Yesterday I went to the New York Botanical Garden with my friend Terri to see this year’s Orchid Show. While their shows are always worth visiting, this one is extraordinary. The 2026 exhibition, “The Orchid Show: Mr. Flower Fantastic’s Concrete Jungle,” captures the energy, humor, and visual rhythm of New York. Orchids cascade from a […]
Last night around 10:30 pm the first explosion cracked the air, so close to my hotel that I instinctively sat upright in bed. Then another. And another. Fireworks ricocheted between buildings for more than an hour, assuring I wouldn’t sleep. I assume they were in honor of Chinese New Year, though I never confirmed it. […]
The heat today was relentless. I drank water constantly and still could not seem to consume enough. Within minutes my clothes were damp. I sweat profusely, occasionally feeling light-headed, and ducked into air-conditioned shops just to steady myself. Even my phone protested. At one point it overheated and switched to dark mode to cool down, […]
We left Ipoh early, hoping to beat the worst of the midday heat. For the first half-hour, we drove through wooded hills that could have been in New York State. That was replaced by palm plantations and rubber trees. We were heading to Kuala Kangsar, Malaysia’s royal town. Kuala Kangsar is home to the Sultan […]
By ten in the morning I gave up pretending it wasn’t hot. Not pleasantly tropical. Not “oh this is lovely and balmy.” This was the kind of heat that wraps around you and given half a chance, will strangle you. It turned walking into a strategic activity. Shade became my best friend. All the while, […]
Today began in the cool air of the Cameron Highlands and ended in steamy Ipoh. Like the journey from Kuala Lumpur to the Highlands, the road was winding and at times steep. But where that earlier drive passed through largely undeveloped jungle that seemed ready to reclaim the pavement, today’s descent moved through highly cultivated […]
Today I experienced the Cameron Highlands in greater depth, both the wonderful and the not so wonderful. The less appealing aspect is that this is an extremely touristy area, largely catering to Malaysian visitors. The confluence of Chinese New Year and the start of Ramadan meant enormous crowds. We were repeatedly snarled in traffic jams, […]
This morning, I met Thomas, my guide and driver for the next week as I head north. For the first hour the highway was wide, smooth, and efficient. Sitting in an air-conditioned car, it was easy to forget I am in the tropics. Gradually the skyscrapers thinned, replaced by stretches of palm oil plantations and […]
Today I completed the second half of my hop-on-hop-off tour, which ventured beyond the city center into neighborhoods on the edges of Kuala Lumpur. An aside: this is the first city I’ve visited where the hop-on-hop-off service isn’t run by the familiar Big Red Bus company. Instead, a local operator runs the show. The contrast […]
Today I made two new friends and re-learned a skill. Neither was planned, and both made the day unexpectedly special. My original plan was simple: take both routes of the hop-on-hop-off bus and get an overview of Kuala Lumpur. It is an easy walk from my hotel to a tour stop, and along the way […]
