"King Kong Size"

---

I’ve discovered that, while traveling, you have a tendency to miss the silliest things. For instance, while in Georgetown I felt like I missed the cold and the rain (maybe it’s my Vancouver heritage shining through), so was quite excited when we left the heat for the misty Cameron Highlands. The highlands are (duh) high in the jungle and have an average daily temperature of (only!) 22 degrees, when we arrived, however, it felt infinitely cooler, plus it was raining. The novelty wore off after about 5 seconds. It was still a great place to visit, but harder to enjoy the jungley surroundings when the constant mist soaked you whenever you elected to leave the comfort of hostel, restaurant, or car, so instead of undertaking the jungle hikes we’d planned (whew, thought I’d have to get active there) we decided instead to spend our time enjoying the famous Cameron Highlands tradition of tea & scones (divine) and touring around to visit the strawberry, flower, and butterfly farms, as well as the tea plantations. Beautiful scenery, great food, plus it was cool enough at night to turn off the fan and pull on a blanket (unheard of to this point in south-east Asia.)

Still though, it was rather cold and dreary, so we set off for Kuala Lumpur (KL) a day early, and it’s mighty lucky we did, as I don’t think we otherwise would have got in all the activity we engaged in in the capital, day in and day out… Namely, shopping. Nearly every large building you pass in KL is a shopping mall, and if by chance it isn’t, there’s guaranteed to be any number of small shops right around just in case. Now those who know me are probably growing concerned at this point, as I have been known to enjoy a purchase or two, but do not worry, because neither article of clothing nor shoe deigned to fit me. As one fake-Puma salesman put it - “King Kong size!” while refering to my feet, charming, isn’t it? - so I contented myself with DVD upon DVD upon DVD. They”re cheaper to buy here than they are to rent at home< no wonder the media giants are so worried about piracy. The last day in KL we managed to tear ourselves away from the hawkers in Chinatown and the abundance of malls in order to visit the famous Petronas towers, the tallest twin towers in the world, conveniently located… in a mall. The towers are an incredible sight though, reaching into the heavens in a glittering mass of steel and glass, and the views from the 42nd floor ‘skybridge’ were stupendous - so you can’t say I didn’t see anything in KL!

Leaving the big city we cut across the peninsula in order to reach Pulau Tioman, a diving hotspot and paradisial island. My boredom with beaches was definitely over, and it was easy to plop down for a few days of nothing more than sun-baking, swimming, and maybe some snorkelling. Although it’s supposed to be monsoon season on this coast, the weather was great, and the water beguiling - despite other beautiful beaches, I’ve never seen water this clear. You could, quite literally, stand neck-deep in water and still see the outlines of your toenails. Very cool. Very uncool however were the vast numbers of sand flies, nasty little buggers who serve no purpose than to bite and irritate and make sure you’re never truly comfortable on the sand. I got eaten alive on Tioman, and now look like I’m suffering a chicken pox throwback - does not go well with the tan I’ll tell you that much.

Have now left Tioman, and am on my way (solo now, sniff) to Taman Negara, a national park comprising the oldest rainforest in the world, can’t wait!

---

Photos

A Splash of Colour at a Place of Worship
Temple in Cameron Highlands

Anyone for a Cuppa?
Malaysian tea is great!

Lost in Translation
... kinda.

Monsoon!!
Pretty clouds.