Not much to report these days. The biggest news is that Chinese New Years might actually be done. It started just as John & Lidd joined us in Singapore and was a problem through much of their visit as things were just closed up. Just as they were heading back home the multi-day celebration ended and we’re back to normal. Or whatever normal is in Malaysia, at any rate.
We left Penang three days ago on a boat bound for Langkawi, Malaysia’s premier island resort. And once we got here it’s been pretty much beaches and reading. And food, of course. Our hotel is over-priced and too big for our tastes, but is had two advantages: it’s right on the beach and it had rooms available. Since we had a pretty strong sense we just wanted to do not much, here we are. And being on the beach is a real advantage, since it’s really, really hot here. Pretty much unbearable when you’re off the beach at mid-day. But on the beach is pretty nice.
Lest you think we’re not productive, though, we are getting lots of reading done. I finished David McCollough’s history of the Brooklyn Bridge yesterday, Mark finished Anna Karenina this morning, and I read Room With a View today. Yesterday I ran five miles in under 40 minutes, the first time I’ve done that in many a year. There are eagles that fly over the beach, and I’m learning to deal with my anger when I see families on the beach. Not all families and not just any family. Specifically the Moslem families where he’s in shorts and T-shirt, the kids are frolicking, and she’s in a big black burka. It strikes me as so hostile, so demeaning. On the beach!
Other than that and a great Indian restaurant where they’ve quit laughing at us because we don’t eat naan or rice, not so much going on; it’s blissfully uneventful. Eventful starts in two days when we leave the beach and fly to Borneo. As we have both definitively retired, we’re hoping to avoid the headhunters.
When we got to the hotel here our room wasn’t ready. So we had lunch, a glass of wine, and sat at the beach. Not unpleasant at all.
Mark doing his best at relaxing
This is our view from the beach chairs in the morning
And this is the view from our beach chairs in the late afternoon. As I said, nothing to complain about.
And a leftover picture from Penang. This was a sign at the Botanical Garden. Let’s see, anything unusual? How about a frog with a telephone?!?