I know you’ve all been wondering, “Why hasn’t Malaysia ever won an Olympic medal in track”. I’ve pondered that myself. Now I know…it’s the sidewalks!!!! I believe the entire team has been swallowed up.
Kuala Lumpur is not a pedestrian friendly city….and you must be very careful when walking about. Initially Heidi and I thought we would take long walks around the neighborhood and little jogs down to the lake. What we didn’t know was the condition of the sidewalks. Because of the monsoon-like rains that fall here, the gutters are deep, deep, deep to accommodate the run-off, and are covered with slabs of concrete or metal grates. Quite often these covers will break apart leaving gaping holes just waiting to swallow someone up. (like the entire Malaysian track team). You only walk at night if you have a death wish. Here are a few pictures of the sidewalks around our condo…mind you, a very nice area of town. On the plus side, there are some beautiful parks in town and some have jogging tracks and lots of gyms to join.
Fruit of the Week
Couldn’t help ourselves…had to try two different fruits this week.
First RAMBUTAN. It is red, furry and looks like a fruit Dr. Seuss could create. When you peel off the covering, you get a translucent fruit that tastes a lot like lychee. You must be careful as there is a hard pit inside…fruit is very sweet….I can see a Rambutan Cheesecake in the future.
Custard Apple
Not sure if ours was ripe or not…they just looked interesting. The outside looks almost like a pinecone…ours was purple in color. The interior looked apple-like but with larger seeds. We thought it tasted similar to an Bartlett pear.
First friend to visit!!!! Sarah Grimm. Sarah is here visit Allie, Will and Grant. So nice to see a familiar face, hear about news back home, and show-off this beautiful country of Malaysia. Last night we tried a new dining spot…Brussels Beer Cafe. We all tried different brews but ordered the same meal…pork cheese burger with fries. Today the Chisholm’s are going to visit an elephant sanctuary. Hope they share pictures. Gotta rush…if we don’t get on the road before 6:30 we’re doomed to traffic snarls.
Our Adventures 
The gap in the sidewalk looks like a broken ankle waiting to happen. Be careful.. love reading about your adventures. Summer is finally here in the valley. It’s clear and blue skies with a gentle wind blowing. Hot but nice. Have a wonderful day!
Hello Jennifer,
Haven’t had time to read much this summer. I did read a quick book from Sweden…The 100 Year Old Man Who Climbed Out of a Window and Disappeared by Jonas Jonasson. It is a story similar to Forrest Gump…quite humorous, just one of those books where you won’t learn much reading it but it brings a smile to your face and giggle to your heart.
Those gaps in the sidewalk are people size…now and then you hear of people falling into them…not looking where they were going. Some get seriously hurt. They are rather scary. To say the least, you keep your head down when walking!!!
Enjoy that Wenatchee weather…don’t you just love those hot summer days!!! Not much diversity here when it comes to weather….let’s see, hot, humid, good chance of rain…pretty much spells it out !!! It actually isn’t as oppressive as I thought it might be. Mornings are quite pleasant and we spend a lot of time on our deck
Take care,
bob-
Bob and Heidi,
Oh my goodness…the sidewalks look like a lawsuit waiting to happen…or perhaps no need for lawsuits if you don’t “make it” through the fall. Stick to the parks for your exercise and walks.
I seriously love your photos and description of the new foods you try. It would be fascinating to try all those new fruits…loving your idea to do so each week. Some look a little dangerous from the outside only to discover beauty in the inside. Wow! Thanks for these photos. What a wonderful world we live in!
Happy Summer!
Ang
Angie,
You know, using these fruits might be a good way to teach children to look beyond a person’s exterior…their looks, their clothes, etc. etc. and take time to see what is on the inside…might be sweet like Rambutan !!!
Wish I could send you some samples….you would love trying them.
I heard the weather is gorgeous right now in Wenatchee…hope you are enjoying it!!! School starts here August 13…..super busy until then…and then even busier!!! Such is school !!!!
Bob-
Be very careful of those sidewalks…remember, when I fell in the 4 foot hole at the college (they didn’t let me know they removed the grate in front of my office)? That started all my troubles.
I wish we had the ‘eyeball’ fruit here. It would be fun going over the eyeball in class and then popping one of these in my mouth.
By the way, Beth and I would love to visit. I’ve said if I can go 6 months without getting real sick we would go. Hope you could stand us for a bit. Love you
Rhonda,
We would LOVE to have you visit. When did the 6 month count down begin??? My fingers are crossed….and while you are here, you might want to go to one of those nice beach resorts and spas…you may never return !!!! And perhaps you can take a few Rambutan home with you!!! Aren’t they crazy looking?!!! And believe you me, I watch out for the holes in the ground…I’ve actually gone running a few times but only on the weekend when I can run in the light.
Stay healthy, come visit !!!
bob-
Bob and Heidi! I have really enjoyed reading through your blog so far! So many similar experiences to those we had in Indonesia! You guys have already begun your amazing, life-changing adventure! Keep writing! It’s so fun to live vicariously through you two!
When do you start school?
Kim and Steve
Hello Kim,
Two words seem to sum up our experience so far: life changing. Already we view the world through a different lens…it has been an adventure in every sense of the word.
Tonight I braved it and tried Durian Fruit….my goodness was it nasty….almost as bad as it smelled….Heidi said my eyes started watering and kind of crossed as I struggled to keep it down.
It is Ramadan now…ginormous buffets all around. Love, love, love learning about the different religions, cultures and customs.
School starts on August 12…but before that we do a truly thorough job bringing all the new staff up to snuff with what we call ISKL Essentials….everything from our mission and vision to curriculum units, assessments and collaborative norms. It has been hard work getting to know the new system and culture.
Hope you and Steve are enjoying your summer. We’ll keep blogging away!!!
Bob-
My favorite fruit over there is ramubutan! I was doing a lesson this past year and was explaining to my students how hard it is to learn something when you have no background knowledge to connect to. I used the example of rambutan. I tried to explain to them what it looks like, how it felt, what it tasted like. The next day I brought a wooden example to class and it was so funny to hear their comments about their mental pictures and the actual “look”of the fruit!
I never could do durian either! I’ve never heard of custard apple but there was another fruit I really liked called snake skin. I think it had another name too, I’ll research that!
We met with some Canadian friends, who live in Indonesia, just yesterday. We taught with them when we were there. They have lived in Indonesia 18 years and still love it!
Good luck at the start of school! Look forward to hearing from you again through your blogs!
Kim
Bob, the snake skin fruit is officially called salak. It looks like it can be found in Malaysia too.
Thanks Kim…I keep finding out new things everyday. I think there are many similarities between Indonesia and Malaysia. (I personally did not care for salak….but I have a Thai Rainbow Mango every night for dessert!!!!)
bob-
Love Love Love the whole blog!! It took me a couple weeks to get my head to clear from our jet lag, and then get signed up for your blog of adventure. You are having an awesome experience, for sure!!
Tammy,
So glad you are following. We are definitely having the time of our lives….but getting busy, busy, busy with the start of school just three weeks away. Sarah Grimm is here right now visiting her sister. It has been so fun watching her reactions to things like the crazy driving and eating durian fruit!!! She will have tales to tell.
I so enjoyed the blog you and Kim put together…actually learned a lot of history. Someday, when we finally come home, Heidi and I must trace some of your footsteps !!! What an experience you had !!!
One thing Heidi and I are going to miss is your opening day talk…always looked forward to your inspirational words…..if you happen to type them out, we would love to have a copy. I still have my Keep Calm and Carry On card !!!!
Be Brilliant,
Bob-