So its Thanksgiving day here in Penang...not a holiday that is celebrated here, so let me tell you Turkey, not an easy find. We did however find them at the Cold Storage grocery, however they were $30 US! That was a bit much for something that we would most likely burn or undercooked, Roxanne and I have yet to figure out the Celsius to Fahrenheit conversion with the oven, and both of us have dried out some varying cuts of meat in that oven, I mean Sahara desert dry too. Turkey is a fickle bird, and even with the best of technology, intentions and know how, you can still screw it up. I have had some Sahara dry Turkey for past Thanksgiving dinners. So instead, I walked, yes WALKED, to the Pulau Tikus wet market and got two roast duck from  my duck lady, and some pork ribs. Now I have to talk about the pork ribs for a moment (Queue the deeply religious music)...AhHem....

these ribs are smoked and marinated in the most heavenly of sauces and then lovingly rubbed with spices and brown sugar...*sob*...so that with every bite there is a beautiful explosion of flavor...they are...*sob*...in a word...legend....wait for it...*sob*...dary...legendary!

The duck is really good too...I mean its roast duck, for Thanksgiving, in place of turkey, nuff' said.

So this will be the first Thanksgiving that I can remember when  I have been away from extended family (I'm sure some of them are quite happy the obnoxious old guy is not coming to dinner)...We will be together though and WE have much to be thankful for. I know that everyone gets into all the "Things I'm Thankful For" especially during the "ThanksChristmas" Holidays.(Oh come on, its funny).I mean health is a big one, and family is another, may be friendship....So I figure, I will list what I am thankful for...I'm sure you all are waiting with baited breath for this drivel huh...no no don't walk away, it will be good...i promise.

Things I am Thankful for

1) Im not dead...because I could be...
     I mean if you could see the place I crashed you would be patting me on the back right now and going "damn son you are lucky to be alive". The entire stretch of roadway I was riding on has guardrail, accept mind you, for where i crashed. its an opening in the guardrail about 6 foot wide and I hit it dead on, so I am told. Roxanne still feels I was aiming for it and she has a top 10 list like Letterman, with the reasons why I crashed...its pretty funny too. So we can laugh at it now that I am past the roughest part, but for a while there it was not funny.(it was still funny)...no it was not funny at all (hysterical).

2) Family....We were told experiences like this can tear people apart or bring them closer together...I think for us it has brought us closer in some ways and unchanged in others. Rox and I are unchanged, I think our love for one another has always been deep and abiding. With Brenna I think I am closer, i spend more time with her, and in doing so have gotten to know our little girl even more. she is really a wonderful, kind, annoying, intelligent, sarcastic, sweet child, who embodies so much of who Roxanne and I are as individuals its like looking in a mirror sometimes. Brenna has grown up allot in 8 months also and i think she will continue to grow. Roxanne and I have gotten closer in a way also because I think we understand each other better. At least i think I understand her a bit better, I have had to take on some things that before i never did and she always had to and i appreciate her more for that. My wife is a complex, intelligent, beautiful woman. I am thankful to have my two girls with me on this journey, cant think of any two people I would rather experience it with.

3)Friends....I have not always been a good friend...I know this....but the friends I have, we share one thing, no matter how long it has been since we last spoke I know that if they needed something I would be there and vice versa. The friends I have made here I already know I will miss dearly when it is time for us to depart Penang. During my accident and during my recovery they were always there. they are still there waiting for me to rejoin them as individuals or as a  group, running again. It has been a tough road for me, but it would have been far more difficult without my friends and my family. They have helped us in buying electronics, celebrated my birthday in style, have introduced me to food I would never have tried much less enjoyed, they have all been Friends in every sense of the word

4) Martin...from Penang Soccer Experience, Jo...OB's mom...Nina and Dan, and Michelle from Spiral Energy (and all the other Ex-Pats we have met). Without them, we would not have lasted the first month, and we would not have seen and experienced everything we have so far!

5) Duck...specifically Pulau Tikus market roast duck....Its awesome...do I need another reason to be thankful for it....

and finally 6) The Experience itself, never in my wildest dreams would I have had the chance to see New Zealand, run a marathon on the Great Wall in Beijing China, See Angkor Watt in Cambodia and experience the culture and people of Malaysia...we are so very lucky to have this opportunity and so far we have fully embraced our new home. We even bought a Christmas tree for the house! It has thus far been a great time and we still have so much left!!

Have a great Thanksgiving Everyone!

Neilson Family "Showcase"

Well Chris is finally mobile enough to make traveling possible, so we finally took our first proper vacation here in Malaysia.  We visited the gorgeous Tanjong Jara Resort in a small town called Dungun, just south of Kuala Terengganu on the east coast of peninsular Malaysia (not to be confused with East Malaysia, which is on the island of Borneo that is part Malaysian and part Indonesian - time to get out your maps folks!!).  As we soaked in the beachfront pool one afternoon, we observed that it was quite unbelievable that we were here, in a place we never imagined visiting.  We agreed that this was one of those trips you read about in a magazine or saw as a prize on the Price is Right.  So with a nod to Johnny Olson (okay, okay- I watched a lot of Price is Right when I was a kid and I remember Bob Barker and Johnny more than I recall Rod Ready and Drew Carey)...

"Neilson Family, your showcase begins with new swimsuits and snorkeling gear for the entire family" (see Barker's Beauty Brenna below)

"You and two guests will be escorted to an offshore marine sanctuary, where you will spend the day observing fabulous sea corals, hawksbill turtles, spotted rays, and schools of rainbow parrotfish, yellow boxfish and more before feasting on a lunch of grilled snapper, tiger prawns and fresh fruit on Tenggol Island, MALAYSIA!!"

"Your trip includes a 5-night stay at the fabulous Tanjong Jara Resort in Dungun, Malaysia.  Experience all that Malaysia has to offer at this 5-star resort and spa, including Chef Ann's culinary talents.  Choose your daily fare from the Nelayan "Western" style beachfront cafe or Di Atas Sungei  for your choice of Asian delights.  Relax poolside and watch the waves crash along a private beach. 

"Join local naturalists for an eco-river cruise to spot native fauna and flora such as monitor lizards, long-tailed macaques and exotic birds.  Stroll through a fishing village to sample "kampung life" and find local produce such as rambutan, jackfruit and more.  Experience the wonder of batik and take home your own colorful creation."

"Experience the local market and watch artisans and craftsmen as they go about their daily work.  Visit a batik factory, a songket weaver, boat builder and a brass foundry.  Spend copiously on handmade batik sarongs for your friends and family.  Stop for delicious nasi briyani (fragrant rice) and fried chicken with "soursop" to wash it all down...mmm...delicious.  Then relax your weary muscles with a visit to the world-class spa."

"Spend your afternoons relaxing in a beach hut, at the pool or snoozing on your front porch as the cooling monsoon rains fall.  Lose badly to your spouse and 8-year old daughter at Uno as you watch the sunlight fade.  Tanjong Jara Resort, Unmistakably Malay.  And this, Neilson Family, is your "Showcase".  Would you like to bid or pass?

We'll bid please....and it looks like we won!!  

"This is Bob Barker signing off.  Don't forget to help control the pet population; have your pet spayed or neutered!"