Hello....and HAPPY THANKSGIVING from Taman Melati, Malaysia...that is the
name of the district I am staying in with Ratna in Malaysia. It's Thursday
evening...and if I didn't remember...I would have never guessed it was
Thanksgiving...obviously it is not a holiday here and most people I talked
to today...didn't even know about this holiday in the states. Aside from
that....the 90 plus degree weather and 200% humidity....it's definitely not
fall and harvest time!

Well, I hope that today is a wonderful day filled with family, loved ones,
friends, and gratitude for the blessings we all have.

As for me...things are quickly winding down. Last night I went to eat and
then went to bed as I was pretty tired. I woke up this morning and Ratna
made me breakfast and coffee which was nice to wake up to. She had to go to
work...so we both took the train to downtown Kuala Lumpur.

My first stop was the Masjid Jamek which is the largest Mosque in South East
Asia....it was very elaborate and ornate. After I walked over to the Sultan
Abdul Samad Building which houses many of the government offices. The decor
and names are all Muslim design and often I forget that I am in South East
Asia and think I am in the middle east again. It's kind of odd. I then
walked across the street to Medeka Square which is where 50 years ago The
English relinquished control of Malaysia and an independent Malaysia was
created. They are celebrating their Golden Independence this year.

I then walked to Central Market and did some stall shopping for gifts but I
didn't want to carry everything around so I then toured around China Town
and Little India....the heat was unbearable today so I stopped for a while
to have a papaya smoothie. I then went and called mom to wish her a Happy
Thanksgiving...even though it was still Wednesday night there. It was so
nice to hear her voice and hear that all is well with her and my cats. I
then went shopping for a while and got hungry.

I saw a restaurant that said Ali Baba Cafe....they had Shwarma which is one
of my favorites. So even though I probably should have had Malaysian
food...I didn't want to pass up some Shwarma. I went in a said "Salam
Alykum" one of the few Arabic phrases I know which means...May the Peace of
Allah be upon you. The guy behind the counter melted...he asked where I was
from and then asked if I was a Muslim...which I said No...he was so
impressed that I greeted him in Arabic...he sat with me for a while and
loaded me up on Shwarma, Mango Juice, Pita, Hummus. He explained that he
was Egyptian and we had a great talk. It's amazing what a smile and a
phrase in ones local tongue can do!

I then finished up a little shopping and started to get a little lightheaded
from the heat and headed back to where I am staying. Once you get off the
train....there is about 1/2 mile walk, up hill in the sun....Normally this
would not be such a difficult task...but I thought I was going to pass out
at any minute. I kept drinking water, resting and finally made it. I just
wanted to make it back...I had images of me collapsing and then waking up in
a Malaysian Hospital.

Speaking of health....I did not get any mosquito bites until the last few
days. Ratna told me that the big problem is Dengue fever which of course
there is no prophylactic for so I'm hoping that these bites I got are
benign. I know that Malaria can live in the system for many weeks after a
trip...but I don't know that much about Dengue fever and no one really
prepared me for that. I've learned on this trip...you can have your guide
books, do your research, post questions on forums....but nothing ever really
adequately prepares you for these trips. For example...no one really made
clear to me that is so hot and humid...words cannot even describe the amount
of humidity here. Conversely, people said "dress conservatively....it's a
more conservative society." This is not true...many people are conservative
but there are equal number of people that wear tank tops, shorts, etc. If I
had know that I wouldn't have packed long sleeve clothes, jeans, and
jacket!! I've carried that around for three weeks for nothing...everyday is
tshirt/tank top/shorts.

So now it is Thursday night....I'm waiting for Ratna to come home. I think
she wants to go out tonight...but I have an early bus tomorrow and am going
to politely turn down the opportunity to go out. Tomorrow morning I head to
Singapore..which I found out is 9 miles from the Equator! I will only be
there for one night and then fly home....a task I am not looking forward to.
The flights home are always harder for me..because I just want to get
home. So I will probably be sending out one final email tomorrow night from
Singapore which I heard is expensive and very strict laws (i.e., no chewing
gum in the country, no public smoking, $250 fine for throwing anything on
the street)...but we shall see...I've learned to take what others say or
write with a grain of salt.

Well, I hope all is well with you. Take care and again, Happy Thanksgiving.
With peace, love, and gratitude,