resident

I hardly feel I'm in India when we're at home in Manipal. Manipal, where we reside, feels like a tiny Malaysian village, and less-Indian (if not for the absence of family and friends). Even the buildings here are quite modern. Sometimes I feel I'm at Ipoh with the colonial homes and shady trees. Even the locals here wear shirts and pants, compared to the usual lungi/dhoti/saree, mostly donned by the worker classes, more prominent during our travel to south.

I often describe Manipal as a campus-town, it pre-existed only because of the university. Businesses, restaurants, et cetera, revolves around campus life. Catering the needs of fancy of Malaysian and international and super rich Indians. If you discount the terrible road condition and eccentric driving style, you hardly feel anything different.

Malaysian food is everywhere, although its not the same with the real thing, it'll do.
(E.g Nasi lemak here is not bad but the sambal is flat and the rice is not lemak. Its Lamak.)
Substitution for the real thing. For a while in Manipal.

Maybe I'll update the blog soon with some pictures of Manipal.
Nice little town, uphill with a view.

I apologize for not being able to update as much and soon as I would love to, sometimes I get caught on everyday life as a housewife, being struck with the natural drama of the unusual cyclone Phyan, the daily brown-outs (as opposed to black-outs, you get my drift), and reading books to not harass my husband when he is revising his books.

Will update soon on the last three chapter of our south trip! :D