Coming Back After One Month Of Inaction

Got back to the table last night. I can't believe that I have not played in over one month, I had to check my records. In Malaysia, there is no gambling, Casinos or poker. It is a modern Muslim country with some traditional roots. Muslim woman must cover their heads and wear head scarfs and all Muslims still are not permitted to drink, gamble or eat meat. I was not sure what to do with myself, so I just worked and went to the beach on the weekends. I learn to Para Sail, that was a blast and got a nice foot massage! (getting a massage in Malaysia is probably the only titillating thing you can do there..)

The poker session was just how I left it. Lots of crazy action and loose play. I managed to stay out of most of the craziness. I started out slow and losing about $100 of my $200 buy-in. Then I more then doubled up after hitting a nut flush. A new guy at the table called my all-in bet on the river. German the dealer, never saw my hand but knew I had "the nuts..." So I showed him my nuts! How did he know?

Now, I was up to about $250 and and just took down small pots here and there. I don't think I had another showdown of the cards all night. Everyone just folded to my bets and by 4:40am I had $445 in front of me and I quit. Not a bad session for me not getting any cards.. I will have to wait for another session to get lucky...

Current Stats

On my way home..

In Moscow airport now!  They actually have free internet here, but other then that it's not to impressive after staying at Singapore Airport.  What is surprising is that Singapore is just a small island.  Russia is huge, with huge resources and there airport does not reflect the size of the country.  Anyways, it just a stop to refuel and drop off some passengers then onto Houston!

Last week in Penang, Malaysia

This was my last week in Malaysia.  I decided to stay on Penang Island and enjoy the local sites.  I went back to Batu Ferringhi on Friday night to see the night market (Pasar Malam) .  It was about a half mile stretch of road side stands selling all sorts of goods.  If you want copied DVD movies, cheap knock-off watches, fake branded wallets and counterfeit branded purses, this was the place to be.  I didn't buy anything, just checked it out.

Saturday I slept in until well past noon.  I haven't slept in since 2 weeks ago.  I decided to head back to Batu Ferringhi beach and go Para Sailing one more time and try Horse back riding.  This time I took my camera up with and took some videos.  They said that it was only a 5% chance of getting wet, so I took the risk.  Here is a video clip of me Para Sailing..  Afterwards I went back to Gurney Plaza and saw the movie Gamer.

Sunday I decided to visit Komtar and the local shopping mall there, Prangin Mall.  Komtar is the largest building in Penang and was once the largest building in Asia at 60 stories.  I'll be in New York City in 2 weeks and will have compare the heights.   Here is a video of Komtar.

Weekend at Bangkok, Thailand

Just got back from a mini vacation in Bangkok, Thailand. I am still working in Penang, Malaysia for work and going on 3 weeks here. I meet up with an old friend from Michigan, Jeff. He moved to Thailand about 3 years ago after going expatriate with his company, Valeo. There was a downsizing at Valeo and Jeff left to setup a shop in a mall in Phuket and now living as a foreigner. Jeff has spoken endlessly about Thailand and so I took the opportunity to check it out for myself.

I flew Air Asia. It is a discount airline in Asia and the flight cost about $137USD from Penang to Bangkok. The flight was only 1.5hr long. It was a good bargain compared to American standards, not sure how they can charge so low?

There is also another discount airline in Malaysia, Fire Flyz. Their rates are unbelievably low to many cities around Malaysia. They only do point to point travel, so maybe that explains why the costs are low. It is an argument against the typical centralized model of flying to hubs in the States.

I stayed at Sam's Lodge in downtown Bangkok after Jeff recommended it. It is considered a "Guest House," but pretty much runs the same as a hotel, but much cheaper. I paid ฿1200 (Baht) or about $35/night. It's a really good rate, considering the location. The accommodations are nothing special. The rooms are small and the bath room smaller, but it is clean and good enough for me.

Friday night we took a walk down Sukhumvit Road. It is the main road in Bangkok for tourist and was packed with cars and side walk street shops. The market place was incredible and goes on for blocks and blocks. We had a quick drink at some bar, with a bunch of other foreigners and freelancers. We then had dinner at Bully's Pub. The food was good and you could tell that only tourist eat there.

We decided to head to Nana Entertainment Plaza. It is one the the main areas of night life entertainment in Bangkok. Needless to say, it's a crazy place and it was everything I had envisioned it would be. I have heard all the stories and it is pretty much as the stories go. It was a long night and I got to bed around 5am.

Saturday we ate some lunch at The Old Dutch. I had the best Chicken Fried Rice and Shrimp ever! Then we did some shopping and I got to see the largest textile street shop in the world. At night we checked out Soi Cowboy and Patpong. Two more famous places in Bangkok for the adventuring types.

A Day at Batu Ferringhi

I spent the day at Batu Ferringhi Beach. It is on the north side of Penang Island and considered one of the best beaches on the Island. While my Evergreen Hotel is also on the coast, the water and sand looks pretty polluted by city run-off. So I was please to see the clean golden sand at Batu Ferringhi. The water still looked muddy, but seem clean enough for me.  

It was a Sunday afternoon and hardly anyone was on the beach. I started the day parasailing for the first time. Then had some lunch. The water was to choppy for a few hours so I just relaxed and worked on my tan. I got a foot massage then did some jet skiing and tried para sailing one more time before.

In case you are wondering, the cost was dirt cheap by American standards:  

- Parasailing was 70 Ringgits  ~ $22.75USD 

- Jet Skinging was 60 Ringgits  ~ $17.85USD

- Foot Massage 30 Ringgits  ~$8.90USD

- Taxi back to hotel 30 Ringgits  ~ $8.90USD

- Lunch   17.50 Ringgits  ~ $5.20USD