Hello my friends and family...greetings from the island of Penang,
Malaysia...my 28th country but who is counting ;)

I can safely say....I am glad to be out of Bangkok and already Malaysia has
proved to be a wonderful place and I've only been here about 6 hours! It's
amazing how the arrival into a country and your interactions the very first
hour can make or break your opinion of a place.

Well, after I wrote last night....I went to dinner and just relaxed a bit.
I actually went to bed at 10 pm and woke up at 3 am,packed and got ready. I
hailed a cab and they took me on some toll road which increased the fare by
40 baht....it seems every time I turned around in Bangkok there was a scam
or a hidden charge. To complicate things many people did not speak English
in Thailand which surprised me since there were no problems in Vietnam or
Cambodia...but then again I have to remember that I am in there country and
should try to speak their language.

Most of you know that I’m notoriously early to everything....I was early to
the airport and it is a good thing. I checked in which they told me my
luggage was 16 kg over the limit and had to pay another 1200 baht. When I
raised a fuss and said that I would carry some of it on and redistribute the
weight by repacking at the counter...all of sudden it was not an issue and
they let me take all 3 bags without any extra charge. I was all prepared to
pay my departure tax and it turns out there was no departure tax!! After
being alerted to this last night I checked on line and there is supposed to
be a charge...at any rate,I got out of that. Immigration was painfully and
excruciatingly slow. It was so hot and crowded I thought I was going to faint
waiting to get through immigration and of course I was in the line with all
the people who had drama with their passport. I then continued to security
which they had me unpack all of my souvenirs and gave me a hard time about
my tripod and my house key not going on board with me...then the story
changed and they said I could. Two hours later...I finally got to my plane
with about 5 minutes to spare. The plane was half empty...I don't know if
that is how it was booked or if 1/2 the people missed the flight because of
the slowness of security.

I arrived in Penang at about 10 am....and it's one hour ahead of Thailand.
As we approached landing they announced "Drug trafficking is a serious crime
and carries a mandatory death penalty." which ironically I read last night
in my lonely planet book. Even the use of pot has severe fines/punishment.
I got off the plane and was greeted by friendly and English speaking people.
I spoke with the info desk, lined up a taxi and then went to the taxis and
explained I didn't know where I was going and could they help me. Three men
helped figure out a place to s stay in my budget and it didn’t cost me anything
extra and wasn't a scam. The driver was very friendly and helpful. The
hotel is an old English Colonial Building...beautiful architecture, a bit
run down, but a private room, bath, and TV for $69 ringgas (or whatever it's
called)...about $22. the staff was very friend. Oh yeah..and it has A\c I
will only stay with air condition...Malaysia is even more humid!

I then talked to a few of the locals and got a crash course on Malaysia...in
a nutshell...it's a blend of India and England and China....mixed all
together with indigenous Malaya People...and there you have it. So the
streets are lines with Indian food, Chinese food, etc. It is an Islamic
state but all religions are welcomed...most people are Muslim but there are
some Christians, Buddhists, and Hindus. It's a very eclectic and exotic
mix of people, religion and food. I love it. Malaysia has only been it's
own country for 50 years and they are celebrating that all year long. The
English Colonized it in the 1700s and the Portuguese and Dutch have also
paid their visits.

I then went and walked around Georgetown for a while and came across the
oldest mosque in Penang. I put my pant legs on to be respectful and they
noticed and two of them came up to me and told me how much they appreciated
my respect and invited me into the mosque. I was there for about and hour
talking about religion, politics, the state of Iraq, the presidential
election...it was great. They also explained their perspective as well as a
brief history of Islam and the difference between Sunni and Shiite Muslims.
Very informative.

So now it is evening...I'm going back to my room to relax and then go to
dinner.Tomorrow I signed up for an all day tour of the island...it's 8 hours
but it goes over some of the mountains, the beaches, and the jungle.
Malaysia is like a paradise of beauty. Tuesday I will take the ferry to the
mainland and figure out how to get to Kuala Lumpur.

Well, I guess that is it for now....things are back on track and having a
great time! Hard to believe next time this week I'll be home!