The Cycling Canadian »

March 11, 2011 – 7:21 pm

I admit it. This picture was taken a few years ago, but I think I still look vaguely like that. Depends on the day (and the time of day). And today, just before I uploaded this picture, an Indonesian English student told me how much she liked my nose. I heard that a lot in Indonesia. Apparently, a large nose like mine is a good …

Read the full story »
JOURNAL: Blog Blog

A list of the most recent blog posts. Wondering what I've been doing? Get caught up here.

VIDEO: Blah Blah

Videos posted to my YouTube channel. The channel is also called "The Cycling Canadian."

Travel Tips & Hacks

Tips for packing smart, staying safe, living cheap, living large, and staying independent.

Pointless Pondering

Random thoughts that pop into my head.

Gear Reviews

Reviews of the cycling gear, camping gear, and camera gear I use.

Staying Dry at the Chow Kit Wet Market (Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia)

March 9, 2019 – 11:40 am
YouTube Thumbnails - 7580

Most of my small Kuala Lumpur adventures come with surprises and detours, and my trip to Chow Kit Market was no exception. The biggest surprise was the discovery of a Malaysian pop star named Sudirman. He performed his hit song called “Chow Kit Road” in an open-air concert to over 100,000 people right on Chow Kit Road itself. I had never heard of Sudirman before, …

Yap Ah Loy Temple & the 5-Snack Challenge (Featuring Durian Ice Cream!)

March 1, 2019 – 11:29 am
YouTube Thumbnails - 7579

I enjoyed my first 5-Snack Challenge so much that I decided to do another one. My main mission for the day was to continue on my quest for the perfect (yet low to medium budget) camera and laptop. But to make it interesting, I set my sights on tasting, drinking, eating, and sampling the 5 local drinks or foods that catch my eye whether they …

KTM Komuter & 5-Snack Challenge! (Ramly Burger, Tealive, Mangga Susu, and More!)

February 27, 2019 – 11:15 am
YouTube Thumbnails - 7578

The KTM Komuter was the last part of the transportation system in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia that I hadn’t explored with my camera. But the time had come, and I took the KTM Komuter train on a shopping expedition to look for the Panasonic G85 mirrorless micro four thirds camera. Along the way, I set myself a 5-snack challenge. The idea is that I had to …

Good Food & Camera Shopping in Pudu, Kuala Lumpur

February 23, 2019 – 11:06 am
YouTube Thumbnails - 7577

My Kuala Lumpur adventures continue with a shopping expedition to Pudu. I’m interested in buying a new camera, and I wanted to visit a “pro” camera shop I knew in the Pudu district. Things did not go so well at the camera shop, but I made up for that with a delicious lunch of chicken, duck, barbecued pork, and crispy pork plus rice and iced …

Chap Goh Mei! Firecrackers, Temple Offerings, Lion Dances – Celebrating the End of CNY in Malaysia

February 19, 2019 – 4:43 pm
YouTube Thumbnails - 7574

Chinese New Year is a long and elaborate holiday. In fact, it lasts for 15 days, and the final day has lots of names. It’s known as Chap Goh Mei. It’s also the Lantern Festival. AND it’s Chinese Valentine’s Day. There are super-loud firecrackers, exciting lion dances, extensive temple offerings and rituals, PLUS Mandarin Oranges to find your one true love. What is a traveler …

CNY Lion Dance #3!! Catching Lucky Oranges at Petronas – Tallest Twin Towers in the World

February 19, 2019 – 10:51 am
YouTube Thumbnails - 7576

The Chinese New Year holidays were winding down. It was late afternoon on Chap Goh Mei – the fifteenth and final day of the Spring Festival. A lion dance was scheduled for 5:30 at the Suria KLCC mall, and I decided to go there and combine my 3rd full lion dance with a view of the famous Petronas Twin Towers.
The tallest buildings in the world …

Hunting for LIONS in Malaysia! [The Chinese New Year Acrobatic Lion Dance]

February 18, 2019 – 5:28 pm
YouTube Thumbnails - 7573

Colorful, exciting, dramatic, funny, suspenseful. What could this be? The newest Pixar film? No, it’s the traditional Lion Dance for Chinese New Year. I really, really wanted to witness an acrobatic lion dance in Malaysia in which the performers leap from high pole to high pole. But, with my talent for missing things, I kept missing lion dances.
Other travelers and tourists told me about the …

Turtle-Warp Speed on the KL Monorail – EXPERIENCE KUALA LUMPUR FROM ABOVE!

February 15, 2019 – 6:07 pm
YouTube Thumbnails - 7572

I’ve ridden on the Kuala Lumpur LRT and the MRT at Warp Speed. Now it’s time for a ride on the KL Monorail – perhaps at Turtle Speed. Stretching 8.6 kilometers over 11 stations, the KL Monorail takes passengers through the heart of commercial, downtown Kuala Lumpur from KL Sentral through tourist-heavy Bukit Bintang and Chow Kit all the way to the terminal station of …