When we eventually come home, we will miss many things here in Malaysia….$4.00 first run movies at the theatre, the friendliness of the people, the warmth, the beaches….but one thing we will not miss is the driving (and monkeys). We’ve mentioned driving before on our blog but after our drive to work today we couldn’t resist sharing what we see on a typical morning drive to school. Heidi kept the tally on her phone….here goes:
1. One motorcycle going the wrong way on a one way street. Just drove right by us without blinking an eye.
2. Two garbage trucks stopped in the left hand lane, not on the shoulder, but in the lane. This on the freeway. Didn’t look like they were even collecting trash.
3. Three cars running red lights at the first intersection we came to….not talking about just when the light turns from yellow to red, we’re talking about cars stopped at red and dashing across when they think they can.
4. One very large bus tailgating a small economy car, less than two feet away, doing 90 kilometers per hour. Car wouldn’t pull over, bus wouldn’t back off….not sure who won…they were going a lot faster than us.
5. One school bus, with children inside, driving down the freeway with NO lights. This is at 6:30 am, completely dark outside.
6. One motorcycle running red light and then hopping onto the sidewalk to continue journey.
To top it off, a commercial came on the radio. A cute little jingle: Red. Red means STOP. Red. Red means STOP. When you come to a red light you gotta stop. Red. Red means STOP!
You know it’s bad when there are commercials asking you to obey the rules. I’m hearing that KL driving is quite pedestrian compared to other Asian cities like Dehli or Saigon(Ho Chi Minh
City). Should we ever visit, we will opt to walk.
Fruit of the Week
Sapodilla
This fruit is rather dull and unattractive on the outside, but looks can be deceiving. You peel away the outside with a sharp knife and you reveal a soft, succulent flesh with a honey, brown-sugar flavor. You see this fruit often carved into decorative shapes at buffets. Heidi and I still prefer a nice bunch of Wenatchee cherries or blueberries right off the bush.
Our Adventures 
sure have enjoyed your emails..sounds like a blast…someday soon I’ll join you guys…till then..
And guess who has a PE opening next year?
Hope you and family are doing well.
Bob-
Can’t wait to hear how your Thanksgiving and Christmas are. You always share the most interesting adventures. Glad to see you are well and avoiding the crazy traffic.
Hi Laurel,
Going to friends for Thanksgiving…gonna try to replicate a good ol’ Thanksgiving dinner….turkeys here are EXPENSIVE…around a hundred dollars. Phew.
Heidi is coming home for Christmas. She is so looking forward to her time with family and friends.
Hope all is well with all of you.
Bob-
It’s always good to hear from you. I’m so glad that my biggest driving adventure is trying to remember the new traffic configurations when going to the big city of Wenatchee!! Drive safely and keep praying!
Sue, I’m actually worried about driving when we come home….it actually feels “normal” driving on the left side of the road….I’ve become semi-aggressive in my driving style (self defense), signaling is non existent (Heidi asked me to keep turning on the signals)….we are working hard at staying true to the rules of the road as we know them….but it is a tough battle.
Bob-
I look forward to reading every blog post and the pictures are wonderful, makes me feel like I am part of the adventures! Give Heidi my best wishes, hope to see her at Christmas.
Hey Becky,
Glad you like the blog. Heidi is so looking forward to coming home. Hope you get to see her.
Bob-
I surely agree with you about sapodilla, Bob. Here in Mexico we call it zapote, and it is too cloyingly sweet for my taste. Please send Wenatchee cherries at your earliest convenience.
Sounds like Mexico and Malaysia have many of the same fruits…..but do you have durian?
Sure miss those Bing and Rainiers
Thanks for sharing your adventures. Love the details – they sure make them come alive. I can totally picture you guys on the road. Reading your post it does not sound like the radio commercial is very effective. (Maybe there is a lot of color blindness in the country………just kidding).
Stay safe!
Vira, so glad you enjoy the blog….Heidi and I could not resist logging the happenings on the road…it cracks us up. You know, Germany must be getting old….I think youRe ready to spice up your travel….we know a good place to stay in Malaysia!!!!