Packed and ready to go

Back to Malaysia tomorrow - to fill in research gaps, visit friends, eat well, and sample all the other delights of travel. I heard that my previous blog entries gave an eating tour of Malaysia - there is a lot more to the country, but the food is impossible to ignore.

Here are my bags - I could have gotten by with two but the larger bag (32 pounds) has books and various souveniers that I will shed en route. By the time I leave Penang (12 July) my backpack will fit into the suitcase. I brought books for various colleagues - so they can avoid postage rates (almost costs as much as the book). I am making 2 university presentations - a copy of my book for each university, a paper weight for the people who made the arrangements, letter openers for the office staff at USM, a few metal book marks (with a cardinal on a dogwood branch) and maple sugar candy. Last year it was Moravian cookies and Obama buttons.

My plane leaves Raleigh at 6:00 a.m. - I figure that I will be so tired that sleeping en route will be easy. I leave Atlanta around 10 a.m. for Korea and then from Korea to KL. I arrive in KL at 10:30 p.m. (24.5 hours after leaving Atlanta). I have a reservation at the Hilton in Petaling Jaya (2 nights for the price of one plus breakfast). Then I move to the familiar Shah Village.

I meet up with Mooi Lian on Friday -her family motivated our 2002 trip (4 trips ago). I meet with Sweelan of United Voices - one of my favorite sites and learning experiences in 2008. More later