Midliferide: Malaysia

In hindsight, maybe best that the last post got deleted and put me off writing til I got home to my laptop. Because the next three planned installments are short enough to fit into one. First the wedding. It was beautiful. My cousin looked gorgeous, the groom can dance like Travolta, the booze flowed freely and everyone was happy. I did a scripture reading at the service which I only remembered I was supposed to do about 3 seconds before my name was called. Despite being atheist and the whole idea of an atheist reading scripture made me want to laungh, I was told I pulled it off with sufficient parts gravitas and drama. Then the bride made a last-minute request for me to play a song, something else I was unprepared for. But I did, and it turned out well. It was an Uncle Mike staple (Mike taught me my first four chords on the guitar) and some in the audience who know and remember him fondly were moved. from left to right: the Groom, the Maid-of Honour (also the bride's young...

So I wrote the whole post on my iPad, stopped to attend a meeting, and came back to.... nothing. Therefore here I begin, again. Woke up bright and early - 730am, and with the alarm clock set - at Avillion Port Dickson. It is a great hotel in the sense that it is incredibly peaceful and quiet at night. This is despite the hoardes of families vacationing here for an extended Raya, and also the tourists that come by the busloads and spend hours taking selfies. My sleep was less than ideal. I was in bed at 10pm and had already had three nights' worth of uninterrupted sleep. I'd expected the jet lag from being away for two weeks to be completely gone. I found this to be untrue, as I woke up at 2am and could not get back to sleep again until 5am. Went down for breakfast and to my utter disappointment (again at this hotel), there was no nasi lemak!  This is my key criteria for satisfaction at any local hotel; the availability of nasi lemak as part of the breakfast. Never mind ...

So one of my three lovely cousins is getting married this weekend. In an apparently lovely location called Janda Baik, which translated means "Good Widow". We're not a family that cares much about portents. Never been there, but I have heard good things and am looking forward to being there. As my family is back home in the U.K for the summer holidays, I'm making the trip on my lonesome. Coincidentally I have work in KL for the week after, so I'll kill two birds with one stone. I decided to ride, despite indications of bad weather, massive holiday traffic and having to lug extra stuff (i.e. clothes) for work; didn't have to bring my laptop - which I might regret later - since I'd asked a colleague to bring my presentation on his. Also, there are the added concerns of having to ride to a location at the heart of KL for the meetings, then make the trip from KL back home all in one day, which means highway riding. I'm a bit better equipped this time. Didn...