Watching the Big Game with Italy Fans

GOALLLLLLL! went to bed early then asked for a 2 am wake-up call. The World Cup was in high gear, I entered a room full of screaming fans, inexplicably all of these Malaysians are die-hard Italy fans. They set up rows of chairs and brought us coffee, fresh juices, noodles, and we cheered to the sounds of the game on the big screen. It was a raucus affair, with France’s star Zedine ejected for a late game head butt, and decided on penalty kicks right down to 4-5.

I stumbled back upstairs to try and sleep until we had to leave. The sound of the call to prayer from the tall minaret just next to the hotel woke me about 5:30 am. Watching the rapid yelling football fans without a drop of booze in them made their joy more pure, undiluted nor colored by drink. Refreshing. Today at breakfast all of the women are dining in their splendidly colored sarong sari suits, and headscarves. We depart soon to go spend two days on Redang Island, where we can snorkle in clear waters.

Yesterday I made my way down to the South China sea and past a breakwater, where fierce looking excavators rested. I entered the calm waters and floated on my back, out, way out in the distance the excavators and trucks were placing more boulders to build a break to keep back the sea. Flooding has ruined this town enough times to warrant such building.

in the markets there are always cats that look wild, fetid, and scrawny. One of the women we’re traveling with pet one, I thought that wasn’t a good idea but the little tiny kittens who could resist. Then I saw a man putting the kittens and their mamma into a box and closing up the top, and carting it to his car. Hate to think of what will befall this brood. I watched men building concrete forms wearing conical hats. The rain pounded down in torrents, the regular six pm blast, and pushed away the humidity for just a while.