Side trip to Kuala Lumpur

On 19 April, I took a late night flight from Hanoi to Kuala Lumpur to visit my friend Ivy Wong and her family. A Malaysian woman who sat across the aisle from me on the plane saw the two Thich Nhat Hanh books that I was reading and asked to borrow one. She hadn't heard of him but was interested in the Dharma. She enjoyed looking at the book and wrote the title so she could try to find it in Malaysia. We had a wonderful conversation about simple living and religious practices.

This is my first visit to peninsular Malaysia. I travelled to Sarawak, on Borneo, with my husband over a decade ago. That was when I met Ivy Wong, the friend I am visiting here, and got to know her when she was a university student. She's now married, has two beautiful daughters, and has a position with the World Wildlife Federation-Malaysia.

Today, I spent the day today touring KL, which is a beautiful city, and sampling some of the wonderful foods that Malaysia has to offer. Malaysia is a tantalizing mixture of ethnicities. There are many, many indigenous peoples, plus communities of Chinese and Indians. Today, we had a fabulous Indian lunch and a delicious Chinese dinner, with a foamy cup of cappuccino in between! No suffering on the food front here... We also saw an interesting photojournalism exhibition celebrating the 50th anniversary of Malaysian independence.

K.L. is also a bit of culture shock after Vietnam. Although K.L. is only a three-hour flight and one time zone away from Hanoi, in many respects, the two countries are worlds apart. Peninsular Malaysia is predominantly Muslim, while most Hanoi residents are Buddhist. This part of Malaysia is also quite prosperous compared to Vietnam. I see late-model cars everywhere (which leads to late-model traffic jams...), and there are numerous huge shopping malls with all the latest fashions. Prices are also a big contrast. Vietnam is extremely affordable by Western standards. A room at a 5-star hotel can be had for $100 a night. Here, prices are much closer to U.S. standards.

Tomorrow, we are heading for Malacca, a historic town on the west coast. I'm sure I'll learn a lot of Malaysian history!

On the Dharma front, I am missing my friends from the delegation, most of whom have returned to the many corners of the earth they call home. When I feel their absence most acutely, I try to remember the many nourishing practices we enjoyed together.

mindful eating
reciting the Five Contemplations before meals
sitting meditation
walking meditation
Noble Silence
sharing in Dharma families
chanting
singing Dharma songs
Dharma talks
touching the earth
paying mindful attention to my Second Body (a wonderful Aussie named Perrie)
the Five Mindfulness Trainings
full body relaxation
the bell