the road, and we all lived happily, ever after.

In Melaka, and all over Malaysia and Singapore you find these tricshaws.  They compete for customers with crazy decorations and sound systems, and harassment.

Melaka has an arch as you come into town with three towers.  The three towers represent Chinese, Islam, and Indian settlers that populated the town.  Europeans are seen in the architecture everywhere else, like the Dutch church in the previous picture.

Malaysia is 62% Muslim.  Many bathrooms had showers, so that people could shower before prayer, 5 times a day.

This waterwheel was used to create a current so that large ships could get into the port.  This is where I first started to get a feeling of "old seaport" from Malaysia, and then again from Singapore.  I learned: this is a mariner society.  I could just start to imagine hundred to hundreds of years ago, the pirates, and the adventurers, and sea captains, and naval vessels that sailed these waters.  The next photo is a beach in Singapore at sunset.  The sand is imported from Malaysia, but you can see the ships all around.  Singapore is a mix of English, Indian, Malaysian, Chinese, and many many others.  It was the most diverse place I have ever seen.  Similar to New York City.  Singapore is the second largest container port in the world.

Singapore is a very green city, and they keep trying to be more green.  Here is a city park.  these cool "trees" are towers you can climb up to see over the city, and it is also a botanical garden with a raised walkway.  Beautiful, but I didn't have time to go and explore because we had to go visit another mall or something.

This was a really cheesy light, laser, water show.  Thai people loved it, but I took the time to read on my kindle.  It was about a guy trying to wake up a village with his magical song.  Basically a bad, short, Disney water show.  Singapore had a lot of tall buildings.  this is the financial district where they sleep during the day, and work when the USA is awake.  They are exactly 12 hours ahead of the USA right now with Daylight Savings Time.

Very interesting hotel with three towers, and a swimming pool balanced on top.  This is in Singapore.

The famous, for tourist created Merlion of Singapore.  It was hilarious watching the people try to get shots of him spitting in their mouth.  Hundreds a day.  I passed on that one.

We were lucky to have such beautiful weather, because this week, people can't even leave their houses because of the pollution from slash and burn farming in nearby Sumatra, Indonesia.

This is a view of the Singapore Opera house.  It looks like a durian.

A beautiful Chinese temple in China town in Singapore had a great museum on the fourth floor, and a great garden on the fifth floor.  Monks chanting and playing music in the main sanctuary.  Definitely worth visiting.

Singapore had a great art cafe/ art class/ studio/ gallery.

Habitat for Humanity Singapore.  What what!

 Why not have a river with boats in the bottom of a mall?

I was in Malaysia for Father's Day, with no phone connection, but I was able to proudly show my Thai friends what reminded me of my father most, by pointing to the work belt.  I love you Dad:)

Notice the date: Day/ Month/ Year

The big tomato put his foot down and said, "Ketchup" to the little tomato

 This is a catch up blog of some photos I have taken.  A photo journal of sorts.  Here is a family on the train in Bangkok.  Notice how many hand held devices they have.  This is very common in Thailand.  Children and adults spend an exorbitant amount of time playing bejeweled, and watching television.  At least they do it "together".

 Here is my bedroom window with boxes to transport expensive fighting cocks.  This is around 5am.

 Here is a typical meat counter at your nearest market.  Definitely not Publix.  Notice the choice cut of pigs head and the cow leg hanging.  You probably can't, and don't want, to see how many flies there are on all of these cuts of meat.  And yes, we are buying some pork to cook for lunch.

Here are my new friends Toni and April.  They are both from the USA and love to walk and eat healthy foods.  We had a lot in common.  They are also educators like me.  We took a long walk along the Klongs in Bangkok.  A klong is like a waterway.  They have these sidewalks going along them making them nice trails to get around on.  Motorcycles use them also, so watch out that you both don't end up in the polluted water.

My Dennis: Bam.  Sweet girl who lives next door.  She is 10 and loves her dog- Nam Wan- juice.  She talks and talks to me, and I understand 1/1000, but that does not stop her.  She does not get frustrated at all.

 Beautiful tree that grows all over Thailand.  The flowers turn from bright red to yellow slowly. It is called a Flame Tree.  Khon Kaen Wat in background.  Temple with nine stories that you can climb.  Background to my blog.

 Working with my principals wife.  We don't have anything like this in the United States, but it is an offering of sorts.  I don't know much about it.

Favorite past time of Thai people: EATING!!  This is early in the morning on the last day of the monk ordination.

The monk ordination shuts down traffic down this street.  My house is on the left with the sign for the monk ordination hanging on the wall.

 Here are my buddies chopping green papaya to make som tom (spicy papaya salad).  I helped peel papayas for a few hours.

Here is the view from my hotel room over the hotel.

Delicious.  Coconut ice cream served in a coconut with coconut meat and an unidentified fruit.

Rainbow from my hotel room.

sunset over Isan.  Essan is known for it's spectacular clouds.  No joke.

here is the new monk.  He's done with his monk service.  Everyone in the village gives a pillow.