Hello Everyone,

I can't remember who I sent the first portion of this to, so if you receive this and have not received the travelogue for Guam, Hong Kong and Singapore, please let me know and I will try and get that to you. I left Singapore early in the morning on June 24th via railroad. I was at the railway station, and went through the lines and had 5 minutes to spare before the train took off. That first train left at 8AM, and arrived at Kuala Lumpur, the capital of Malaysia at 2PM on the same day.

I had a 5-hour layover, so instead of hanging around the train station, I found a place for "left luggage" and hired a taxi driver. Mr. Khan was a nice man, who is a Muslim from India. He showed me all the old British-style buildings near the train station first. Then, he showed me the needle tower, which is like Seattle's Space Needle, but a different shape. Finally, he showed me the Twin Towers (like 2 big pagodas) which are the tallest buildings in the world (now, unfortunately). Traffic was getting bad, so we headed out north of town to the Batu Caves area, which I had read about years ago in travel guides. There was a neat temple there and 272 steep steeps up to the huge cave entrance. In all, I had fun. My next train left at 7:30 PM, and was on a sleeper car. That was positive, as well, and at 6:00 AM the next morning, we were in Butterworth in northern Malaysia. I had an 11-hour layover, so I caught the ferry across to Penang and hired a driver for 4 hours.

I had been to Penang back in 1988, so had him take me to areas I had missed then like the Durian plantation (sweet, delicious fruit that smells like an outhouse). Durian is football sized with spikes, and plantation workers have to wear hard hats. We also drove all the way around the back side of Penang Hill, which I had not done. Over there, we went to the Snake Farm, with neat live specimens of most of SE Asia's snakes,  including the cobra and anacondas, etc.

I repeated a visit to the Snake Temple, which was a disappointment. That temple used to have cobras crawling all over the alter in the past. Due to loss of habitat, the only cobras I now saw were the defanged ones that they put around peoples' necks for pictures (for a price). I also repeated Kek Lok Si Temple, which I really enjoyed. My driver knew a way to avoid having to walk 3 blocks through vendors as we climb steps to the temple.

My next train left at 5:00 PM. An hour later, we crossed over into Thailand. It was full moon, and watching the rice fields and coconut groves under the moonlight as I went to sleep was as good as it gets! I arrived in Bangkok at 11:30 AM on June 26, and was met at the train by Som Maneessee and her sister, Nom, which was unexpected. To be pulled off the train by two beautiful Thai women was very good. Som and I have written each other for maybe 8 years, and I think she is interested in me. But, her English is very sketchy and Nom did most of the talking for both of them. I had planned on calling Som after she got off work that afternoon, and didn't know she'd take the day off.

After checking in and leaving things at the hotel, we went out sight-seeing. Our first stop was the Grand Palace, where we saw the Emerald Buddha and fabulous courtyards, statues and buildings. I had seen that area once before in 1986, but was just as amazed this time. No movies from or about Thailand can do that place justice. Very ornate and beautiful! We ate at a food vendor's place and then went and saw the Golden Buddha. On the way back to the hotel, it took over an hour for a distance that was not that great. In the evening, I went on a stroll a kilometer or two away from the center of town along Sumkovit Street. That was interesting seeing the "seedy" side of Bangkok.

The following day, the two gals and their driver showed up at around 7AM, and picked me up. I had no idea where they were heading, but I knew it was south to southeast of the city. As it turns out, it was to the Floating Market. A different one than I had seen in 1986. That place was great! Ladies in long boats were going up and down the maze of canals selling their wares. Often, their boats were so weighted down that it was only about 4 inches from the water to the rim of the boat! They sold all sorts of produce and tourist items, and some even had cookers on the boat and were selling hot food items. On the shores of the canals were vendor stalls also selling items. My luggage for India is already so heavy, so the only items I bought were a t-shirt, postage stamps and saffron. I got at least 3 times the amount of saffron for about $3.50, as was offered to me in India 2 years ago for $9. In America, if I sell what I have at retail price, I could easily net over $1000!!! We ate at the market and then left.

Our other stop was north of Bangkok at the ancient capital of Ayuttiah. I had seen that before, but was glad to go back. We saw the huge Buddha at Bang-Pa-In, and then the ancient palace grounds.  Before heading back to town, we again had food at a small roadside cafe. Nom always ordered for everyone, and gave me more bland food than the others ate, not realizing that I love spicy food. So, I poured the entire side dish of "fish sauce" over my rice and proceeded to eat a hot dish. They were actually glad to see I liked hot food. Som and Nom had to work on the 28th, so I had the day to myself. I slept in late, catching up on sleep, and then spent quite a bit of time catching up on email and internet.

In the afternoon, I found the building for Youth For Christ and took a taxi there. My purpose was to get Thai literature on Christianity to mail to Som.  Her sister on Guam has tried to explain it to her, but didn't think she understood. So, maybe written material will help. I had YFC send it to her, along with a letter from me. She is interested in me, but it was distressing for me to see her and her sister bowing before the Emerald Buddha, and the one at Bang-Pa-In. On the 29th, I was met by both girls at the hotel, which surprised me, as I thought they had to work. They took me to the airport, and I explained to Som via Nom that I had a letter and some information on my religion on the way, since I had learned about their religion. I told her that Sai could answer questions

if she had any. I also gave Som the English picture-dictionary I had. She could use it more than the people in India who already have a good grasp of the language. And the pictures are closer to the society that Som knows, anyway. She was very happy. The flight to Kolkata was interesting, if not scary. I've flown on Indian Airlines before, and it always feels like their planes are about to fall apart. Inside, carpet was frayed, and seats chipped, and a new paint job was needed. A far cry from Singapore Airlines, which I consider (along with Thai Airlines) the best in the world for comfort and service.

On arrival in Kolkata, 2 French travelers and I split the cost of the prepaid taxi to Sudder Street, the main hangout for westerners. The only problem is that due to terrorist activities and economics, I didn't see even a dozen westerners that evening, including the 3 of us! My guesthouse cost $3.50, and was a 12 foot by 12 foot square room with a huge ceiling fan that I put on full blast. It was hot and the most humid that I've had on this trip. And, I can honestly say it was the lowest standard that I've ever slept in. I'm back in India with a 2 inch "mattress" resting on a board, and a thick hard pillow! I better get used to this, as I could possibly have similar for an entire year!!!

My layover in Kolkata saw me at the train station in the morning getting a train ticket to Delhi for July 1st. The Foreign Booking Office opened at 10:00, so I had 2 hours to walk around and look around.  Poverty everywhere. People were begging, sleeping in the streets, and doing small tasks like sweeping the streets with brooms. At the station itself, it was incredibly crowded, and in my half hour there, I am sure that I saw maybe 20,000 people.

In the afternoon, a guy who latched on to me (I better get used to this, also) showed me around Kolkata. I saw the temple of Kali (think Indiana Jones), and a nice big park with a huge banyon tree with side shoots making that tree a total of 100 yards in diameter.

Actually, letting an Indian latch onto you is good. NO ONE ELSE will approach a foreigner when accompanied by another Indian. This includes the guesthouses, restaurants (one shop owner chased away a newspaper vendor who got bold when I was drinking a juice there), and on the street if someone is walking with you. From Kolkata, I caught the Rajdhani Express train, which took me here to Delhi. That was fast and fun.  In my compartment were one Muslim and two Hindi. One of the Hindi men talked with me for over 2 hours giving me insights to the rich cultural heritage and mix of India, even going back to Alexander the Great and his escapades here.

After Kolkata, this Paraganj area looks affluent, although it didn't two years ago. Again, everyone wants you to buy or wants to help out in some way, and again, I picked who to let latch onto me. But, there are no foreigners here at all besides myself. Even at the U.S. embassy where I registered, it was all handled by Indians. Kind of uneasy, but I only have one more day here before July 4th when I fly to Ladakh in Kashmir. I'll check my email here late tomorrow one last time, as I am not sure how easy or often internet will be up there.

Keith Koepsel