One of the most frequent questions I get from recent transplants and people thinking of moving to Penang, Malaysia is: “What do you do with your time?” When you move someplace new, you have a chance to make a fresh start. Whether you’re retiring here, working as an expat in Malaysia or retiring early and…
Grab your passport and prepare to book a flight – Hoi An, Vietnam is pho king awesome. It takes very little money to enjoy all it has to offer, and the opportunity for puns is endless – rejoice! After hearing tales from friends about how amazing, affordable and fast the tailors are in Hoi An,…
If you live in SE Asia and want a quick, cheap trip to Portugal, head on down to the quaint Unesco World Heritage city of Malacca, Malaysia. Sitting in the terracotta-tiled bar of the stylishly Mediterranean Casa del Rio hotel while sipping a sangria by the river, you might just catch yourself saying: “Wait, this…
In all our travels, nothing has blown our minds quite like Komodo National Park. From the dragons to the diving, we were awe-struck by the beauty, the truly unique natural wonders, and the astounding plethora of life in Komodo’s waters. It’s not the easiest place to get to, and given how rustic it is and…
Tricks to Make Living in Malaysia Easier My husband and I love living in Malaysia. But coming from the US where we had unknowingly become addicted to Amazon and other conveniences that don’t really exist in Malaysia, it took some time to figure out workarounds. To save you the frustrations, I’ve come up with our…
If Phuket were a person, it’d be diagnosed as “happily schizophrenic.” There are so many sides to Phuket that there’s something to wow everyone. But that can make it a bit overwhelming to plan a trip, so I’m going to help you out by listing some custom dream-trip itineraries to suit a variety of tastes…
While freeing an endangered sea turtle from a discarded fishing net, I learned three key things: Some fish can be real assholes. The Malaysian ambulance and hospital system is incredible and amazingly inexpensive. My awesome friends are able to find humor in painful situations, and they take great footage for future laughter. (No wonder…
When was the last time you were encircled by a school of 10,000+ curious yellow snappers? Or swam through a rainbow-colored coral garden bejeweled with electric-purple starfish, giant waving orange sea fans, ruby red barrel sponges the size of washing machines and soft coral that looks like psychedelic broccoli in sparkling shades of pink, blue…
Thinking of moving to or retiring in Penang? This is how much it costs to live here. It’s really no wonder why International Living ranked Penang as #6 in their roundup of the “10 Best Places to Retire Around the World in 2017.” Our friends keep asking me if they should retire here, so this…
What pops into your mind when someone asks you to think about a time when you experienced pure joy? For me, it’s this moment right here: Yes, I had a trunk in my junk. But before you write me off as a pervy nutter, please note that being goosed by a playful pachyderm wasn’t the…
Oh MY Expat Life 