a girl in the world

finding beauty, pleasure and grace on the road less traveled

KL

[Finally!  Access to my Flickr account!  This after a week of emails and crying on the phone with Yahoo people.  You guys, don’t EVER forget the answers to your own security questions, otherwise you have no hope in hell of gaining access to whatever account you’re locked out off!  Yeesh!]

Below are some pictures from Kuala Lumpur. My five day stay there was a mixed bag. I got to catch up with an old friend, I went to one of the best museums I’ve ever been to (Islamic Arts Museum) and I ate some crazy foods! Unfortunately, there were also some drawbacks. My India visa didn’t go through, I got harassed by annoying men everyday near my hotel and I basically had to fight with taxi drivers all the time to pay a fair fare! *sigh* Oh Asia, how I love thee!

Next post: pics from Singapore!

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A breath of fresh air in Singapore

Ah, so nice to be back.  =)  It’s warm, humid and super modern.  Last night I spent hours walking, eating and shopping.  =)  The shopping here is ridiculous.  You can walk for miles and miles and miles inside a mall.

I treated myself to a proper four star hotel and wow, does it make a difference.  My sheets and pillows are fluffy, I have international TV, the AC works properly and most importantly, I feel super safe.

I’ve written a lot about safety these last few days.  It makes such a difference to feel safe in the place you’re traveling in.  For some reason, I find it hard to find that sense of security in many parts of Asia and I’m not sure if it’s me and my lack of openness, or if it really is my gut telling me that things aren’t as innocent and easy as I’d assumed.  I think it’s a bit of both.

I’m disappointed that India didn’t go through.  I’ve always wanted to see it.  I’m going to plan a separate trip just for India, carrying 1/4 of the things I’m carrying now, with a proper itinerary booked from start to finish.  Research will start the moment I land in the U.S.  I cannot go the end of this year and not see India.  It’s on the list of things to do!

What’s next?  Ah, that is the golden question!  Well, a few weeks of downtime at home to heal the body and the mind.  And then a jaunt up to Vancouver to celebrate Canadian men’s hockey gold (fingers crossed!), and then some serious year planning.  =)  GMATs, writing, biz planning, consulting and home-hunting.

My sumo wrestler husband

I got this email from a very close friend yesterday when I told him that I’ve been traveling through Asia solo. He must have read my mind because his concerns have mirrored mine this entire time.


DG:

Goodness – travelling alone in Asia – get a cheap wedding ring and tell creeps that your husband is a sumo wrestler who is waiting for you around the corner with your 5 kids.

BE VERY CAREFUL DG – carry mace, handcuffs, a gun, bazooka, flame thrower . . . .

Email me regularly so that I won’t worry.

Was it really such a crazy idea to try and trek Asia solo? Maybe. Even taxi drivers say that I am brave to be doing this on my own. Ha. Naive would probably be more accurate.  Alls well.  Home soon enough.

I am so excited to have brand new clean bleached socks to wear!  Socks don’t launder well in sinks…

Hi, I'm Denise. I'm a writer, artist and photographer. This is where I share what I'm seeing, learning and making.
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