After weeks of trying to get this started (and many false starts), I have at last completed 2 full days worth of packing washed down with plenty of champagne so I can just about relax enough to take a few moments to get this blog underway.

We are now 4 days from departure, roughly half-packed and still completely unable to wrap our heads around what is about to happen.   Aside from one lost box of Christmas ornaments (that Ian hates and I'm sure he threw out last year) we've made it without any fights, tears or injuries - just a lot of swearing.

Our dvds and cds are being largely abandoned thanks to Malaysian law which states that all dvds and cds are subject to screening and any that are deemed offensive to Islam are destroyed.  It is (I suspect deliberately) unclear as to what the term 'offensive to Islam' officially entails, but I think it might hinge on how that particular customs employee is feeling on any given day. Despite the fact that about the raciest dvd we own is 'Sideways', we aren't taking any chances just yet - the real kick in the teeth is that it costs $3 per imported dvd/cd.  As we are already a two-person stimulus package to the Malaysian economy, I am going to withhold further donation for the time being.  Also, this rule does not apply to computers, books, or vinyl records (video games are currently a grey area) - make sense of that.

Well that is all that I can squeeze in for the present (so much to do!)  Please leave your comments, thoughts and suggestions.  Plenty of fun facts (and photos) about Malaysia and our little adventure to come soon.