Odd happenings

Sweltering heat and humidity welcomed me as I stepped off my Super VIP bus onto the KualaLumpur (KL) sidewalk. My first move was to avoid the touts (people trying to sell you a hotel room) and get directions to my hostel, Grocer's Inn. It's in Chinatown, right next to a streetside barbershop. Inside are yellow walls and very aged wooden furniture, in the realms of antique.

After showering and redressing in dirty clothes (I've not yet resorted to just perfume as a detergent, but that may be soon coming), I set off to see a few sights of KL. I wandered through Chinatown (stressful) and then to the Central Market, which I recognised from my previous layover visit in 2005. It's essentially a mall, but in a very cool art-deco building.

After getting disoriented a few times ( vey common in KL) I found my way to Jamek Mosque, where I donned a robe and my first head scarf and was greeted with enthusiasm by the young and old man minding the door. When I said I was from the US, the young one said, "Everything is so strong there! It's a great country." Funny coming from a Muslim, considering our issues. But it was lovely.

After the mosque, I set off to find the old train station. Looking a little lost with my map in hand, a few locals took it upon themselves to offer help and gave me the fastest route. I was about halfway there when I looked up and saw what I thought was a familiar face.

I shouted, "Mamma Mia Pizzaria!"

He turned around. It was Mateo/Mateusz (he goes by either). In a city of over 2 million, it was a strange collision... We sat on the curb a while and smoked another menthol-clove cigarette (don't worry, this is not a new habit). Then sat down for a smoothie (called "shakes" here) before walking around KL through Little India and surroundings.
Mosque... see the people "sleeping," ahem "praying" inside?
I love the mix of architecture here.
KL from the top of a hotel bar where I didn't buy a drink, but I used the bathroom! :)

Central Market, duh.

Photos- Ko Pha Ngan, Georgetown, Cameroon Highlands

KO PHA NGAN
I found these guys on a hill in Ko Pha Ngan. They were just too cute. I'm gonna have these on my compound in Montana someday instead of gnomes. Well maybe gnomes too.
Sunset on Ko Pha Ngan. Can you feel the peace?


MALAYSIA --- GEORGETOWN
Jackfruit, my new favorite fruit (it's about 8 inch in diameter.) Those little sections come out and you eat them and they have a little, well big, seed in the middle. Don't eat that part!

Turtles at the Temple. There were hundreds of them!

Typical Polish Tourist (Mateusz). We met on the minibus travelling from Thailand to Malaysia. He was with his friends who were working in KL (Kuala Lumpur) and they were going home. We were both going to Georgetown/ Penang. Ended up spending two days wandering the city on foot and bus, passing a dead rat and dolphin along the way, getting free tofu-brown sugar dessert from an old Muslim guy in a wheelchair, smoking a few menthol-clove cigarettes, and bargaining like you've never seen before! I learned a bit about Poland in the process. They sure like KFC! Heh, heh.

Me with the best Chinese year-- my dragon.

Kek Lok Si Temple from the top of the Pagoda.

His Girlfriend.

Pineapples and fire--two of my favorite things, together! Just like Reese's cups! :) Only I don't really like Reese's Cups.

Check out the pantaloon shorts on this lady! If only you could see her dance (no torso movement at all). Mateusz thought she would be good at elephant riding.

Too bad we didn't have any marshmallows. After the festival to rid evilness was over, they burned everything. It was very hot. This was across the street from our guesthouse.

The guesthouse, 75 Traveller's Lodge, in Georgetown, formerly an antiques place- now owned by a professor of architecture who is currently a visiting prof in Tasmania. It's over 100 years old and filled with antiques.
Kenny, the 75 year old man who saved us from sleeping in the streets and gave all the inside info on the guesthouse and Georgetown. He also lived in Queens for a while.

The morning light- that end room with the bars was one of the rooms. Not a lot of privacy, but a ton of character.

I was just amazed by the lighting in there that morning...

Me showing my "American-ness" during my favorite pasttime, riding buses. Why is it that all my foreign friends take me to American fast food places?

All the sidewalks were covered in archways and painted beautiful colors in Georgetown. It was my dreamtown, colorwise-- just gorgeous.


CAMEROON HIGHLANDS-- TANAH RATA AND SURROUNDS

I just liked the ground here. You know me and rocks and leaves, we have a serious thing going.

Cook Islands take 2. The guidebook said this was a paved path and the locals said it would take about one hour. Either I am blind and out of shape or they were not telling the truth!

The satellite dish makes it everywhere!

Cameroon Highlands tea plantation, where I took a tour of the tea factory and learned the process of tea making. Afterward, I walked back through these fields with a German girl and Swiss guy. Only fell once. Hehe. I have an affinity for the ground. I really should have been shorter. It would have been much safer for me.

When my camera battery died for the day. So sad!

I am headed to Kuala Lumpur tomorrow for a few days then to Singapore, after which I will fly to Taipei to see my friend Grace for the holidays. Carrie is joining me in Thailand on Jan 9th just after the stroke of midnight. We'll be embarking on a sister's tour of Northern Thailand, Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam.

Travelling south

I got a wild hair up my ass and decided that I should bus it down to Malaysia after the Full Moon party. After 1 hour 40 minutes of sleep, I got up and caught a taxi to the ferry back to mainland Thailand, after which I boarded a songtheaw (taxi-like thing) and then a couple minibuses before arriving at the Malaysia border. I lost track of how many hours it was- a lot!

The major glitch in the plan was some sort of stomach issue that morning. With a squat toilet combined with a ferry boat cleanliness, I was well in the throes of montezuma's revenge and other things. Ok, too much information. But I managed to get to Malaysia after about 20 hours of nausea, etc.

The guidebooks had warnings about crossing at any other point other than Satun and this little island off the coast of Thailand, but I crossed at the regular road crossing, after inquiring locally about safety. I was in the company of five other foreigners who were traveling together and working in KL, Malaysia. They were from Poland, Estonia, Columbia and I can't remember where else... It was no problem crossing the border and arriving into Georgetown, Malaysia.

More tomorrow... (with pics.)