Treetops, Tracy and Paul head home, car show

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Typical afternoon in Kuala Lumpur (as seen from the KL Tower)











Just a stroll in the park.











Airport checkin is at the train station right by our hotel, very handy








One of the many prototype cars at the Auto Show





Hello everyone. It is Wednesday of my last week, here in Kuala Lumpur. I am having very mixed emotions about finishing my visit here. I'm very eager to get home and back to normal. Having Tracy and Paul here was great and helped my home-sickness alot. I very much am anxious to see everyone else back home. So much has happened in the 2 months I've been gone. Carrie's engaged, Deena's moving, Audrey is 2 months older, Hershey accomplished multiple jail-breaks. On the other hand, I know I will likely never see KL again. I suppose it is possible, but really, not very likely. I like it here. The people, culture, food, everything is pretty nice, and so very different from home. I haven't had to live here like ordinary people, what with my hotel home and expenses-paid lifestyle. Actual living here would not be so fun.

Before Tracy and Paul left, we did some fun things. On Saturday, we went to FRIM (Forest Research Institute, Malaysia - http://www.frim.gov.my/), a large tract of forest land near KL, that is involved in many foresting projects. They have several locations around the country, including the KL location. We went for their Canopy Walk (http://www.frim.gov.my/facilities_canopy.htm). About a 1 KM walk from their main office, up narrow steep trails, we got to beginning of the Canopy Walk.

A bit hard to describe (the pictures help), the walk is up in the trees, about 20 to 30 meters up in places. The whole thing is maybe 200 meters long. It has thin metal cables strung between the trees, with a rope lattice work support system attached to the metal cables. Metal ladder sections are laying across the bottom of the rope lattice, with wooden planks layed on top of the ladder sections. The walkway is maybe a foot wide for your feet, and plenty wide at the top, almost too wide in a couple of places. There is netting all over the rope lattice as well.

The visual effect, particularly for those of us with height issues, is impressive. Besides the straight-down hold-on-tight view, the view out over the trees is wonderful. They built the walkway in a place that offers a full wonderful view of Kuala Lumpur, some 30 KM away. Very cool.




After the walk (we survived, but it was scary) Paul found a waterfall to play in. There were other people there already in the water, having a great time. We eventually found our way out of the park and made our way back to town.





Later that day Tracy and I went up in the KL tower, the 4 tallest tower in the world (CN Tower in Toronto is the tallest, by a another 100 meters or so). The observation deck gave a great view of the city and surrounding countryside.






Tracy's last evening here we had dinner out by the pool, with the 2-piece Cuban ensemble playing light music, all very nice. Tracy had the hotel bring some goodies to our room, for my birthday (50, can you believe it, funny I still feel like 25 or 30, but that's what everyone says). She's too good to me.




Sunday early afternoon Tracy and Paul left and I was left here all sad and lonely. ............................. OK - I'll be alright, but it is quiet here now.
















After they left I went to one of the local convention centers for the Kuala Lumpur International Auto Show.

It was the normal big auto show, but the fun part was the different cars that we'll never see in the USA. Skoda's, and Peugot's, and Citreon's and on and on.





Of course every car there had 1 or more pretty girls standing nearby (definitely more than you'd see in the USA). They had a contest going on for people to vote on their favorite Auto Show Ambassador (pretty girl). Just SMS your vote to some number. They had TV monitors set up around the facility showing the current voting totals. The place was packed full of people, mostly guys (kinda like the computer fair I went to here). Each girl posing by a car had at least 10 guys with cameras snapping pictures as she posed. You'd think these guys had never seen girls before. What a bunch of losers.

Oh well - the cars and trucks were fun, there were some prototypes that were awesome. That was the best part, seeing how they still evolve the design.






Volvo has a new dashboard design that is kinda fun (look at the lower center dashboard area in the picture) and the big trucks were fun to look at also.






Quiet week at work this week. Had a meeting yesterday on the 60th floor of one of the Twin Towers. That was fun. Playing golf tomorrow (Thursday), I think, then Friday in the office and Saturday heading back to the States. I'm gonna miss this place.
Talk to you all soon.
bye






These Lucky Strikes made me think about my Dad.










When our plane was unloading from the trip back from Bangkok, they opened up the back door and unloaded from both ends.











At a mosque in the FRIM forest compound, only proper ladies are welcome.










Lobby of the KL Tower.









'Nappy Changing' should be done by a woman, I guess.








GROOVY!







Thought I'd just finish up with some random shots of misc. cars from the auto show.