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Journal
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 27, 2001 (6:30am)
So I'm writing this post from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia at around 6:30am in
the morning. I woke up earlier but haven't been able to sleep. Darn jet
lag. I've been here with my dad on business since Tuesday (We left San
Jose on Sunday evening!). It was my first time flying Business Class and
I have to say I highly recommend it. The seats are bigger, they recline,
each one has a personal flat screen TV that folds out of the armrest.
Oh, and the stewardesses come around and fill up your drink every 30
minutes or so if you're not sleeping. It rocks.
I haven't gotten a chance to see much of Kuala Lumpur yet. All I've seen
so far has been from the Cititel Hotel where we are staying, the Mid
Valley MegaMall that is adjacent to the hotel, and the Sime Darby Tyre
technology building. I have seen a little bit of the area surrounding
the Sime Darby facility when we go to lunch, too. Today, one of the Sime
guys will be taking us on a tour of KL (his boss is giving him Monday
off in return!). It should be fun! We leave for Australia on Sunday.
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 27, 2001 (10:30pm)
Naguib took us to several places around Kuala Lumpur today. We first
headed downtown to visit two of the major landmarks of KL (Malaysians
seem to love acronyms and hence will call the city KL just like the
residents): Menara Kuala Lumpur and the Petronas Twin Towers. The view
from the top of Menara KL was amazing. From there, it was easy to see
that KL is very different from most cities in the US. The city is not
laid out in a grid and there is a lot of trees and general plant growth
all around. The Petronas Twin Towers were an equally impressive sight,
though we were not able to go to the top of those towers because they
are not open to the public.
After the towers, we headed to the Central Market. The Central Market
is kind of like an indoor flea market where visitors can get souveniers
for a good price. I picked up a few pieces of pottery and silver for
gifts while there. By this time it was about 1pm and we were getting
hungry so we ate lunch at one of the small vendors in side the building.
It's been fairly challenging finding vegetarian food here, though
fortunately we've found something for me every day so I haven't starved!
Usually meals consist of some form of rice dish. Yesterday we had
lunch at a Chinese place that served fake meat made with Textured
Vegetable Protein (TVP)! Very yummy. Almost like the real thing.
After lunch we walked to a part of town known as the unofficial China
Town of KL. There were many many booths filled with miscellaneous cheap
stuff..."Rolex" watches, name brand luggage, clothes, CDs, VCDs, sun
glasses, as well as fruit and nut stands (we bought a kilogram of a
fruit that I believe is called Ramanang and tasted much like a grape but
looked very much like a Dr. Seuss drawing). I bought 3 VCDs for RM $10
total (US $4) just to see what they were like. I noticed one of the
clothing stands was selling an Osama bin Laden T-shirt (not
exclusively...there were many other "cool" T-shirts at the stand).
Earlier in the trip I realized that I stood out quite a bit in this
brown-skinned, largely Muslum nation, but seeing this shirt seemed to
reinforce that feeling. I wonder what the people around would have
thought had I purchased the shirt! That would have thrown them for a
loop (and no, I do not support him). It just seems odd to have that
much support for him when so much of KL mimics the US. Judging by the
stores that I have seen along the streets and in the malls, one could
almost mistake being in the US! Many US brands such as McDonalds,
Burger King, Pepsi, Coke, Starbucks, Salem, Marlboro are prevalent all
around. Even the Malaysian flag very closely resembles the US flag.
Upon leaving the city, it started to rain heavily. Rain is very common
in KL. In fact, it usually rains at least once if not twice a day every
day almost like clockwork. Naguib commented on how the afternoon's
shower was a bit early...4pm instead of 5pm. Looking around at all of
the lush greenery along the highway, I couldn't help but to think about
the automatic sprinklers over the veggies in the produce department of
many grocery stores back in the US.
Naguib wanted to show us one of the new principalities in Malaysia:
Putrajaya. It is kind of like Washington D.C., central Florida, and
Salt Lake City all rolled into one. The buildings in the area are
fairly new and are part of a 20 year project to rejuvenate the country.
The climate and fauna reminded me much of central Florida except the
terrain there is actually quite hilly. The Prime Minister, one of the
Sultans, and many of the governmental figures have homes there, though
much of the area seemed eerily deserted. The roads were nearly empty
and the apartment complexes were devoid of any apparent activity. I
guess much of the population intended for the area just hasn't decided
to move yet.
I say Putrajaya is sort of like Salt Lake City in that it is also a
religous center in the region. It is home to one of the largest mosques
in the area and located next to the building containing the Prime
Minister's office. We arrived at the mosque around 4:45pm, midway into
the prayer ceremony being held there. Visitors are not allowed to go in
until 5:30pm. We decided to wait around until then just for the
experience. It was kind of odd to be there considering the state of the
world after the events of September 11 and the subsequent bombing of
Afghanistan. I could feel the eyes fall upon my dad and I as we passed
through the gate in the wall surrounding the mosque. I felt a little
out of place and perhaps a little scared, but I reasoned to myself that
nothing bad would happen in this place of worship. The ground between
the surrounding wall and the mosque was laid with marble. People can
wear shoes in this area but must remove them before ascending the few
steps up to the mosque. We were not sure we would be allowed to go
inside, so we waited outside while Naguib went in to pray for a few
minutes. When he returned, he notified us that it was okay for us to go
in, but that we had to stay on the blue carpet that led into the center
of the mosque and could not wander into the area where they kneel and
pray. It was a fairly humbling experience entering into this large,
holy structure, though not unlike the cathedrals I have been in in
Europe. There was a pulpit up front, scripture (in Arabic) on the
walls, an upper level with balcony, an ornate ceiling...it's amazing how
much Christianity and Islam have in common as much as they would like to
disagree.
Later in the evening, we went on a mission to find a vendor peddling a
fruit called "durion". Durion is well known for having a nasty odor.
Hotels in the area post signs prohibiting the fruit on the premises.
The fruit itself tastes quite good once you get past the smell. Since
we leave for Australia early in the morning tomorrow, my dad insisted
that I needed to partake in a piece of this pungent pleasure before
leaving Malaysia. After driving through several towns in the outlying
KL regions, we finally happened upon a number of fruit stands selling
durion. The fruit didn't smell has bad as I had thought, perhaps
because I had raised my expectation of just how bad it was going to
smell from what various people told me. However, the phrase from a
Monty Python skit "[it] has the bouquet of an Aborigine's armpit" did
come to mind. The fruit was pretty good, though the subsequent belches
have been leaving a funny taste in my mouth. We also bought some Lychee
fruit at the stands. It has the consistency of a grape (once you peel
the skin off) but tastes like honeydew and has a pit that looks like a
wild cherry.
TUESDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2001 (9:30am)
In my last post I forgot to mention how crazy the drivers are in
Malaysia. Not only do they drive on the wrong side of the road (well,
okay, not the right side of the road anyhow), but they don't seem to
mind if they come within an inch or two of the next car over. The lines
on the road seem to be suggestions rather than good ideas, and the
shoulders become fair game, especially in traffic jams (although it
really is illegal to use them I am told). There are many motorbike
riders and every one seems to have a death wish. Though they have
separate lanes along the highways, when they do enter onto the highway
they have no qualms about riding in and out between cars. And lest I
forget to mention, entering and exiting the traffic circles on the way
to and from the factory was an experience that I won't soon forget.
Sunday was devoted to flying. It took about 8 hours to fly from KL to
Sydney, had an hour and a half layover, there, then had another 1 1/2
hour flight to Melbourne. The passenger lounge for Malaysia Air at the
KLIA (you figure it out) is tres chic, and the Sydney airport is not too
shabby either. They both put the US airports that I've visited to
shame. And let me just say again that flying business class rocks.
Monday was our first full day in Australia. We didn't get to do much
with regards to vacation activities since this IS officially a business
trip and Dad had lots of work to do at the Goodyear shop (formerly Air
Treads Australia). So rather than describing the hotel in painstaking
detail (we're staying at the Chifley on Flemington street in downtown
Melbourne and it's a pretty nice hotel if I do say so myself), I'd like
to take this opportunity to note some of the more important headlines in
the newspapers here (which we get delivered every morning to our room):
- Russell Crowe, who is officially a Kiwi (New Zealander), has found out
that he can become a citizen of Australia and not lose his citizenship
to New Zealand.
- Russell Crowe got a call from President Bush saying that he has a copy
of his new album (can't remember the band's name off the top of my
head). Apparently Johny Cash is also a fan.
In other news, I officially accepted a job with Wells Fargo Bank
yesterday (faxed the signed acceptance letter from the hotel last
night). I will be working in their Crypto Services group in San
Francisco and start on November 12th, a few days after I get back from
the trip. So endeth my fancy-free days of unemployment.
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 31, 2001 (5:00pm)
Yesterday I left the Goodyear plant early to play Alice from the Brady
Bunch. Actually, I only did the laundry. There's a laundry-mat not far
from one of the tram stops along the route back to the hotel. While
they may be in a convenient location, they certainly didn't make doing
laundry there very convenient. All of the machines there used 20c or
dollar coins, which is all well and good in most circumstances for those
people who have lived long enough in Australia to save their change, but
for the weary traveler, the lack of a change machine in the facility was
a pain in the backside. I lugged my luggage to the gas station across
the street to get change for 20 dollars. The clerk gave me a frown and
told me she wasn't supposed to and that her manager was behind me
looking on, but there was a self-service car wash down the street that
had a change machine that I could use. Just wanting to get the loads
started, I decided to buy a candy bar instead to get enough change to
start the washers. I headed back to the laundry-mat only to find that I
had forgotten about getting change for the detergent dispenser. There
was a Coke machine next to the washers and the drinks cost $1.40. I was
a bit thirsty, so I decided I'd just by a Coke and use one of the 20c
coins to get the detergent. Wrong. A 50c piece and 10c piece were
dispensed. Sigh. I looked around and saw that there was a young woman
waiting for her loads to finish, so I asked her if she had a 20c piece
that I could trade her two 10c pieces for. Fortunately she did and I
was washing clothes in no time. After I got the loads going, I walked
down the street to the car wash to get enough coinage for the driers.
Whew. Good thing I bought that Coke.
After I got back to the hotel, I decided take a walkabout (wander
around) in city (downtown). Succumbing to my weakness for music, I
tracked down the used CD shops around town. Used CD shops in Melbourne
are pretty similar to the ones in the US, though the prices might be a
bit higher (probably due to GST). I did a pretty good job of
restraining myself from spending a lot of money, though I did purchase a
few CDs that would have been difficult to get back in the states. I had
planned on doing some non-music shopping, too, but quickly found out
that most shops in city close around 5:30pm or 6:00pm. That was fine
because I needed to get back to the hotel to meet up with Dad for dinner.
We decided to make the trek to Lygon Street, which runs a block or two
from to the University of Melbourne campus. There are many Italian and
Asian restaurants along the strip, almost all with someone outside
telling you how good their food is and how you should go inside and try
one of the evening's specials because the food was so delicious there.
It was interesting to learn that many of the restaurants allow you to
bring your own bottle of wine (that you can buy from one of the many
"bottle shops" nearby).
Today I did some more walking around in city to do some more shopping.
This time around I found that most shops there don't open until 10am, so
with some time to kill I took a quick look at the map and found that the
south side of town had a few governmental buildings and parks. I took
the Met (a.k.a. tram) to a stop that looked about right then just
started walking in a direction that looked good. I happened to find the
Shine of Remembrance, a structure that was built after World War I in
memory of the Aussies that sacrificed their lives in the war. Inside
the building is a marker stone with the words "GREATER LOVE HATH NO MAN"
engraved in it set in the floor. Every year at 11am on November 11th,
National Remembrance Day in Australia, a beam of sunlight moves across
the face of the stone though a hole in the ceiling.
After visiting the shrine, I headed to the Royal Botanical Gardens
located close by. I should make a note at this point that the weather
here for the past few days has been less than ideal. Though in the US
October means Autumn to most people, here it is spring time. It's been
about 60 degrees with overcast skies, gusty wind, and rain off and on
all day. I'd done pretty well without a jacket up until then because I
was either indoors or only a few steps away from an overhang. Well,
while walking to the entrance to the Gardens the skies opened up in a
big way. Fortunately I was fairly close to the visitor center and made
a mad dash to it before getting soaked. Realizing that the rain wasn't
going to let up any time soon and that I was trapped for the time being,
I ate lunch at the adjacent cafe (which has very good food that I highly
recommend if you every find yourself there around lunch time!). I also
broke down and bought an umbrella when the rains lightened up a bit
because I was determined to see the bloomin' (euphemism) flowers after
making it that far.
After getting no more than 100 yards into the gardens, the weather
started to clear up. Cursing at myself for buying the umbrella, I
wandered into an area called Fern Gully. Looking up, I saw many large,
black "things" hanging from the branches of the trees above. After
closer inspection I realized they were very large bats, or flying-foxes
as they are called because of their size and large tufts of red fur on
their body. It was pretty amazing seeing hundreds and hundreds of these
things nesting above. Apparently the bats have picked this spot
themselves and the Gardens is not happy about it because they've been
destroying many of the plants and trees in Fern Gully. Not to mention
the overwhelming smell of guano isn't the most pleasant experience for
visitors! I continued to follow the path through the park and not long
after leaving Fern Gully the skies opened up again. The umbrella
purchase was validated.
Next, I headed back in city. Wandering aimlessly along the streets I
came across the Melbourne Observation Deck. At 253 meters, it is the
tallest office building in Southern Hemisphere. I figured I should
probably visit these tall structures while I can, lest they await a fate
similar to the World Trade Center! Standing 55 stories up looking out
across the cityscape, I couldn't help but think about the people in the
WTC towers when the planes crashed into the sides. I shuttered as I
looked down and thought about the interviews I had heard on September
11th from a number of people saying they had seen people jumping from
the top of the towers to avoid the flames. No one should ever have to
do that. Not even our worst enemies.
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 2, 2001 (1pm)
Yesterday I got up late since I was up late preparing the photos for the
web. I actually got up around 7am or so like I've been doing every
morning to go to breakfast with my dad, but then went back to bed and
slept in until noon! Aaahh. I love vacations.
However, I knew my time in Oz was limited, so I quickly primped,
preened, and jumped into the jeans and long sleeve shirt that I have
been wearing every other day. We packed fairly light for the trip and I
wasn't exactly prepared for weather requiring long sleeves. C'est la vie.
My first stop for the day was the Queen Victoria Market. It's an open
air flea market offering a plentitude of produce for those who demand
fresh meats and produce. It also offers a plentitude of junk for the
non-discerning shopper...and very little for the traveler with limited
space in their luggage. It was difficult to find things that were not:
1. Cheaply manufactured items. Table after table of "name brand"
discount luggage and watches were scattered throughout the rows of
merchandise.
2. Large and hard to transport. Sheepskin rugs and bulky sweaters
were just not going to find a place in my carry on. Sorry.
3. Tacky. At one booth there was a dancing dophin with a guitar that
played "Hotel California" when you clapped loudly next to it. Dancing
gorillas were placed next to them so that they would boogie to the
tunes. I can only wonder how long such an item would remain a novelty
before making it to the trash heap. What a great use of our natural
resources. I hope the polution generated from the manufacturing process
was worth the 4 seconds of amusement.
4. Considered a weapon by today's security standards at the
airports. While I have to admit lighters and knives are pretty cool, I
don't think airport security would take kindly to their transport.
The sun had started to show its shy face for the first time since we
arrived by the time I was done with the fleas. I hadn't eaten yet and I
wanted to take advantage of the weather because I didn't know how long
it was going to last. So I found a take away joint, bought a veggie
pastie and a fruit salad, then parked my carcass in the grass in a
nearby park (Flagstaff Gardens). Despite the fact that I had everything
going for me at this point, there was one problem. As I said in an
earlier post, November is springtime in Australia. It is also hayfever
season and the pollen count was high. I hadn't had any problems
earlier, presumably because of the rain, but my allergies were starting
to also show their face by the time I had finished lunch.
Despite the sniffling and sneezing, I was determined not to let the
symptoms keep me from making the most of the free time.
Next on my list of things to see was the Old Melbourne Gaol. Yes,
that's a jail for those of you who are phonetically handicapped. On my
way to the Gaol I happened to pass the State Library, the front lawn of
which was covered with the tents of anti-war protestors. The protesters
have been camping out there for several weeks, much to the chagrin of
the local law enforcement. Apparently due to a loophole in the law, the
police can't kick them out without a formal complaint from the library.
And the library doesn't want to cause a scene so they aren't filing a
complaint. Negotiations for another protest location are currently
underway.
The Old Melbourne Gaol is only a museum now, but it was used extensively
in the 1800's and early 1900's to hold convicted murderers and was a
site of many executions. Phrenology was popular back then (in nutshell,
examining the bumps on a person's head to understand what's on the
inside), so "death masks" or plaster casts were made of the convicts
shaved heads before they were executed. The theory was that the
phrenologists could better study the convict's mind after they were dead
using the death masks. They are quite an odd collection and definitely
worth a look.
By the time I left the Gaol, my alergies were in full effect with itchy
eyes and a constant runny nose. I decided to head back to the hotel to
recuperate and wait for my dad get back from the plant.
My dad was in the mood for Greek food, so we looked in the yellow pages
for one closeby. The closest one was in a part of town called Fitzroy,
about a 20 minute walk. I had been on my feet all day, but Dad wanted
to get some exercise since he had been in the plant all day. As it
turns out, the restaurant was closed that night, so we had to find
somewhere else to eat. We continued walking along the main strech and
found a little Japanese restaurant called Araki that looked promising.
In fact, the food was very good (perhaps the best Japaneses food I've
ever had!) and highly recommend it if you ever come out this way.
Today I headed to a part of town that I hadn't visited yet just south of
the Yarra river called Southgate. I found there wasn't much to do there
at 10am as it was mostly restaurants. However, as I was walking along
the waterfront I noticed that there were serveral boat tour launches.
One of the tours was about to leave as I was walking along, so I hopped
on the boat with little idea of where it was going! Fortunately, it was
only going to a site about an hour away called Williamstown. There's
not much to see along the Yarra river. Most of it has been taken over
by shipping facilities. Though it has a number of historical landmarks,
Williamstown wasn't all that interesting either. Nelson Place, the main
stretch along the waterfront, has quite a few restaurants in very old
buildings. It was about lunchtime when I arrived, so after walking up
and down the street trying to determine who had the best vegetarian
options, I decided on a French Crepery called Breizoz. The food was
astounding. I had a galette with asparagus in a white cream sauce as a
first course. To die for. I couldn't leave without another, so I
ordered a "Praline & Chocolat" crepe. To die a second time for. Again,
if you're ever out this way, this place is highly recommended.
SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 4, 2001 (8pm)
Greetings from 39000 feet. Arriving at KLIA for a layover soon. Just
finished watching "A Knight's Tale" on the personal LCD. Totally
predictable plot. Heath Ledger is totally dreamy, though. Hah. Right.
Gag me with a lance, please.
Yesterday we spent with Bruce and Jacki Mitchell traveling around
Phillip Bay, the bay that Melbourne is located on. Bruce is a friend
that Dad had made though previous business in Australia. We drove along
the western shore of the bay down to Queenscliff, having coffee and
lunch along the way. The inlet to the bay is fairly narrow and can be
quite violent during the tide changes as water rushes in and out of the
bay. It is appropriately called The Rip. There is a car ferry that
runs between Queenscliff and a town on the other point across The Rip
called Sorrento. Though it was sunny, the wind was chilly on the top
deck of the ferry. To take shelter from the wind I laid on the deck,
which was quite warm, for part of the 45 minute ride. Later on I
realized that this was probably a mistake. My face was very pink, dry,
warm, and sore by evening. In fact, my nose is already peeling today.
Before heading back up the eastern shore of Philip Bay, we stopped at a
park on the ocean-side shore of the point (Mornington Penninsula).
There is a nice beach there with an arch-shaped rock formation over the
water called London Bridge. The tide was far enough out while we were
there that it was accessible from the beach. Bruce, Dad, and I couldn't
resist climbing up onto it to take a few pictures.
Today has been pretty uneventful. My dad and I walked around in city a
little bit then grabbed some lunch at Victoria Market before heading to
the airport. Another Australian oddity that I forgot to mention earlier
(and was reminded of while walking around in city) is that what we know
as Burger King in the US is called Hungry Jacks here. Apparently there
was already a Burger King out here before our Burger King tried
establishing a presence and they couldn't use the name. So the kept the
same logo (orangish yellow bun with red letters on a white background)
and have the same menu complete with the Whopper but call themselves
Hungry Jacks instead. Weird.
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 8, 2001 (who knows)
Today we started the trip back from Germany to the US the long way
around (though KL). For this part of the journey I will be in the air
approximately 29 hours, with my father having an additional 4 or so to
get back to Detroit. In the past 2 1/2 weeks I will have spent
approximately 80 hours in the air total, my father nearly 90. Then
there's all the layover time, the transportation to and from the hotels,
the train rides... when I arrive at home I will have been traveling for
36 hours straight. It seems like a miracle we were able to do anything
in between it all!
Germany was quite different from the climates that we had been to
previously on the trip. It was approximately 40 degrees and raining
when we arrived at 6am in Frankfurt. Cigarette smoke lingered in the
air at the gate all the way down to the baggage claim. As I was to find
out later smoking is pretty common here... much different from
California for certain. Being 6 in the morning, I can only guess it was
the night staff that were responsible for the cloud o' carcinogens.
We took the 1 1/2 hour Inter City Express (ICE) train ride down to
Stuttgart where someone from SDS, the company that my father was
visiting, picked us up. The 45 minute drive to Calw (pronounced Caulf)
and Stammheim was very scenic. Rolling hill after rolling hill covered
with trees nearly at the peak of their fall colors flanked us to either
side. The terrain was reminiscent of the rural parts of Pennsylvania.
The route to the office took us through several small villages with
houses and buildings several hundred years old.
The SDS facility was located virtually in the middle of the country side
and seemed a bit out of place in comparison to American zoning laws. It
was not a large place, as it was a fairly small company, but fairly
modern. It had been built on land owned by the founder's grandfather
once and had been handed down to him. The zoning laws are a bit odd in
Germany. There are very few new buildings there, and those that are new
generally keep the look and feel of the older buildings. In order to
build the SDS building, the founder Stephan had to sell the property to
the government, then buy a portion of it back for twice the price. In
return, the government would take care of running the utilities up to
the building. The rest of the property is now available for sale, but
Stephan has first dibs on it if an offer is made.
That night we ate dinner at a local brew pub and stayed in a guest house
just down the road from SDS. It was quite cold when we awoke, with
frost on the windows of the cars parked outside. Breakfast consisted
of various rolls and jams, a soft boiled egg, tea and/or coffee, juice,
and yogurt.
After a day and a half at SDS, we got back on the train up to Frankfurt
to visit with Jennifer's parents who actually live about 20 minutes to
the west of the city in a town called Bad Soden. The weather in Bad
Soden was not as friendly as it had been in the southwestern part of
Germany. It was very cold and very rainy. However, we were greeted by
a warm smile at the train station when Jennifer's mother picked us up
from the train station. They live in a very spacious multi-level duplex
no more than a 5 minute drive from the station. We had a yummy homemade
pizza for dinner and a nice visit with them after dinner. In the
morning, Jennifer's mom took us for a 15 minute tour of downtown Bad
Soden before giving us a ride to the Frankfurt airport.
The flight has been quite bouncy from KL to Tokyo where we have a stop
before heading across the Pacific. I wasn't able to leave the airport
during the layover in Tokyo, so I wasn't able to see much of Japan.
However, one cool thing that my father pointed out to me in the airport
was that many of the restaurants there have sample meals on display
outside. The odd thing about them is that they are made of plastic,
though they look very real.
Well, that about wraps up the trip. There's not much more to say about
the trip home. It was long. However, I definitely wouldn't mind doing
it again sometime (especially flying business class!) and am very
grateful that my dad invited me along. The timing couldn't have been
any better for me (young, without a job, no children...though I'm sure
Jennifer still missed me [:)] I had a terrific time as these journal
entries can attest, and would recommend visiting any and all of these
places.
Until next time...
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Photos
Malaysia
Australia
Germany
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