Well, I guess it isn't too big a surprise, but we are still on Perhentian Kecil. We are opening a restaurant for Turtle Bay Diveshop, and will be hanging around for a bit. Free diving, good chow, good people...everything one could want. Dare I say...paradise. Anyway, I am certain a few people will be a bit miffed by this, but what can you do? Things here are great, and we have been diving up a storm and ingesting the local "monkey wine" aka cheap whiskey happily. Obviously the Internet connection here is a bit slow and on the other end of the island or I would be posting more frequently. We have many new friends here, some human and a few others like our friendly neighborhood baby komodo and of course my favorites the huge fucking bird spiders. I know everyone is dying to know what made us decide to stay, but is it really a tough question? The place is like a dream, the job will give us some extra travel funds, and we'll become better divers in one of the best spots to dive in Malaysia. Our days consist of the following...for the most part:
Wake up around 8 or 9 as it is too hot to sleep any later...no a/c or fan you see.
Shower for the first of 8 or 9 times in a day and either do some work or go dive
Shower
Eat lunch and play some gin (coincidentally Nealsie is kicking my ass here in Malaysia)
Shower
Work some more (I suspect this will become more frequent once the rest. actually opens)
Swim...or dive...or nap in a hammock...or play cards...or drink a pineapple milkshake.
Shower
Play cards
Shower
Eat dinner with a pint of monkey wine to wash it down
hang out on the beach
Sleep

Not too fucking shabby...eh?

That's it for now really, it is fairly sleepy, so there isn't much to tell. We have seen many a fascinating thing underwater as well as several sea turtles mating (talk about first class porn!) and the friendly triggerfish who tried to take a chunk of my fin this AM...ah the life the life the life...we'll be back sometime, please don't fret..or of course you could just be psyched that you don't have to deal with us for that much longer...

Oh...and the deuce is loose in NOLA...we shan't miss the Saints first super bowl victory in Febrary so we will definitely be back by then!

Okay, this is going to be short, as time is passing and the ringitt does not go far in this particular cyber-shop. I am currently located on the Eastern shore of Palau Perhentian Kecil (i think that is the full name) and it is actually what the vikings refer to as Valhalla (or did, as I think the vikings are gone.) We got here Wednesday, I think, started our Advanced Open Water course (which we have both now completed) and have been diving, lazing about, and being exceptionally happy. Problem is (if this is a problem) we don't care to leave, and I may not. Don't see any real reason to rush back to the job abyss of San Francisco at the moment and (hold your breather neener) there may be a job opp here for me for a few months. More info as it pans out, but as they said in Apocalypse Now..."Sell the house, sell the car, take the kids, I am never coming home." We'll see if that is true, but for now, I don't see any movement for at least a bit...

Oh, and the spiders here are fucking enormous...I think I saw one eating a small eagle (or large chicken) on the way across the island.
With a shot of monkey wine and fond thoughts for all,
Pete