The Girls and I took a vacation to
Malaysia. It was beyond amazing.
I am not entirely sure how our
vacation came about, all I know is that Caitie asked me if I would prefer the
beginning of April or the end of April (I had no preference) and then someone
found a cheap flight. Not having
electricity myself, Amber purchased it for me over the phone. We turned in forms to ask Peace Corps if we
could go out of the country for vacation, got approved, and that was that.
It was a welcome vacation, the
first time we had been out of the country since arriving some 8 months before. We (well, me) were astounded at the
differences between Cambodia and Malaysia; The development, the food, the nightlife. If you have never been to Kuala Lumpur (one
of the sites of our vacation), I highly recommend it. Landing in KL and then entering the airport
was a treat all unto itself. We spotted
a Starbucks and a McDonalds, both of which reside on every other corner in
America, but are nowhere to be seen in Cambodia. Guess what we ate first? BOTH OF THEM. Talk about a head spin.
After getting lost a few times-
Heading in all directions
We finally found our room!
We got to see the Petronas Towers:
The Batu Caves:
Had a drink (...or two)
And did NOT pass on any sort of frozen anything.
We even got to go bowling inside of a mall
AND satisfy my longing of regular footwear by wearing the sweetest kicks in all of Southeast Asia.
(We had to purchase the socks at the bowling alley)
Caitie kicked our butts but I must say that we all had style.
Upon arriving back into Phnom Penh and instantly breaking into a sweat, we were on our way back to the office when I spotted a Khmer man with features I hadn’t noticed before. “Freckles!” I exclaimed, “I have never seen a Khmer person with freckles!” Caitie was sitting next to me and agreed. “Eight months in and we’re still discovering new things” one of us said to the other. And I thought then as I think now; that I hope with all of my might that I am still discovering new things ten months in, eleven months in, a year and two years in. I hope that when I get back to America I am making new discoveries and appreciating nature-made and man-made gifts both, that I can still see the world through a child’s eyes when appropriate, and wonder at the simplest and the greatest of wonders. Because isn’t that one of the spices of life-the discovery of the new things, and rediscovery of the old things? And if this is indeed what spices consist of, then I may learn to enjoy cooking after all.
Happy traveling!
xo-Amanda
