Saturday The weather had cleared up and the sun showed its face again. It was an easy day of shopping, relaxing at the lake again for a few hours, and enjoying another of Berry's wonderful meals at Wim's house. In the evening we biked the few miles to Berry's sister, Gretha, for a visit. It was a real pleasure to meet her and her friend who happened to be visiting with her two dachshunds. Berry's sister was very welcoming and made me feel right at home. She and her friend are also quite the characters. The evening discussion mostly centered around the success, or lack of success, they had with internet dating. They were a hoot! I had a great time. Afterwards, the three of us mounted our bikes and rode off into the night ... read more

Untitled Thursday, (Friday we went on an All Day Tour- that's on the next blog), Saturday, Sunday, Monday If you ever travel to Greece and only have time to see one island, make it Santorini. It has the most spectacular vistas I've ever seen. The island was born from the eruptions of a volcano, leaving behind what they call the caldera, the outer edges of the crater. We traveled from Mykonos to Santorini on a high-speed hydrofoil which took about 3 hours, less than half the time of a regular ferry. And it rides just like a plane. All the ferries arrive at the new port at the bottom of a cliff. After gettting off we then took a taxi to Perissa on the other side of the island. The ride to the top up the ... read more

Untitled Friday (traveling day) From Kuala Lumpur I flew to Dubai (United Arab Emirates) in the Middle East. It was a six hour layover in the airport. The good thing is that Emirates Air has an outstanding business lounge. Lots of food, plenty of comfortable chairs, and SHOWERS! They don't have squat toilets, but they did have the hoses. No, I still don't know what you do with them without getting everything wet, and it's not the kind of thing I felt comfortable asking the receptionist about. So if you're interested, you'll have to look that one up on your own. If you find out anything, let me know. Another interesting bathroom mention is that the water in the toilet is hot. I felt like I was sitting on a teapot. Maybe it's the ultimate sign ... read more

Thursday (an extra day I forgot I had) Another day in the hot, humid air of Kuala Lumpur. Fortunately, there's plenty of shade and AC to be had. Yes, one more day to explore around the great city. Still lots to see. But because the weather is so oppressive, I slowed it down. I slept in and opted for the KL City Hop on/Hop off Tour Bus. It's air-conditioned, stops at all the major attractions/areas, and is relatively cheap ($US 12). While I waited for the bus to arrive at Sentral Station, a young woman came along looking for the same bus. She was from Canada, is going to school in Thailand, and now vacationing with her family for a few weeks. As we talked, we discovered that neither of us care for coffee, but ... read more

Untitled Tuesday (traveling day)/Wednesday The Declaration card you have to read to present to immigration when you arrive in Malaysia says "Be forewarned death for drug traffickers under Malaysian law." Not in Kansas anymore. Late flight, and I don't arrive at my hotel until midnight. I booked it over the internet, the Florida Hotel. Fitting since I'm from America. It got good ratings and, of course, it was cheap. The review said it was clean and convenient. Sounded good to me, and at midnight I wasn't about to be too picky. The hallways were a bit musty, but the room was good enough. And most importantly the AC worked. Kuala Lumpur, like many Asian cities, is hot and humid, even at midnight. I decided to sleep in until 8am and then took off to enjoy the ... read more