Looking back over the past few days in Kuala Lumpur, it's shocking how little touristy stuff we've done. I haven't been anywhere other than our hotel (room, rooftop pool, lounge, gym) and the mega-mall next door since Thursday. We eat breakfast in our room, then go to the mall on and off all day, including for lunch and dinner. Fortunately, there must be 30 places to eat there. Today we had Subway for lunch, and are having pizza for dinner. (So much for exotic cuisine!) Ironically, there are 4 or 5 really good looking Korean restaurants, but we're giving them a pass, as we figure we'll get lots of kimchi once we get to Seoul Wednesday.
In even more shocking news, I spent most of the day clothes shopping. I know, I know, you probably don't believe me, but I have the new shirts, pants, sox, shoes, belt and jacket to prove it. We shipped some nice clothes from Vietnam to Korea last month, but if we don't get them for a couple of days, I won't be able to show up at the university wearing my hiking shorts and Crocs for my first day of work!
Molly and George also got lots of new duds, and even Ursula has picked up a few things. It's not that clothing is much cheaper here than Korea, but all the clerks speak English fluently, and we have lots of time to find what we like. When we arrive in Korea, it's likely to be -1C or -2C, so we will also need some warmer stuff than the shorts and t-shirts we've been wearing for 6 months. This also means we'll have to buy a new suitcase to haul all our new stuff onto the final flight.
On a more philosophical note, if someone had told me a year ago it was possible for a trip to be too long, I would have scoffed at the notion. Now, I've experienced it first-hand. In addition to that, I'm also digesting the fact that the longest trip of my life is now over. Sure, I will continue to travel, but I can't imagine I'll ever visit 17 countries in a six month period again. But as of today, I am totally ready to settle down in one place - well, for a few months...