1/19/2015. What do you get when you combine Korean hospitality with diplomatic status? The Best Of Kuala Lumpur. My cousin Joe is the U.S. Ambassador to Malaysia. We're staying with him and his wife Melanie, who might just have the highest IQ+EQ score of anyone I've ever known.
Moments before pulling up to their compound, my husband was objecting to the 130 ringgit surcharge our cab driver was trying to extort from us. I could sense my husband was going to give in. The argument ended at the gates when the POLIS booth snapped the driver's picture. So satisfying.
Imagine the photos I've been tempted to take. Our very own Downtown Abbey staff reception from the gracious staff. Their four kitchens. When I told the kids, Max corrected me. "Actually, five. There's one down the hall from my bedroom." All the framed pictures of Joe laughing with various heads of state. Women ironing bath towels. The security guys strolling the perimeter. They make me want to check the roof for a guy in a catsuit.
One night Joe and Melanie invited sixteen friends over for dinner, mostly KL business leaders. One guy brought his bordeaux collection that of course went completely over my head. Actually, most topics sailed over my head. During cocktails everyone spoke expertly about the geopolitical tangle in the South Seas while I twisted my pearls. When I went looking for my place card one of these erudite guests was standing next to my chair. A beautifully dressed half Malaysian half English James Franco lookalike, he raised my hand to his lips, said "charmed," and pulled out my chair for me. My daughter has her Frozen dvd; I have that moment.
In the last two days we've visited the Batu Caves, a magnificent bird sanctuary, a biting fish foot spa, and a restaurant serving Nyonya cuisine, old-time Malaysian fare that's heavy on the coconut cream, galangal, lemongrass, and something called screwpine leaves. Best Nyonyan dish I've had is a glutinous black rice dessert with lemongrass, coconut cream and some unidentified chewy red nut in it.
Here are some photos from the caves and the preserve.
The monkeys are very cheeky, as Max notes in his journal...
Rebecca Trafton
January 19
darling! this just gets better and better! from the mountains of colorado where I tend a sleeping (and now waking) baby, I read with great delight. keep 'em coming (especially the likes of "charmed!" xooxoxox
Jane B.
January 19
Jayne Riew. Honestly. Could your life be any more exciting than it is right at this very moment?!! Holy Kathmandu (oh, wait, different time, different place). Your cousin is the Ambassador to Malaysia?!? Seriously?? Who has this kind of luck in their family line?!! Wow. Just wow. I keep re-playing scenes from *Crazy Rich Asians* as I read and re-read this blog post. Downtown Abbey Malaysian style sounds pretty stinking amazing to me. Unreal. And I don't suppose you somehow got a selfie of you and your seat partner from that extraordinary sounding dinner, did you? No, if-Ellen-can-do-it-at-the-Oscars-I-can-do-it-at-the-Emassy bravery overtake you during the dessert course? Oh, well, at least you can re-play it in your mind 😉 I have to say I think MY heart skipped a beat as I was reading your description of it.... The photos of the caves and those birds are magnificent, Jayne. I do think you must contact National Geographic when you get back to NYC to see if you can moonlight for a little spending money. You are a FANTASTIC photographer, Jayne. Your eye is most discerning. I LOVE seeing this adventure through your eyes. AND Max's journal entry!!?!! How incredibly sweet and poetic and memorable is that?!! I would put that in my safe deposit box when I got home to preserve it for all time. SO FUN!!! Well, I think Jon owes you on this one. Your family; your connection; your amazing experience for the family. You do know that I am going to want to pour over every single last photography you took when you get back to the States. It's gonna be a loooooong weekend -- and I can't wait. Love ya! ~ TOJ