Stuck In Customs » Malaysia

A Perfect Morning at Glacier National Park

tratcliff — Sat, 09 Aug 2008 15:05:47 +0000

I’m back in Montana for a few days!

We were graciously invited by Jack Horner up to northern Montana to join him on a dinosaur dig, My 7-year-old son (and the 7-year-old in me) is excited as can be by this once in a lifetime experience. We are not sure yet, but we think there is a special kind of Tyrannosaurus Rex that has been uncovered near Rudyard, Montana. Jack has his dig team out there, so we are going to camp out with them for a while and help with the dig… we are mega excited.

For a few nights before the dig, I took the family unit here to nearby Glacier National Park. We stayed at the Many Glacier Inn, which is this 1930’s Swiss-style chalet on a beautiful lake looking out at Mount Grinnell and several glaciers.

I woke up early in the morning to get this shot, while the rest of my family and the inn was still asleep. As usual, I had my ipod on full blast while I took in the scene and snapped away.

If you look down at the bottom, you can see all the rocks through the crystal-clear glacial lake.

The Top Floor in Kuala Lumpur

tratcliff — Sat, 12 Jul 2008 04:30:15 +0000

It’s a great city! I always have a good time there… I wish I could get back more often, and I’ve been about 7 times! I’m always surprised how I much I enjoy the times over there even though I should be getting tired of it by now.

A Chinese family sitting down for dinner

tratcliff — Wed, 14 May 2008 05:19:07 +0000

This was taken in the Chinese area of Malacca along the southern coast of Malaysia. All of the buildings in these streets are lit up with red lights as night falls and families gather for dinner.

The Electric Red High-Backed Chairs where I Eat Breakfast in Kuala Lumpur

tratcliff — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 01:46:15 +0000

This is the top floor of the Hilton in Kuala Lumpur.

The club floor lounge area has all this really cool furniture and decor. They serve breakfast in the morning and drinks in the evening. The view is amazing too (as you can tell)!

Hiltons in Asia are typically 100x nicer than most others for some reason. Why this is, I have no idea.

The Burial

tratcliff — Fri, 04 Apr 2008 04:16:05 +0000

This was one of the most intricate burial sites on a remote hill outside of Kuala Lumpur. Janus and I stopped there on the taxi ride down to Malacca for some exploration and photography. You can look at the large version of this to see all the details of this single family’s grave.

Entering the Kuala Lumpur International Airport

tratcliff — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 02:47:39 +0000

Here is what greets me and several close friends many times a year upon entry into Malaysia.

Thanks at the Buddhist Temple

tratcliff — Tue, 01 Apr 2008 15:36:35 +0000

While walking around the city of Melaka on Saturday afternoon, I was getting lost on purpose through the back streets. I came across a Buddhist sanctuary and temple. As I came around the outer wall, I found this old guy meditating and begging. I gave him a few Malaysian Ringits and he said thank you while I took this quick shot.

He didn’t speak any English but continued to give thanks and bow to me while sitting calmly.

Spider Monkey in your Face

tratcliff — Thu, 27 Mar 2008 17:34:40 +0000

I hiked through the Batu Caves just outside of Kuala Lumpur and afterwards, I found myself surrounded by monkeys. They were a little more than “friendly”, and ventured into a word that is better described as “vicious”.

They were all over the place, at my feet, above me, jousting through nearby bars. All of these monkeys were utterly wild and in your face.

The Red Lights of Melacca at Dusk

tratcliff — Wed, 26 Mar 2008 15:01:29 +0000

Melacca lights up at night. Throughout Chinatown and the surrounding area, every single building has these moody red lights that illuminate the exterior. No matter which way you look, you see glowing red alleys, swinging paper red lights, incense, little stores, little carts, food on the streets, and a lot of activity that goes well past midnight.

From all of these travels and eating in random places, I’ve built up a GI tract that is robot-like in strength. I now will stop and eat almost anything, anywhere, from any little cart. One great one I found was this little family that was making homemade mini-pancakes that were filled with peanut butter. I think I ate about 25 of them!

The Old Chinese Burial Chambers of Malacca

tratcliff — Sat, 22 Mar 2008 12:15:02 +0000

I’ve spent a nice weekend in Malacca and found some wonderful out of the way places. Most of these places are not at all obvious from the streets, but you just have to go through some doors and strange alleyways to find them.

This place is one of many throughout Malacca where the Chinese come to honor their dead and meditate. Behind this chamber are several more where tiny statuettes and tombstones are erected for passed relatives. My friend Janus took that second shot of me in front of a bunch of the tiny tombstones. I’m not sure it’s the best picture of me, but my sister and mom say I should post more of myself!

The open-air Sky Bar in Kuala Lumpur with a view of Petronas

tratcliff — Fri, 21 Mar 2008 02:04:48 +0000

We had a company lunch today here at the studio in Kuala Lumpur so it was a fun day of eating massive amounts of Chinese food and running around, talking with the team. Afterwards, I went out with Janus and Will to the top of the Trader’s Hotel to visit the Sky Bar for some drinks and snacks.

This bar is up on top of the roof and it is all open air. There is a pool down there that is always available for use, and it is surrounded by a ultra-chic bar. It was raining when I took this… I am up on the 2nd level of the bar, where there is a spa… you can see the little massage rooms down the lefthand side there.

The Petronas Towers and the Lake Garden

tratcliff — Fri, 14 Mar 2008 08:16:32 +0000

I am here in Kuala Lumpur for another two week stint.Â These are the famous Petronas towers that I see every time from almost everywhere in the city.

On Saturday I am taking a side trip down to Java to visit the Buddhist temple of Borobudur, so I am really looking forward to that!

Malaysia from the Air

tratcliff — Thu, 13 Dec 2007 21:18:47 +0000

Shot while skydiving and using a tripod.

Dusk in the City

tratcliff — Mon, 01 Oct 2007 14:38:01 +0000

Shot from the tower in Kuala Lumpur towards the end of the day…

This is Ahira

tratcliff — Wed, 05 Sep 2007 13:05:13 +0000

This is Ahira.

Ahira’s dream is to go to a university and be a computer scientist or doctor or whatever her parents want.

Ahira is currently at the Batu Caves in Malaysia, just outside of Kuala Lumpur, walking up the hundreds of steps. She and her family are making the traditional Hindu pilgrimage to the peak, where she will light incense to Lord Murugan and other Hindu deities whose shrines lay at the top inside the cave network. While she talks to me telling me about doing whatever her parents want, her parents look on and nod approvingly.

This comes from my Portraits Portfolio here that you can see here.

Red Death

tratcliff — Sun, 12 Aug 2007 14:52:23 +0000

Here is the Chinese graveyard just outside of Kuala Lumpur. They put pictures of the deceased on the outside of the elaborate tombs.