The Party's Almost Over...

As usual, I have been extremely negligent in my blogging duties. We arrived in Georgetown on April 29, so...I am over a month behind. Since we have remained here since then (with the exception of a several day ride through the center of Malaysia) I will try to summarize our time. Georgetown is, for the two of us, very, very comfortable. We've come to think of it as our second home (considering that we don't actually have a first one, I suppose it is home sweet home). It is a good combination of old and new architecture, and has a walkable old town, with good public transportation to get farther afield. Healthcare, as well as other essential services, is modern and and much less expensive than in the US. The city has a better multicultural mix and feel than virtually anywhere we've been, and it benefits from its long history as a trading port in the variety of foods, sights, and festivals. The residents are relaxed and friendly, and you don't feel like a tourist here. We don't want to leave.  But in less than 24 hours (at 9:00 am local time on June 11th), we will be flying back to Los Angeles.  It should hopefully only take us a day or so to get the bikes released from Customs, and then we will ride back to Oregon.  We'll be taking the "scenic route" (or, not the interstate) through eastern California and stopping to see friends along the way back to Portland.  Once we get there, we'll load our remaining belongings, including the mighty Symbas, into a moving truck and drive it all to North Carolina.  I will be posting about our adventures in Georgetown, because we have had some excellent times and met some very interesting people along the way (we will be held hostage on a variety of airplanes for approximately 18 hours, so plenty of time to write).  Look for updates soon (along with our smiling faces!).