Malaysia

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Michelle and I flew from Christchurch to Kuala Lumpur (KL), Malaysia together on an eleven hour flight. Upon arrival, Michelle and I had to go our separate ways as I would be spending a couple of days in Malaysia and Michelle was catching a connecting flight to Thailand. I wish Michelle luck and safety on her travels and thank her for being a supportive ear and positive energy this past month as we travelled through New Zealand together.

After landing in KL I teamed up with a girl I had met on the plane to navigate the bus system together. No problem! After a 1 hr bus ride and a ten minute taxi ride I had arrived at the hostel (Matahari Lodge) that I had previously booked on Hostel Bookers. First thing is first, explore surroundings! I did not realize in advance that I was staying in China town right near a market with many vendors set up shop selling a variety of fruits, knock off purses/wallets, watches, burned DVD's, etc. I didn't feel the anxiety/nervousness I had expected, instead I felt a sense of familiarity as I passed the satay chicken vendors and recognized exotic fruits such as Rambutan and Lychee. I thought of Alexis often and the adventures we had shared together five years earlier when in Thailand. Obviously I have been blessed with my Dad's sense of direction as I have been able to navigate through the streets and still find my way home.

I returned to the hostel to meet up with my friend, Charlvyn, that I had met on the Kiwi Experience bus in NZ. Upon his arrival we explored the streets of KL togethe and because Charlvyn has travelled SE Asia many times before he was even more familiar with the food being sold by the vendors and encouraged me to try some new food! Delicious!

On day two, Charlvyn and I took the train to the Batu caves. I knew there was a significant festival called Thaipusam happening on February 7th/12 (which I would unfortunately have to miss), however, I had no idea that it was celebrated three days in advance and was not prepared for what I saw when I arrived. There were men dancing with hundreds of piercings in their back, each with an object hanging from it ie: flowers, limes, apples, etc. Bystanders threw flower petals over the men as they danced in a trance. Some men and women had spears pierced through their cheeks and as they climbed the stairs to the Batu caves looked sick with exhaustion (sweating, panting, pale). I had no idea what was going on and felt extremely uncomfortable. After doing some reading http://www.malaysian-explorer.com/thaipusam.html I realized that the individuals that looked exhausted were participating in the festival and had just walked 13 kms in the scorching heat to get to the Batu caves. Overall, this was a very unexpected and interesting experience.

This brief stay in Malaysia has sparked an excitement to travel more of South East Asia with Alexis later this year.

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