Plans, Plans, Everywhere There Are Plans

 You thought the investment mania for de-I/Wife next phase plans has gone dormant. Oh how wrong you are. 

This weekend I was a bit bummed. It seemed that all the various plans we had been exploring were all running into blind alleys, box canyons, dead ends. Am I, de-I, worlds greatest limited by age world traveler going to be stuck in Albuquerque when I should be opening a whole new chapter in figuring out my life? It sadly seemed so.

In walks Wife, golden light from her aura as Savant Supreme with PLAN G!

Wife says in her understated tone that hides the depth of her brilliant insights that if we need a change why don't we consider a move to somewhere else in the United States? I pause dramatically. WHY DON'T WE! We have actually had in our mind a place but I am going to keep it secret for the moment. Need to build up the suspense for future blog posts.

And from out of the blue comes Daughter #1. She forwards us a video a friend of hers has put together on retiring to a place in South America I would not have thought of in a hundred years. I watch this video (which was incredibly well done) and my jaw drops amazed. This is a real alternative. PLAN H.

(For those of you wondering, what became of Plans D, E & F? Stillborn evidently.)

So much to consider.

Let's hope we don't devolve into the dreaded PLAN X where we spend the next 7 years doing nothing but researching and evaluating other plans.

🤯

Is Plan A Dead?

We are told that an entire cottage industry has grown up making investment bets on what Wife and de-I might do with their future. Are they really going to pull the plug and move out of country to Spain? That's Plan A. Are they going to travel like they've done in the past and stay where they are? That's Plan B. But Plan B had a variety of sub-Plans. The majority of the market has been backing Plan A. Plan A futures soared right after the return from Malaysia.

Then came a rumor swirling through the virtual trading floors like a prairie wild fire. It was daft idea. I mean really DAFT. Like the Dutch American Friendship Treaty. It allows an American to get a visa to live in the Netherlands if they set up a business for just a $5,000 investment. Could de-I and Wife after all their proclamations about their love of the Mediterranean life suddenly go the Netherlands or at least use that as a base? Suddenly investors were desperately trying unwind their positions based on Plan A and trying to get in on the DAFT action.

But the real savvy players were in buy and hold mode on Plan B. Their logic? Insurance cost. In all the modeling, the long-term visa models for all countries tended to flounder when you factored in the cost of health insurance. But what about the negative statements from de-I and Wife about maintaining the Albuquerque property, Plan A and DAFT adherents cried. That will force them to move on the long-term visa.

Then came shocking news. Wife in her research had dug up a series of stories about people who had actually done the expat move to Spain. In one of them was an incredible statement. "Winter in Spain, almost everywhere, is incredibly cold! Why? Because there is no central heating or insulation." The story said people left their homes each day because it was warmer outside!" de-I was quoted as saying, "I don't want to freeze my ass off!"

Plan A positions plummeted. DAFT future holders saw the value drop 85% in a matter of hours. There were margin calls. Investors were scrambling for cash to keep creditors at bay. Plan B buy and holders smirked to each other on social media. 

However, a number of really experienced financial advisors simply shook their heads at the madness. One was quoted, "These people are just betting. There is no logic to this market. Who can believe a guy who set up de-I's Sandia Outfitters? They should get into something more rational and stable. Like Crypto."

Malaysia 2022/23 - #23 - Malaysia 'Navel-Gazing' Trip Review

 Another trip successfully completed. 

(Success defined as "We are Still Alive!" We set the barrier for success pretty low. Always good to manage expectations.)

We come to the traditional de-I post trip postmortem or as Daughter #3 calls it 'The Navel-Gazing Post!"

I Still Love Malaysia - I don't know exactly what it is. There is this beautiful combination of the exotic and the familiar. All the tastes, sensations of the country scream Southeast Asia. But it is so like North American or European country in its infrastructure. And it uses the Roman alphabet for all communications. And English is generally well understood and used. That means the level of culture shock is low compared to other countries in Southeast, East, and South Asia. Yet it is still this very different culture.

Food! - OMG, I cannot tell you how much I love cooking in Malaysia. There is this cross between Southeast Asian, Chinese and Indian that leads to the most intriguing flavors. They have a mastery of the use of heat (meaning spice heat) that results in something so different from anything I've tasted other places. It really is hard to get a bad meal here.

Economical! - I don't quite know how to get across just how inexpensive it is in Malaysia. All of Southeast Asia is inexpensive compared to the U.S. But with Malaysia you get all this comfortable infrastructure. How about this for an example. Wife and I ate out almost every meal other than breakfast. It was rare, RARE, for us to spend more than $15 for the two of us. Even when we had things delivered. We used the rideshare app, GRAB, extensively. We had only two rides over four weeks that were more than $4 and those were to and from airports. We ordered supermarket delivery frequently. The delivery charge was a flat $1.75! We flew in country twice. One flight from very minor airport Melaka to Penang, one-way was $160 for two of us. The other flight was from Penang to Kuala Lumpur, one-way, $65 TOTAL for two people with premium seating and extra baggage allowance on Air Asia. Crazy! I could go on. I really don't know how the economics work to provide such value.

Lovely People - There is something about Malaysian culture. People are just mellow. It's not perfect. But in general people get along here. They are multi race, ethnicity, religion, and culture. You will see a young gifl, her head covered in scarf and totally modest clothes walking in the mall with another in tight jeans and midriff showing, chatting away and texting on their phones, friends. Even the driving is very mellow. We had so many nice, informative people interactions. Even when we had problems, it was dealt with respectfully. I don't know if we can extrapolate to the whole of a country. But that was our experience. 

Hot/Humid - Okay it is the tropics. There was only so long we could be out before we wilted like fragile flowers. Though I must say after a week back in highs of low 40's here in Albuquerque, I could easily see myself back in the tropics.

No Place to Walk - That is not exactly 100% true. But it is essentially accurate. At all three places we rented, we were hemmed in by busy streets and a lack of sidewalks and crosswalks or lights. This was definitely NOT the walking culture we craved after our experience in Sicily/Cefalú.

And so Far Away - From just about anywhere our family is or is going to be in the future.

So (Sadly) Not a Place We Can Make an Expat Home 🙁 - Oh I wish it were otherwise. But I see Malaysia as a place we will still come back to again and again. It has so many positives. 

If you are looking to dip your toe into Southeast Asia light, I strongly recommend you consider Malaysia - Please contact Wife and I if you would like to learn more about this incredibly inviting country!

Malaysia 2022/23 - #22 - Final Foodie Post And Fuji

 Our last few days in Malaysia saw some of our best meals.

Don't get me wrong. We ate extremely well. But for the most part, we were just eating what I would call 'daily food'. We weren't looking for anything special. 

But on our second to the last day in Penang, we went to a seafood restaurant right near the Jetty Food Court where we'd eaten many times. It wasn't very crowded and the Chinese owner found out we were in the mood for a whole fish. She brought us over to where the fish were and we picked out a red snapper. Then we ordered a couple of other dishes when she says, "That's enough. That's plenty of food." LOL. She was right.

Water Spinach sauteed with Sambal (thankfully NOT the hotest sambal we've had on the trip)

Deep Fried Soft Shell Crab with Salted Egg Flavor

 I am still not sure what the 'salted egg flavor' is but I think I've decided I'm not a fan.

The Star

Whole Fish Steamed with Ginger and Garlic

Have you ever seen a presentation like this? We haven't and we've eaten our fair share of whole fish. But it was actually pretty inspired as it made getting the meat off of each side really easy. The fish was excellent.

On our last night in Malaysia we stayed at Kuala Lumpur Airport's Hotel, the Sama Sama Hotel.

 This is a great value in hotels. Nicer than many premium brands, it was only $100 per night for a great room, quiet with excellent beds. I fully expected the restaurant to be very expensive. And it was...by Malaysian standards. For 1 salad, 2 main courses, and four drinks it cost $60! 

This salad I would match against so many across the world that are so deficient

 Wife ordered a Fish and Chips

This was our least favorite as the breading was way to think. Though the fish itself was very good. But look at the size of that monster!

 But the killer dish was the Curry Mie with Seafood

Curry Mie is noodles with a curry broth.

It was insanely good. Absolutely the best I'd had on the trip.

 An interesting sidebar

We had finished our meal. Our waiter asked if we wanted coffee. He had inquired what we'd done in Malaysia and other kinds of questions. He insisted we try this special tea 'on the house'. Very sweet. Then we wanted to pay using up as much of the local currency as we could. We had a lot of small bills and coins. But we knew we did not have enough for the whole bill. We talked to him. He said no problem. He sits down at our table and he is counting out everything. Figuring out what we'll put on the charge card to cover the balance. He asks us if we are Portuguese. I'm thinking that's an odd question. He mentions he is from the Portuguese Malay sub-group. We start talking about our experience at the Portuguese settlement on Christmas Eve. He tells us he was their, home, for Christmas Eve. I am laughing. Why didn't you invite us in? We talk about the restaurants their. The cost compared to the average Malaysian worker's salary. It was such a lovely interchange.

Mount Fujiama

We a on our approach to land at Narita Aiport in Tokyo. I am thinking "Wouldn't be cool if I could see Mt. Fuji". But the chances are so slim. It will be cloudy. I will be on the wrong side of the plane. I won't even be able to pick it out. But NO. There is is. Clear as can be. I start taking a bunch of pictures with my phone. I don't expect any to turn out. But at least a couple do. Very cool.

Malaysia 2022/23 - #21 - Wat? No There Is No Limit On Temple Visits!

Or old mansions either.

 On our last day of touring in Penang there were three top sites we had yet to check off our list. 

• The Blue Mansion - A former home of a mega Chinese Malay Tycoon 
• Wat Chayamangkalaram - A Buddhist Temple done in the Thai style 
• Dhammikarama Burmese Buddhist Temple - A rare example of the Burmese style of Buddhist Temple outside of Myanmar. 

The Blue Mansion  - The short story

Rags to Riches Chinese immigrant, Cheon Fatt Tze built a fabulous business empire. You can read his full story here. He is a remarkable person. He is called the Rockefeller of China. This is one of his many houses throughout SE Asia and Southern China. He built it for a beloved fourth wife. His will stipulated that the family could not sell the property until the youngest son of this wife died. It had fallen in to near ruin by the time that happened. It was subsequently purchased by a couple of architects who spent 6 years restoring it to its former glory and turning it into a hotel. (BTW Celebrity Historian, this would be a great story to add to your repertoire!)

Entrance to the Property

The nature of the property lent itself to numerous interesting photo ops.

Inside during the tour, the ops were less frequent.

Before we left the grounds, one more photo op

Dhammikarama Burmese Buddhist Temple

I was surprised. I was skeptical that the temple would be that much different from the Chinese Buddhist styles we had been seeing. But it was decidedly different.

The expressions on people's faces was a major difference with a focus on loving devotion 

There is much more emphasis on human relationships

Even the Demons are devoted

Dragons and other mythological figures are portrayed with a softer approach. And the dress, rituals and postures are different.

Modern Buddhism - Monk with Cell phone

Wat Chayamangkalaram 

Let's see the difference with the Thai style

"You see love. Don't listen to #3. You can NEVER get enough Temples!"

Dragons have a very distinctive look. Their mirror clad sides offered a ton of photographic possibilities.

I have seen the light oh dragon!

Other images of difference

The Reclining Buddha, a very different representation.

And some Very Different representations of devotees

SIGNS OF THE WORLD

A Burger and Soft Drink WILL NOT get you on the road to enlightenment.

Malaysia 2022/23 - #20 - Heading Home

 We are in the Airport Lounge at Kuala Lumpur International Airport before 7am local time waiting to board our first flight back home. I have one more mega picture post to make with...hold your breath...wait for it...don't let the anticipation keel you over...MORE TEMPLE PICTURES! Bwahahahahahahaha!

It has been quite the trip. Truly one that encompasses the 'travelers' ethos. I will be getting the usual post-trip evaluation after we get home. Not looking forward to the cold back home. Definitely looking forward to shaving in hot water though!

Post to you again from the United States next.

Malaysia 2022/23 - #19 - Kek Luk Si Mega Temple

We are in the middle of a run where we are trying to see every temple we possibly can before we leave Penang. We have the words of Daughter #3 exhorting us, encouraging us, driving us onward - "See every freaking temple you possibly can until you drop!" So we dedicate this temple marathon to her and her inspiring encouragement. 

(Wife just told me that I might have misinterpreted what #3 was saying. Perhaps, just perhaps, she was being sarcastic about our tendency to over do things? Nah, that couldn't be possible. Could it?)

Kek Luk Si is far and away the largest temple on Penang. It is Chinese and features a 220 foot tall statue of the Goddess of Mercy and a seven-tier pagoda. It's big. We can see it from our apartment which is some 5-6 miles away. It is built on the side of hill. It requires a major climb or going up via two funiculars and one electric cart ride between the funiculars. It took 20 years to build and was an expression of appreciation of their good fortune by the Malay Chinese community at the turn of the last century.

This Goddess of Mercy is BIG

I mean BIG

You know what I mean. Like NOT SMALL

Even her accompanying demons are BIG

And tough looking. Mercy may be kind but its attendants...

Even dragons come to the Goddess for Mercy

The Goddess' Elephants are tough looking too!

Don't mess with Mercy

I am not nearly as up to speed on my Chinese deities as I should be but there are one helluva a lot of statues of them and/or their devoted acolytes in a temple of this size.

 

 

 

 

Looking down back toward George Town

Around the Temple grounds

A Temple of this magnitude requires a lot of donations to keep it going.

So Please Give

Please?

We're serious. GIVE!

Photography

Shadows/Silhouette

Reflection

Candids

Leading Lines

Flower

On to Lunch

We have become totally comfortable going to whatever local Kopitiam we can find. These are usually fairly unassuming places run by Malay Chinese. There host location is the coffee shop itself.  It will be open air. You will sit down and place your drink order, paying for it when it arrives. All around the coffee shop area are small booths preparing and selling various foods, the majority based on rice or noodles

On the right hand corner is the no frills kopitiam

Today I am having duck meat noodle soup

We are wiped out and take our Grab back to the apartment catching one more shot of street art