Entry #14. August 15, 2012, 8:02 pm. Outside Deck, House, District 3, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. Another month whips by and I'm left wondering if 'time' is properly obeying the laws of physics. The pictures above attempt to emulate another fantastic vacation, this time to Malaysia, Truly Asia (according to their tourism TV commericials). More importantly, though, my best friend Kyle Scott- aka Special K, KIZ, Two Beer Fear- came to visit me. He was his legendary self and put his mark on Asia for two weeks, being my first visitor and survivor to tell his tale. Together with Stephanie and our friend Kate, we made an amusing foursome to take a trip to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia and a faraway island at the bottom of the South China Sea- Tioman Island. Simply stated, the island was the climax of the trip; it looked as though it was the place where King Kong originated. Looming dense jungle met unspoiled beaches that quickly led to tropical ocean. The entire group agreed that it was the most beautiful, surreal place we had ever been to, and once the monkeys performed a swing-through raid and we encountered a Kimodo Dragon-like creature, we were sold that King Kong was also hiding in the depths of this place.
We first spent a few days in Kuala Lumpur, the teeming capital of Malaysia, before we set off for some ocean medication. The city has the basics of an abuzz Asian capital- enormous, hectic, and vibrant- but it also has a unique mixture of Indian, Chinese, and Malay people. Consequently, the food was incredible. We insisted on taking it easy in the city, convincing ourselves that that was possible, and we strived for limited sightseeing and maximized food-tasting, market-bargaining, and yes, bar-hopping. Further, it was Ramadan in a predominately Muslim country, but there was no way we were fasting until sundown. After second lunch and early dinner, we were the antithesis of Ramadan. I enjoyed KL, noting that I only scratched its surface. It was the best Muslim capital I've ever been to during the month of Ramadan, in fact.
The pace was genuinely slowed once we arrived at our island paradise. The journey to get there, however, was a night I need to remember to forget. Trusting the advice of a hasty tourist agent and only cross-referencing it with a sketchy ticket cashier, we booked the seemingly necessary transportation to get to the beach we craved. Initially, we were told a night bus that departed at 11 pm would take us to a reputable beach town by 7 am. Regretfully, we boarded the bus in a post-state of a night out, and we didn't know that our bus driver was going to attempt Mach5. He whipped around mountains speeding at rates unknown, and at one point I was launched from my seat into the Asian couple in front of me as a result of perfunctory braking. Kyle had his barf bag ready, Kate was yelling for him to slow down, and Stephanie looked ahead, angry and unamused. We arrived nearly 3 hours ahead of time, at 4:00 am. Of course the next domino of hell came when we were told that we needed to wait until the boat office opened so that we could buy tickets to sail to the island, which was 40 miles offshore. We didn't know we were going to an island before this point. Waiting for hours in the darkest parts of the night in a shanty Malaysian town, settling for a squatty potty at 5 am, is when you find yourself questioning your choices. When dawn broke and the cats stopped molesting our ears and my mind was right, we were able to buy our boat tickets and head off to the island. Eventually, the final destination was an end that justified all it's transitory means; a still island cured our battered selves, with one cold beer and a hot meal on the beach setting all things right.
The most remarkable adventure on the idyllic island was unanimously the jungle hike we took from one town to the next, on the opposite side of the island. Kyle and I set off on a path that first weaved through the marina town and then led to outer single-family farms, the remains of the native villagers. In a quick minute, the path turned into matted dirt and entered the dark canopy of tropical wilderness, daring us to move on. The ensuing hike was surreal- monkeys swinging overhead, trees shaking in the distance, alien insects, twisting vines, fear of snakes, an unknown growl, and a periodic postcard view of the far-off ocean at the summits of the foggy hills. After eating in the opposite town, we did the same hike back, but this time fighting sunset and the threat of total darkness under the trees. In the last 15 minutes of the ~hour hike, we were in blackness and had to use our camera lights for sight, and that's about when a snoring monkey became King Sasquatch Kong ready to pounce. Although a bit scary at the end and overall enchanting, the hike was memorable for the fact that I, at one point, considered staying on the island, finding myself a Jane and establishing a colony of little Jmarts in the treetops with gorilla friends.
A short day back to KL in the Truly Asian style for one last trip to the market and an eclectic meal, and our vacation from our vacation was over. We were all happy to have Saigon welcome us back to our second reality and alas, 12 hours later, I was back in the classroom with 20 overhyped, cheeky, intelligent Asian kids.
I was thrilled to have Kyle as a visitor. Every two years, for the past eight years, we have taken a chronicled vacation somewhere, and the latest might top the list. Unfortunately, his camera was stolen in a petty theft incident, so he hasn't any pictures to prove that he was actually here. To Kyle's family- see fifth picture from top. Of course we're at an Irish bar, which may dis-Orient you, but that's because it was Malaysian Midtown's hottest happy hour deal-- with Olympic table tennis on the big screen.
Until next time and Xin Chao.
