Kiteboarding, foilboarding and windsurfing in Penang

If you’re a wind junkie and wondering what the kiteboarding, foilboarding and windsurfing is like in Penang, I’m going to cover everything you need to know, including wind and water conditions, launches, how to join our kite crew, and hazards to avoid. I’ll also give you an overview of other location to ride in Malaysia…

Penang Neighborhood Guide for Expats

Choosing Where to Live in Penang – the Top 8 Locations If you’re an expat planning to move to Penang, your future happiness may depend a lot on where you choose to live. But no pressure! 🙂 I put together this Penang neighborhood guide to help you find an area that suits your interests, personality…

Expat Hair-loss and Treatments

6 Things You Need to Know about Hair Loss and Effective Treatments Look on any expat forum and you’ll find a common plea: “Help, I’m losing hair!” There are a number of reasons for this, and also some effective treatments. But there are also an alarming number of myths about the causes, and bogus “miracle…

Best Place for Penang Gifts and Souvenirs

You can’t go to Hawaii without getting a coconut bra, or visit Thailand without picking up a pair of hippie pants. While there aren’t any quintessentially “Penang” gifts, there’s a cool little store in Georgetown that carries an array of uniquely Malaysian items, many of which are hand-crafted by local artists, and all are surprisingly…

Learn to Teach English in Malaysia at myTESOL

Every time I travel to a far-off land, I always meet a smiling, happy expat who lives there and teaches English as a foreign language. And they always rave about how much they love the chance to live someplace exotic while doing something fun and fulfilling that makes decent money. Truth be told, I usually…

Pros and Cons of Expat Living and Retiring in Malaysia

Malaysia is almost always in the top 10 lists of best international places for expat living and retirement, and for good reason. But just not for the reasons they list. Those “10 Best” write-ups are hilarious fantasy fictions written by people who are either completely high, closely related to Pinocchio, or have never set foot…

Getting a Wellness Check in Penang, Malaysia

Wow, getting a check-up in Penang, Malaysia is a pretty eye-opening experience! The medical lightsaber wielded by one particular doctor certainly made my eyes pop out, but more on that later… Not only are health evaluations here a fraction of the cost than in California (where I’m from), but it’s also the most comprehensive one…

Finding Fulfillment in Penang, Malaysia

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…

2 Days in Malacca, Malaysia

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…