Malaysia

I've been out for 4 months and 8 days.

Right now, Im in Georgetown, Malaysia. Georgetown is on the island of Penang off the North Western Part of Malaysia close to the Thai border. It is a nice island and Ive been here for 2 days. Tomorrow, Ill catch the ferry and head off to Langkawi for another two days there. Then after that Ill catch the bus or train down to Singapore where Ill hang out for three days then Im off to Borneo to see some Orangutans. Im excited.

There are suppose to some of the best parks in the world on Borneo and Im getting ready to see them. Before I arrived in Georgetown I was in Taman Negara which is in the center of Malaya Peninsula. It a rain forest that is 130 million years, the oldest rain forest on the planet. I was there with three people I met in the Cameron Highlands, two English and one Canuck. We got to do a 45m-high Canopy walk and some short trekking. We didnt see anything to exciting but I did get to see some nice birds and some huge ants. I dont think Im sly enough to sneak up on any wild tigers, which were suppose to be out there. But I did some trekking on my own after we parted ways. I was out for maybe 3 hours max and when I cam back from the hike I took off my shoes and my socks were drenched in blood. I could actually ring out the blood in my socks there was so much. A couple of leeches must have snuck into my socks because there was a lot of blood. The cuts were not big at all but I think the leeches emit a chemical that thins your blood around the wound so that it just pours out of you. Anyway, the local store didnt have any band aids so I ended up duct taping toilet paper to my feet to stop the bleeding. It worked! MacGyver would have been proud.

Cameron Highlands were nice too. It is a very slowing moving mountainous region where they grow a lot of tea. Very beautiful. I got to go to a tea factory and see how tea is made. The tour was maybe 6 minutes long. You sort it, dry it, and package it! Bam, you have tea. But still it worth seeing the tea plants. And while in the Highlands, I got to hold a couple of big Scorpions. I wish I could upload the picture they were 4-5 inches long.

My first stop in town was Kuala Lumpur. That is where I arrived on my flight from Hanoi. Getting out of that airport was an experience. I pulled into the airport with a pocket full of Dong (Vietnamese Dong that is). No US Dollars. No Malay Ringgit. Just Dong. I tried to get the Currency Exchange guys to exchange it but they refused to take it. So I headed for the ATMs and to get some Ringgit but all of the ATMs were all down in the airport. So I tried to barter to with the Bus Services so I could get into the main part of KL but they wanted no part of my Dong either. So afraid of being trapped in the airport, I tried everything in my power to get some Malaysian Ringgit. I even tried to buy some of it off some other travelers, but I think they thought I was just begging. Ridiculous! I couldnt give this Dong away! . . . . But eventually, after searching for a good place to sleep in the airport, the ATMs turned back and I got some Ringgit. But for a while there I seriously considering making a pillow out of TP.

Besides that sticky situation, I was able to get into town and enjoy it. I really liked KL actually. It can be dirty in places but overall it reminded me very much of an American city. It was well developed, had a good subway, and a lot of skyscrapers. In all of the other SE Asian cities I was in except for Bangkok and Saigon there really arent any large buildings. So when you are walking down the street there are no large points of reference as you walk the city which can make the cities seem much more claustrophobic.

I got to go to the top of the KL Tower which is the third largest tower and I also walk across the Petronas towers Sky Bridge. Both were fun and had great views. The Petronas Towers were largest Buildings in the World until Taipei 101 was built in 2004 but they still remain the largest twin towers. Definitely worth a visit.

I also got to see the National Mosque while in town there. That was pretty neat and my first Mosque. Noone was praying in it while I was there but it was still a worthwhile trip. I was wearing shorts and a T-Shirt which apparently were too short for them because I had to wear a big purple robe to get it (Its not like I was wearing hot pants and a belly shirt). I didnt have to put the hood up, but all of the woman did.

Malaysia is my first Muslim country. It is not uncommon to see woman where veils or having their whole face covered. Today, I was in the Penang Spices Garden and I walking around and there was a Muslim couple out on there own. The woman had taken her veil off so her husband could photograph her face. But as I walked by she immediately held it back up to her face and followed me with it as I passed. Very mysterious! But if her face is such a secret, I wander who is going to develop that film?

I dont know how these woman walk around in these things. I am wearing a third the amount of cloth as they are and I look like I just got off a water slide all the time and they are dry as a bone. Ill give them props.

But I havent had any problems with the whole Islam thing. I have never hid that fact that I was American and I havent felt any hostility or hidden spite towards me as a result. Everyone here is extra friendly. People dont hesitate to ask where Im from or where Im going and I dont hesitate to tell them. Even if they dont speak English theyll jump right into a conversation with you. Today, an Indonesian guy asked me if I was from Pakistan. Ha! I guess it was the beard but still I dont know what he was thinking. All in all, Malaysia is a great place. This morning, I woke up and had my free breakfast while watching Aljazeera. I didnt realize till the icon came up. It seemed like normal news to me; it could have been BBC for all I knew.

. . . . .

Yesterday, I got a Chest X-Ray done at the Penang Adventist Hospital. To get an Aussie Holiday Visa, if you have been in SE Asia for more then 3 months, then you are required to have a Chest X-Ray. I thought about just skipping that fact on my application but the consequences would have been devastating for my trip if I was caught, so I just did it. The X-Ray cost my 85 Ringgit, just over $24. It was funny to watch the doctor who was maybe 5'4" set me up for the X-Ray. Apparently, Im slightly larger then his average clientele so he had me practically wrap my chest around his backdrop for the X-Ray.

I should know in a few days whether or not I got the Aussie Visa.

After Singapore and Borneo, Im going to fly into Jakarta, Indonesia where Ill head East across Java for 2 weeks and get ready for flight out of Bali to Sydney. Everyday, I get more excited for Australia. To be honest with you SE Asia has been great but Australia was always the end goal. And eating rice all day is starting to wear thin. In Nha Trang, Vietnam I weighed myself and I have lost just over 20 lbs. Im down to 183 last I checked. That is almost what I weighed when I graduated from High School. I just want a big meal, a clean bed, and a chance to go the gym regularly and I think Australia can give that to me. I eat 4 meals a day with dessert after each but I cant gain the weight back. No reason for concern, but Im eager just to get back in my fighting form.