So there was this one time, as a kid, my parents loaded us kids into the car and made our way to the Garnica's house. After dinner, we wobbled into their living room and watched as Mr. Garnica set up a projector and we sat through a presentation of family photos from a recent vacation. I sat wide-mouthed as pictures of colorful sunsets danced on the screen and a photo of Mrs. Garnica as her hair whipped across her face on a windy day.
My family didn't do that, show our vacations photos to others. It's probably because we didn't go on vacations, use a projector, or even own a camera, but it left a space in my mind. I was intrigued how other people saw and experienced the world…many years later, I'm honored to do the same online.
This blog allows me to share my life, adventures, and photos, so today I'm posting a few pictures from our vacation in case you'd like to see the world through our eyes.
A little over a week ago, we returned from Malaysia. The trip was originally planned as business, but we added a few personal vacation days to ensure to experienced our first trip to Asia. I was going to get into the story of how our flight was cancelled, but there aren't enough exclamation points and $*#&!* I could use to describe my frustration. Let's just say if you ever hear the Legend of the Crazy Screaming Lady at LAX, it was loosely based on my life.
Once we made it out of Los Angeles, Hong Kong, and Kuala Lumpur, we finally arrived in Penang, Malaysia…and it was a little piece of paradise…
We spent the first days of our trip exploring the beach and soaking up island life…
Okay, so remember The Day I Lost My 20 Year Old Vegetarianism? Well, here is a sneak at the meal that did me in. It's the dish on the right. I took a single bite and didn't know the noodle shaped thing wasn't really a noodle…it was meat. Looking at it now, I should have guessed it was carnivore-friendly, but I blame the language barrier, my instinct to devour anything in front of me, and jet lag…
We visited a butterfly farm in Penang…I couldn't decide if I thought it was gorgeous or creepy to be surrounded by thousands of butterflies, but it made for good memories. And a cool post card.
We toured the island on our own for a day and whenever we stopped to take pictures, people wondered why. I explained daily life in Malaysia was just too darn beautiful not to.
JD and I didn't get too many photos together, but this one makes me laugh. I mean, if this doesn't scream TOURIST I don't know what does. When I spoke at the World Photography Fest, the organizers arranged for everyone to attend a Malaysian dance performance. At the end of the show, the asked us to take a photo with the group…when in Rome, Internet, when in Rome…
There are moments when I look back at life and realize how beautiful it has been. Sitting on the beach with my best friend, toes deep in the warm sand, and watching the watercolored sunset along the Malaysian coast was one such moment. It's something I never want to forget.
Happy Thursday!
