Asia Journal ’24 - #8

 

The Indonesia leg of the trip was an amazing success, thanks to Alice, my incredible host and coordinator. Got into Kuala Lumpur yesterday morning and was met at the airport by Regina (wife of Leon Lim, my

host for this Malaysia segment). Leon and Regina and family graciously offered me their guestroom for the night. Before giving me a little tour of the city they took me to a popular Indian restaurant where the plate is a banana leaf, and you eat with your fingers. Scrumptious! This morning, we left home at 4:00am to catch an Air Asia flight to Miri on the island of Sarawak. Leon also is a marvelous host who has given me a superb introduction to the cultural life of Malaysia, especially via the food, the history, and other minutia that helps me better understand my research task. We went to the Night Market to see if we found mangoes. But the market was nothing like those in Taiwan or Thailand. But we found some tasty Malaysian treats, and june plum and Otaheite apples. We did find some mangoes at a nearby supermarket. I got my Malaysian mango fix. Tonight, we attended the first of three Tribal Gatherings. A great experience. Tomorrow I’ll spend time interviewing the leaders.