Journal:

Malaysia, 29 Dec 2001

The journey to Malacca took four and a half hours and cost a reasonable US$7. The most noteworthy aspects of the journey were the fantastic roads and numerous tool booths. Thus far in my travels through Malaysia, I am very impressed with the road infrastructure (it is better than one first-world country that comes to mind... the country begins with the letter "i" and ends with the letter "d"... that's right, Iceland). The air-conditioned express bus made stops at whatever crossroads a passenger would request... I guess that the word "express" has a different meaning in this country.

Today, Davie and I discuss the fact that now, for the first time on the trip, we do not have a set agenda. Because we have decided not to go to India and Nepal, we do not have any more flights to catch. The only fixed event on our itinerary is the World Cup in June. So, our plan now is to slowly make our way overland through Asia to the World Cup. It will be nice to move at what we hope will be a leisurely pace through the continent.

We are staying in a dorm at Shirah's Guest House for the princely sum of US$2.50 a night. A runner for the guesthouse called Said (who looks like a Malaysian version of my friend Phil Corcoran) met us at the bus station and led us back to the guesthouse. The people at this guesthouse are extremely friendly and helpful, making our first impression of Malaysia a very pleasant one. The accomodation is basic to say the least, but I have a feeling that it is going to get a lot worse as we make our way further into Asia. The night is spent scratching ourselves, as our bodies provide a feast for the local mosquitoes.

Malaysia, 30 Dec 2001

We are staying at a Muslim guesthouse. This means that we must take our shoes off before entering. At first, I found it a little unusual to walk barefoot around the hostel. And, when I go to the toilet, I find it a little disconcerting to think of my bare feet on the hard-tiled floor that has surely received the stray spray of many a person.

Although bathrooms are another matter entirely. There are two types of toilet in Malaysia: western-style (that we know so well and did not realize just how much we loved) and Asian squat-style. I do not have a problem with the different types of toilet. I can squat with the best of them when necessary. What I have a problem with is the part that comes after the movement of the bowels. Many places, including our guesthouse do not have toilet paper. Instead they have a hose that you can use to clean the offensive orifice. I cannot figure out how to use the hose without getting my trousers wet. And I do not plan on spending much time figuring out how to achieve this feat... instead, a packet of tissues is my constant companion.

Malacca is an old trading port on the West coast of peninsular Malaysia. Over the centuries, it has been under Portuguese, Dutch, and English rule. Each of these colonists left their mark with contributions to the local architecture. Like many cities in this part of the world, there is also a Chinatown and a Little India in Malacca. All of these influences have contributed to create a city full of intriguing streets, atmospheric places of worship, and interesting landmarks. Stalls line the streets, selling such items as cooked food, local apparel, fruit, and antiques.

Our walk through the city reveals modern buildings erected during the Asian boom of the 90s. But it also reveals the kind of squalor that Frank McCourt and his generation have patented. The most amusing happening of the day occurred when I encountered a giant lizard (not much smaller than me). As usual, I was not content with just walking along the streets and decided to explore a laneway between two buildings. I was excited to see the river and some fishing boats at the end of the lane. I bounded around the corner, leaping onto a lower platform, only to frighten a giant lizard. Thankfully he thought that he was more frightened of me, than I was of him!

One thing that our walk did not reveal is backpackers. During the course of the day, we saw only a few Caucasians. In Australia and New Zealand, we were heavily immersed in a backpacker culture. We traveled with backpackers, we stayed in backpacker accommodation, we drank with backpackers, and for the most part we only met other backpackers. The tourist infrastructure in Australia and New Zealand facilitated this lifestyle. We had a ready-made social circle. So far in Asia, we have not met other people. Maybe this will change once we travel to more tourist-frequented locations.

Our evening was spent scouting out bars for the New Year's Eve festivities. We have found very few options in this Muslim-oriented city.

Malaysia, 31 Dec 2001

Getting from one side of a road to the other can take quiet some time in Malacca. There are lots of cars and motorbikes on the road, the streets are narrow, and there are no traffic lights in the entire city. Without traffic lights, one must wait for a break in the seemingly steady stream of fast-moving traffic to cross the road. On a few occasions we have been waiting for over 5 minutes to cross a narrow road. It is good that we are not in a hurry anywhere!

We spent most of today wandering around the antique stores in Chinatown. I bought some Chinese coins. I purchased one coin from the reign of each emperor of the Ching dynasty (between 1644 and 1911). The Chinese store owner showed great patience in helping label and mount the coins.

New Year's Eve was spent in an establishment called the Looney Planet. It was an unusual evening. We were the only Caucasians in the bar and, as far as I could see, the only people drinking alcohol. The locals, because they are Muslim, were drinking Coke and water. We managed to have a fairly social evening, interacting with everyone around us. The entertainment was provided by two strange-looking individuals; one playing the keyboards and the other singing (his singing resembled that of a Japanese karaoke singer). All-in-all a New Year that I won't forget in a hurry.

Malaysia, 01 Jan 2002

The excesses of the previous evening took their toll and I did not arise until 5.30pm. My day was then spent reading.

In America you can get big, juicy, colourful fruit. But here the fruit is smaller and less colourful. Because of my great love of fruit, this is a great disappointment to me... [start of sarcasm] haven't the Malaysians heard of genetically-modified fruit? Someone should tell them that pesticides and growth agents are the way forward. [end of sarcasm]

One not so surprising aspect to life in this Muslim country is their attitude towards America and Britain. The people here have talked openly of their hatred of the American and the British peoples. In fact, this was one of the recurring themes of last night. We have even seen Osama Bin Laden t-shirts for sale in the market places.

Malaysia, 02 Jan 2002

Our last day in Malacca was spent on a very entertaining river boat tour. We are taking a bus to Kuala Lumpur this afternoon.

Our journey from Malacca to Kuala Lumpur was a pleasure on a comfortable, air-conditioned coach. Once more the quality of the roads and the frequency of the toll booths left an impression. As we approached Kuala Lumpur, enormous modern buildings with middle-eastern architecture whetted our appetite for what appeared to be a wonderful, modern metropolis. However Kuala Lumpur is a city that looks more alluring from a distance than it does up close.

A glance at the city shows an impressive array of recently-constructed buildings, a modern light-rail system darting above the streets, and some beautifully-manicured public gardens. Of course the Petronas Towers, being the tallest buildings in the world, are the crowning glory of this ambitious city.

A closer examination of Kuala Lumpur reveals narrow, litter-strewn streets that struggle to accommodate the frenzied traffic. If the constant din of harried cars and motorbikes does not make you weary, the haze of emissions surely will. And, to top it all off, foul-smelling sewers run between the crowded sidewalks and the crowded streets.

We are staying at a hostel near the bus station. For US$3.50 each a night, we have a closet-like twin room with no windows and a fan. The area surrounding the hostel reminds me of the area surrounding the Port Authority bus terminal in New York city. Individuals of questionable character abound. I suppose this impression was partly formed after hearing about a couple of backpackers who were robbed immediately outside the hostel earlier today.

Malaysia, 03 Jan 2002

Today was spent walking the length and breadth of downtown Kuala Lumpur. Along the way, we encountered several friendly and helpful natives. My favourite was a convivial man who equated Davie's claims of being Scottish to an impression that he was from England. This played nicely into my recent teasing of Davie over the commonly mistaken impression that Scotland is an English colony. My renewed jibing was reciprocated with a charge from Davie. Our bewildered acquaintance excused himself, no doubt wary of this crazy man from the Scottish part of England.

Chinatown houses the most popular markets in Kuala Lumpur. Stalls line the edges and center of the streets, leaving little room for the masses of people that swarm around them in search of bargains. On the black market, you can purchase music CDs for about US$1.25 and DVDs (or VCDs as they are called here) for US$0.85. I think it's time to boost my CD collection.

Tonight, for the first time, I begin to feel comfortable in Kuala Lumpur. I suppose it has taken me a little time to adjust to the dirt and the teeming mass of humanity. But now I am beginning to enjoy the vitality of it all.

One constant since our arrival in Asia has been the incredible number of eating options, with restaurants and food stalls selling food everywhere one looks. The food stalls usually have communal chairs and tables nearby. Because of the sheer number of eating options, I imagine that most people in this part of the world must eat out. A meal at a food stall costs about US$1, while a main course at a reasonable restaurant usually costs in the region of US$5.

Malaysia, 04 Jan 2002

Kuala Lumpur boasts the tallest and fifth tallest buildings in the world. It also claims the fifth tallest tower in the world. The Petronas Towers (named after the petrol company that built them) are currently the tallest buildings in the world. Anyone who has seen the movie Entrapment starring Sean Connery and Katharine Zeta-Jones will have seen footage of Kuala Lumpur and the Petronas Towers. The twin towers are linked by a walkway that is 142 meters above ground level. The public can view the city only from this walkway. Entry is free; however you must get up early in the morning to queue for tickets. Frankly, I was a little disappointed with the view from the walkway.

The apparel of sports teams is commonly used as casual clothing in Malaysia. Without doubt, the most popular clothing lines are those of the New York Yankees baseball team and the Manchester United soccer team. The most amusing item that I have seen thus far, are jeans with an embroidered Yankees emblem. I have seen these in the street markets of both Malacca and Kuala Lumpur. I can imagine being a big hit in Boston with a nice pair of Yankee pants.

Malaysia, 05 Jan 2002

Malaysia is a confederation of three territories; one territory is on the mainland of the Asian continent and two territories are on the nearby island of Borneo. We are travelling through the territory that is on the mainland and more commonly known as peninsular Malaysia. Peninsular Malaysia has two weather systems; one for the east and another for the west. At present, the west is enjoying its dry season and the east is in its wet season.

Our plan was to travel up the west coast of peninsular Malaysia. However, there are a couple of places not on this path that we feel compelled to visit. One of these places is the Taman Negara rainforest, which is on the eastern side of peninsular Malaysia. A month remains in the eastern monsoon season. However, we are told that during the last month of the wet season the heaviest of the rains have fallen and the sun starts to break through.

To get to the rainforest, we undertake a four-hour bus journey to Kuala Tembeling and then a three-hour boat journey to Nusa Camp. Our encampment is a few kilometers upstream from the town of Kuala Tahan. Most people who visit the rainforest stay at Kuala Tahan or the nearby resort. However, for a more authentic rainforest experience, we have been told that one needs to travel beyond these relatively built-up areas.

On our journey up the river, I notice a sprinkling of silt on the leaves of the trees by the river bank. This covering of silt rises about five meters above the water level, after which the leaves have their normal clean appearance. When we arrive at the encampment, we learn that the river has recently risen to a near-record high level. Two days of rain in late December had swollen the river to a capacity only bettered once in recorded history.

Because it is the wet season there are very few visitors. Our tour group consists of four people; ourselves and a French couple. The French couple are very pleasant, however because of the language barrier communication with them is difficult at times. Our guide, Maleui, is a very friendly and helpful young man from the nearby village of Kuala Tahan.

On the first evening, our guide brings us on a night walk through the rainforest. Unfortunately the tarantulas wouldn't come out of their nests to play with us, but we did see fascinating geckos, poisonous spiders, stick insects, giant crickets, glowworms, fireflies, leaf hoppers, and jungle cockroaches. My favourite were the different stick insects.

Malaysia, 06 Jan 2002

After a hike through the rainforest, this morning was spent exploring the Gua Telinga cave. We had been warned in advance that the passageway was narrow in places and that a reasonable amount of crawling would be required. It was difficult for my big frame to negotiate some of the crawlspaces; in other words it was as tight as a Scotsmans grip on a five-pound note. Occasionally there would be clearings that allowed us to stand, or at least stoop. The ceilings in these clearings were usually infested with sleeping bats and the floors covered with aromatic bat excrement. The few bats that we disturbed showed great agility in flying around the tight quarters without bumping into any of us.

This afternoon was spent hiking to the Abai waterfall Along the way, we stopped at an Orang Asli village (the Orang Asli are one of the indigenous tribes of this rainforest). The village now consists of one family who sustain themselves by tapping nearby trees for oil.

The hike to the waterfall was arduous, crossing the Abai river several times. Unfortunately, the waterfall itself was a bit disappointing. The inch-long ants crawling nearby were a far greater source of interest.

The evening was spent watching satellite television on a large television at our encampment. Yes that's right... we went to the jungle and watched a live English soccer match on television!

Malaysia, 07 Jan 2002

This camp can accommodate up to 100 guests. At the moment, because it is the wet season, there are only four of us. This has resulted in quiet a bit of individual attention for each of us. I cannot imagine being here with the throngs of people during peak season.

Today, we visited a canopy walkway. A rainforest has different types of plants and animals at different heights. The ground is primarily a compost heap of natural waste matter that provides nutrients for the growth of the plants. At the ground level, one can see an array of plants, some wildlife, and many of what Davie calls creepy-crawlies. Above ground level there is little of interest until you get to the canopy (that is, the top of the trees). In an effort to get to the sun and rain, most trees shoot straight up a considerable distance and have relatively few branches along the way. Once they breach the forest canopy, the tree then spreads its branches in an attempt to soak up as much of the sun and rain as possible. It is up in the canopy that many of the more interesting birds live. The most interesting birds in this part of the world are the many varieties of hornbill. We went on the canopy walkway in the hope fo seeing some of these birds. At its highest, the shaky walkway is at a vertigo inducing 50 meters above the ground. It is in eight sections, with viewing platforms between each section. It stretches for a total of 450 meters. I was devastated when we didn't see any birds up there. At least the walkway experience itself was a lot of fun.

On the way back to camp, we stopped the boat on the bank beside a recently-constructed Batik village (the Batik are another of the indigenous tribes of this region). The village consisted of six simple huts. Maleui guided us around the village explaining the lifestyle of these nomadic tribespeople. After experiencing the tourist-oriented shows in Australia and New Zealand, it was great to see genuine indigenous peoples in their natural environment who were not putting on a show for tourists.

Malaysia, 08 Jan 2002

Today we are returning to Kuala Lumpur. The prospect of going from the peace and quiet of the jungle to the hustle and bustle of a big city does not appeal to me at the moment. But, we will be in Kuala Lumpur for only one night before travelling on to the Cameron Highlands.

Although we gambled by coming to the jungle during the wet season, the gamble has paid dividends. We have enjoyed the luxury of seeing Taman Negara without the crowds and have been very fortunate with the weather. With the exception of one afternoon, the sun has shone on us the entire time.

Enduring memories from this excursion will be the wonderful sounds of the jungle at night and the tranquility of travelling along a rainforest river by boat.

Back in Kuala Lumpur we decide to head to Bangsar, which is the area of the city with most of the nightlife. Over the course of the evening, we managed to spend the equivalent of the GNP of a small nation on beer. Our most ridiculous decision of the evening involved paying to enter a nightclub that contained no other people. Once inside, we purchased some incredibly overpriced beers at the bar and proceeded to some seats. At this point, we were informed that our cover charge of 11 ringitt only allowed us to stand at the bar. We would have to pay 16 ringitt if we wanted to occupy a seat. So we returned to the bar and all seats in the nightclub were once more unoccupied.

Malaysia, 09 Jan 2002

Today was spent on a bus to the Cameron Highlands. The Cameron Highlands is a resort area high in the hills, about five hours by bus north-east of Kuala Lumpur. There are three towns in the Cameron Highlands. We are staying at Tanah Rata, the largest of these towns.

Hostels in cities are typically large, inhospitable establishments that offer the bare minimum of amenities. The atmosphere in these hostels is usually not conducive to mingling with other travellers. I find that these hostels encourage me to see a city and move on as quickly as possible. In smaller towns, however, the hostels are typically more homely. These hostels usually have friendly staff, comfortable common areas, board games, book exchanges, libraries of videos, and other such facilities. I am usually not in much of a hurry to leave these comfortable establishments. We are currently staying in such a place. It is called Daniel's Lodge. We are paying less than US$2 for a bed in a reasonable dormitory.

Malaysia, 10 Jan 2002

A fairly comprehensive tour of the Cameron Highlands occupied most of today. We visited quiet a few sights, including a Buddhist temple, a strawberry farm, a rose garden, a tea plantation, a bee farm, a butterfly farm, and a market. The tour of the Boh tea plantation was especially interesting. But the highlight of the day was seeing the millipedes, giant beetles, and scorpions at the butterfly farm.

It is very relaxing here in the Cameron Highlands. This is the kind of place that one would come to unwind from the stress of work and recharge the batteries. Just what we need :-)

Malaysia, 11 Jan 2002

There are a number of nice hikes into the hills around the town of Tanah Rata. Today we hiked up the nearby mountain of Gunong Jasar. The hike offered some great views of the surrounding countryside and, equally as important, some great exercise.

This evening we finally got to enjoy a bit of craic with our fellow travellers. Since we arrived in Asia, we have been chatting to some other travellers. But we have not enjoyed any nights out with them. The travelling culture in Asia is very different from the backpacker scene that we enjoyed in Australia and New Zealand. But tonight the hostel organized a bar-b-que. And the consumption of a few bottles of beer ensured a steady stream of good conversation late into the night.

Malaysia, 12 Jan 2002

Today we enjoyed a lazy day... it is the weekend after all. A little bit of internet, a game of chess, a movie, and a bit of reading kept us entertained. We watched the movie Entrapment, which we found particularly interesting because some of the scenes were filmed in Malaysia.

Tonight I enjoyed another great evening of merriment. I, along with Omar and Rob, painted the one pub in this town red. Omar is a similarly-aged Mexican dorm-mate who worked in finance before embarking on his travels. Rob is a local, working as an engineer at the local tea factory. Because Rob's parents are investors in the pub, we were treated like royalty and afforded the considerable luxury of after-hours drinking.

Malaysia, 13 Jan 2002

At the best of times, the trip to Penang is arduous. When you undertake the trip with a whopping hangover, you end up making foolish assertions of never again drinking before a long journey. But, as I have discovered so many times in the past, time is a great healer when it comes to memories of hangovers.

Penang is an island off the north-west corner of Peninsular Malaysia. At one time, it was considered to be a sun worshipper's mecca. This is no longer the case. The development of innumerable five-star resorts along the coast has resulted in over-saturation of relatively small beaches. And, as a direct result of these delevopments, the once clean water is now murky.

We are staying in Georgetown, which is the biggest town on the island of Penang. Georgetown is like all other Malaysian cities that we have visited. It has a decrepid Chinatown with narrow, twisting roads that are crowded with market and food stalls. It has a slightly nicer Little India with the wonderful aroma of each food establishment interrupted by the fould smelling sewer that runs alongside. And then it has enormous, modern complexes with middle-eastern architecture. The blend of cultures, as well as the blend of old and new are striking.

We are staying at the Love Lane Inn. The hostel is relatively quiet at the moment, with few guests. The owner tells us that at this time last year the hostel was fully occupied. He reckons that people are wary of travelling in a Muslim country after the September 11 events.

This evening was spent watching live English soccer in a bar next door to the hostel. The very drunk owner of the bar, a Malaysian of Indian decent, ensured that a very interesting evening ensued. He provided much amusement with his conviction that Davie was the splitting-image of Martin Keown (an English soccer player). But his attempts to convince the other patrons of the bar fell on deaf ears. The real source of interest this evening were the large bets on the soccer matches that the bar owner and his friends were placing via mobile phone. One patron of the bar supposedly stood to win $5000 if Arsenal won their match. Liverpool spoiled his evening by equalizing. The evening's events reminded that the recent match-fixing scandals in the English game had their roots in this part of the world.

Malaysia, 14 Jan 2002

Today was spent wandering the streets of Georgetown. There is not much to see in this city. The highlights of the day were the meals. In general, I have found the food in Malaysia to be fantastic. Everywhere I look, there are restaurants and food stalls. It doesn't matter if I am eating Indian, Chinese, Indonesian, or Malay food... the flavours are amazing.

One strange aspect of eating in Malaysia is the lack of knives. You typically get a fork and a spoon with your meal. I think that you are supposed to use the spoon when you would expect to use a knife. This is especially difficult when you get a meal in which the meat is still on the bone. When getting a chicken dish from a stall or street vendor, the dish usually contains three or four buundles of bones with some chicken between them. Try using a fook and spoon to detach the chicken from these bundles of bones! We usually just end up using our hands.

Malaysia, 15 Jan 2002

Today, we paid the owner of our hostel to take us on a driving tour of the island. We gave him a very reasonable US$7 each to drive us around the island for most of the day. It is a service that he performs only for guests at the hostel. He took us to see some Buddhist temples, a fishing village, a butterfly farm, a tropical fruit farm, and Penang Hill.

The Buddhist temples are amazing. I cannot imagine ever tiring of visiting them. The most interesting of these temples was Snake Temple, where live snakes adorned the decorative displays. As far as I was concerned, there is absolutely no need for the plethora of written warnings that tell visitors not to prod the snakes. While this was the most interesting temple, it was also the biggest tourist trap that we have visited so far on this trip. Everything was presented with an angle towards getting "donations" from the tourists.

The butterfly farm on Penang is far better than the one that we visited in the Cameron Highlands. Again, we saw butterflies, millipedes, beetles, stick insects, leaf insects, scaorpions, and so on.

A tram carries passengers to the top of Penang Hill, from which there are great views of Georgetown. This tram takes a painfully long amount of time to get to the top and back down. At the top, the vista is ruined by a slight haze of pollution that hangs over the island. Unless one has time to waste in Penang, I would recommend giving this sight a miss.

Davie was very sociable tonight, inviting a couple of guys in our dorm to join us for dinner. We were joined by Paul, an interesting guy from England, and Tom, a really annoying know-it-all from Minnesota. We went for a fantastic meal in the Little India area of town. When we sat down, a very large green leaf was placed before each of us. Then some dipping sauces were placed on the leaf, along with a very large portion of rice and a popadum. And then finally the meat and sauce that we ordered were placed on the leaf. It was a fantastic meal and it cost less than US$2. A few beers at a reggae bar rounded the evening off nicely.

Spending:

$535 for 18 nights

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