6 Months in and gaining perspective

6 months in Malaysia.  It feels like the the blink of an eye and a lifetime all at once. We are trying to balance the intensity and pace of work with some great family adventure. And lots of love.

I post lots of great travel photos, but realize the overall picture can approach a Facebook-like superficiality; that everything is roses and we're living a dream every day.

Ancient upon ancient - Cambodia

True, we are very fortunate. But there's a day to day that can get hard. My work is intense and stressful. So is raising a kid. We have all battled or are battling various ailments, rashes, etc - nothing horrible, but stuff that wears you down.

There's homesickness (especially for Anya and related to Glasha the cat!:). As I sit here and type this out, I can't help but acknowledge that the world seems to have taken a bloody turn of late - both at home in the US, generally abroad and even on our doorstep here in Kuala Lumpur with a "small" ISIS-attributed attack recently.

We are as safe as anyone living in any global city - maybe even safer as we have guards around the clock. But I think the trials and tribulations underscore the importance of being good to your loved ones and to strangers. It brings important perspective. Back up your actions with a smile and a hug.


Last month, my mom and stepdad, Denis, visited us for 4 weeks. We kicked off in Kuala Lumpur, just as Anya and I celebrated our 10th anniversary. Time flies, doesn't it?

Lev tries the fish spa...loves it, but mostly just wants to try and
catch the fish with his hands.

We managed to take a 4 day trip to Siem Reap, Cambodia to tour the temples and generally explore. We had an excellent time and all of us agreed that Cambodia is worth more exploration. The people were friendly, the prices low and there is a lot of culture and history to soak up.

Making friends at the silk farm in Cambodia

While in Cambodia we befriended a family from Washington state who were traveling the world for a year. Get this - they had 6 kids, all of them 12 years old or younger. How do you even fathom the idea of traveling around the world with that many young kids? And they were having fun!!


Kinda puts things in perspective when I roll my eyes about Lev acting up. The kids were great, as were the parents, and Lev enjoyed touring a silk farm and roaming in a rugrat pack.






After returning for a bit of work (for me) and local exploration (for everyone else), we all loaded into the car for a road trip out to the northeast coast of Malaysia. After a 5 hour trip, we parked the car for the week and boarded a boat out to the Perhentian Islands.

A slice of paradise - Tuna Bay Resort in the Perhentian Islands

There are two islands: Perhentian Besar (big) and Perhentian Kecil (small). Both islands are dotted with little resorts on the coastline, but the limited interior is pure jungle. No roads exist. No cars or motorized transport, save for the water taxis. A couple of paths criss cross the interior, but that's about it.

Snorkel Master

For a week, we hiked the jungle, walked the beaches and caught up on reading.  We listened to the surf from our beach side front porch. We snorkeled in the clear warm water, full of life. Sharks, grouper, rays, clownfish, turtles - there was an abundance of life.

Unfortunately, an ear infection prevented me from SCUBA diving, but I popped in ear plugs and had plenty of fun. Lev, as it turns out, is a snorkeling fanatic. He'd float for what seemed like hours, paddling around and viewing life beneath the water's surface.










All too soon it was time for my mom and Denis to leave. It was sad to see them go after a month. It's easy to fall into a routine of having close family around you. I was made quite aware of the fact that we've moved thousands of miles from friends and family. We don't regret the experience, new friends and adventures, but there's a sacrifice to it.

However, as I write this we are getting ready to go pick up Anya's mom from the airport. She'll be flying in from Ukraine for a month to continue our summer of family visits. Lev's excited about seeing grandma, as we all are. In a couple of weeks we'll be taking another week of holiday (sorry, boss!) and heading up to Phuket.

Our front porch for a week. Those are my feet. They are relaxed. 

Mom and Denis - Tuk Tuk happy. 

Those chickens are alive...and probably not real stoked to be hanging upside down from the back of a scooter. 

Random on - another chance to bust out the Tux at the annual Malaysia Media Awards night. 

The boys, out for a beer tower or two. That's how we roll. 4 guys, 4 nationalities - I do love the way the world comes together in some places. 

A Google/client Durian party to kick off Ramadan. I tried it...not as bad as I feared, but I won't be seeking it out any time soon. 

A pretty sunset from our apartment window