Malaysia...a hidden treasure

Oh Malaysia, how I’ll miss you…

 

           Once again, I am speechless. Malaysia- the country I knew almost next to nothing about- is now one of my favorite places on earth. It was such a stark contrast from India. In India, I saw thousands of homeless people sleeping on the streets next to cows and dogs, I heard hundreds of rickshaw horns blasting every minute, and I smelt dozens of things I would like to never smell again. However, here in Malaysia, I experienced none of this. When I have some time to sit and write about India, you will be able to understand why these two South East Asian countries are so different. Until then, I’ll focus only on my five days in Malaysia.

           I’ve already told you about day one in my last post, so I’ll move on to day 2…I ran into my friend Brad late on Wednesday night (the first night) and he said that the trip to the Cameron Highlands was still a go. It would be me, this girl Sarah, Geoff, Brad, Josh and Jesse. Originally, they booked it for four, but Geoff and I hopped on the trip last minute. I got a good nights sleep, woke up for breakfast the next morning (day 2) and settled the details of our trip with Brad. I headed back to my room after breakfast and packed for the trip. I packed some cooler-weather clothes because I heard that it would be anywhere between 50-75 degrees in the Highlands- a huge difference from the 90+ degree weather in Penang. Well, I ran into a problem. I hardly had any clean clothes left! Laundry hadn’t been collected on my hall since a few days before India. You know what that means? All my clothes that I wore a few days before India and WHILE in India had been sitting in my room for over a week and a half. Gross. Last night (10/26) was the first day laundry was collected since 10/11-ish. It was about 17 days between laundry days. Lovely. Any who, I digress.

           Thankfully, my brother had t-shirts made for his Travel website (www.roamwithme.net) that he sent with me on SAS. Lets just say I’ve worn about 5 of them so far and they’ve been my saving grace! (Thanks Philip!). It didn’t seem that I packed much in my pack but when I went to put it on my back, I realized I packed more than I thought. Oh well. After I packed, I hopped on a tender and headed to the port with my laptop to load some pictures. Unfortunately, the connection I had was really bad so I was only able to load a handful of pictures onto Facebook. When I’m in Viet Nam, I’m going to try to get to an Internet café instead of using wireless that way I have a better connection to load pictures. After about an hour or so, I headed back to the ship, grabbed a bite to eat, grabbed my pack and headed out to meet up with my group.

           We met at the entrance to the port, hopped in cabs and headed to the bus station for a 4:30 bus ride to Kuala Lumpur. We reached KL in about four hours and we were dropped off in the middle of the city. KL was much different than I expected. I hadn’t even planned to go to KL while in Malaysia so that was a nice little addition. Granted, we only spent about 14 hours in the city, but it was a great experience nonetheless. The six of us grabbed our packs and headed out in search of food and a place to stay for the night. We ended up eating at this restaurant called Nandos, which had an Afro-Portuguese inspired menu. The food was great and cheap- exactly what I wanted. After we ate, we headed out in search of a place to stay for the night. We checked out one hostel, but it was a little shady and too far from the Petronas Towers (all Jesse wanted to do was see the towers). We walked a few miles and ended up at the Swiss Garden hotel, the hotel that the Semester at Sea group was staying in. Sarah and I handled getting a room and we managed to book a “family room”for 4 people but we did a bad thing and snuck all 6 of us in! (Shh, don’t tell the management). With the breakdown of the 6 of us, we spent just under 30$ USD for each of us to stay in a 4 star hotel. I would have been just as happy spending 3$ USD to stay in a hostel, but I’ll admit, it was a nice treat to stay in a hotel like that.

           After we put our luggage down, we freshened up, threw some new clothes on and headed out in search of some night life. The six of us decided to take it easy and we ended up at a restaurant/bar instead of at a club like most of the people. We had a few drinks, hung out for a few hours, and called it a night. We had a busy 3 days ahead of us and we all wanted to try to get as many hours of sleep as possible. The next morning, a few of us had breakfast at the hotel and then we headed out to the KL Tower (looks like the space needle building in Vegas) and went up in the lookout tower. It was the coolest thing to look out over the city and see the Petronas Towers from a few hundred feet up in the air. I didn’t realize how big the city was until I had that particular vantage point. After we spent some time up in the Tower, we headed down and took a cab to the Petronas Towers, took a few pictures, and headed to the bus station to make the 1pm bus to the Cameron Highlands.

           The buses here that are used for long distance trips are definitely nicer than any bus I’ve ridden in back home. There’s more leg room than you know what to do with, some of the buses have TV/Computer screens in the back of each chair, and the chairs recline to almost laying position. We didn’t get the super luxury buses, but we definitely were riding in style to say the least. It cost about 10$USD per person for a 5 hour bus ride. How can you go wrong with that? We didn’t expect the trip from KL to the Highlands to take as long as it did, but oh well. It was monsooning as we were going up the mountains and more than once my heart was in my stomach as we snaked slowly around cliffs and shear drop offs. Thank god the drivers knew what they were doing.

           When we reached the Highlands, I was in awe. Before I even stepped off the bus, I knew that I was going to have a great time. Everywhere you looked, there was lush green vegetation, trees that reached high into the sky, and plants that had leaves the size of plane propellers! In case you guys don’t know, the Cameron Highlands are famous for their tea plantations, strawberry fields, and fruit and vegetable orchards. Basically, if you like to eat, you’d love the Highlands.

           We headed to Daniels Lodge (I HIGHLY recommend this backpackers hostel to anyone and everyone that is planning on visiting the Highlands) and I was pleased with its quality. The staff was friendly and helpful, the grounds were immaculate, the rooms- although plain- were clean and tidy, and there was even a small bar and common area where a bonfire was built every night that it didn’t rain. We all dropped our packs and headed out to Mayflower restaurant (genuine Chinese) where we had something called a Steam Boat. None of us knew what we were getting ourselves into but it was highly recommended by Box, one of the staff members of Daniels Lodge. It was a huge pot that was divided down the middle and two differently types of broth were in it. It was placed on a propane-fed burner that was placed on the middle of our table. On the left was a chicken based broth and the other side was a hot and sour broth. We all looked around at each other wondering what was next. Within minutes, bowls of STUFF kept coming out from the kitchen. Beef, chicken, jelly fish, fish balls, a white fish that I can’t remember the name of, crab meat, prawns, rice noodles, egg noodles, whole eggs, veggies, tofu chunks, etc. Box explained to us that we were supposed to cook all the food in the broth once it started boiling. So we did. We started cooking the chicken and beef, ate it when it was finished, and then started placing other things into the broth. The whole process was foreign to me but I would definitely order a Steam Boat again. I tried some jellyfish (I flash cooked it for about 10 seconds in the hot and sour broth) but I found that it didn’t taste like much of anything. I didn’t dislike it, but I don’t think I’d eat it again.

           After dinner, we headed back to Daniels Lodge, sat around the campfire, socialized a bit and then called it a night. We had to be up early the next morning for our all-day exploration extravaganza. For 30$ USD a person, we spent an entire day- 11 hours- doing the following: a 3 hour jungle trek, swimming in a river, off-roading (have lots of videos from this) in Land Rovers, a visit to a local Malay village (way better than the trip I did with SAS the first day) with a demonstration of a blow gun, lunch at a restaurant that overlooked the strawberry orchards (not included in the price, but cost maybe 5$ USD), a visit to a Butterfly Garden which was more like a visit to an insect and reptile zoo, but so much fun, a tour of the BOH Tea Plantation’s production facility, a mini-tour of the actual tea fields, and a visit to a strawberry orchard where I had fresh strawberries and a strawberry Belgian waffle. Every single thing that we did during those 11 hours was incredible. Off-roading was by far the most adrenaline-evoking activity we did all day. At one point, our Land Rover felt like it was going to tip on its side (there is video of my freaking out!) because we were stuck in a rut and had to try to back out which just made it worse. We ended up not tipping over, thank god. 

           Our jungle trek was a lot of fun. It reminded me a lot of Lencois but in a rainforesty kind of way. Lencois will always be hard to top but the jungle trek I did in the Cameron Highlands definitely gave it a run for its money. As we were walking along a “path”, our guide stopped short and motioned for us all to stop and stay still. He found a cobra on the path, chopped its head off, and threw it into the brush. I didn’t watch him do it. There were a few times we had to cross “bridges”which were more like 5 pieces of bamboo roped together and I felt that they would come apart at any minute. Luckily, we all made it across without falling through the cracks.

           We ended up hiking to a spot where a very rare flower (actually a fungus) bloomed a few days before. I wish I could remember the name of it, but it’s escaping my memory right now. I’m sure I have it on video somewhere. Some people complained about the hike revolving around getting to this flower, but I thought it was amazing to see one of the rarest fungus’s in the world with my own two eyes. I guess I appreciate the small things in life more so than some of the people I was with. After taking a few pictures with the flower, we headed back on the route we trekked earlier to the swimming hole area. I was a little disappointed with the waterfall because it was much smaller than the ones I encountered in Lencois. It was still a beautiful spot to swim. The water was cool and refreshing and I cooled off and splashed around a little. I didn’t go swimming because I didn’t have a towel to dry off with and hiking in a wet bathing suit is not fun. I thoroughly enjoyed myself anyway.

           After about a half hour, we packed up and headed back to the two Land Rovers. I thought the ride down the mountain would be easier, but it was just as difficult but for different reasons. The same ruts that gave us trouble getting up gave us trouble getting down. I videotaped a majority of the drive down just so everyone can see how hardcore it really was. When we made it down to the valley, we headed to a rural Malay village to see how they lived and to watch a blowgun demonstration by the head of the village. I learned more in the 45 minutes I spent at this one compound then I did the first day on a 5 hour Semester at Sea FDP. SAS really needs to improve the quality of some of their FDP’s or at least make sure that what they write in the FDP packet is what we actually do.

           I attempted to use the blowgun but I wasn’t very successful. I miss the target by a long shot! Oh well…I guess it’s a good thing I don’t need to use a blowgun to acquire my meals. After the demonstration, I walked around the village and videotaped some of the houses and the children. I had two bouncy balls in my backpack that I gave to the children and at first they weren’t sure what to do with them. I had to demonstrate the bounce before they caught on. I love giving children little gifts like that especially since I know they probably never have received toys to play with.

           After our visit to the Malay village, we headed back to the town we were staying in (45 minutes away) and had lunch at a Chinese restaurant that overlooked a strawberry orchard. I don’t think I’ll ever look at a fruit or vegetable field the same way again. There was so much natural beauty surrounding me and my senses were almost overwhelmed. I might not have stopped and smelled the roses, but I definitely stopped and smelled the strawberries J

           After lunch, we headed to a butterfly farm where I thought we’d just walk into a large enclosure filled with butterflies. Man, was I wrong! I felt like I was in an insect and reptile sanctuary. Actually, I guess you can call it that if you’d like to. There were dozens of different types of insects and reptiles enclosed in glass and plastic cages. I saw insects that were the size of small mammals! I even let one of the workers put a scorpion on my shoulder! I was fine for about five seconds and then I started having a panic attack and I must have said “take it off”a dozen times in the matter of a few seconds. I also held a turtle and a frog and I was going to hold a millipede that was about a foot long but then I got way too grossed out when I saw all its legs moving. Yuck. Finally, I had enough insects and reptiles and I made my way into the butterfly enclosure.

           I have mixed feelings about the butterfly farm. Yes, they are beautiful to look at and I enjoyed seeing hundreds of them. However, I didn’t like that there were dozens of butterflies that had broken wings and were left on the pathways to flutter around and eventually die. Call me over-emotional or a sap for bugs, but I was really upset by this. I actually left within a few minutes because I couldn’t handle seeing all the dead butterflies. To make matters worse, my guide showed me a trashcan filled with hundreds of dead butterflies that were picked up over the last few days and thrown away. 

           After the butterflies, we headed to the BOH Tea Plantation. I can’t even describe the vastness of the tea fields. A Scottish family founded the plantation in the 1920’s and all the tea trees that are in the fields are over 85 years old. I was truly amazed at the scenery and I could have driven through the plantation for hours without becoming bored. We had a brief tour of the packaging process (I have it on video for those that are interested) and then grabbed a hot cup of tea from inside the store. I bought quite a few boxes of tea and a couple bags of coffee and the total came out to be 22$ USD! You can’t even buy 2 bags of Starbucks coffee back in the states for that amount! God I love Asia.

           By the time we left the tea plantation, the sun was starting to set and we had to still see the strawberry farm. I was afraid that the store would be closed by the time we got there but our guide (OH!! I have to tell you guys something pretty cool. My guides name was Vinot- pronounced the same way my last name is! V-Not! I was so excited!) reassured me that they would be open. Sure enough, when we pulled up, they were still open. Before we bought any food, we learned a little about the strawberry growing and harvesting process. Did you know that the life expectancy of a strawberry plant that is not touched by humans is 2-3 years but the plants that they allow the public to harvest strawberries from last only 6 months? Why, you ask. Well, the human hand excretes oils that are poisonous to strawberry plants! Interesting, huh? I thought so.

           The strawberries that I tasted were by far some of the best I’ve ever had. They were smaller than the genetically modified “strawberries”we have back home but they packed way more of a punch. Some were sweeter than others and some had a slight sourness to them but the different flavors always balanced each other out. Some people ordered strawberry milkshakes, strawberry ice cream, strawberry short cake, or just plain strawberries but I ordered a Belgian waffle that came with fresh whipped cream, fresh strawberries, and warm chocolate sauce. I was in gustatory heaven! The best thing about this part of the tour was we were at the top of a mountain overlooking the forests, tea plantations and strawberry fields at a beautiful sunset. I really couldn’t have asked for anything more beautiful.

           When we arrived back to town, Vinot dropped us off and we headed to a German restaurant where we ordered pizza. I thought it was wonderful but the other people in my group weren’t blown away by it. It was the first time I had pizza since the beginning of September and I thought it was up there with the strawberry Belgian waffle I had a few hours prior. I guess I’m easily pleased when it comes to food.

           After dinner, we headed back to the lodge, sat around for an hour or so and then headed to sleep relatively early. We had a very long day and we had another early morning ahead of us. We were heading back to Penang the next morning via a van that cost about 16$USD per person and we wanted to leave around 9am to make sure we were back to the ship on time. Everything went to plan and we were on the road by 9am. We stopped at a few rest stops (extremely clean but only had squatter toilets...which, I should add, I’ve come to appreciate and don’t dislike any more), grabbed a bite to eat (I had some of the best papaya and watermelon in my life here), and were back to Penang before 1:30 in the afternoon. We had a few hours to spare before we needed to be back on the ship but I decided to hop on the next tender back to the ship. I was exhausted from the last 3 days and I passed out for almost three hours right when I got back.

           Overall, Malaysia by far exceeded any expectations I had. I definitely want to add it to the list of places I want to go back to. There are so many activities to do and places to see that it would be nearly impossible to get even the slightest “taste”of what Malaysia has to offer in 5 days. Next time I visit Malaysia, I want to make it to Borneo to visit the Orangutans’; visit the elephant sanctuaries; stay a few days on the island of Langkawi; head back up to the Highlands and do some more off-roading and jungle trekking. The list goes on. I’m heading to Viet Nam now and we dock in Ho Chi Minh City on October 30^th. I’ll be there for two days and then I fly to Cambodia for three days (Angkor Wat and Phenom Phen). I have a feeling that the blog I write for Viet Nam and Cambodia will be fueled more by emotion than by excitement. Keep an eye out for my next blog update...

 

Amanda

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           I just wanted to supplement this blog article by telling you about a documentary I watched a couple hours ago. It is titled Bombhunters and it is about the Cambodian people who hunt for and dig up bombs that we (the American government) dropped on them in the late sixties and early seventies. I could write pages right now about the anger and sadness that I felt while watching this documentary, but I’ve decided to digest these emotions before writing about a topic that I am still too ill-educated on. When I educate myself on why we dropped 20 million bombs on Cambodia, I’ll come back to this blog post and express my emotions thoroughly. Until then, I just want to let you know that millions of Cambodians are at risk every single day because of undetonated bombs (referred to as UXO) and landmines. The Thai-Cambodian border has the highest rate of UXO in the country and also the highest rate of death by UXO. There are thousands of poor Cambodian men who risk their lives every day by hunting out and digging up UXO to dismantle and cut apart to sell to scrap metal dealers. For one kilogram of iron that they are able to salvage, they earn a few American cents. Cents, not dollars, CENTS. In one instance, four men dismantled a 300+kg bomb over a period of 8 days. Guess what they were paid for the scrap metal they collected? 21$ USD. 21$/ 4 people/ 8 days/ 7 hours a day= less than 10 CENTS an hour per person. How, in this day and age, is this possible? And we complain about making THOUSANDS, if not HUNDREDS of THOUSANDS, of dollars. 

           Maybe those people who complain so much about “not having money”should spend a day in the life of a poor Cambodian. Maybe those people who complain so much about “nothing having money”should spend a night laying on the streets of Agra, India, next two three sleeping cows and a dog without any shelter. Maybe those people who complain so much about “not having money”should shut the hell up, think about what is really important to them in their lives, and then ask themselves why they think they have the right to complain when they have so many opportunities and privileges that a majority of the world will never have. Maybe they need to stop living in that little bubble they call comfort and open their eyes. It is not so hard to see how the rest of the world lives when you actually care.