Three Months in Malaysia – Our Trips Around The World

Getting Ready for Malaysia!

Well after many years of discussing and trying to make it happen, we are finally about to embark on our three month trip to Malaysia! the idea came during Covid as Zhaoyang was working from home as a CPA at a Public Accounting firm and we thought, well you can work from anywhere, let’s go to Asia!

So we started looking for places to go in Asia and settled on Penang, Malaysia due to its proximity to many other parts of Asia, the food culture, the prevalence of English and Chinese. So we began looking seriously at George Town, a former British settlement, in fact the first one in Southeast Asia. The next step in making the trip was to get approval from Zhaoyang’s employer. While they were supportive, there were many hurdles to overcome due to the nature of her work and the need to get specific approvals from the companies she was handling.

到达马拉西亚槟城 Arriving Penang Malaysia

2024年2月22日星期四 Thursday 2/22/2024

追逐了三年之久的愿望终于得以实现，这个逐步实现的过程仿佛一杯热茶在冰冷的日子里缓缓散发出的温暖，逐渐温暖了我整个身心。新冠疫情带来一缕金边让人们对”上班”的观念发生了根本性的改变，越来越多的人开始远程工作，这也为我和PJG能够实现这个梦想奠定了基础。

Thursday 2/22/2024

After three years of pursuit, a long-cherished wish has finally been fulfilled. The process of realization is like a cup of hot tea gradually spreading warmth on a cold day, warming my whole heart and soul. The COVID-19 pandemic has brought a silver lining, fundamentally changing people’s concept of “going to work,” with more and more people starting to work remotely. This shift laid the foundation for PJG and me to realize our dream.

安顿 Settled In

2024年2月23日，星期五，2月24日，星期六

On February 23, 2024, Friday, and February 24, 2024, Saturday,

利用这两天短暂的休假日在乔治城安顿下来，PJG把我的工作台安顿好，从家里带过来的两个电脑屏幕都毫发无伤。仔细盘点了公寓里已有的物资，列出了一份购物清单，去附近的莲花超市，步行大约七分钟。超市比较大，物价公道，我们在那里买了一些厨房用品、插线板、转换头等必需品。超市一楼的一个小摊售卖电话卡，买了一个250GB的Celcom卡，价格为每月100马币，卖卡的小哥会说中文。

I decided to take a few vacation days to first settle down in Georgetown; PJG set up my workstation perfectly, with the two computer screens I brought from home undamaged. We carefully inventoried the supplies already in the apartment and made a shopping list. We went to the nearby Lotus Supermarket, about a seven-minute walk away.

升旗山 Penang Hill

2024年2月25日，星期日

公寓算是安顿完毕，今早在晨光的柔和拥抱下，我和PJG乘坐Grab前往了槟城赫赫有名的升旗山，穿越城市的喧嚣，大约30分钟后，我们抵达了这个备受推崇的自然景观。海拔833米升旗山不仅是槟城最引人注目的地标之一，更是一处让人心灵得以净化的圣地。站在其顶峰，可以一览无余地捕捉到乔治城的繁华、槟榔屿海峡的波光粼粼以及远处连绵起伏的风光。

February 25, 2024, Sunday

We finally settled in to the apartment. This morning, embraced by the gentle morning light, PJG and I took a Grab to the famous Penang Hill, passing through the hustle and bustle of the city. About 30 minutes later, we arrived at this highly esteemed natural landscape.

乔治城第一周-上 First Week in George Town – Part I

2024年2月26日到3月3日星期一到星期日

在乔治城的第一周，我已经开始习惯了这里的工作节奏。清晨6点，当地还沉浸在漆黑的晨曦中，我的工作日就已经启程，这时是博伊西的下午三点和普莱诺的下午四点，正好能和远在大洋彼岸的同事们有几个小时的交集。到了夜晚，再从9点至工作至10点多，又和同事有了一个小时的交错时间。

February 26 to March 3, Monday to Sunday

In our first week in George Town, I’ve already started to get used to the work pace here. At 6 a.m., when it’s still dark outside, my workday begins, coinciding with 3 p.m. in Boise and 4 p.m. in Plano, Texas, allowing for a few hours of overlap with colleagues across the ocean. Then, working from 9 p.m. to after 10 p.m. again overlaps with my colleagues in their morning.

乔治城第一周-下 First Week in George Town – Part II

2024年3月2日和3月3日，星期六和星期日

在沉浸于姓周桥的韵味后，我俩回到了舒适凉爽的家中，稍作休息。我们又Grab去了槟城一个特色景点——槟城水上清真寺。这座清真寺因打桩建在水面上而得名，是马来西亚乃至东南亚地区非常独特的宗教建筑之一，涨潮时它看起来就像在海面漂浮。

游客是允许进入参观的，在登记了我们的名字之后，守门人要求我俩穿上穆斯林的传统的罩袍——我需要穿上因为我是女人，而且要把头发遮盖住，PJG则因为穿着短裤而需要遮盖下身。这是我们第一次走进一座穆斯林清真寺里面，几位男性教徒正在进行祈祷。女性是不允许在这里祷告的，我能进来也许是因为我是游客。

March 2 and March 3, Saturday and Sunday

After immersing ourselves in the simplicity of Chew Jetty, we returned to our comfortable and cool home for a brief rest. We then took a Grab to another distinctive attraction in Penang — the Penang Floating Mosque. Named for its construction on stilts over the water, this mosque is one of the most unique religious buildings in Malaysia and even Southeast Asia, appearing to float on the sea at high tide.

My Big Pi Problem – 我的树莓派在哪

Yes, I meant Pi not Pie. Although the thought of Raspberry Pie sounds pretty good right now. But anyway, this post is about a small computer known as a Raspberry Pi.

乔治城第二周 Week 2 In George Town

2024年3月4日-3月10日

本周日子流转得很平静，上班下班，晚上出去吃晚饭，散步，步入了日常生活的正轨。楼下一艘平静停泊的游艇意外半沉没于水面，船主立刻行动，紧急雇佣了一群人进行抢救。经过连续两天的努力，他们终于成功地将游艇重新救出水面。

March 4th to March 10th

The week passed by peacefully with the routine of work, dining out in the evenings, and taking walks, settling into the rhythm of everyday life. Unexpectedly a yacht, moored in the docks, was found half-submerged in water, prompting the owner to act quickly and hire a group of people for a rescue operation. After two days of effort, they successfully refloated the yacht.

吉隆坡之行-上 Kuala Lumpur Visit – Part I

2024年3月11日-3月18日，来到马来西亚的第三周

March 11-18, 2024, the third week in Malaysia

这周时间匆匆流逝，工作依旧按部就班，其中两个晚上安排了9点和10点的会议。周四，在Coco Island美食中心吃过晚饭后，我俩遇到了一位当地人，与他聊天甚是有趣。这位生活经历丰富的老兄，讲述了他自己令人惊讶的过往：曾为马来西亚的某位皇室成员担任司机，与一位英国知名的发型设计师共事两年，因信用卡诈骗在英国坐过两年牢。他描述那是他经历过的最好的监狱，甚至愿意再次入狱，因为那里的人都受到人道对待，还因为他是马来西亚人，监狱特意为他准备了炒饭。相比之下，他在马来西亚的监狱待了六个月，坚称宁死也不愿再踏入马来西亚的监狱。他自称是一个“老花花公子”，但让我俩意外的是，他对许多实事的观点却比较自由主义的。好了，不多说了，我还是继续记录这个周末去吉隆坡的短途旅行吧。

This week passed by in a flash, and work continued as usual, with meetings scheduled at 9 pm and 10 pm on two evenings as well as an early morning meeting.

On Thursday, after having dinner at the Coco Island food center, we met a local person, and found chatting with him was quite interesting. This man, who had a wealth of life experiences, recounted his own surprising past: he had served as a driver for a member of the Malaysian Royal family, worked with a well-known British hairstylist for two years, and spent two years in prison in the UK for credit card fraud.

吉隆坡之行-中 Kuala Lumpur Visit – Part II

2024年3月17日，星期日，吉隆坡第二天

March 17, 2024, Sunday, the second day in Kuala Lumpur

早上的首要安排是参观双峰塔。抵达售票处时，我们发现只剩下下午两点半的入场券，成人票价为98马币。意外的是，PJG能享有折扣，票价仅需50马币。购票之后，我们决定先前往旁边的KLCC公园。这里不仅是欣赏双峰塔的绝佳地点，也是这座炎热都市中的一片宁静绿洲。

The top priority in the morning was to go to the top of the Petronas Twin Towers. Upon arriving at the ticket office, we discovered that only tickets for 2:30 pm entry were available, with an adult ticket price of 98 Ringgit. Surprisingly, PJG was eligible for a discount, and his ticket price was only 50 Ringgit.

吉隆坡之行-下 Kuala Lumpur Visit – Part III

2024年3月18日，星期一，吉隆坡之行第三天

March 18, 2024, Monday, the last day of the Kuala Lumpur trip

短暂的吉隆坡之行今天就结束了，下午1点多的火车回槟城，利用上午的时间去了著名的黑风洞，Grab半个小时就到了，花费25马币，门票是免费的。黑风洞是位于马来西亚吉隆坡郊外约11公里处的一处自然奇观，也是一个重要的印度教圣地。这个庞大的石灰岩山洞群以其壮观的自然景观和印度教雕塑而闻名。

The short Kuala Lumpur trip ended today. We took the train back to Penang in the afternoon around 1 pm. We used the morning to visit the famous Batu Caves. It took half an hour by Grab, costing 25 Ringgits, and the entrance was free. Batu Caves is a natural wonder located about 11 kilometers outside of Kuala Lumpur. It is also an important Hindu holy site. This vast limestone cave complex is known for its spectacular natural scenery and Hindu sculptures.

Singapore and Vietnam – 新加坡和越南

We just booked tickets for Singapore and Vietnam! We’ll be in Singapore April 20-23 and then Ho Chi Minh from April 23-28.

我们刚预订了新加坡和越南的机票!我们将在4月20日至23日在新加坡,然后在4月23日至28日前往胡志明市。

嘉宾贴之一：我的第一次外国之旅-马来西亚，槟城 Guest Post I: My First Overseas Travel – Penang, Malaysia

2024年3月22日 – March 22, 2024

一直很欣赏这个世界的主人公PJM的生活，眼睛跟随她的脚步在感受着多彩的世界。没想到，忽然间，我也成了故事里的一位主人公。
今天我在厦门机场顺利打印登机牌、过安检，起飞，来到了马来西亚槟城。出乎意料，槟城海关看完我递交的资料，什么也没问，就让我按了手印，盖章通过。两位主人公，PJM和PJG已经在机场出口向我招手了，挺激动，这是今年意外的惊喜！
刚下飞机来到这里，看什么都新鲜，眼睛似乎都不够用啦。我们直奔美食而去，嗯，很好吃的晚餐。

I have always admired the life of my sister, the protagonist PJM in this world, following her footsteps and experiencing the colorful world through her eyes. Unexpectedly, I suddenly became one of the protagonists in the story.

嘉宾贴之二：我的第一次外国之旅-马来西亚，槟城 Guest Post – Part II: My First Overseas Travel – Penang, Malaysia

2024年3月23日 – March 23, 2024

吃过早餐，下楼试着在ATM机上提款，很方便（学到了新本领）。出发！
第一站，The Top。
James果然是旅行达人。在网上就买好了票，领着我们来到了这里的至高点槟城The Top。这座卓越的建筑68层楼251米高。我们今天要挑战高空走道Rainbow Skywalk。人有时候很奇怪，理智告诉自己很安全时，眼睛一看到玻璃下面的高空还是会不自觉害怕。最勇敢的是James，胆子小一点的是JoAnne。顶着烈日，没一会我们就勇敢地站上了玻璃高空观景台。俯瞰整个乔治市以及周边的山脉和海滩，心胸何其开阔、风景何其壮观！当然这是我第一次站在这么高的地方！

After breakfast, I went downstairs and tried to withdraw money from an ATM, which was very convenient (I learned a new skill). Let’s go!

The first stop, The Top.

乔治城第四周 -家人来访 Week 4 In George Town-Family Visit

2024年3月19日-3月24日，来到马来西亚槟城的第四周 – March 19-24, 2024, the fourth week in Penang, Malaysia

周一，我和PJG从吉隆坡返回，度过了一个平静的一周，上班下班，夜晚外出散步放松。到了周五晚上，我们迎来了一个特别的时刻——我的姐姐Wei平安抵达槟城，这是她首次踏出国门旅行，无疑是一件令人兴奋的大事。她为入境时可能遇到的语言障碍和心理准备似乎都未派上用场，一切都进行得很顺利。

On Monday, PJG and I returned from Kuala Lumpur and had a peaceful week of working during the day, and taking relaxing walks in the evenings. On Friday night, we had a special moment – my sister Wei safely arrived in Penang!

Moving Day! – 搬家日!

Well our first part of our Penang trip has come to an end. Today we moved from our apartment in Tanjung Tokong, at the Straits Quay Suites to a place nearer to George Town called Gurney Ville. I was surprised at how much extra stuff we had accumulated in the first five weeks (mostly food and kitchen stuff). Also, it was a work day for PJM so we decided to make the move in a few steps, leaving her computer set up for her work.

好吧,我们槟城之行的第一部分已经结束了。今天,我们从丹绒道光的海峡码头套房公寓搬到了更靠近乔治城的一个名为 Gurney Ville 的地方。令我惊讶的是,在最初的五个星期里,我们积累了多少额外的东西(主要是食物和厨房用品)。此外,今天是 PJM 的工作日,所以我们决定分几步进行搬家,让她今天正常工作。

乔治城第五周-特别的一天 Week 5 In George Town- A Special Day

2024年3月25日到3月31日来到马来西亚槟城的第五周

From March 25th to March 31st, 2024, it was the fifth week we spent in Penang, Malaysia.

3月25日，我们迁入了位于Gurney Ville的新公寓，在槟城的剩余两个月将在此度过。搬家过程很顺利，在我忙于工作时，PJG往返了两次，巧妙地安置好了新家的网络和我的工作区域。当我下午4点结束工作时，便正式加入了我们的新居。同一天，我姐姐Wei首次独立使用Grab，她自己去探索了热带香料园。接下来的这一周时间飞逝而过，我每天正常工作，Wei则自己出门游览。到了周五下班，我们一起前往我俩的老地方——爱情巷，Wei第一次玩了层层叠游戏

On March 25th, we moved into our new apartment called Gurney Ville, located closer to George Town, where we will spend the remaining two months in Penang. The moving process went smoothly.

Wei’s Notes From Her Visit – 魏的访问笔记

On the last day of Wei’s trip while we were drinking Champagne, she read from some notes she had prepared. I asked her if it was ok to publish them here on the blog as I thought they were touching. I used the AI Claude 3 Opus to extract the Chinese characters from the hand written notes and then translated it into English. Then ZY checked it and made a few corrections.

槟城第六周-家人来访之二 Week 6 In Penang – Family Visit II

2024年4月1日到4月7日来到马来西亚槟城的第六周 – April 1st to April 7th, 2024, it was the sixth week we’ve spent in Penang, Malaysia.

这周是2024年的第一季度财报总结的一周，工作比较忙，周四早上3点半就起床开始工作，下午6点多终于完成我负责的部分，晚上10点我们又和瑞典的KPMG的会计师开了半个小时的会，11点多终于可以睡觉了。周五晚上，我俩又去了大树下海鲜餐厅，为了犒劳自己这周的努力工作，为自己点了6只肥美的皮皮虾。

At work this week I was focused on the first quarter close for 2024, making work quite busy. I woke up at 3:30 a.m. on Thursday to start working, and finally finished my part around 6 p.m. In the evening, we had a half-hour meeting with KPMG consultants in Sweden. It was past 11 p.m. when I finally could go to bed.

槟城第七周 Week 7 In Penang

2024年4月8日到4月14日来到马来西亚槟城的第七周

April 8 to April 14, 2024 – The seventh week of our stay in Penang, Malaysia

这是一个相对平静的一周。除了日常工作之外，我俩没有进行任何特别的活动。M&M在白天自行探索城市，晚上我们一同享受美食和餐后散步。

This week was relatively tranquil. Apart from my regular work, the two of us didn’t engage in any extraordinary activities. During the day, Matthew & Megan ventured out to explore the city on their own, while in the evenings, we savored delicious meals together and enjoyed leisurely evening strolls.