Packing up!

It is packing up time again...this is the worst aspect of a holiday, especially when flying. Airlines have got fussier with the weight of the luggage and size of hand luggage etc. and we battle to stick to the rules.(not shown here are two carpets someone bought and fabric someone else bought!)

While I write I can see cranes working, hear the bull dozers at work, drills drilling, while buildings are being pulled down and new ones erected, right before our eyes! Joshua runs through every morning and looks out of the window and gives a daily report on changes taking place. This is all in the name of development. This city, in fact this country is amazing with all the building activity that is taking place. The view from our bedroom window will be quite different in three months time when we return.

Before that happens, I thought I should tell you a little about the "kitchens" in the homes in Malaysia. I can only talk of the places I have visited and stayed in, in the last ten years or so. Most homes have two kitchens as we know them. In the old days in our homes in S.A. we used to have sculleries and pantries...I wonder if our children know those two words, let alone what they are. In Malaysia most homes, including condos and apartment blocks have two kitchens which are referred to as the dry kitchen and the wet kitchen. The dry kitchen is the pleasant area where food and dishes may be stored but the wet kitchen is where the chopping and cooking takes place and the pots and pans are scrubbed. It is very much in the style of the old idea of kitchens and sculleries.

 

The dry kitchen

The wet kitchen.

A door divides these two areas and the maid's room leads off here. Maids generally live in in Malaysia and the room supplied is small and rather airless. A loo and shower lead off their room and the water the staff use, has no heater! You can hardly swing a cat in the room supplied. Some homes have double bunks for the ladies to sleep in and not much else is supplied!

Another fascinating thing about all the kitchens I have been in is that there is only cold water supplied for washing dishes! Usually dishes are "washed" under running cold water and stacked onto drip trays. Rarely are dishes towel - dried and put away! I know this would drive South African housewives crazy. Most cooking is done in a wok, while a rice cooker is a must. Joshua looked at a couple of rather expensive imported potatoes Warren had bought and asked what they were. He only eats rice and his favourite rice is red rice! Of course rice is no good for any one with weight issues nor is the delicious fried food which is the norm on a menu in Malaysia. Despite swimming regularly, the kilos continue to creep up and I have to make some serious changes to my eating style. With all the dinners out, treats and spoiling it is time to get real and get healthy.

The last six weeks have been wonderful. It was super celebrating Nick's 37 th birthday last night.warren treated us to Duck which is a firm favourite when visiting KL.

We really enjoy being in Malaysia with our family and will be stopping by in December en route to Australia. For now we will just say au revoir ...till we meet again.xxxxx

 

Perla, Moira and Moi!

Perla with the birthday girl Princess Celine, Ichowie and tiger Boy, Joshua!

 

Our Malaysian family. We love you guys!