This time of year we are riding into headwinds every day. We are nearing the end of the wet season on the east coast. There are very steady northeast winds that blow every day. I estimate we could probably travel almost 50% faster if we were traveling south instead of north. Although we are still in the wet season, it has barely rained at all. We have had hardly enough rain during any day to get us wet. An actual rainy day would feel very refreshing because of the heat. Instead, it is just humid.

So far, the most people we have seen riding on the same motor scooter is four. Usually it is a father, mother and two children all somehow riding the same tiny motor scooter. I am still waiting to see five people on one scooter, and I’m sure it is only a matter of time. I’m not sure what the minimum age is to drive a scooter, but it would seem to be about the time their legs are just long enough to reach the ground from the seat. We have seen some really young kids riding scooters. I am pleasantly surprised to see more people riding scooters with helmets than without. Yesterday we saw an old man driving a pink scooter with a helmet that looked like a cotton ball.

We had dinner one night at a restaurant with several Osama bin Laden posters on the wall. Michelle had not noticed the posters as she answered the very common question about where we are from with an, “United States”. It was hard to read the face of our waiter as he learned of our home country. He confirmed with an, “America”. It was not the quick acknowledgment and smile that was so common with most everyone else we had met. However, our dinner was fine, and the waiter was friendly and very accommodating to our meal requests. Although it was at times an uncomfortable experience for me, I think there was a positive exchange of understanding that occurred there. I believe we are all living together in a world of human folly where ignorance is dangerous and attempts at understanding can bring out the best of humanity.

Drivers in Malaysia actually stop at a red stoplight even if there is no cross traffic. However, lane boundaries are very fluid. There does not seem to be any police presence attempting to maintain order, but for some reason people still follow the basic rules. How strange. Maybe there is a stiff penalty for breaking a traffic law and this is enough to persuade people into following the rules with minimal enforcement. Similar to the Malaysian method of dealing with drug traffickers. Drug traffickers are hanged. Period. I am guessing it is not this severe for a traffic violation, but stiff enough for drivers to wait for a green light.

The drivers in Malaysia are generally very considerate and attentive. They are used to sharing the road with bicycles and scooters so it makes for a nice place for a bike tour, even when the traffic is heavy. We get many “hellos”, waves and thumbs-up from passing motorists and pedestrians. The local people have been very friendly and nice to us. This is a great place to ride a bike.