Let's go to the mall and see the fish!

I have finally made my way over to the aquarium in COEX Mall. I had the option to go with the school the first day arrived, but decided that the chance to sleep late and come in after the field trip made more sense. Man....that feels like it happened 5 years ago.....

Growing up near the Shed Aquarium, I didn't think I would find an aquarium in a mall impressive, but then I also wasn't thinking about the fact that this is largest mall in Korea either. It was pretty sweet. It way very large and had an interesting array of fish, displays and other seemingly random animals such as bats and hedgehogs. My favorite room had many inventive tank displays such as a toilet bowl, washing machine and my personal favorite a computer in a glass box with an aqurium desktop on and then actual fish swimming around it. The place is also famous for it's two headed turtle and shark tanks that have a tunnel walk way where the sharks swim over you. I give it a rousing two thumbs up.

Late Start

I hope you aren't an early riser if you live in Seoul. Coffee houses don't open until 9:00 am on a weekday. On the weekends it could be 10:00 am or later. Even if the place is open the place will be totally dead inside. I'm reminded of a beautiful summer Sunday morning when I tried to go to brunch and the restaurant we wanted to go too didn't open until noon. For brunch. I mean...COME ON!

Potty Training

It took me some time in the beginning to perfect the squatter toilets that abound through out Asia, but I never stopped to think about the reverse situation. What would my reaction be if I had been raised on squatters and suddenly were to encounter a western toilet? Well, apparently it takes some training to use those too....

SNOW DAY!!!

First day back from a warm tropical vacation. Wake up, push the snooze button, wake up again, push the snooze button again, wake up and roll out of bed into a much too cold room and no hot water. Layer on the clothes, pack up and grumble out the door. Make it out the door and greeted by a foot of snow with falling flakes. Instant smile. Walk by people "shoveling" with brooms and large wooden boards. Treat myself to overpriced coffee and a bagel. Walk into the office and hear that the kids are not coming due to the snow. Boss it late due to the snow. Work on your own stuff to get ready for tomorrow.

Best first day back at work ever.

Malaysia: Truly Asia

I didn't realize what I was getting into. Honestly, I decided to go to Malaysia because Megan could get a lay over there on her way to Australia. She didn't end up going to Australia, but we still ended up in Malaysia with Kelly, Leah and Meaghan in tow. I was anticipating a similar experience to the one I had in Indonesia, simply because of it's proximity, but I was way off.

Major observations:

* It's a predominately Muslim country. Many women wore khimār or shaylah (a scarf or cowl that covers all but the face). I saw a few in full on burka.

* I was surprised to see such a strong influence of the Chinese and Indian populations. We saw a lot of Chinese temples and ate a lot of Indian food. I felt like I was walking through the World Showcase in Epcot sometimes. According to Wiki the country's ethnic make up is 54% Malay, 25% Chinese, 7.5% Indian, 13.5% other.

*Everyone likes to celebrate Christmas, even the Muslims and the Hindus.

* In general, the locals are extremely kind and welcoming. Just like Indonesians. <3

* Every person I talked to spoke perfect English.

* Europeans are such interesting travelers. You can met some seriously interesting people in hostels.

* The bus system is not as well marked as one would hope. It made for some interesting walks in Kuala Lumpur, but it Georgetown it was more like hailing a cab.

Things we saw:
* Batu Caves http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Batu_Caves
- We witnessed a sacred Hindu ceremony, got a bindi put on our forhead by a monk and ate my first meal on a banana leaf.
* Petronas Twin Towers http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Petronas_towers
- We walked across town, got stuck in the rain and then could go up in to the bridge because tickets for the day were sold out.
* Taman Negara http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taman_Negara_National_Park
- Spent three days and two nights in the oldest (and most tourist friendly) rain forest in the world with a couple of deaf Italians. Made for a very interesting experience.
* Snake Temple http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snake_Temple
- At first I was mad because I thought that all the pit vipers were fake, but when we finally saw one move I was more content. I also held my first snake.