The Mesa Hills

Welcome to The Mesa Hills!

Around 1:45 p.m. on February 1, 2018, two taxis dropped us off at the North entrance of Mesamall in Nilai, Malaysia.  After dropping 150 RM/ringgits ($38.01) in one of the driver's hand, we set off to meet the owner's father, who was tasked to lead us to the place we would spend the next month; a two bedroom, one bath, apartment with a mountain view. All located over Mesamall

After getting everything settled, I wanted to rush downstairs to the mall which offered a blessed grocery store.  For an hour, we walked around but didn't find anything exciting.  The reason could be that the mall is still new and not fully occupied.  Although the mall is not what we expected, it is still an excellent place to hang out.

Like the other places, this one did not come without its own set of problems.  On the second day, the toilet wouldn't flush thoroughly, but the host sent someone over within a couple of hours to fix the problem.  The internet did not work, but the host called the provider to upgrade the service.  It took eight days before the Wi-fi kicked in.  The washer went out on the second day, but the host replaced it within the week. The electricity went out on the third day (no fault of the owner).  He came over to check it out but couldn't fix it.  He called the building maintenance who came over within three hours to fix it from the main breaker.  A few hours without electricity did not bother us because at night there was a fresh mountain breeze. 

Even though we experienced these issues, it did not deter us from enjoying this place.  The owner was on top of everything.  He did what he could on his part and left the rest for the building maintenance or the internet provider.

It is now day 9 of our stay, and we are still enjoying our stay despite the resolved issues.
On our first weekend, the mall began celebrating Chinese New Year with dancers, live entertainment, contests, and street food starting at 1 RM ($.25).  I spent 36 RM ($9.14) on all our goodies (mostly on fruit).  We enjoyed the festivities for three hours before heading back to our apartment.

We spent the next five days at the pool, gym, sauna, and mall.  The only complaint I have was that we still didn't have internet and I was unable to order groceries online.  I had to convert USD to RM/ringgits to pay for everything opposed to using a credit card online.  I spent my free time playing spider solitaire.  A sad way to waste time in a different country.

I want to talk about what we are eating.  At the last apartment, I was able to order groceries online and cook on a portable cooker.  Now,   we can hop on the elevator and walk to the store.  Since we didn't have a way to prepare food, we had to be creative with the microwave.  So far, our microwave creations are scrambling eggs, rice, hashbrowns/eggs/cheese casserole, and stew (precooked meatballs, mixed vegetables, baked potato, and stewed tomatoes).   Finally, in March, I requested a cooker and received it without questions. 

During February, I decided to give my girls 70 ringgits ($17.94) each to purchase their dinner for a week.  I took care of breakfast food.  With their ringgits, they would buy waffles with chocolate for 4 ringgits each ($1.03) and chicken sausage on a stick for 2 for 5 ringgits ($1.28).  They would usually get one waffle and two sausages on the stick which would cost 9 ringgits ($2.31) for a meal.  Some days they would venture out to subway for the 11.50 ringgits special ($2.95) that includes a six-inch sandwich, cookie, and medium drink.  I would always get the same thing (2 pieces of fried chicken) for 9 ringgits ($2.31) and pair it with ramen or a salad.  We don't 't have a lot of options when it comes to eating.

In March, I decided that we needed to switch up.  We started purchasing groceries, individually, that would last a week with the same budget.  Their grocery lists consisted of ramen, cheese, banana bread, sausage with cheese, and Mexican chicken (their version of barbecue drummettes but cut differently.)  Their grocery bill ranged from 22-68 ringgits ($4.55-$17.42) per week.  It worked for awhile until they would run out of food by the fourth day. When they were buying hot food, albeit waffles and cheese sausage, it would fill them up, and they experienced weight loss.  We all decided that we should go back to what works even though fruits and vegetables were limited or non-existent (unless you counted the vegetables in a Subway sandwich).  To sum it up, we spent approximately $70 per week to eat.  Everyone is happy and losing weight.

Since arriving in Mesa Hills, nothing has been going on.  We have adapted to living here.  The rent was affordable, the landlord/host is accommodating, a grocery store was in the building.   But we still do not have reliable internet.  We would pack our backpacks and head to Starbucks or use the mall's free internet.  The host upgraded the plan, contacted the provider, and tested the box, and it works everywhere except the apartment.   Well, it does work but only for one day.

Two months at this location and we have yet to venture out due to budget restraints.  Although I have the money, I don't want to spend money frivolously.  Our everyday routine is to wake up around noon, go downstairs to the mail for a little exercise and food.  I spent the rest of the day working on my novel, creating designs for Flickr while the girls play on the Xbox, learn how to develop apps or watch Korean dramas.  Nothing exciting but I'm hopeful.

Well, that's about it for now.  Please join me for the next chapter in my blog, "The Visa Run!"

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