Singapore and Malaysia

Thus far we have found Southeast Asia to be remarkably accommodating and extremely reasonable in terms of dining, hotel and hostel stays, and transportation. I suppose we did not know what exactly to expect when we left Australia for the first time, but I can say that I am extremely pleased with our experiences. The one thing that is a continual drain, but cannot be changed is the infernal heat and accompanying humidity. These tend to suck the energy right out of you, and hence in the guidebooks we have consulted one is advised not to walk the city streets, but rather to acquire transportation by taxi, public bus, or light-rail/monorail train. As to these systems, they seem to be much more sophisticated and more efficient than anything I have seen in the United States outside of New York City. Even still the trains in Singapore and Kuala Lumpur arrived at the station no more than 5 minutes apart during all hours of the day, and were extremely well-signed and easy to navigate. For these reasons we had no trouble getting to see and the do the things we wanted to, and then returning to the hostel for a good few hours break from the outside climate.

It is interesting to note how well the people have taken to us. No one seems to view us as outsiders or suckers, but rather people on a holiday who might very well be good customers to have, or people to photograph. This was typified of course once we had left Singapore—where we were recognized as just another pair of Westerners walking on the street—and had arrived to Malaysia. I found the people here to be warmer, perhaps due to their lower socioeconomic status as compared to Singapore, and their desire to improve the tourist experience. After arriving back to the train station at Butterworth from Penang, I was interviewed by a representative of the Malaysian tourism and received a nice little monkey memento in exchange for my replies to her queries. As to the average people on the street, I will not soon forget our host Az at the hostel in KL. When asked as to the checkout time he simply said, “Check out whenever you want.” When asked about where to smoke cigars, he indicated the living room, “Here, the balcony, the kitchen, wherever you want.” Hence we spent the better part of 36 hours there catching up on sleep, emails, writing, reading, and simply relishing the free time and relaxation that comes with a holiday. Another great memory is that of Faisel from Mumbai, who served us some beautiful Indian food on our way to the KL Tower. When I loved the lemon iced tea, he explained exactly how to make it, and offered to show me how the following day. Unfortunately we were slated to leave KL that night on the train to Butterworth and so I had to respectfully decline. Unfazed, he asked whether we had any US currency that he could acquire for his collection. I was bummed that we did not, but will remember to bring such things on future trips to Southeast Asia.

Now we set off for Thailand. The great “Wild West” of Southeast Asia as best I can surmise. Everyone cautions you about the hawkers, or “touts” and the prevalence of pickpockets, and people seeking to take advantage of Westerners, but then goes on to say how much of a good time they had, and how they look forward to returning very soon.

I am excited, both about what is to come now, in our $16/night 4-star hotel in Pa Tong on the island of Phuket, Thailand, but also for the future, for as I have said a number of times to my brother Daniel, “Nothing will ever be the same again.” Indeed it will not be. We will go home, and everything may be the same for everyone else who has stayed, but we will have changed dramatically. These thoughts even go to the point of affecting my dreams at times. Last night, on the train from KL to Butterworth, I dreamt that I was driving my old green and tan Jeep Wrangler with the top down somewhere between Rockford and Byron, but could not seem to recall how to work the stick shift. Somehow I was making my way along, but it was not the same as it used to be. Similarly, after attempting to referee a game of basketball in the same dream, I found myself exhausted from the effort. It wasn’t until a compatriot referee in the person of a short, black woman told me that I needed to drop some of my ass that I realized that I was not in the shape that I once was. Life has changed, and will affect the life that we left behind, both because the life we return to will not be the same life we left behind, and on entering it, we will not be the same people we were when we left either. I am excited for what this might mean.

I once said that I could not be a good teacher because I had not yet learned anything. Now I have seen enough of the world to think that I might know a few things about it. I have learned that I was born with the burden of needing to experience life first-hand in order to learn from it. This burden has been both fortunate and unfortunate at different points, but overall I am grateful for what I have learned from its constant prodding and inspiration to go out into the world and learn.