Vagabond Jim

After dinner tonight I was really worried that I could not remember what I had for breakfast.   I walked (OK, stumbled, wandered, and waddled) all the way home.  Beginning to think I'm losing my mind. Then I remembered I di not eat breakfast.  I had a quick errand to run with The Jonathon. We needed to get my physical results "certified."  RM 40 and it was done.  They had a scale though.  I have dropped at least 5 kilos (203ish when I left, below198 now)*  of real weight since arrival.  It's hard to assess. I am drinking and sweating litres every day...how much is my body carrying?  The right amount is all that matters.  But, I have also put some muscle on my (already stunningly gorgeous) legs. What matters more is I feel generally healthy. Generally.  Uneven sidewalks, high curbs, slippery surfaces and thinly soled unpadded shoes have my legs and feet feeling a lil' beat up.   I have walked a lot this month.  I ...

  My kind of place, excellent espresso. RM 10 No, I will not name names. Clearly, they know the power of my writing! It looked better here.  This says it's pork. It tasted like beef. VERY good Kolo Mee.  Best yet RM 10 with a 3 Sour drink 10 pieces of Uncles & Auntie's delicious fried banana fritters. RM 8 Cucumber juice - delicious. RM 5.50 Bird's Nest! RM 4 Sambal on plate,  big bowl is dal, small is curry sauce

We're not The Smoking Gun here. Left: My passport picture, spring 2023 (with a fresh haircut and, gasp!, clean shaven.) Right: Yesterday (the haircut is from 2 weeks ago!) Damn, I like the new look MUCH better. Oh, crimes alleged for these shots: Willful travel Culinary adventurism Mangling and mixing foreign tongues Truly excessive over sharing of information Lack of personal filters Your Honors, I am guilty of all charges.  

Fairness demands that I tell you I can figure out who is reading: Hello to The420s, VisibleMan, JnotFK and the "East River's Mom", The PaNDA Lady, and The Pride of Evanston. Is the "Purse Guy" my Michigan reader? Is the "Shah of Brooklyn" reading? Who do I know in Connecticut? Sarawak?  If it's who I think, I enjoyed your hospitality. Thanks for reading and love to all.  I'm surprised how many of you there are.  It's heartwarming. I expect that Icognito Mode will see some use going forward. Jim

These are not intended to justify my move.  It's just a bunch of videos that will show you Kuching in ways I cannot and will not - Video.  Just expect to hear a lot of folks show you things that are wonderful. I will focus on small audience Vlogs. Too many followers results in chasing dollars and more viewers.  Then the quality goes to crap usually. (That's why there will NEVER be ads on this blog.)   Authenticity and insight matter more than influence and audience size. I hope you enjoy them. He get's it.   Be the minority, stop taking pictures others have, and eat what and where the locals do. (10Oct24) This is where I had the poultry foot, pig guts, and some very good Kolo Mee. I miss it already. (07Oct24)  Pricing....you think I'm kidding about it.   Nope.

Wrapping up yesterday first.   I wanted more braised pork.   (Clockwise from left) Soft tofu, Duck foot, Various muscle cuts e.g., belly, butt, Intestines, Egg Tofu was meh. Meats were amazing. Egg very good.  Guts were surprisingly tasty.  Talon....well, no.  RM 18 with drink (3 Sour.)  See https://www.vagabondjim.com/2024/09/a-running-thread-others-videos-about.html for somebody else's video of the whole menu here. A quick run to the ATM to start the day.  All told I have spent less than RM 2,000 in cash since arriving in Malaysia - 23 days.   Almost all of that is food, drink, and other consumables.  That burn rate is reasonable and easy to maintain.  Especially as I shift from restaurants to hawker stalls.  A tourist's laksa costs RM 15-20.  A local's RM 6-10.  And, frankly, it is safer and far tastier. I was going to need a bit more today.  Today was more of the S-MM2H legwork.  A physical and...

MM2H is a semi-permannet residency visa program. M y M alaysian 2 nd H ome or alternatively M alaysia M y 2 nd H ome There are several variants.  Unlike COVID, this is good for me. S -MM2H, "Sarawak - My Malaysia 2nd Home," is the 5 year residency pass I'm applying for.   Specifically, "MM2H" refers to the peninsular version.  Sabah has one too.  (As mentioned before, the Borneo states have some autonomy for things like this.)  But it seems to be known as Sabah MM2H. The programs vary substantially.  What was originally targeted for retirees (Howdy!) has changed to bring investors on the mainland and to a lesser extent for Sabah.  What may look like a sudden decision on my part isn't.  I've been considering this since last winter.  The original MM2H program changed with COVID.  The revised prospective guidelines issued last winter were more expensive.  The final version in July this year more so. Sarawak remains unique in that ...

This gentleman is walking along the riverfront between the western side of town.   I've done the same walk so many times; 2 or 3 round trips per day.  His videos do it justice. His hostel stay, from 14:00 onwards, stuff is interesting but not particularly relevant.  I'm too old for roommates; something I've been saying since 1989. I'm staying at the Sheraton (points.)  I've walked a similar distance to the opposite of town and on the other side of the river.  The whole area is worthy of his wonder. If he's showing it to you, I've been there.  Except the vegan restaurant (but I've passed it dozens of time.) In my 14 bights staying here,  My experience is that the 'foreign' tourists are generally Dutch, German, Aussie, English in that order. When others can speak more clearly than I do, I let them. Here's another of his videos about the city.  Since I've been in bed by 20:00 every night, I will let him show you the night scenery. Yeah, that...

Not going to blog bomb like yesterday... Last night's Roti Cenai was so good I wanted more.  But with more authenticity - from a street vendor.  That's the way it's eaten here.  Off I went to "Closed Wednesday."  They open Thursday.  Through a combination of "Bad Bahasa" and pointing on my part, I received this: Strong, ice cold Teh Tarik. But wait, you wanted eggs on griddled bread.  Yeah, I forgot to take a photo.  Which is a shame because I could have explained how I got two rotis with a fried egg inside each instead of one roti nesting two sunny side up eggs. (Yesterday I said "over easy" - that was wrong. They're never flipped in the nest.)  I did point to an empty egg carton, say Roti Telur ("Egg" Roti), make my hands into a ring, and then signal "2."  Cannot complain if you get what you ask for. Walked home but was too stuffed to get banana Fritters.  Mistake. I stopped at a pharmacy - I am out of Prevacid. 10 Fam...

The still photo equivalent of a Rick Roll The wonderful Tilley hats are too heavy for this heat.  This rolls up to fit in the silly sling bag I'm now using. 

I met with Jonathan and his colleagues today. They're wonderful people.  Thank you for suggesting them.

Well,"Birds in a nest" is the local term for roti Cenai with eggs over easy... Tasty! RM 6.50 And, I encountered the subject of much chickenshit avoidance...the Bag O' Beverage!  As served for dining in. As handled for take away... I was absolutely terrified by the concept. Because I was absolutely certain I would drop it and wear it. 3 Sour: Lemon, Lime, Plum RM 5 It's not really a great concept as it's still plastic and the source of much litter.  The paper straw is eco-friendly.  But, c'mon, paper straws always suck.  And suck badly.  Soggy straws are useless

 From memory.  No resort or hotel included... Currently RM1 = $0.24 or $1.00USD = RM 4.13   The Ringgit is at a 3 year high in May it was above 4.26 RM/USD.  So what. The value remains exceptional. "Pub food" English breakfast - RM 25 Beef Malak Ramen - RM 15 Lemonade -RM 10  Roti Paratha with eggs and "meat" - failing memory. It was tasty. Sausage Rice - RM 12 Teh-C Special Ais  - RM 9 Nasi Goreng (Fried Rice)- RM 8 Mee goreng (Fried Noodles) - RM8 Fruits Rojak (RM5 /100g)+ Salted Lime Teh (RM 10) = RM 28  Small Laksa Sarawak - RM8 Ais Green Jasmine Teh - RM4.80 (coins - arrrgggh!) Char Kueh Tauh - RM 6 Ais tek Tarik - RM 10 Cheese Naan - RM 12 Pork Satay - RM 1.2 per piece Fried banana Fritters - RM 0.80 each The skinny: Hawker Centers have the best food at the cheapest prices. Local restaurants have very good food at very good prices. Food courts (i.e., malls) have acceptable food at OK prices. Tourist restaurants have acceptable food and bad p...