Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia--R & R

Hello everyone!

We just arrived via suprisingly comfortable 5-hour bus ride (pictured below; Brian and Staci were sleepy) to Kuala Lumpur, the capital city of Malaysia. We are settled into our hostel now, our new home for at least the next two nights, though the free internet, breakfast, cable TV, and DVDs may beg us to stay a night or two longer (Bob, it is like K's House in Nagano, but not quite as refined and no Nozami, unfortunately).

To recap on the events since my last entry, we began the day yesterday meeting up with Joe at Starbucks near Little India, Singapore. From there we traveled by foot to Arab Street (obviously an ethnic district), where Joe treated us all to a very fulfilling brunch consisting of a fried egg, flatbread dish and some Chinese tea (pictured below).

After walking and talking with Joe, a very knowledgable trekker of the Southeast Asia region, we parted ways and spent the rest of the afternoon walking the streets of Little India. As Joe accurately described it, parts of this area truely felt like they were cut right out of an Indian sidestreet, complete with droves of tented food and resale markets.

We ended our final evening in Singapore with a trip to the riverwalk (pictured above), where we were again pleasantly suprised by the upscale, festive atmosphere. Fortunately enough, we entered the area on the first night of a city-sponsored mid-Autumn festival, including a waterfront rock concert and indoor Chinese orchestra free of charge. We ate dinner at a delicious Thai restaurant--the most expensive meal but worth it.

Speaking of food, we are going to go get some.

Mike