16.01.02

Another year has begun.  I’m on Langkawi Island, Malaysia.  The beaches are better than those of Penang, or CatBa in Vietnam but not as nice as Thailand or the Philippines.  The best Malaysian beaches are on the East Coast, but we can’t go because it’s monsoon season (we were unaware of this at the time of booking).  We only have 2 days left to our trip.  I always get a little sad when our trips come to an end.

My reflections on 2003?  We got married!  What more is there to say?  Looking forward to 2004… return, after three long, exciting years, to Canada.

16.01.03

We’re currently at the KFC (a part of Malaysia for over 30 years, according to the slogan) at the Langkawi Ferry Pier.  My stomach is feeling a little upset—a combination of anxiety/trepidation about returning to Japan, fear of flying, spicy foods, sun exposure, burning mosquito coils to a smoky haze in our beach hut… What  a great trip!!!  Our ferry leaves at 5:30pm and it’s only 1:15pm.  Time moves slowly on this island.
 
I got stung by a big jellyfish my first day on Langkawi, New Year’s Day actually, hopefully it isn’t an omen for the year ahead.  The water, here and in Penang, is filled with jellyfish of all sizes.  Our dips into the sea have been quick.  But the weather has been bright and sunny every single day which is much more than we expected.
 
Our plan for the next 45 hours?  (until lift-off for Tokyo): back to Penang on the Fast Ferry this afternoon, souvenir shopping at the night market, spending the night at ET guesthouse.  Tomorrow we take the bus back to KL (4.5 hrs), finish any last-minute souvenir shopping, buy our cosmetic supply for J-survival, then watch a movie (Lord of the Rings 3).