We left Penang with some regrets. Despite the rats in the open deep gutters, sometimes covered with grilles, Janet actually enjoyed the discoveries: not knowing what she was going to find as she wandered around the streets of Georgetown. Her happiness today was so evident - the pink opalescent toenails, the two new pairs of sandals, the colourful bag, the new Tissot watch... this lady opened the purse a fraction of an inch and never lost consciousness for a moment. Tonight, in Kuala Lumpur, she even bought yet another book. That makes about 25 we carry with us.
It's a short flight of 50 minutes from Penang to KL's commuter airport (we'll actually use it on Saturday when we fly to Cambodia) but the drive into the city took twice as long as we were in the air. I'm intrigued by the captain's messages in flight. Today, I'd swear he read a long bedtime story in Malay to the passengers, then switched to English to say, "Welcome aboard. We will be arriving in Kuala Lumpur soon. Thank you for flying Air Asia." What about a bedtime story for English-speaking passengers?
Lots of Islamic people here and lots of Christmas carols playing in the shopping malls and hotels. Why did they stop playing carols in Adelaide? Because the Islamic people were likely to take offence. Well, not here in the heart of Islamic country.
Petronius Towers during the day look as if they are made from stainless steel but at night they are pure, mysterious, fascinating, wonderful architectural gems in silver and lights. Janet was over-awed. I didn't look long because I want to film them tomorrow night and see it all afresh, getting the emotion just right.
And now, I'm sorry we are staying here only 48 hours, there's so much to see and the people are, in the main, better looking and far more prosperous than in Penang. Fewer Chinese, it seems, and more Malays. The Indians don't like the Malays, I'm told, but the Indians are in the minority here and run food outlets and drive taxis. I should learn Malay, so much of the language is a corruption of English so it's generally not hard to see what they are saying. The dictionary, for example, is Malaya to Eenglishe, or something like that. Janet and I love language and want to try to speak words in the local tongue but that will mean, in the next few weeks, Vietnamese, Thai, Malay and Cambodian and maybe Lao. I love the sounds of these languages; to me they mimic water lapping against the side of a rowboat.
It is said that one of life's most romantic moments is to have a lover talk to you in their native language, where you don't understand the words, just hear the sounds. And in this journey, I've embraced the lap-lap of watery syllables I'll never comprehend. I just close my eyes, even smile to myself as I am slowly led into new territory.
