Hello Malaysia heat!

So, we arrived in Malaysia this afternoon and were greeted with 32C weather. A wonderful change from the 10C temps we left behind in Hong Kong and Macau. And 32C feels even warmer knowing that many of our friends who will read this blog are bundled in down coats, battling winter weather.

When we arrived at the airport in Penang, the local bus driver saw us wandering around the terminal and brought us to the bus. He even took us to the last stop on the line and had someone show us to another bus to transfer so that we could make it to our hotel. We realized later that we could have walked a few blocks from one of the previous stops on the first route and arrived at our hotel much sooner. I guess he has the impression that Westerners don't like to walk.

We are currently staying at a great new budget hotel called Tune Hotel. The rooms are very pristine and clean - a huge contrast to our previous lodgings. We even have a window - a big plus for us. Yeay to fresh air! Everyone here is really friendly. This afternoon, we found a local place to eat and the owner showed us a huge variety of prepared foods, many of which we'd never seen before. Rice is plentiful, which is great for Netty. And there are some really elaborate baked goods, which always puts a smile on Aki's face.

We decided to splurge and bought a bottle of wine to share in our room. We're about to go and enjoy it now, since we're pretty tired from our day and lack of sleep last night at the six-room hostel we stayed at in Macau. We're not 21 anymore and don't care to be crammed into a room like sardines. At least the people we bunked with were very nice, just about five to ten years younger.

Tomorrow, we'll continue to wander around the city and take in a few museums and historical sights. We don't know our next plan of action in Malaysia, but it will unfold as it may. For now, we're basking in the heat!