Two Weeks in Malaysia....

The first week was spent on Perhentian Besar, an island located off the east coast of Malaysia. It was a week filled with lots of swimming, drinking banana milkshakes, baking in the sun, lazing around in hammocks, and reading--entailing everything a vacation should entail. The whole time spent there was nearly perfect. (I say "nearly" because I managed to catch a lovely case of traveler's diarrhea within the first few days on the island that struck at an inopportune time, leaving me with no choice but to defecate in the pristine waters of Malaysia... but no vacation is without its occasional hang-ups, right?) It was also during this week that I finally faced my fear of being torn to shreds by sharks and managed to force myself to go snorkeling (not even diving--I'm such a pussy) every day while on the island, which definitely proved to be worthwhile. There were lots of colorful fish that I've never bothered to learn the names of, anemones, sea urchins, jelly fish (much to my chagrin), a barracuda, baby sharks (they managed to paralyze me without even touching me), clown fish (a personal favorite), and big, friendly sea turtles. I even managed to hitch a ride on one of the sea turtles' backs for a few seconds before he/she decided to swim back down to the ocean floor!

I could keep rambling on about how wonderful this place was (is), but a picture is worth a thousand words and will thus save you (and me) some time. (Unfortunately, I don't own an underwater camera, so these pictures take place above sea-level.)

The second week was spent in the Cameron Highlands where lots of jungle trekking was supposed to ensue, but the weather went from clear, sunny skies to rain and clouds as soon as we arrived, turning the hiking trails into puddles and mudslides. Of course, we still could have gone, but I'm not that adventurous when it comes right down to it. So instead of trekking, we visited a huge tea plantation, a rose farm, a strawberry farm, a butterfly farm, a bee farm, farms, farms, and more farms, and--of course!--a farmer's market. It was a good time, but I think one or two days would have sufficed; a week was a bit much. Nevertheless, the scenery was beautiful.

All in all, Malaysia made for a nice, much-needed vacation. Next travel destination? North America for Christmas!