May 12, 2006

April marked a year of my SCUBA certification, and to celebrate, I decided to get my advanced certification on an island called Dayang, Malaysia, about 3 hours from where I got my original certification (prior blog entry) and about 1 hour from an island used in a Survivor series. Through a bizarre chain of events, including failing and malfunctioning equipment, I managed to pass all qualifications—and now looking forward to the next trip! Accommodations included running water (although about 5 minutes from my hut) and a cook (another 5 minutes from my hut). My friend Veronica and I were roommates and later buddies once I passed. We had to sleep under a rainstorm on the night boat trip on the way to the island—Thank GOD I own a waterproof sleeping bag!!
A few weeks later I met a friend who was sailing around South East Asia, and flying out of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. I was very happy to finally stay in a five star hotel that actually had sheets and shampoo! I never take nice accommodations for granted. The monument below is the largest war monument in the world (and in Malaysia, I noticed they seem to have the widest streets, and the tallest buildings too). Could be a fish story, although it was very big! We also went to an Indian Temple in a cave, on top of many stairs that had to be climbed to the entrance.
Last week I was in Shanghai. English was not an option in this cosmopolitan city, where all the goods are fake—See the picture of the knock off KFC! I was a novelty, attracting the interest of many locals who stared, waved and tried to touch me! “Lady, Lady, Lady” and “So Cheap” is about all the English they spoke to me, especially in the “knock off” market, where you can get everything from LV, to Fendi, to TAG, and Rolex for about US$10. Mary, my friend from NYC, was here and we took on this market. Not feeling so good after a long night of “bottoms up,” we walked around the market, stopping in each booth that had a chair for met to sit! Mary got some lovely items and I had a lovely afternoon—if you don’t mind being grabbed and pushed around all day, that is.
One of the famous rituals of doing business here is drinking an alcoholic beverage that I cannot name. It is a cross between turpentine, linseed oil, gas, and Kerosene. Not anything that could pass my lips, but it was fun to see my colleagues imbibe this “power drink” without having to take a trip to the hospital like many executives that come here to conduct business.
We went to a beautiful Buddhist temple, where you will see the pictures of folks worshipping. The golden orbs are little triangles of origami that they burn to worship their ancestors and appreciate their Gods. We had a little Tea ceremony where I found all teas are different and many have medicinal value. I will let you know in a month if they work… I bought the “loose weight” tea ;-)