Kuching, Sarawak

In November, I went to Kuching to give a workshop. Kuching is the capital city of the Malaysian state of Sarawak.  It is on the island of Borneo.  Here are some of the things I did:


1.  Kuching means 'cat' in Malay.  Naturally, I had to visit one of the many cat sculptures in Cat City.

2.  I walked along the riverwalk and sampled some of the local delights.  These cakes smelled and tasted amazing.

 Here is a glimpse of the river that winds through the middle of the city.  

These sculptures are on the river walk.  They look like giant prawns to me.

5.  I went to see orangutans at the Semenggoh Wildlife Center.  We got to see a mama and her baby come for a feeding.  I was lucky because in some seasons when there is abundant food in the wild, no orangutans come.

6.  I got to visit a traditional village of the Dyak Iban, one of the ethnic Malay groups of Sarawak.  They have their own indigenous language and living style.  For example, these connected homes are called longhouses. The Dyak Iban used to be headhunters.

 Here are some traditional tools and instruments used by the Dyak Iban.  The blow dart is one of them.

8.  These lovely ladies from Sidma College generously hosted me and took excellent care of me.  They showed me around Sidma College and we ate awesome food.  We took a boat ride across the river.

The other side of the river gave us this lovely view of the Sarawak Legislative Assembly Building.  

9.  This is a view from the Cultural Village.  The Cultural Village teaches about the traditions of the many ethnic Malaysians.

For example, the different types of housing,

artistry, tools, and clothing.

Sarawak is a beautiful, special place.

Scenes From Thailand...From Back in November

I visited another ELF, Kristen, in Thailand.  We visited one of the schools where she observes teachers. 

This is the class we visited.

These are some of the fruits and vegetables sold at the local market.  I really enjoyed the passion fruit.

This vendor was ready with her cute mini-scale.

 This trip into the hill country was just beautiful.

Later I visited the White Palace. 

This pagoda was next to the lady Buddha.  I didn't quite make it to the top, but I got pretty close. 

Here is the lady Buddha.  

I also visited the Blue Temple.

Kristen was a fabulous hostess.  I really enjoyed my visit to Northern Thailand.

Scenes From Singapore...From Back in November

1.  This is a view of the Singapore Skyline from Gardens by the Bay.  The giant wheel is the Singapore Flyer.

2.  These man-made trees actually catch sunlight to power the Gardens by the Bay.  There are skywalks to go from tree to tree, and at night, they light up and there's a show choreographed to music.

3.  These are some of the awesome sculptures interspersed among the flowerbeds at Gardens by the Bay.

   Gardens By the Bay is an amazing place.  I could've stayed longer.

 4.  This is the famous Merlion.  It's the symbol of Singapore. 'Singapore' means lion city. 

5.  This is a glimpse of Little India.  There was some nice shopping to be done here.

6.  I tried dragonfruit juice in Chinatown.  It has a strong flavor, but it's not very sweet.  A nice way to cool down at the end of a day.

My Recent Activities Include...

1.  Taking Bahasa Malaysia lessons

   

To celebrate recent achievements, the staff had a 'shell-out'.

2.  Teaching classes


3.  Spending time with staff and students


4.  Learning the roads and routes through Johor Bahru  (Check out my rental!)

Perodua Viva

5.  Watching the U.S. presidential election campaigns from afar...(Yes, I did send in my absentee ballot.)

lok lok steamboat

6.  Trying new foods 

Scenes from Penang

After reviewing some of my photos, I realized that I forgot to blog about my trip in September to the national park in Penang. Here are some scenes from my trip.     

This is the entrance to the park.  Here you can chose to take the ferry to Monkey Beach or hike the trail.  Naturally, I chose the trail, but I almost didn't make it because I was unprepared for the amount of steep, unsupported inclines...

Oh yes, the trail starts off paved and flat.... and oh, look!  There's even a charming little bridge to cross...

 But the monkeys are scary!  They don't seem very frightened of humans, and they will look you straight in the eyes while walking towards you....

This is one of the gentler inclines.  I don't have any pictures of the more fierce inclines because by that point, I had put my camera away and was huffing and puffing for my next breath...

The beauty of the scenery encouraged me to keep going.  Families with little children were passing me by at this point.  Yes, I'm completely serious.

I did finally make it to Monkey Beach.  I relaxed with a nice lunch and had insightful conversations with some local college students before returning...on the ferry, of course.

Penang National Park truly is a beautiful and special place.  Thank you, Malaysia.

Scenes From Around Johor Bahru

Hutan Bandar Park 

 

 The clock tower and practice field for the Johor football team.

 Danga Bay 

Decorations in preparation for Deepavali. This floor art was made entirely from different color grains of rice.

 Views from downtown 

 

Skyline from my residence  

 Taman Merdeka Park 

 

 

 

The Sultan's Crown