Yap picked me up at the hotel a little before 6:30am. It had been raining for a few hours so the roads were wet. That didn’t bother Yap at all. He sped along as though no one else was on the roads. I decided it was best just to look out the window and pretend we weren’t doing anything dangerous.
Frank gave me some of his luggage so he could travel on his business trips w/out his vacation things. I had 4 check-in bags (two of his) and three carry-on bags (including my purse). I knew I would have to pay extra for his two bags but was very surprised when I was told that I was allowed only one check-in bag. Very interesting—never heard about this when we checked in at Houston. Oh well, now I had to pay for three bags. The guy suggested that I attempt to combine luggage so it would be cheaper but I really wasn’t in the mood to try to put three bags of things into two bags. There was no guarantee that it would work and I really wasn’t in the mood to repack in the middle of the airport (and get back in the check in line).
The ticket said that we were boarding at 9:10 and leaving at 9:40am. Around 10am there was a ding (the sound made before announcements are made) and then there was a mad dash for the plane. No pre-boarding or any semblance of order; just pure chaos. I felt bad for those with small children or those in wheelchairs because they were pushed aside.
We took off an hour after we were supposed to but never learned why.
The return flight
This gets its own little section because it needs it. I have never been on a flight like this one. The airport fiasco was just foreshadowing of what was to come.
There was a group on the plane—they took up approximately ¾ of the plane—that lacked any travel etiquette. They were from Mexico. I mention this only because, after speaking with a Hispanic friend of mine, I learned that a lot of people from Mexico have a lack of respect for Asian people. I was under the impression that they were just rude but she is convinced that it is a cultural dislike/lack of respect. But I digress…back to the flight.
When most people are on a plane, they put their things away, sit down, buckle up and prepare for a long flight. Not this crowd.
I had agreed to switch seats with someone which moved me from the middle of the plane to the third from the last row of the plane. I was now at the BACK. No big deal.
The people were standing in the aisles talking as though they were at a bar or something. The captain and the flight crew all tried to get them to sit down to no avail. We were taxiing for take off and they still hadn’t sat down. During the flight the turbulence was quite bad. This didn’t deter them from standing and talking. It didn’t matter that the crew postponed serving beverages (because of the turbulence), they wanted to talk. Some people actually argued with the flight crew because they wanted to go brush their teeth. Luckily the flight attendant was in the way because if there had been room around them, the person would have just gone around them. I personally would have allowed them to go because they probably would have knocked themselves unconscious (but that was me just being cranky because they had been pushing me well beyond my threshold of niceness).
After 4+ hours, we landed in Taipei. It was one of those get-off, get right back on type of flights. Basically they needed to do a crew change and re-fuel.
When we re-boarded, some of the group decided that it was open seating and sat where they pleased. Those who were boarding for the first time were shocked to find people sitting in their seats who would not move. It took a girl 5 minutes to convince one woman to get out of her seat. She just passive/aggressively sat there for most of the time. The poor girl got fed up with her and started putting her carry-on under the seat where the woman was. Again, I had ideas of what to do but it is best that I kept my mouth shut.
For our long flight, I had hoped to get some sleep so my jet lag would not be as bad. I was supposed to be landing a little before 6am and had to report to work at 8am. Sleep was not to happen and the group was ready to make sure of that. They continued their socializing for the entire flight. Sadly my chair back became the visiting area for most of them. They decided it was ok to sit on the emergency door (right where the picture shows NOT to sit). This made me prepare for an emergency landing and also had me fantasizing about them being sucked out when they opened it accidentally. Again, I’m digressing.
I could go on about the things these people did (loudly played children’s sing-a-long on a stereo w/out speakers) but I think you get the picture of what the flight was like. Just imagine one of the most crowded buses you can find. Mix that with a crowded club and you have my plane flight.
One funny part of the flight came near the end. The cabin lights had problems and they continued to go one & off (like disco lights) for the remainder of the flight).
We arrived in Houston a little after 6am. My bags arrived about 6:45am and I got in the shuttle about 7am. We sat in traffic a while but I arrived at home about 8am. Quickly fed the dogs, changed clothes, and headed into work.
Whew—it was nice to be back but I really do miss it. If you ever get the chance, I whole-heartedly recommend Malaysia. There are so many different things to do there that it appeals to everyone.
Thursday, August 23, 2007
Sunday, 8/19
This would be our last day together in KL and we wanted to do some local sightseeing. The plan was to see Batu Caves (see if the tanggathon was actually happening), the bird park, and any other thing we might think of.
We got in a cab and headed to the caves. Our cab driver (Yap) was very helpful. We told him where we wanted to go/see and he made suggestions of additional things to see (that might interest us). As he drove, he would pull out pamphlets and hand them to us.
The Batu Caves were about 20k from KL. Yap told us that most people take an hour to walk around; he told us that he would wait for us. Climbing the 272 steps wasn’t easy—they are quite steep and are very narrow (Frank had a hard time getting ½ of his foot on the step).
We arrived about 7:30am—when it opened. It wasn’t busy but there was a Hindu ceremony starting so we were able to see it; very interesting if you’ve never seen one.
As we stood there, I looked around for two things—monkeys and the tanggathon. I saw neither.
When we reached the top, we continued walking (and climbed more stairs) into the main chamber. It was a hollow cave that had several different “temples”. That is where we found the monkeys but they were up on the rock rather than near the people.
We were done looking around in about 40 minutes so we returned to Yap. We told him that the bird park was next on our list. He made suggestions about the batik factory (handmade fabric) and the local pewter factory because they were on the way to the park; Frank & I had read about both and quickly agreed to add them to the itinerary. Both places gave us a guided tour and explained how everything was made. Naturally we walked away with souvenirs from both places; isn’t that how it is supposed to work?
On the way to the bird park Yap showed us a sign for the colonial British house (it was very hard to understand him because of his accent and pronunciation). We agreed that we’d like to see it so he quickly turned left from the right lane. The place had a gate & guard. Yap told the guy that he wanted to show us around and the gate opened (to my surprise). We parked (it was deserted) and he just started opening doors to this mansion-looking place. He told us it was now a 6 room hotel (sounded very exclusive) that anyone can stay at. He was not shy about opening doors and snooping. The rooms are as big or bigger than most apartments in Houston!!! It costs about $300/night. Looking at the place you would have guessed MUCH more.
Finally we made it to the bird park. It is touted as the biggest free-flying bird park in the world (or something like that). What can I tell you other than there were birds everywhere. Most were local birds but they looked exotic to us.
Favorite parts was taking our picture with the birds and feeding the birds (yeah, I know it is totally touristy).
We were gone from 7am until 2pm. Yap was our driver the entire time; he patiently waited patiently while we were doing our thing at each place. The cab fare for the entire day came to about $20-$25. What a bargain.
After lunch we went in search of the chocolate factory I had seen while riding in the cab.
The rest of the day was spent walking around the area and packing.
We got in a cab and headed to the caves. Our cab driver (Yap) was very helpful. We told him where we wanted to go/see and he made suggestions of additional things to see (that might interest us). As he drove, he would pull out pamphlets and hand them to us.
The Batu Caves were about 20k from KL. Yap told us that most people take an hour to walk around; he told us that he would wait for us. Climbing the 272 steps wasn’t easy—they are quite steep and are very narrow (Frank had a hard time getting ½ of his foot on the step).
We arrived about 7:30am—when it opened. It wasn’t busy but there was a Hindu ceremony starting so we were able to see it; very interesting if you’ve never seen one.
As we stood there, I looked around for two things—monkeys and the tanggathon. I saw neither.
When we reached the top, we continued walking (and climbed more stairs) into the main chamber. It was a hollow cave that had several different “temples”. That is where we found the monkeys but they were up on the rock rather than near the people.
We were done looking around in about 40 minutes so we returned to Yap. We told him that the bird park was next on our list. He made suggestions about the batik factory (handmade fabric) and the local pewter factory because they were on the way to the park; Frank & I had read about both and quickly agreed to add them to the itinerary. Both places gave us a guided tour and explained how everything was made. Naturally we walked away with souvenirs from both places; isn’t that how it is supposed to work?
On the way to the bird park Yap showed us a sign for the colonial British house (it was very hard to understand him because of his accent and pronunciation). We agreed that we’d like to see it so he quickly turned left from the right lane. The place had a gate & guard. Yap told the guy that he wanted to show us around and the gate opened (to my surprise). We parked (it was deserted) and he just started opening doors to this mansion-looking place. He told us it was now a 6 room hotel (sounded very exclusive) that anyone can stay at. He was not shy about opening doors and snooping. The rooms are as big or bigger than most apartments in Houston!!! It costs about $300/night. Looking at the place you would have guessed MUCH more.
Finally we made it to the bird park. It is touted as the biggest free-flying bird park in the world (or something like that). What can I tell you other than there were birds everywhere. Most were local birds but they looked exotic to us.
Favorite parts was taking our picture with the birds and feeding the birds (yeah, I know it is totally touristy).
We were gone from 7am until 2pm. Yap was our driver the entire time; he patiently waited patiently while we were doing our thing at each place. The cab fare for the entire day came to about $20-$25. What a bargain.
After lunch we went in search of the chocolate factory I had seen while riding in the cab.
The rest of the day was spent walking around the area and packing.
Saturday 8/18
Today was a non-formatted day because we were leaving for the Redang airport at 1:20pm. After breakfast, we walked around the island. Every single local person we saw said hi to us (sometimes they were overly enthusiastic). It was great to have a load of kids ride past screaming (cheering) at us while wildly waving their hands.
The island is quite small and the town is even smaller. Most people would not have even had the word “town” come to mind when describing it. The town consisted of a few “streets” and buildings. There was a police building, one or two convenience stores (shacks would be a more appropriate definition), and several restaurants (again—shack is a more fitting word). Aside from the police station, just about everything looked the same—run down.
We had read in our travel books that Malaysia (as a whole) had a problem with keeping things clean. The people themselves (anyone you encountered) were the best; it seemed to be their goal to make sure you were happy and enjoyed your time in their country. Everyone took it upon themselves to be an ambassador. The cleanliness, however, was a problem. The book mentioned that efforts to change the way the Malaysians dealt with trash was underway.
Trash was everywhere the eye could see—the beach, the side of the road, in the road, their front yard. Sadly, the resort area was the only place that was immaculately clean. It looked like the stereotypical white trash, car-on-blocks-in-the-front-yard house. Now as I describe this to you, it isn’t just about Redang. It is about everywhere—Taman Negara, any town we drove through on the way to Redang (6 hours of driving). Kuala Lumpur also has it but it is cleaner because now the country is hiring people to sweep up. Hopefully they will hire people to start actually picking up the trash (rather than just sweeping it to the side).
I neglected to mention that our resort in Redang was owned by Berjaya, who also owns lots of other resorts, and an airline company. The airport is on the island, so we had approximately a 1 mile trip down the main road (where Frank & I had walked earlier). The airport had a cattle crossing guard (goat crossing guard) at the entrance and was two rooms—arrivals and departures. The ticketing, check-in, baggage check in, screening, and gate were all in the same room (outdoors with a roof).
Watching our plane land was very surreal. It was a prop plane—bigger than I had expected so it was a nice surprise.
It was an old plane but my confidence level was raised when I saw the captain doing his inspection very thoroughly.
Inside the plane’s age was even more evident. The A/C dripped on my leg at a constant rate. The condensation that came out of the A/C made it look like a Batman movie—holy smokes Batman, they’re trying to smoke us out!
We were served bottles of water and towelettes—very nice touch.
We arrived at the airport (not the large international airport but a smaller and closer airport). This time we stayed at the Millennium hotel (4 star, not 5 star). I wanted to re-visit Petaling street & Central Market since we visited them when we were zombies. Frank was definitely pushing himself to be there—shopping isn’t his thing. I should re-state that. He does a very good job when he has a purpose for shopping. When it is just looking for souvenirs he does not have a high tolerance for it.
The island is quite small and the town is even smaller. Most people would not have even had the word “town” come to mind when describing it. The town consisted of a few “streets” and buildings. There was a police building, one or two convenience stores (shacks would be a more appropriate definition), and several restaurants (again—shack is a more fitting word). Aside from the police station, just about everything looked the same—run down.
We had read in our travel books that Malaysia (as a whole) had a problem with keeping things clean. The people themselves (anyone you encountered) were the best; it seemed to be their goal to make sure you were happy and enjoyed your time in their country. Everyone took it upon themselves to be an ambassador. The cleanliness, however, was a problem. The book mentioned that efforts to change the way the Malaysians dealt with trash was underway.
Trash was everywhere the eye could see—the beach, the side of the road, in the road, their front yard. Sadly, the resort area was the only place that was immaculately clean. It looked like the stereotypical white trash, car-on-blocks-in-the-front-yard house. Now as I describe this to you, it isn’t just about Redang. It is about everywhere—Taman Negara, any town we drove through on the way to Redang (6 hours of driving). Kuala Lumpur also has it but it is cleaner because now the country is hiring people to sweep up. Hopefully they will hire people to start actually picking up the trash (rather than just sweeping it to the side).
I neglected to mention that our resort in Redang was owned by Berjaya, who also owns lots of other resorts, and an airline company. The airport is on the island, so we had approximately a 1 mile trip down the main road (where Frank & I had walked earlier). The airport had a cattle crossing guard (goat crossing guard) at the entrance and was two rooms—arrivals and departures. The ticketing, check-in, baggage check in, screening, and gate were all in the same room (outdoors with a roof).
Watching our plane land was very surreal. It was a prop plane—bigger than I had expected so it was a nice surprise.
It was an old plane but my confidence level was raised when I saw the captain doing his inspection very thoroughly.
Inside the plane’s age was even more evident. The A/C dripped on my leg at a constant rate. The condensation that came out of the A/C made it look like a Batman movie—holy smokes Batman, they’re trying to smoke us out!
We were served bottles of water and towelettes—very nice touch.
We arrived at the airport (not the large international airport but a smaller and closer airport). This time we stayed at the Millennium hotel (4 star, not 5 star). I wanted to re-visit Petaling street & Central Market since we visited them when we were zombies. Frank was definitely pushing himself to be there—shopping isn’t his thing. I should re-state that. He does a very good job when he has a purpose for shopping. When it is just looking for souvenirs he does not have a high tolerance for it.
Friday, August 17, 2007
Friday, 8/17
Left for breakfast at 7am. This time we knew what we were doing; we wanted a good cabana with two working chaise lounge chairs that had pads (chair pads are a commodity). We were far from the 1st to stake a claim on the beach but this time we knew what we were doing & got good chairs.
After breakfast, we booted up Frank’s laptop so I could update my blog. We’ve discovered areas where we can get unauthorized wi-fi (instead of having to pay for it). The connection (free or not) is VERY slow; I’m fairly certain it is dial-up. Logging in to the blog or Shutterfly takes between 30 min to 1hr. We’ve resigned to give up on pictures until we return to KL.
Took a 2 ½ hr snorkel excursion, different from yesterday’s trip. This one is based on a boat that has 3 different stops. We learned that turtles deposited eggs on one of the beaches last night, near where we’ll be stopping; we were told to keep clear of the beach so we don’t disturb them.
Having learned from yesterday’s adventure, I requested fish food before we left. When the Activity Desk person delivered our fluorescent orange life vest & snorkel equipment, he handed me a water bottle filled with fish food, “No charge for you”.
The 1st stop was great but there weren’t as many fish (there were still a lot). Feeding the fish ROCKED! Hopefully the pictures from the underwater disposable camera come out.
Here is a new experience—not sure if anyone else has done this—seasickness from snorkeling. The waves were like the Oldsmobile dynaride—smooth but there was a definitely bumpiness. The ride to stops 2 & 3 only made the nausea worse.
Stops 2 & 3 didn’t have as many fish but the fish we saw were wonderful (and hungry). Each stop became increasingly shorter snorkels for me. Unfortunately there were no turtles to be seen on this trip.
We spent the remainder of the day relaxing in our chaise lounges and enjoying the paradise we were in. I had a massage scheduled for 3 p.m., but decided to go a bit earlier. It was billed to be a deep tissue massage; there is a slight difference in US & Malaysian massages but it did help to relieve some of my sore muscles. Meanwhile, Frank drifted between sleep and reading his book on the Appalachian Trail….perhaps a future adventure! I returned from my massage as Frank was heading to happy hour at the local watering hole. I joined him (and his beer) and had a Shirley Temple. After all, it was happy hour! After about an hour, we were happy and headed back to the room to get showered and ready for dinner.
After breakfast, we booted up Frank’s laptop so I could update my blog. We’ve discovered areas where we can get unauthorized wi-fi (instead of having to pay for it). The connection (free or not) is VERY slow; I’m fairly certain it is dial-up. Logging in to the blog or Shutterfly takes between 30 min to 1hr. We’ve resigned to give up on pictures until we return to KL.
Took a 2 ½ hr snorkel excursion, different from yesterday’s trip. This one is based on a boat that has 3 different stops. We learned that turtles deposited eggs on one of the beaches last night, near where we’ll be stopping; we were told to keep clear of the beach so we don’t disturb them.
Having learned from yesterday’s adventure, I requested fish food before we left. When the Activity Desk person delivered our fluorescent orange life vest & snorkel equipment, he handed me a water bottle filled with fish food, “No charge for you”.
The 1st stop was great but there weren’t as many fish (there were still a lot). Feeding the fish ROCKED! Hopefully the pictures from the underwater disposable camera come out.
Here is a new experience—not sure if anyone else has done this—seasickness from snorkeling. The waves were like the Oldsmobile dynaride—smooth but there was a definitely bumpiness. The ride to stops 2 & 3 only made the nausea worse.
Stops 2 & 3 didn’t have as many fish but the fish we saw were wonderful (and hungry). Each stop became increasingly shorter snorkels for me. Unfortunately there were no turtles to be seen on this trip.
We spent the remainder of the day relaxing in our chaise lounges and enjoying the paradise we were in. I had a massage scheduled for 3 p.m., but decided to go a bit earlier. It was billed to be a deep tissue massage; there is a slight difference in US & Malaysian massages but it did help to relieve some of my sore muscles. Meanwhile, Frank drifted between sleep and reading his book on the Appalachian Trail….perhaps a future adventure! I returned from my massage as Frank was heading to happy hour at the local watering hole. I joined him (and his beer) and had a Shirley Temple. After all, it was happy hour! After about an hour, we were happy and headed back to the room to get showered and ready for dinner.
Thursday, August 16, 2007
Thursday, 8/16
The fight for chaise lounges on the beach begins at 7am as the sun rises. By 8am every available space is taken. I know this because we were having breakfast and I noticed everyone was heading to the beach instead of the restaurant.
Frank had a scuba refresher at 7:45 so I grabbed two places under an umbrella. I was informed that the umbrella I chose was broken. I hastily grabbed two other chairs; it turns out that one was broken. Too late to change again because, by then, everything was taken.
Frank chose a 3hr scuba excursion around the island & I headed off for 2 ½ hrs of snorkeling on another island.
Snorkeling—
Before even entering the water, it was obvious that there was abundant aquatic life waiting for us in the water. Fish were everywhere; it was like I was suddenly in the movie “Finding Nemo”. That huge school of fish that formed symbols (in the movie) was there—they actually changed the shape they were in. Their school was approximately 10 or so feet diameter!!! Every color of fish imaginable was present—fluorescent blue to stripes and polka dots. Every fish from Finding Nemo was accounted for (aside from the sharks).
I was unaware that it is customary to bring food for the fish so I was the only person empty-handed. The fish are accustomed to this and are extremely friendly. Their idea of personal space was not quite the same as mine. I now know what it is like to have hundreds of fans clamoring around you—I was an ocean rock star.
Frank’s dive was just as exciting; he even had a large turtle make an appearance.
The rest of the day was spent snorkeling and turtle watching. For snorkeling, you just swim out from the beach (good but not as great as the snorkeling trip). The resort checks out all of the equipment to you. The turtle-watching trip was on a glass bottomed boat. It was spectacular because we saw so many turtles (either green or leather-back). One turtle was enormous; probably 8 feet diameter. We also witnessed one of the most unexpected actions—turtle hostility. One turtle must have “invaded” the space of another because we saw both and then suddenly we saw the turtle become a high-speed torpedo, chasing the other turtle away. I never would have expected such speed—it was seriously fast.
As I sat on the beach writing in my journal, in my chaise lounge, I watched a man do laps on the beach. He had done several laps already and each lap was easily 400-600 meters. I was very tempted to join him. I commented this thought to Frank who quickly countered that he definitely wasn’t interested.
Room change
A little background on our room situation: we arrived a day early and they weren’t able to give us a room w/a king bed so we had a room w/two twins. No problem. They told us that we would move today (when our reservation started). Mid-afternoon we went to check to see when we were supposed to move. Turns out that there were no more king rooms. Hmmm…. Apparently a few of the king rooms had maintenance problems so we weren’t getting one; we were staying in our twin room and they promised we would move rooms tomorrow. Nothing was wrong with our twin room; it was a nice enough room, we just wanted a king bed. After talking with many people (finally the manager), we were offered an upgraded king room. The room isn’t part of the main hotel; it is a little farther away (new construction). It still has beach access though (quite a bit of stairs to climb to return). We were given a room with a beach/ocean view—wow, what an upgrade.
John Denver—When we arrived in Malaysia, I heard a John Denver song. I thought nothing of it. While in Taman Negara, Awan (our guide) told us that his favorite artist was John Denver & that he loved country music. Tonight, the band (think tropical mariachi) played John Denver. I think it is a trend!
Frank had a scuba refresher at 7:45 so I grabbed two places under an umbrella. I was informed that the umbrella I chose was broken. I hastily grabbed two other chairs; it turns out that one was broken. Too late to change again because, by then, everything was taken.
Frank chose a 3hr scuba excursion around the island & I headed off for 2 ½ hrs of snorkeling on another island.
Snorkeling—
Before even entering the water, it was obvious that there was abundant aquatic life waiting for us in the water. Fish were everywhere; it was like I was suddenly in the movie “Finding Nemo”. That huge school of fish that formed symbols (in the movie) was there—they actually changed the shape they were in. Their school was approximately 10 or so feet diameter!!! Every color of fish imaginable was present—fluorescent blue to stripes and polka dots. Every fish from Finding Nemo was accounted for (aside from the sharks).
I was unaware that it is customary to bring food for the fish so I was the only person empty-handed. The fish are accustomed to this and are extremely friendly. Their idea of personal space was not quite the same as mine. I now know what it is like to have hundreds of fans clamoring around you—I was an ocean rock star.
Frank’s dive was just as exciting; he even had a large turtle make an appearance.
The rest of the day was spent snorkeling and turtle watching. For snorkeling, you just swim out from the beach (good but not as great as the snorkeling trip). The resort checks out all of the equipment to you. The turtle-watching trip was on a glass bottomed boat. It was spectacular because we saw so many turtles (either green or leather-back). One turtle was enormous; probably 8 feet diameter. We also witnessed one of the most unexpected actions—turtle hostility. One turtle must have “invaded” the space of another because we saw both and then suddenly we saw the turtle become a high-speed torpedo, chasing the other turtle away. I never would have expected such speed—it was seriously fast.
As I sat on the beach writing in my journal, in my chaise lounge, I watched a man do laps on the beach. He had done several laps already and each lap was easily 400-600 meters. I was very tempted to join him. I commented this thought to Frank who quickly countered that he definitely wasn’t interested.
Room change
A little background on our room situation: we arrived a day early and they weren’t able to give us a room w/a king bed so we had a room w/two twins. No problem. They told us that we would move today (when our reservation started). Mid-afternoon we went to check to see when we were supposed to move. Turns out that there were no more king rooms. Hmmm…. Apparently a few of the king rooms had maintenance problems so we weren’t getting one; we were staying in our twin room and they promised we would move rooms tomorrow. Nothing was wrong with our twin room; it was a nice enough room, we just wanted a king bed. After talking with many people (finally the manager), we were offered an upgraded king room. The room isn’t part of the main hotel; it is a little farther away (new construction). It still has beach access though (quite a bit of stairs to climb to return). We were given a room with a beach/ocean view—wow, what an upgrade.
John Denver—When we arrived in Malaysia, I heard a John Denver song. I thought nothing of it. While in Taman Negara, Awan (our guide) told us that his favorite artist was John Denver & that he loved country music. Tonight, the band (think tropical mariachi) played John Denver. I think it is a trend!
Wednesday, August 15, 2007
Wednesday, 8/15
Plan—7:30am breakfast & 8am departure (cab awaiting us across the river). 5 hr drive to Terengganu. 1 ½ hr ferry to Pulau Redang (island on east coast of Malaysia).
So far we have had flashbacks every day at breakfast. Chuck Mangione (sp) was played every day for breakfast.
Walking to breakfast was a similar experience to dinner last night—the macaques were active in the trees. It was fun to watch them swing & climb around. They were not on the ground nor did they ever try to bother us.
Drive
There are wild cows in Malaysia! Instead of the deer crossing signs, there are cow-crossing signs. There are cows just standing in the middle of the road. We nearly hit one because it was a blind curve and he was just there, hanging out in the road.
The roads were quite curvy & hilly and carsickness was upon me. My only remedy for this is to look out the window. Our driver was funny. His English consisted of one or two words. It was hard to tell if he was asking us something or telling us something.
He was in no hurry to get us to our destination. He stopped a few times: almost immediately for gas, once for restroom break and once for lunch (for him, not us).
Approximately 3 hrs into the ride, the driver asked us about our ferry reservation. Frank didn’t have one, nor was he aware that one was needed. When Frank made the taxi reservation, he asked for help getting us there. He was never told that the ferry only had two or three trips. Several phone calls ensued and the phone was passed to Frank regarding the ferry. One time we were told that the ferry left at 1pm. We quickly did the math and figured that we may make it but it would be close. Another time were learned that it left at 1pm and 4pm—that would be helpful because we would definitely make one. The last call gave us news that the last ferry was at 1pm and that we would have to stay the night in Terengganu. The stress was setting in and the car ride was not helping. We encountered road construction everywhere. At one point the toll way was closed and we had to take a different route just to get back to it.
We arrived in Teregganu at 2pm (6 hr drive--one hour after the anticipated time) and Frank told the driver to take us to the ferry just in case. We learned that the last ferry was at 3pm; we had made it!!!!!
We had 1 hour to kill so we decided to find some lunch.
We had a 1 ½ hr ride across the South China Sea to Pulau Redang. Upon arrival, a motorized golf cart from the resort picked us up. There were goats on the beach. There were goats everywhere—most looked quite scraggly. I think they belonged to people but who knows because they didn’t have collars.
The resort is beautiful; completely different from Taman Negara—rainforest jungle vs. beach resort.
We’re staying at the Berjaya Redang Beach Resort and everything looks like a postcard. The waters are crystal blue, the sand is white, there are cliffs and a rainforest behind us.
Returning from dinner just now I thought I would turn my head skyward to see if there were bats; immediately my thoughts were answered. Yes and in all sizes. There are small bats (micro bats—smaller than Houston bats), medium-sized bats (bigger than Houston), and large bats. My first thought when I saw a large bat was that it was an owl. It was a huge fruit bat. I tried to take pictures (I patiently waited for them to keep flying over us) but the night setting on the camera isn’t great and things need to be still. The bats refused to hold still.
Plan for tomorrow:
Report to beach at 7:45am for Frank to scuba. I plan to snorkel. I’m not sure if I can go in the boat w/him or if I need to find my own place. There is a turtle watching tour (glass bottom boat) that we plan to do and there is a spa here. The prices are so good that it would be poor manners to skip it.
We’re here until Saturday afternoon. Frank & I decided that it would be better to fly back to KL—1hr flight vs. 6hr drive. The prices are very similar so we’ve opted to fly.
Haven’t had a chance to download pictures yet. It takes FOREVER. Hopefully I’ll find time very shortly.
So far we have had flashbacks every day at breakfast. Chuck Mangione (sp) was played every day for breakfast.
Walking to breakfast was a similar experience to dinner last night—the macaques were active in the trees. It was fun to watch them swing & climb around. They were not on the ground nor did they ever try to bother us.
Drive
There are wild cows in Malaysia! Instead of the deer crossing signs, there are cow-crossing signs. There are cows just standing in the middle of the road. We nearly hit one because it was a blind curve and he was just there, hanging out in the road.
The roads were quite curvy & hilly and carsickness was upon me. My only remedy for this is to look out the window. Our driver was funny. His English consisted of one or two words. It was hard to tell if he was asking us something or telling us something.
He was in no hurry to get us to our destination. He stopped a few times: almost immediately for gas, once for restroom break and once for lunch (for him, not us).
Approximately 3 hrs into the ride, the driver asked us about our ferry reservation. Frank didn’t have one, nor was he aware that one was needed. When Frank made the taxi reservation, he asked for help getting us there. He was never told that the ferry only had two or three trips. Several phone calls ensued and the phone was passed to Frank regarding the ferry. One time we were told that the ferry left at 1pm. We quickly did the math and figured that we may make it but it would be close. Another time were learned that it left at 1pm and 4pm—that would be helpful because we would definitely make one. The last call gave us news that the last ferry was at 1pm and that we would have to stay the night in Terengganu. The stress was setting in and the car ride was not helping. We encountered road construction everywhere. At one point the toll way was closed and we had to take a different route just to get back to it.
We arrived in Teregganu at 2pm (6 hr drive--one hour after the anticipated time) and Frank told the driver to take us to the ferry just in case. We learned that the last ferry was at 3pm; we had made it!!!!!
We had 1 hour to kill so we decided to find some lunch.
We had a 1 ½ hr ride across the South China Sea to Pulau Redang. Upon arrival, a motorized golf cart from the resort picked us up. There were goats on the beach. There were goats everywhere—most looked quite scraggly. I think they belonged to people but who knows because they didn’t have collars.
The resort is beautiful; completely different from Taman Negara—rainforest jungle vs. beach resort.
We’re staying at the Berjaya Redang Beach Resort and everything looks like a postcard. The waters are crystal blue, the sand is white, there are cliffs and a rainforest behind us.
Returning from dinner just now I thought I would turn my head skyward to see if there were bats; immediately my thoughts were answered. Yes and in all sizes. There are small bats (micro bats—smaller than Houston bats), medium-sized bats (bigger than Houston), and large bats. My first thought when I saw a large bat was that it was an owl. It was a huge fruit bat. I tried to take pictures (I patiently waited for them to keep flying over us) but the night setting on the camera isn’t great and things need to be still. The bats refused to hold still.
Plan for tomorrow:
Report to beach at 7:45am for Frank to scuba. I plan to snorkel. I’m not sure if I can go in the boat w/him or if I need to find my own place. There is a turtle watching tour (glass bottom boat) that we plan to do and there is a spa here. The prices are so good that it would be poor manners to skip it.
We’re here until Saturday afternoon. Frank & I decided that it would be better to fly back to KL—1hr flight vs. 6hr drive. The prices are very similar so we’ve opted to fly.
Haven’t had a chance to download pictures yet. It takes FOREVER. Hopefully I’ll find time very shortly.
Tuesday, 8/14
Plan--7:30am breakfast followed by 9:30 jungle walk w/Awan. Finished breakfast & decided to walk to local swimming area (close to resort). Absolutely no one was on this trail. We heard lots of animal sounds (birds, rustling leaves, insects) but never saw anything long enough to recognize it.
The weather is very similar to Houston (humid), possibly a degree or two cooler. We dressed for exercise; Frank in his short-sleeved running top and me in my tank top.
Our jungle hike w/Awan was to be about 3 hrs. We hiked to the 1st view (canopy area) and then the 2nd view (still higher). This hike was definitely taxing. The hike was quite steep and the footing was difficult. It is hard to imagine that anyone could do this hike. I would definitely put it in the “challenging” category. Even our guide paused mid-way up to catch his breath. On our descent, the footing was still a little treacherous. We made our way to the canopy walkway. It is touted as the longest canopy bridge walkway in the world (they also say that this rainforest is the oldest in the world—I can’t argue with that because I truly don’t know).
The canopy walkway is 6 suspended bridges connected together. It is 300 meters long and 40 meters off the ground. The views were fabulous but you couldn’t stop because you would then hold up the line waiting to get to the other side.
During our 3 hr hike, we saw a dusky leaf money, who tried to pee on us. We heard gibbons calling the entire time but never saw them. We saw several giant squirrels; these guys are huge! They’re a caramel color and bigger than your average cat. Their tails are long & fluffy (longer than their body). Awan picked up a piece of wood & started cutting. I had learned that we were about to smell something because he had already shown us the lemon grass tree (smells oh so good). He was carving sarsaparilla wood!!! It smells delicious. He carved it for me to take home and then gave me a recipe so I can use it medicinally. Hopefully that is allowed to come w/me through immigration. He carved it up so that there is no way a bug can still be there.
Those are the highlights of our trek. He left us at 12:30 and we were meeting him again at 2:30 to go to a popular local swimming hole.
We took a 20-minute boat ride to the swimming hole. This boat was similar to our ‘3 hour tour’ boat but was smaller.
On the way to the ‘hole’ we saw a python curled up in a tree. Definitely got a picture of that.
The swimming hole was great. The water was a little too cold for me so I just put my feet in. Frank had a blast. He found a current and continued to use it as a slide.
On the way back we saw a colorful kingfisher (large & very, very colorful) and a hornbill.
Later in the day we looked for an internet cafe & were prepared to download pictures and update the blog. Unfortunately the connection was too slow for us. After wasting almost an hour we learned that it wasn’t possible to do the blog and the pictures hadn’t downloaded. Oh well.
After dinner we attended the video at the interpretive center. It was a wonderful 25-min video that reviewed everything at the park. If it were a CD I could have purchased, I would have. It really captured the park experience.
The weather is very similar to Houston (humid), possibly a degree or two cooler. We dressed for exercise; Frank in his short-sleeved running top and me in my tank top.
Our jungle hike w/Awan was to be about 3 hrs. We hiked to the 1st view (canopy area) and then the 2nd view (still higher). This hike was definitely taxing. The hike was quite steep and the footing was difficult. It is hard to imagine that anyone could do this hike. I would definitely put it in the “challenging” category. Even our guide paused mid-way up to catch his breath. On our descent, the footing was still a little treacherous. We made our way to the canopy walkway. It is touted as the longest canopy bridge walkway in the world (they also say that this rainforest is the oldest in the world—I can’t argue with that because I truly don’t know).
The canopy walkway is 6 suspended bridges connected together. It is 300 meters long and 40 meters off the ground. The views were fabulous but you couldn’t stop because you would then hold up the line waiting to get to the other side.
During our 3 hr hike, we saw a dusky leaf money, who tried to pee on us. We heard gibbons calling the entire time but never saw them. We saw several giant squirrels; these guys are huge! They’re a caramel color and bigger than your average cat. Their tails are long & fluffy (longer than their body). Awan picked up a piece of wood & started cutting. I had learned that we were about to smell something because he had already shown us the lemon grass tree (smells oh so good). He was carving sarsaparilla wood!!! It smells delicious. He carved it for me to take home and then gave me a recipe so I can use it medicinally. Hopefully that is allowed to come w/me through immigration. He carved it up so that there is no way a bug can still be there.
Those are the highlights of our trek. He left us at 12:30 and we were meeting him again at 2:30 to go to a popular local swimming hole.
We took a 20-minute boat ride to the swimming hole. This boat was similar to our ‘3 hour tour’ boat but was smaller.
On the way to the ‘hole’ we saw a python curled up in a tree. Definitely got a picture of that.
The swimming hole was great. The water was a little too cold for me so I just put my feet in. Frank had a blast. He found a current and continued to use it as a slide.
On the way back we saw a colorful kingfisher (large & very, very colorful) and a hornbill.
Later in the day we looked for an internet cafe & were prepared to download pictures and update the blog. Unfortunately the connection was too slow for us. After wasting almost an hour we learned that it wasn’t possible to do the blog and the pictures hadn’t downloaded. Oh well.
After dinner we attended the video at the interpretive center. It was a wonderful 25-min video that reviewed everything at the park. If it were a CD I could have purchased, I would have. It really captured the park experience.
Tuesday, August 14, 2007
Monday, 8/12
Photos will be posted soon--we found free wi-fi (unannounced) next to the registration office so I'm currently sitting on the steps outside typing. I'm swatting away the sand flies. I was told that mesquitos were previlant but I think I've seen one or two since we arrived. The sand flies however, are horrible. They're everywhere.
Monday was our travel day. We went via bus (like Greyhound) from KL to Tamen Negara. Our bus was nice; it had A/C and reclining seats. Every surface of the bus interior was covered by tacky fabric (see pictures).
The 3+ hr ride was broken into two sections. The first 1 1/2 hrs had great scenery but were very hilly (lots of climbing). We made a toilet/rest stop and then carried on. The last 1 1/2hrs were also fairly uneventful. The scenery wasn't as exciting with exception to the last few minutes. Our bus guide told us about the ride and added that there was a roller coaster section at the end. She wasn't kidding.
Our bus was hauling down and around hills like a giant roller coaster. I was desperate to see out the front window to avoid sea-sickness.
Arriving at the jetty was interesting--very small with lots of people. We had to check in (with all of our baggage) and then wait for 1-2 hrs. While having lunch, we met a nice orange, fluffy kitty--made us miss our kitties (all 3 now).
Hiking down the 50 or so steep stairs to the dock, in the mid-day sun, carrying 50+ lbs of luggage was not an easy chore. The old, wooden, long, low boats reminescent of the James Bond movie Live & Let Die (or You Only Live Twice--I can't remember) were creaky and we feared that we would sink at any moment. The boats held 14 passengers plus the "captain" and "skipper". Everyone's luggage was piled at the front of the boat; the stuff that didn't fit was shoved next to the diesel motor. I don't think either of us ever relaxed while on the boat. The cramped seating arrangement, the wooden floor, or the thought of sinking into the creamy brown river crammed with tree limbs or entire trees all played a part in the stress.
On our 3 hr ride, we encountered water buffalo, macaques playing, and water monitors. I attempted to get pictures of things but usually was too slow or too far away. Hopefully the water buffalo pictures come out.
Taman Negara
We were greeted at the Mutiara Taman Negara Resort by music & singing (think Hawaii) and were handed cold lemon grass towels and a refreshing drink (red, lots of ice--tasted like cinnamon).
We checked in to our "chalet suite" and were excited about choosing the upgrade. The name sounds so much fancier than the actual accomodations. It was a fairly large duplex structure; our half included a living area, bedroom and bathroom. It was quite dark inside, even though there are lots of windows. The A/C only cooled the bedroom. Maintenance left something to be desired as the bathroom, along with other areas, were completely dirty & stinky (camp bathroom). Oh well...sacrifices must be made when staying in a rainforest jungle.
Almost immediately we started hiking to the canopy bridge. The birdlife is abundant and we thought we heard monkeys in the distance. After a little less than 2k we reached the footbridge only to learn that it closes at 3:30 (it was 5:30). So the footbridge would have to wait until tomorrow.
When we returned to the resort, we encountered a female wild boar (sow?). She was feasting on star fruit that had fallen to the ground. Her tail was wagging so I interpreted that as friendliness.
We took several photos & found some more fruit for her. She happily ate it (never tried to feed her, we threw it away from us).
Night Walk
After our buffet-style dinner, we headed back to the chalet. Before arriving, we discovered more wild boars. This time there were tons of babies! One group had 16 babies!!!! They were so cute and they didn't mind me standing there staring at them (hopefully the pictures come out--it was dark).
We met our guide for the night walk about 8:30. Each guest is assigned an individual guide. First stop on the tour was a hide. There we saw a sangor (sp?) deer. As we walked, our guide (Awan) informed us that we would definitely see an abundance of different bugs but reminded us that mammals are usually trickier/shy.
We saw lots of different bugs--tons of spiders, a large, red, spiny, venomous centipede, huge leaf bugs, a giant leaf hopper (grasshopper the size of your hand or bigger), a white tarantula, scorpions, golden orb spiders (looks like a large banana spider), oodles of stick bugs, ciccedas that sounded like drills/saws (we called them machine bugs), fruit eating bats, glow worms, and a few sleeping birds (bulbul, kingfisher, and white ramshama). Awan informed us that two days prior a group spotted a black leopard--wouldn't that have been fantastic. I would have been excited for a porcupine or mouse deer.
The local wildlife in the park (that are frequently seen) include: mouse deer, long-tailed macaque, wild boar, pink-necked green pigeon, blue-crowned hanging parrot, grey squirrel (different from the local US version), chestnut-breasted malkaha, crested fireback pheasant, slow loris, paradise tree snake & the sangor (I can't remember the real name) deer.
Monday was our travel day. We went via bus (like Greyhound) from KL to Tamen Negara. Our bus was nice; it had A/C and reclining seats. Every surface of the bus interior was covered by tacky fabric (see pictures).
The 3+ hr ride was broken into two sections. The first 1 1/2 hrs had great scenery but were very hilly (lots of climbing). We made a toilet/rest stop and then carried on. The last 1 1/2hrs were also fairly uneventful. The scenery wasn't as exciting with exception to the last few minutes. Our bus guide told us about the ride and added that there was a roller coaster section at the end. She wasn't kidding.
Our bus was hauling down and around hills like a giant roller coaster. I was desperate to see out the front window to avoid sea-sickness.
Arriving at the jetty was interesting--very small with lots of people. We had to check in (with all of our baggage) and then wait for 1-2 hrs. While having lunch, we met a nice orange, fluffy kitty--made us miss our kitties (all 3 now).
Hiking down the 50 or so steep stairs to the dock, in the mid-day sun, carrying 50+ lbs of luggage was not an easy chore. The old, wooden, long, low boats reminescent of the James Bond movie Live & Let Die (or You Only Live Twice--I can't remember) were creaky and we feared that we would sink at any moment. The boats held 14 passengers plus the "captain" and "skipper". Everyone's luggage was piled at the front of the boat; the stuff that didn't fit was shoved next to the diesel motor. I don't think either of us ever relaxed while on the boat. The cramped seating arrangement, the wooden floor, or the thought of sinking into the creamy brown river crammed with tree limbs or entire trees all played a part in the stress.
On our 3 hr ride, we encountered water buffalo, macaques playing, and water monitors. I attempted to get pictures of things but usually was too slow or too far away. Hopefully the water buffalo pictures come out.
Taman Negara
We were greeted at the Mutiara Taman Negara Resort by music & singing (think Hawaii) and were handed cold lemon grass towels and a refreshing drink (red, lots of ice--tasted like cinnamon).
We checked in to our "chalet suite" and were excited about choosing the upgrade. The name sounds so much fancier than the actual accomodations. It was a fairly large duplex structure; our half included a living area, bedroom and bathroom. It was quite dark inside, even though there are lots of windows. The A/C only cooled the bedroom. Maintenance left something to be desired as the bathroom, along with other areas, were completely dirty & stinky (camp bathroom). Oh well...sacrifices must be made when staying in a rainforest jungle.
Almost immediately we started hiking to the canopy bridge. The birdlife is abundant and we thought we heard monkeys in the distance. After a little less than 2k we reached the footbridge only to learn that it closes at 3:30 (it was 5:30). So the footbridge would have to wait until tomorrow.
When we returned to the resort, we encountered a female wild boar (sow?). She was feasting on star fruit that had fallen to the ground. Her tail was wagging so I interpreted that as friendliness.
We took several photos & found some more fruit for her. She happily ate it (never tried to feed her, we threw it away from us).
Night Walk
After our buffet-style dinner, we headed back to the chalet. Before arriving, we discovered more wild boars. This time there were tons of babies! One group had 16 babies!!!! They were so cute and they didn't mind me standing there staring at them (hopefully the pictures come out--it was dark).
We met our guide for the night walk about 8:30. Each guest is assigned an individual guide. First stop on the tour was a hide. There we saw a sangor (sp?) deer. As we walked, our guide (Awan) informed us that we would definitely see an abundance of different bugs but reminded us that mammals are usually trickier/shy.
We saw lots of different bugs--tons of spiders, a large, red, spiny, venomous centipede, huge leaf bugs, a giant leaf hopper (grasshopper the size of your hand or bigger), a white tarantula, scorpions, golden orb spiders (looks like a large banana spider), oodles of stick bugs, ciccedas that sounded like drills/saws (we called them machine bugs), fruit eating bats, glow worms, and a few sleeping birds (bulbul, kingfisher, and white ramshama). Awan informed us that two days prior a group spotted a black leopard--wouldn't that have been fantastic. I would have been excited for a porcupine or mouse deer.
The local wildlife in the park (that are frequently seen) include: mouse deer, long-tailed macaque, wild boar, pink-necked green pigeon, blue-crowned hanging parrot, grey squirrel (different from the local US version), chestnut-breasted malkaha, crested fireback pheasant, slow loris, paradise tree snake & the sangor (I can't remember the real name) deer.
Sunday, August 12, 2007
KL description
I realized that I neglected to actually describe this place!
As I mentioned, there are tons of palm trees. It is lush but it is a metropolitan city.
The guidebooks described this place as a 3rd world country. If it is, then Europe and some of the smaller American towns are 3rd world too. This major metropolitan city is nestled amongst millions of palm trees and banana plants.
The people--everyone--is very nice and friendly. Everyone speaks English and is committed to make sure you're enjoying their country.
This place will definitely be a major tourist place in the future.
I can't wait to see how the rest of the peninsula is.
As I mentioned, there are tons of palm trees. It is lush but it is a metropolitan city.
The guidebooks described this place as a 3rd world country. If it is, then Europe and some of the smaller American towns are 3rd world too. This major metropolitan city is nestled amongst millions of palm trees and banana plants.
The people--everyone--is very nice and friendly. Everyone speaks English and is committed to make sure you're enjoying their country.
This place will definitely be a major tourist place in the future.
I can't wait to see how the rest of the peninsula is.
Kuala Lumpur, 8/12/07
Breakfast at the hotel rocks! They have everything—American continental, European, and get ready for this—Asian food. I had chicken curry, steamed rice, and Japanese curry for breakfast.
Today we went to the Petronas Towers—the tallest connected buildings in the world. To go to the “viewing level” on the 44th floor, you have to get one of the free tickets. The tickets are handed out to the first 1400 people, starting daily at 8:30am. We arrived at 8:30 to find a huge line zigzagging all over the place. We quickly went to the end and hoped we weren’t too late. After a while, we discovered a fellow Houstonian in line behind us! What a small world!
It should be noted that all Caucasians (Europeans, Canadians, Australians, and Americans) stick out because there are so few there.
Lucky for us, we made the cut—barely. I would say that there were only 20 or so people behind us. We were assigned the 4pm “tour”.
Waiting for our tickets took 1 ½hrs; by the time we got the tickets it was 10am. A massive mall is connected to the towers so we went there to waste some time. Shopping there is like the Galleria on steroids. It was 6 or so stories with every single major brand you can think of (Chanel to The Gap). Sadly, they had Starbucks, Chili’s, Dunkin Donuts, McDonald’s, California Pizza Kitchen and a few others. We made a pact to avoid them all and stick to local food.
After staring at lots of high-end stores, we found the Petrosains. Petrosains is like a science museum but it is entirely funded by Petronas (hence the name).
This place is really awesome; it has lots of hands-on exhibits explaining things. We visited the speed exhibit first and had fun with the games. Frank got to time his baseball and cricket pitches and I practiced my high-speed karate chop and reaction time. There were tons of kids there but the adults were having just as much (if not more) fun.
After finishing the museum, it was 3:50pm!!!! Wow does time fly.
The Petronas Tower tour was very nice but a little underwhelming. We watched a short video regarding petroleum & the towers. Then we were escorted up to the 44th floor—it took under 50 seconds to reach that floor and our ears were popping. Our group of 15 or so was told that we had a few minutes to explore the walkway connecting the two buildings. The view was impressive but unfortunately it was raining and the pictures are a little hazy
On the way back to the monorail station, we stopped at the Malaysian Tourism Center (MTC). Determined to find out more info about the local races next weekend, I asked them what they knew. No one there had any idea what I was talking about but they took the time to phone anyone and everyone to find out info. I learned that the beach run I wanted to do (my back up race) is approximately 300km from Kuala Lumpur. To make matters worse, no one had heard of the Batu Caves Tanggathon. I insisted it was on the 19th and they finally found a shred of evidence about it. The MTC workers called the Batu Caves to get more info—they had never heard of it! This is supposedly the 15th or so annual race; it doesn’t add confidence when the location of the event is clueless. My research had given me the following information—date and time. I didn’t know where to meet (never been to the Batu Caves so I don’t know how big it is) and I didn’t know how to register. Because of the lack of information and uncertainty, I decided to give up on my race t-shirt quest. Hopefully my new magnet, wooden frog sculpture, and cute hippo doll will ease my suffering.
We leave tomorrow for Tamen Negara National Park. It is on the opposite side of the peninsula so it will probably be a long trip. Because it is a rainforest, I’m not sure what to expect. I’m told that there is free wi-fi there but I’m not sure where it is here—the hotel charges for this connection.
I’m now going to attempt to post the pictures—hopefully it works!!!
Today we went to the Petronas Towers—the tallest connected buildings in the world. To go to the “viewing level” on the 44th floor, you have to get one of the free tickets. The tickets are handed out to the first 1400 people, starting daily at 8:30am. We arrived at 8:30 to find a huge line zigzagging all over the place. We quickly went to the end and hoped we weren’t too late. After a while, we discovered a fellow Houstonian in line behind us! What a small world!
It should be noted that all Caucasians (Europeans, Canadians, Australians, and Americans) stick out because there are so few there.
Lucky for us, we made the cut—barely. I would say that there were only 20 or so people behind us. We were assigned the 4pm “tour”.
Waiting for our tickets took 1 ½hrs; by the time we got the tickets it was 10am. A massive mall is connected to the towers so we went there to waste some time. Shopping there is like the Galleria on steroids. It was 6 or so stories with every single major brand you can think of (Chanel to The Gap). Sadly, they had Starbucks, Chili’s, Dunkin Donuts, McDonald’s, California Pizza Kitchen and a few others. We made a pact to avoid them all and stick to local food.
After staring at lots of high-end stores, we found the Petrosains. Petrosains is like a science museum but it is entirely funded by Petronas (hence the name).
This place is really awesome; it has lots of hands-on exhibits explaining things. We visited the speed exhibit first and had fun with the games. Frank got to time his baseball and cricket pitches and I practiced my high-speed karate chop and reaction time. There were tons of kids there but the adults were having just as much (if not more) fun.
After finishing the museum, it was 3:50pm!!!! Wow does time fly.
The Petronas Tower tour was very nice but a little underwhelming. We watched a short video regarding petroleum & the towers. Then we were escorted up to the 44th floor—it took under 50 seconds to reach that floor and our ears were popping. Our group of 15 or so was told that we had a few minutes to explore the walkway connecting the two buildings. The view was impressive but unfortunately it was raining and the pictures are a little hazy
On the way back to the monorail station, we stopped at the Malaysian Tourism Center (MTC). Determined to find out more info about the local races next weekend, I asked them what they knew. No one there had any idea what I was talking about but they took the time to phone anyone and everyone to find out info. I learned that the beach run I wanted to do (my back up race) is approximately 300km from Kuala Lumpur. To make matters worse, no one had heard of the Batu Caves Tanggathon. I insisted it was on the 19th and they finally found a shred of evidence about it. The MTC workers called the Batu Caves to get more info—they had never heard of it! This is supposedly the 15th or so annual race; it doesn’t add confidence when the location of the event is clueless. My research had given me the following information—date and time. I didn’t know where to meet (never been to the Batu Caves so I don’t know how big it is) and I didn’t know how to register. Because of the lack of information and uncertainty, I decided to give up on my race t-shirt quest. Hopefully my new magnet, wooden frog sculpture, and cute hippo doll will ease my suffering.
We leave tomorrow for Tamen Negara National Park. It is on the opposite side of the peninsula so it will probably be a long trip. Because it is a rainforest, I’m not sure what to expect. I’m told that there is free wi-fi there but I’m not sure where it is here—the hotel charges for this connection.
I’m now going to attempt to post the pictures—hopefully it works!!!
Arrival Day (8/11)--Kuala Lumpur
By the time we arrived, both of us were exhausted. Our hotel is across the street from the train station.
We’re currently staying at the Kuala Lumpur Hilton. This place is NICE. Everything is very modern and clean. I took pictures of our room and hopefully they show how big it is. Our bathroom is almost as big as our room. It has two entrances; the one we are used to opens up from our “entry hall”—like most other hotels. The other one opens into the bedroom. There is a sliding wall that opens—I took a picture. There is a mini-tv in the bathroom so you can watch while you’re showering!!!
Now, staying at the Hilton isn’t as ritzy as you may think (I was quite impressed with Frank when he told me where we were staying; I wondered what coupon he had found). The cost of staying here is almost equivalent to staying at the La Quinta. Yippee for the exchange rate!!!!
To make the most of our time, we decided to hit the streets. The guidebooks said that Chinatown couldn’t be missed so we decided not to miss it.
We didn’t take a cab—we were told the monorail was much cheaper & faster. Luckily Frank is great with the guidebooks because we headed off and very soon it was obvious that we were in the right place because there were stalls everywhere.
Stalls were in front of stores with absolutely no room to spare between. They were squeezed tightly together—hundreds of them.
The stalls sold just about everything; it was like being on the streets of NY but multiplied exponentially. There were sunglasses, shirts (t-shirts and polo/logo/name brand), watches, purses and any knock-off you can imagine. I wanted to purchase something but really didn’t want anything and didn’t want to stop and look because of the crowd—sensory overload!
About 1:30pm we stopped for lunch at a small restaurant. Not knowing what Malaysian food was, I was worried about eating on this trip. Well… this was where I was supposed to be because it is a blend of mainly Indian food, Chinese food, and Thai food. All my favorite foods; I’m in heaven.
We made our way back to Petaling Street. In the time we were gone, the stalls had multiplied! Originally it was set up like this—there is a street with shops on either side. Stalls are set up, side by side, in front of the stores (you can’t tell where the stores are because the stalls just look really deep). Now, there were stalls set up back-to-back, in the middle of the street. There was approximately 4 feet for two-way people traffic. We wanted out of there.
We left quickly left that area. Frank wanted to see little India so we continued until we found it. Stores told us that we were there by the things they sold—lots of rugs and other Indian-type wares.
We ventured on to the Central Market area. Central Market is an indoor market/flea market. Similar to Petaling Street but not nearly as crowded; it was closer to a mall because most vendors had little stores. The sensory overload continued. I wanted to purchase something but couldn’t—too much stuff to see and we were way too tired to comprehend everything we were seeing.
To get to the hotel, you must pass through the train station. As we rode up the escalator, I noticed a 7-11 store. I hadn’t seen one of those in years but I figured that they had Slurpees. I peered into the window and saw the machine. Naturally we were at the top of the escalator and the store was now at the bottom. We exited the escalator and went back down to the store. Our flavor choices were tutti-frutti or mango. I chose tutti-frutti (bright green)—mmmmmm.
Even though we were exhausted, we figured that we needed to try to stay up until a normal bedtime (instead of 6:30pm). We ordered room service and I turned on the tv. Being 13 hours ahead of your regular time zone is hard. Poor Frank was snoring before the food arrived.
We’re currently staying at the Kuala Lumpur Hilton. This place is NICE. Everything is very modern and clean. I took pictures of our room and hopefully they show how big it is. Our bathroom is almost as big as our room. It has two entrances; the one we are used to opens up from our “entry hall”—like most other hotels. The other one opens into the bedroom. There is a sliding wall that opens—I took a picture. There is a mini-tv in the bathroom so you can watch while you’re showering!!!
Now, staying at the Hilton isn’t as ritzy as you may think (I was quite impressed with Frank when he told me where we were staying; I wondered what coupon he had found). The cost of staying here is almost equivalent to staying at the La Quinta. Yippee for the exchange rate!!!!
To make the most of our time, we decided to hit the streets. The guidebooks said that Chinatown couldn’t be missed so we decided not to miss it.
We didn’t take a cab—we were told the monorail was much cheaper & faster. Luckily Frank is great with the guidebooks because we headed off and very soon it was obvious that we were in the right place because there were stalls everywhere.
Stalls were in front of stores with absolutely no room to spare between. They were squeezed tightly together—hundreds of them.
The stalls sold just about everything; it was like being on the streets of NY but multiplied exponentially. There were sunglasses, shirts (t-shirts and polo/logo/name brand), watches, purses and any knock-off you can imagine. I wanted to purchase something but really didn’t want anything and didn’t want to stop and look because of the crowd—sensory overload!
About 1:30pm we stopped for lunch at a small restaurant. Not knowing what Malaysian food was, I was worried about eating on this trip. Well… this was where I was supposed to be because it is a blend of mainly Indian food, Chinese food, and Thai food. All my favorite foods; I’m in heaven.
We made our way back to Petaling Street. In the time we were gone, the stalls had multiplied! Originally it was set up like this—there is a street with shops on either side. Stalls are set up, side by side, in front of the stores (you can’t tell where the stores are because the stalls just look really deep). Now, there were stalls set up back-to-back, in the middle of the street. There was approximately 4 feet for two-way people traffic. We wanted out of there.
We left quickly left that area. Frank wanted to see little India so we continued until we found it. Stores told us that we were there by the things they sold—lots of rugs and other Indian-type wares.
We ventured on to the Central Market area. Central Market is an indoor market/flea market. Similar to Petaling Street but not nearly as crowded; it was closer to a mall because most vendors had little stores. The sensory overload continued. I wanted to purchase something but couldn’t—too much stuff to see and we were way too tired to comprehend everything we were seeing.
To get to the hotel, you must pass through the train station. As we rode up the escalator, I noticed a 7-11 store. I hadn’t seen one of those in years but I figured that they had Slurpees. I peered into the window and saw the machine. Naturally we were at the top of the escalator and the store was now at the bottom. We exited the escalator and went back down to the store. Our flavor choices were tutti-frutti or mango. I chose tutti-frutti (bright green)—mmmmmm.
Even though we were exhausted, we figured that we needed to try to stay up until a normal bedtime (instead of 6:30pm). We ordered room service and I turned on the tv. Being 13 hours ahead of your regular time zone is hard. Poor Frank was snoring before the food arrived.
Flight
What a long flight!!!
Our flight left IAH at approximately 9:05pm. We arrived LAX approximately 10:30pm (Pacific time). With 3+ hours until our next flight, we were trying to figure out what we would do with our time. Then we arrived at the screening line. We had to go back through the screening process and this line was absolutely huge! We made it through the line in less than an hour and then went to our gate. We had hoped that since our flight was on a Thursday and wasn’t until 1:40am that it would be fairly empty; boy were we wrong.
Frank gave me his first class seat and took my coach seat so that my back would (hopefully) be ok.
Our plane was a double-decker 747 and I was upstairs. The seats were really great because they reclined into a bed but didn’t invade the space of the people sitting behind you.
The flight was long but uneventful. We arrived in Taipei, Taiwan at approximately 6:10am Saturday morning. Flying into Taipei was very nice. There were hills and mountains surrounded by what looked like lush areas and then there were areas with dense houses or apartments. I wanted to take pictures as we landed but wasn’t able to because those first class seats are fairly roomy and I was sitting on the aisle.
The airport was very nice. After being in the LAX airport, this one seemed like a palace. We had to leave the plane (with our carry-ons), go through the screening process again and then get back on the plane.
Our flight from Taipei to Kuala Lumpur left at 7:45am and arrived about 12:30pm.
Landing in Kuala Lumpur (KL) was different for two reasons. First, it was raining so it was hard to see much until we got very close to the ground. Second, it looked like an immense national forest because of all of the trees. The closer we got, I realized that the trees didn’t look like forest-type trees. I asked the flight attendant what they were and she told me that they were palm trees.
I got permission to sit in an empty aisle for the landing so I could take pictures. Unfortunately the pictures aren’t that great because of the overcast weather (and I’m not that great a photographer).
Our flight left IAH at approximately 9:05pm. We arrived LAX approximately 10:30pm (Pacific time). With 3+ hours until our next flight, we were trying to figure out what we would do with our time. Then we arrived at the screening line. We had to go back through the screening process and this line was absolutely huge! We made it through the line in less than an hour and then went to our gate. We had hoped that since our flight was on a Thursday and wasn’t until 1:40am that it would be fairly empty; boy were we wrong.
Frank gave me his first class seat and took my coach seat so that my back would (hopefully) be ok.
Our plane was a double-decker 747 and I was upstairs. The seats were really great because they reclined into a bed but didn’t invade the space of the people sitting behind you.
The flight was long but uneventful. We arrived in Taipei, Taiwan at approximately 6:10am Saturday morning. Flying into Taipei was very nice. There were hills and mountains surrounded by what looked like lush areas and then there were areas with dense houses or apartments. I wanted to take pictures as we landed but wasn’t able to because those first class seats are fairly roomy and I was sitting on the aisle.
The airport was very nice. After being in the LAX airport, this one seemed like a palace. We had to leave the plane (with our carry-ons), go through the screening process again and then get back on the plane.
Our flight from Taipei to Kuala Lumpur left at 7:45am and arrived about 12:30pm.
Landing in Kuala Lumpur (KL) was different for two reasons. First, it was raining so it was hard to see much until we got very close to the ground. Second, it looked like an immense national forest because of all of the trees. The closer we got, I realized that the trees didn’t look like forest-type trees. I asked the flight attendant what they were and she told me that they were palm trees.
I got permission to sit in an empty aisle for the landing so I could take pictures. Unfortunately the pictures aren’t that great because of the overcast weather (and I’m not that great a photographer).
Thursday, August 9, 2007
Day of departure
We're headed out tonight; our flight is at 9:05pm. Boy will this be a long flight. I don't sleep on flights so I'm a little anxious about this super-long flight.
I've got three books to read and hopefully some good movies to watch.
We land in LA today but don't take off for Taipai, Taiwan until after 1am Saturday morning. Then we have an 13+ hr flight from LA to Taipai. After we land, we refuel and then get back on the plane and head to KL (Kuala Lumpur) for a 4+ hour flight. All of this flying has us leaving today (8/9) but not arriving there until the 11th.
Our plans so far is:
Saturday 8/11
* arrive around noon on the 12th, stop at the hotel and drop off luggage
who knows--maybe walk around
Sunday 8/12
* arrive around noon on the 12th, stop at the hotel and drop off luggage
* hit the town in a cab (you can pay them to give you a tour)
* find Petaling street where all of the "shops" are located--apparently you can find everything there from dinner to a fake Rolex. Can't wait to see what they've got.
Monday 8/13 to Wednesday 8/15
* Taman Negara National Park (we're staying at Mutiara Taman Negara) --lots to do
Thursday 8/16 to Friday 8/17
* Pulau Redang (Redang island)--staying at Berjaya Redang Beach Resort
Saturday 8/18
* Kuala Gandah Elephant Conservation Park
Sunday 8/19
* visit/tour around Kuala Lumpur
* Batu Caves Tanggathon or Beach run--hopefully I get to do one of these races.
* Petronas Towers (maybe--hard to get tickets)
Monday 8/20--I fly back home
Tuesday 8/21--my flight is scheduled to return at 5:41am
So now you know what I will be doing (hypothetically). My plan is to update this daily and post pictures. I still haven't figured out how to create a website from one picture but hopefully that will be remedied shortly.
I have a total of three camera batteries and 6gb of camera memory; hopefully I have enough. :) The charger is definitely coming along on this trip!
I will have my cell phone but it won't be on much so I can save the battery. The time is 13 hours ahead--that should be interesting.
Alright--time to make sure that I've packed everything I need. I'm sure I can find things I need but who knows?????
Until Friday or Saturday--whenever it is that we land.
Paige
I've got three books to read and hopefully some good movies to watch.
We land in LA today but don't take off for Taipai, Taiwan until after 1am Saturday morning. Then we have an 13+ hr flight from LA to Taipai. After we land, we refuel and then get back on the plane and head to KL (Kuala Lumpur) for a 4+ hour flight. All of this flying has us leaving today (8/9) but not arriving there until the 11th.
Our plans so far is:
Saturday 8/11
* arrive around noon on the 12th, stop at the hotel and drop off luggage
who knows--maybe walk around
Sunday 8/12
* arrive around noon on the 12th, stop at the hotel and drop off luggage
* hit the town in a cab (you can pay them to give you a tour)
* find Petaling street where all of the "shops" are located--apparently you can find everything there from dinner to a fake Rolex. Can't wait to see what they've got.
Monday 8/13 to Wednesday 8/15
* Taman Negara National Park (we're staying at Mutiara Taman Negara) --lots to do
Thursday 8/16 to Friday 8/17
* Pulau Redang (Redang island)--staying at Berjaya Redang Beach Resort
Saturday 8/18
* Kuala Gandah Elephant Conservation Park
Sunday 8/19
* visit/tour around Kuala Lumpur
* Batu Caves Tanggathon or Beach run--hopefully I get to do one of these races.
* Petronas Towers (maybe--hard to get tickets)
Monday 8/20--I fly back home
Tuesday 8/21--my flight is scheduled to return at 5:41am
So now you know what I will be doing (hypothetically). My plan is to update this daily and post pictures. I still haven't figured out how to create a website from one picture but hopefully that will be remedied shortly.
I have a total of three camera batteries and 6gb of camera memory; hopefully I have enough. :) The charger is definitely coming along on this trip!
I will have my cell phone but it won't be on much so I can save the battery. The time is 13 hours ahead--that should be interesting.
Alright--time to make sure that I've packed everything I need. I'm sure I can find things I need but who knows?????
Until Friday or Saturday--whenever it is that we land.
Paige
Tuesday, August 7, 2007
Preparing for departure
Two days and counting...
We leave for Malaysia Thursday (August 9th) night and don't arrive until the 12th around noon. From Houston to LA is a short flight, then we hop on a Malaysia Airline flight to Taipai, Taiwan. That is the super-long flight (18+ hours). Upon arriving in Taipai, we have to deplane and then reboard--I think this is for custom purposes. Anyway, the flight from Taipai to Kuala Lumpur is another 4 hours. Whew, what a day that will be.
We have planned most of the trip aside from the days we have in Kuala Lumpur. I plan to hire a taxi to drive me around the city. I know I want to visit the flea markets and shop for interesting souvenirs but I'm not sure what else to do.
I read that you have to get in line at 8:30am to vie for the 1400 free tickets to the Petronas Towers. Since we arrive after noon, that won't be possible. Maybe I'll just get a picture from the outside.
The plan is to go to the Taman Negara National Park for three days and then we're headed to Redang island (AKA-- Pulau Redang). The pictures on the internet look fantastic and I'm really excited about this.
I've found a race on the 19th. I know that I'm in absolutely no shape for racing so I'm not attempting to "race". I just want to participate in the event and get a cool t-shirt. There are two races--Batu Caves Tanggathon (1st choice) or the Kuantan Beach run. Both are longer than I'm ready for but I can walk. :)
I'll post more later this week!!! We have figured out how to do pictures so I should be able to post them fairly promptly.
:)
Paige
We leave for Malaysia Thursday (August 9th) night and don't arrive until the 12th around noon. From Houston to LA is a short flight, then we hop on a Malaysia Airline flight to Taipai, Taiwan. That is the super-long flight (18+ hours). Upon arriving in Taipai, we have to deplane and then reboard--I think this is for custom purposes. Anyway, the flight from Taipai to Kuala Lumpur is another 4 hours. Whew, what a day that will be.
We have planned most of the trip aside from the days we have in Kuala Lumpur. I plan to hire a taxi to drive me around the city. I know I want to visit the flea markets and shop for interesting souvenirs but I'm not sure what else to do.
I read that you have to get in line at 8:30am to vie for the 1400 free tickets to the Petronas Towers. Since we arrive after noon, that won't be possible. Maybe I'll just get a picture from the outside.
The plan is to go to the Taman Negara National Park for three days and then we're headed to Redang island (AKA-- Pulau Redang). The pictures on the internet look fantastic and I'm really excited about this.
I've found a race on the 19th. I know that I'm in absolutely no shape for racing so I'm not attempting to "race". I just want to participate in the event and get a cool t-shirt. There are two races--Batu Caves Tanggathon (1st choice) or the Kuantan Beach run. Both are longer than I'm ready for but I can walk. :)
I'll post more later this week!!! We have figured out how to do pictures so I should be able to post them fairly promptly.
:)
Paige
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