India will indeed be an incredible journey, although after just two days in Singapore and Malaysia, I've already encountered what would seem like a month of incredible experiences by staid state-side standards.

Our flight path to Japan flew just south of Mount McKinley. The sky was clear and the view of the mountain with the sun shining brightly on it was spectacular. It was quite a contrast with the preceding couple hours of the flat Canadian and Alaskan tundra-like terrain which preceded it.

The 13 ½ hour flight to Tokyo was grueling, especially because of the hellish storm we had to fly around in for half an hour while in a holding pattern (since only one runway was open). At one point the plane hit an air pocket and fell 10 meters in a second or two. A number of passengers had the distinct privilege of using those little paper bags kept down below, near the in-flight magazines.

An hour later, my 7 hour flight to Singapore began. Again we got hit by strong winds from the storm and it shook the craft right down to the rivets. Very jarring. We arrived in Singapore at 30 minutes past midnight. Fortunately my reservation in a flea-bag budget joint worked out, and was close to the bus rank for the Kuala Lumpur connection the next morning. The 7 hour bus ride on the Malaysian motor route was quite exhilarating. Some incredible views from a developmental standpoint ... The place has thus far highly surpassed my expectations. Hospitals with helicopter pads, expansive modern housing projects, light rail transport into the capital, and---the place I'm now writing from---the world's tallest building, two twin towers, 7 meters taller than the Sears Tower in Chicago.

The Sun-Sun Hotel (Crash Pad, Singapore)	The Old Kuala Lumpur Mosque

Mike arrived at the appointed time at the Coliseum Hotel in K.L. yesterday evening, flying in from Bangkok in the afternoon. I preceded him by about a half an hour. Is that a successful pre-arranged rendezvous, or what? The deal was that Mike would buy the first beer, a cold one, if I came through with my end of the deal. I did, and cold it was ....

Are you familiar with the Malaysian ethnic mix of Chinese, Indians, and Malays?--thanks to the British colonial blueprints, of course. So the primarily Islamic country represents an extremely ethnically diverse society. Today's highlight, following a brief visit to an Anglican service in Tamil at the church near the Coliseum, was a once a year Hindu festival at a South East Asian pilgrimage site, 15 kms north of town: the Batu Caves. Holy penitents carry large loads by an assortment of hooks put right through the skin in their backs. Others tow one or more people using the same sets of hooks dug deep into the skin in their backs. Because of their "state of advanced consciousness," they supposedly do not feel the pain. (Like the fire walkers in other societies.) These sets of penitents start at the main Hindu Temple near Kuala Lumpur's Chinatown. Once at the pilgrimage site, they ascend 272 steep stairs to enter the caves where they make offerings of fruit, flowers, and other gifts to the Hindu deities represented at the altars there. There were an estimated million people on hand out at the caves this weekend! We must have seen several hundred thousand out there today. (The local newspaper put its estimate at 800,000.) It took us a good portion of the afternoon to accompany a slow stream of humanity (i.e., pilgrims) through the line and up the stairs into the largest cavern to observe the termination of the penitents' acrifices. It was likely an advance taste of what we'll encounter in Calcutta, Delhi, and points in between.

We may end up heading northwest 5 hours by bus tomorrow to Penang, near the Thailand border, for less expensive air tickets to Madras, India. Stay tuned.