Our Trips Around The World – Page 3 – Blogs from All of Our Trips

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.

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。

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.

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-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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

芥末酱骗局 The Mustard Scam

2023年12月3日，星期日，墨西哥城之旅第10天

December 3, 2023, Sunday, marks the tenth day of our trip to Mexico City.

今天，我们的墨西哥城之旅以一段意外的小插曲画上了句号。早上，我们将行李整理好并寄存于酒店，然后在阿姆斯特丹大道上漫步。这条大道因其椭圆形状和沿着20世纪初赛马场轮廓的设计而闻名，长约1.9公里，两旁的树木茂盛，为我们的散步提供了宜人的景致。

散步时，我们聊起了来墨西哥之前的种种担忧，现在看来似乎有些多余。虽然我们在地铁、公交和人多的地方都时时地保持着警惕，但整体来说，我们并没有感到不安全。

Today, our journey in Mexico City concluded with an unexpected twist. In the morning, after packing and storing our luggage at the hotel, we strolled along Amsterdam Avenue. This avenue is famous for its oval shape and design tracing the outline of an early 20th-century racetrack, stretching about 1.9 kilometers, with lush trees lining the path, offering a pleasant view for our walk.

Food In Mexico

We’ll add the dishes we liked and didn’t like in this summary blog.

国家宫 National Palace

2023年12月2日，星期六，墨西哥城之旅第9天

December 2, 2023, Saturday, the ninth day of our Mexico City trip.

今天早上九点四十五分，我们坐公交转地铁赶到国家宫，想参加十点半的英语导游团。谁知道，团游要到十一点半才开始。于是，我俩在宪法广场上随意闲逛，时间似乎过得有些慢，每次来宪法广场都是人山人海。我俩顺便看了一下墨西哥城都主教座堂，内部的装潢令人叹为观止——庞大宏伟可以说是对它的最佳形容。

This morning at 9:45 AM, we took a bus and a subway to reach the National Palace, intending to join the 10:30 AM English-language guided tour. However, it turns out we were misinformed and the tour didn’t start until 11:30 AM …

革命纪念塔 Monument to the Revolution

2023年12月1日，星期五，墨西哥城之旅第八天

December 1, 2023, Friday, is the eighth day of our trip to Mexico City.

今天早上坐公交先到了何塞巴斯孔塞洛斯图书馆，坐落在繁华的城市之中，这座图书馆以其独特的现代建筑和丰富的藏书闻名。图书馆的历史可以追溯到2006年，它是由时任墨西哥总统倡议建立的，以墨西哥诗人、外交家和图书馆学家何塞·巴斯孔塞洛斯（José Vasconcelos）的名字命名。图书馆的建筑由墨西哥建筑师Alberto Kalach领导的设计团队设计，该建筑以其现代感和透明性而著称，采用了大量的钢结构和玻璃，创造了一种漂浮书架的视觉效果。

This morning, we took a bus to the José Vasconcelos Library, nestled amidst the bustling city. The library is renowned for its distinctive modern architecture and extensive collection of books. It dates back to 2006, initiated by the then President of Mexico and named in honor of José Vasconcelos, a renowned Mexican poet, diplomat, and librarian.

索马亚博物馆 Soumaya Museum

2023年11月30日，星期四，墨西哥城之旅第七天

November 30, 2023, Thursday, Day 7 of our Mexico City Trip

今天我俩的目的地是索马亚博物馆，一座以其独特建筑和丰富藏品闻名的艺术殿堂。本打算跟随谷歌地图的指引，乘坐公交车前往。可是在公交车站等待了20多分钟后，车始终没有出现。最后我们选择了Uber，30多分钟的车程后，终于到达了博物馆。

索马亚博物馆本身就是一件艺术品。它的外观由墨西哥建筑师费尔南多·罗梅罗设计，独特的波浪形外壳由16,000块铝制镜面板构成，使得整个建筑在阳光下熠熠生辉。

Today, our destination was the Soumaya Museum, a palace of art renowned for its unique architecture and rich collection. We originally planned to follow Google Maps and take the bus there. However, after waiting at the bus stop for over 20 minutes, the bus never showed up. So instead, we took Uber again, and after a journey of over 30 minutes, we finally arrived at the museum.

缆车公交 The Cablebús

2023年11月29日，星期三，墨西哥之旅第6天

November 29, 2023, Wednesday, the sixth day of our Mexico trip.

今天的行程又给我俩的旅游生活增添了一个独特的体验。我俩一大早徒步前往地铁站，计划乘坐地铁去体验著名的2号线缆车公交。谁知道，在去地铁的路上，我们竟然在一个轻轨站意外买到了两张公交卡——这真是个小小的惊喜！

Today’s itinerary added a unique experience to our travel plans. Early in the morning, we walked to the subway station, planning to take the subway to experience the famous Line 2 cable car bus. Unexpectedly, on our way to the subway, we found a machine that was selling the metro cards! — a pleasant little surprise! Metro cards allow us to use all types of transportation.

那个蓝房子The Blue House

2023年11月28日，星期儿，墨西哥城之旅第五天

November 28, 2023, Sunday, the fifth day of our trip to Mexico City

在这个不怎么阳光灿烂的墨西哥城早晨，我俩的目的地是充满传奇色彩的芙烈达·卡萝博物馆，在家没出发的时候就已经买好了博物馆的票。Uber三十多分钟就到达了博物馆所在的区域Coyoacán，这里是墨西哥城最古老的区域之一，它的历史可以追溯到前哥伦布时期。在西班牙征服时期，它成为了征服者的重要基地。

On this not-so-sunny Mexico City morning, our destination was the legendary Frida Kahlo Museum. It’s a popular place, so luckily we purchased tickets before leaving home. After about a thirty-minute Uber ride, we arrived in the Coyoacán area, where the museum is located. Coyoacán is one of the oldest districts in Mexico City, with a history that dates back to the pre-Columbian era. During the Spanish conquest, it became an important base for the conquerors.