Comanche

The holidays are upon us again and I have no idea how the world managed to fly by me with such lightening speed and whirlwind haste. But I hold tight to the fact that spring will soon be here and another year upon us again. Hopefully I can manage to achieve all those things that slid by me last year. Yeah right!

I recently spent an afternoon at a government-run equine facility. The surroundings were green and lush with plenty of open space and large trees for shade. A perfect place to keep a horse. But as I started looking at all the horses it crept upon me that they all were standing in their stalls with their heads in a corner and their eyes were dead. Except for a very few, they were no longer interested in their surroundings and could not be coaxed to the gate of their stalls for a rub on the head or a scratch behind the ears. This upset me quite a bit and I took a further look at the stable and location. There was a great expanse of green and lush grassy areas but no grass paddocks to speak of. These horses were kept in their stalls with little to look at or watch and practically no interaction with other horses.

I find it very hard to believe that anyone with any equine knowledge does not realize that horses are a herd animal and need to be moving and to be around their own kind. I also know I am extremely lucky to be in a place where my horses interact in large grass paddocks with all the other horses. It is healthier for them both mentally and physically.

I can understand someone who owns a very expensive show horse and is not willing to have them loose with other horses but even that horse should be turned out for more than an hour or two. It’s tantamount to us humans being kept in a small cell with no TV or other amusements and nothing to do but wait for the next meal to arrive.

I also realize that this is not just peculiar to this particular stable and that most horses in Malaysia do spend most of their day in their stall and it is something I have never come to terms with. I have always been used to my horses being loose in a pasture or paddock with grazing available all day long. And in fact most of the time they have been outdoors 24/7. I can remember on several occasions when my daughter used to worry about her Quarterhorse, Cherokee standing outside in the heavy rain and sometimes snowy weather. She would wrap up and put on her boots and walk out to him, put a halter on him and walk him into his run-in where he could be warm and dry. Then before she had time to walk back to the house, he would be outside in the cold and snow again. So horses do prefer to have room to move around and graze. We wrap them in blankets and keep them stalled in cold weather and we keep them stabled for “their own good” when they actually need the freedom to interact with other horses and find their standing in the group.

I have to admit I went back to our stable and told our horses how lucky they are but I doubt they appreciate that fact. In fact I could read their minds and they were yelling, “Where’s the carrots?”

Filed under: Uncategorized on December 26th, 2009 | No Comments »

Yup I really haven’t gone on a long walkabout or on safari in the deepest jungle known to man. I am have been busy doing my own thing and not listening to clocks chiming and timetables squawking. Listening to the quiet times and enjoying the days that seem to roll along without thought of tomorrow. Does that sound like a good excuse? I hope so.

Actually I am embarrassed by the fact that I have no idea how to post a picture on this blog anymore. Ever since I got a new Apple ‘puter the old way no longer works and I can use some help. Can you hear me Zu, Pete, anyone else?????

We had a sad day when I had to make that final decision for my 15 year old deaf, blind and senile French Bulldog, Dixie. She had become so uncomfortable and her quality of life was no longer good. She had been deaf and blind for a long time but still happy and eating well. Then the day came when she no longer knew where she was or who we were and I had to make that awful decision. It was like losing an arm and I shall miss her a long time. However she had a great little life for a dog. She became an American Champion and then retired from the show ring to have her one and only litter of puppies.

She traveled the world with us, usually in the cabin as she was small enough to take on board rather than go by cargo. I remember my last flight out of Saudi Arabia. I had opted to travel Business Class and she came along with me. I made all the arrangements for her to travel in the cabin and when I got to the airport to leave it was arbitrarily decided by the powers that be that she could no longer be in the cabin. As she was traveling in a soft sided carrier there was no way she could go in cargo with the suitcases. I had a total meltdown and stamped my foot, held my breath until I turned blue and was about to lay down on the floor and kick my feet. I guess the officials must be used to pacifying angry women and they finally relented. She slept almost the whole 14 hours from Jeddah to Washington Dc and about every 3 hours she would poke her head out of the top of the carrier, look around and and signal with her eyes “Are we there yet?” I shall miss her for a long, long time.

Meanwhile the saga of Comanche and I goes on and on. There are days when he is a perfect angel and days when the hard headedness (is that a word?) comes charging through. I have found that stopping him and making him stand and the quiet does wonders. He seems to gather it all together again. But oh I long for those solitary rides and so far it hasn’t happened yet.

My daughter received word that her next assignment will be in Kuala Lumpur for two years. So she will be at the Embassy there. I am so looking forward to having her “just up the road a piece”. She arrives in August 2010. So if y’all happen to go to the US Embassy and run into Mika, ask her how her crazy old Mom is. She will know you are a friend!

We are off to Manila this week for about 10 days. Maybe that damned Comanche will miss me.

Filed under: Uncategorized on October 26th, 2009 | No Comments »

Out most recent adventure started in the Philippines where we decided to swim with the largest shark in the ocean - the gentle giant called the whale shark. When we exited the plane we spotted a nearby volcano with what I thought was a cloud around the head. I was quickly informed that it was actually a cloud of white ash and the volcano was presently “grumbling”.

[IMG]http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b169/Rurutiki/IMG_0906theactivevolcano-1.jpg[/IMG]

We then took a van into the small village of Donsol. This village is a fishing village but during the months of February through April the waters around the village are home to the whale shark which attracts eco-tourism. Upon arrival at our hotel we immediately changed into our swim suits and complete with mask, snorkel and fins headed for the outrigger canoe which would take us out to meet these gentle giants. I’m the one standing in the black swimsuit and my daughter and SIL are crouched at my feet. The man standing on the top of the outrigger is the look out for the whale.

[IMG]http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b169/Rurutiki/whaleshark5-1.jpg[/IMG]

“GO. GO. GO” shouted one of the guides and we jumped off the outrigger into the water. We were searching for the gentle giant, the whale shark. As soon as I got my bearings I looked around me and finally saw what looked like a huge grey school bus with white spots heading my way. It was the whale shark! This animal is the largest shark known and grows to about 40 feet in length. Fortunately for us it eats only krill, small fish and plankton which is scoops up with its huge mouth. The sight was awe inspiring.

In the following picture you can see the size of the massive head and huge mouth compared to the swimmer on the surface above,

[IMG]http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b169/Rurutiki/WhaleShark5.jpg[/IMG]

The huge and gentle giants are usually extremely tolerant of the human spectators. They cruise just below the surface scooping up the plankton and krill. When an outrigger arrives and we humans tumble overboard they usually stay for about 5 minutes and then gently and lazily head for the bottom to lose us. We were lucky enough to find one that stayed top side for about 25 minutes and it was a great experience to be able to swim around and examine it at close range.

[IMG]http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b169/Rurutiki/WhaleShark2.jpg[/IMG]

The smaller fish are remora which feed on the parasites that attach themselves to the shark. I stayed very close to this shark and would swim up to the head and look into it’s eye and wonder what it thought of us all . Then I would drift back until I was at its tail so I could take a really close look. The tail waves very gently but with tremendous force.

[IMG]http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b169/Rurutiki/WhaleShark3.jpg[/IMG]

I swam beside the head and looked into it’s eye and wondered what it thought of us small creatures. We were very lucky to find one that tolerated us longer than they usually do.

[IMG]http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b169/Rurutiki/WhaleShark10.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b169/Rurutiki/WhaleShark1.jpg[/IMG]

I would heartily recommend this trip to anyone. However the accomodations are rather bare and the food was not so good, but who cares after an experience like that?

Hope y’all enjoyed.

Filed under: Uncategorized on June 8th, 2009 | 1 Comment »

Home again, home again, jiggity jig! Yup Comanche came home from his three month “vacation” from me. He looks absolutely spiffing! Is there such a word? He was clipped as soon as he got home and his syce trimmed his feet into a good barefoot trim again. Comanche has been glued to Yuma ever since he got back and you never see one without the other joined at the hip. I am glad to see him home and he still is a very sweet horse and loves attention.

The reason I have been absent for so long is that we had a rather nasty couple of months here. Our daughter who is with the Embassy in Manila went into hospital for minor surgery and it turned into a life threatening situation for her. After about three weeks of one medical fumble after another, the Embassy literally walked into the hospital there and kidnapped her and put her on medical flight to Singapore. After three botched surgeries and seven transfusion she was long overdue to be moved. Thank goodness the decision was made to medivac her as it saved her life. It took several more weeks of recuperation and care but she finally recovered and is now once again back in Manila on the job. Needless to say she will be very glad when her tour in Manila comes to an end.. Especially so as her next two year tour will be at the Embassy in Kuala Lumpur and this parent cannot wait to see her and her spouse here in Malaysia. She is getting quite close to retirement now and is seriously looking into places to settle. So far Malaysia is top of the list. I am hoping that the tour in KL will be a great one for her and she too will be overwhelmed by the kindness and friendliness of Malaysians.

She and her husband will be spending a month here in July and we have two trips scheduled already. One to Pangkor Laut and the other to Tanjong Jara. So if y’all run into anyone who claims to be my daughter, five feet tall and big brown eyes, please treat her kindly and don’t tell her I am still riding and participating in non-old lady stuff. She will nag me and remind me of my age. When did the parent become the child? It ain’t fair.

Not much this time but next time I have a trip to write about - complete with pics to enjoy. Meanwhile I am off to enjoy Comanche

Filed under: Uncategorized on April 30th, 2009 | No Comments »

What a busy month!  But such a delightful one!  We welcomed a friend for a visit this month and she has a really international background.  Although her passport states Elaine is Swedish, she resides for most of the year in South Carolina in the United States and for the remainder of the year in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.  She is also, of course, a horsey person.  Do I know anyone who isn’t?  I think not.  She flew into KL and we met her there and began chattering away to one another.  John said we didn’t stop the whole time she was here.  She was eager to see Comanche so that was an early achievement and as we were staying at the Palace of the Golden Horses, it was easy to accomplish.

Comanche is doing really well and when I called his name from across the paddock he was really animated.  I know he missed me or at least the bag of carrots I was trying to hide.  However there are only two more months to go until he is home again.  KL had been having a lot of wet weather as we could tell, but here in Johor the ground is dry as a bone.  The wet weather will work wonders for Comanche’s feet and he won’t be suffering like my other horses.  I have started using boots on the horses when they go out on the trail as the clay is so hard packed and there is now so much gravel that they really need some protection for their hooves.  Oh for a good ole fashioned gully washer – that’s American English for torrential downpour!

Our visitor took a tour of KL and as she is an ardent photographer she nabbed some beautiful pictures of that fair city.  During a tour stop at a temple she managed to gate crash a Hindu wedding and her photographs were outstanding.  I was amazed that someone didn’t throw her out but the usual Malaysian courtesy was extended to her.  It made a great impression  and she was charmed by my second home.  I think she actually was seriously considering moving here and I would be delighted to see it happen.

When we returned to Johor I took her out to the stable and we rode in the plantation.   She was fascinated by the palm oil trees and the methods of harvesting the palm oil nuts.  She asked many questions about the process and I am sorry to say that I had absolutely no answers for her.  But since then I have been doing my research!!!  We went on a shopping trip and she managed to fall in love with a small statuette of a horse – of course.  All in all she was really favorably impressed with Malaysia and plans to return again this year – with an empty suitcase and a husband who has stated that he will absolutely NOT hand carry shopping home for her.  Yeah right!

I do my best to introduce Westerners to this beautiful country and I want everyone to be as overwhelmed as I am with the people and the friendliness and courtesy that is extended to us matt sallehs.  Malaysia Boleh.

Filed under: Uncategorized on February 7th, 2009 | No Comments »

Playing with Stingrays.

Several years ago John and I were adventurous types. We drew a line at only one activity and that was rock climbing but we managed to fit in a lot of wonderful times despite that limitation. I should add that I also refused to have anything to do with sky diving, but as John was a paratrooper and Special Forces officer in his real life he didn’t mind too much. I never could figure out why he would want, and be able, to leap from a perfectly good airplane and hurtle towards the ground at break neck speed. But then I have to admit that I am not comfortable on the second step of a ladder. Big chicken – that’s me!

We were both avid scuba divers and decided to take a vacation to the Cayman Islands and partake in a dive and make a close up and personal visit to a pack of sting rays. You have to realize that this was before the death of the famous Steve Irwin, or possibly I would have re-considered that decision.

After our arrival and our usual amble through the hotel, that’s a “first thing first” in our book, we made arrangements to go out to the area where the sting rays congregated and try to mug the divers for food. It was on the famous North Wall and we were eager to get started. The next morning we met our dive master and boarded the boat that would take us out. The day promised to be a beautiful and perfect day with small, white clouds scudding across the sky and a hot sun burning down. As we were planning to be underwater and wet, we were not afraid of sunburn or heat stroke and I was ready to go! We were accompanied by a photographer who would be taking a video of the event for a keepsake.

As everyone knows I have a love for all animals and if I can get close to any wild animal then that’s a bonus in my book. I even admire the venomous snakes in our area and in fact recently came across a Coral Banded snake in our garden. With his bright red tail and head he was a beautiful specimen but extremely poisonous, or so I have been told. My son once had a snake for a pet when he was quite young and after a summer of feeding the snake he opted to return it the woods where it could hibernate and shift for itself again.

When we reached the dive site we suited up and dropped into the clear aquamarine water. We dove to the white sand bottom and waited for the appearance of the rays. After about five minutes the sting rays appeared all ready to eat their lunch. The females are much larger than the males and there were several of either sex in the group. We had some small pieces of food in our BVDs and held it out to them. Their mouths are on the underside and they scoop up their food with a sucking action. It felt rather strange to feel this vacuum-like motion on my hand but I couldn’t get enough of being in their midst and swimming with them. I played with them and I was told later that I looked like a pizza chef who twirls the pizza dough above his head in a circular motion. Then a large barracuda approached looking for a handout and I dropped several pieces of the food for him. He was probably the largest barracuda I had ever encountered on any of our dives and looked threatening with the fixed snarl countenance. However he wasn’t interested in us, only in the lunch we were offering. I imagine myriads of divers fed him daily and that was the reason he was so big.

After about 30 minutes John had seen enough but he couldn’t get me out of the water. I was having a blast. And in fact I spent 45 minutes below and finally had to come up as everyone was concerned I would run out of air and a not a few of them were a little annoyed that I had prolonged the dive. I realized that the dive boat operators have to make a living but I wanted to selfishly live the experience as long as I could.

We do have a great video of that dive and when we finally send for our storage items in the US I will be able to watch it again and re-live our encounter with the beautiful and graceful stingrays of the Cayman Islands.

Filed under: Uncategorized on January 1st, 2009 | No Comments »

We wish everyone a very merry Christmas and a happy and prosperous New Year.  Peace on earth and goodwill to all mankind.  Have a great holiday season.

Filed under: Uncategorized on December 13th, 2008 | No Comments »

Recently a friend in the BVIs (British Virgin Islands) emailed me to tell me her pet goat had been attacked by two dogs.  She had managed to rescue her but was very apprehensive about the outcome as the goat was pregnant at the time.  The goat finally went into labor but, due to her injuries, had to be euthanized after the kid was born.  My friend had never hand raised a goat before and needed advice.

When we lived in the BVIs there were small herds of goats that were allowed to roam the island of Tortola.   We even saw one who had given birth to four (yeah 4) kids and was managing very well, thank you. There were also cattle roaming the island and I can remember seeing one large cow walking around with a folding chair around her neck.  How she ever managed to get entangled that way I never knew.  But I did call the local SPCA and hopefully they took care of the problem.  We also used to see several horses which had been abandoned at the racetrack because they were not winners.  Unfortunately the island does not have enough land to keep horses as most of the island is rocky and hilly and there is no surface water at all.  There are a couple of people who have horses but there is really no place to ride except on a small trail and most of the riding is in the arena if the owner is lucky enough to have one.  But I digress – I was talking about goats…….

One evening we heard a small kid bleating in desperation.  It was too late to venture out to track down the sound and trying to scramble up rocky hills in the dark was to risk a broken bone or worse.  We heard the kid all night and as soon as it was light we attempted to find the animal.  It took about an hour of clambering through brush and rocks sometimes on our hands and knees but John finally yelled “Here it is” and at the same time I discovered a second one who was very quiet.  We presumed that after giving birth the mother had bedded them down and left them for a while.  The night had been chilly and they both were really cold and the little female (the quiet one) looked to be close to death.  Of course, you don’t have to ask, we took them both home.

We wrapped them in towels and put a small heating pad under them and warmed up some cow milk.  After they were warm and full they settled in to sleep.  We called them Hansel and Gretel after two of the characters in one of Grimms Fairy Tales.  Later that morning when they both were doing well, we took them back to where they were found (or close enough) so that Momma could find them when she returned.  The little male, Hansel, was bouncing around but the Gretel was still not very strong at all.  We settled in to keep a watch from the house and sure enough Momma came wandering back in the late afternoon.  She fed them both but Gretel, was still too weak to tag along and Momma then took off with Hansel.  We left Gretel where she was but fed her again and hoped that the mother would return for her and she could then follow.  Needless to say – Momma never came back but after that we would catch sight of her and Hansel from time to time.

After another twenty four hours of supplementing Gretel with a bottle and leaving her out where her mother could find her, we finally gave in and brought her home.  Both she and her brother were cream colored with a handsome Roman nose.  Gretel quickly became a family pet and had free roam of the house and garden but I had to fence in my hibiscus bushes as she thought they were a very tasty snack.  She was very affectionate and every evening at about 6 o’clock she would get up on my knee for a few minutes of cuddling.  I was amazed as I had never had anything at all to do with goats and had no idea they could become almost a member of the family.  Our family dog just ignored her as if to say “What!  Another animal?”.

One day when she was almost fully grown, she managed to escape from the garden and went over to a neighbor’s house.  He had been working on his car in the driveway and had left a bucket of some sort of cleaner in the yard.  Gretel must have taken a sip of the cleaner and we heard her bleating and screaming.  She ran for home as though the dogs of hell were after her and came straight to me to fix the problem.  I had to wash out her mouth and then feed her several bottles of milk.  That seemed to do the trick and she stayed close to me for the rest of the day.

Word soon spread that this crazy American woman had a pet goat that lived like a dog with free roam of the house and garden. And so someone brought me another small coffee colored kid whose mother had been hit by a car and killed.  We called her Ginger.  Finally another kid was dropped on my doorstep -  a third female but totally black.  She became Stormy.  Each one had a different personality and all were affectionate.  Stormy would climb on top of the car and as soon as we opened to door of the house she would jump down and try to look innocent.  But the moment we turned our backs she was top of the car again.  She was the naughty one.  Gretel was very much the regal goat and acted like a little princess and Ginger was just so sweet natured that you couldn’t help but fall in love with her.  I know, I know!  Who could fall in love with a goat???  ME!!!!!!  We would often go for walks in the surrounding hills and we were always followed by the threesome.

When we finally left the BVIs we passed the three of them to a neighbor who raised goats and I often wonder what happened to them.  Hopefully they went on to become mothers and raise kids of their own.  I would love to own another goat but I don’t think my neighbors would be very happy with a goat wandering around the area eating all their ornamental plants and trees. 

Filed under: Uncategorized on November 30th, 2008 | 1 Comment »

I swear this horse sulks!  If I am too busy to ride him for several days in a row he makes me realize when I do get on board again, that he isn’t going to remember all he was taught.  He really seems to regress until I push him for the correct response and then – hellooo – he suddenly “remembers”.  Is it possible he has a memory like an elephant but also acts like a spoiled kid who thinks he can get away with anything?  Until he learns to speak English I guess we will never know.
 

Speaking of elephants…….. Several years ago I decided that a trip on a tiger safari (camera) would be a great idea.  It didn’t take much to talk John into the idea of a vacation doing something totally different.  He usually tells me that he can never figure out what I am going to do next.  And I respond that it keeps him young!
 

At the time he had just moved to Jeddah in Saudi Arabia and I was scheduled to follow in a week or two. While still in the US I made the rounds of the travel agents who all looked at me as though I was out of my small mind when I mentioned Chitwan National Park in Nepal and a tiger safari.  I had decided on Chitwan in Nepal because in that place the means of transportation on a tiger hunt is on the back of an elephant and I thought this would really be something to tell my grandchildren about when I am infirm and incontinent.  Unfortunately, although I have reached my dotage there are no grand children on the horizon, so you guys are the next best thing.
 

When I arrived in Jeddah I had to admit to John that I had not been successful in my search and we were both disappointed.  However it struck me that the Brits are a great nation for traveling and experiencing exotic vacations in strange and unheard of locations, so I contacted a travel agent in the UK.  They had indeed heard of Chitwan and the search for the elusive tiger on the back of an elephant.  So the plan was on again and two months later we were on our way to Katmandu via Delhi and Agra.  What a great little city.  The sights and smells ranged from unusual to bizarre and I soaked it all up like a sponge just dumped in a bucket of water.  We spent a few days touring the city and then headed for Chitwan to meet our elephants.
 

The flight was rather ordinary until we reached the small airport and watched as the cows were herded from the landing field prior to our touch down.  A large bell was rung as a plane approached and the cows just ambled off the runway when they heard it ringing.  From there a mini bus took us to a wide river and we climbed into a medium sized canoe and watched the mugger crocodiles eyeing us as though we may just turn into an easy snack for lunch.  I was so pleased to reach the other side as I had been plotting how, in the event of capsize, I could get the muggers to take the fattest humans first and leave me alone.
 

Then we met the elephants.  I have always been a great admirer of this animal and have often thought I should have taken up elephant research and spent my years in the African or Asian bush just watching them and making notes for elephant students.  But I don’t think it pays enough to keep me in food and I do like to eat.  Our elephants were just beautiful and in no time at all I was wishing I could take one home with me.  We had arrived at just the right moment to take a trip into the bush as the afternoon was beginning to fade and this was a prime time to look for the mysterious and often unseen tigers.  I was in my element on the swaying back of a large beast with the mahout in control.  The elephant grass reached almost to the elephant’s ears and we were surrounded by the jungle and the bush.  Magical.
 

We were there for four days and took an elephant ride out to search twice a day but alas we never did see a tiger.  We did find pug marks and also large, deep scratches on trees and I am sure that we were probably watched for some of the time.  There were many rhinos with babies and plenty of pythons too, but no tiger.
 

I had much better luck when I went on a horseback safari in Africa and was chased by a lioness…..but that’s another story.

Filed under: Uncategorized on November 22nd, 2008 | No Comments »

We have finally done it……….. I have taken Comanche out on the trails now twice and each time he has been the perfect gentleman.  It has taken oh so long but is well worth the time and effort.

I put him into a running martingale about two weeks ago and he settled into it very well in the arena.  The head tossing stopped completely   Then, when I was sure he had accepted it as another of those “thingys that my person wants me to wear”, I decided to give it a whirl on the trail.  John took Monte Carlo out ahead and we tagged along behind.  No refusal or balking.  Comanche just stepped out as though he had done this many times before.  I had also attached a long lead line to the bridle and I was holding it in my left hand.  I felt this was a good idea in case he got really rambunctious and needed to be ponied by Monte.  I also knew I would feel like a real fool if that became necessary.  After about five minutes I could feel him tense up and so I started talking to him.  I am not usually a talker while riding but this time it absolutely calmed him down and he settled into the routine of up one hill and down another.  So to keep him calm and relaxed I just chattered on and on.  At one point I think I referred to him as a one eyed cretinous creature who didn’t have the brains to get out of the way of a steamroller and that if he didn’t start to shape up as a trail horse he was headed for the glue factory.  Luckily he didn’t understand my insults and took it all in stride and the sound of my voice seemed to be the key.  So unless you want to listen to my inane chatter I wouldn’t advise accompanying me on the trails for a while.

When we turned for home I allowed him to cruise ahead and he became really agitated and seemed to lose his confidence, so we were relegated to bringing up the rear again.  However I feel sure it will only be a matter of time before I can take him out alone.  I have really missed my lone trail rides.  We did come face to face with the feral (or otherwise) cows that sometimes roam the plantation and he didn’t bat an eye.

My next step will be getting him used to my Peruvian saddle.  I think it will probably be the only way I can get any use out of it.  I shall have to wait for him to get used to the big, carved, wooden stirrups and my position in the saddle.  At pesent it sits in my living room taking up space.  I could never use it on Rurutiki as it didn’t fit him properly and I didn’t want to injure his back.  It’s a beautiful saddle with hand carved leather and metal filigree work on the cantle.  But I don’t want a house decoration - I want to use it.

John and I were recently in Manila and KL and I must admit I like KL much better.  Manila was our destination as my daughter is presently stationed there and will be for another year and it was great to spend time with her and our son-in-law.  However I must admit I looked forward to getting back to Malaysia.

Recently John and I were written up in the August issue of The Expat KL magazine.  And the the New Straits Time did a piece about us too.  I hope this doesn’t mean that we are becoming celebrities as we love Kulai and the atmosphere of a small town.  I feel that the local people here have opened their hearts to us and made us very welcome.  Just recently I had to give directions to a tradesman who was coming to the house to do some work.  As I was explaining where we were situated he interrupted me and said  “Oh I know where you mean - the white house with the white people.”  So I guess we are infamous……..

So long for now and happy trotting time to y’all.

Filed under: Uncategorized on September 25th, 2008 | No Comments »