A Lady in London

Penang. A Shangri-La, a distant spice island in a mysterious legend. The Far East, full of traders and sailing ships, the meeting place of Easterners and the coveted jewel of Westerners. The final destination on my Malaysia travels.

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Driving up into the Cameron Highlands in Malaysia, the roads become increasingly winding. As my ears pop for the millionth time, I look out the window at the lush surroundings dotted with giant greenhouses. Many of them are growing strawberries and other produce that can’t take the heat in the country’s lower altitudes.

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The sky is magenta. I scramble out of my seat, nearly toppling the woman next to me, and run to the opposite window to get a photo. And a video. It is one of the most beautiful sunsets I’ve ever seen, and it reminds me why I decided to travel by train in Malaysia.

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Looking out over the Strait of Malacca, I feel I’m peering into history. Like most Westerners, the body of water is something I read about in books as a child but never expected to see in person. But it’s here. Right in front of me. And being in Malacca shows me that the strait’s fame as a historic trading passage still affects its namesake city today.

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“You’ve eaten lunch?” she asks. She’s not actually wondering whether I’ve consumed my afternoon meal. Rather, she is greeting me in the traditional Malaysian manner. And this simple salutation speaks volumes about the culture here. The food culture. The food obsession.

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One of the hardest things about being an American expat in London is being far away from family. It’s not rare that I wish I could live in England and have my family here at home with me. But sometimes I find a good surrogate, and last week I found just that at The Goring hotel in London.

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It’s a junior suite. Overlooking Hyde Park. In chi chi Kensington. It’s also my home for the night. The Baglioni Hotel in London is a five-star luxury hotel, and it’s my home for the night. Did I mention that already? I’m pinching myself.

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Lately my travels have come on a back-to-back basis. The day after I returned from California, I left for Australia. The day after I got back from Australia, I went to Belgium. It was exhausting, but given that it was still below freezing in London, I was excited to escape for a weekend in Brussels.

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As sad as I was to leave Australia, my trip back to London was sweetened with a one-day layover in Dubai. Being a hub for Emirates, it was only natural to stop there on my way back to the UK. And despite the short stay, I managed to accomplish a lot.

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Melbourne is on everyone’s mind. Whenever Australia comes up in conversation, people rave about the city. So when I flew to Adelaide last week, I extended my trip for a few days to travel to Melbourne and see what all the fuss is about.

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Bloomsbury is one of my favorite neighborhoods in London. Right smack in the middle of the city, it is home to the famous British Museum, the beautiful Russell Square, and lots of literary lore (ever heard of the Bloomsbury Group? Yeah, that’s there). So when I had an opportunity to staycation there last week, I didn’t hesitate to go.

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