Penag-A-Ranga & Pictures

I said some prayers and lit some candles at a Catholic Church and Buddhist temples while in Penang for Unk (great uncle Ed), who’s not doing so well with stage four Leukemia. Please keep him and my great-Aunt Jean in your thoughts and prayers in the coming days and weeks.

I heard from mom that it’s cooling off in the Midwest, back in the U.S.A. I'm actually a bit jealous of your 45 degree weather, in that I wouldn't be sweating thinking about taking a walk. Heather and I sweat on and walked all around the Georgetown and North areas of Penang, and enjoyed the sights and tastes of this old trading post of the Brits. The people there are a mix of Malay (locals) Indians and Chinese. We ate lots of street food and met some nice folks and on the flip side, actually saw an American movie, called Eagle Eye. It's a good suspense/thriller with lots of shoot-em up action and a nice escape to 'back home'. It is set in Chicago, Indy and D.C., so we were all too familiar with the setting and enjoying the break.

We learned the bus system and took advantage for thin fractions of taxi prices, making for many gift buying opportunities:) Christmas is coming! Heard from Jeanne about hosting Christmas dinner via an email invitation. Received letters from both Jeanne and Katy in the snail mail in Malaysia. It's really nice to get mail, so we're enjoying the personal touch and connection. Mom has inspired them well to write letters:) Hearing about the little kids is great too as they grow and join activities and really run the roost. Were we all like that? involved and engaged and busy? looking back, I can only say: Probably.

Penang Island, named for the Pinang Tree (like a palm) is also known as a Betel Nut Tree, giving a small, bitter tasting nut as a fruit. Lots of bitter fruit on this island, but none more pungent than the Diurion Fruit. My suggestion is not to try any chocolate covered diurion.

We will meet up with my sister Elyse in Honolulu for some turkey and Heather's cousin, David, in Shanghai. We'll stay with David, wife and three kids one night in Shanghai. He's having his company (Hewlett/Packard or Microsoft) driver take us around town for the day:) very swanky We'll take it. We've been hoofing it around and jumping taxi's and busses and motorbikes and rickshaws for 4 ports so it'll be nice to have someone who knows the city and isn't trying to swindle us.

Vietnam is up next, three quick sailing days and we land in Saigon (now Ho Chi Minh City). We'll see and smell what we can for a few days and then take a bicycle tour, with van support and hotels, around the Me Kong River Delta, to the south of Saigon. I'm really looking forward to this excursion and visiting Vietnam. So many stories and from the reading we've been doing, it sounds like an enchanted and hungry place. Not starving, but hungry for progress, change, growth and a better life. Something to which we can all look forward

Keep well,
Bill

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As Bill mentioned, we enjoyed some quiet time in Malaysia. It was wonderful to do so much walking around the vendor-lined streets of Chinatown and Little India. Georgetown is lovely and full of great food and sight-seeing. The Indian Festival of Lights (Deepvaldi) was officially today so we were witness to lots of preparation and good cheer both in Chennai and Penang.

Had a lovely time at a very large Chinese temple - Kek Lok Si Temple - while in Malaysia. It is one of the largest in Southeast Asia and worth the time to wander around and say a few prayers. I would love to see the temple in February during the Chinese New Year, all lit-up and enchanting.

Also really enjoyed a day spent hiking in a national park on Penang Island with our friends Ed and Barbara Sobey, Laxmi and Caroline Tewari and Arman Rosencranz. They are a fun group and full of laughs and stories. We all rode the bus to the park and hiked an hour through the jungle to Monkey Beach (where there were only a few monkeys - two of whom cornered Bill & I as we were trying to leave the beach. They seemed in search of food and thought for certain the camera was a handout).

Preparing ourselves for another stop - Viet Nam should be really great. We'll be doing a 3-day bicycle trip with 4 SAS friends through the Mekong Delta. We will supposedly be traveling by boat down the river at parts and stopping at some of the floating markets. Looking forward to this.

Thanks for the letters and emails! We love them!!
Michelle - got your email and saw your comments - thanks! I will try to write you back tomorrow. There were loads of wild dogs in India - everywhere. The dogs, goats and cows pretty much gleen the trash in India and make certain that nothing goes to waste. I'm glad that Julian liked his birthday card - I loved hearing that he carried it around all week.

I've put up some pictures from Malaysia:
www.heatherbill.shutterfly.com

I hope you're all well. I have to run.
Miss and love you!!!
heather ;)