Planning for Winter in June

I find the process of our planning for winters fascinating. It is an organic technique spread out over many, many months. Of course, we start with a very healthy lead-in and tend to purchase broad items such as flights first. Then, we continue to add particulars as the time nears. The last details happen in real time as the activities unfold. (I wish I'd known about the field of logistics as a course of study when a teenager thinking about possible career options.)

Today, we filled in some intermediate details and added flights and a hotel room to next winter's plans. It's not all that many months until our October 31st departure date! Apparently, last winter's experiences are colouring our current decisions. We realized we have a favourite part of Kuala Lumpur and wanted to spend several in-transit nights in our familiar area. For Jay and I that means being right in the thick of things.


Masjid Jamek: At confluence of Gombak (left) and Klang (right) Rivers, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. - January 2019

Domestic Flight

Day 22 - What a 'friction-free' day! We couldn't check in at Zackary Guesthouse until 3 PM, so we timed things to a tee.

We ordered an Uber ride at noon. Can you believe that my first ride in one was in December 2017? No matter how world-class Vancouver tries to portray itself, the local taxi mafia has friends in government. Anyway, it was a delightful 15 minutes to the airport.

We surely had plenty of time for our 1:50 boarding; in fact, we spent more time at the airport than in the air. Flying up to Langkawi was about a 30-minute flight. We bought an airport taxi coupon and were checked in around 3:15 PM.





We had until 7 o'clock before the sun went down. Eventually, we found dinner at The Woods.

Dreary

This morning at 10 o'clock, I noticed that the inside lights were still on. It was dark outside. Today, seemed very dark and the weather quite foreboding.

I don't want to make myself crazy thinking about our winter as I know it will get here soon enough. Yet, I didn't really get outside much because of the lack of both sun and necessity.

So, for something to blog about, I returned to some photos taken more than 5 years ago, the one and only time we visited Penang Island, Malaysia. That is where our feet (and the rest of us) should return in exactly four weeks from today. The weather during our three months based there, at just 5 degrees above the equator, should be considerably different than in this part of British Columbia.



Pictures from Penang, Malaysia - October 2011
Then, we go on to expand our winter. Even after two more whole months in Cambodia, we still may get back to the Vancouver area in time to see a little of the remaining dark weather. The only thing we will have missed is the five months of rain in the middle.

Remember When We Called It Surfing?

Our first stay in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia was in 2011.
It's funny what real web surfing can lead to. I must be doing less unstructured web browsing these days. Perhaps this is because Google allows us to operate in a type of stealth mode. We search, find, and finish in record time. It seems as though the leisurely pursuit of information, by simply following links, is less likely, for me at least. I do appreciate services like Flipboard because such a variety of sources can be discovered in a single app. One should be surprised about something during each session at a computer. The Internet should deliver new and occasionally unsought information.

Anyway, I followed a bunch of links from a Facebook friend's post. Eventually, it led me to this time-lapse of Kuala Lumpur. We visited several times, last in 2013. That city really is a favourite urban destination. I think Canadians can visit visa-free for three months. Now that might be an interesting winter away from the cold rain of a Vancouver winter.

Kuala Lumpur DAY-NIGHT from Rob Whitworth on Vimeo.

Day 45 - A Long Return!

We were at the airport outside Kuala Lumpur a little too early for our expected 1:55 am departure time. The train journey from Sentral station takes just 28 minutes.

The satellite terminal at KLIA is so cool, it is almost fun to spend extra time there. A large hub forms circular area between four corridors. It is a sloping glass enclosure. It has an open roof and contains a jungle walk, right in the middle of the airport. The design of the building is utter perfection with great attention to detail, as in the case of the lighting which appears as random as the stars on a moonlit night. What I'm trying to say is it was a better place to spend a few extra hours than our hotel lobby. We'd checked out of the hotel at noon and done some errands.

It was not pleasant to learn that the China Eastern flight to Shanghai would be about an hour and a half late departing though. In actuality, it didn't make much difference as the stopover at MUD was originally scheduled for about 6 hours. Wait here or wait there, what's the difference? We left at 3:30 in the morning today.

Both flights were full. The second flight into Vancouver was on a brand new Airbus. The plane still had a new-plane smell to it. Unfortunately there were seven babies onboard, most of whom were within earshot. Still, the food was rather good. The return YVR to KUL return for a thousand bucks made it all seem acceptable. I will fly them again I'm sure, especially since AirAisa can carry us around most places in Asia for a song.


Pudong in Shanghai was home for a four hour stopover.

We touched down in Vancouver at 8:30 am. One can make pretty good time, even with a stopover, when crossing the International Date line east to west.

The rest of the day involved errands and getting straightened around. For example, I had to re-register and insure my truck before we could go grocery shopping. Wow, it really doesn't seem that we've been gone for the entire duration of this year's standard time period. We didn't even need to re-set the clocks in the house as we left a day or so before Daylight Savings ended last fall!

It's great to be home!


It was a sunny day at YVR from the SkyTrain.

Day 44- Out and About in KL

We continued walking right until well after dark last night. It is interesting how it doesn't get dark until well after 7:00 pm here.



We needed to go to the Kuala Lumpur International Airport tonight. Still that has given us an entire, extra day in KL. We found Mydin Department Stores and spend time walking around every floor. We also retraced steps along Pataling Street, in the Chinatown. We ate lunch somewhere downtown and will spend part the afternoon at a sauna. As we checked out at noon, being able to take a late shower will be useful.

To the airport by express train later ...

Day 43 - The Kuala Lumpur Monorail

We got going after the breakfast buffet. We got on the monorail as starts right next to our place, Hotel Sentral. We were here in 2011 and I expected the construction around the Sentral to be completed for easy access to our hotel. The work continues. The work continues everywhere in the city by the look of the cranes and building sites.  I gush over this city but I can honestly say it is a real favourite. Today, we just went out walking. 

Oh, and I vowed never ever to buy traveller's cheques again. We are old-school and can remember when they were indispensable. On this trip, even HSBC couldn't cash the ones we'd picked up in Canada. It simply seemed like a safer way to carry around extra cash. Now travel has to be completely via plastic and ATMs. Live and learn.

The sites of Kuala Lumpur were explored. Do you know how a trip to NYC can involve simply walking around? For us, it's the same here.

Day 42 - Now Everyone Can Fly

Getting to Malaysia for our eventual return went very smoothly today. We awoke at 6:30, had breakfast at 7:00, and were at the airport by 7:45. Our AirAsia flight from Vientiane to Kuala Lumpur was not quite full. I have to say, I have been quite impressed by the company during our flights to Colombo and around SE Asia.

We got to the Low Cost Carrier Terminal in Malaysia at around 1:30 due to the time difference. Getting downtown was easiest on the bus, so we had purchased the passes along with the baggage allowances, and meals directly from the AirAsia website. The airports are far from downtown KL, so it took more than an hour to get to the Sentral Station.

Ah, it's nice being back in Kuala Lumpur. I think this might be my favourite city of the area. It's smaller than Bangkok, cheaper than Singapore, and prettier than nearby cities. We didn't check in to the Sentral Hotel until almost 4:00 pm, but still found it easy to get around on the KL Monorail and Commuter trains.


The Petronas Towers were the tallest buildings in the world from 1998 to 2004.

The Curse of Wandering Feet

It's one of those days where I've got too much time on my hands. It's also one of those days where dark clouds are rolling in off the Pacific and promise to treat us to a number of continuous days of rain. So, when two such forces meet they can encourage a little overzealous web research; at least, they have today.

I like thinking of retirement. Specifically, I like thinking about my own early retirement. Life is all about priorities. For example, I'm driving a 15 year old vehicle and have the money I've saved socked away. This means I can work at least one year less than many others I know. If I combine that with other examples of our moderate lifestyle, I really don't think I need have to wait much longer. It's all about balance, after all. If one can forgo expensive toys in the near term, then that allows personal freedom in the longer term. To me, owning my own life is more important than owning items bearing the tag of 'luxury'.

The main problem with finding a nice little place to escape our rainy winters, is the fact we cannot choose just one. I've blogged here about wanting to own property elsewhere for a yearly migration, somewhat like what Canadian geese do. Yet, it'd be hard for us to tie ourselves to just one destination. Due to this, perhaps we'll need not buy a second home and should just continue exploring or re-exploring the world each November to February.

There are more places on the potential list than years left, I fear. We could definitely start from these locations which are in no particular order: Palms Springs, Puerto Vallarta, Sri Lanka, Cambodia, and this year's hot choice after a 10-day visit, Malaysia. I could so happily spend four months a year in that country, I think.

There. There are five year's worth of proven destinations, already! Time to get at it ... in 2014?


Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia - Sept 2011. Other than the capital, we only visited Penang, so I want to go back soon to check out the south-west coast nearer Singapore.

Keeping Things Fresh

I don't think weekend entries are going to be very detailed over the next six weeks. I'd honestly forgotten how hard it is to teach the same college-level class from 8:30 am to 4:30 pm. We made it though relatively unscathed. The scary thing is that it happens again tomorrow. Yet, although I am tired at the moment, I am sort of looking forward to seeing these students again. Tomorrow!



I do have to keep all these things in perspective. Not many weeks ago I was at the Teluk Bahang beach in the Penang National Park in Malaysia. Having a variety in one's activities keeps life interesting. My life is seldom routine and for that I am extremely grateful.

Around the Earth's Waistline

People are a lot like weeds; they can live just about anywhere. As a species, if humans encounter difficult conditions, they simply apply technology to make the area habitable. I've always been curious, though, about places where shelter wouldn't be such a necessity. Due to their constant bath under a supply of peak solar energy, the tropics are an area of abundant life. The sun, by definition, reaches a point directly overhead at least once a year. It seems to me this area would be the most natural place for humans to live too. From my days of drawing coconut trees with crayons, I have known this.


Today, I don't have any crayons. I have created the map above on my laptop. Whereas, the true tropics extend up to 23.43 degrees north and south of the equator, I created the map above to include an area of only about half of that. My map shows an exaggerated zone for optimum habitation. The area can differ geographically and is surely not all rainforest. Yet, I think it is a goal to spend a substantial part of retirement in this belt. Unfortunately, the only point within Africa where I've visited is Kenya. I've never been further south than Costa Rica in the western hemisphere either. So, I guess I'm pretty much left thinking of places in Asia that I've enjoyed. I guess that means extended winters in, if not Sri Lanka, then perhaps my newest infatuation, Malaysia!

Truly Asia

It might have been choosing the bags for the trip that did it. For some reason, at last, I'm getting a little more excited about the upcoming trip. Although less than half of the trip will be spent in Malaysia, I think it is a part I'm going to really enjoy. I love the mix of cultures that it promises. I can't believe with all the travelling we've done in our lives, we've somehow managed to skip it thus far.



I also found it surprising that Tourism Malaysia has designed a site specifically for Canada. To visit /www.tourismmalaysia.ca click this screen shot above.

Good Planning Makes for a Good Trip

We've still got two and a half weeks before this year's second big trip. I fear that we have been focusing mostly on preparing for the segment in China up to now. That portion of the trip requires visas. Also, as we've decided to do it alone, we've heard that it's a good idea to plan things such as hotels before leaving. I see that many folks still take tours in groups when going to Mainland China as little English is spoken there. In addition, we've had three main cities to reasearch: Shanghai, Beijing, and Xi'an. We will be there for around two weeks in total.

The other segment of our trip is also new to us. We've never been to the country Malaysia. That's what is finally occupying the majority of our research now. We will focus on just Kuala Lumpur and Penang. It is an easier place to travel as backpackers, or so we've been led to believe. We're only there for 10 nights. Now though, I'm looking forward to that stretch of the journey just as much as the first. We've not been in that little corner of the world for quite a long time, except for a few weeks in Thailand and Cambodia in 2009. In fact this photo below is 19 years old. This might be evidenced by the size of the lenses in my glasses as well as the bulk of the camcorder!


Borobudur is an 8th-century Mahayana Buddhist monument near Magelang, Central Java, Indonesia.

Doing Homework for Real Life

It's time to hit the books again!

Well in this case, we can study the books as well as view several videos. Although there is a tremendous amount of travel material online, there's still the reassuring organization of a well-written travel guide. When one travels like we do, we need to learn about the places before going. We generally get right out there and experience things on our own. Of the dozens and dozens of countries visited, there was nary a need for a tour group. I don't find them particularly insightful unless one has been too lazy to research what one is actually going to see. More importantly, I hate having to stay on someone else's itinerary.

For research reasons, I stopped by the municipal library on the way home from class this afternoon. These materials were on the shelf in the New Westminster Public Library. My library card also works in Burnaby, so I will probably stop in the new Edmonds location after we're finished with today's booty.

Doing a Little Pinning

I hadn't looked at my TripAdvisor world map for quite some time. In fact, I had to turn the pins in Central America from the green 'Going' to the yellow 'Been'. I am now confident in adding new pins in China and Malaysia too. The autumn flights have already been ticketed via expedia.ca.

1. Hong Kong, China
2. Prague, Czech Republic
3. San Francisco, CA, USA
4. Barcelona, Spain
5. New York City, NY, USA
6. Fes, Morocco
7. Siem Reap, Cambodia
8. Budapest, Hungary
9. Varanasi, India
10. Paris, France
11. Istanbul, Turkey
12. Puerto Vallarta, Mexico
13. Unawatuna, Sri Lanka
14. Naples, Italy

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Autumn Approaches Rapidly!

I don't often run into colleagues at work. Generally, I run directly to class without seeing any staff due to our vastly different schedules. I did meet Lynda, another teacher, last week when walking back to the parking lot. She asked about this fall's big trip. I didn't have an answer! It should be said that finding me without a lot to say happens on rare occasions only.

I love my job for many reasons but an important one is that I'm pretty much able to chose my own schedule. For example, I'm teaching three days a week until the middle of August this year.

For at least a decade, September and October have been the time we take on our larger, annual vacation. We find it a perfect time of year to get away. Usually, the summer crowds have dissipated but the weather in many destinations is great. In recent autumns, we've seen such far-flung countries as Spain, Cambodia, Morocco, Italy, and Sri Lanka.



We usually have started discussing possible places to visit by this time of year. In fact, by the end of June, we've had plane tickets in hand. We're not tour-group type people, so any trip requires a lot of preliminary research. Just in the past few days, we have seriously started narrowing down our options. I think a month away could include a chance to see a great deal of Malaysia and perhaps 10 days, either coming or going, in China. I am ready to see the Great Wall and the Terracotta Warriors.