Selamat Datang ke Malaysia

Welcome to Malaysia

With some dissapointment, it was time for us to leave Thailand. Our experience in Thailand was amazing, but we had a flight to catch out of Singapore so we decided to use the 6 days we had left to pass through Malaysia. It was a bit of an adventure, but after a ferry, followed by a bus, followed by 2 trians (1 being an overnighter), than another ferry we found ourselves on the island of Penang off the west coast of Malaysia. We were very tired by the time we arrived in Penang and spent the remainder of the morning and early afternoon figuring out a place to stay for the night. After a quick walk around we realized this island just didn't compare to Koh Phangan in Thailand. However, we were tired and didn't give it much of a chance. I'm sure if we had taken the time to explore more of Penang we would have found it a beautiful place (it is the cultural capital of Malaysia), but we made a decision to leave the next morning.

We did still have one night, and we found ourselves a delicious Indian restaurant. Neither of us had much expeirience with Indian food so we asked our waiter what to get. He brought us out a lovely smorgabord consisting of a chicken dish, garlic naan, minced mutton, and the best cauliflower. The plates and placemats were huge banana leaves.

The restaurant was really cool with authentic decoration, and very very very good food. We both agreed that we had been missing out on this style of food, and we have our 1 night in Peneng to thank for turning us on to it.

The next morning we were up early and on a small van/bus for a 6 hour ride high into central Malaysia. The Cameron Highlands are well known for their tea plantations, introduced when the country was under British rule. After a grueling ride full of windy narrow rodes we finally made it. When we first stepped out of the bus we immediatly rushed for our suitcases to find warmer clothes. It was incredible. Malaysia is very close to the equator, and earlier that morning in Penang it was already 90 degrees. It was a good 30 degrees cooler in Cameron Highlands. We got ourselves settled into a hostel and spent the day exploring the little town. Rainy weather kept us indoors for the rest of the day, so we hunkered down and made plans for a walk through the jungle the following morning.

We took some advice from the receptionist at the hostel and set out (on our own) for a walk through the jungle. It didn't take long before the path began to narrow, and we realized we weren't close to town anymore. Everything here was so incredibly lush and exotic. Some of the leaves were almost as big as my body!

As we walked we encountered all different smells, colors, and terrain. We were hoping to see some crazy wildlife. Maybe a snake, or some sort of mountain lion.....(maybe not that but...) The coolest thing we saw was a giant beetle.

We continued uphill until we made it to the peak of the trail. The view was incredible.

As we decended we had to make a few decisions on which path to take. A few times we marched along for 15 minutes before the path slowly detiorated back into plain jungle and had to find another route.

Then, all of the sudden we came to a clearing. It was a very small village. It basically was a shantytown, but the place was bumping. There was music blasting from these tiny shacks, and everyone was very friendly and intrigued by us. The kids even helped us find our way back to the main road. It really made you appreciate all you have...

After our walk we took attempted to go to a tea plantation, but the traffic was terrivble. However, we recieved some more advise from a local about a place downtown that had the best tea and the best desserts in all of Cameron Highlands. We figured after a long hike some tea and dessert would be a perfect lunch. The place was called The T Cafe. Their slogan was, "When you miss Mum's home cooking." I had strawberry tea and Lindsey had Jasimine tea. To accompany this we enjoyed a strawberry cheesecake, apple pie with vanilla ice cream, and a scone with strawberry jam and cream. All the desserts were 100% home made and the tea was some of the best we have ever had.... but maybe not quite as good as Mum's cooking...

Our next stop was Kuala Lumpur. We hopped on a bus the following morning for a long ride down from the highlands all the way into the capital city of Malaysia. We were able to get a great rate for one night at the Marriott... thank you once again Aunt Susan. The Marriott was located right near the Petronas Towers. After we checked into the hotel we decided to walk around to feel things out. We walked to the Petronas Towers and stared up in awe of their height and beauty. However, just wait till the nighttime pictures.

We also came across the tallest flagpole in the world while exploring Merdeka Square. The Dataran Merdeka Flagpole is 100 meters tall and marks the independence of the Malays!

We hoped on the subway and went to Central Market. The Central Market is a complete fusion of many different cultures. This is essentially the best way to sum up what Malaysian really is. There was an Indian section, a Chineese section, a Middle Eastern section, and an Indoneasian section, all of which contribute to the Malaysian culture.

It was dark by the time we left the market, and like I said, the Petronas towers illuminated the sky.

In addition to the towers there was also a very tall TV tower. This in combination with the Petronas towers also made for a great shot.

The next day we checked out of the Marriott and headed off to a hostel we booked in China Town. However, when we arrived at the hostel they did not have our reservation... which we had a conformation email for. Anyways, this was a good thing because the place was sketchy. They tried to offer us a different room, but we were turned off and decided to find somewhere else to stay. Right near the main street of China town there was a place called the Reggae Guest House and Bar. We walked up the stairs and were a bit surprised to find a very clean and modern hostel for a reasonable price.

Rather than waste anymore time we checked in and hit Petaling Steet aka Chinatown. This place was insane.

It was almost like being on Koh Son Road in Bangkok all over again. However, everything was knockoff designer goods. I did come across a very very nice fake Rolex. The saleswomen came at me agresseively and even showed me her cheap version of the fake and the nice version of the fake. The nice version was around 20 dollars and it was heavy, it looked real, and it felt real. It was hard, but I held off.

We wondered around China Town a little more before we couldn't stand being hounded any longer. We wentd back to the Central Market to finish up some holiday shopping before heading back to our room to put together a package to ship back home. After about an hour walking around trying to find the post office we packed in all up than discovered it would take 3 months for it to get home. Now, there were some things in this package that needed to be home before Christmas.... so we had to bite the bullet and spend about 3 times as much to ship it by airmail versurs on a ship. It was going to take it 1 month just to go from Malaysia to Australia! As we were still feeling motivated we spent the rest of the day trekking acroos the city to the train station and waiting in a 3 hour line to buy our train ticket for Singapore for the following night.

Malaysia, being a predominantly Hindu country, was celebrating Deepavali while we were there. Deepavali, the festival of lights, is the Hindus way of thanking the gods for the happiness, knowledge, peace and wealth that they have received. All over the city, Lindsey and I would stumble upon amazing colorful sand creations displayed during the festival. Our favorites were in the Sentral train station and at the Pavilion shopping mall.

The next day we stored our luggage at the hostel and set our for the day. We knew that Kuala Lumpur had more to offer than the Petronas Towers, China Town, and The Central Market (which was basically in China Town). We hopped on the subway and headed off to explore a new part of the city Bukit Bintang - the shopping and entertainment district of KL.

We were looking for a restaurant that served Middle Eastern food. We found a fabulus restaurant and enjoyed a delicious lunch of hummus, pita, Middle Eastern style Chicken quesadilla . We looked a little out of place in this restaurant (especially Lindsey, as all the other women wore hijabs or full on burkas), but it was well worth it. As we walked out from lunch we realized we had also landed ourselves in the Newbury Street equivalent of Kuala Lumpur, but theirs was better. We could see this was where China Town got all the inspiration for its fakes! There was also supposed to be an arts and culture section around, but we couldn't seem to find it and everyone we asked didn't seem to know what we were talking about. Oh well, it was getting late and we needed to find dinner, pick up our luggage, and get to the train station. We targeted an Indian Restaurant that we read about in a magazine and took a cab there for dinner. The food was good, but did not compare to the meal we had in Penang. Before going to the train I decided to shave my head again!!!! This guy did a much better job than the guy in Bangkok. The haircut costs about 2 dollars and I recieved a presise shave of my head, a shoulder and head massage, and he also shaved my neck with a straight blade. You just can't get that for 2 bucks anywhere else!

We made it to our train for an overnight ride to Singapore.

Stay Thirsty my Friends,

Matt and Lindsey

ยินดีต้อนรับสู่เกาะพนาง

Welcome to Ko Phangan!

Just waiting in line to board the ferry from Koh Tao to Koh Phangan, we knew we were in for a wild time. Hundreds of people, all between the ages of 17-30, were already decked out in neon, rave-going clothing, ready to get their drink on. The one-hour ferry was filled with people swarming the bar trying to get the all-night party started...at 1PM. Arriving at the dock I was struck with the odd sensation I had just stepped into spirit week, or bid day, or greek week...possibly a college fraternity spring break gone even more wild.

We were hoarded onto a "truck-taxi" as soon as we stepped off the boat to head towards Haad Yao, the area on the island we were staying. After waiting for about 30 minutes in the blazing sun for our taxi to be filled to the owners satisfaction, we finally set off to begin dropping people off at the various accommodations on our "route." Fifteen minutes into our journey, we arrived at the first stop where 3 people were to get off. The kids were about to get off the truck when they realized there was a misunderstanding of the place they were supposed to be staying and the one they were now outside. The driver became extrremely hostile, claiming he knew the island and knew this was where they told him to take them and refused to take them to where they actually wanted to go. Out in the middle of nowhere he left the 3 people to fend for themselves and refused to refund them their money, despite everyone else on the truck pleading for him to at least take them back to the dock. All in all he was scumbag and did not receive a tip from anyone else in the taxi.

As we continued winding our way through the island I too became quite concerned we were heading in the wrong direction. I thought Matt had booked bungalows in Haad Yao, 10 minutes from where the Full Moon Party was held, however it turns out there is a Haad Yao on the west coast (where we stayed) as well as a Haad Yao on the east coast, both pronounced the same but on complete opposite sides of the island. Logical right? It just so happened that instead we were staying in the Haad Yao about 35 minutes from the Full Moon Party - held at Haad Rin - which was perfect!

We arrived at JP Bungalows and were greeted by the jolliest host we had encountered on our trip. She gave us a run down of where we were staying and had us taken to our bungalow at the top of the hill...her husband rode Matt up while her 8 year old daughter took me...she assured me she was "getting good behind the wheel." In fact she was...

After getting settled into our bungalow we walked down the hill to Haad Yao Beach, where there was a strip of convenient stores, a few shops, and a bunch of hotels and bungalows. Despite our kind host, we decided to stroll down the beach, enjoy the sunset and check the prices of the beachfront hotels. Much to our surprise, we were able to bargain a hotel room to the same rate we were paying at JP Bungalows..we booked three nights beginning the next morning.

Over dinner, we met a group of people all planning to attend the Full Moon Party and decided to all hire a cab and go together. There were 2 German boys, 2 people from New Zealand, 2 people from London, a couple from Missouri and a girl from North Carolina. We all enjoyed a few drinks on the porch of one of our bungalows, and around 10:30PM climbed into the back of a cab and set off to embark on a real adventure.

About 30 minutes into our cab ride we knew we were getting close...people were running around in florescent outfits, donned with glow sticks and their bodies were covered in neon paint and glitter, they were singing and cheering clanking bottles together as they walked to the party. Before we even stepped out of the cab we were being bombarded with vendors trying to sell us all sorts of cocktails, mushroom shakes, tattoos, body paint and neon accessories.

All the drinks were served in beach pales. They contained a small "unopened" bottle of booze and some sort of mixer which the vendor would pour over ice upon purchasing. We learned however that most of the bottles were already opened and filled with a cheaper booze or watered down. We were told to point this out to the vendor and require them to open a bottle of alcohol in front of our eyes, which they would agree to, but reluctantly. Each vendor tried to lure you to their stand offering free shots, ringing bells and hollering at you and even by bad mouthing the stand next to theirs. They had also all made thousands of necklaces with beads and cut up straws that you could collect when you got a drink, beg them to give you more, or perhaps grab a few as you passed by...it was kind of like Mardi Gras without having to flash your boobs...everyone tried to collect as many as possible.

We cruised down the beach, buckets in hand, to scope out the scence. There were different DJ's strung along the beach, hundreds of body painting artists, people swaying back and forth or parading down the sand. There were fire dancers, and flaming signs reminding you that you were at the Full Moon Party (just in case you forgot)...

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...there were also roped off designated "sleeping areas" where if you got too drunk you could lay down and someone would be sure you did not get robbed.

The scariest thing was the individuals that did not make it to the sleep area who passed out near the water. We had a few rescue operations where we dragged a passed out individual further up the sand so they wouldn't be swallowed up by the approaching waves as the tide came in. All in all...a party such as this would never be legal in the U.S...way too much liability!

We stumbled upon a girl who was willing to decorate us with some body paint and continued on to the end of the beach where we sat at a bar overlooking the entire party...it was a sea of florescent lights. They say that anywhere between 10,000 and 30,000 people attend the parties which are held each month! At around 5AM, Matt and I decided we had had enough and hopped in a cab home, we were the first of our group to leave!

The next morning, or rather just a few hours later, we gathered our stuff, grabbed some hydrating drinks and junk food from the 711, and headed down to the beach hotel where we plopped ourselves down on a lounge chair on the white sand beach and recovered from the night before, only getting up to eat and swim in ocean. The water was so refreshing and clear, we floated around for hours.

At night, all the hotels along the beach pulled in their lounge chairs and set out tables and chairs and served dinner right on the beach. We walked all the way to the end of the beach and enjoyed a romantic candlelit dinner on the beach. A raw bar presentation had been set up to display various types of fish and shellfish which we walked up to and selected our dinner.

I was told by the chef that the Spanish Mackeral was superb so decided to give it a try, while Matt ordered the mixed meat kebabs. We were served very hearty proportions and the food was delicious. While at dinner we discovered it was the 50th night our trip (exactly half way), so it was fitting that we had such a nice dinner...thanks to being in Thailand - including a bottle of wine, the whole meal cost about $25.

The next morning we got up early and rented a moped to go around and explore the island. We travelled around the coastline, winding down dirt roads to various beaches, and while they were all beautiful, we concurred that Haad Yao beach, was by far the most prisitine, with the most glorious white sand beaches. We returned to our hotel and spent the rest of the afternoon swimming in the ocean and floating around in the pool at our hotel with all the people we had met the night of the Full Moon Party.

Later that evening, we had dinner with our new friends from Missouri, David and Holly. We all decided to have a Margarita and some chips and salsa as an appetizer. I guess being in Thailand and not Mexico we may have made the wrong choice. Their idea of a margarita was Bacardi O and lime juice served in a martini glass...I would have thrown it out...but it was not cheap so I painfully sipped it down.

After our delicious prawn dinner, the four of us set off to find the Moonset Party, which Matt and I had seen advertised all over the island along our moped excursion. As it was only on the beach next to ours at the Pirate Bar, Matt and I assured David and Holly that it would be a quick walk. We forgot about the sharp turns, steep hills and no sidewalk/path to walk along when we set out. Coupled with no street lighting our walk proved to be much longer than expected. We arrived at the Pirate Bar, a neat outdoor beach bar, strung with florescent lights and set up for a rave. They had a large screen projector displaying a movie and some low tables so we gathered around on pillows. Everything was great...except there was NO ONE there. It also began raining as soon as we got there. We stayed for about 20 minutes before trekking back home...I don't know if we were too early or our minds were skewed due to the number of people at the Full Moon Party, but it was a huge waste!

The entire next day was spent on the beach. The water was the most incredible temperature, there was not a cloud in the sky and the snorkeling was great. However, after taking a break for lunch, David went to go take a dip. He immediately came rushing out of the water saying he had been stung, and sure enough he had a huge red spot on his back. Matt, thinking David had just been unlucky, went plunging into the water with his snorkel on, and he too bolted out of the water. He had been stung on his shoulder and back...and somehow even managed to suck a jellyfish into his snorkel where he was stung all around his mouth. His mouth swelled up like he had just had his lips plumped! About ten minutes after Matt and David were stung, a sign was put out on the beach saying "Jellyfish Bloom - Beach CLOSED." Unsure how long the "bloom" would stick around, we decided we would be leaving the next day.

Having been in Thailand nearly 3 weeks and knowing we would be departing for Malaysia the next day, we decided to get a Thai Massage in a small bungalow right on the beach...we couldn't believe we had not had more during our time there. For $5 each, we enjoyed an amazing hour long massage during sunset.

That night, we strolled down the beach to have dinner with Holly and David and passed the mother of all jellyfish...it must have brought in the "bloom."

We had a delicious dinner and relished in the fact that combined Matt and I spent $6 on our 2-course meals.

We woke up the next morning to an absolute downpour, booked our travel to Malaysia and were on the move again.

Stay thirsty my friends,

Lindsey and Matt