Having spent two days in Singapore, I high-tailed it across the water to Peninsular Malaysia. I've been on sort of a rush job as my trip is winding down (I'll be touching down in Portland, Oregon in less than two weeks), but I still feel that I have been able to absorb quite a bit. Travelling solo has been very helpful as it has allowed me to breeze through the region at my own hyper pace. Anyway, without further delay...

My first real stop in Malaysia was Melaka, about 3 hours north of the border on the west coast of the peninsula. The city has heavy influence from the Chinese, Portugese, and Dutch-- the latter two having ruled over the port town hundreds of years ago-- and this is reflected in both the architecture and the food.

I first took a tour through Chinatown. The most interesting building here is the Chen Hoong Teng temple, built in 1645 with all materials imported diretly from China.

This is Town Square, also known as "Dutch Square." It sits below a hill whose steps lead to...

The St. Paul Cathedral, well, what remains of it anyway. Not sure how old this place is, but it is definitely OLD.

Descending the hill on the other side leads to what remains of Ft. de Santiago, an old Protugese fort.

Okay, so Melaka was nice. Next stop, capital city, Kuala Lumpur. A lot nicer than Bangkok or Manila, on par with Phnomh Penh, but visibly wealthier. In Kuala Lumpur stand the fourth-tallest radio communications tower in the world, Menara Kuala Lumpur, and the former tallest skyscrapers in the world (though still the most visually striking), the Petronas Towers. The food here is plentiful, varied, and best of all, dirt cheap!

Ah, behold the Petronas towers.

Another view of these twin beauties.

Menara Kuala Lumpur.

Next, I headed to tea country, the Cameron Highlands. The weather was very cool, which was very comforting given the humid high temperatures of the lowlands. I got rid of the rat's nest on my head and even got a shave with a straight razor...all for $2! I'm not much of a package tourist, but for 98 ringgit ($25), I couldn't pass up a tour of the Boh Tea Estates, a hill-tribe blowpipe demonstration, a jungle trek to the famous blooming rafflesia flower, and a jungle trek to a beautiful waterfall. All that and lunch...not too shabby.

Tea, tea, as far as the eye can see! Touring a tea plantation is a lot like touirng a winery. You get to learn all about the different grades of tea, the processes for producing the different styles (green, black, oolong, etc.), the proper way to drink, blah, blah, blah...anyway, I bought some really good stuff, so anyone who wants to visit me in Portland or Seattle should stop by for a cup.

Trying my luck with the blowpipe. I actually did quite well. These things are a lot more powerful than you'd think, and are used to hunt everything from squirrels and birds to monkeys and wild boar (using poison from a frog).

There's no scent like that from a rafflesia, the second largest flower in the world. The bloom lasts for seven days and then poof!

At this point, I had three options. I could go NW to the island of Penang, NE to the 130 million year old jungles of Taman Negara, or waaayyy NE to the beautiful Perhentian Islands. All the folk I spoke to advised me to go to the Perhentians, hands down. I would see better jungle in Borneo and Penang could only offer me lots of food, which I would return to in Kuala Lumpur. So, back to the islands I went.

The Perhentians are composed of two islands, the Big Island and the Little Island. Most of us cheap-asses stick to the Little Island because shit is just cheaper there. I spent my first two nights on Long Beach, which had an abundance of bungalows and topless Euro-babes baking themselves in the white sand. It was fun for a couple days, but I was seeking something even more secluded and quiet. I headed to a place called D'Lagoon for the next two nights. Ah, that was more like it! Very few people, only one extremely cheap guesthouse, and beautiful coral reefs to snorkel through. I saw some excellent marine creatures, most notably some black-tipped reef sharks and an awesome sting ray speciman. Something about swimming with fish is so therapeautic. It's like a whole new world underwater.

White sand and swimming pool coloured water-- this is Long Beach.

I couldn't resist the urge to shinny up a coconut palm.

One of my reptilian friends, Lizzy, whom I believe is a Tokay gecko.

Ole Snaky looked poisonous, though I couldn't identify his species.

Sunset from Turtle Bay.

Well, I'm back in Kuala Lumpur, enjoying the cheap food. Gonna catch a flight to Borneo tomorrow. I've got a mountain to scale.

"I don't see the difference between the wrong and wrong/
Soldiers emptyin' clips at little kids and they moms/
are just like a desperate mothafucka strapped to a bomb"
Immortal Technique "Leaving the Past" Revolutionary Vol. 2