It's so strange to be sitting in my apartment in Korea writing about my past trip to Malaysia and Indonesia. I was looking forward to it for so long, that to think it's already over makes me sad. It was a trip jam-packed full of adventure, culture, FOOD, and beauty. We began our week long tour in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Malaysia is a melting pot for Indian, Chinese and Malaysian culture, cuisine and customs. The moment Caroline and I got on the express train into the city from the airport, I heard snippets of a foreign language that, of course, I didn't understand but also didn't recognize. To our immediate left (well, my left and her right) was a group of teenage boys. One was Malaysian, one Indian and two Chinese. I should clarify that I only guessed this. The three were notably Asian, one of whom was significantly darker than the other two, seemingly from a people who have spent most of their lives near the Equator.
Kuala Lumpur is the most metropolitan city in Malaysia, and although it would probably be a great place to live, there wasn't a whole lot on the "must see in this city" list of things to see and do. We planned to spend one day in the rain forest, one day at an elephant preserve in Pahang, and 3/4 of a day in the city.
Day one was our trip to the rain forest. We took a taxi to the Forest Research Institute of Malaysia (FRIM). It is, as Amanda called it, a "manufactured rain forest." But, as Joe argued, "It's not manufactured; it was planted. There's a difference." The jury's still out on whether or not there is really a difference, but it's the closest I've come to a jungle. We'll leave it at that.
Within minutes of our jungle trek, we heard movement in the foliage. We heard Joe shout, "It's a monkey!" and I immediately reached for my camera. I was so caught up in getting a good shot that it wasn't until later that the thought occurred to me that that was, in fact, a living monkey with no cage in a Malaysian (manufactured) rain forest. Ah! I really have to work on this living in the moment thing.
The walk was beautiful and very, very green.
We purchased tickets to the canopy walk. After climbing through the jungle trails for about 45 minutes, we came to the start of the canopy bridge. We were notified not to worry because the walkway was built with the help of German engineers. Whew.
Malaysia is a melting pot for Indian, Chinese and Malaysian culture, cuisine and customs. The moment Caroline and I got on the express train into the city from the airport, I heard snippets of a foreign language that, of course, I didn't understand but also didn't recognize. To our immediate left (well, my left and her right) was a group of teenage boys. One was Malaysian, one Indian and two Chinese. I should clarify that I only guessed this. The three were notably Asian, one of whom was significantly darker than the other two, seemingly from a people who have spent most of their lives near the Equator.
Kuala Lumpur is the most metropolitan city in Malaysia, and although it would probably be a great place to live, there wasn't a whole lot on the "must see in this city" list of things to see and do. We planned to spend one day in the rain forest, one day at an elephant preserve in Pahang, and 3/4 of a day in the city.
Day one was our trip to the rain forest. We took a taxi to the Forest Research Institute of Malaysia (FRIM). It is, as Amanda called it, a "manufactured rain forest." But, as Joe argued, "It's not manufactured; it was planted. There's a difference." The jury's still out on whether or not there is really a difference, but it's the closest I've come to a jungle. We'll leave it at that.
Within minutes of our jungle trek, we heard movement in the foliage. We heard Joe shout, "It's a monkey!" and I immediately reached for my camera. I was so caught up in getting a good shot that it wasn't until later that the thought occurred to me that that was, in fact, a living monkey with no cage in a Malaysian (manufactured) rain forest. Ah! I really have to work on this living in the moment thing.
The walk was beautiful and very, very green.
We purchased tickets to the canopy walk. After climbing through the jungle trails for about 45 minutes, we came to the start of the canopy bridge. We were notified not to worry because the walkway was built with the help of German engineers. Whew.
The bridge was literally a horizontal rope ladder with wooden planks set on top. The netting on either side was reassuring and provided a little help with balancing. It was terrifying to look down. All that was between me and my death were meters and meters of large trees and other hard objects.
Please excuse all of the sweat; it's pretty hot and humid in the jungle!
After surviving the canopy bridge we took a long walk through the forest to make it back to our original starting point. We had lunch at a Malaysian buffet that sounded like it had the potential to be outstanding, but in all reality had been sitting out for about 4 hours and was the least appetizing thing to see after spending hours sweating in the jungle (and I'll eat anything). We ate what we could, spending less than $3 a piece and walked back to the entrance. It took us a while, but we managed to hail a taxi back to the city, showered and rested, and then went out to walk around the city at night. We ate some Indian food at a curry house near Bukit Bintang and then walked to see the Petronas Towers at night.
I have pictures of all of the aforementioned excursions but they are on my other camera and my new battery charger is in the mail. I will add pictures this week when I can.
Please excuse all of the sweat; it's pretty hot and humid in the jungle!
After surviving the canopy bridge we took a long walk through the forest to make it back to our original starting point. We had lunch at a Malaysian buffet that sounded like it had the potential to be outstanding, but in all reality had been sitting out for about 4 hours and was the least appetizing thing to see after spending hours sweating in the jungle (and I'll eat anything). We ate what we could, spending less than $3 a piece and walked back to the entrance. It took us a while, but we managed to hail a taxi back to the city, showered and rested, and then went out to walk around the city at night. We ate some Indian food at a curry house near Bukit Bintang and then walked to see the Petronas Towers at night.I have pictures of all of the aforementioned excursions but they are on my other camera and my new battery charger is in the mail. I will add pictures this week when I can.
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