Wrapping up a memorable week

The minutes are ticking away before it’s time to board a plane and work my way back to the motherland. First, a couple of quick thoughts.

* Last night, my final in Malaysia, I violated one of my most sacred rules of travel: I dined a restaurant I can visit while at home. I didn’t intend to do it. But I was strolling through a swanky Malaysian shopping mall that connects to my swanky Malaysian hotel, and suddenly there it was, like a beacon in the warm Malaysian night: TGI Friday’s. It was all over. After six straight nights of local fare, it was time to reintroduce American cuisine to my body. And the funny thing is, I didn’t even order any of their most renowned items, such as their Jack Daniels-sauced meats. No, I ordered a big, fat, greasy cheeseburger. And instead of a Bud Light (an expensive import) I went with the local brand, “Tiger,” which I recommend highly. It was a great meal, and I felt no guilt whatsoever for breaking my rule.

* Ever use the expression, “Today has been the longest day of my life,” while describing a particularly bad day? I’m about to give it new meaning. To travel from Kuala Lumpur to Newark (where I’ll connect to Chicago the next morning), I’ll be leaving KL at 8:50 a.m. local time, flying west, laying over in Stockholm for one hour, then landing in Newark at 7 p.m. Total travel time: 22 hours. But it will still be the same calendar day. You have to love flying West. That’s why I can say with absolute certainty that August 25, 2007 will be the longest day of my life. And needless to say, if time travel were in any way humanly possible, I’d skip these next 22 hours all together.

But then again, as long as I’m time traveling, I wouldn’t mind—after about a 15-hour nap—going back and reliving the past week. I traveled more than 300 miles around Malaysia, most of it in its coastal state of Selangor. I made new friends from the around the world, two of whom even gave me a new name. I played four rounds of golf on courses inhabited by monkeys, scorpions, lizards, alligators and, thankfully, no cobras. I ate dozens of things I can’t pronounce, and the vast majority of it was absolutely fantastic. I saw staggering, rolling mountains along the countryside. I got blissfully lost in bustling Kuala Lumpur, and saw the Petronas Towers, a spectacular structure worthy of a place in the skyline in any U.S. city.  

Also, if I went back in time I could avoid the whole lightning thing, which would be a bonus.

In the end, trips like this always come with their share of snags. I was part of a group so large we required two tour buses. Delays and snap-changes to the agenda were routine, and some people were getting frustrated by weeks end. Me? I see it all as part of the experience. Tourism Malaysia simply sought to put its best foot forward in order to impress a contingent of international journalists. The reality is, they didn’t need to try so hard. It’s a beautiful country, with friendly people, interesting history, and plenty of safe, industrialized places to visit. Oh, and there’s also great golf. What else do you need? 

I’d like to send a thank-you out to Joe, my fearless guide for the week, and Anita, who led the other bus, for their stellar work. I challenge anyone out there to try leading around 40 annoying journalists who speak anything from Indonesian, to Chinese to Korean while constantly being told by your superiors to change the itinerary, and not only keep your sanity, but also a smiling face and even temper. It’s no easy task.

It’s been an unforgettable week here in Malaysia. I hope someday you have a chance to experience this country for yourself. This blog has been fun to write for reasons both professional (It’s my job.) and personal (When people ask me,”How was Malaysia?” I can simply hand them a printed copy without saying a word.) Special thanks also go to Tourism Malaysia and my new journalist friends from around the globe for a week I will never forget. And thanks to all of you for reading. With that, it’s time to get ready to head home.

See you soon, America.

Read previous blogs on the Malaysia Trip-a-Palaysia!

• The Blog Goes Global!
• Part I  - Greetings from Selangor, Malaysia
• Part II - Recovering from jet lag, getting ready for Kuala Lumpur
• Part III - A Day in "KL"
• Part IV - The Guoman Resort Hotel in Port Dickson
• Part V  - Cheating death and the "Tomio" Experience in Petaling Jaya, Selangor 
• Part VI - Wrapping up a memorable week