Rotary Group Study Exchange UK 1210 – Malaysia/Singapore 3310

Mand’s Diary

29/05/2010- Hi all! So sorry I have been offline for some time. Today is our day of departure!! I am coming home baby! YEAH! But firstly, let me give you a brief summary of the last 4 days….. Our time on Mt Kinabalu was amazing (24th-26th), we saw fabulous views, did a jungle canopy walk, swam in poring hot springs, visited a tea plantation,  a pottery factory and a war memorial. We experienced fabulous hot weather and also the downpour of the storms typical on a mountain, which were actually quite breathtaking. On our return back from the mountain, we then did our very last GSE presentation to the Rotary Club of Likas Bay followed by a meal in the hotel restaurant. Our next presentation will be the one we construct for our return to the UK starting with the Welcome Home Rally on the 24th June. Over the immediate last few days, we have unfortunately been let down by cancellations and late changes to the itinerary, which saw us spending most of our time lounging by John’s host’s swimming pool and topping up our tans. However, not all this time was lost as I was able to fit in a visit to Sabah Museum one morning and I also went for yet another treatment… a hair wash, which is a full hair wash with head, shoulder and back massage lasting 1.5hours and only costing 8 pounds! My hair felt like silk afterwards! I also spent one afternoon with John visiting Rotarian music venues, namely a violin tutor’s house and a drumming school, and we spent yesterday lunchtime by the beach eating corn-on-the-cob. Last night we had a fellowship meal with some rotarians at the Hyatt Hotel where we sampled a lovely Indian buffet. I am sad to be coming away from this culinary adventure, but will also be relieved to be able to have control over when I eat! We also said farewell to Rosie, who has started her own adventure today by enrolling on a 4 day diving course as part of her extended stay in Malaysia. Although our stop at Kota Kinabalu has been relaxing, I am very much excited to be coming home and being around those who love me, starting with a gathering on my day of arrival with some of John’s friends, followed by a week off spent with the one I have missed the most…. SIMBA!

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24/05/2010- This morning Angela took me out for breakfast and I am now currently sitting in her office. She and her husband George have a private accountancy firm and they are very successful. George has been in China since yesterday on business and returns tomorrow. In a few hours time, the GSE team will be presenting to the Rotary Club of Kota Kinabalu at the Hyatt Hotel and the club has about 40 members. Then we are travelling to one of the national parks in the surrounding area of Mt Kinabalu where we will have a two day stay. It is hard to believe that we are in our final few days and that I will be home this time next week also, I managed to upload some pics (see entry 23/5/10 below)

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23/05/2010- Today started at Jesselton Point where we walked through the street markets that sold everything from foods, plants, clothes and crafts to cats, dogs and mice! This was then followed by a boat ride to a neighbouring island called Manukan Island. Looking back on East Malaysia as we were bound for Manukan Island, you could see Mount Kinabalu in the distance. The boat ride was about 15 mins max. We stopped at the island for several hours with our day host Alfred and his daughter Alana. We swam in the warm sea with the fish (Richard, Rosie and John went snorkelling), sunbathed, enjoyed the fabulous scenery, ate lunch and enjoyed icecream. We have all caught the sun too. This truly felt like a well deserved break and we enjoyed this time for relaxation and a snooze on the beach. Tonight we are having dinner at a local Club House with fellow Rotarians. Tomorrow and Tuesday we are out of the area and doing a walk on Mt Kinabalu and presenting to the Rotary Club of KK and have two nights stay at a hotel (prob no internet access so no updates until I return). Below are some photos from the last few days in Kota Kinabalu

                

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22/05/2010- Greetings from Kota Kinabalu! We had an early flight this morning which stopped at Miri for half an hour for refuelling before going on to Kota Kinabalu (KK). Our hosts greeted us at the airport and we were whisked away for an Indian banquet lunch at a local restaurant called Krishna’s. My hosts are named George and Angela, they have two beautiful daughters called Hannah and Shuana. The itinerary during our stay at KK is even more relaxed than the rest. I think we have only 2 presentations during our stay here. I believe we are visiting some of the local islands by boat tomorrow and that there is an over night stay somewhere aswell. I can’t wait to see the beaches, everybody has said how fabulous this area of Malaysia is for beaches and scuba-diving. Tonight we have an official GSE Team welcome dinner being hosted by one of the Rotary Clubs.

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21/05/2010-

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20/05/2010 (evening)- Tonight has been a first for many things. We had our Rotary meeting and fellowship at Tracy’s Host’s house which was a beautiful set up for our evening. Our presentations went down very well and our exchange of banners also included some lovely gifts. So, three new things happened tonight…. firstly, I had a go on the karaoke. Those of you that know me well will understand that this is totally not me as I am quite shy on these type of things and cannot sing! I didn’t perform solo mind, I had the back up (or at least I was the back-up) of my fellow team members. Secondly, I had a drag of a cigar! Yes, you readthat  right for those of you who know that I have a strong opinion about smoking. John was smoking it and asked if I wanted to try. Tracy captured this on video and it is quite funny! God, it tasted like burnt tree bark in my mouth, but I can tick it off the list. Lastly, I finally got to speak to my husband John on Skype. By chance, Gary one of the Rotarians at the meeting tonight let me borrow his netbook. When I got it home I saw that Skype was installed and John was online! I had a 1 hour video chat with him and got to see Simba too! Really pleased, so thank-you Tracy for my cheeky use of your account, seeing John for the first time in nearly three weeks was amazing! Also thanks for the new surge of messages on my blog page, glad to see that you are still interested and keeping up with me.

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20/05/2010- I have now moved in with another Rotarian named Sylvester for the remainder of my stay in Kuching. Today the weather started off very rainy so we ended up visiting some indoor attractions. We went to the Sarawak Craft Council, the textile museum and a pottery factory where we saw local potters at work. As the rain wore off after lunch, we then went on to see the orang-utans at the Semenggoh Wildlife Centre. I know that most of my friends are dying to see these photos and have been waiting for this update especially! It was a truly exceptional experience, you got to do it to believe it. Tonight we are presenting to the Rotary Club of Kuching Central at Tracy’s host’s house, followed by dinner. Tomorrow is our last day at Kuching and we are going to visit a longhouse village and we have the afternoon off. I think we are going to book in for yet another treatment (!) before we attend a farewell party hosted especially for us as we depart for Kota Kinabalu on Saturday.

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19/05/2010- Today we have visited some more sights of Kuching starting with Fort Margherita 1880. It is a fort that was built to overlook the river and today it should house some old police weapons as a police museum (but on our visit today, the rooms were empty). We then went on to the Tun Jugah museum and pua gallery. Here we met Shirley, the weaving coordinator where were were shown the traditional way of making Ikats (traditional woven pieces of textile). Tun Jugah was a chief who was a state leader of the Iban people and was followed mainly because of his belief in politics and peace. After lunch, we went to a private workshop owned by Mathew who made stringed instruments called Sape (pronounced Sappy) which are traditional to the tribe of Orang Ulu Kenyah people (to which he belongs). Our day ended with yet ANOTHER treatment for the girls, we had a manicure and a pedicure each to the grand total of 15 pounds! My fingernails are a hot pop-art pink and my toes are a deep purple. This finished off our look for the evening presentation to the Rotary Club of Kuching Jaya tonight.

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18/05/2010- I have been told in so many emails how good my blog is (thank you!) so I am writing this early so that you don’t miss out on today’s installment incase I am too tired tonight. Today we have been hosted by Rotarians Patric, Ann and Edwin and visited the Sarawak Cultural Village which boasts the cultural heritage and history of Malaysia in visual live displays as a living museum. It was a beautiful venue with lots of natural wildlife and scenery. This was followed by lunch in the village. We then briefly went on to the Cat Museum whilst on the way to Sarawak Museum. The Sarawak museums celebrated war history, contemporary art and natural history. Tonight we are presenting to the Rotary Club of Kuching followed by dinner. Below are some photos from today.

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17/05/2010- Today has been awesome and has taken on nature, talent and relaxation. Firstly we went to a crocodile farm and zoo where we saw massive crocodiles being fed. I was amazed at their presence and it gave me the creeps! We then had lunch where I ate Laksa which is a traditional Malay/Chinese dish comprising curry sauce bound noodles, egg, chicken and prawns. Delicious! This was followed by a visit to a local music school which took our breath away. There we met a young 13yr old boy named Voon Yen Chai who was a genious on the Chinese dulcimer (Chinese name Yang Qing), which is a type of harp stringed instrument laid out horizontally. He played a piece of music called the “Song of the Waterfall” which originated in the Chinese town of Henan. It was absolutely phenomenal. I can only upload a picture, but Tracy videoed it and it was amazing. Voon has won championships in Beijing for this extraordinary talent. Our evening started with a presentation to the Rotary Club of Kuching South at Rtn Bong’s house which went down well. Our treat to finish off the evening was yet another reflexology foot massage (with shoulder, neck and back massage included) which left us rejuvenated and ready for another exciting day. The pace of Kuching is very relaxed and we are lovng this a lot!

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16/05/2010- Greetings from Kuching in Sarawak (East Malaysia). After a short flight I landed in Sarawak about 4.45pm and was taken away by my host parents Rasinah and Mohammed. They have two sons and a daughter. I have met their daughter who is named May, and she has very kindly let me borrow her Apple Mac laptop for the duration of my stay. As I have never fully used one before, this may be a challenge to get some photos on here but I shall try! Kuching is a nice town, it translates to Cat (as in a cat fruit) but the locals have changed this to mean an actual cat (as in miaow cat). There are statues of cats everywhere and we are visitng a cat museum during our stay.  My hosts had a dinner party when I arrived and two other rotarians joined us for the evening aswell as May and her partner Trevor who is British. After a delicious dinner, May and Trevor took me to the town centre where we stopped in a bar called Jambu and had some drinks. I asked for something local, to which I received the notorious drink called Tuak which is a fortified rice wine which has a very high alcohol content (some varieties are 80% proof!). I had one glass. It was a lovely evening getting to know my hosts, now I must upack and get some sleep. Tomorrow we are visitng a crocodile farm and I am told that some are 8ft long!!!! Below are some pics from Singapore, I need to master this Apple Mac laptop to know how to add from my camera!

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16/05/2010 (morning)-
This morning I am hectically trying to organise my belongings and pack my items so that the luggage is the allowed weight! Just thought I would come on here to update you a bit more on my time at Singapore. It has been truly fabulous and I wish we could have spent longer here. As we are talking to people we are finding out about places that we could have visited or missed out on. Despite this we have had a fab time here and I just have to bring my husband John back here- he would love it! My mission to find a Singaporean snake (to add to the Vctim Support snake collection at work) proved difficult, but very last minute in Chinatown yesterday Richard spotted one on a market stall and Jimmy Choo was born! So there you have it- I have completed my mission in bringing back a snake from Malaysia (Dogface) and Singapore (Jimmy CHoo- JC). Sorry I have not been able to upload photos whilst here, and I cannot garantee internet access at my next stop in Kuching so may be a while. But you can see a selection of photos on John’s diary (entry 15/05/10) for a taster of what we got up to. Hopefully speak to you all again soon- thanks for all my messages too!
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15/05/2010- Hi all. I have had a fab day today even though it started very early, as we had to present to the Rotary Club of Bugis Junction at 8.30am! It went down well. Following this, we then had a short stroll to the famous Raffles Hotel, where (you guessed it) we sat in the Long Bar and drank Singapore Slings whilst eating monkey nuts. It is custom to throw the peanut shells on the floor, of which we made a fine mess! The experience was amazing and I even got a photo with the dude in the white uniform and white turban who greets you at the entrance (I am still having trouble uploading photos, so you will have to wait for the time being- sorry). After this we had a walk through Little India and Chinatown. In Chinatown, Tracy and I bought a gorgeous Ceong Sam (Chinese traditional dress) so we can wear them for our presentations back in the UK. The maid at Hector and Belinda’s house where Rosie and I have stayed is named Chanda and she has very kindly made some pearl 10ct gold drop earrings for us both- what a lovely memento. The evening was finished off with a fantastic banquet made by Belinda and the whole GSE team and our day hosts were invited to share in the dinner party. We started the evening sitting on their roof garden admiring the Singapore skyline. It is our last day in Singapore tonight, tomorrow we are departing Singapore and will be on the way to East Malaysia to an area called Kuching.
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14/05/2010- Big HELLO from SINGAPORE!! Absolutely loving this place… it is amazing! Singapore is so clean you could eat a meal straight off the floor in a public toilet! The culture is very ‘European’ and the streets are busy, energetic, the old meets new and its also very cultural in its architecture and history. Over the past few days, we have visited some art galleries, a Counselling centre, a police museum, a subordinate court, shopped on Orchard Road, seen the Singapore Flyer, walked the quayside, been to an independent cinema for a short film and done two Rotary presentations. It is fair to say that we have been exhausted, but we have been in the good hands of Jewel and June who have been fantastic and managed to get some last minute vocational stuff in place for us all. I even gave a requested solo presentation for the benefit of the Counselling centre (see Tracy’s diary entry for 13/5/10). Sorry this message is quite short, I am also having difficulty uploading photos on my host’s computer, will try to get some on soon. Tomorrow we are doing a Rotary presentation and Jewel has promised to take us to Raffles Hotel for a Singapore Sling!!
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12/05/2010- I said to myself that I would not be ‘blogging’ today as I am sooo tired and I have to pack up ready to leave for Singapore tomorrow (7am start). The only thing that keeps me blogging is knowing that there are people in the UK reading, being entertained and interested in what we are doing. I will keep it brief as I need to hit the pillow. Today we went to the local Johor Bahru council offices where we were to learn about the aims and plans for the future of Johor Bahru and the investment and regeneration of the area. This was very interesting and it was followed by a visit to the council worker’s orchestra group and a few pieces of music were played for us to enjoy. After lunch we were met by a journalist who wanted to know about our experiences of Johor Bahru and our stay in Malaysia. This article will be printed in the New Straits Times a contemporary magazine for JB locals. Hopefully we will be able to source a copy. Then the fun began…. We had a visit to the JB Police Head Quarters where we met the Chief Police Officer, afterwards, we had a couple of police officers meet us and they escorted us from Polive HQ to the Rotary Club of Kulai (30 min drive) with the full fanfare of flashing lights and sirens! Richard got his video recorder out and it was like Police Camera Action! The civilian cars just shifted out of the way and our convoy was let through with 2 police motorcycles and a police car to lead the way. It was quite exhilarating…. only Royalty and VIPs are transported in this way, and gosh, did we feel like VIPs! Our final stop was to the Rotary Club of Kulai where we gave a GSE Presentation before about 20 Rotarians and we also had a tour of their dialysis centre that helps people with kidney problems in the local area. This si my last night in JB, tomorrow I am off to Singapore, so I do not know when I will have internet access again. My hosts in JB have been absolutely amazing and they have just presented me with a gorgeous little bracelet as a parting gift. Please see pictures below for a summary of my day. Finally, I would like to wish my special friend Larah a very happy birthday for tomorrow. I will be thinking about you, hope that you have an awesome day!

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11/05/2010- Today, Tracy and I were taken for breakfast at a roadside cafe in Pontian. Here we sampled Kaya on toast (a sweet coconut spread, delicious), wan ton soup and pork noodles… all washed down with a cup of tea! Following this, we drove through Pekan Nenas (translation- Pineapple town) and viewed some decorative Chinese gravestones on the way to JARO. JARO stands for Johor Area Rehabilitation Organisation which empowers disabled people to earn a living by assisting them with employment and training enabling them to lead a normal life with dignity. The disabled people we saw today were book binding, but there is also basket weaving and tailoring too. We then went on to the Berkat Children’s home where we saw how it was run by Raymond and Nariza. They take in orphans, children who have been abused or come from broken homes. Their youngest child was a 4 month old boy named Angelo. Tonight we are doing our GSE presentation to the Rotary Club of Johor Straits, followed by a meal at a Chinese seafood restaurant. We seem to be doing a hell of a lot of eating! You won’t recognise me when I get back as I will need rolling off the plane!! Below is a selection of pictures during our stay in Pontian yesterday and from today in Johor Bahru again. Please click on GSE TEAM PHOTOS link to see a lot more.

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10/05/2010- Today has been unbearably hot and we have lost a swimming pool of sweat between us! Our day started with a drive to Pontian (where we are staying for the night), which is a coastal village specialising in seafood (obviously) and is at the most Southern tip of mainland Asia. We started our vocational tour with a visit to the Rotary Haemodialysis & Physiotherapy Centre which receives about 120 patients,this centre looks after people with kidney problems. From here we went on to visit a National Park called Tanjung Piai where we saw the mangroves and wildlife on the coastal front. We could see Singapore on the horizon too and did you know that it is illegal to swim to Singapore?? Their surveilance is watching the Malaysian coast line constantly. We had lunch in a seafood restaurant in Kukup sitting out on a jetty. Our final stop for the day was to visit a costume jewellery factory to see the production of fashion and modern jewellery. There were loads of designs of every type of jewellery piece, it was fair to say that this visit appealed more to the girls than to John and Richard! Tracy and I are just getting ready for a fellowship dinner tonight which will be hosted at a past president’s house Mr Lam Woon Siong. Then, Tracy and I are sharing a bed at our host’s house (Rotarian Mr Singh) for the night.

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09/05/2010- Today was meant to be a day off for us all to chill-out but I ended up doing some interesting vocational visits first before meeting the team later in the day (trying add pictures to this entry tonight but I’m having trouble uploading, but there are pictures on GSE TEAM PHOTOS for you to see) Firstly, I went with my hosts to the Catholic Church for mass, which was a special service, as today is Mother’s Day in Malaysia. It was a beautiful service. After this I went to a charity meeting. My hosts are members of the National Society of St Vincent de Paul, a charity through the church that helps the needy, sick and vulnerable. I went to their bi-weekly meeting to see what concerns were raised and was comforted to see that it works in a similar way to Victim Support. I met a fab girl there called Emelda Rose who is enthusiastic about the charity and really instilled a renewed enthusiasm for what I do (don’t hold me to that, still got another 4 weeks before I return to work!!). When this finished I went to the local children’s home called Villa Paulos, which is run by a single lady who mothers 16 abandoned and/or troubled children. It was a lovely visit and the children thought I was a celebrity! After these visits, I was able to chill by the pool-side with the team, and just as we were spreading our beach towels on the loungers the heavens opened and a tropical thunderstorm ensued. Unwilling to let this spoil my swim I swam in the swimming pool whilst it rained hard!! The thunder was VERY scary, so loud and aggressive. The rain continued for about 3 hours, but we sat and chatted and caught up with ourselves. Our evening was finished off nicely with a gorgeous meal at a local Chinese restaurant. Tomorrow we have got an over night stay at Pontian, so I warn you now that I may have no internet access for a few days. Hope that this blog is keeping you up to date and entertained. Receiving your messages is very comforting (thank you!!) and I am pleased that you are showing an interest.

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08/05/2010- Hello fans.Today has been really good. We went to Johor Bahru where we went to the Yamaha music centre so that John could tune a piano! We then went and saw a local printing business as everything is amazingly still done by hand with very little computer work involved. After this we went into Johor Bahru city where we had a tour around the Sultan’s Palace museums acknowledging the heritage, history and artefacts. This was followed by a tour around Johor Bahru city centre where we experienced the cultural quarters (Chinese and Indian) and I got accosted by numerous Indian men!!! I seem to attract A LOT of male attention whilst walking around with my GSE team and people have told me that I have a ‘Tamil Face’ (No John, not trowel face!). Tracy has nicknamed me the ‘Coconut’ or COCO for short and it is true, I am brown on the outside and white on the inside! haha!! After being made aware of this male attention I was receiving, I was yet to receive more of it when we all went for a one hour Reflexology foot massage! It was bliss! My male masseur was very sweet . I am beginning to think that this is more of a GSE holiday rather than a GSE work trip! Our hosting Rotarians have been ever so accomodating and friendly towards us. Including my current hosts, who have now adopted me as their daughter!

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07/05/2010- At the moment I am sitting in a beautiful garden of my next host family’s house updating the blog page and watching the Koi carp in the pond. Today, we have travelled to Johor Bahru, where we will spend the next 6 days as part of our travels (minus one over-night stay in Pontian). My new hosts are named Victor and Ludwin Raj and from the minute I met them they have treated me like the daughter they never had (they have three sons) so I feel very welcome and at home. We all had a lovely lunch in a Thai restaurant when we all met and got to know eachother as we were eating. Johor Bahru is very different to Malacca, it is more rural. The seem more relaxed than in the city. Tonight we presented to the Rotary Club of Pasir Gudang which has about 18 members and has been establised for 20 years (See GSE TEAM PHOTOS link). We then had a fellowship evening meal together before returning to our host families. Tomorrow we are visiting the Yamaha Music Centre and doing some sight seeing. As I have been typing, Victor has fed his Koi carp, here are some photos-

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06/05/2010- Today we have been tourists enjoying the sights and history of Malacca city (See GSE TEAM PHOTOS link- LOTS OF PHOTOS ADDED TODAY). Our tour started in the cultural part moving on to the history, museums and China town. It has been unbearably hot and we were all suffering with the heat today as we walked around in sweaty clothes. We took a boat tour along the river and ate lunch in a local Indian restaurant straight from a banana leaf- delicious! We were flagging by 5pm, so we were handed over to the young and vibrant Rotaractors for an enjoyable evening, starting with a 2 hour full body massage! What a massage! Very different from what you would expect in the UK, let’s just say that it was a very intimate affair with a lot of necessary pain… it was rejuvenating and very appreciated by us all- we floated out of the salon in very high spirits. We had a lovely meal in an Indian restaurant (two Indian meals today!) called Pak Putra, a very popular restaurant for miles around. Then the Rotaractors took us for drinks in a bar where we were brave enough to try the notorius Durian Fruit only found in Malaysia- known for its pungent very sickening smell, but apparantly tasting delicious. I had been warned about this fruit by Shents, but thought I had to give it a go. You either love it or hate it. Tracy and I liked it, Rosie thought it was ok and John outright hated it and cursed it for the whole night!! Tonight has been our last day in Malacca, tomorrow we will take a long bus journey to Johor Bahru for the next step of our jourey….

05/05/2010- The team made two vocational visits today, one to the irrigation works for the padi-rice fields and another to see a palm-oil factory (See GSE TEAM PHOTOS link). Tracy was lucky enough to spend the day with the local police for her vocational visit. Both visits were very interesting and they were things that the public would not be able to see as a tourist. It was another very hot day and our tans are beginning to show. Later in the evening we made another presentation to the Rotary Club of Malacca and finished the night with a lovely Chinese meal at the Renaissance Hotel. Tomorrow we are spending the day touring the city and seeing the sights, then after this we are lucky enough to have a 2 hour full body massage each as a relaxing treat (costing about 15 pounds!) before spending a ‘night on the town’ with some of the Rotaracts (separate association for younger people to get involved with Rotary) so it should be fun! Below are some pictures I have taken of 3 scary insects I have seen so far…….

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04/05/2010- Today has been another jam-packed day spent at Kuala Lumpur (the capital city of Malaysia). It started with a presentation about the SMART Tunnel (Stormwater Management And Road Tunnel) which is a dual purpose underground tunnel ferrying flood water and vehicles (not mixed together!!- in separate split levels) it is about 10km in length and runs under the city. This was followed by lunch and taking pictures of the sights which comprised old and new architectural structures. We then made a visit to the  famous Petronas Twin Towers where we were exclusively allowed to walk along the sky-bridge (adjoining the towers). This is something that you cannot book in advance as they only let so many people in a day. The views were amazing. In a blink of the eye, the scorching weather turned on us and we experienced some rain (which we thought was quite bad, but the locals said was merely a drizzle!), it was still humid and it didn’t stop us enjoying our adventure. We were also able to look in the Central Market renowned for crafts, arts and souvenirs etc. Also a visit to Petaling Street made famous by its selling of fake goods. I couldn’t resist and bought a cute little Louis Vuitton clutch purse just for novelty value (of which the price was kindly haggled down for me),  it only cost 6 pounds! Things are so cheap here! Below are pictures of the twin Towers and the KLCC (Kuala Lumpur City Centre) Shopping Mall that is situated inside it, the shops are overwhelming- most are very exclusive designer brands- Miu Miu, Chanel, Gucci, Boss, Bally, Celine… I could go on…….

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03/05/2010- Firstly I would like to say Happy Birthday to Micky (my brother in law), I hope that you had a lovely meal to celebrate. I have only been so good at keeping my diary updated because I have the priveledged use of wi-fi and Janet’s laptop whilst I am in their home. So enjoy my diary whilst you can as the internet access along the way may be few and far between. Well, you will be pleased (and shocked) to hear that I actually got out of bed and down for breakfast for 7.15am this morning- by myself!! I also had a cold shower (unheard of, but the heat is intense) to wake me up! Today has been JAM PACKED, and wierdly, I am not tired! Our first stop today was at the City Council offices (MBMB- Majlis Bandaraya Melaka Bersejarah) to meet the Mayor. However, the Mayor was away on business in Brunei, so we met his deputy. We exchanged Rotary banners with him (See GSE TEAM PHOTOS). We also had a presentation about the redevelopment of the river (Sungei Melaka) and areas of the town, taking into account things like tourism, conservation, trade and businesses. Sree, a GSE Team member from the Malaysian team (2009) was there to greet us which was lovely. Our day continued with a trip to see the Taiwan Buddhist Tzi Chi Foundation (founded 1966) which is an international voluntary organisation offering help, health, education and wellbeing to those in need- with the spirit of great love. Services include free healthcare by medical professionals in their spare time, charity work, recycling and teaching. This was followed by lunch at a local Chinese restaurant. After lunch, we met with the Campus Senior Director of the local private university (MMU- Multi Media University) and were given a presentation about the site, its history and its vision for Malacca, followed by a short tour. Our second to last stop for the day was at the Kota Malacca Rotary Meeting where we gave our first presentation on Malaysian soil! It went really well and the Rotarians were very receptive to our sense of humour and presentation content. The day ended with a lovely meal at a local seafood restaurant where we were offered curried fish and crabmeat dishes, served with rice and vegetables. The weather has been extremely hot today and there was even sign of a storm possibly brewing as we saw a few flashes of lighting over the sea, but this hasn’t amounted to any rain….. yet. Tomorrow we are spending the day in the capital Kuala Lumpur on vocational visits where we will see the Smart Tunnel, the Petronas Twin Towers (and walk across the skybridge!), do more shopping and eat in more restaurants. Life is not bad at all……..

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02/05/2010- Today has been really good! I rolled out of bed at 9am (even though I set my alarm for 8am eek!) and came downstairs to a gorgeous breakfast of fresh fruits- kiwi, oranges, papayas and melon. It was delicious and tastes so much better than what you buy in the UK. John (host) took Richard and I around the golf course on the grounds where their house is situated, it is truly stunning scenery (See GSE TEAM PHOTOS link). After this, we were taken to a traditional Malaysian wedding to witness the reception. Here we ate from a typical Malaysian buffet, comprising rice dishes, curry and mixed vegetables. There was a rice based dessert too rolled up in a banana leaf which was infused with wine- very tasty. See the GSE TEAM PHOTOS to appreciate the beauty of the bride & groom and also the beautiful reception. At the ceremony, the ladies were given little trinket boxes with sweets inside and also a hibiscus flower arrangement with a boiled egg attached- this is a symbol of fertility for the bride and groom, but everyone kept rubbing it on me in the hope of a baby for John and I when I come back from this trip!! When we came back to John and Janet’s house, we had the pleasure of dipping in their goreous swimming pool. Tonight John and Janet took Richard and I to The Malacca Club where we ate a lovely chinese meal mixed with Malay cuisine (See PHOTOS below). The night market was on tonight too so we had the pleasure of seeing it in all it’s bustling energy, lots of stalls offering lots of items including food, jewellery, souvenirs etc. Amongst the stalls, I stumbled across a Malaysian snake to add to the Victim Support collection! His name is Dogface (don’t ask why, it was randomly pre-arranged in a conversation with Shents). He hung around my neck for the rest of the evening. He was bought for 5 Malaysian ringgits which is equivalent to 1 pound!!

Tomorrow is our first day of work. I have to get up at 6am and be at a meeting for 8am!! Don’t know how I am going to do it……

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01/05/2010- After a short flight to Amsterdam and a long 12 hour flight to Malaysia, I can say that I made it here in one piece and at the moment, I do not feel jet-lagged (it is 4.40pm your time and 11.40pm my time- 7 hour difference as I write this). On arrival, the air is hot and humid, local people scoot about on motorbikes with children on the front, market stalls are full of fresh tropical fruits, the landscaping is green and lush, the people are very friendly and accomodating. We had a pit-stop at a local cafe for drinks before heading to Malacca for an evening meal at one of the local shopping malls. Richard and I are staying with John and Janet Flexman until Friday. John is English and Janet is from Trinidad. They have a beautiful home within some golfing grounds and any photos I show you will not do it any justice, but I shall put some on for you to see (below). Tomorrow, we are told to wake up whenever we please (as the jet-lag will hit us) then we are priveledged to attend a traditional Malaysian wedding (one of the Rotarian’s daughters I think) and see the special ceremony (Good job I packed a load of dresses ). Afterwards, the GSE team are invited back to where Richard and I are staying, as John and Janet have said that we can all have a swim in their pool which backs onto the golfing grounds. Our first Rotary presentation will be on Monday. Pictures of the beautiful house Richard and I are staying at below-

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29/04/2010- Last day before our adventure begins. I have had a stressful two days trying to pack my suitcase . We have recently had our bathroom renovated and as a result our scales got thrown out. This meant that I was packing my suitcase blind as I had no concept of its weight! I sent John out this morning to buy another set of scales and when we weighed my case I was shocked to hear that it was over 4 Stone! We then quickly realised that the scales were not set to zero, so my case actually weighed 3 stone exactly (19kg) Phew, it’s a good job as I really have packed 8 pairs of shoes!  Today, John took me for a lovely lunch at Gusto in Knutsford (Cheshire), I really enjoyed it and he also surprised me with a beautiful amethyst pendant necklace as a good luck present that I shall wear on my travels. At the moment I am feeling really excited but also a little scared of the challenge ahead. My friends and family have been really supportive and I want to do them proud

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27/04/2010- It was my last day at work today and I was giggling at the fact that I could say “See you in June” and see their jaws drop!  My work colleague and very special friend Amy (who did the GSE Trip to America in 2008) bought me some goodies for my travels…. A crossword puzzle book (I am seriously addicted to crosswords), some fizzy sweets for the flight and a mini alarm clock, as she knows how terrible I am in the morning! eek! I have borrowed two books ‘The Time Traveller’s Wife’ and ‘The Lovely Bones’ to keep me company for when I am not with the team. I have still not packed yet and I am annoyed, as I am usually more organised than this. However, I have set up Skype on my laptop so that I can chat to my husband whilst I am away. I have just had my first Skype phonecall with team member John and was very impressed with how it works, especially the video calling. Hopefully it will be easy enough for my husband to use!

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25/04/2010- At the moment, I am feeling quite stressed by how much I have to do and organise in preparation before I leave. However, one nice thing to take my mind off it tonight was a ’bon voyage’ gathering at David’s Brasserie organised by the staff. This is where I work part-time with my husband John. The Head-chef Trask prepared a few light platters of food and Nicky made some chocolate cupcakes. We sat outside in the sun and I explained how the Rotary Group Study Exchange trip worked, answered questions and shared what I would be doing in Malaysia/Singapore. My colleagues are very proud of me and of what I have achieved.My sponsoring Rotary club (Blythe Bridge & District) are dining at David’s Brasserie tomorrow night for their weekly Rotary meeting. They are also hosting a quiz night at the same time. I will join them at the restaurant when I finish work to see them all as it will be the only chance I get to see them before I fly off on Friday.

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19/04/2010- Well, I have just come home from a Rotary meeting at Tettenhall Rotary Club in Wolverhampton, where the GSE Super Team have just presented to 97 Rotarians from 15 different clubs (see GSE TEAM PHOTOS). My husband John was among the crowd for moral support. I was more nervous this time than at Blythe Bridge, probably because John was there and I didn’t want to mess up! Again, the team did an amazing job and for the remainder of the evening Rotarians were still congratulating us on a top presentation. I can’t believe that we are 11 days away from flying out to Malaysia, that is assuming that the UK airspace has cleared since the ashes from the volcano in Iceland have been suspended in the air . I still have a lot to do and organise, when I stop to think about it, I get a bit stressed so I must try and tackle each thing in order of priority and one at a time. I am again feeling really proud of the team, we have done so much and the hard work of others (Lynne Marshall, David & Malcolm Cave, Richard and District 3310) have enabled us to be more prepared than we think we are .

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29/03/2010- We have received an email from Richard today with a little geography tour of where we will be visiting whilst in District 3310. Here are our travel plans… we will be arriving in Kuala Lumpur, then going to Malaka. There is a day trip to Kuala Lumpur  We will also be going to Johor Baru, Pontian, Singapore, Kuching, East Malaysia and Kota Kinabalu… I shall have to get my little tour guide out and start researching. I have also been told that I should be organising some vaccinations, but I am sooooo scared of needles and injections We shall see what the Doctor says….

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15/3/2010- Well, I have just got home and uploaded the photos from tonight…. Our GSE Team have just presented to the Blythe Bridge & District and Rugely Rotary Clubs at the Upper House at Barlaston, there were about 65-70 people watching us. We were all very nervous, but a few kind words from our team leader helped us through as well as a last minute rehearsal and a few deep breaths. The clubs were very welcoming and very appreciative of our presentation. The presentation ran smoothly including the technical side (Tracy and John are the masters behind the powerpoint slide projection and timing). All in all it went really well and I am pleased that our hard work has paid off and we are seeing some great results. And in true fashionista style, I am also pleased to say that we all looked pretty hot to trot in our new Rotary uniform (see GSE TEAM PHOTOS). We looked great, we presented great and I am very proud of us all

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 4/3/2010- Last night all the team went for a meal at a little pub in Derrington where we have been holding our team meetings monthly. We brought our partners too so that everyone could meet and get to know one another before our exciting trip! At the meal there was myself and husband John, John and his wife Amanda, Tracy and her husband Andy, Richard and Pauline, Rosie and Lynne and Ron. We found out that Lynne had given our air tickets to Richard that night, so all is booked and confirmed now! The food at the pub was lovely, my only regret is not taking a photo of the mammoth sized Mixed Grill that John had!  To be fair to him, he hadn’t eaten all day, he had been tuning a piano for Courtney Pine that afternoon (Who?? I had to do a Google search!). It was a lovely night and we all had a great time

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14/2/2010- Hello, this is the first entry in my diary. As you can imagine there is a lot of preparation involved in this trip and our monthly meetings are being used to full advantage! We recently went shopping in Birmingham to buy our official Rotary uniforms. The girls had some fun trying on outfits and deciding on colours, styles and accessories! I for one, love what we have bought and I think we all look quite stylish and on trend! I can’t believe that I am less than 3 months away from this trip of a lifetime. I have never done anything like this before and on one hand I am nervous and on the other I am very excited.

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