Simplicity in Diversity; Malaysia

I haven’t had much time online seeing how the only internet access we have on the island isnt fast enough to even load this page. We have been doing well, classes are over, and we are about to get on our way to further travels. Below are our plans, we’ll see how closely we stick to them though. Maybe when we’re on the road i’ll have more time to write, but I don’t think so. How I do miss the internet….

Here is what we have planned for a travels after we leave Tioman: From Tioman we will go to Singapore for 2 nights to get one last taste of a “western” style of life. We will then cross back into Malaysia and catch a train (which people call “The Jungle Train” since it runs through the jungle) that will take us from the extreme south of Malaysia up to the Northeast of the country to a place called Teman Negara, a national park that is a 130 million year old jungle. After a day or two there we head west to the Cameron Highlands which has a much cooler climate than the rest of Malaysia and is the home of the country’s tea and strawberry farms and is supposed to be a nice place to relax. From the Cameron Highlands our real adventure begins as we hop back onto the train and head north into Thailand. We will spend a good deal of time hopping around the various islands that are in the South of Thailand (with names like Phuket, Ko Phi Phi, and Ko Tao) and when we have had enough of the beach we will take a train up to the capitol city of Bangkok. From here we will either continue to go north through Thailand or East into Cambodia, which is how I will explain it now. The route we have planned takes us in a circle, so no matter which direction we choose we will end up in the same places. From Bangkok we cross the border and head to Siem Reap which is where the Angkor Wat Temple “complex” is. It is supposed to be an amazing place, with hundreds of temples, all of which have been over grown by the jungle. From there we head to the southern part of Cambodia and into it’s capital city of Phnom Phen (pronounced Nom-Pen). From there we head north up the Mekong river into the country of Laos, which is probably the least developed country in south east Asia aside from Myanmar (Burma). We want to see a few places in Northern Laos and then either head the North Vietnamese Islands of Halong Bay and the city of Hanoi. Vietnam seems to be rife with hassles for getting across the border and is also one of the more expensive places in South East Asia, if any part of South East Asia can be considered expensive. If we decide against Vietnam we will just head West back in the north of Thailand to the towns of Pai, Chiang Rai, and Chiang Mai. From there we will try to head west into Myanmar for a day just to get a glimpse and another stamp in our passports. After that it is back down to Bangkok which is where we will depart from.

Hey All,

Well I’m writinghyou this from a little hostel, in little india, in Singapore. We decided to use our time off to come see this country that is the sizeof a city. It was pretty easy as well. A ferry to mersing, a 2hour bus to Singapore. The city is amazing. Its like Portland mixed with Asia. Everything is brand new, fancy, trendy, and clean. You could eat off of the streets. Everyone speaks Enbglish as it is the national language, and there is so much western food we don’t know what to do with ourselves. The exchange rate isn’t the best in South East Asia, $1US = S$1.75 but its still nothing t ocomplauin about seeing the quality of the city and the things in it. The hostel (The Inn Crowd) is awesome as well, three floors, two dorm rooms with about 9 bunk beds, all siutuated so there is some level of privacy, nice bathrooms, and all the amneitites youd come to expect in Singapore, for the price of S$36 a night for the both of us, also a price to expect in Singapore. We’ve defintily been spoiled on our first hostelling visit. We got here yesterday, walked all around the city, spent the evening in the Esplanade, had an amazing dinner, walked along the river listening to free live music, and the like. I have never felt safer in any place i’ve been before. We’re heading back out again today to see some more sights, and should be able to post some pictures tonight, maybe not. We were supposed to get new books on Thursday but they never came so we need to call Serina and find out about that. Otherwise it will be difficulult to keep class going. Life on the island doesn’t garner muc hto write about. We rest alot as the heat or lack of nutrients or something wears us out. Hang out in the village a little, nothing notable. The other night though, E-na and Teeny, two of our students, came up to the chalet and decorated JEn’s fingertips with what is called E-ni, its a plant that is churned up in a mortar and pestel and you wrap the paste around your finfger tips, leave it there over night (wrapped in plastic bag pieces), and the next morning your fingertips are brighy orange and lasts for about 2-3 months. Malay women do this for marriage so it was quite befitting and looks reall beautiful, and also is a conversation piece for many malay women that jen comes in contact with.

I’ve decided to forego the scuba classes for a number of reasons: a) I don’t know when i’d use it once we got back to the states as it costs money to dive and that is something we don’t have much of; b)The course would run a week longer than we’d be on Tioman seeing how the dive master only comes on weekends, c) even though its dirt cheap here, the money would go to better uses elsewhere, like more travel insurance since ours is running out in 10 days. But one day I’ll get it, when I have the time and know that I’ll have the opportunity to use it. Well we’re starving, its 8:30am here and going to head out into the city to do some window shopping, maybe go to the zoo, and enjoy the city some more.

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