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When we first left Denver back in February, it was the middle of winter and as we drove through Vail, we were treated to probably the last snow storm we would see for quite some time. I was browsing a local Denver news site the other day to check in on what has been going down in the mile hi city and noticed that the weather forecast called for temps in the 80’s. It struck me pretty hard that it is now summer back home and that I have been gone for nearly 4 months. Time has been flying by for me and without the changing of the seasons to keep my mental clock on track, you really do start to loose track of time pretty quickly.

For us, the temperature has pretty much been the same since we left. I would estimate that the average temperature for the duration of TWBR to date has been somewhere around 90. We experienced some cooling off in southern Australia, but as soon as it did, we were headed north along with the "gray migration." (In Australia, when it gets cold in the south, thousands of older, retired folks pack up their RV’s and drive north to Alice, Darwin and Queensland for a few months in an annual phenomenon known throughout  Australia as the "gray migration.") 

Here in SE Asia, and particularly in countries close to the Equator such as Indonesia, Singapore and Malaysia, the weather is pretty much consistent all-year round with the exception of the wet/dry seasons. This consistent weather pattern makes it even easier to loose track of time in my opinion. We were talking with some people from Singapore the other day about the changing of the seasons and they assured us that Singapore also experiences four seasons: hot, hotter, hottest and hot and wet. Currently it is the "hottest" season and typically May is the hottest month, although the hot and wet season has apparently been lingering around and we are greeted every day to some pretty significant afternoon deluges. The wet weather is something I guess we had better get used to since we happen to be heading north on the tail of the monsoonal flow which brings lots of moisture to the region but little relief from the heat.

It was nice to experience some warmer weather once we left the states, but I have to admit, I am missing the cold a bit right now. At a minimum, being witness to the shift from winter to spring and spring to summer would have kept me more mindful of the amount of time I have been away from my home, friends and family. However, at the same time, here in the tropics -where time seems to stand still while speeding  forward - at least you know what the weather is going to be like tomorrow, what to wear and what time to run for cover.  

I love being in South East Asia. For someone who likes to experiment with food, this is truly a culinary paradise. When I talk about experimenting with food, I don’t mean that you have to go to extremes, although I have managed to dine on various types of snake meat, some brain, the most foul smelling fruit on the planet, and some of the spiciest food I have ever ingested to date. By experimentation, I mean the shear variety of food that is available to you here in SE Asia.  You can choose from an endless menu of Japanese, Chinese, Indian, Middle-Eastern and European food. All of these options are dwarfed by the numerous varieties of Thai, Indonesian and Malay dishes that are served up by the food hawkers that line many of the side street and back alley markets in cities such as Jakarta, Singapore and Kuala Lumpur.

for you. If you really want to get lit up, try some Thai style Tom Yum soup. If you like spicy food, this is not a problem as restaurants and vendors alike will heat things up. Even McDonald’s serves up hot chili sauce with it’s fries. If you prefer to keep it healthy, a plethora of freshly squeezed juices are served pretty much everywhere and the wet markets (fruit market) abound with exotic and delicious varieties such as star fruit, dragon fruit, lychees, mangoes and the often discriminated against durian fruit… it smells so bad that it is usually forbidden to eat in public places and buildings.

The prices make the food even more enticing. A healthy serving of Curry Laksa will cost you about 3 Ringit ($1), a kilo of lechees about 2 Ringit and a hot bowl of Bakso soup from a vendor in Indonesia can be yours for about 500 Rupiah ($0.05) Whatever your taste bud’s may fancy, they are sure to find something to become addicted to in SE Asia. For me, I would have to say it has become the Curry Laksa… a tasty Malaysian dish with thick noodles, chicken and seafood served in a spicy coconut curry sauce… it hits the spot every time.  

Given that we are learning a lot about the different places and cultures we are being exposed to on the World by Road, we thought that it would only be appropriate to share some of these tidbits of information in what we hope will be a weekly blog called: Did you Know? So without further ado, here is the first installment.

You already know that the number 13 represents bad luck back in the States to the point that many hi-rise buildings don’t officially list having a 13th floor. Well, people here in Malaysia don’t really have a problem with the number 13. Not true with the number 4. In SE Asia and predominantly cultures in the region with a Chinese influence, the number 4 represents bad luck, death and all that is bad so you won’t see too many buildings with a 4th floor listed here. In fact, we were told that some of the Chinese gangsters here in Kuala Lumpur even incorporate the number 4 into the name of their crew (Four Horsemen, etc.) to add to the intimidation factor.

We have photos from Endau Rompin National Park.

Click here.

With in only minutes of our trucks rolling off the ship in Singapore we crossed the boarder into Malaysia. We made a b-line for Malaysia’s capital city Kuala Lumpur to meet up with our new Malaysian friend Wan. After a few days in Kuala Lumpur hanging with Wan and trying to get some much needed work done, but we found it impossible to get anything done. When in the presence of Wan you generally wake up the next day not feeling so hot.

After KL we headed to Endau-Rompin National Park were we set out into the jungles to hang with the Orang Asli people (tribal people). Endau-Rompin is a beautiful untouched rain forest, and one of the few left in Malaysia. The Steve’s trekked deep into the jungles to find a waterfall as i sat back at camp nursing my everlasting headache.

We will be in Thailand in the next few days so keep watchin.