{"id":1774,"date":"2021-08-06T22:20:15","date_gmt":"2021-08-07T02:20:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.expatriateism.com\/?p=1774"},"modified":"2021-08-06T22:25:02","modified_gmt":"2021-08-07T02:25:02","slug":"what-happened-to-plan-b","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.expatriateism.com\/?p=1774","title":{"rendered":"What Happened to Plan B?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Written on August 6, 2021<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I\u2019ve been busy lately so I apologize about the lack of updates. I\u2019ll try to keep updating this irregularly for a month or so, then maybe I can get in a predictable routine again. This is a short summary of our first week (Feb. 23-28, 2020) in Penang, Malaysia at a hotel. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Covid-19: By 28 February, the USA had 66 confirmed cases. Thailand, just a few miles away from us, had 41 cases and Singapore had 98 across across our southern border. Malaysia only had confirmed 25 cases by this time and there were  zero in Penang. [Wikipedia<\/a>]<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In our first week in George Town\/Penang we remained in tourist mode. It was a brand new place to us. We found our way to interesting sights and activities. Covid-19 precautions weren\u2019t visible. I think we carried around hand sanitizer and washed our hands more often. We spent the days exploring the culture and food. The architecture of the buildings is quaint and picturesque. The city also commissioned some murals that are sprinkled around to attract photo conscious tourists. Somehow I discovered the most useful events calendar ever simply called the Penang free sheet. Thanks to that, we had no trouble finding things to do. We went to an arts & crafts market in a repurposed bus depot. When Jill was working on her schoolwork I went to a writers\u2019 group in an unremodeled building and a tour of the protestant cemetery to discover some of the history of this unique piece of the world. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

After a few Malaysian meals we decided the cuisine, like Bali\u2019s in Indonesia, was a little too sweet. Luckily, there were many foods to choose from. We quickly found Indian banana leaf lunches as well as avocado and egg smashed toast. For desserts Malaysia capitalizes on its simple street food and ever present heat to bring crushed ice, coconut milk, and various jellies and beans. They named this Cendol [Wikipedia<\/a>] and no one should pass up a taste of the refreshing treat. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

On February 23, my school administrator guessed that I should return March 1 – 15. This guess was not based on any directive, just the assumption that classes would begin in April if the virus could be contained. Jill and I made a new plan with this in mind. We decided to stay in Penang until March 6 when we would return to China. It didn\u2019t look like we would make it back to Bali. We both wanted a kitchen and a little more room so we moved over to an Airbnb in a high rise condominium that promised blazing fast wifi and a balcony. So, on February 28 we hopped in a taxi to go to our new accommodations. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Jill<\/a>
This is a view to the east of the island of Pinang. The coast of Malaysia is on the horizon. <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n
\"Panorama<\/a>
From George Town the British could keep watch over one of the busiest shipping lanes in the world. <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n
\"A<\/a>
Some of the murals incorporate real objects like this bicycle. <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n
\"A<\/a>
This looked like a shop dog waiting to go home after closing time. <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n
\"A<\/a><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n
\"A<\/a>
This building was striking in pink. It may be a later construction because most of the older ones had peaked roofs. <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n
\"Mural<\/a>
These kitties needed transportation. <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n
\"Jill<\/a>
We got this Gyro kind of thing at a famous food cart we went to one night. <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n
\"Street<\/a>
A good cat.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n
\"Honda<\/a>
Another scooter. <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n
\"A<\/a>
A tasty breakfast. <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n
\"Jill<\/a>
Many of the original sidewalks were covered by the buildings for pedestrians to escape the rain and sun. <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n
\"Honda<\/a>
I like this scooter because it has to seats. <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n
\"A<\/a>
Malaysia’s national dish is this. It is Nasi Lemak. It’s rice, chicken, eggs, dried anchovies, cucumbers, and sauce. It’s available everywhere in slightly different versions. <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n
\"A<\/a>
This is a giant plastic Cendol we found at the plastic food museum. <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n
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