–September 25,

Up and about… to more cloud cover. We knew it was rainy season, but still – just saying. I could not live in Washington/Oregon state areas. We got around having our Javas & breakfast of scrambled eggs (with dollup of coconut milk) with red bell pepper and onion and some sesame seed bread we bought yesterday. Good start for our bodies, but the mind with all the rain – another story! We passed the morning with Jeff planning and me pitching in some thoughts, since we know we are going back to Vietnam until the first of the year 2025! As each year comes it just seems so wrong – the numbers are too big!

Around 1200 there was a bit of sun, so we went out! We trekked downhill to the little mall where the 7Eleven is. There is a Dominos Pizza place. They have a “New World Cheese Pizza featuring 8 premium cheeses,” even the crust has cheeses in it! We opted for this as a combo, which included two sodas and a dessert “New Blueberry Pizza Fold – Sweet & Creamy, Crispy & Buttery.” I rarely ever ate at Dominos – actually first tried it in when I moved to the Big City in my early twenties. My favorite pizza place growing up was on Main Street in Hutch – called Rocco's. Ummm!! Anyway, this pizza was good. Jeff and I could not actually recall the last Cheese Pizza we had eaten. The dessert I did not care for like I thought I would. It did seem to have cheese in it also (maybe a Mascarpone??). Anyway the combo meal was 53 MYR ($12.80). We were most decidedly full! We stopped at the 7Eleven and when we came out it was raining… We waited it out some til it lightened up a bit, then hoofed it back uphill to our place. We made it to the closest parking garage (Block B – we are in Block A) and ducked in just in time. It started pouring. We have not been in the garage before but surely it connects… it did. So we got to our apartment without getting too wet.

Rest of the afternoon and evening it rained, sometimes at a good clip. Supper was cucumber slices on crackers with a coconut milk, curry sauce we made (we also used some pepper flakes we acquired at Domino's). We also had some chocolate – we still try to get dark chocolate bars made in the different countries we are in. In SE Asia in general, milk chocolate is prevalent and dark hard to find, except for imported stuff.

Anyway it was another rainy day in Cameron Highlands.

     —-September 25,

I saw a spot of blue sky this morning – wonder of wonders, miracle of miracles! HA-HA!! Anyway, we got around having our Javas and our coconut French Toast with the last of our sample honeys (a lime and a strawberry) and a yogurt each. I liked the lime and the ginger honeys the best of the three we bought. After we ate we cleaned our C-PAPS. We try to do this every couple of weeks. They soak in a vinegar wash. The pot we have here is not very big so it took much of the morning.

By noon we set out, as it was still not raining – Yeah for us! We went to the 7Eleven and on coming out, it started spitting again. Deja vu!! So we walked around the mini mall – it has a covered awning. It stopped raining and we decided to go to the Orchid & Rose Garden. It cost total 23 MYR – 10 each and 3 for a small bag of fish food (total=$5.56).

We traipsed about the garden following the one-way, yellow-arrowed walkway. It was a lovely place. The rain patted on the plastic tarped covering as we meanered. The plants here grow year round so they can get big: Hibiscus trees, 12-15 feet tall with 8-9 inch blooms; some thriving orchids; a large rose bed; some pitcher plants that had 4-5 inches blooms or “pitchers” – one pitcher plant had its pitcher hidden in the center of a huge 10 inch blossom (this was most unique one I recall seeing); and huge two colored Amaryllis- these were some of Jeff's dads favorites. We then found the koi fish pond and as soon as they saw us they swarmed toward us. When we tossed in the food, the Koi fish acted like piranhas! It reminded me of the pond we had back home and I had a bit of nostalgia. There was also a pet farm of sorts: Rabbits, birds, Guinea Pigs, Geese and Goats. A family with two children were admiring the rabbits – one of which had gotten free. But the oldest boy caught him and returned it to its proper place! It was fun to watch the boys with the rabbits. I never had rabbits, but I remembered I had a cousin who lived with us awhile – she had a guinea pig. I was fascinated by how it ate lettuce. Then the geese also bought back memories of my Grandpa Swank – he had geese. I hated the geese though they hissed and chased us kids.

Anyway, it was fun and a good little adventure- down memory lane and walking in a garden. When we finished, so had the rain again. We stopped at Kensington Restaurant for late lunch. We shared two mains: British Traditional Fish and Chips with fries & onion rings, coleslaw and tartar sauce; and Grilled Chicken with Black Pepper Sauce- sides of fried potato wedges and sauteed veggies. We each had a smoothie: one Berries & one Pineapple, Mango, Apple & Orange. Our meal was great as always. The place was unusually busy, though. It was good to see. We spent 85.85 MYR ($20.75).

Finished we left taking advantage of a rain respite and returned hiking back up to our place. But we had to duck into the garage again, as it started spitting. Once in our place we had unloaded and sat down when it started pouring rain. HO-HUM! Afternoon turned into evening as I wrote this blog, and we both read – I am reading “A River Runs Through It.” Supper will be light- some sweet corn on the cob and cucumber slices.

It was a blessed day for memories for me, but not for weather. The memories win though!!