Hari Moyang

During my blog writing hiatus I did some really cool things.  One of them was going to Pulau (Island) Carey to celebrate Hari Moyang (Ancestor's Day) with the Mah Meri tribe.  This had to be one of the coolest things I've done since moving here!!!

Pulau Carey is about an hour to an hour and a half away from KL.  The Mah Meri tribe is part of the Orang Asli (original/indigenous people) that make up less than 1% of the Malaysian population.  They are mostly coastal dwellers and fishermen.  There are less than 500 people in the village we visited.  These people still live by their adat (cultures, social mores and traditions) including intangible heritage such as their distinct language, myths and stories, songs and dances, and handicrafts.  They are well known for the crafts they make including wooden masks, wood carvings, pandanus pouches and bookmarks, marriage puzzles and ornamental leaf weavings made from nipah palm fronds and shoots.  The leaf weavings are featured in many of their adat ceremonies.

Here are some pictures so you can better understand...

This is the leader of the tribe during one of the traditional dances.  The mask was made by him and the "hair" and skirt are leaf weavings mentioned above.

Here is a close up of his mask.  Very detailed and amazing!!  The bottom jaw even moves when he talks.

These are girls from the tribe performing one of the dances.  Everything that is green and yellow is made by them using the leaf weaving.

Another shot of the girls in their costumes.

These are the women that provided the music for the dances.  They were accompanied by a man in the village that played violin.

More shots of the festivities.

A group shot.  I don't know who the guys in the white shirts are.

As part of the festivities we brought goodies and sweets to share with the villagers along with some school supplies and other items for families.  They were all very grateful for everything that was brought.  At the end of the ceremony the girls gave their costumes away, mostly to some teachers that were with our group so they could use them as teaching aids.  There were many decorative leaf weavings that were hung and draped around the area.  We were all asked to pick what we wanted and take it home.  We were told that they made these just for us to have.

I was told about this outing by friends that had been here a while.  They told me that it was an amazing day and that I should not miss it.  I'm glad I listened to them!

I would like to give credit to my friend, Angela, for the pictures.  I had a blonde moment and didn't charge my camera battery before going on this adventure.  Angela got some incredible shots and I thank her for them!

See you next post!!

How Time Does Fly!!!

Wow!  I can't believe that it has been a month since I have posted anything!  No wonder my mom has been reminding me to get on here and update...

I would love to tell you that this won't happen again but it is my experience in life that once an absolute is stated the exact opposite will surely prove me wrong.  Life has been interesting for me since my last post.  I've had some days where I was just in a funk (I won't bore you with those details), there have been many days when there just wasn't anything interesting going on (I'm absolutely sure there is no way that I can make shopping or doing laundry sound like a day in the park) and there have also been a few little trips here and there (this is the good stuff that will be shared!).  All in all...life has been happening here in Malaysia and the funny thing is that I'm really starting to feel like part of it.  How did that happen???

I'm not sure if I have already mentioned this so I'll bore you with the story again if you have already read it.  Patric recently decided to test out the medical system here in Malaysia by having his gall bladder removed.  I'm happy to report that he is doing very well and the medical system pleased us immensely!  The doctors are very friendly and knowledgeable.  The system here is a little strange in that all doctors are located at hospitals.  There are small clinics that you can go to when you need to be seen quickly and not by a specialist (this includes GPs) but their diagnoses are hit and miss.  To see reliable doctors you have to go to the nearest hospital.  Strange thing about Patric's surgery is that the hospital he was referred to was not the closest one to us.  Luckily, we have found the closest one and are starting up relationships with doctors there.  I will keep you posted on how all of that works out!

We have also found a vet for the animals.  This was done becuase Josie decided to bust a blood vessel in her ear.  This is actually quite common for dogs with floppy ears and she is doing well.  The vet we found is like a clinic atmosphere.  They don't take appointments but you can request a specific doctor out of the several that office there.  Patric and I are in complete agreement that we miss the A&M vets!!!  Change is inevitable, right?  Still, if we could have brought Dr. Cargill with us we would have!

This is about all of the general, fill-you-in, catch-you-up kind of stuff I can think of right now.  I will definitely post soon about the more specific, need-to-know, can't-wait-to-share stuff very soon!  And of course I will have pictures!

Life is good!!!

See you next post!!

All Good Things...

Don't be dismayed at goodbyes. A farewell is necessary before you can meet again. And meeting again, after moments or lifetime, is certain for those who are friends. ~Richard Bach

The world is round and the place which may seem like the end may also be the beginning. ~Ivy Baker Priest


So the day that had loomed in the future finally became the present.  On the fourth day of 2012 we woke knowing it was the end.  We didn't just see it off quietly, though!

There were some last minute gifts for friends and family back home that still needed to be bought so we headed over to Curve to get the shopping in.  Katt, Kristine and I all treated ourselves to a really nice full body massage at Urban Retreat.  We indulged in an hour and a half of pure relaxation...each of us choosing a different path to that point.  Since we did choose different types of massages we weren't put together which was ok since none of us like to talk during massages.  Jason was off finishing his shopping and roaming around.  He did take the time to get a foot massage which he said he enjoyed.

When we wrapped up our business at the mall we grabbed some McDonald's and headed home.  A taxi was scheduled to pick them up at 3:00 to take them to the airport so the time at the house was spent doing various things: napping, last minute packing, visiting and updating Facebook to let people at home know they were on target. 

When the taxi arrived they were ready for it but we were not ready for the good-byes that were imminent.  Kristine had said all day that she knew she was going to cry but to her credit she did not.  I got and gave so many good-bye hugs!  The only really good thing about good-bye is the quality of the hug you get!  The driver battled to get all of the luggage loaded but due to his experience, persistence and Katt's help the battle ended in a victory.  I watched my friends get in the taxi and said final good-byes (again) and watched them pull away.

I love my friends dearly and even more so since they came to spend Christmas and New Year's with me.  I have to confess though, as good as the visit was it was nice to get my house back.  I immediately took a long soaking bubble bath then stretched out on my couch and read the rest of the afternoon into the evening.  I spent the next few days doing nothing but catching up on laundry and enjoying the down time.

Life got back to normal for Patric and I pretty quickly.  I will say that the normalcy did not last long...

See you next post!!

Cameron Highlands...Here We Come!!!

The outing we had planned for the third day of 2012 had great potential.  The only thing holding me back from being over the moon excited about it was that I would have to drive the three hours (one way) to get us to our ultimate destination - Boh Tea Factory.  Keep in mind, the furthest I had driven before this venture was the walkable distance to Curve.  Needless to say I was a little nervous.

We woke up early so we could get a good start on the day.  It was back to the four of us since Patric had to be at work.  I plugged our destination into the GPS and away we went.

For those of you that need proof...that is me driving!

I had been told about a waterfall that was on the way to the tea factory.  We kept our eyes open for it so we could stop and play in it for a while.  I'm glad this was part of our plan because it was amazing!

This is a video that I made.  I hope you enjoy it.

That's Jason way up there.  That's not the top of the waterfall but it was far from where we were hanging out.

The water was really cold and refreshing.  This was a great break...so much so that we spent over an hour here.  But, alas, we had to move on...

When we left the waterfall we were starving so we stopped at a place called The Lake House.  It is a hotel and restaurant.

This was our view while we ate.

Jason took this after we ordered our lunch.  It was very warm since we were in the sun...I even got sunburned.

Onward and upward (literally)...

So, I had no idea that Boh Tea was manufactured here in Malaysia until I did some research.  I had seen the Boh brand back home but never paid much attention to it since I didn't drink hot tea until I moved here (crazy, I know...).  There are actually three Boh Tea plantations here.  The one we were headed to was the most popular and it was set up for visitors.  Tours are offered daily and we were looking forward to seeing how a tea factory worked.

Don't you just hate it when you are looking forward to something and you get met with this???  It turned out to be ok.  We sat and enjoyed a good cup of tea and some munchies.  A bonus was that the temperatures were cooler here...I actually wished that I had on jeans instead of the shorts I was wearing.  And the scenery was breathtaking.

Please enjoy this video of the landscape.

Katt and I walked this to get to the view point.  I had no idea how far 174 meters was until I started climbing the steps up that length.  It was completely worth it!

When we finished our sight seeing we headed home.  I had never driven on windy mountain roads before in my life but we survived the adventure together.  And the car went relatively unscathed!

See you next post!!

First Outing of the New Year

I made no resolutions for the New Year. The habit of making plans, of criticizing, sanctioning and molding my life, is too much of a daily event for me.  - Anaïs Nin

After an amazing night of ringing in the New Year it was time to start thinking about the week that lay ahead.  We really only had a few days to cram a bunch of stuff into since my visitors would be leaving soon.  So what did we do the first day of the New Year?  What else...girl's day in!!!  Patric had to work (yes, on New Year's Day) and Jason decided he didn't want to just hang around the house all day so it was down to us girls.  And we made good work of the day: reading, watching movies and just generally doing nothing!  I have to say that it was the PERFECT way to spend the first day of 2012!

We weren't going to do that for long though.  The second day of 2012 found us at the Batu Caves - just us girls again.  Patric was, of course, working and Jason ventured into KLCC to try to find a dentist for a tooth that was killing him.  It turned out to be a really awesome day at a really beautiful location.  Kristine and Katt really enjoyed being in the caves.  Kristine even went so far as to say that the caves were here favorite outing so far.  There is definitely a peacefulness that comes over you when you are there.

Here we are getting ready to head out and attack the day!

My sisters in life at the entrance.

Gotta get your picture taken in front of the golden statue!  =)

Kristine and I were blessed by one of the Hindu Priests.  If you look closely you will see the ash on our foreheads.  We were blessed with luck on that day.  And in case you are wondering, she wouldn't let me smile...she wanted a "solemn" look to go with our blessings.  This made it all the more difficult to not smile...

Here I am praying before I threw my offering into the fire.  We each did two of them.  Really cool!!

I know I have already posted a bunch of pictures of the scenery in an earlier blog but I just LOVE this view!!!

I really enjoyed going to the Batu Caves when Patric and I went.  Going with my friends offered a whole new experience.  I really believe that this is the type of place that I will get something new from each time I visit it.  I can't wait to go back!

See you next post!!

New Year's Eve...Good Bye 2011!

An optimist stays up until midnight to see the New Year in.  A pessimist stays up to make sure the Old Year leaves.  ~ Bill Vaughan

We all woke up Saturday morning excited for what the day would bring!  We had discussed a plan of attack for the day and knew exactly where we would be to ring in the New Year!

Our original plan was to head into town to see the KL aquarium and then visit the orchid sanctuary which was very close to the aquarium.  So we headed to town.  We finally got to the aquarium (which was no small feat) but had a change of heart about visiting it.  Instead of going into the aquarium we visited the gift shop and rethought our plans for the day.  Since we hadn't been able to check out all that China Town had to offer the day before and the visitors still had gifts to buy, we agreed to head back to China Town.  And what a great decision that turned out to be!

We wound up spending most of the day in China Town.  Kristine, Jason and I treated ourselves to the most amazing foot massages.  Jason took a picture of me enjoying mine but for some reason I can't get it to download so I can't share it with you.  Trust me...I look really relaxed in it!  When we finished with the foot massages we rejoined Patric and Katt and continued on with the exploration of the outdoor markets.  A few items were bought and a good time was had by all!

We left China Town with enough time to go home, relax a little and get ready for the night.  I was signed up to bring a cheese and cracker tray to the party so this was thrown together during our down time.  I'm so grateful for friends that are willing to step in and help out!!  It turned in to three trays and they all looked great!!

We piled into our little car and headed into town.  I was kind of surprised at the absence of traffic but certainly did not complain about it.  Our destination was Vicky and Marty's apartment which was in a building right across from the twin towers.  They lived on the 46th floor and we had been told that this was the perfect place to watch the fireworks.  We had not been lied to!  I had never seen fireworks at eye level before that night...AMAZING!!!!

I was on the balcony taking these...truly at eye level.

Jason and Katt with one of the towers behind them.

One of our new friends, Pauline, with Patric waiting for the fireworks to begin.

Here is some dance floor action after the fireworks.  Jason has his back to us, Sharon (new friend) is just in front of Jason and Vicky (new friend, hostess) is in the red shirt.  There was a small area dedicated to the dance floor but it definitely got good use!

Here is Pauline, Sharon, Rosie and Kristine enjoying a breather.

Here is my amazing husband just before he graciously exited the conga line.  =)

This is one of my favorite pictures of the evening!  Since none of us drink our awesome hosts gave us Sprite shots so we could be part of the New Year's toast.  How cool is that???

So out with the old and in with the new started in a grand and spectacular way!  This had to be the best way to spend New Year's Eve away from home.

See you next post!!

Final Friday

Yeah, I'm backing up a bit.  I figured there is still story to tell from when my friend's visited so bare with me while I fill in some blanks...

When last I left you my friends and I had visited the monkeys and the elephants.  What amazing adventures we went on!  All of this is leading up to New Year's Eve!  The Friday before we went exploring in KL...more specifically - China Town.  What visit to KL would be complete without seeing China Town???  We had a fabulous lunch at Peter Hoe's.  This is a great little shop that sells just about anything an expat could want.  There is a small eatery in the shop and they have some of the most amazing dishes!  We were all happy with our lunch decisions and even took the time to pose for pictures...

This is me next to a painting I really like in the shop.

And what trip to China Town is complete without a visit to Central Market???  While we were there we indulged in the fish spa...

These fish were bigger than the fish in the first spa I did a while back.  Jason got a really lucky candid shot here!

When we were finished wreaking havoc (actually, we ran out of time to wreak as much havoc as we had originally intended) in China Town we met Patric for dinner.  Patric and I wanted to be sure to take them to what has become one of our favorite restaurants here - Leonardo's.  They serve a little of everything and it's all been good so far.  One of the things I love most about this restaurant is that they serve pork!!!  We snapped a few pics as we were leaving...

Patric and I walking down the stairs to leave the restaurant.

Kristine, me, Patric and Katt at the door to the restaurant.  Jason took the picture.

This is how we spent the last Friday of 2011.  We had a lot of fun but we were looking forward to the last day of 2011 very much!!!

See you next post!!

Gong Xi Fa Cai!

Happy Chinese New Year!  I'm still getting used to hearing (and saying) Happy New Year twice in one year.

Today is the third day in a 15 day celebration.  The CNY is a lunar new year and it's start is determined by the first full moon of the year.  I'm not exactly sure why it lasts 15 days but I do know that each day has a significance.  Most businesses are closed for the first two days as these are, obviously, the most important.

Yesterday Patric and I went to Curve (our closest mall) to watch some of the traditional festivities.  I am still in such awe as to how traditional all of the cultures that live here are.  Each of them have beautiful ways to celebrate the holidays that are specific to their culture.  I truly feel blessed to be able to live here in the midst of it all!!!

Here are some videos of the festivities...

This is the Acrobatic Lion  Dance.  This entire performance is done on individual stands that are strategically placed.  There are two people in the costume which just amazes me!  I'm sure they had to put in a million practice hours to get this perfect.

This is called 5 Emperor Drums.  The video is pretty self explanatory.

This is the Dragon Dance.  It was not what we expected but it turned out to be Patric's favorite and I enjoyed it immensely.  There isn't a lot to explain on this one either...

We are really enjoying being able to see all of the beautiful sights and hear all of the amazing sounds in our new home.  I hope you enjoyed seeing and hearing them with me!

See you next post!!

And You Thought There Wouldn't be Vidoes... =)

So, did you think that there would only be still pictures of the monkey and elephant visits?  Well, I did remember (with a lot of help from my amazing husband!) to take the video camera on both outings...woo hoo!!!

However, I had to learn our video editing software on my own so bare with the progression.  The monkey visit is still in three pieces but they are all extremely cool!

Ok, it is in three pieces but the last one is too long and Blogger won't let me load it...  =(  This is definitely a live and learn situation - limit the time of the videos.  Sorry friends!

I do have video of the elephant trip...

I hope you enjoy these as much as I enjoyed making them!

See you next post!!

Elephant Sanctuary

"Don't be too timid and squeamish about your actions. All life is an experiment. The more experiments you make the better."  Ralph Waldo Emerson

I have been an experimentation fool over the last three months!  I can tell you that the above statement is very true in my life.  The week after Christmas and just into the New Year only added more proof to this.

Elephants...can you believe it???  ELEPHANTS!!!  Just when I thought it couldn't get any better after the monkeys...we hung out with elephants!  Not just that but we had to take a journey to get to them which was amazing!

On the Thursday after Christmas, we left my house by 9:30 in the morning by taxi to get to the LRT station.  We took two different LRT lines to get to the other side of the city.  There we got on the bus and rode for an hour and a half to Lanchang Old Town.  This part of the journey was completely outside of the city so we were able to get great views of the "country".  The "town" we got off the bus in consisted of a few small shops on a short stretch of the road.  From here we took a private car to the sanctuary about 30 minutes away.  Here we are on the bus...

Have I mentioned that I love my friends and we had a blast while they were here?!?!  You know me, next to me is Jason, under me is Kristine and next to her is Katt.

Here's the deal with the sanctuary...they only allow 120 people to ride the elephants per day.  In order to have this privilege bestowed upon you, you need to get there in time to receive a yellow sticker.  Once they are out of the yellow ones you get a red one that indicates that you are not allowed to ride or bathe with the elephants.  There was only one of our group that was desperate to ride and bathe with the elephants but I was starting to lose faith that he would be able to since we didn't get there until around 2:00 in the afternoon.  This was two hours after they opened for the day.  However, it became obvious, very quickly, that the elephant gods were smiling on us!  There were two yellow stickers issued to us...amazing!  Needless to say, he got to ride...

...and bathe...

...with the elephants.  Does this say happy or what?!?!

Since I live here I will be able to go back any time and get my turn...I so cannot wait!  I did get to feed the elephants which was a really cool experience.  Here I am near the end of the visit with Katt...

I can't wait to go back with Patric!

When we left the sanctuary we had a little time to kill waiting for the bus.  The "town" we were to catch the bus in was literally one street but we managed to have fun exploring it.

It didn't seem to take as long to get back as it did to get there even though it was the same route.  This was really ok since we were pretty tired.  When we finally got home it took no time for us to chill and get settled in for the night.  What an AWESOME day!!!!!

See you next post!!

Kuala Selangor - What an Adventure!!!

While we were enjoying Christmas dinner the discussion of what we had planned while my friends were here came up.  One of the top things on the list was to see monkeys.  It just so happened that my new friends had the perfect place in mind - Kuala Selangor.

I had been hearing about this amazing monkey interaction site since I had met my new friends and could not wait to get to it.  I finally made it!!!  I've already posted about the monkey experience at the Batu Caves...this one was so much better!  The monkeys at the Batu Caves were entirely too wild and didn't interact with the people visiting.  Check out these pictures...

These are my friends Katt and Jason (the big ones without the fur...).

This is my friend Kristine.

This is Kristine holding a baby.  Momma is right there making sure all is well!

This is me feeding one of the monkeys.  I spent a lot of time taking video of the trip so this is near the end of our time with the monkeys yesterday.  Have no fear...the video will be coming soon!

These monkeys are called Silverleaf Monkeys.  They are black with silver tips on their fur.  When the babies are born they are bright orange.  At around four months old they start changing color to the black/silver.

This was a very energetic baby that was running all around his mom...it was very entertaining to watch!

I thought this was just a really sweet picture.  This baby had been running around and picking on his mom.  She finally got him to sit still and then just held his tail ever so gently.  Awww!!!

This was a family of monkeys that we saw as we were leaving.  If you look really close you will be able to see a really tiny baby.  These were a different kind of monkey - not the Silverleaf.

This was such an amazing adventure!

After we left the monkeys we went to a local Chinese restaurant and had dinner.  This is the view from our table...

The food was really good, too.

After dinner we went to a place to ride a boat on the Selangor River and see an awesome firefly show.  We weren't allowed to take pictures of that so you will just have to close your eyes and imaging that you were there with us.  It was dark and even raining while we were on the river.  All along the bank there were bushes that had what looked like blinking Christmas lights.  It was really beautiful!  I have never seen so many fireflies in one place in my life.

I am definitely looking forward to going back and repeating this whole day's adventure with my husband, Patric!  This is an experience that will be on the list of to-do's for anyone that comes to visit!

So that is one thing down and many more to go!

See you next post!!