Well, now we have visited almost 4% of the islands in the Langkawi area. There are 99 islands, and we visited 3 of them today by 'charter boat'. This means that we didn't pay the per person rate, but rented the whole little boat, which is an open boat about 20' long, with a tarpaulin covering the seating area for shade. We spent time at two beaches where we could swim in the ocean which was delicious, ate an oversized picnic lunch for 2 from the hotel, and then hiked to a freshwater lake for a swim on a third island, along with Langkawi itself, that makes 4/99.
Yesterday we took a tour around the island of Langkawi, saw a mangrove swamp, bat cave, and got to see the eagles feeding in the river/estuary. Then we took a cable car to the top of the island for a fantastic 360 degree view. We could see Thailand, many of the islands, as well as the mainland of Malaysia.
Having a great time. Sad to leave already tomorrow, I hear there are blizzard conditions in middle Europe... Pictures and more details later.
Saturday, November 22, 2008
Monday, November 17, 2008
If it's Tuesday, it must be Delhi
Travel seems to be the word of the day. Last week Sunday I flew to Frankfurt, took a few hours to look around the city, and then flew on to Helsinki, arriving Sunday evening. I spent 5 glorious days in the office, thankfully. It was raining most of the time. Cold, but not cold enough to freeze, roughly 8C in the mornings and evenings. I missed my scarf, but was happy to be wearing my 'husband sweater'-- see snidknits' blog to learn what that is. I came back on Saturday (spent basically the whole day in an airplane, not too much fun considering I had the back row which doesn't even lean back. So my butt was sore by the time I got home.
Sunday was a nice day off. We went to a Thanksgiving/Obama won! party. Had a lot of fun. Several Americans there, and many Indians who had lived in the US somewhere. I met and spent a lot of time talking to a retired gentleman who still goes to the lab he set up where the do arithmetic simulations of the oceans, this involves fluid mechanics, chemistry, biology, and of course the math/computer programming. We had a great conversation about everything from Obama winning, to how Silicon Valley and Bangalore are similar but different, and how Indians and westerners think differently. I found out he went to UCB also... We also met a couple, he works for Reuters, who had raised their sons mostly in Hong Kong, then been in Japan, and now India. Cindy had been to their house for a singalong/choir session. All in all a good time.
Monday--normal day at work, with long meetings, aside from the fact that Manju was taking Cindy home from the Gym at 3:45 (a trip which should have taken 10-15 mins) and they arrived at 7:45. He then had to still come get me. It is now 9:24 and he is still only half way here. There were political demonstrations at a rally for JDS near our house, and the traffic jam is absolutely horrendous. I hope to get home before 11. I leave for Delhi tomorrow morning at 5 to renew visas. I plan to be back in Bangalore late tomorrow evening. Then Wednesday evening we leave for Langkawi, Malaysia. A few days R&R in between our hectic schedules before returning home to the US (oh but wait). On Sunday we arrive somewhere after 11pm from Malaysia, and I should be getting on a plane for the great wet dark (Finland, and a day in Germany) Sunday night, well really Monday morning at 3:30--what fun.
After that it should be two weeks in Bangalore before going back to the US for the holidays. I am looking forward to seeing everyone again.
Sunday was a nice day off. We went to a Thanksgiving/Obama won! party. Had a lot of fun. Several Americans there, and many Indians who had lived in the US somewhere. I met and spent a lot of time talking to a retired gentleman who still goes to the lab he set up where the do arithmetic simulations of the oceans, this involves fluid mechanics, chemistry, biology, and of course the math/computer programming. We had a great conversation about everything from Obama winning, to how Silicon Valley and Bangalore are similar but different, and how Indians and westerners think differently. I found out he went to UCB also... We also met a couple, he works for Reuters, who had raised their sons mostly in Hong Kong, then been in Japan, and now India. Cindy had been to their house for a singalong/choir session. All in all a good time.
Monday--normal day at work, with long meetings, aside from the fact that Manju was taking Cindy home from the Gym at 3:45 (a trip which should have taken 10-15 mins) and they arrived at 7:45. He then had to still come get me. It is now 9:24 and he is still only half way here. There were political demonstrations at a rally for JDS near our house, and the traffic jam is absolutely horrendous. I hope to get home before 11. I leave for Delhi tomorrow morning at 5 to renew visas. I plan to be back in Bangalore late tomorrow evening. Then Wednesday evening we leave for Langkawi, Malaysia. A few days R&R in between our hectic schedules before returning home to the US (oh but wait). On Sunday we arrive somewhere after 11pm from Malaysia, and I should be getting on a plane for the great wet dark (Finland, and a day in Germany) Sunday night, well really Monday morning at 3:30--what fun.
After that it should be two weeks in Bangalore before going back to the US for the holidays. I am looking forward to seeing everyone again.
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