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I am sitting in one of the nicest, cheapest, internet cafes I’ve come across so far. I am in Melaka… a very small, old town on the west coast of Malaysia.
This city/town is quite old – they call it the “heart” of Malaysia and it was once a very important port. Due to it’s strategic location, many have coveted the prize. It has been occupied by the Portuguese, Dutch, and English before Malaysia finally became independent in the 60′s. Therefore, the architecture is distinctly European… I feel nostalgic for Europe as I walk the streets, but the population comprises Malays, Indians, and Chinese! So while the streets, cobblestones, and churches whisper memories of Europe, the food is a spicy Eastern palette. Actually it seems the best of both worlds! :) I’ve eaten VERY well here.
Melaka
One of many delicious meals
So, yeah, Malaysia, how did I end up here? Well… I had a massive 3-day “Fit of Indecision” TM in Bangkok after leaving Koh Phi Phi. Somehow I got a visa to Vietnam (~$45) and also booked flights to Bali (~$120) within 24 hours. hahahahaha. haha. ha… ha… <cough> Long story, but I ended up deciding to go south instead of north while covering my bases for both. So, here I am, in Malaysia, and this Sunday I fly to Bali. I will probably be in Indonesia for a month or two. :D Very excited!! It seems to be a fascinating place. As usual I’m behind on reading up about it though… It was really hard to leave Koh Phi Phi, though. That place really sucks you in and I was definitely feeling it’s magical hold.
Children playing
Malaysia has been a nice surprise. I wasn’t expecting much, to be honest – hadn’t done any research whatsoever and have been going by word-of-mouth recommendations as well as snippets from my Southeast Asia Lonely Planet (which doesn’t get very detailed as it covers many countries). You could even say my expectations were low. But, quite frankly, this place has knocked my socks off. The people are so incredibly friendly and helpful. And while the men are quite old fashioned and some (very few) are scum – as you find in many places, on the whole it isn’t that hard to travel alone here as a girl. The worst you get is people kissing at you as though they are calling a dog or cat, which happens about every 200 meters. Easily ignored. I’ve had many interesting conversations where I’ve been asked things like “How could your father let you travel alone?!” and pretty much everyone is surprised when they learn that I’m by myself. The women seem envious and the men shake their heads. EVERYONE says it’s dangerous. Oh, if they only knew…
That said, my entrance to the country was a weeeee bit sketchy… I arrived at the Thai/Malay border in the dark of a rainy night (this was unplanned – my transportation was a couple hours later than what I had expected), and was the last one to cross the border (they almost didn’t let me pass), only to find that all busses to the town I was going to, Kota Bharu (a very traditional muslim town) were gone for the night. Just as I began to get nervous, alongside a soldier with a large gun who helped me (but one can never be sure of an armed man’s intentions) and started walking me toward a dark pathway, I found a girl waiting for a friend to pick her up. Thank goodness – they gave me a ride into town and even bought me dinner!! I met up with them later as well. Very nice people.
I spent a couple of days in Kota Bharu, and was very hot there. I wore trousers, a t-shirt, and a hoodie over that (needed the long sleeves to cover up, because god forbid men see your elbows and think of sex) and walked all over the place under the broiling sun in essentially winter getup. I don’t know how the women there do it – I was sweating like a mad dog.
I have now purchased a nice fake wedding ring set, for about $3. It’s quite pretty actually, and I chuckle to myself every time I look at it. “I’m on my way to meet my husband… yes, he’s a very LARGE man, very angry and jealous man.. he’s just around the corner, would you like to meet him?” ;) ;) Anyway if you see it in the pictures, no, I have not gotten married!
From Kota Bharu I took the “Jungle Train” to the Taman Negara (literally translated = “National Park”). It’s the largest park in Malaysia and comprises one of the oldest standing jungle forests in the world. The ice age did not affect this forest, so dinosaurs roamed within its bounds. Easy to imagine while walking around. :) It was truly amazing.
View from the Jungle Train
I took a 3-day trek in the jungle. The first night, we slept in an enormous cave which could fit a family of elephants, as well as a “hide” where we tried to see some animals, of which there were none (I’m sure all the animals know to keep away from this particular trail, frequently walked by tourists). :) We saw many leeches, evil little things, and heard many other insects and birds… but no elephants, tigers, leopards, or other exciting animals that you want to see, from afar of course.. ;) I spent the majority of the time with a couple from Belgium, Sylvie & Rob, as well as an eccentric Spaniard (Basque) named Reuben, and an American girl named Janelle, who is now living in New Zealand. It was a fun crew.
Sylvie and Rob in our water taxi into the park
Camping in a giant cave
After 3 days of sweating (with one stream bath) and walking and brushing off flies and insects, I made my way to Melaka where I have been incredibly lazy and would get fat if I stayed. Today I will take a bus to Kuala Lumpur where I plan to walk around yet another city and probably eat even more good Malay food. I hear there’s good shopping (not like I want to make my pack any heavier – I just mailed a second box home, this one weighing 3 kilos and (sniff) includes my tent), and I hear there’s also a good climbing area just outside of town. We’ll see if I can make it there…
