Odds and Sods

Did you know when we booked our flights it was $150 NZD cheaper for us to fly to KL , have a stop over , then fly to Penang rather than just go to only KL. This still confuses me.

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We did not realise it but when our phone was installed it did not allow international calls. I reported the fault but was told we had not applied for the international calling package. Here we go.

 How much is the international calling package I asked?     It is free.

 So how do I apply for it ?      You ask me now as I am recording this phone call.

 So I clicked my heels 3 times, asked the question and we should be able to make international calls in a few days. Maybe.

 

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 I had a bad case of man flu last week (there is no good case). Yep, that sucker took me low.  The chemists over here are great. They give great advice and can prescribe medicine. I visited one who gave me a   prescription which was cheaper than Glynis's coffee hit. Within two hours I had rebooted and was humming smurf songs.

Now why do we have to go to the Doctor in New Zealand when we too have highly educated pharmacists? Why are we wasting the Docs time with our snivelling runny noses? The Malaysian way seems better. 

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One of the major differences in Penang is the driving. It is just so far from anything you would ever experience in New Zealand. It seems to be an endless procession of close calls. It has taken time but I have now re-calibrated what is considered a close call. I now have a very tiny ruler.

The driving is out of necessity. You have to pull out in front of on coming vehicles if you want to move, you have to just stop and park on the road if you want to pick up a snack as there is little parking, you have to go three abreast on the two lanes to keep the traffic flowing.

The only way to survive the driving is to join in... which I do with a vengeance. Honestly, some days I am so bad I really feel I should turn myself in. Of course I cannot because there does not seem to be any higher authority to enforce road rules. I suppose like New Zealand the police cannot be everywhere. 

But here is the massive difference. Any slight deviation from the road code in NZ would be meet with a barrage of horn honking and arm waving from your fellow motorists. They would be yelling quite horrible remarks and calling you nasty names like " Mr smelly pants". Some would even go so far as to insinuate you got your license from a box of Hubbards lightly toasted apricot and papaya muesli. People can be cruel.

Now,what happens in Penang. Nothing. Zilch. Nada. Zero. You can do what ever you like and no-one is going to be offended, beep a horn or raise a voice. Its almost like the fellow motorists in Penang do not see my driving as a personal insult directed towards them. It is very liberating and I am going to follow their lead.