Reese Kaplan -- Mets Fan on Other Side of the World Part 2

Today started off with a visit from the visa consultant to fix an issue with the application.  It was no big deal and just required some information changed on the form and a fresh signature.  I expect more minor things like this to occur between now and the 7+ months necessary for the process to complete.

Afterwards we took a ride to find an additional carrying bag for the plane -- a small duffel or something that wouldn't be considered a check-in mandatory type of luggage.  For a brief visit here in which we fit everything in a couple of backpacks getting here, we apparently contributed too much to the local economy, buying shoes, cables, nutritional products and a few other things requiring extra space.  

I'd found a place advertising a relatively inexpensive duffel bag online available in their store, so we took a Grab (Uber) ride and headed over there.  Sure enough they had the bags (ugly but functional), as did another store that had one I liked better.  

Then we stumbled into a place offering a zippered bag that looked more like a southwestern American blanket than something from Malaysia, but after converting the currency into US dollars it cost less than $10 so we found a winner.

Right now in order to get the long term visa we need to provide the application, a letter of good conduct from the American police department where we had been living, open a local bank account with a Malaysian financial institution where we are required to keep our deposit there for quite some time.  

We also completed the required East Malaysian medical exams which were certified.  We provided passports, marriage certificate, Social Security numbers and filled out so many forms my hand was starting to cramp.  They say it takes awhile for everything to go through but thus far it seems to be progressing.

Tonight we will board a flight back to the West Malaysia city of Penang where we started off last weekend.  We will again spend a night there in a hotel as we'll be arriving at night, then do a very American (or Swedish) thing in the morning and visit the local Ikea store which is in the area.  

While in Sarawak we took a Grab ride to Semenggoh, a wildlife sanctuary where they rehabilitate orangutans to learn to survive on their own in the jungle.  We decided to take the walk to the feeding area which, in retrospect, was not the brightest idea we ever had.  

The hills, distance, heat and humidity suggested a motor vehicle would have been smarter.  Still, we arrived drenched in sweat with minor muscle aches in time to see them putting food on the platforms for the loose orangutans to descend to partake.  You'll see from these photos that these simians are quite a bit bigger than the small gray monkeys in our golf course home area.  

We will likely make a return visit here to deposit money in the bank and complete any paperwork in need of correction.  The hotel we chose was in a great location close to both downtown and to the shopping malls.  

One thing that surprised us was how upscale Kuching seemed in comparison to Ipoh where we live.  The malls are filled with familiar (and local) chain stores selling all the stuff you'd find in any American shopping center.  The main tenant in several is a Bloomingdales-like store called Parkson whose prices match their environment, though when they do offer discounts they are significant.  

With a little effort both my wife and I managed to find shoes large enough for us to wear.  They were not very expensive despite coming from Parkson.  Hers were some kind of local but highly reputable brand and were about $20 and mine were by Polo and only set me back $50.  Bear in mind that $50 is big money in Malaysia, but how much would shoes like that cost in the USA?  

The next time we're here we'll probably explore areas in Sarawak but outside of the Kuching area.  The visa requires us to spend 15 days per year minimum in Sarawak, so we have both a legal obligation and curiosity to fulfill.  Much to my surprise one of the vendors we met said that the other large city on the opposite side of Borneo called Kota Kinabalu is even more upscale in terms of prices compared to Kuching.  It made us appreciate our non-touristy home on the mainland even more.  

So far I'm able to catch Mets games on my expiring free MLB.TV account that came bundled for free with T-Mobile, but that phone will likely be terminated by year's end, so I will have to fork over my own money to pay for games in the future.  

Much to my surprise I saw Yankees logos and Dodgers logos printed on things here, but no orange and blue anywhere.  

Overall it's been a great move with every day a new chapter in the adventure.  We like it that way.