I spent a day and a half in Kuala Lumpur, the capital of Malaysia. It was alright, but as expected, I didn't need any more time there. I did really enjoy the combination of really old mosques set alongside tall modern skyscrapers, and the Petronas Towers are cool. I also spent half a day exploring the Batu Caves, Indian caves with a Hindu shrine (and a gang of vicious little monkeys) 13k north of the city.
From KL I hopped a flight to Kota Kinabalu, on the eastern side of Borneo. My friend Nick, who I met in Thailand, is from KK, and per the travelers code, he invited me to come stay with him should I ever make it to the area. I never really expected to make it to Borneo, but with his invitation, I figured why not?! And I'm SO glad I did!
Borneo is gorgeoussssss!! My oh my. City, beach, jungle--at one point, all in one picture. Dayum.
For those of you who are limited in your southeast Asian geography, as I was before arriving--Malaysia is on 2 land masses, cut in half by the South China Sea. So you've got Peninsular Malaysia (sharing a border with Thailand up north), then you've got the island of Borneo (comprised of Malaysian Borneo, Brunei, and Indonesia).
The main tourist draw of KK is Mt. Kinabalu, the highest peak in SEA (outside of Papua, per lonely planet...). Borneo is known also for dense untouched jungle, world class diving, and an orangutan rescue center. I was meant to come only for 4 days or so, but I ended up staying a week. Nick and his family and friends were so lovely and welcoming, it was a really nice time.
The days sort of blend together, so in no particular order, some of my activities included:
White water rafting. Really fun, slightly treacherous and our raft flipped over twice. Minus a little lump on my forehead, I escaped unharmed. The scenery was stunning around the river; it's only accessible by a rickety old train that rumbles through the jungle.
Wildlife center, aka a zoo. The orangutans I wanted to see were many hours away, so I figured it was much more economical and simpler to go to the zoo in town. Lazy? Maybe. Ah well. Saw lotssss of other animals, including tigers, bears, elephants, monkeys, and an ostrich that proceeded to legitimately breakdance when he felt we got too close. Rock on.
A day to Mt. Kinabalu national park. Slightly anticlimactic, as it was rainy and cloudy all day--so I never even got to see the mountain!! Fail. It's really really expensive to climb the mountain, so I gave up on that goal. Oops. But still a nice day, we did a canopy walk, saw a waterfall, and relaxed in some hot springs.
A group of nine of us spent an afternoon at a gorgeous island just 15min by boat from KK. Beautiful scenery, snorkeling, banana boat ride--really fun.
Lots of seafood and local yuminess.
Absolutely incredible sunsets overlooking the water. Nick told me when I arrived that "the sunsets are proof that god loves Borneo" and now I fully understand and have to agree.
We watched a sunset last night, and with sandy toes and a drink in hand, I told myself to remember this Monday when I'm back in the 9-5 world, cold and stressed and hating Mondays. Life is what you make it, a lesson I learn every day out here.
The Saturday I was here was the annual harvest festival, so we checked out the event--beauty pageant, coconut wine, food, families, traditional clothing...good times. The celebrations were spread out over a few days, I spent wayy too much time drinking with Nick's many uncles. Hilarity ensued, lots of dancing Malaysian men and a whole lot of beer. As they said, I was just participating in the local culture.
Lots of time cuddling puppies, clean laundry, my own room/shower, home cooked food...all in all a lovely week.
Where am I now, you ask? Oh, just waiting for my flight to Bali. No big deal.
I can't believe that I'm off to my final country of the trip! How is it June already?! I have a jam packed itinerary for Indonesia, it should be a great way to end this adventure.
And I must admit, I'm getting excited about all the hugs I'm gonna get back home. I miss you all loads!
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