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Published: June 12th 2006
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Our morning view
Looking out of our balcony to the east. Being back in Kuantan is nice because it means we can actually stay in one place for a while. We managed to get a condo at a complex where we stayed last time we were here. It’s got a great view overlooking the South China Sea which means mornings are a front row seat to the sunrise. The first few days after we got here I was still waking up at 5:30, but it didn’t take long to get into the habit of sleeping in, especially since we have all been staying up late. It ‘s even worse now that the world cup soccer is on and the games start around midnight or 3am. I did manage to wake up before sunrise once and get a 10k run in. I woke up watched the sunrise the started off down the hill; the place we’re staying at is on a hill in the jungle. The rest of the run, into town about 3miles, was flat and easy but by the time I headed back and had to climb the monster hill (Kathy ,Pam and Julio: imagine the road up to the Skinker barricade from the Living World in Forest Park) the sun
Pool boy
The kids love the pool at the apartment was already scorching hot. Note to self: run first, then watch sunrise!
The bad thing about staying where we are is that it is kind of removed from everything. We have to have a car to get around. Jo’s folks have kindly let us borrow their car while we’re here. It took a little bit to get used to driving on the left, but shifting with my left hand was not a problem. I think it’s like a bicycle, once you have learned how it comes back quickly. Kuantan itself has lots of cars and not so many motorbikes, well next to none compared to Vietnam. You have to be aggressive here when jockeying for a lane, otherwise you’ll get pushed aside. It’s not really that stressful, not like driving in Kuala Lumpur (KL). I’ll tell you more about that later.
Things have changed over the past three years here in Kuantan; there have been several new buildings, tall buildings, put up and lots more older blocks pulled down. The center part of town, the section with the old row of colonial shopfronts and their “5 foot way” overhangs are still intact, but who knows what “progress” will
Amba's Mini
My friendly barber and his 1966 Mini, he offered to let me take for spin, but I declined this time. It's just about Will's size. Amba says he can fit his family of 5 in it. bring in the future. The trend seems to be towards giant malls; sound familiar? Out on the western edge of town is the Wallyworldesque megastore, they use the term “hypermart”, called Giant. It’s got everything under one roof at cheap prices; again, sound familiar? Lets hope it doesn’t kill the mainstreets here like similar corporations have in the US. They do have a lot going for them as we have found that Giant seems to have decent prices, while at most other shops the prices have to be haggled down a bit to be reasonable, which gets tedious. There seems to be lots of loyalty among consumers and the shops they go to, so maybe the smaller shops will survive.
Aside from shops, every other location seems to be a food stall or restaurant. Malaysians, like the Singaporans, are crazy about food. If they aren’t eating, then they are thinking about food or their next meal, or at least discussing food. I know that’s the part that Jo misses most about home, the food. I really missed the satay, and char siew (bbq pork). Because lots of the eating places are set up like a food court, we can
King Will
Will gets the pampered grandson treatment whenever he goes to Jo's folk's place. all get our favorites and sit together. That means I can have satay every night is I like. Well, not every night, maybe every other night. We’ve only just begun to scratch the surface of the food here. The kids are doing pretty good, trying a few things every now and then without too much complaint. Viv has already expressed a fondness for chicken satay!
We are still trying to sort out the internet connection, as it is not the easiest of situations now. We have to go over to the apartment office and sit in the lobby to use Jo’s laptap, or we can go into town and use a net café for a whole 3 ringgit an hour (about 78 cents). We are hopeful that soon she will be able to use her computer here in the apartment, as she is still doing 20 hours of design a week via and sending it back to STL. Recently, she’s taken to sitting in the Starbucks at the Berjaya MegaMall here in Kuantan using their wireless. She was there for 4 hours yesterday. They don’t seem to mind at all. The only thing is that she doesn’t drink coffee….
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Gerry C
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Motoring in Malaysia
Hey everyone; Keith, whats with declining the opportunity to drive a "classic" mini. I can attest to the fact that one can fit five people in it, from my experience as a kid with our 1962 mini. They really are like a go cart to drive. I see that Will has his SCOSAG art camp shirt on in the photo at the grandparents. Our kids are looking forward to this year's camp. Sorry you can't make it. Its almost time for the "do or die" world cup match between the US and Italy. Enjoy your viewing there. I'll e-mail soon.