April 24, 2006

DeRosaDaily - Kuala Lumpur Malaysia is the Site of the Next World Cup and My Next Adventure

Follow HorsesDaily "On the Scene" with our veteran Reporter, Diana DeRosa. Diana has contributed to our Olympic and World Equestrian Games coverage since HorsesDaily was established in 1997. Be sure to watch for our exclusive coverage of the FEI World Equestrian Games, in Aachen Germany where Diana will be joined with our all-star staff.

One of the things I enjoy most in life is traveling to new and different countries. I come from a place where our history does not date back as far as so many other lands. When you go to another person’s home you learn so much about the people, their culture, their history and the etiquettes that guide them. I find this fascinating. When I can also mix that with my passion for horses, it’s the perfect match.

Again I am venturing off to a new city land and a new country. I’ve never been to Kuala Lumpur, the capital of Malaysia, and know little about this place other than what I’ve been learning through my research on the web and information provided to me by Tourism Malaysia.

I begin my journey 9:45 p.m. out of Newark airport on Malaysia Airlines on April 22. That will be 9:45 a.m. the next morning in Malaysia. I arrive on April 24th at 7:00 a.m. I don’t think I want to figure out how long that flight is going to be; Seems like I’ll be in the air for a long time.

The World Cup begins on the 26th with two warm-up sessions. The 27th is the Opening Ceremony and I have a feeling that will be spectacular. The first World Cup round takes place Malaysian time from 8:00-9:30 p.m. Keep in mind though that in New York it is 12 hours earlier – so it will be 8:00 in the morning on the East Coast and 5:00 a.m. on the West Coast. The second round takes place on April 28th at the same time. There’s a break on Saturday and the final round is on Sunday afternoon at 2:45-5:30 p.m. (2:45 a.m. for New Yorkers). The World Cup is only part of a larger show which features Young Rider competitions and a variety of show jumping classes mixed with entertainment.