A Wee Sabbatical

Quickly... As, I've got the loud, dirty, hot and smelly city of Kuala Lumpur to attend to...

Korea has pulled me in for a third year. I shall return for an early March start with a university teaching position. It will be a welcome change, and I'm actually looking forward to it! But, more on THAT later.

I arrived to Malaysia Friday morning (January 6th) after a red-eye flight that left me shattered. I decided to forego the city of Kuala Lumpur and head straight to Melaka, the "world's first melting pot." This place was beautiful--the people and environment alike! Over the past several centuries this port town has caught the attention of Indians, Portuguese, Dutch, Chinese and more. This, in turn, makes it was it has become today--a melting pot of race, ethnicity and religion. You can walk down the street past a Chinese temple (mix of Taoism, Confusionism and Buddhism), then pass a Hindi temple just before Muslim mosque on the corner. Churches aren't far, either. This is by far the most diverse town I've ever laid foot it, and it made me smile. It is quite touristy, but the fact that the majority of tourists are either domestic or Asian takes away the usual annoyance for me. I didn't want to leave, but given that I only have 4.5 days in the country, I figured it was time...

Now, I have 1.5 days left in Kuala Lumpur before a Tuesday afternoon flight to Kochi, India. There, I shall spend around 7-8 weeks in Southern India soaking in the sights, sounds and smells, before returning to work.

I'm just starting to feel relaxed, again, after a bit of a chaotic few weeks and am welcoming life on the road with open arms. I am truly a lucky person, and never do I forget that at any given moment any given day :)