More Signs of Malaysia.

The hate-on for durian fruit is so strong in Malaysia that SCS and I joked that we could create a punk rock band called "Death to Durian" and likely be quite successful. It's a perfect match: we can't sing and the angst directed toward the fruit would be perfect for the genre. Everywhere we went -- trains, stores, hotels and restaurants -- signs exclaiming that you cannot bring your durian with you (as though it would be trotting behind you on a fine, feathered leash).

Alright, folks; the fruit smells really bad. Trust me, it does. And, depending on with whom you speak, it tastes just as disgusting. But, I think we're forgetting something: this is a country in which you can still openly smoke in restaurants. And stores. And offices. And nearly everywhere else. Tobacco smells just as bad and -- oh, wait -- it will actually kill you. Apart from the odd durian dropping incident (that didn't come out right), the only Durian killing people was the typhoon that hit the Philippines a couple of weeks ago.

But it did spawn a new term for us: "That guy drives like durian!"

Yes, on some people, thongs are indeed a sin. This, on the island of Langkawi, is another Eastern name which takes an unfortunate turn when looked at from a Western perspective. The fact that it's for a property and hotel developer makes me think they might make some fun resorts, though, non?. Does Sisquo know?

We also got a good chuckle out of all of the "Awas" signs littering the roads of Langkawi. In Malay, it means "Warning", which makes a lot of sense when they're situated next to construction areas. Only they didn't stop there. Small signs, large signs, different colour signs -- every couple of feet all the way around the island. They sort of had a numbing effect where there really were areas of concern. And the wolf greedily snacked on the little boy at roadside.