Around Malaysia: Vacation Time!

Greetings again from tropical Malaysia. It’s a hot, damp, rainy season here and I find myself longing for the snowflakes of my homeland.

Holiday season is always difficult living abroad. Events like Halloween and Thanksgiving are nonexistent here, and while there is some recognition of Christmas, the trappings and traditions of my childhood are nowhere to be found.

The hardest part of course is missing family and friends. I haven’t seen my American cohort in almost two years, and the world has changed dramatically since then.

I’m a father now (in case you hadn’t heard) but nobody outside Malaysia has met my two kids. I’ve spent the last year in the cultural immersion of the kampong and haven’t traveled abroad since Covid hit.

Thankfully we live in an era of WhatsApp, email, and video chat, so it’s not like I’ve been totally cut off. But all the broadband in the world can’t replicate the experience of playing with my niece, meeting old friends for a drink, or digging into a plate of Mom’s homemade stuffing.

Nonetheless, I’ve kept quite busy. Malaysia is pretty well vaxxed and finally relaxed most social restrictions. We’ve been taking advantage with lots of family gatherings and excursions the last few months.

We recently threw a big bash for the kids’ birthdays. Leila and Adam were both born in November and just turned one and two respectively. We had songs and balloons and multiple cakes.

I really have to thank my Malaysian family who came out in force to celebrate Adam and Leila. We’ve thrown so many parties for Adam now he’s going to start expecting one every week.

We’ve also done lots of road tripping, enjoying freedom of movement after months of lockdowns and bans. Our first hits were the beaches, of course. Adam got to play in the sand while I gazed wistfully at the sunset.

We spent a few days at a hotel for some dining, swimming, and playground fun. Adam enjoyed a dip in the pool and a romp in the rain.

We got everyone together one day for a trip to a big rice plantation. The flat farmland reminded me of the plains back home, and we spent the evening riding pedal cars around the paddy fields. (I did most of the pedaling.)

Next it was a few days in the coastal city of Malacca, an historic port town full of interesting food and colonial architecture. We went to the zoo but got rained out after an hour. Adam played with some rabbits.

We stayed in a quaint little hotel and took a rickshaw ride through the city center. Leila went up in the Taming Sari Tower and looked down on the world from above.

Finally we took a trip to Genting Highlands, a beautiful resort area in the mountains north of Kuala Lumpur. We rented an apartment for a few days and enjoyed another dip in the pool.

Genting was great because the higher elevation meant more temperate weather. The days were mild and the nights were genuinely cool. We took the kids to a strawberry farm and rode a cable car into the clouds.

As you can see, the whole fam’s been getting around. It’s great to show Adam and Leila the sights and do as much as we can before leaving for the States.

The kids are growing up fast. Leila could walk before her first birthday and she’s starting to express herself with words. I thought she was going to be “the easy one” but she’s become this tenacious, demanding, insatiable little toddler.

We have more excursions planned in the coming weeks, including another beach stay and a flight to the island of Langkawi. That will be great practice taking the kids through an airport and I’m sure we’ll learn some tactics for our long-haul move.

I still don’t have a firm date for when we’ll get back to the U.S. We’re grinding through the Green Card bureaucracy and won’t be able to set sail until we have a fresh visa in hand. It’s taken a lot longer than I’d hoped, but the wheels are slowly turning. I’m supposed to be in a wedding in March so let’s pray to be back by then.

Meanwhile, I’m seeing the sights and living the life. The kids are happy and healthy and my wife sends everyone her regards. I’ll update again after our Langkawi trip. Until then: stay safe.

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