A Few More Pictures

Exploring the hilltop church in Melaka

90 meter tube running under the aquarium in Kuala Lumpur

Kuala Lumpur

Batu Caves, just outside of KL

Batu Caves.  I made Nathan walk in front of me for monkey protection.

This is a vine..on our jungle walk in Tioman

Little India, Singapore

Playing in the park, Singapore

Or you get shot.

Nathan cleaning his feet, Singapore waterfront

Singapore

Melaka riverfront

Hilltop church in Melaka

My birthday serenade

Night market in Melaka

Birthday Serenade

When I woke up this morning did I expect to have a teenage Malaysian boy on his knee before me, serenading me with a sweet little ditty called 'Bad Love' by the band 'My Chemical Romance'? No.
Did a birthday miracle make this happen? Yes.
This morning Nathan suggested visiting the torture museum, but I vetoed that on my day of celebration. Instead we spent a few minutes exploring the Melaka History, and weird life-size creepy mannequin museum. On our way out the door a gaggle of 8 teens came running up to us, begging us to buy some pickled fruits. Background: these pickled fruits are atrocious. They combine the very worst of pickle flavor with crunchy green fruits.
My first reaction to these frenzied pleas was to throw my hands up and calmly but forcefully ask, "Who are you all working for..and why do you want us to buy these terrible snacks so badly?"
This silenced them for a moment. Then a mousy girl in the back whispered, "Please buy them."
I couldn't help myself. "Listen, I'm going to be honest. We HATE these (pointing to the goods), but you all seem really intent on selling them. What's going on?"

We learned then that these kids were in some kind of competition to complete a list of tasks while running around the city looking for clues and asking for help from strangers. Nathan thinks the task in question might have been to sell something to a tourist for a 500% markup because they were asking for three dollars.
Desperation is a funny thing. Nathan thinks I may have gone too far..but kids these days need to learn proper negotiating strategy. Never show how motivated you are to buy or sell! I did the group a service. First, I negotiated down the price to two dollars. Then, I requested that one of the boys get down on one knee to serenade me. This probably wouldn't have been nearly as humiliating had it not been in a public market area. People stopped to take photos, all curious to know what was happening. When I felt this young man had earned his two dollars (it certainly wasn't the pickled snacks we were negotiating for) I shook his hand and told him the money was well earned. Nathan paid him more than our agreed price out of pity. Everyone was thrilled, and the boy seemed genuinely giddy to have completed his team's task in such an unexpected way.

Nathan took me to dinner..a lovely Portuguese restaurant where we ordered an entire fish. Delicious! On the walk back to our hotel we passed a woman doing henna body art, so I got myself a tattoo while eating ice-cream sold in the shape of an egg. Great day to turn thirty.

Zumba Volunteer?

We got kicked out of our dorm for the weekend..our beds were reserved for some other poor souls, unsuspecting of mucus face and night packer. So, we left Singapore. In another miraculous stroke of luck we navigated our way to Malaka. This is a town I was hesitant to visit. Old buildings weren't on my 'to do' list for the last two weeks of our trip. It's possible Nathan wanted to spend my birthday in a World Heritage old building sight to dim the pain I feel at turning thirty. Perhaps so he has a rebuttal for when I complain of my weak bones and tired muscles..'these buildings are a lot older than you and you dont hear them complaining'. Regardless of our motivations..we came. This is the most beautiful, quaint and mysterious river town I've ever been to. In the center of the old town roundabout where one might expect to find a giant statue of some explorer or Historical figure with a stern look on his face, instead are two tiny bronze statues of mouse deer..painted white.

It just so happens that our arrival coincided with the World Heritage Music Festival, a celebration that seemed suspiciously like a first time event. I have never whitnessed a crowd less enthusiastic. It had redeeming qualities..like the Zumba performance. Apparently they were light on music, so they hired the local exercise class to fill a thirty minute slot. About half way through their happy feet routine they started searching the crowd for 'volunteers' to get up on the stage with them. I looked over at Nathan to find he had shrunk 12 inches. If he could have sprayed self tanner on his face to 'blend' he probably would have. This was not the kind of volunteering either of us was interested in. The two awkward teen boys who tried desperately to look busy by faking cell phone calls got strong armed into the center of a pack of very focused women.

Throughout the ordeal the two boys were sweating profusely and missing every single beat. For their humiliation they were presented with an umbrella each. Just what every adolescent boy wants. It was fantastically entertaining. We watched the entire 30 minutes. When the first band came on we were shocked at how bad they were. I realized twenty seconds into the horror show that the lead vocals and guitar were the two guys who sat infront of us on the bus ride from Singapore. When we got back to our hotel Janis Joplin was flingin' some soul. A Malaysian Janis. Our hotel has live music every night, and our luck lasted straight through the evening..most talent we'd seen all night. We even got a Van Halen song dedicated to us. I attribute the dedication to my stupid grin and inability to take my eyes off of the stage. Janis was probably nervous I would follow her home if she didn't formally recognize my creepy intensity.
Tomorrow we explore Malaka.

Best Zoo In The World!

Dorm Life Part II

Dear lady who brushes her teeth and tongue so vigorously at 530 in the morning that she starts to dry heave and subsequently wakes the other five people sleeping,

Did you have a very animated conversation with yourself in the bathroom just now? What was it about? Also, what could you possibly have packed so deeply buried in your bag and so completely wrapped in plastic that it took you twenty five minutes of rustling to get it out in the middle of the night?

Kindly,
Woman in bunk four

A Few Pictures...More To Come!

Our view from the bungalow on Tioman Island

Night Market in Little India, Singapore

This was a first...

Riverfront in Singapore

Such a colorful and well designed city!

Nathan on the double helix bridge

Outside of the Artscience Museum

Nathan examining some Dali

We watched with delight as this Orangutan peed on a little girl sitting beneath his vine

Drinking Money

It costs about five dollars to buy a liter and a half of water in downtown Singapore. I was tempted to lick puddles from sidewalks but giardia medicine would probably cost me five hundred, so eventually I caved.
We walked about seventy miles today, I'm certain. From 930 AM until 730 PM we were on the move. We explored the riverfront, a fort/sculpture park on a hill overlooking the city, then made our way to the bay where we stumbled into a Dali exhibit that was well worth the three hours we spent roaming the artscience museum.
There's nothing quite like walking through the financial district of one of the most successful and driven economies on the planet to sow the seeds of panic for one's own financial stability. It was necessary to visit the Fountain of Wealth after facing thousands of men and women wearing suits worth more than my savings account. It's said that if you walk three times around the fountain with your hand in the water while making a wish, it comes true. I silently did a wealth wish for the two of us. It's the largest fountain in the world, which must make it the very best conduit for wishes. Somethings working around here.

By the time 730 rolled around, Nathan was in a bad spot. He had to deal with a meltdown, which I blame on exhaustion, foot swelling, and five dollar waters. Everything around us became an impossible, insurmountable chore. I couldn't sit comfortably on our bar stools, couldn't talk about Michelle Bachman without turning purple, couldn't even eat delicious Barfi (newest favorite Indian dessert..I know it doesn't translate well) without complaining of tooth decay. I call this my 'everything is stupid' mood. When asked to describe what is bothering me in such a mood, the only explanation I can muster is 'everything around me is stupid, not including present company'. Luckily we were close to home..Luckily Nathan didn't abandon me on the street. Good man. I got a hot shower and a foot rub (great man!) and things started looking up.

Tomorrow the zoo! I'm planning on sleeping like a baby. A baby who has five strangers farting and snoring in the same room as her, but a baby just the same.

Dorm Life - Singapore Style

Dear Lady who coughs up what I can only assume are apricot size balls of mucus every twenty minutes and loudly swallows them,

What is your condition? Is it communicable? Was it a dream..or did you really put your weird feet on my head last night? Also, you snore.

Kindly,
The woman in bunk 4

So this is what it's like to stay in a dorm.

Another Flawless Transition

It's official. My head swelling is a result of wheat. After a delightful breakfast of 'wafer cubes' (content: wafer, sugar, approved artificial flavor) we hopped on a 0700 ferry at 0800. We were transported no more than .6 nautical miles to a second identical ferry. They made us poor caffeine-less passengers get off one and onto the other. It's probably entertaining from the outside looking in. The inside of the ferry was sub arctic. My warm clothes were packed so I did the only reasonable thing. I put on a performance for the crew in hopes one might respond by turning down the AC unit. The play went something like this:

Characters:
Woman Freezing To Death
Crew Member 1
Crew Member 2
Crew Members 3-5
Nathan

Woman Freezing To Death: curls up into fetal position crying, says goodbye to loved one (Nathan)
Crew Member 1: Turns to crew member 2, mimes smoking, both men exit stage left
Crew Members 3-5: disappear.

I remained in fetal position for an hour.
We found our way onto a bus heading for the border for cheap. With cheap we received a wealth of personality in the seat behind us. A man claiming to work as a driver told us to get lost when we tried to claim our seats. He wanted the back four seats for a nap and was willing to terrorize to get them. I was tempted to walk up to the driver and report that a vagrant was squatting in the back, but a little unpredictability is healthy. Sitting infront of a man who might at any moment get a wild hair and decide to strangle you keeps things exciting.
We made it across the border without a problem. The bus dropped us off at a bus station just after 4. I admit, our tourism has gotten a bit sloppy. When we should be making plans and locating maps in our down time, we have taken to playing games like: If you could have any tool fabricated and you needed to catch a giant squid, what would that tool be and how would you use it?
As a result, we stumbled into the late afternoon sun in Simgapore with absolutely no idea where we were, where we would be sleeping, and how we would get there. As things have a tendency to do..it all worked out just fine. A group of three French girls passed, looking down intently at a map. I asked to take a peek and wouldn't you know it, they had an extra they were willing to part with. We happened to be a ten minute walk from the backpacker hostel haven. For the first time on our entire trip we will be staying in a dorm. A tiny twin bed in a room with 9 others cost us each 30 dollars. Singapore is NOT cheap. I'm hoping we can spare the cash to stay here long enough to celebrate my 30th birthday. I might insist Nathan take me to the theme park boasting a 1.2 kilometer cement luge.
So much to do. So much to see!

The Dragon

I came back to our room after writing my last post to find Nathan all worked up about something.  He barely gave me time to put my bag down before hauling me into the jungle in search of a 'dragon'.  Apparently he had heard a little scuffle on the steps outside of our stilt bungalow thirty minutes earlier.  He saw four cats piled one on top of the other on a huge boulder and wondered why they might be in such a panic.  Then, he claims, he saw the reason why.  An 8 foot lizard (dragon) had tried eating the kittens playing beneath the rock.  I was skeptical.  My skepticism resulted in mandatory jungle wandering in search of the creature.  The hotel must be doing some burning to clear the land for more bungalows, but Nathan assured me it was the dragon's fiery breath that scorched the land.  

The next day we took a snorkeling trip to another part of the island and saw several of these creatures.  We're not sure if they're Gila Monsters or Monitor Lizards, but they are indeed 8-9 feet long.  And the do indeed eat cats.  We had the good fortune of catching another much smaller lizard right outside of our bungalow as it dug through the dirt.  At first we thought it might be looking for a cool place to sleep, but shortly there after it grabbed a huge frog from an underground hiding place and swallowed it whole.  The swallowing process took about ten minutes because the frog was bigger than the neck of this thing.  It kept having to scrape its neck against the ground to help massage its meal down.  Impressive.
Our snorkeling trip was amazing.  We both got to see several sharks, a sting ray, and a lot of very beautiful fish and coral.  Despite our 50 spf sunblock, we were both torched on our back sides from floating face down all day.

Our choice of hotel (or rather..the hotel we were dropped off at without a choice) is in a great spot.  The service however...is atrocious.  Last night we waited an hour for our food..only to discover that somehow our order had been 'lost'.  It was taken again, and I am certain that we will be charged twice for it..since everything we order is added directly to our hotel bill.
Panuba Inn Resort..for those of you considering a trip.  A great place to read, snorkel and have peace and quiet.  But do not, under any circumstances..expect to be taken care of.  The staff would much rather be smoking a cigarette than doing something for you.

That said, we're having a great time.  We're both about to finish our second book since landing here, and will probably take another jungle walk today.  Although, our first jungle walk didn't work out so well for Nathan.  He tripped and fell into a pile of mystery leaves and bugs and then ten minutes later was jolted to a stop after a fern with teeth sunk its sharp little fangs into his forearm.  We're both still crossing our fingers it wasn't a poison fern..though I wouldn't be surprised.  Jungle walking is no joke.
Looks like we'll be spending my birthday in Singapore.
We'll be on a ferry back to the mainland at 0700 tomorrow and hopefully on a bus south by noon.

The Unthinkable

I have done the unimaginable. 
Six months ago, while I toiled over hostel bookings online, preparing for our trip with details, receipts, directions...I could have never in my wildest daydreams have believed this moment would come.  The moment that I, Jennifer Neves made Nathan Shenk-Boright uncomfortable with my total lack of planning.  Nathan is a man who I would describe not so much as an adventure seeker but as an adventure target.  He once explained his methodology thus:  Planning is an adventure-potential succubus.  The more you do, the less likely you are to stumble into something absolutely amazing, the less likely it is that you will learn something unexpected or be pushed to practice flexibility.  I think I probably scoffed at this explanation, assuming it was a clever excuse to justify missing plane flights, disregarding schedules, and having to make any sort of plan. 
I have changed.

Two days ago I suggested we go to the East coast of Malaysia based on some intel from my incredibly informed cousins (Thanks Simon, Niza and Adam!).  Nathan let me take the lead.  He falsely assumed I did my research before waking him at 0715 for a 0900 bus heading towards Mersing.  He accepted the 'plan' willingly, without asking any questions.  We got to the bus station, purchased our tickets and sat for an hour and a half waiting for a bus that showed on the computer screen as "on time" until 10 AM..at which point it finally rolled up.  We learned after boarding that we had purchased the last two seats on the only bus leaving for another 12 hours.  Flawless.

We arrived in Mersing six hours later and shuffled across the street to a shop selling ferry tickets to Tioman Island.  (The extent of my 'research' was that I knew an island by this name existed) We bought tickets.  The woman selling them asked where we wanted to be dropped off on the island.  I replied that we could get dropped off anywhere because we could always rent a motorcycle..at which point she rolled her eyes and told us there were no roads. 
"I see you have come here with bad information." she mocked. 
I think I caught her a bit off guard when I replied.  "No.  We came here with NO information.  Not bad."
I saw the map she was holding out and pointed at the Northern tip of the island where it said 'Salang Beach' and told her that's where we would go.
We got in line at the ferry terminal with the rest of the mob, then got herded into a boat.  Someone asked me where we were going and I replied confidently "Salang" (a word that Nathan apparently was hearing for the first time) One of the boat workers told us to get our bags and get off the boat.  This confused both Nathan and myself..Nathan, because he was certain I just made our destination up, and me because we had just been loaded onto a ferry with a ticket that did not specify which destinations were acceptable and which weren't.  Nathan started to argue with the ferry employee.
"Where is this boat going?  We'll go there." Nathan pushed. 
The guy replied "Sir, where are YOU going?" They exchanged these exact words back and forth about three times before the man grabbed onto his own hair, pulled it, and walked away groaning. 
Behind Nathan, a know-it-all tourist decided we needed a translator.  He tapped Nathan's shoulder and said "I think you're on the wrong boat man."
Nathan replied testily,  "How can I be on the wrong boat when I don't even know where my destination is?"
"Your girlfriend said 'Salang' "
"She was just making up words!"
Finally, Nathan looked over at me, flustered.  I explained that Salang was a beach in the North.  We disembarked and were sent to time-out for being poor planners (I suspect).  We sat on the pier, segregated from all of the other passengers who had not gotten on the wrong, totally unmarked boat.  When the other ferry showed up we were kicked to the back of the line.  Ferry number two seemed much more promising.  When a man asked Nathan where we were going, Nathan turned to me and shouted across isles "Hey Jenny, what was that word you used to get us kicked off the last ferry?"
"Salang."
"Right.  We're going to Salang." He said to the crew member.  The man nodded.  Things were looking up.
It took almost three hours and just before reaching 'Salang' everyone else on the boat got off.  We were tempted to follow, thinking they might all know something that we didn't..but, instead we decided to stick it out and wait for Salang.  After all, it was the reason we had endured a 45 minute time-out. 
Adventure!
We had no idea whether accommodation existed, or how much it would cost.  Nathan was brainstorming his Robinson Crusoe survival techniques as we pulled up to a dock.  Something seemed funny to the crew as we waved our goodbyes and trudged onto shore.  It all became clear when we checked in to the only hotel complex in miles.  On the reception counter there was a picture of Salang beach.  A place that we were very clearly NOT.  Nathan casually asked the guy behind the counter.."So, how far to Salang beach?" 
Twenty minutes by boat. 
In hindsight,  the ferry was likely trying to get rid of its last idiot passengers, so that it could turn around...and so it dropped us at the next available dock along the coast. 

Flawless indeed.

Mersing Me

Time to get out of the big city. We'll be heading to the East coast to the city of Mersing for some Island exploration in the morning.

I forced Nathan into purchasing a hunk of the best durian money can buy..just to test the theory that some durian is better than other durian. False. We are now both suffering with a terrible case of durian burps.
I would like very much to never eat it again.

In other news, I met a lovely man from Iran who introduced himself (after learning that I was American) "I am from Iran. I am not a terrorist. "
To which I responded "whew. I'm not a terrorist either. Now that we've covered the basics..what's your name? "
We both had a good chuckle, then went on our merry ways.

I have also determined with a little investigative dietary restriction that my head swelling might be caused by my gluten intolerance. I have to make a very tough decision. Which am I more intolerant of...a giant face or donuts? Malaysia makes a fine donut. Apparently Malaysia also knows it's custards. Based on how enthusiastic and painfully detail oriented Nathan's description of last nights dessert was, I'd say Malasia dominates the custard market.
I truly hope I have more than desserts to blog about very shortly. Snorkeling on picturesque islands is in the works..then on to Singapore.

Batu Caves

Over the course of the last three-ish months I have been convinced that I suffer a rare condition whereby my head changes size while I am sleeping. I think Nathan agrees with me on some level because he regularly determines my head fatness with accuracy (when asked). He doesn't like this exercise, I can tell. At first I have a feeling he worried I was laying an intricate trap for him..lulling him into freely expressing how big my head appeared on a 1-10 scale. Now I can trust his honest opinion. Why am I beginning a post about the Batu caves wih my personal problems? Mostly to illustrate how distressing it was to have Nathan walking through the total black of the huge caverns with a flashlight pointed at the back of my skull, projecting my enormous gourd shadow onto stalactites and flows.
The cave was pretty incredible even if we did have to follow a guide and stay on a marked path. I also whitnessed my first attempted monkey attack. It had almost no impact on Nathan to have seen the ferocious primate leap into the air with teeth and claws wildly tearing at the ignoramus trying to get a closer look. I, on the other hand ranted about monkeys for the next twenty minutes.
Tonight we are headed to the movies. Nathan spent a couple long metro rides trying to explain the plots of the first two transformers movies to me in preparation. I learned he has a thing for Megan Fox.

Aggressive Emus

As some of you may remember, I am not a fan of birds. However, Nathan was willing to spend the time and money to risk being mauled by a tiger so.. when he suggested we take a walk through the largest walk-in, open air aviary IN THE WORLD! I couldn't say no. I was expecting to receive an invitation to get crapped on with our entrance bracelet. It wasn't all bad actually. I got to see a toddler wiggling his little fingers at the cage of a great hornbill, resulting in an attempted attack. I bit my tongue..bit I really wanted to warn the kid's parents about their son's condition. If your child has fingers that look like wriggling worms it's probably best to avoid aviaries, or at least bring mittens.
Nathan read all of the plaques detailing points of interest and I played photographer. For someone nearly indifferent to bird beauty I got some good shots, if I do say so myself. We also got to watch the eagles being fed. I can really get behind an exhibit that involves deadly birds snatching raw flesh from mid air.
We did an awful lot of walking around Kuala Lumpur today. I love the city. So much green space and so many interesting people.
We topped off our evening with a meal at a portugese restaurant to celebrate my ancestry. A bowl full of chicken liver has me feeling like a million ringitt. I'm going to request a day of exploring and shopping tomorrow, and for the latter I imagine I'll be on my own.

A Few Island Pictures

I can't not include this picture.  Poor poor creature.

This was the tray full of 'ingredients' that were sprinkled into our betel nut packet.  I cannot tell you what a single one of them is.  I thought the tin with colorful jimmy/sprinkle like things looked tasty but in hindsight I think it might be fertilizer.  

The finished product.  Ipecac for little India. 

Travel through South East Asia isn't complete with out some snake charmin'.  I like adventure, but watching this snake 'show' made me really really nervous.  

That said..we both took part in the fun. 

I don't like snakes..but, with a temperature of 100 degrees, it was quite pleasant to have this live cool-pack wrapped around my neck. 

Seven pools waterfall from above.  We rode the cable car to the top of a nearby mountain to check out the island of Langkawi. 

Walking the suspension bridge at the top of the mountain.

Another bridge shot.

Notice..about a 100 meters in the distance....

Rubber tree doing what it does..

We've been good little tourists, exploring the Islands on the Western coast of Malaysia.  It's now time to head south.  We'll be on a train to Kuala Lumpur in the morning.
As a side note:
We met a crazy old man on the tour of the spice plantation.  He very sternly informed us both about one more thing that monkeys hate (so he wasn't completely crazy).  I find it intriguing how many people know just one or two things on the monkey most hated list.  This man did a demonstration of how smiling at a monkey can actually make the monkey think you are challenging it to a fight.  He claimed to have seen this very dangerous misunderstanding in person.  I think the seriousness with which I received his warning made him think that I was toying with him.  Even when I assured him that I knew full well that monkeys can rip people's faces off in the blink of an eye..he looked to Nathan to make sure I wasn't being snide.  Nathan shook his head as if to say...'No pal, she's dead serious.'
Then the ol' man bought me a drink.  Making friends all over the globe.

Little India

This story begins innocently enough: Nathan and I took a guided tour through a spice plantation on the island of Penang...however it ends with me curled up in the fetal position with a bright red mouth tasting of urinal cakes and vomit, praying to Kuan Yin the Indian God of Mercy.

During our tour we learned from our Indian guide of a strange custom involving the betel nut. Indians apparently chew it, in combination with other spices like clove and cinnamon. We explored the island for the rest of the afternoon on a motorcycle, then ended our tour in Georgetown's Little India. We parked the bike and went in search of a shop selling 'betel nut for chewing' per our guide's instructions. It took a few stops, and some miming..but eventually we stumbled into a tiny stall where a woman knew what we were talking about. She pulled two green leaves from a stack, rubbed them with limestone paste and then pulled out a tray with tiny cups of mystery ingredients. She expertly tossed a pinch of this and a pinch of that onto the leaves then pinned the piles together using a whole clove. Proud of our ability to procure this authentic piece of local culture, we celebrated with some delicious Indian cuisine.

After dinner we returned the rental motorcycle before heading back to our hotel to experiment with our loot. Chewing these little packets of betel nut cocktail was like eating urinal cakes dipped in shampoo. Our drooling was uncontrollable. One of the ingredients caused our saliva, teeth and tongues to turn bright red. About one minute after popping these doozeys into our faces, we were both dizzy and nauseated. Neither of us had any desire to see our experiment to it's end. We were dripping blood red drool down our chins and walking around like drunken sailors. At this point the real misery began. We both curled ourselves into balls and begged our bodies not to induce vomiting. My body did not comply, but Nathan managed to keep our spicy dinner down. Lucky man.
I will never chew the betel nut again..never.
You win some. You lose some.
Jenny - 0
Betel nut - 1

Welcome to Butterworth

We have arrived in our seventh country!
On the 23 hour train ride we met two very nice Thai girls who spoke fluent English. Nathan had ordered a beer from the meal car, thinking to spend his last Baht. When the kitchen collector showed up for her payment we were shocked to learn that the price of a single beer had tripled (train tax). Nathan didn't have enough Baht and our US dollars were given a laughable exchange rate. The younger of the two girls, April, insisted on picking up the tab. We had a great time hearing stories about their travels and studies in China, England, and Australia. The train manager Let us postpone lowering the sleeper bunks until 9pm. Once the bunks were fixed we all crawled into our curtained areas to attempt sleep.
We got off the train at the Malaysian border to get our passports stamped and our fingerprints taken, then boarded the train for another 4 hours to our destination. Ten minutes from our stop we both started to feel a little anxious. For good reason. We realized we had done absolutely no preparation. We knew there was an island off the coast of Butterworth with Unesco status..but didn't know the island's name, how we were going to get there, whether we had to find a boat or a bus to a boat, and we didn't have a map. Nathan told me to go make some friends. So, I introduced myself to an older couple who turned out to be ex-teachers from the University of Maine. The woman was teaching social work while I was studying biochemistry. We chit chatted while Nathan took a quick look at their guidebook.
Thankfully Butterworth is a city with sense. The train station, bus terminal and ferry are all in the same place. We showed up in Georgetown and promptly got ripped off by a taxi claiming hotels were 'quite far' and refused to use a meter. Four dollars and five blocks later Nancy the cabbie stopped at a hotel she likely gets kickbacks from. We took a look at the room but the whole place felt like the set of a horror movie. We were shown to the room by a man with terrible scoliosis and the room looked like a prison cell with less charm. No kickback for Nancy.
We found a guesthouse on our own. After a couple hours in our aircon room we decided to get some dinner. I found a traditional Nyonya restaurant which happened to be the spot that Jimmy Choo likes to grab a bite when he's in town. I appreciate someone who appreciates a good shoe..so I assumed Jimmy had good taste in Nyonya as well.
We had some amazing dishes. I can't say yet whether the food is better than Thai cuisine, but I plan on doing extensive research.
We'll explore Georgetown today, then spend some time planning our last month. It's almost time to buy return tickets..hard to believe.

Ini Meeny Miney Mo

Catch a Tiger by the....what?!

Yesterday Nathan and I finally made it to the Tiger Monastery in Kanchanaburi Thailand.  We missed it on our first go around..but made a special trip from Bangkok before catching our train south to Malaysia. 

This was one sign we took a very close look at before entering the canyon where the tigers were all lounging

A six month old, napping in the sun

A little nervous

This was the largest male.  My entire body could easily have fit in his stomach.  He weighed almost 600 pounds.

Getting ready to bottle feed this 18 month old male.

The monks at this temple are all a little...harder than other monks.  Tattoos, battle wounds..and they all seemed to be chain smokers. 

All in all...a great trip to the Temple.  There were over 93 tigers living there.  As well as deer, water buffalo, wild boars, horses.  The temple takes in almost any kind of abandoned animal.  Well worth the entrance fee to help support the cost of raising a tiger. 

The Worst Case Scenario

I have feared it for years. I have cautiously guarded my possessions to avoid facing this horrific event. To no avail. Today I was a victim. I was in the hotel room bathroom, washing our clothes by hand. There were suds everywhere, I must have been excessively enthusiastic.. my thumb ring flew into the air and as I screamed 'NNNOOO' I watched it fly into the airspace directly above the toilet and then drop straight down into the bowl. Nathan heard the scream and came running. He found me sitting on my ankles in front of the toilet moaning in disbelief. He didn't have to ask..my silver ring glimmered beneath five inches of germy liquid. He closed the door with a 'I'll just leave you to it then..'
It could have been worse. My real paranoia kicks in when I get within ten feet of a port-o-potty. I won't carry anything I'm not willing to lose FOREVER into one of those blue stinkers. Anyhow, as we were discussing the incident later Nathan admits to having dropped something into a toilet recently too. He says..'I can't remember exactly what it was..maybe nail clippers..maybe the dental floss.'
I have no words. Just intense hope that the dental floss bit was a joke.

The Pains Of Travel

We made it to Bangkok after an excruciating 10 hour bus ride. The distance should have taken about four hours but the Thai transport company responsible for border crossing has a fool proof system. Every forty minutes or so they would stop at a restaurant or shop owned by one of their families so that tourists would do what tourists do best..spend money. It works in most cases, unfortunately it doubled travel time.
Nathan is feeling a little under the weather after the journey. He spent the morning consulting webMD to come up with a diagnosis, even though I have already determined he has the flu. I returned to the hotel after a morning of perusing shops to learn that he believes himself to be suffering a mean case of lupus. This is a perfect example of why sick people shouldn't be allowed Internet access.
We'll be spending tomorrow in Bangkok then checking out the Tiger Monastery on the Myanmar border. I want to make sure we're both healthy before hanging out with 90 tigers that can smell an easy meal.

Quick Note:

Monkeys also hate it when you drink ozonated water in front of them.  I survived a near death experience at Angkor Wat...A male monkey angrily chased me, trying to steal my bottled gold.
Dehydrated monkeys are even more fierce than one might imagine.  I screamed and backed away as quickly as I could.  Everyone around got a good chuckle until I sternly informed them that monkeys can rip your face off.

Little Story About A Billionaire Named Soko - And Pictures!

 Once upon a time there was (and still is) a guy named Soko, who owned almost every gas station in the Kingdom of Cambodia. Naturally, this made him very rich. One morning while slurping his noodle soup it hit him. Bam. The best thing to do when you're rich in a poverty stricken, corrupt country...is to use your wealth and influence to get more money. Soko made a few phone calls and worked himself a sweet deal. He promised the government some really classy ticket booths for their natural wonders if the government agreed to a couple of small details. Soko gets to keep 72% of the profits those ticket booths rake in. He also sets the price that tourists pay wherever these booths are constructed. And just one more thing..Soko would like to rent Angkor Wat. For a handsome monthly payoff to big brother the most beautiful and historically significant place in Cambodia is monopolized by a single man. I wonder if the US government would be willing to rent me the Grand Canyon. If not I may have to swing by Egypt and make a pitch for a lease on the pyramids.
Anyway, to his credit Soko constructed a sweet ticket booth just South of the miles and miles of ruins near Siem Reap. He did miss one thing..he forgot to train the people that work there.

It was total chaos. No real lines, teen girls telling us to stand here, then there..and by the way give me 40 dollars. The ticket sales building had very clearly marked spots for lines in front of 8-9 windows but no one wanted you to stand in the lines. We had some faceless person from behind glass thrust a camera on a stick at us, snap a shot and then disappear. No one told us there was a paper ticket, and the woman we paid didn't mention whether we should hang around..but we did out of curiosity. Thankfully so. About ten minutes later a different woman walked up to us, eyed us closely then shuffled through a stack of fifty tickets each with a photo I.D. on it. All we could do was shake our heads in astonishment. This was the 'system' that raked in thousands of dollars a day.

Aside from the chaos..Angkor Wat is beautiful. We rode around the park all day on bicycles we rented in town. Other than occasional ticket checks there is essentially no oversight of these temples. Visitors can climb most everything at their own risk. Words don't do this place justice...

As we pedaled home it started to sprinkle..then rain..then downpour. It was the best ending to a surreal experience. We laughed and raced on gravel and red dirt roads with mud flying and our clothes sticking to us, saturated. Now we get ready to say goodbye to Cambodia. Tomorrow on a bus back to Thailand. We have some unfinished business with some tigers.

Angkor Wat Library

Angkor Wat Complex

Nathan exploring the ruins

View from the tallest tower in the Angkor Temple

Taking a break in the courtyard

Angkor from the rear exit

Exploring Bayon ruins

The faces of Bayon

The entrance to Preah Khan

Preah Khan

Preah Khan

Preah Khan

Loved the mossy walls

Nathan being dwarfed

Monks enjoying Bayon

Climb at your own risk

The Grand Palace runway

Wall of sculptures near the Leper's Terrace

Stones everywhere..their original resting places long lost