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Published: April 8th 2011
Selamat Pagi (good morning),
We've traversed half a country and not updated the blog, our bad. Last we checked in we were leaving Singapore, the country of 'nice'. Assuming we were heading back to 'not so nice' in Malaysia, we crossed early in the morning to give a good shot at getting north to Melaka.
We were whisked through the border and to a bus station in Johor Bahru, Malaysia. Things appeared normal for Asia: choked air full of smog and exhaust, vendors yelling to buy this or that, food scattering in the breeze with rats and roaches scurrying after it. Then we got on the bus. Wow, 'nice'. Air con, leg room, and chairs big enough to rival lazy-boy recliners. I might get used to travel in Malaysia. A few hours later (although I wouldn't really know with the nap I'd taken) we were in Melaka. Famous for conquering wars from the 17th century onward, Melaka is a town set right on the Straights of Melaka. While most of the town was sanitized for tourist consumption, Chinatown offered some of the 'charm' we tend to like. Small streets unconcerned with the passing tourists held blacksmiths, mosques, Hindu temples,
ornate Chinese temples, and a multitude of food hawkers. Large banners with Chinese characters were strung across streets while small red lanterns run parallel to the sidewalks. At night the colonial style buildings took on a different life, lit with the lanterns they all glowed red and moved with the ocean breeze. We managed to track down an air-con room for cheap and spent three days exploring the area. Ok, small lie there, we spent parts of three days exploring, enjoying the crispness of air conditioning during the heat of the afternoon.
From Melaka we headed to Kuala Lumpur but just stopped for a night before moving on to the Cameron Highlands. The Cameron Highlands are just high enough to escape the heat from tropical Malaysia, tangling with the clouds at an altitude of 1500 meters. The highlands are covered in tea plantations as the conditions are perfect for its cultivation. Whole valleys are filled with the plants, creating scenery that resembles corduroy when seen from afar. We trekked twice in the three days we spent here, both through dense jungle. On the first trek we finished by walking through a plantation then sampling the tea. The second trek
was a bit more difficult, up Gunung Beremban (one of the highest peaks at 1812 meters). The jungle atmosphere made us climb on all fours at times, scrambling over tree roots that littered the trail. Not a bad way to spend the day, climbing through thick jungle then relaxing with a fresh cup of tea.
After the Cameron Highlands we returned to Kuala Lampur. We spent a day exploring the city, starting with the Petronas Towers, then letting our eyes dictate the direction by whatever looked interesting. At the end of the day we'd explored a huge amount of the city including little india, chinatown, the colonial district, a muslim cemetery, two mosques, the government area, and an alley or ten that were off the beaten track. Exhausted, we took solace in the fact that tomorrow we had a nice big comfortable bus to ride on again.
To the center of the peninsula we went, the jungle park of Taman Negara. The home of various endangered species, Taman Negara is reportedly the oldest jungle on the planet (older than the amazon). Allowed to grow unchecked for 130 million years, its pretty wild. We arranged to trek into the
jungle and spend the night at one of the hides deep in the interior in the hopes of spotting some rare animals. The trek itself was wild, crossing over rivers and up and down tangled hillsides. With humidity hovering around 500% (sarcasm), we were more than a little sweaty. We spotted some elephant tracks and the prints of a tapir, but I was looking for a tiger. Alyssa seems to be a bit frightened at the idea of encountering a jungle cat in its own environment, so when we came across some tiger prints her eyes grew wide. After six hours of trekking we made it to the hide, no tiger sightings for me. We did acquire quite a few leeches however, the jungle was crawling with them. Alyssa came down with a bit of a cold, so the following day we opted to take a long-boat ride back to town rather than walk our way out. After showing a guide photos of the tiger prints I learned that even seeing prints is rare, we had been lucky.
From the jungle we decided to relax, time for a pristine beach. We took the jungle railway (a train literally through
the heart of the jungle where no road could go) to the town of Kota Bharu, then a bus to Kuala Besut followed by a boat to the Perhentian Islands. Ahh, paradise. Staying on Pulau Perhentian Kecil, we relaxed on sun drenched beaches with palms overhead. Unfortunately Alyssa tripped while walking on a trail around the island, impaling her foot with a piece of roofing tile. The wound was pretty deep, so in order to keep infection away she decided to stay out of the ocean. Well that wasn't going to keep me away. The neon blue waters held hoards of brightly colored fish, some as big as a finger while others grew to the size of my torso. The sights were bittersweet however. After spotting a turtle in the water next to me I rushed back to shore to grab my waterproof camera. Turned out it was no longer waterproof, now out a camera in a truly beautiful place. I couldn't get that upset however, watching the sunset from our porch overlooking the bay we were staying at eased any lingering pains over electronics. Plus, I head China makes a camera or two.
Yesterday we left the Islands
and headed to Thailand. We were hoping to get north fairly quickly but recent floods have virtually separated the north from the south. We'll either pay through the nose to take a bus or wait around in Hat Yai for the train tracks to clear. Either way life is not so bad in the sun here in Thailand.
Personal updates:
Alyssa and her foot are fine. While deep, the wound closed quickly and there have been no signs of infection. After shaving her head in Australia it has grown back grey and a little ratty. I've been trying to decide which animal she looks like more, a mole or a gopher. As for me, no injuries to speak of. We've both had strong stomachs throughout the trip with one exception for both of us. Besides my mindset, the only real difference for me is a longer beard (Al thinks I'm starting to look a little like a crazed serial killer). Losing a camera sucks but hopefully all the photos I have on the memory card are still ok. Enjoy the pictures.
Andrew & Alyssa
Happy birthdays - Erik, Justin, Marcus ... I think that is it.
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Dad
non-member comment
Very interesting
Hi Alyssa and Andrew. I really look forward to hearing about your adventures. Enough humidity for you? The pictures of you guys don't look too scary. Are you having a good time? You would make great travel guides. Or maybe you can get a show on PBS. Well, be careful and stay cool... Dad/Dave