Homesickness

Like grief also change happens in a set pattern. When you go to a new place for a longer period of time, ze culture shock happens in 100% certainty. Some don't even notice it, some think that they are going crazy. The steps are:

1. honeymoon -everything's better than home
2. negotiation - everything's better back home
3. adjustment - everything's your new home

I never had step 1 or 2, I went straight to 3. I'm happy to be here, but never jumped over the roofs. Don't get me wrong, I AM thankful for this opportunity, I DO like it here, and I DO understand that this is the opportunity of a life time. Heck, I could imagine myself living here.
But alas, I am homesick.
It is completely normal but I feel guilty about it, which doesn't help at all. I don't expect anybody to understand, but it would be nice to get some understanding. This is typical, but also really, really annoying. I don't want to be whiny and sad. Not now. I'm going away soon enough.

To other news: on Friday I'm going to Sabah and next week's Friday I'm off to Vietnam and Cambodia. The week after that we are going to Brunei and then it's my last week. Tomorrow I shall make a post about my daily routines. I promise you guys, it's going to be the best one yet!

KL

All I have to say about Kuala Lumpur: it is. There is the outskirts, the center, and then some forrest. Whoopdie doo. The center looks like a copy of Canary Wharf, the suburbs look like well.. suburbs and the forrest has trees and more trees. If you guys need more information, turn to the tourist guide.

(I did meet some Ch'ng's friends there. They were great)

Here's what has happened within the past two weeks: Timo's parent's paid a visit, we went to Thailand and I had visit to Langkawi. I've lost the luxury of free internet access at the pool so now I have to drag my computer to the office. Oh the pain and suffering! And yes, I have my laptop with me. Not because I cannot survive without it, but because in the end of the day, I'm here to work. I know what you guys are thinkin! I do have a life here! (subjective, I got a new game as a birthday present, and finnished it in a less than a week)... Moving on!

I have only one word to describe Thailand: great. We only spent two days there, but it was very nice and surprisingly different when compared to Malaysia. The Malaysian mainland is mainly covered with two different kind of vegetation; paddy fields and palm oil trees (okok there's foresty areas somewhere over there). Thailand has a variation of gum trees and kinda rainforesty housing, atleast in southern Thailand. Also the cities are different; Hotyai is much more colourful but Penang has more capital.

I also went to Langawi. In the original plan I was supposed to spend two nights and three days, but then ended up staying a bit longer. The people I met were simply amazing. Cannot thank these people enough, Niamph, Lynn, Jamie, Mike, Marie, Jesper, Andrew(aka mum :P), oh my gosh, Ben and the Taiwanese girls, love you all to bits and I hope I'll meet you guys somewhere. I also wrote a diary while over there. So once again, here's almost uncencored bits of my private and exciting thoughts:

Day 1
Do you guys ever reminesence about those good old days? I know I do. Atleast my stomach used to work back then in the 90's!
So today I'm off to Langkawi. Woke up quite early after a night of rolling around, sweating, and feeling nouseous like an old rhino. Damn that last night's shrimp noodles!
Today's the first day I'm going to travel around Asia all by myself *insert the song here*. I know it will be ok, but I cannot help myself from being a bit scared and nervous. This is a good thing, I think, it just means I value my life and that I care. I like this feeling though. After arriving to the destination, drinking the first beer, and realising that you made it and you're still ok, is the best feeling in the world.
This nausea isn't though. ugh
--after few hours--
The ferry just left. I went outside to get some fresh air and to see how Penang disappears to the distance. I felt the wing whipping m face, salt water on my lips, and my head singing 'you are free'. This is the reason why I travel.
French trailers are shown in the telly. Next: Vin Diesel movie. Next: Langkawi.

Day 2
Last day was simply amazing. Half an hour after I arrived to the Zackry's Guesthouse, I was shuffed into a rental, and was sent off to a mangrove tour. That is how I met Andrew, Mike, and Maya, Ben, and (I'm so sorry, don't remember their names!) the Twainese girls.
Mangrove tour was really nice. For the first time I got to see Asian nature, almost untouched by man. We got to see pretty fishies, flying eagles, more fishies, bats(in a huge cave) and monkeys. One of the best moments of the tour was when I was sitting in the front of the boat and just watching the senery swoosh in front of my eyes
When we came back I had a nap and we were off to an Italian restaurant. It was located in the end of a pier so basicly we were eating on water. The view would've been beautiful, but too bad the sun had set before. After this started my craving for pizza.
So today started with a soggy theme. It seems that my stomach hasn't fully settled yet. Bah. Never mind. In Finland we have this saying 'nappia naamaan ja menox!' which seems to be my life filosofy. I had a pet during the night, a pretty black lizard, so I released it to the nature. Then I was off to have breakfast with the peeps. Atlast I was able to finnish the whole plate!
The main event of the day was island hopping. This time I went alone, but I met new people on the way. Some of them were also from USM which is quite funny coincidence. We started by going to the Pregnant Woman Island (shaped like a pregnant woman, d'oh) and to a sweet water lake in the middle of it. At the lake there were tons of crazy monkeys that some stupid tourists started feeding. We also had the change of trying fish therapy, which tickles like hell. Then we were off to see some more eagles and the final destination was this beach in the middle of nowhere. The sand was like white powder and the sea was blue like... a blue sea.

Day 4
No ferry's and no working visa. Internet banking passwords and whatnots are in Penang. Visa Electron is in Penang. I was feeling nauseous again in the morning, but now my stomach's settled a bit. Although I don't need them, but also all my ID's are in Penang. Fuck. This is what my friends call Marja's travelling style.
The main steps of my way are:
1. Take the wrong train/bus/tram
2. Don't be too sure where you are actually going
3. Don't take care of your travelling plans, like booking in advance exetera
4. Budjet? What is that?
5. Last but definetly not the least: make sure your visa stops working in the critical moment. Like when you need to stay extra nights and end up with 15 ringits(3 E) to survive with for two days. (not that little money here, but kinda scary anyway)

After that I got lazy. Of course everything ended up justn fine, visa's working now, and I got to spend one extra day at the hostel. Didn't want to leave anyways, so never mind. I'm still missing the time there, and hopefully I learned my lesson about organizing my shit properly. (ok this time I actually tried really hard, like tried to pay visa bill before the trip ectect.) But probably didn't learn anything :P

Road Trip!

Or almost one. We have to do sampling outside Penang, on a new construction site, so we drive there atleast once a week. Last week I took my camera with me and started taking some pictures on the way. These are taken while we were on the movem so some of the pictures are a bit blurry.

Everyone here drive scooters. I'd do the same, but I don't have the license :(

Rice fields!

The worst quality, but this is the most important picture. Of course the construction men are illegal immigrants, who are working just to pay off their trip to Malay. These guys are from Bangladesh and they are living in these shacks. On the back side they have a filthy junk yard where chickens and ducks are eating what they can before they become dinner. The workers on the other site have about the same story.

Le Awesome Tourist Day

I don't know where to start. Today we went with Ch'ng and her friend Sinkak (?) to eat chinese breakfast and to visit Kek Lok See, the biggest Asian temple around here. I have about billion pictures, and no patience to download them, so hopefully this small collection is enough. If I have time and enegy (probably not) I'll give more indept story about the place

Ch'ng and Sinkak. Amazing people!

Chinese breakfast

Entering the temple

Inner court

Monk's dormitories. Notice the solar panels on the roof

We saw monkeys at a park. The main dude ate from my hand!

Ok, so we got an appartment quite soon after we arrived. Of course we have to pay the western price, but what the hell. Seventh floor, pool, three bedrooms, and free internet at the pool. And oh yeah,did I mention the pool?

The view from my room.I can also see the Penang bridge, I'll show a picture later

Our place is on the right side, seventh floor.

Le Pool.

Don't know how save it is to swim in it though!

We went to an indian restaurant with Wendy and her husband. The food was amazing! First we had a thin crispy bread(it had honey and sugar and salt, yummy!). Then we had garlic and cheese naan bread and lense sause. It was so good that I'm still dreaming about it!

That's what she said!

Day 1

When I arrived it was 8 pm. I had slept the whole flight but was still feeling tired. Dr Nik picked me up from the airport and took me to the girls dormitory. We didn't know what time Timo was going to arrive so we went back to the airport every hour. He was here at 23.

The next day we mainly wondered around and got to know the local area. Dr Nik was really nice and drove us around and told us about the local life style and cultrure. We also got to know a really funny girl, Shalima, who took us shopping the same evening.

The wiev from my window

My room for the first few nights



Timo and Shalima

View from Queensbay Mall