Eye Candy, or Escaping the Heat in KL

via Louise Despont

Still in KL. Still waiting for my Kazakhstan visa. The embassy said to call them this afternoon.

It's very hot here, and I'm escaping the mid-day heat by working in our room. And by "working," I obviously mean staring at Louise Despont's works and reading up on the Railways issue.

Melaka

via zenoed flickr

We stayed at Ringo's Foyer, a small guesthouse in Chinatown, a stone's throw from tourist-centric Jonker Street - a narrow walkway flanked by Chinese and nonya eateries, temples, old printing press companies, small art galleries. We wandered into the old quarter, where colonial remnants, Portuguese and British, stood. We dined on dosas accompanied by ridiculously massive mugs of fresh orange juice.

Not a bad time.

Topshop and Other Meanderings in KL

I dropped off my visa application at the Kazakhstan embassy on Tuesday morning and begged that the 5-working day rule be expedited. I'll find out tomorrow.

After running that errand, the rest of the day was ours for the taking, and we wandered past "embassy row", into and around a 100-degree Kuala Lumpur, and eventually into the shiny shopping center sitting at the base of the Petronas Towers, where I literally fell over myself into the Topshop. After apologizing to Ethan for what would soon become a rabid response, I ran around trying this and that on, enticed by all the punchy colors and patterns, all reminiscent of hazy summers, all eye candy I've deprived myself of for the past year in Cambodia. [Note: My time working in Cambodia has no doubt resulted in a heightened sensitivity to anything resembling decent clothing.]

I forced myself to walk away that time, but I'll go back before I leave KL. The rest of the day was spent browsing the selection at the giant Kinokuniya bookstore, where all the books were plastic-covered to prevent my perusing; walking the park outside, where security guards stopped us and others from sitting on the perfectly manicured grass; chatting during afternoon tea, and eating a dinner of curried eggplant and rice at a food stand at the entrance of Chinatown.

I have (not surpisingly) managed to stay on top of online work conversations, but not managed to really write anything.

To remedy that, we moved, via 2 hour bus ride, to the much quieter, portside town of Melaka, a lovely World Heritage site.

Step 2

Step 1, a.k.a. the Chinese visa, is done.

Step 2, a.k.a. the Kazakhstan visa, is a big headache for me.

None of the travel agencies in Phnom Penh can help me. One option is to use a visa processing service I've previously used in the U.S., but that would require FedEx-ing my passport to Washington D.C. - a bit ridiculous.

I am left with two feasible options -- the Bangkok consulate or the Kuala Lumpur consulate. I've heard that the service in Bangkok is really iffy, with the consulate open only two hours a few days a week, with strict 5-working-day processing, strict application processing, and payment that would require me running to a bank and back to the embassy with a pay slip in the two-hour business window. Impossible.

So I am off to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia tomorrow. I am working remotely. Maybe this will force me to write! The past few weeks have been rough for me. The meetings with shareholders have been deflating, with affected community stomping out, frustrated by the process and lack of progress. I'm attempting to buckle down next month, to focus on field research -- invariably long, draining days.

Ethan is coming with me to Malaysia. Next week, he flies from Kuala Lumpur to Paris, France to meet his family. He will traipse around Europe for the month of July, with a small climb up the Matterhorn with his brother. If all goes according to plan, we meet in Almaty, Kazakhstan in August.

My heart is a little heavy. I'm listening to Nouvelle Vague to pick me up, or calm me down.

Views from the South China Sea

I am far from beach bum material. Nonetheless, our time there was too short. And why is Malaysian food so yummy? More later.

Travel Legs

via e-Borneo

We returned from our short holiday last night, and not until I stepped foot in busy, chaotic Phnom Penh did I fully appreciate the air of calm and peace that has enveloped me the past week, a tranquility that has stayed despite the rather hurried travel schedule. There was a lot of movement on this trip. It went something like this:

-Flight from Phnom Penh to Kuala Lumpur (Peninsular Malaysia)

-Flight from Kuala Lumpur to Brunei Darrusalam on the island of Borneo

-Ferry to the island of Labuan

-Ferry to Kota Kinabalu (Malaysian Borneo)

Strangely enough, and I forgot that this tends to be the case with me, the constant movement and exploration just feels right. It puts me at ease and there are a few things that feel more natural to me.

There were, of course, many quiet, still moments, many of which were spent sampling local cuisine, staring at the lapping waves of the South China Sea or the encroaching mist on Mt. Kinabalu.

Happy Mother's Day!

via SiddarthK flickr

Tonight:

I am thinking of my mum and grandmother who are traveling in the Philippines at the moment. I miss them.

I am thinking of my dear friends Cherlou and Alex, who just welcomed their first son, Bradley. I hope to meet him someday soon!

I am thinking of baking oatmeal popovers soon.

I am thinking of the holiday this week - the King's Birthday. Ethan and I are flying to Kuala Lumpur in Peninsular Malaysia, then to Brunei Darussalam, where we plan to begin a somewhat hurried (though fun) overland journey to Malaysian Borneo.

I am thinking Vivian the cat has taken over our house. (Her kittens died, which really bummed out Clarisse and me.)

I am thinking this week will be busy -- much wrap up from last week's field visit, a visit from an amazing colleague based out of Bangkok, and other things.