Considering that we have been gone for 3 months, taken 8 flights, and traveled about 13,680 miles (22,016 km), our travels in SE Asia have been limited to Indonesia and a few days in Malaysia. So when we once again showed up in Kuala Lumpur we were excited to begin a new chapter and truly explore the city before venturing North.
Despite our readiness for the unknown, our first few days saw us settle into a familiar routine. Wake up late, hit the street, buy a bag of watermelon & pineapple, head into the curry house for Indian food, stroll the markets, achieve only half of our chores, hit the internet, eat dinner, watch a movie, sleep… repeat. It’s not exotic, but it’s easy to fall in love with.
Getting further afield in KL is easy. The city has a great rail system, the bus network is extensive, and taxis are cheap. It’s also refreshingly pedestrian friendly. With a rainbow of embassies and cheap flights heading anywhere, KL has become our steadfast base of operations – cheap, efficient, and reliable.
Val’s camera took an unexpected swim last month, minus its custom underwater housing – rendering both useless. The odyssey for a replacement took us across the city and back again, to more malls than we could count. Alas, nothing would work, it looked as if our scuba photography had officially ended. Just when we’d lost hope an interesting solution presented itself from right under our nose.
A Dutch couple staying in the same guest house happened to be reviewing their photos and we took notice. Their camera was a twin of our fallen comrade! Our underwater case would fit it perfectly! After some negotiation the Dutch walked away with a new upgraded camera, Val “got her camera back”, our aquatic photography future was rescued, and none of us had to sacrifice too many dollars!
Christmas is approaching fast and it looks like we’ll be celebrating it here in KL. Our loose plan is to move to Penang in Northern Malaysia within a few days, then slowly work our way from South to North Thailand. After that we’ll likely travel overland through Laos, Cambodia, and Vietnam, then have one last mainland hurah in Burma. Then it’s on to the Philippines or Malaysian Borneo to complete our divemaster training. But who knows? We’ll see which way the wind blows…
Maybe see you guys in Thailand. I will be arriving at the Taa Toh Dive resort in Koh Tao on 1/18 and then on a live aboard out of Ranong to the Similans on 1/31. Thereafter, whatever.