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Published: December 2nd 2007
My Livingroom
Anyone who saw my old apartment in TO will agree I have moved up in the world.Travel Blog #1
Well here it is. I'm finally sending out a blog. There is so much to tell and show already, but I will try to keep it brief.
Home:
Malaysia is located at 2 30 N, 112 30 E. That means we get 12 months of summer with a few rainy seasons thrown in for fun when the sun passes over on its journey between the tropics. The population is 24,821,286 and it breaks down like this: Malay 50.4%!,(MISSING) Chinese 23.7%!,(MISSING) indigenous 11%!,(MISSING) Indian 7.1%!,(MISSING) others 7.8%! (MISSING)The different groups are pretty disparate and their is a big advertising campaign going on right now to try create a sense of a unified Malaysian identity that is inclusive of all groups.
In terms of religion it breaks down like this: Muslim 60.4%!,(MISSING) Buddhist 19.2%!,(MISSING) Christian 9.1%!,(MISSING) Hindu 6.3%!,(MISSING) Confucianism, Taoism, other traditional Chinese religions 2.6%!,(MISSING) other or unknown 1.5%!,(MISSING) none 0.8%! (MISSING)
(I'm sure any of my students reading this feel like their back in my Geography class.... and yes, this will be on the test.)
I live in a very western area. It is nice because it is very easy to live here and
My building
A friend of mine calls my building 'the trousers'. everyone speaks English, but it is a bit disappointing in terms of experiencing new culture. I have bought a motorcylce and now I can travel a bit more and see more local communities.
Indonesia:
Indonesia has sort of been my home away from home away from home. I travel there whenever I have a few days off, in no small part due to a special person living there named Lisa. Travel is pretty cheap here. Flying to Jakarta for the weekend would be the equivalent of going to the family cottage back home in terms of cost and travel time.
Indonesia is the 4th most populous country in the world. It is an archipelago of 17,508 islands. The actual number is always in flux due to the forces or erosion and volcanoism. There are over 120 live volcanos in Indonesia. There is over 300 ethnic groups in Indonesia. The breakdown is as follows. Javanese 40.6%, Sundanese 15%, Madurese 3.3%, Minangkabau 2.7%, Betawi 2.4%, Bugis 2.4%, Banten 2%, Banjar 1.7%, other or unspecified 29.9%. It is predominantly a muslim country. The breakdown of religions is as follows: Muslim 86.1%, Protestant 5.7%, Roman Catholic 3%,
The Pool
Here is the pool and restaurant. A nice place to relax on a Saturday when I find the time. Hindu 1.8%, other or unspecified 3.4%.
Jakarta:
What can I say about Jakarta. It is the craziest city I have visited. In Bangkok anything is possible, but as my friend Slamet said, "In Jakarta, everything is possible." It is a huge city with oppressive traffic and engulfing pollution. Poverty is rampant. There are squatters living along the canals and rail tracks in little shacks. There is of course no garbage collection or sanitation in those areas so as you can imagine, it is a mess. People do all kinds of things to make a megre living. There are places where there are high occupancy lanes in which you need to have three passengers in your car. People will stand at the beginning of the lane to rent themselves out as passengers if you don't have enough people in your car to use the lane. It is probably worth the cost to break out of the gridlock. Floods and power outages are not uncommon. The infrastructure has not kept up with population growth. But it is a city full of life and culture. There are many traditional markets and excellent food at very cheap prices. I have found the
My Ride
This little 135cc liquid cooled engine really kicks ass. I wouldn't have believed it if I didn't experience it for myself. It cruises at 150 km on the highway and is very stable. My fingers get tinggly after a long ride though. people to be kind and welcoming.
Endnotes:
Well, I have finally done it. I have completed my first blog. Now that I know how this works I will try to send these out more regualarly. I hope you enjoy my pictures and stories, but please feel no obligation to respond. However, if you do wish to comment or respond I welcome it. My next blog will be about school life and Bali.
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Lisa
non-member comment
woo hoo! 1st comment!
Congratulations on your first blog! Nicely done!