Civilization

It seems that no matter what I tell people back home, we still get those who think we are living in the middle of the desert with islamic radicals or on the beach in a hut. People...please...Penang is just as civilized as the U.S. They may do things a little differently here (and somtimes it is really annoying) but we have all the modern conveniences and then some.

Our big mall is called Gurney Plaza (hence the "g") and as of Sept 1, they are banning smoking inside the mall which is HUGE since people smoke EVERYWHERE here. It will be a huge change for Malaysians but a welcome one for us.

One thing I thought I would never get used to is driving in the other side of the road. But I did!

Malaysians LOVE to shop. There are stores, malls, plazas, etc. everywhere. This is Island Plaza. It has a huge gym similar to Powerhouse in it, tons of stores, a big department store called "MetroJaya" which is a lot like Macy's. It also has Cold Storage which is our grocery store chain on the Island and my favorite nail salon.

Of course we have a Starbucks!!

And a Chili's!

And what would civilization be without McDonalds?

So I promise, we have electricity, indoor plumbing, internet access and everything else you have in America...except Target. Man, do I miss Target.