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Another glorious day in paradise! While said tongue-in-cheek, it is fast becoming a stock-phrase out here in these parts, when we wake up to another blue sky, with lots of sunshine, and hot temperatures. Before you all start berating me for this, the temperature is that little bit too hot, where you come over all "diabetic" half way through the day, and have no energy to do anything. A ten-minute walk outside, results in being a sweaty-mess that needs a 3rd shower of the day! haha, we're certainly not complaining, but small variations in the day, when you're from/live in a country that can have snow/rain/sun all at the same moment, never mind the same day, are also greatly appreciated! We were on Kapas yesterday, when a storm blew in ... it only lasted ten minutes, but all the expats that live locally got up to stand at the door and watch the rain for a bit, expressing delights of beauty, bit of freshness, something different .... who knew that "rain" could bring this out in us all!
But mostly, it's also representative of having been here for 6 months, and life has started to settle
into its routines. Things don't feel that different anymore and so time has sped up to normality - 5 weeks have already passed since Dan arrived! April and May have gone in the blink of an eye! I'm almost half way through already! But with that "normality of surroundings" comes a lot of comfort. New people become friends, favourite restaurants, not relying on a GPS to find your way around town, having "locals" where you're always welcomed back, whether it's a food court, pub or an island. Knowing where to get "home comforts", things for day-to-day living or how to pay the bills. A dinner invitation, turns into an impromtu party, when almost every expat in town arrives (ha, much like barletta!) Going to islands, and bumping into people you know!
And yet, there is still a lot of "new" to be discovered, which continues to add the spice and variety to life. I moved two weeks ago, from Kota Bharu to Kuala Terengganu. The move happened as I took on two new trainers in southern terengganu, and so places me physically in the middle of all my trainers. After 2 days in my new house, I was back
in KB for 5 days, where we discovered a new underground karaoke bar (love those places! real slices of life going on there). We were also taken out to thai/chinese restaurants in the countryside, which are lovely way to escape the city. The KB team this weekend, have discovered an italian restaurant run by a swiss couple, that i'll be checking out on my next visit.
The north of KB is only half an hour from the Thai border, and so there are also some buddhist temples, which again, are so in contrast to the culture we're living in, that it makes you feel like you're in another country. Great haven for the dogs in the north-east too!
The elections have recently passed here, and perhaps because of my time in China, where you become paranoid about speaking about anything over the net, I won't say much about them 😉 But, the north-east, explodes into a visual cacophany of blue and green flags, and various sculptures of submarines and tanks and fighter planes, which apparantly represent various parts of Malay history. They mostly come down at the end of the elections, which is a bit like taking down
the decorations after christmas, making things look a little more bare and not quite as pretty 😉
I continue to travel a lot, but have had a few more weekends at home, so we've been making the most of the islands. The Perhentians and Kapas are very different, but equally beautiful and a visit to either provides the sensation that you've been away on holiday, rather than for a weekend. You come back refreshed, tired out from snorkelling, sun and sea-air, oh, and cocktails and late nights, but ready to take on the week ahead, in the much-less beautiful cities we live in.
So, Malaysia is still working its wonders on me. It's not necessarily a country that you walk in and immediately love, but it can be a slow grower ... though, not for everyone.
True to form, in the couple of years I've left Oxford in the 9 years I have lived there, big events always happen when i'm away. So a massive congratulations to Maritza and Dave on wee Amelia (io sono la zia!!!) and Catriona and Pete on wee Wilfie, who is newly-arrived this week! Looking forward to meeting the new additions to
our already-established regent family. 😉
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