Friday, August 12, 2005

Malaysia

Well, once again I am waiting in an airport hours before my flight. Thankfully, I really enjoy airports: I love the familiarity. Every airport I've ever been in has the same basic components, most are nearly identical. The money changer, the information counter, the arrivals and departures, the airport-style washroom (always spacious) and the generic cafe and bookshop. The only airport I've been to that was completely different was Shymkent, but then again, everything about Kazakhstan was different. But this airport has a special treat. I walked in and my mouth dropped open... Dunkin Donuts. I was about as excited as if I'd found a Tim Hortons; an unexpected treat for someone who hasn't had a donut in months. I'm saving it for later though (internet access is priority!)

Today I took a bus from Singapore to Johor Bahru, Malaysia. The ride was quite short but we had to stop twice for crossing out of Singapore and then into Malaysia. The view on the ride to the airport reminded me of northern Thailand or Burma (well, maybe a bit nicer- I did see a Smart car). I'm getting to enjoy days in transit more and more. I think the key is having lots of time and not needing to worry about making connections, having the right documents, etc. My goal for this entire day is simple: get from Sleepy Sam's Hostel in Singapore to Kinabalu Daya Hotel in Malaysia. I'll follow about a 12 step process to do that, and I'm set.

By the way, I'm reading a great book. I found it in a bargain book shop in Perth, which would ordinarily be a bad sign, but I think it's great. It's called "Let's Get Lost" by Craig Nelson. I would definately recommend it for Carole or for anyone who has ever dreamed of adventure travel. Even when things get rough in my travels, I read about snakes and headhunters and real adventure travel and I'm ever so glad for my comforts. Anyway, here's a quote I loved...

"...I can't think of anything that excites a greater sense of childlike wonder than to be in a a country where you are ignorant of almost everything. Suddenly you are five years old again. You can't read anything, you have only the most rudimentary sense of how things work, you can't even reliably cross a street without endangering your life. Your whole existence becomes a series of interesting guesses." -Bill Bryson.

Well, I should fill you in on my plans in case I can't get to the internet for a while. I'm staying in a moderate hotel in KK for a couple of nights. Tomorrow I'll be flying to Brunei and taking a day trip tour (I figured sticking with a tour is the safest and least-stressful way to explore a strict Islamic sultanate) and the next day I'll be going to beautiful islands off the coast of borneo for beach-walking, swimming and, perhaps, snorkelling. You see, I went to the aquarium yesterday and found the exotic fish to be very pretty. But also a bit freaky. So would snorkelling be a fun or panicing experience? Hmmm, we'll see, won't we?!

Posted by Kathleen @ 3:36 PM