Arrived in Penang last Tuesday, but its taken me this long to tell you about it. The food is the best thing about being here, just across the road from the Uni is an indian place which does the best Tandori chicken with Naan bread for a pound, its great. The places on campus serve sweet malaysian curry, grilled fish and other wierd looking things which all taste nice, its even cheaper, about 50p a meal.

The campus is nice, not too large, and easily navigable, I live in the hostel Aman Damai which means Peace and tranquility, and it is at the moment as nobody else is about. Term starts in the 9th and all the other students arrive on the 1st and 2nd of May, so far just me and Eileen from Canada, she plays guitar too so we jam outside, when its not too hot, but its taking me a while to get back into the guitar as I stopped playing towards the end in Mexico as I had too much work to finish before I left.

I miss Mexico, especially the family I lived with, it was so nice to live with them and Jeremy and I were really welcomed as part of the family. I bought a phone card, so I will give them a call later to say hi. Im trying to keep on top of my spanish by emailing friends still in Mexico.

I think I will stay here next week, as I am still in no mood for travellingt and will just spend money if I do, which Id rather save to bring back to the UK so I dont have to work next year at Hull. I spend my days practising Malay, which is quite easy to pick up, but there are not so many people to practice with and everybody speaks english or Minglish a mix between the two.

The USM (Universiti (yes spelled with an i!) Sains Malaysia) library is good, internet is slow and not many machines, so we are in one of the numerous cyber cafes at the shopping parade in front of the University, the library has a big collection of films, so I plan to wade through them while I am here and catch up on some classics that I have missed out on over my time of not watching any films at all (as I thought most were a waste of time, until someone told me to be more selective about what I watched). Saw the Matrix Reloaded, unfortunately not that well selected and again I fell for the hollywood marketing more than the content of a good film, but was ok, I suppose.

Read Harper Lee's to Kill a Mocking Bird last week and saw the film yesteray, was good. Still have a stack of books to read that I have carried around in my backpack from UK, so I am slowly wading through them.

My hall of residence is not quite upto that of Singapore, which was excellent, this one reminds me of a prison cell, with bare concrete floor and dirty walls, but its ok, not very secure if someone wished to break in, as I am on the ground floor with dodgey windows, which also atracts mosquitoes from the lake just outside. The lake is wonderful though, full of wildlife, giant monitor lizards parol the banks and skuttle into the water if you come close, occasionally you see terapins emerge from the green water, which is seething with fish in the shallow areas, wader birds stand on logs in the water waiting to catch them. Unfortunately they dont eat enough mosquitoes as I have to sleep with a mosquito coil in my room, which isnt so bad, but in the morning everything smells sticky sweet.

The international office staff are extremely friendly and you get a great view over the penang bridge to mainland Malaysia from the 5th floor of the chancellory building.

10000 students in total with 7000 on campus. 25 more exchange students coming, from Finland, Canada, USA, Holland, none from France and Im the only one from England again. Plus 30 norwegians who I studied with in Singapore but didnt know very well, went to a party at one of their apartments last night, very nice, most exchange students live off campus, but I think Ill stay.

ok, see you soon,
John

blog
Johan, his girlfriend Samantha, LinYan, Erika, and Geoff and I all went up to the Perhentian islands in Malaysia for a few days, diving, sailing and beach. was good, they returned to singapore and I have continued to Kotah Bahru and tonight I get a nightbus to Penang, where I will be studying in 2 weeks, I may stay there and relax before term starts as I am still not feeling like I want to travel anywhere for the timebeing. talk to you when I get there.

a photo from last night back in singapore,



at Tiger´village near the uni.

Had a cool 30 minute flight in a little Microlight the next day in Taipai, but aftger experienced a bit of a come down. the weather was bleak, and I decided to leave and come back to singapore early. When I called Becky she said that Leeds Uni had called and advised her to leave Taiwan asap because the SARS was getting really bad there, so she is leaving on friday, I called the airline, and caught one of the 2 flights a week to singapore, (before SARS they ran 2 flights a day!!) Singapore airport was dead (no passengers, not dead from SARS!) and over half the flights had been cancelled. it is really going to hit the economy hard, but I read Bush´s plans for the free trade agreement announced just in time to boost confidence in the country and give it a pat on the back for supporting the war, no new cases in 14 days now I think.

So back in singapore and it feels like Ive come home, lots of people still here that I know, so its good to see everyone again. Im exhausted still so staying here a couple of days. wanted to go to Bali, but the thought of lugging my backpack around indonesia does not appeal at the moment, so Im going to have a think and decide what I want to see and where I want to go and take it easy rather than trying to see everything all at once. May go upto Thailand to visit Tom from Hull instead in ChangMai, but thats a little mission as well.
see you later,
john

So I slept through the flight to Taipai and only woke up when they brought round a drink. It took me 10 minutes more to decide if we were actually in the air or not, as it was dark outside, but when the meal came, I realised I had slept through the takeoff. The jetlag kicke in the next day and I have been tired ever since, sleeping during the day etc. I dont remember it being so bad the other ay singapore to Mexico. Taiwan is SARS mad 10 deaths so far and today the government ordered everyone on the train and metro to wear a mask, when I entered the national museum they took my temperature and made me buy a mask. I also saw them doing the same before they let people into Mcdonalds! and when I boarded the train yesterday from Taipai to Hualien on the east coast. They are quarantinning people for 10 days coming from China, HK, Singapore etc, so I am lucky I am not coming the other way. Althought as I ahve another week here, and its getting worse, maybe I will be quarantined when I arrive in Singapore, but if I do, it should be 5* quarantine, knowing singapore. I have a few books I have been meaning to sit down and read if it does happen.

I arrive singapore 13th may at midday, I plan to see friends and then buy a ticket to Bali in Indonesia. where the bomb was last oct. and then travel up indonesia and take a boat accross the straits to Penang where I start Orientation camp at the university on monday 2nd June, term starts the week later.

Becky is doing well here, studying Chinese at a University in Taipai with 10 other stuednts from Leeds University, she is not an exchange student, just taking a year of classes here. I left her studying in Taipai and I will be meeting her again on Sunday at Toroko Gorge in the East. I took a train to here (HuaLien) yesterday and arrived hot and sweaty in the afternoon. Stayed at a youth hostel last night 600 Taiwan Dollers, about 6 pounds. I decided to try hitchhiking and left early this morning to head down the coast. Taiwan is not so touristy, so I have no plans on where I want to go, just travel about. I walked out of town and was picked up 10 minutes later by a man who could speak quite good english, I explained where I was goin and he wasnt going in that direction, but he took me to the next junction anyway, on the way he invited me out the next day to take a flight in his plane, so I decided to stay a bit longer here and went for a walk in the mountain/hill and chilled out for the day. Im now back at his house playing guitar with his 10 year old daughter and preparing for the 5am start tomorrow...
People in Taiwan are incredibly friendly, firstly, I was waiting for my train in Taipai main railway station, I had an hour wait and was just sat in a corner reading a magazine. this old woman came up to me and Iooked up and smiled, she started digging around in her purse, I ignored her as I thought she was trying to sell me something like someone else who had come up to me a few minutesd earlier, she then threw some money down on the floor next to me and ran away. I was so shocked, I shouted after her, but she kept on going, (I couldnt chase her to give it back as I had all my bags with me) it was 200 dollars, which is only about 4 quid, but still, it was very strange. Then on my walk today I wasnt trying to hitchhike, but people kept stopping anyway. first on the way up the hill, a woman on a scooter went past and around the bend, then she turned around and came back down the other way and gave me a lift to the top. On the way down later in the afternoon, I was walking back, when a guy stopped and gave me a lift, all the way back to the mans factory who flies the plane, it was out of his way, but he wouldnt let me walk. and now, here I am using Wu Der Yuh's computer to type this on. All is going well as you can see.

looking forward to getting to Singapore, a little tired of backpacking already, even though its been only a week, but looking forward to settlinginto Malaysia. My Mandarin was terrible when I arrived, and I ahve forgotten so much, it seems like I didnt know anything now, but when I left singapore, I remember being able to say much more, but oh well, I hope the spanish doesnt go so quickly.
Zai Jien,
John

Hello,
In a mad rush to finish everything in Mexico I left without writing here. I booked my ticket on monday to Tijuana northern Mexico 140 us dollers. went down with a cold monday afternoon, final spanish exam tuesday morning 7am, 2 final presentaitons on tuesday too, and my final art paper due in wed, plus had to finish all the slides for Susannah my Art teacher, 3500 in total scanned onto the computer...
Great party to say goodbye on Tuesday night and final sorting of things and meal with the family on wed night.
Aweful flight to TJ, delayed 2 hours plus one hour stop.
Arrived San Diego Thursday night and chilled out with Mandys friends, Mandy on FRiday and met up with Patricia on Saturday and left for Los Angeles to fly out on Sat night to Taipai.
so tired, I slept through the takeoff!!!
14 hour flight.
now in Taipai with Becky from Leeds.
will write more soon.
John