Penang, Malaysia is about mid-way between Phuket and Kuala Lumpur. The cruise terminal is on an island just off the coast. I decided it was time to get spicy. The Tropical Spice Garden was once a rubber plantation but now claims to be an "open-air bio-diversity living museum" with over 500 flora specimen. It was … Continue reading Penang Spice Garden

Phuket ("pu ket") is the largest island in Thailand. As most of south-east Asia, the history is decorated with migrations from the north and "influence" of European powers. To heck with all that, today I'm cooking! Five of us jumped into the (mercifully) air conditioned van and drove the one hour+ to the Old Phuket … Continue reading Phuket Farm Cooking

According to my guide, Malacca, Malaysia is "just a slow, swampy little town." Maybe compared to Kuala Lumpur, as there are about a million folks in the greater Malacca area. I signed up for the "Malacca Culture and Heritage" tour. We started with a tour of Chinese immigrants. Heck, you can read it yourself. Sign … Continue reading Malacca

I won't be adding many details about Singapore, as I will be spending several days here after the end of my cruise. So, below are just some quick notes. First Leg My flight left Phoenix at 6:30am, so I was picked up at my house at 4:00. Yesh. A short hop to San Francisco was … Continue reading Singapore

In the Maasi Mara we stayed in "tents". I have that in quotes, as these tents had brick floor, power and full bathrooms with running water. However, there was a night guard to encourage passing elephants not to step on us. I appreciated that. Ground Hornbill Secretarybird Ostrich Sacred Ibis Hippos at Rest Hippo in … Continue reading Kenya 2006 – Maasi Mara