A map of Asia. Please click on the map to see a larger image of it. We hope to receive postcards from this part of the world!
KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA
Thank you to my old friend from the American International School of Manila, Philippines, Miss Shamini R. Thank you so much for these postcards from Malaysia! The children and I were so excited to receive them all! Much love to you my friend!
About Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia: It is the federal capital and most populous city of Malaysia.
*Image on the bottom right is the Al-Asyikin Mosque with the 88-story Petronas Twin Towers behind it.
*The National Museum is a showcase of Minangkabau architecture.
*Masjid Jamek stands at the confluence of the Klang and Gombek rivers.
*The National Monument is made of bronze and stands 15 metres tall.
Malaysia is is a federal constitutional monarchy in Southeast Asia.It consists of thirteen states and three federal territories and has a total landmass of 329,847 square kilometres (127,350 sq mi) separated by the South China Sea into two similarly sized regions, Peninsular Malaysia and Malaysian Borneo. Land borders are shared with Thailand, Indonesia, and Brunei, and maritime borders exist with Singapore, Vietnam, and the Philippines. The capital city is Kuala Lumpur while Putrajayais the seat of the federal government. In 2010 the population exceeded 27.5 million, with over 20 million living on the Peninsula.
*The Pavilion is a popular shopping mall in Kuala Lumpur.
*Visitors to Chinatown are greeted by an archway.
*Old shophouses in Chinatown.
*An overhead plastic canopy in Chinatown.
*The KL Monorail zips through the city on an elevated track.
PHUKET, THAILAND
(06.29.10) A perfect day to receive such a beautiful postcard from our friend, Matt who lives in Phuket, Thailand. Matt is a friend of Dav
e’s from high school and I’ve had the pleasure of getting to know him throughout the years and consider him a friend as well.
Matt, thank you so much for taking the time to send the children this postcard. It’s our first from Asia! We all send you our love!
Interesting Facts about James Bond Island Pang-nga:
*Phang-Nga Bay is a 400km square bay in the Andaman Sea between the island of Phuket and the mainland of the Malay peninsula of southern Thailand.
*The most famous of the many islands in the bay is the so-called James Bond Island, a needle formed limestone rock in the sea, which was featured in the movie The Man with the Golden Gun. Nearby villages include Ao Luk. Phang Nga Bay is also feature in the another James Bond movie, Tomorrow Never Dies.
CHINA
(07.12.10) Thank you Kurt for this awesome postcard of Hong Kong! According to Kurt, they have a light show in this area every night at 8PM with music and sometimes, they have fireworks! How cool is that! Emma has talked about going to China for the past year. She’s obsessed with the Great Wall of China and when I showed her this postcard, she was so thrilled! Thank you so much for taking time from your business trip to put a smile on her face! We really appreciate it! Welcome back home!
SHANGHAI, CHINA
(07.14.10) We received another postcard from Kurt today! This one is from Shanghai, China. It is a postcard of Cai Yuan-Pei’s former residence in Shanghai. Yuan-Pei was a Chinese educator and chancellor of Peking University. He advocated five ways of life “Virtue, Wisdom, Health, Collective, and Beauty,” which are core values that are still taught in school today in Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Macau. He was a proponent of a woman’s right to divorce and remarry, and was against foot binding and concubinage (both widely practiced in China at that time.) Yuan-Pei lived from 1968-1940. He died at the age of 72 in Hong Kong.
Thank you Kurt for these great postcards from China!! We can’t wait to see your pictures one day!
INDIA!
(07.27.10) We received our first postcard from India today! Thank you to my old friend Sujatha! Sujatha and I met in Lagos, Nigeria while we attended grade school there! Thank you Sujatha for the most AWESOME postcard of the Asian elephant! Elephants are my favorite animals and I have so many of them throughout the house in all shapes, forms, and sizes! I showed Lillian the postcard and asked here where she thought it came from and she replied, “India!” Thank you my friend.
Mudhumalai, South India
*Elephas maximus indicus (Indian Elephant) is one of the four sub species of Asian elephants, the largest population which is found in India. They live in or near the forest jungle. Indian elephants are nomadic and roaming in nature and do not stay in one place for more than a few days. They are considered as an endangered species according to the WWF.
*The other subspecies of the Asian elephant are the Sumatran Elephant, the Sri Lankan Elephant, and the Borneo Elephant.
PHILIPPINES!
(07.28.10) Yeah! Thanks Mom for sending these three postcards of the Philippines! It truly is such a beautiful place and I really wish that I will be able to take Dave and the children to visit. We just love the postcards that you sent us! We love you and are so grateful that you took the time to send us these beautiful postcards!
About the Jeepney:
*Jeepneys are the most popular means of transportation in the Philippines.
*They were originally made from United States military jeeps left over from World War II and are known for their flamboyant decoration and crowded seating.
*They have grown to become a symbol of Filipino culture.
About the Philippines:
*It’s where I was born! My parents are both Filipinos.
*Officially called the Republic of the Philippines, it is an archipelago comprising of 7,107 islands!!!
*The Philippines is categorized into three geographical divisions: Luzon, Mindanao, and Visayas. The capital city is Manila and the official language is Filipino (based on Tagalog) and English.
About Metro Manila:
*Metro Manila is otherwise known as the National Capital Region (NCR) .
* This region is the political, economical, social, cultural, and educational center of the Philippines. As proclaimed by Presidential Decree No. 940, Metro Manila as a whole is the Philippines’ seat of government but the city of Manila is the capital.
AFGHANISTAN!
(07.28.10) Wow! My mom found this postcard of Afghanistan in her collection since we lived in Kabul (the capital city) for about five years. Even my youngest sibling was born there! Thanks Mom for the postcard from Afghanistan! I’m so glad that you had the mindset to purchase them while we lived there and thanks for sending it the kids for this project. We love you and we are so grateful!
“The old fort in ruins of Tchaktcharan, on the track of Central Afghanistan, is the witness of former troublesome times, serving today only as a hiding place to the inhabitants like these three musicians installed on the river bank of the Hari Roud River.” (from the back of the postcard)
BALI, INDONESIA
(03.04.11)Many thanks to Sue and Tonny K. for taking the time to send us a beautiful postcard from Bali! This beautiful place is on our bucket list! We hope to visit it one day and would like to thank you for reminding us that there is so much beauty in the world. Love from all of us!
Nel, We have many wonderful memories in Afghanistan. Do you remember our bacha and cook, Fies, who made us the most delicious roast leg of lamb, oshak, mantu, bonjon boroni, etc. Do you remember Shamsuddin and Anwar, our two most loving nanas, who taught me how to knit and make the most delicious milk (pink) tea? Remember, Rona, your nana? The roses, the sunflowers, the apricots, apples, berries, right in our garden? I can still remember as if it were only yesterday. I am so tempted to go back there and find all of them and see if our former home in Wazir Akbar Khan is still standing. Love, Mom