Returning to Bangkok felt like coming home. I spent a few days wandering around the city with my ipod, trying to take it all in and come to terms with the fact that my six months in Asia was ending. I felt very sad and very fortunate. I know I will return. [View Full Entry]

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I left the Batu Caves and took a taxi to the KL tower. I timed it so that I could have an hour of daylight, sunset and a night view of the city. A couple hours is a long time to spend in a small glassed-in circle, but the view is fantastic. [View Full Entry]

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After the National Mosque I took a train and taxi out to the Batu Caves, one of the most popular Hindu shrines outside of India. There are 272 numbered steps populated by wild monkeys up to the mouth of the cave. A 140 ft. golden statue of the Hindu diety Murugan towers above the staircase. The Batu Caves are the site of the Thaipusam Hindu festival, one of the largest human gatherings in the world, bringing 1.5 million pilgroms a year. I received a blessing at the main temple in the cave, held a albino python and hung out with the [View Full Entry]

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Malaysia's National Mosque, Masjid Negara, features a 239 ft. minaret and is a beautiful example of a modern mosque. They were very welcoming to non-muslim guests, although most people have to wear the purple robe. I did not get/have to because I was wearing long pants and my shoulders were already covered. [View Full Entry]

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Kuala Lumpur is one of the most "alive" places I have been. There are people out at any time of day or night. So much is going on in the streets. Two of the nights I was in KL, there was an outdoor Arabic Music Festival a block from where I was staying. [View Full Entry]

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Soon after I arrived, I fell in love with Kuala Lumpur, the capital of Malaysia. The first thing that struck me was the diversity, which stood in stark contrast to China. Malaysia's population consists of a mix of three major ethnic groups: muslim malays, chinese and indian. Kuala Lumpur, being a large city and an important economic hub for Southeast Asia, has people and influences from all over the world. This incredible diversity is seen in food, dress, architecture and customs. To me it seemed like a paradise: extreme differences with a "live and let live" aproach. Everybody seemed t [View Full Entry]

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To leave China I booked a flight from Tianjin to Kuala Lumpur. Tianjin is connected to Beijing by a high speed railway that reaches 217mph (350 km/h). I took the half hour ride from Beijing the day before my flight, so I did not have much time to fully explore Tianjin. The city had a very strange feel to it. Everywhwere I looked there were groups of 10 or 15 grey builings being built, each one accompanied by a crane. It really looked like something out of a science fiction film. It looked sterile and lifeless at dusk, but I found [View Full Entry]

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Stephanie, Ritu, Nilam & I toured the Forbidden City and Tiananmen Square. The Forbidden City was built 600 years ago, requiring more than a million workers and has been the cultural and political focal point in China since. It is the largest surviving palace structure in the world. Tiananmen Square lies just south of the Forbidden City through the Gate of Heavenly Peace which displays the iconic portrait of Mao Zhedong. Tinanmen Square is the largest urban square in the world. The Mao Mausoleum is on the south end of the square. I arrived in China during the 20th anniversary o [View Full Entry]

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There are several different areas of the Great Wall that can be visited. I had heard some bad stories about overcrowded and unpleasant Great Wall tours especially the section closest to Beijing. I went to a section about an hour and half outside the city that was beautiful and not over-run with tourists. I signed up for a tour through the hostel where I was staying and met three Canadian girls, Stephanie, Ritu and Nilam, on the bus ride out there. We spent the day walking the length of the wall, taking photos and getting our asses kicked by the sun. [View Full Entry]

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Beijing is, in some ways, the center of the universe right now. Many believe the 21st century to belong to China and Beijing is like the control room. It is very different than the parts of China I have experienced so far, especially following the adjustments made for the 2008 Olympics held less than a year ago. I gave myself the challenge of getting from the airport (far outside of town) to a hostel without using a taxi. So it involved a shuttle bus, a couple different subway lines and a fair amount of walking, but I had no problems. I [View Full Entry]

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