So I’d say that so far Malaysia was definitely the most relaxing point up to this point. I had an FDP (Faculty Directed Practicum) on the first day and a service visit on the last day. I had thought about going to Kuala Lampur for two nights, but decided against it because with the hectic plans that I had coming up in Vietnam, China &Japan, and after the intensity of India, I wanted to just relax and take it easy while in Malaysia, which turned out to be a FABULOUS plan. Well what a surprise, it was raining when we pulled into port!! At this point we have still not pulled into port on a nice morning. The port in Penang is not very big, and our ship could not dock there. This meant we had to take tenders to and from the ship to get to shore, which yes was an experience, but also a hassle. They left from the ship on the hour every hour and left from the shore on the half hour every hour, and each tender fit 100 passengers. Usually we are used to coming on and off the ship at our will while docked, but in Penang we would pretty much take whatever we needed for the day and just stay out because it was such a hassle. So on the first day I had an FDP called Ethnic Communities in Malaysia for my Sociology class. Well let’s just say that we sat on a bus for about 3 hours and learned NOTHING about the ethnic groups within Malaysia –it was a waste of time and money, and the students as well as the professors were absolutely disgusted with the trip itself. Luckily some of my friends were on it, so at least it was bearable, but still annoying. Once that was over and done with, Ben, Mitch and I decided to go to the Chocolate Boutique (I know, right up my alley) because apparently they had lots of free sampling. So it was a nice little place, and apparently the chocolate was phenomenal! From there, the boys were DYING for American food, so we headed to Gulley Plaza which is a pretty nice mall and after shopping and browsing around for a bit, decided to grab dinner where else but CHILIS! It was happy hour so we had beers and bottomless chips and I must admit it was pretty nice to have Chili’s appetizers and fries and all that good stuff. After that extended meal we headed to the night market, which was probably about a mile long with cheap, cheap shopping. We did a walk one way to see what there was, then bought things on the way back! I didn’t buy too much –just some trinkets and decoration type things, but they had everything from knockoff Prada and Louis Vitton purses to Lacoste polos and Rolex watches –quite the variety. Ben &Mitch bought ridiculous silk robes with dragons on them, and my big purchase was Season One of Grey’s Anatomy…I wanted to buy just one season to make sure that it worked on my computer. Each disc (CD or DVD) cost 4 Ringetts which is about $1.15 USD. We were able to catch the 11:30pm tender back to the ship to settle down and watch some Grey’s and it worked!!!
The next morning I caught the 7am tender with Chad and Peter (two guys who live a few doors down….Chad is a ski racer from Oregon, and Peter is a boarder from Utah –obviously we all get along well) to go to an island north of Penang called Langkawi. The ferry ride was about 2.5 hours and we just slept the whole time since it was early. The weather was a little overcast when we got there, but still hot and nice out. We were able to find a decently cheap hotel right on the beach and ran into two SAS girls who had also just gotten there- we grabbed some lunch then just laid out all afternoon which was so relaxing and something I had not done all voyage! We showered and got some pizza on the way to a hotel where we were meeting Steph and Lacey who had taken a flight from Penang and landed around 830pm. After they dropped their packs off at our hotel, we went out for the night and met some friends at a bar that turned out to be WAY too packed with other SAS kids for our liking, so we went to a different club in a hotel called Enigma, which was quite an interesting place. There was a good mix of Malays and Americans and Europeans –and there was a live band playing the most interesting variations of anything from Nelly Furtado to ACDC to Jason Mraz to Black Eyed Peas. They were quite entertaining to say the least. So that was a fun night and a late one at that. The next morning we got breakfast at a cute restaurant right at the beach that we had walked by the day before –and then the skies OPENED UP. It had rained a few times the day before, but only for 10 or 15 minutes at a time. Well this lasted for about an hour…so we went to an internet café to kill some time, before realizing that it wasn’t letting up any time soon. Our plan was to go to Seven Wells, which is a system of waterfalls and watering holes with natural waterslides. Also, there is a cable car that goes to the top of a mountain which is supposed to have an incredible view. Well the man at the internet café said that it wasn’t storming up there, so we gave it a go. Big surprise, it was raining even harder there –not really a surprise since it is the heart of monsoon season right now. So we thought about it for about 3 minutes, then just decided to go for it. It was warm out, so we weren’t cold, just WET. So we started hiking up to the waterfall, which probably took about a half hour. Once we got there it was beautiful and overwhelming, but people had already gotten out of the water because it was getting too rough from all of the rain. After hanging out for about 10 minutes, two staff members from the ship (one LLC and one of the counselors) were on the other side of the watering hole, which was now quite a dangerous, fast-flowing body of water. Well, there was no really safe way to cross, and it was so loud from the rain and the flowing water that we could barely even yell to them. They had crossed earlier in the day and been hiking on that side of the falls for a few hours, and when they had crossed the water was only up to their ankles –now it was up to their wastes. Luckily they had found a length of rope and were able to tie that to a tree, but even then, the water was flowing to quickly to cross. Eventually they were able to find a break the water that was only up to their knees a little while upstream and they were able to cross. Another man was not so fortunate, and as we were hiking down the fire company had just gotten there and they were going up to rescue him. The monsoon was pretty intense and basically lasted until the next morning. Of course that didn’t stop us from going back to Enigma that night, then to a reggae bar and also eating the most incredible Nan (a type of bread) at the 24 hour food court right next to our hotel. The next morning, after breakfast the weather actually cleared up which was LOVELY. And by chance we ran into Steph’s roommate Erica! One of her best friends is studying in Bangkok for the semester, so she flew to Malaysia to spend time with Erica, so it was great to hang out with her and hear about all of her Thailand adventures. We then caught the 230pm ferry back to Penang, even though we did not want to leave Langkawi. It was basically an island that many Europeans went to for Holiday, and there were a lot of backpackers, so over two days we met some pretty interesting people.
That night back in Penang we caught dinner on the ship before heading back out to the night market because some of my friends hadn’t gone yet. Since Grey’s Anatomy worked, I bought every episode of all the seasons so far as well as a few more DVDs and a handful of CDs, and had a final great meal of Keoy Taw which is a noodle dish with vegetables that is fantastic and I had about 5 times I believe. Luckily we made it back to the pier for the last tender at 1am and finally got a good night’s sleep. In the morning Chad, Peter and I headed to which is a huge temple. Some of it was under construction but it was really beautiful and a magnificent place with a fantastic view of the city of Penang. We were there for about an hour and a half, and then took a cab back to the pier because Chad and I were doing a service visit to the Cheshire Home, which is a facility for people with disabilities. I was under the impression that it was going to be children (I’m not sure why) but the residents were between the ages of 16-45 with a whole range of disabilities –mental and physical. It was a really difficult place to spend a few hours because the disabilities were pretty severe and there was a huge language barrier so it was somewhat difficult to interact with them. Mostly we either colored, played cards, or did some sort of craft with them. My friend Jocelyn and I spent most of the time in the arts and crafts room with some of the residents who made beautiful things- from Christmas ornaments to jewelry to hand woven mats. Several of us purchased many of their goods and even though it cost more, I was so glad I bought things from there instead of the night market because I know the money is going to benefit the residents and because the things were definitely hand crafted. It was never discussed what types of disabilities most of the residents had, but they were all mostly in wheelchairs and the majority seemed to have mental disabilities. It was a really rewarding experience because they loved having interaction with others (there are only 18 of them and they live there anywhere from 6 months to 2 years) and playing with things like Play-Doh and koosh balls. We were able to donate a whole box of supplies and toys when we left that they were clearly grateful for and they all loved taking photos with us which was really special. It was a great way to complete my time in Malaysia because the smiles were contagious and unforgettable.
All in all the demographics of Malaysia are pretty interesting. In Penang specifically, I believe the numbers were…they both respected the other religion and it did not interfere with relationships or friendships at all which was very interesting to me because I am used to seeing the differences in ethnicity and race rather than religion.
Overall, Malaysia is a very beautiful country and somewhere that isn’t first on my life of countries to visit again, but definitely I would if I was ever again in Southeast Asia. I feel like it was a great introductory visit into the region because many of the locals and other travelers spoke English and the food was great and the atmosphere was relaxed and welcoming. The days in between Malaysia and Vietnam were a little hectic, because there were only 3 and a half, but now it is rapid fire all through Asia. Starting in Malaysia, in 21 days we only have 7 days of class…so a lot will be happening and my goal is to stay healthy and not get sick between now and the end of Japan!! And maybe get a tan?? Just kidding I’ll worry about that for the 26 days following Japan…
ps I will be posting Vietnam later tonight....I don't want to forget all of that before China so I am writing it tonight!
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