Trip Report: Kuala Lampur and the Cameron Highlands

My first destination in Malaysia was the capital city, Kuala Lampur.  Kuala Lampur is a huge city with over 6.9 million people in the metro area.  It is a five hour bus ride from Singapore, costing around $30 USD.  A great deal... unless you get stuck on my bus.<div><br /></div><div>The bus I took from Singapore left at 5PM... perfect timing to catch rush hour!  We spent two hours traveling through Singapore (20 miles) to get to the border of Singapore and Malaysia.  At the border everyone must jump off the bus with all of their luggage, go through customs, and hop back on.  We then spent an hour traveling across a two mile stretch of bridge moving less then a dozen feet a minute!  On the other side of the bridge we had to hop off again and check through the customs in Malaysia.  After all of the shuffling we were finally on the road to KL at 8PM.  An hour later we stopped for a 30 minute dinner break.  After the dinner break we fell into a routine of driving for an hour, stopping to drop a person off, and then driving another hour.  About three hours of that and the ride got very interesting....  </div><div><br /></div><div>I woke up to the bus slamming to a stop on the side of the road and police lights everywhere.  From what I could see in the bus window the driver was in pretty big trouble for something.  We spent nearly an hour on the side of the road waiting for the cops to figure it out, after it was all done the driver received a ticket that must have been very large judging by his reaction and face when he got back in the bus... talk about road rage!  We arrived in KL at 2 AM, 4 hours after I was told.  I headed towards the ATM to withdraw the correct currency for a taxi ride to the hostel, only to find out that all of the ATM's go "offline" from 12-3 AM.  So my only option was to walk to the hostel.  I had printed off from the hostel's webpage and thought I was set... Turns out I ended up doing circles around the city center.  I tried the ATM as soon as the clock ticked 3 AM, only to find out that my bank card had been blocked by the bank... </div><div><br /></div><div>As I walked away from the ATM I was out of ideas and very tired, I started looking for a small corner to sleep in on the street and wait until the morning for the money exchange to open up... I couldn't even find a decent spot to sit down, but that was when I saw it, a shining beacon of light in the night, my savior: McDonald's.  A massive two story building housed the most amazing McDonald's ever. open 24-Hour, leather couches to lounge in, and free Wi-Fi.  I sat down, called my bank, got my card unblocked, enjoyed a Big Mac meal, and withdrew money for the taxi.  I finally made it to the hostel at 4AM.</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy1mxYNgO_BWDTTKJdaBZpmNyThjYyRKUpIAhSpld59ibABY1SVQGqnG_ugppSppyxCPjQKNgt-1DS5j_tEbxL1OD8wZfXFGcn12RwgKupwTj_9FOX6StB4n93LlM947LJHbc8fF7DNSk/s1600/DSCN1100.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy1mxYNgO_BWDTTKJdaBZpmNyThjYyRKUpIAhSpld59ibABY1SVQGqnG_ugppSppyxCPjQKNgt-1DS5j_tEbxL1OD8wZfXFGcn12RwgKupwTj_9FOX6StB4n93LlM947LJHbc8fF7DNSk/s320/DSCN1100.JPG" width="320" /></a>Thankfully I got the rough part of the trip out of the way early!  The rest of my nine days in Malaysia were absolutely perfect.  </div><div></div><div>I meet up with Logan from California the next morning and a few other students who go to NTU.  We started our day off visiting the famous Batu caves just outside of downtown KL.  They were nice.  In all honestly it was extremely hot, crowded, smelly, and pretty average.  The photo's look cool though!</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL3PNUgDhceyiYpnsA1RsmsQOZL1JCAtuKHM032eE_7uQKVyej_WFTbahpWpYtvMATYn-_TFwoDFwbj5aEV-ykWq7CaOfQAl8cHAfOcatwYmz7OXZ2iOO9XG-6NVTRgbOhyphenhyphencv8QMPjxaw/s1600/DSCN1073.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL3PNUgDhceyiYpnsA1RsmsQOZL1JCAtuKHM032eE_7uQKVyej_WFTbahpWpYtvMATYn-_TFwoDFwbj5aEV-ykWq7CaOfQAl8cHAfOcatwYmz7OXZ2iOO9XG-6NVTRgbOhyphenhyphencv8QMPjxaw/s640/DSCN1073.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br />We then spent the afternoon in Chinatown  bargaining with street vendors for all sorts of random stuff.  I got a few fake but nice Polo Ralph Lauren shirts for $6 USD each, and a few nice "name brand" (fake) ties for $3 USD.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipla4O7W-WeC7-MuaHI3mwGvp8jJbCUnxyMsz4W_3wymNxqLpptvX2gbAsZqp_tA0Agz8aOT_eML5jXJp6e5mXUXRaeiIMQ-Ex0hKFfgxdrWIyTPJnC04teilCLEtxFYcfvuuuw85O3Y8/s1600/DSCN1127.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipla4O7W-WeC7-MuaHI3mwGvp8jJbCUnxyMsz4W_3wymNxqLpptvX2gbAsZqp_tA0Agz8aOT_eML5jXJp6e5mXUXRaeiIMQ-Ex0hKFfgxdrWIyTPJnC04teilCLEtxFYcfvuuuw85O3Y8/s400/DSCN1127.JPG" width="300" /></a>The next day we went to see the famous Petronas Towers which stand as the third tallest building in the world.  They we're very impressive, not only for their height but their design is incredible.<br /><br />It was a rather short visit to Kuala Lampur.  Many people told me that two days was enough to see all that Kuala Lampur had to offer and I completely agree with them.  Kuala Lampur is a carbon copy of Singapore, just dirtier and smellier.  That afternoon Logan and I hopped on a bus north to the city of Ipoh in the middle of Malaysia.  Thankfully it was a smooth and short bus ride, no cops, and we arrived at a decent time.  <br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI9ecAJ4_KkAmfWT6TYd382u2pBTHctI0d0TCC2_l5DfRe9cfjtLXbkgFUEGZmPsZ41-ASrCvkSfSZCw50gKjUpMM9hSVW0xL1i0W2dXul2Oio0qYjS9Uk56WBqqW1CBy84a9quWQvYuM/s1600/DSCN1153.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI9ecAJ4_KkAmfWT6TYd382u2pBTHctI0d0TCC2_l5DfRe9cfjtLXbkgFUEGZmPsZ41-ASrCvkSfSZCw50gKjUpMM9hSVW0xL1i0W2dXul2Oio0qYjS9Uk56WBqqW1CBy84a9quWQvYuM/s400/DSCN1153.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>Ipoh is one of the largest limestone producers in south-east Asia.  It was easy to see why, on our drive, massive rocks of limestone were scattered throughout the landscape.<br /><br />Our main reason to visit Ipoh was to see the Cameron Highlands.  The Cameron Highlands are located about two hours outside of Ipoh in the mountains of Malaysia.  We first planned to take a bus, but with it being Chinese New Year the buses were all sold out.  We asked the hotel receptionist if he could call to get us a taxi for the ride.  Normally a taxi ride to the Highlands and back is around $150 USD for two people.  When the hotel receptionist got off the phone he told us he found us a great deal; our own personal driver for the day, who would take us to all of the major attractions and show us all there was to see for only $80 USD!<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-7NsDJHIgsq79-qrlnc_zUHEWjpELZHc0H-AoPGCi52Ts3UVH3n57TXcMpt2Kssw5LKzX37hZjQ50aNU4161-ZWwxp29rNnbgTyLu9JAxB8-KV40MyXHGM_MLoL4DcF2XQAHCGuYV3YY/s1600/DSCN1191.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-7NsDJHIgsq79-qrlnc_zUHEWjpELZHc0H-AoPGCi52Ts3UVH3n57TXcMpt2Kssw5LKzX37hZjQ50aNU4161-ZWwxp29rNnbgTyLu9JAxB8-KV40MyXHGM_MLoL4DcF2XQAHCGuYV3YY/s400/DSCN1191.JPG" width="400" /></a>The next morning we hopped in the car with a kid who looked to be our age.  It was a really nice drive through the mountains and we had a good time talking with our driver about school in Malaysia and his life there.  He was a little older then us, majoring in Mechanical Engineering at school. <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFqS4mHxJRy3mKNXF0fnYNcwDPNQq9Vv89DiKMhaPATm8OY9_SpZSH9Mt2a_8ypNcd_aW9L-59BUlxKcZ2Ioc_e62iLp1fESIRT_JoVtGRMLabytf3TjBGXO0M3xw0mUbveH5n9vLi-fI/s1600/DSCN1231.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFqS4mHxJRy3mKNXF0fnYNcwDPNQq9Vv89DiKMhaPATm8OY9_SpZSH9Mt2a_8ypNcd_aW9L-59BUlxKcZ2Ioc_e62iLp1fESIRT_JoVtGRMLabytf3TjBGXO0M3xw0mUbveH5n9vLi-fI/s400/DSCN1231.JPG" width="400" /></a>I was awestruck when we reached the Highlands.  The temperate had dropped over thirty degrees to a balmy 60 F.  The hills were covered in farms of all kinds!   There were rows and rows of cabbages up and down the hills, millions of green houses with the most amazing flowers I have ever seen.<br /><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhY4DzkbkSFXDyQGnphHRNDypNLMAW8Zy2iGWs4SyOU1efbi8eSJlYIC24HbAyXSp6xnfi_Wkga2d-GfrL01iuY_wT6otwJLE8gm9X0dxGB1_vSkhVccNVQUFLEAO3HZ2SWZqt8yNA7nto/s1600/DSCN1472.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhY4DzkbkSFXDyQGnphHRNDypNLMAW8Zy2iGWs4SyOU1efbi8eSJlYIC24HbAyXSp6xnfi_Wkga2d-GfrL01iuY_wT6otwJLE8gm9X0dxGB1_vSkhVccNVQUFLEAO3HZ2SWZqt8yNA7nto/s640/DSCN1472.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFMakGlDYQ4jL5vnr8CcCA3EDX_iK6S-6OtArOZb1lLmtzKYPTW5ElK2timcYPKsPWEeHrhNCSoUmcoNAPKbUVzWmrOYs2JVPuIOXooidbH9jA2kuNnnBit7dsKAMIdfEGoUYgxCFMNhQ/s1600/DSCN1325.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFMakGlDYQ4jL5vnr8CcCA3EDX_iK6S-6OtArOZb1lLmtzKYPTW5ElK2timcYPKsPWEeHrhNCSoUmcoNAPKbUVzWmrOYs2JVPuIOXooidbH9jA2kuNnnBit7dsKAMIdfEGoUYgxCFMNhQ/s320/DSCN1325.JPG" width="320" /></a></div> Our first stop was to the strawberry farm.  Because of the climate and location they have fresh strawberries year round and because we were in Malaysia the prices were incredible.  We demolished the entire menu.  An hour of pure strawberry bliss!<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkLzzBdPuc8niDW-55c51S6IIy11dA58BcTE6cUPYA1Uq-Q740TWpeY7QnrApWxu1nBC0aLFCbpiNUKYIpVK7imybocKgOoJNZXU3qBqD2eKKOSCnqOG0crrVqtvY7A4XkbLR2nY_sGoE/s1600/DSCN1328.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkLzzBdPuc8niDW-55c51S6IIy11dA58BcTE6cUPYA1Uq-Q740TWpeY7QnrApWxu1nBC0aLFCbpiNUKYIpVK7imybocKgOoJNZXU3qBqD2eKKOSCnqOG0crrVqtvY7A4XkbLR2nY_sGoE/s400/DSCN1328.JPG" width="300" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAsCH7N7D4lJkpa7AnYqwoZaCIHuXLgCs3HIObNJzOTBzjUKlic2X7N4525Fz98YXh_C4552m-UBU6EHPzKa2DUgRT-B1G5m7Wo1ZOElaiN569a42WIW-4k_T65Z3GbuCIETcKpfpyDnw/s1600/DSCN1396.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAsCH7N7D4lJkpa7AnYqwoZaCIHuXLgCs3HIObNJzOTBzjUKlic2X7N4525Fz98YXh_C4552m-UBU6EHPzKa2DUgRT-B1G5m7Wo1ZOElaiN569a42WIW-4k_T65Z3GbuCIETcKpfpyDnw/s320/DSCN1396.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>After the strawberry farm we headed up the mountain even further to see the tea plantation.  The tea plantation is what the Cameron Highlands are known for.  It is massive, there are tea plants covering the hills for miles in every direction.  The way they lay out the plants makes for an incredible view.  We enjoyed one of the freshest and finest teas in the world!  It was definitely a once in a life time experience. <br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1repL5BRRvfW0STflg6NjRwecPs8dSHqdln0prkA6oqm4OUDTnjRXdb6X2eoIc_snKYXmg3dz5z13ym6k9VkB_w6XE0SLiAZ7GpgQdSu39tQHwwouIRyYNZD_OevzWc_TMFMAF5vDBL0/s1600/DSCN1403.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1repL5BRRvfW0STflg6NjRwecPs8dSHqdln0prkA6oqm4OUDTnjRXdb6X2eoIc_snKYXmg3dz5z13ym6k9VkB_w6XE0SLiAZ7GpgQdSu39tQHwwouIRyYNZD_OevzWc_TMFMAF5vDBL0/s640/DSCN1403.JPG" width="640" /></a></div> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi00WmJ20zfat4NuKj063-77vVqW5RBgmD42xTMYCTo4yY3ANmto3qgrsE-JwGVuaewY2-_i8tM-zQEAwleyMvOBvcbidQIS8ffS9TcihsEfeC3w6WN9XMuwTLMnULgfeNCT29xqj7LGaE/s1600/DSCN1419.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi00WmJ20zfat4NuKj063-77vVqW5RBgmD42xTMYCTo4yY3ANmto3qgrsE-JwGVuaewY2-_i8tM-zQEAwleyMvOBvcbidQIS8ffS9TcihsEfeC3w6WN9XMuwTLMnULgfeNCT29xqj7LGaE/s640/DSCN1419.JPG" width="640" /></a><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyY_hw4c7pox4n0HE96Q_ogxr7oI4Jn_uwh4XzD82jpATLUPQJmn5r8JRRBylxZLCs102TAQjiKomChV_QVHs8CRnuNmi4uiFsAduRakAR-8DI1BDgZOUoioLhETJE8iBIeXBqy8huYRs/s1600/DSCN1410.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyY_hw4c7pox4n0HE96Q_ogxr7oI4Jn_uwh4XzD82jpATLUPQJmn5r8JRRBylxZLCs102TAQjiKomChV_QVHs8CRnuNmi4uiFsAduRakAR-8DI1BDgZOUoioLhETJE8iBIeXBqy8huYRs/s640/DSCN1410.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjom-pPaCMx0oMKW5-cUeh9L0cB3_q5V-0QumOjruHWoGC-8_Ka3K8QEG3wN92pkiXHuCI1lfAmoiXU1jl83aX0z1kz-QucIMj5P0haB6okO-MMKQTlgpb2ZImVULvLwVjcpmy8X_nQ-qc/s1600/DSCN1478.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjom-pPaCMx0oMKW5-cUeh9L0cB3_q5V-0QumOjruHWoGC-8_Ka3K8QEG3wN92pkiXHuCI1lfAmoiXU1jl83aX0z1kz-QucIMj5P0haB6okO-MMKQTlgpb2ZImVULvLwVjcpmy8X_nQ-qc/s320/DSCN1478.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_V3guUC28HDvMYlc_w1JEk0x5fM_RvuZGSUtmowHRiFPrXP2JV8_HhUJLaNz-uPyV-2yQa6WL2EVIBpC9VxcizwLGOAUjCdKCkZx80l2mabUGSdPuQPC-KsAbbSCl_JTD2979sxN_kzY/s1600/DSCN1475.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_V3guUC28HDvMYlc_w1JEk0x5fM_RvuZGSUtmowHRiFPrXP2JV8_HhUJLaNz-uPyV-2yQa6WL2EVIBpC9VxcizwLGOAUjCdKCkZx80l2mabUGSdPuQPC-KsAbbSCl_JTD2979sxN_kzY/s640/DSCN1475.JPG" width="640" /></a> We spent the rest of the afternoon enjoying different fresh vegetables and then headed back down the mountain.  We were so lucky to have our own tour guide and driver.  The roads were backed up for miles in every direction due to the influx of visitors for holiday.  The bus would have been miserable and we wouldn't have been able to see half the stuff we got to see.  Our driver did a great job at avoiding the traffic, we hardly had to sit in it.  It was backed up for nearly 20 km in every direction!<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br />When we arrived back at the hotel the same receptionist greeted us with a big smile and asked how our trip was.  We told him how amazing the place was and thanked him so much for setting us up with such a great driver.  He smiled again and said "Well I'm glad he did a good job, I thought you guys would get along well with my son".  It turns out he called his son on his day off from school and asked him if he would spend his entire day driving us around.... we were speechless.... He couldn't have made more then $40 USD after gas and other expenses, what a great guy! <br /><br />What I loved most about Malaysia, more then the food, sights, and prices; was the people.  The people were incredible.  Most of them spoke English better then people in Singapore, everyone did a great job at pointing us in the right directions when we got lost, and they were always giving us big smiles.  A stunning fact I read about Malaysia was the unemployment rate is only at 3%, which allows the majority of people to live in the middle class.  Because of that there are less beggars, less people selling random junk, less people try to make every dollar they can off of tourists  and more people who are happy and willing to open up their minds and home to travelers   The generosity and kindness of the people continued throughout the trip which made for a very pleasurable time.<br /><br />This post is though day three of my ten day trip.  I will try to write up the posts for the rest of the trip as soon as I can!<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div><br /></div>

Trip Report: Kuala Lampur and the Cameron Highlands

My first destination in Malaysia was the capital city, Kuala Lampur.  Kuala Lampur is a huge city with over 6.9 million people in the metro ...

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Trip Report: Langkawi, Penang, and more....

After visiting the Cameron Highlands, Logan and I hopped on a bus and rode to Alor Setar, a coastal city near Thailand in Malaysia   We stayed the night there and in the morning took the ferry to Langkawi.<br /><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS1i4PAtnCyqDFWs8yXJGqVc4UxCFcN48Ud36Ck-aMb1JiterHisRUEUBsFM8JvvPOeXtTz0xz-mBbvk3x82WoYxmkuM6V5GxG1IWToCi1PQ9Y7cEQoztYbqs-bl18poDSoGEAMsv1zKU/s1600/DSCN1671.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS1i4PAtnCyqDFWs8yXJGqVc4UxCFcN48Ud36Ck-aMb1JiterHisRUEUBsFM8JvvPOeXtTz0xz-mBbvk3x82WoYxmkuM6V5GxG1IWToCi1PQ9Y7cEQoztYbqs-bl18poDSoGEAMsv1zKU/s640/DSCN1671.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivbPtSUiOR2UlAqczz5ZFEiYocNeCs-sqEGIaUnstnoMM9XvRniNOChse3FcpMfjNRd-ude5xHYDmsJSr1u_1e6GyO2TLQ_gNKjk5LqY7PZyvsYMoBQ7oo-T2LL-GuuUBg_JhFBHZ7R7A/s1600/DSCN1509.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivbPtSUiOR2UlAqczz5ZFEiYocNeCs-sqEGIaUnstnoMM9XvRniNOChse3FcpMfjNRd-ude5xHYDmsJSr1u_1e6GyO2TLQ_gNKjk5LqY7PZyvsYMoBQ7oo-T2LL-GuuUBg_JhFBHZ7R7A/s320/DSCN1509.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div>Langkawi was perfect.  The island had beautiful beaches and incredibly warm water just like the other islands I have had the privilege to travel to, but it was the small things that made it perfect.  Unlike the other islands Langkawi was not overdeveloped.  There wasn't massive hotels and resorts taking up the beach-front property; it was all small cottages and villas.  The beaches were also very well maintained and not crowded.  In Bali it was hard to relax at the beach because we were constantly getting bombarded by locals selling random junk.   In Bali the locals would go as far as to wake you up from a nap just to offer you a shell bracelet.  The locals in Langkawi were relaxed and happy, very easy going.</div><div><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSAg_IkVuOS0eJvfZ2rg19gpURY9OVGlzf7Rr1p0JJQpwoTEBEHMnPaP38Puu7UaAa2C6ssRjynjrPa4sr0_P1PacZg9Z8SyyrGDrPPMBFYtRvJGGOE6vAb-JQXqUMd-394rYJQS7BQN8/s1600/DSCN1511.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSAg_IkVuOS0eJvfZ2rg19gpURY9OVGlzf7Rr1p0JJQpwoTEBEHMnPaP38Puu7UaAa2C6ssRjynjrPa4sr0_P1PacZg9Z8SyyrGDrPPMBFYtRvJGGOE6vAb-JQXqUMd-394rYJQS7BQN8/s640/DSCN1511.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>Logan and I spent our first day in Langkawi doing nothing but sitting on the beach.... for over 15 hours... We enjoyed the afternoon swimming and hanging out, took a nap in the sand and woke up to a beautiful sunset.  We then went down to the bar pictured, Babylon, and sat around a small fire on the beach listening to waves crashing and meeting people from all over the world.  We sat with some Swedish girls and I finally got to ask them all of the very important Swedish questions I've been longing to have answered!  As it turns out they do have all of their Swedish traditional foods that the Patterson side of the family eats, but from the sounds of it they eat the traditional foods just about as often as we do, which is only a few times a year. <br /><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgb6JD8ypD1_spBfcrLi-Kgap6BlKP_5VX_hQ6mBTnW4YO9A3kSBnDIf0iOiWyYTN-d1jZwHpIbVozDoytn9sF_FvNzULc1df1ugwU31599gIw4ZIR1NBzJgMIQAT2bO2gxwsV44e-5X9M/s1600/DSCN1657.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgb6JD8ypD1_spBfcrLi-Kgap6BlKP_5VX_hQ6mBTnW4YO9A3kSBnDIf0iOiWyYTN-d1jZwHpIbVozDoytn9sF_FvNzULc1df1ugwU31599gIw4ZIR1NBzJgMIQAT2bO2gxwsV44e-5X9M/s320/DSCN1657.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div><br /></div>The next morning Logan and I rented sooters for the day for only $10 USD.  I believe renting scooters is the best way to see a place and enjoy the beauty of the area you are visiting.  We were able to cover five times as much ground with the them as we would be able to if we were taking a taxi around.  These weren't any regular motorized scooters either... we were on the interstate doing an easy 120 km/h or 75 mph....<br /><div><br /></div><div><br /><div><br />While cruising the island we visited a waterfall flowing from the mountain to the ocean with crystal clear water.  We also took a cable car ride to the top of the mountain and got to enjoy an incredible view of the entire island.  </div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKkKJRGnNukLAifqsixxvi5CKL3WIXm-per3bRwj0_9nftm1OYV_jwT6wVtVKyKLSFn5UC0x2GRYeMmCyDNHNMdrv1sb19AbVZLM0l0slO2L8v1cU3gXWrEPrQKfaKWgGS_rrtad7H1I0/s1600/DSCN1521.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKkKJRGnNukLAifqsixxvi5CKL3WIXm-per3bRwj0_9nftm1OYV_jwT6wVtVKyKLSFn5UC0x2GRYeMmCyDNHNMdrv1sb19AbVZLM0l0slO2L8v1cU3gXWrEPrQKfaKWgGS_rrtad7H1I0/s640/DSCN1521.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8y-beLWDtRe7qZPAf6f-UALA_OmcstOaGV9R8B44yl-txLUPRdhyJJuuSIrQxO-MdTGvBmLiX_nHUnbJsO2f9SP7ssf3Dsbn2KCsuYXR8NUdJlAGHg69OczfDFUtBGi8QLSe-Ss4g9iw/s1600/DSCN1528.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8y-beLWDtRe7qZPAf6f-UALA_OmcstOaGV9R8B44yl-txLUPRdhyJJuuSIrQxO-MdTGvBmLiX_nHUnbJsO2f9SP7ssf3Dsbn2KCsuYXR8NUdJlAGHg69OczfDFUtBGi8QLSe-Ss4g9iw/s640/DSCN1528.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5XHkjnIZWaoC-2LGc3rK-IxOwv5cdOc8wpWkFw_tL9l6RdG-Vig3QDfQxXEJ1eEnxp9Fhxd_2n3qfBX4fqtkhZqWL-kd2UoH09mL3fuvM0VMqCdYLvFYtI3_z_VOt7pb4MP-XYc3w1ZU/s1600/DSCN1568.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5XHkjnIZWaoC-2LGc3rK-IxOwv5cdOc8wpWkFw_tL9l6RdG-Vig3QDfQxXEJ1eEnxp9Fhxd_2n3qfBX4fqtkhZqWL-kd2UoH09mL3fuvM0VMqCdYLvFYtI3_z_VOt7pb4MP-XYc3w1ZU/s640/DSCN1568.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZSdWCZenZz3B2LejwfDsbVk10BOOiVGGIZnl4v4MQYz7MWJBKlor-rsKvojBNC-aGlsCwj3sNoSJnyQpOYNWerZCM6-MRfjfZ7gj-zUNTBCid3xuYkRrxnV-A0PVaRpV0RdV9DtYckFs/s1600/DSCN1619.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZSdWCZenZz3B2LejwfDsbVk10BOOiVGGIZnl4v4MQYz7MWJBKlor-rsKvojBNC-aGlsCwj3sNoSJnyQpOYNWerZCM6-MRfjfZ7gj-zUNTBCid3xuYkRrxnV-A0PVaRpV0RdV9DtYckFs/s640/DSCN1619.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjseOqSJHgPQsxw1no96uJTxOZeMZOdd6Ggo6Gy4RixsucnscUGfyPIQ72BGeTWOx6qonLJ27KJiEnPMkV5UG3C8JS9XIq3fuxNykZ5Hu44V61UPVZUhr5p5eWZlNPCe8NKYBW7yos9LzY/s1600/DSCN1626.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjseOqSJHgPQsxw1no96uJTxOZeMZOdd6Ggo6Gy4RixsucnscUGfyPIQ72BGeTWOx6qonLJ27KJiEnPMkV5UG3C8JS9XIq3fuxNykZ5Hu44V61UPVZUhr5p5eWZlNPCe8NKYBW7yos9LzY/s640/DSCN1626.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-ySqMysBzeaKQTQM3RtrFSnyBRtgSRVQz40aF3B1KpszRHyWlDT3kh3E1OQg8ofeMXg4S5vkNp2Hse6bhNUWt2nrnasuArLEg22H2Z81yTuogwPCQTD-AKvTROgdoiwsVlgQkGQbhcZI/s1600/DSCN1629.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-ySqMysBzeaKQTQM3RtrFSnyBRtgSRVQz40aF3B1KpszRHyWlDT3kh3E1OQg8ofeMXg4S5vkNp2Hse6bhNUWt2nrnasuArLEg22H2Z81yTuogwPCQTD-AKvTROgdoiwsVlgQkGQbhcZI/s640/DSCN1629.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>The entire island was also duty free so everything was incredibly inexpensive.  I ended up getting a few button down dress shirts for $7.00 USD each.  The best deal was the chocolate.  Double-extra-large Cadbury's chocolate bars for only $1.50 USD.... Plus it's so hot out you have to eat them quick, could not have been more perfect!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div>After three of the most relaxing days ever in Langkawi we hopped on another ferry down to the city of Penang.  Penang was a different world compared to Langkawi, but just as incredible!  Penang is another island off of the West coast of Malaysia but it is very developed unlike Langkawi!  Penang has over a million people living in and around the city.<br /><br /></div></div><div>Penang is one of the top ten destinations in the world for food and we were sure to try everything!  After a few hours we gave up trying to keep consistent with our meal times and ended up eating hourly...  Every corner had something new that was irresistible!  Our first meal we had was at the spice farm, we enjoyed the most amazing rice... It was an entire pineapple cut up and cooked with rice and chicken...  hands down the best rice I have ever had.<br /><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8VZy0weXQPlcmaZHDOD10q4W3uQTBO9qTUu0WFit2SGtSUgmdFFiK4q9bQZOJAELTvGHqcGwhEXJQRj3XrFbQQh7seiFtRtA3jr5GP-4hvrFmjx7ygiuCzY1BKyE2YB1o5VxJlbtY56s/s1600/DSCN1698.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8VZy0weXQPlcmaZHDOD10q4W3uQTBO9qTUu0WFit2SGtSUgmdFFiK4q9bQZOJAELTvGHqcGwhEXJQRj3XrFbQQh7seiFtRtA3jr5GP-4hvrFmjx7ygiuCzY1BKyE2YB1o5VxJlbtY56s/s640/DSCN1698.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div>   </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjm3zL3VKCXPzlbjYBHb28QdRdYAYT9C8rO2J4l-V8fek612qFGy0_6Er8469tWhafNYVTAkFWXSQGe29Asb5W5C6Jy7dSGU8XR8L1PIxFu6_MGAuRf7Y2VOJhxNko4Mcg1Lk0AbN_P4C8/s1600/DSCN1733.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjm3zL3VKCXPzlbjYBHb28QdRdYAYT9C8rO2J4l-V8fek612qFGy0_6Er8469tWhafNYVTAkFWXSQGe29Asb5W5C6Jy7dSGU8XR8L1PIxFu6_MGAuRf7Y2VOJhxNko4Mcg1Lk0AbN_P4C8/s320/DSCN1733.JPG" width="320" /></a></div> We also rented mopeds while in Penang and toured the island.  On the far side of the island (much less developed) we found a hidden gem, something we would have never done if it weren't for the scooters.  We were riding up in the mountains and came across a massive fruit farm, and as the saying goes "When in Penang.... EAT!" we had to stop and check it out.  It was like stepping into the garden of Eden.  They had over 250 fruits from all over the world and we got a tour guide to show us how each fruit is grown and picked. <br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsEgkMy87GpxltPbidevH9zyEEDe85QZAyO3Gi_MgZUuB0nYqt1I3MxGAXwmnMbOwnDTO0_ikq_Ssd1fonSwY6CKkiEbMM-DEhoG_9A2-Z95Y5IEZ0qE1KVnMODxGWNFtlWXn_dpocqX0/s1600/DSCN1749.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsEgkMy87GpxltPbidevH9zyEEDe85QZAyO3Gi_MgZUuB0nYqt1I3MxGAXwmnMbOwnDTO0_ikq_Ssd1fonSwY6CKkiEbMM-DEhoG_9A2-Z95Y5IEZ0qE1KVnMODxGWNFtlWXn_dpocqX0/s320/DSCN1749.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>And, if I needed any more reasons to love Malaysia... the tour ended with an all you can eat fruit buffet!  The fruit was worth the whole semester in Singapore...<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMKCgTpwyr7RlFSakFbrwGhgxTDpgkhJ4zuvfEPLSTbVt-GrFTLGDdLcqPJIDVk6SFh9icuvWogo37xCP_LhTuvotjdq7bY9So-fSsyj5zESepPvr2AyiQ4_PMnPC0vNftfdGSg16O7gE/s1600/DSCN1774.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMKCgTpwyr7RlFSakFbrwGhgxTDpgkhJ4zuvfEPLSTbVt-GrFTLGDdLcqPJIDVk6SFh9icuvWogo37xCP_LhTuvotjdq7bY9So-fSsyj5zESepPvr2AyiQ4_PMnPC0vNftfdGSg16O7gE/s640/DSCN1774.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzg-ovi6w9VrJZEHD8pjN6Hrujr_UyQtLG1GoWyLjFio0lO1rrC7Sb4IALSPARpFMekJocpufrpd3LtuIG6Fs9Gc0gpilx-OOM5jGOK81WIqVXX_rcrzmPncQS6iD-aSFyd6IHOafWvM0/s1600/DSCN1775.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzg-ovi6w9VrJZEHD8pjN6Hrujr_UyQtLG1GoWyLjFio0lO1rrC7Sb4IALSPARpFMekJocpufrpd3LtuIG6Fs9Gc0gpilx-OOM5jGOK81WIqVXX_rcrzmPncQS6iD-aSFyd6IHOafWvM0/s640/DSCN1775.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>Riding through the mountains on mopeds, with monkeys crawling through the trees overhead, on an exotic island half way around the world, enjoying the greatest of Gods creations; how does life get better?</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEsbMUUVfurfqIXXFbGojDcV3XOGCjBtUyjD9FhEDC1c9bc-dmTTGFby9BQZri0dlCaypk2Z7UJNB5yjQXdTR41lGugrQr7MKEA9ghdAJ1GnYYFGWamX6jk_N4qgYY1PGXnsU7aMunmKg/s1600/DSCN1790.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEsbMUUVfurfqIXXFbGojDcV3XOGCjBtUyjD9FhEDC1c9bc-dmTTGFby9BQZri0dlCaypk2Z7UJNB5yjQXdTR41lGugrQr7MKEA9ghdAJ1GnYYFGWamX6jk_N4qgYY1PGXnsU7aMunmKg/s640/DSCN1790.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPa09KVEme9dupMHxAEbcP1EoSxbz0nxaOZEbnJ8aixoWdWLn9LbPWhSsN1jPBilZH-0e5nA4y7TkPqcHlvhqHgRQubmLKMe324h0bWr818X5Hl9w0rqq6YSp8BgnX6rXtqcpWTkGi84o/s1600/DSCN1891.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPa09KVEme9dupMHxAEbcP1EoSxbz0nxaOZEbnJ8aixoWdWLn9LbPWhSsN1jPBilZH-0e5nA4y7TkPqcHlvhqHgRQubmLKMe324h0bWr818X5Hl9w0rqq6YSp8BgnX6rXtqcpWTkGi84o/s640/DSCN1891.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>We spent the rest of our time in Penang traveling around on mopeds eating way too much food.  It was perfect.  But, after ten days of being on the road I was exhausted and ready to go back to Singapore.  It was a long 13 hour overnight bus ride back to Singapore.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxAR2tdKLIEqCNSWK8FHG3hGJ72hLyM-K_3QBgBX0tz_apxRV9GpZTeZFMDFhjtoR0XpKQLYjxl4pXI4kjdBVa3pr9dO-NdSPvlbxz5jkUrU6yClxtzi_F1pjXoYMZ1tiT2VNabqpGnzQ/s1600/wakeboard.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxAR2tdKLIEqCNSWK8FHG3hGJ72hLyM-K_3QBgBX0tz_apxRV9GpZTeZFMDFhjtoR0XpKQLYjxl4pXI4kjdBVa3pr9dO-NdSPvlbxz5jkUrU6yClxtzi_F1pjXoYMZ1tiT2VNabqpGnzQ/s320/wakeboard.jpg" width="320" /></a>It has been over a week since I've been home from Malaysia, and I already have a million more stories to share since that trip.  Last weekend I spent a day in another heavenly place... A few guys from Spain and I took a ferry from Singapore to Indonesia and visited a wake board cable-ski park.  I've only been to one other one in Florida and it was an amazing experience then (Thanks grandma!), so when I heard about this place I was determined to go.  We got a great deal on 8 hours of wake boarding for under $50 USD... that is unheard of back in America.  It was one of the funnest days of my life, we wake-boarded, enjoyed a dj playing great music, buffet lunch, and had lots of cheap drinks.</div><div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLRQh0E9QGdtGWDWuVzpGcO93c_b0vLGiOJR0DYB8mDhMVW9uPNxe4WZaCf-3dCthQ2hsVAMqediAo6bxLQLPDX6lqFBmB1yLV4pH_HZGUn-qajln_IlDyNyiTmPd5iopbMXY0aLe_uCc/s1600/DSCN1970.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLRQh0E9QGdtGWDWuVzpGcO93c_b0vLGiOJR0DYB8mDhMVW9uPNxe4WZaCf-3dCthQ2hsVAMqediAo6bxLQLPDX6lqFBmB1yLV4pH_HZGUn-qajln_IlDyNyiTmPd5iopbMXY0aLe_uCc/s200/DSCN1970.JPG" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnMeYYfHsFcehUU3ehuzSXgB4deyr6swfw2cQHxH-UDO_45WvB6pl-6K_Smh1IcmrzTPTP7LWzppWeRHP2W6OSe0tQyUQPI0AdG0DopJvQsGfm5ATCr0CVUuzgRr1sSesMFuPJ6tRMCkA/s1600/DSCN1964.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnMeYYfHsFcehUU3ehuzSXgB4deyr6swfw2cQHxH-UDO_45WvB6pl-6K_Smh1IcmrzTPTP7LWzppWeRHP2W6OSe0tQyUQPI0AdG0DopJvQsGfm5ATCr0CVUuzgRr1sSesMFuPJ6tRMCkA/s400/DSCN1964.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjko2_7t1lvzz0gGh4PZz0A5j5OqIpTAjQ32P_TbKsa_YeYfCOGrD-cus5BOUC3TaKQv6y63X4uSPPAE5jx_oYrrR2H-OK_BDon5Q8_9RfeARqBqX7KyqgEM8qnoN2XGKmGxvnDjofv6Yo/s1600/pablo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjko2_7t1lvzz0gGh4PZz0A5j5OqIpTAjQ32P_TbKsa_YeYfCOGrD-cus5BOUC3TaKQv6y63X4uSPPAE5jx_oYrrR2H-OK_BDon5Q8_9RfeARqBqX7KyqgEM8qnoN2XGKmGxvnDjofv6Yo/s640/pablo.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />The Spanish showed me up the entire time.  There was no way I was going to do a back-flip on the wakeboard.... <br /><br />Life is pretty amazing right now, I'm not going to lie.  I am very blessed to have all the great support from my friends and family back home and am so thankful for all that God has given me.  I will be very busy this week studying for midterms, but next week is spring break and we are going to be touring Thailand for 10 days.  So, if you don't hear from me (Mom and Dad) I am most likely perfectly safe and happy; having the time of my life and unable to find a wi-fi connection to message home!  There's no need to ever worry!<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgofbjENfWyPpUNDHQ_PCUc4s96_xpzKLo8T3ia-dBDvVfvE5Ikgn4wxxOcT71607voPnp-vo5wG3sDi7Yepm3rvYsNpYau7H2SZYzcOjPFQr7WW9UR01mhhQiTrK4r1yRD_sD2fXtbRN0/s1600/DSCN1988.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgofbjENfWyPpUNDHQ_PCUc4s96_xpzKLo8T3ia-dBDvVfvE5Ikgn4wxxOcT71607voPnp-vo5wG3sDi7Yepm3rvYsNpYau7H2SZYzcOjPFQr7WW9UR01mhhQiTrK4r1yRD_sD2fXtbRN0/s640/DSCN1988.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>

Trip Report: Langkawi, Penang, and more....

After visiting the Cameron Highlands, Logan and I hopped on a bus and rode to Alor Setar, a coastal city near Thailand in Malaysia   We stay...

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Trip Report: Perhentian Islands, Malaysia

Heaven on earth.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCdNw3zZdFnIy2OndzShDljXnoZdt-nBgneCxlzOj65q0l6x5xCSc_DPHYWntDiRcq4aiF6OCmWu1wTAFGflpm-Mq_jUpFWQWdToPUcXQtMj_1Jf2fbpH9tSJi8dxQMe09QR4GHy9nvic/s1600/DSCN2681.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCdNw3zZdFnIy2OndzShDljXnoZdt-nBgneCxlzOj65q0l6x5xCSc_DPHYWntDiRcq4aiF6OCmWu1wTAFGflpm-Mq_jUpFWQWdToPUcXQtMj_1Jf2fbpH9tSJi8dxQMe09QR4GHy9nvic/s640/DSCN2681.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiRSFq4HrJzK2dnwOT8Q2jhWOTRrZvhhNtkOUYDTSoLz1V5rmyUQudoA6AXnVxwwG3CfC4Rx6lQDRUP4UU5DnfUdDEJpF4jmZYkdd2PshAxFDo8KnmFu3ntCXw4PEnAPSHw9gmbj16q_Q/s1600/DSCN2685.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiRSFq4HrJzK2dnwOT8Q2jhWOTRrZvhhNtkOUYDTSoLz1V5rmyUQudoA6AXnVxwwG3CfC4Rx6lQDRUP4UU5DnfUdDEJpF4jmZYkdd2PshAxFDo8KnmFu3ntCXw4PEnAPSHw9gmbj16q_Q/s640/DSCN2685.JPG" width="640" /></a><br />There is no other way to describe the Perhentian islands in Malaysia.  I have described every place in Asia so far as incredible, amazing, epic, etc. but the Perhentian islands take the cake with a label like "heaven".<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimAeHrrS6578AGPOTJcreIK3qlcnh8ecuU_rj2nrV-Va6xkosztvQX52zNYwFOcm7J-uSaRp73ECNqQHzTZVqGY3qz-V6jrH7lzw1qIlOs94cY1RDeVIADdA7m-EuBsL4sbdU8AO8B5xo/s1600/DSCN2678.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimAeHrrS6578AGPOTJcreIK3qlcnh8ecuU_rj2nrV-Va6xkosztvQX52zNYwFOcm7J-uSaRp73ECNqQHzTZVqGY3qz-V6jrH7lzw1qIlOs94cY1RDeVIADdA7m-EuBsL4sbdU8AO8B5xo/s640/DSCN2678.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3sUh7KjIiSf8YraF-XP9Y3bkT52dNREb6JlQQJhwCqcUgVEY_Tg8fZbwsX3W87cCI3dRUHdL8EwgkSOFCvyWDCIT3sXlP5faRap68OKuxqcIAKZZy3T9q1743qLrSMfhI5rhEGwv8oFc/s1600/DSCN2658.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3sUh7KjIiSf8YraF-XP9Y3bkT52dNREb6JlQQJhwCqcUgVEY_Tg8fZbwsX3W87cCI3dRUHdL8EwgkSOFCvyWDCIT3sXlP5faRap68OKuxqcIAKZZy3T9q1743qLrSMfhI5rhEGwv8oFc/s640/DSCN2658.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br />The Perhentian islands are located in northern Malaysia just south of the Thailand border.  They sit off the east coast of the country.  Due to their location they are far off the beaten path for backpackers in Asia.  There is little development on the islands.  The majority of lodging options are small cabins and there are no roads, only small paths connecting the different beaches.  It was a nice break from the other overly developed islands in south-east Asia.<br /><br />I left Singapore Thursday evening and got on an overnight bus from Johor Bahru to Kuala Besut in Malaysia.    I traveled alone on this trip.  By this point in the semester it is hard to find people to travel with who haven't been to the same place already, don't have tests, and still have money to travel.  I also will end up travelling alone after the semester is over and decided this would be a good chance to see if I was up for the challenge.<br /><br /><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZrBD9-riXH00N4gJFm-ypieU3F5qgkG4m8LoxaEr09niDeeUF72rEtkXo926O4tycveIWpMGh-oIeDdtp68FJQNlacFNvMNW5uU5jCXosCkEpJg2hSPjLO1RwNaSeUdfWD_VkxoNUCQo/s1600/DSCN2642.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZrBD9-riXH00N4gJFm-ypieU3F5qgkG4m8LoxaEr09niDeeUF72rEtkXo926O4tycveIWpMGh-oIeDdtp68FJQNlacFNvMNW5uU5jCXosCkEpJg2hSPjLO1RwNaSeUdfWD_VkxoNUCQo/s400/DSCN2642.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View from accommodation</td></tr></tbody></table>The bus ride was 12 hours long but thankfully quite uneventful and simple (no police mishaps this time).  I arrived on the coast at 8 AM and took a thirty minute speed boat ride to the island for $15 USD.  I arrived on the island with no accommodation plans (many places don't offer reservations online) and set out finding a place to stay for the next three days.  After asking around a bit I found a dorm room for only $8.00 USD a night.  It was an alright place to sleep, but the view was amazing and the price fit right into my budget. <br /><br /><br /><br />As I was unpacking in the dorm I ran across a few girls from England who were staying there as well.  They had just arrived and were headed off with some fellow Brits on an all day snorkeling tour and invited me along. <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7N3clQ0rbOaTyO4wA603EkKN8w6VpQpYPyAu2egdAul1m94zRKIBd0xgCOOjYzyA7BGnptQUBp_gB-cf8_94B3otZMDSgiJJfywXwPslxpmWi3I5auyn2Og2K3sq29r2zlvSJwX25nNY/s1600/DSCN2593.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7N3clQ0rbOaTyO4wA603EkKN8w6VpQpYPyAu2egdAul1m94zRKIBd0xgCOOjYzyA7BGnptQUBp_gB-cf8_94B3otZMDSgiJJfywXwPslxpmWi3I5auyn2Og2K3sq29r2zlvSJwX25nNY/s400/DSCN2593.JPG" width="400" /></a>Perhentian Islands are incredibly beautiful, with a lush green forest, pure white sand, and crystal clear water it was the definition of paradise.  The only thing that beat the beauty on land was the beauty of the islands under water. The islands are surrounded by beautiful coral and amazing sea creatures.  Our snorkeling tour was remarkable.  In Ko Phi Phi I was thrilled to see a shark for a brief second, in the Perhentian Islands I saw a shark (harmless) every time I stuck my head underwater!<br /><br /><br /> The only thing more impressive then the sharks were the massive sea turtles.  The turtles in Iowa are rather uninteresting, but the sea turtles measured well over 5 feet in length.  They moved through the water with such grace and ease but one could tell they were very powerful creatures.  I really wish I would have brought an underwater camera to capture photos of all the amazing creatures and beauty.<br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkaMaJgLmH6J9Dxkr7zs64DZNUxZ-SVIjDpH55KorIAEnyNytFEYY4zt7GKDV0XwDVotjJ2aAUGPN3K4ox2vbMiHwLNh3Sx92uXrT5glRX6yLYJKiufYnqkcKpqP_l_3al5ZobDqE5lL8/s1600/DSCN2688.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkaMaJgLmH6J9Dxkr7zs64DZNUxZ-SVIjDpH55KorIAEnyNytFEYY4zt7GKDV0XwDVotjJ2aAUGPN3K4ox2vbMiHwLNh3Sx92uXrT5glRX6yLYJKiufYnqkcKpqP_l_3al5ZobDqE5lL8/s640/DSCN2688.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><br />The dinners on the island were amazing as well.  Every restaurant offered the same deal, for $5 USD you could choose from a fish or meat off the bbq and included in the meal was salad, fresh fruit, drink, potatoes, rice, and  banana bread.  <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2E5pr2S_Z42qASYOnr920P28BiM-vLZcaL6y7vpqQFWkrHCGmgcLfYOnkxTJwN2aWPEGSqiWJ-5-_o1Hlq2UeYcxA9EK_vp2YeMuoUNbGCPP3_QXpBe69kRmUFI4psWU3j3BvX-BrS4M/s1600/DSCN2704.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2E5pr2S_Z42qASYOnr920P28BiM-vLZcaL6y7vpqQFWkrHCGmgcLfYOnkxTJwN2aWPEGSqiWJ-5-_o1Hlq2UeYcxA9EK_vp2YeMuoUNbGCPP3_QXpBe69kRmUFI4psWU3j3BvX-BrS4M/s400/DSCN2704.JPG" width="400" /></a>The next day I went on my first diving trip.  It was a trip for divers who have yet to get certified but wanted to still try it out.  I absolutely loved it.  Diving is defying nature.   Being able to breath underwater and see fish in their natural habitat was unbelievable.  I got to go over 40 feet underwater.  Being underwater was like being on an entirely new planet.  It was so peaceful, beautiful, and alive.  Thousands of fish swam by us in the hour we were down.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br />On Easter Sunday I spent the day sea kayaking with one of the British students.  It was the most relaxing day of my life.  We went around half the island stopping at each beach to snorkel and peek into the jungle.  Every beach we kayaked to was completely empty and undeveloped.  Unfortunately there aren't many places like that left on our planet, I highly doubt it will be the same if I return in 20 years. <br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPPjh7ecjyi-KS0L1kuG-Do8YNhfRgd-djZHCJeEMgpUF5O1WyOSqq7P_x4rJYwlAWZ93bJU1LxQl8DUxEGnFg3npMbvxJRtKIdjibdUzRWUeQfhMEn3OOPt6j89ibxrb0_1VhlLzkxKs/s1600/DSCN2683.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPPjh7ecjyi-KS0L1kuG-Do8YNhfRgd-djZHCJeEMgpUF5O1WyOSqq7P_x4rJYwlAWZ93bJU1LxQl8DUxEGnFg3npMbvxJRtKIdjibdUzRWUeQfhMEn3OOPt6j89ibxrb0_1VhlLzkxKs/s640/DSCN2683.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7ktHvPsnGvDCz4R_I9J0Rm0B0Op1LAYOaJ2N7WqCrtDLUQW9g84sMVxHQV8QZt5pKF_PcG9frBMmBzpVfVRcE2LFg9gxzGAdy8twnY-qIFA3qC0q6W31U_1q8W5dgdHTPNbYBj3jO_58/s1600/DSCN2684.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7ktHvPsnGvDCz4R_I9J0Rm0B0Op1LAYOaJ2N7WqCrtDLUQW9g84sMVxHQV8QZt5pKF_PcG9frBMmBzpVfVRcE2LFg9gxzGAdy8twnY-qIFA3qC0q6W31U_1q8W5dgdHTPNbYBj3jO_58/s640/DSCN2684.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdwNt9e-ab3L8ga4xHE_6Bh8nreiUuXrJpRuafotpoysgfc9KrV6wYgP3P9zNGv2t01OYYjQdkA-zc3EBu4JZGYgoHOSWTfRkKoseUGqXfAdD-lkrxLFOPfqVcI115CHcWI_fWPlqGA_k/s1600/DSCN2702.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdwNt9e-ab3L8ga4xHE_6Bh8nreiUuXrJpRuafotpoysgfc9KrV6wYgP3P9zNGv2t01OYYjQdkA-zc3EBu4JZGYgoHOSWTfRkKoseUGqXfAdD-lkrxLFOPfqVcI115CHcWI_fWPlqGA_k/s640/DSCN2702.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><br />After a day of sea kayaking we got to see the most incredible sunset ever while on the ocean.  I could not ask for a better way to spend my Easter Sunday then enjoying Gods amazing creations on Earth and reflecting on my life.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5ML9reWcDMHyYYxH1CB824LAGtIhNEbcfmVEJcPn0FwykE8y0GyiWUmtsGJLieFlwREy2tnMYNTs5_0hQig9NStGiKN0fGoOo3HV64gZzr_NHI9owEjQkbyBhJOsT_GJoOuBgByvK3cY/s1600/DSCN2730.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5ML9reWcDMHyYYxH1CB824LAGtIhNEbcfmVEJcPn0FwykE8y0GyiWUmtsGJLieFlwREy2tnMYNTs5_0hQig9NStGiKN0fGoOo3HV64gZzr_NHI9owEjQkbyBhJOsT_GJoOuBgByvK3cY/s640/DSCN2730.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkXYIJ10rfBZu_E8pP1FOugeXNV8CPY6Pg5Um9NUA4zR3e4IKrvV3u34bR3qJO4bhATAquj-KqqFJgfdLa_ZAnBl2bd5HRaDJhUmLde88oPcLhgbIBa1bljlasKzxVrQRLwr4QwtGXUzo/s1600/DSCN2778.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcQKUUDFJam7qlTRwqMhW2yoi8J3Jky5vT0r4G5bge-ky5VmIMh9hkZRzxG3TY2dTL6qRgpQ4wRH4EzpT-94ReBVYnWgHb8oma0pQ9v-SeWh7Ea8D6LK76YFNDFPLPkQ6xj0cIonLkBuw/s1600/DSCN2757.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcQKUUDFJam7qlTRwqMhW2yoi8J3Jky5vT0r4G5bge-ky5VmIMh9hkZRzxG3TY2dTL6qRgpQ4wRH4EzpT-94ReBVYnWgHb8oma0pQ9v-SeWh7Ea8D6LK76YFNDFPLPkQ6xj0cIonLkBuw/s640/DSCN2757.JPG" width="640" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAoxdcFtIteVCEFj7Fa9sZa0TKXFVH4Cd5QooOy6xidpx2qMLcVhJTRFO-v2zAUvBK4K_pyzf5xoB0nQKaIl_TWF-wC9bTr9W9-yKqtxj-Ivy3-lbarppE_O8bKRdko3UvRnXpeKu-Vgg/s1600/DSCN2718.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAoxdcFtIteVCEFj7Fa9sZa0TKXFVH4Cd5QooOy6xidpx2qMLcVhJTRFO-v2zAUvBK4K_pyzf5xoB0nQKaIl_TWF-wC9bTr9W9-yKqtxj-Ivy3-lbarppE_O8bKRdko3UvRnXpeKu-Vgg/s640/DSCN2718.JPG" width="640" /></a></div> f<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhI5tea_kNdIkAmwH4vgUVz_x5ZwOf5O1EYyrWIEqjbhroeS40Tu-aedwLD112oJHZ0Yc63o5SyJ0FcgxXNJqiQNBF5OCLCSpoENefelLztoHKfcAL6h0UmVkl9iOyiTl5s8faL8gI7mjY/s1600/DSCN2771.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhI5tea_kNdIkAmwH4vgUVz_x5ZwOf5O1EYyrWIEqjbhroeS40Tu-aedwLD112oJHZ0Yc63o5SyJ0FcgxXNJqiQNBF5OCLCSpoENefelLztoHKfcAL6h0UmVkl9iOyiTl5s8faL8gI7mjY/s640/DSCN2771.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPPqKg3jeagHvwPmwvBeZeAeEN8s2RpaETsKJi02YVtHb6b6pr2xpJjj8VMH3zKKKx_UzLZDj1XUvytvPIRyR7gT4_BpTglhzuavOAIvUPBXGoQMtevUQyGbzzHiQrQdaSHKfM8BrglPo/s1600/DSCN2873.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPPqKg3jeagHvwPmwvBeZeAeEN8s2RpaETsKJi02YVtHb6b6pr2xpJjj8VMH3zKKKx_UzLZDj1XUvytvPIRyR7gT4_BpTglhzuavOAIvUPBXGoQMtevUQyGbzzHiQrQdaSHKfM8BrglPo/s320/DSCN2873.JPG" width="320" /></a>I ended up staying on the Perhentian islands two extra days.  I wasn't missing much school and could not bring myself to leave the place. <br /><br /><br />The wildlife on the Perhentian islands was awesome.  The king of the island was clearly the monitor lizard.    Monitor lizards are huge creatures, usually measuring between 6-12 feet.  They are completely harmless and are not afraid of humans.  Every day they would sit out in front of the dorm.<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4bSzB6bSsSB5Bvb4WFwdftjW-odsxdLn1hwLCO3m8o5sdFemcGCGQF9tEEe8j7HPf0yfXxurq_RVHG65BQ2nepUlig2FXn1A6GdynqucWPh7gwbAg0riJXMw7bk1g3kjVD_ya2imkZIU/s1600/DSCN2711.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4bSzB6bSsSB5Bvb4WFwdftjW-odsxdLn1hwLCO3m8o5sdFemcGCGQF9tEEe8j7HPf0yfXxurq_RVHG65BQ2nepUlig2FXn1A6GdynqucWPh7gwbAg0riJXMw7bk1g3kjVD_ya2imkZIU/s640/DSCN2711.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Monitor lizard crawling five foot wall behind dorm.</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRuEYCWKM1QZx2ytaAsuAsCDTT9MS0r9oCW3U0d_F3ID1xbq3_PC32IX_nL2AZOxK8ncD1xPs3wz7PaKmD0-OmwST3_tUUSRPuSHnTeRAHI7K7d7dkjeQHwo_DraEh6svBc4wZhC59rRE/s1600/DSCN2712.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRuEYCWKM1QZx2ytaAsuAsCDTT9MS0r9oCW3U0d_F3ID1xbq3_PC32IX_nL2AZOxK8ncD1xPs3wz7PaKmD0-OmwST3_tUUSRPuSHnTeRAHI7K7d7dkjeQHwo_DraEh6svBc4wZhC59rRE/s640/DSCN2712.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">OVER HE GOESSSS!  Long tailed creatures!</td></tr></tbody></table><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxzmvnLh5p0ZaxodA-Cw2NYHRTSYLks3RLaZaGk_KrW5vCUcEfKd2tXiZ3SUxN3vABwE787O0ozBNDl0EUnITUvusccyc9cXFYiL9nMxR86qkUS_Zk5TAAU1HhxjBsTMrBxvXKRy44qAQ/s1600/DSCN2828.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxzmvnLh5p0ZaxodA-Cw2NYHRTSYLks3RLaZaGk_KrW5vCUcEfKd2tXiZ3SUxN3vABwE787O0ozBNDl0EUnITUvusccyc9cXFYiL9nMxR86qkUS_Zk5TAAU1HhxjBsTMrBxvXKRy44qAQ/s320/DSCN2828.JPG" width="320" /></a> I spent the rest of my time on the Perhentians jungle trekking and enjoying the beaches.  The jungle was full of very unique reptiles, snakes and spiders.  I could spend weeks enjoying the nature on the islands, but unfortunately had to get back to school.  I really hope the place never changes and everyone else who visits is able to be so close to nature and enjoy it's true beauty.<br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiejke60susfriOmhp-VEVGcZmKtnQ0y-VGt9Z3ZFSt8xmxP_BcescpEtLipK5l7GIQKTufjkJNzUXP_NAKlybGmyfb3WmjujbTFShn2tWFjG1nIrTvO0KhDlJgB2h2TrveiuMTaKexzpE/s1600/DSCN2820.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiejke60susfriOmhp-VEVGcZmKtnQ0y-VGt9Z3ZFSt8xmxP_BcescpEtLipK5l7GIQKTufjkJNzUXP_NAKlybGmyfb3WmjujbTFShn2tWFjG1nIrTvO0KhDlJgB2h2TrveiuMTaKexzpE/s400/DSCN2820.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg78BuAe4CYsYzZdyzI75H9Yf3ngTtrlI8VQWhItGKjK0H7r5T4ruzLRs97h9YyGOFoJ1XzYphFAynv1VL56ycOVNplIHOvGD1ihvPruYAJ5_kaH2EZZNtsX16CYhn25QKWc6J9_ptDQAk/s1600/DSCN2869.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg78BuAe4CYsYzZdyzI75H9Yf3ngTtrlI8VQWhItGKjK0H7r5T4ruzLRs97h9YyGOFoJ1XzYphFAynv1VL56ycOVNplIHOvGD1ihvPruYAJ5_kaH2EZZNtsX16CYhn25QKWc6J9_ptDQAk/s640/DSCN2869.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifJDpGHKl_YdHihKEaH2N6pxv7c7F4kEJstzsgaSo6GW3F75dmIPgT5um6vE4ckvznhs4VVxbWVc_eh_uZb_JnNfS2zfIsHreqd1Ai3S_cR6BpJtvqQH89w9ykY6ZvzmN6xSwL52PUXV0/s1600/DSCN2812.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifJDpGHKl_YdHihKEaH2N6pxv7c7F4kEJstzsgaSo6GW3F75dmIPgT5um6vE4ckvznhs4VVxbWVc_eh_uZb_JnNfS2zfIsHreqd1Ai3S_cR6BpJtvqQH89w9ykY6ZvzmN6xSwL52PUXV0/s400/DSCN2812.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>The ride home was pretty miserable.  It ended up being a fourteen hour bus ride, but after spending five days in heaven I found it hard to complain about.  I arrived home at 11AM Tuesday morning which was the day of my 21st birthday.  I made it to class in time and then had a long siesta; woke up and had a wonderful evening Skyping friends and family back home.   Thank you everyone for all of the loving birthday wishes and gifts.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiZarLd_B3qyNkBgM_dqWZarJSUG9vEN16f1YNmXRO-QVAmZr47lHS2bGFe7Jw0d9aMfmDCytFFavFGB122yVchjsG8aZDIZ4SrY_yNmtrq5JVh71X1smRhl0X2ma0npR2wotX2L68Mao/s1600/DSCN2791.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiZarLd_B3qyNkBgM_dqWZarJSUG9vEN16f1YNmXRO-QVAmZr47lHS2bGFe7Jw0d9aMfmDCytFFavFGB122yVchjsG8aZDIZ4SrY_yNmtrq5JVh71X1smRhl0X2ma0npR2wotX2L68Mao/s400/DSCN2791.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>The rest of my time in Singapore is looking to be very busy.  There are only two more weeks of actual school and then three weeks of finals.  The following trips are all in the books; I will be spending a week in Cambodia, a week in Vietnam, and a week in Hong Kong before I catch my flight back to the United States on the 22nd of May.  These next seven weeks will be the craziest of my life, but I reckon they may just best be the best seven of my life. <br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3rThaAZXqESWwhdXIaOoZK_n43CCtS-2NZdAAp-SbCfZ59HgzUJrluDqd6SCgeH2ZKExcndsHGV-w0I9J6XPhtEe5ljtQ5UtKbhBSQTvQVepbG6-WwUiUE1UP-1wa6dfWZ7RL3KVO-Vw/s1600/DSCN2775.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3rThaAZXqESWwhdXIaOoZK_n43CCtS-2NZdAAp-SbCfZ59HgzUJrluDqd6SCgeH2ZKExcndsHGV-w0I9J6XPhtEe5ljtQ5UtKbhBSQTvQVepbG6-WwUiUE1UP-1wa6dfWZ7RL3KVO-Vw/s640/DSCN2775.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br />

Trip Report: Perhentian Islands, Malaysia

Heaven on earth. There is no other way to describe the Perhentian islands in Malaysia.  I have described every place in Asia so far as incre...

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