A little about langkawi. a wonderfull island off the northern west coast of malaysia, also a tax free island. I was really nice to get here, be on a beach again, and have nothing to do. it had been about a month since I’d really just sat on the beach, and I did kind of miss it. and this was nice. we got a place littteraly on the beach, and with everything being duty free, beer was incredable cheap. and we spent alot of time on the beach. one day we rented a car and drove around the island (super cheap) we went to the cable car and observation platfiorm. amazing, probably one of the best things like that I’ve ever been two. after that we headed to seven wells, a place place with a bunch of rock pools, that you can slide between, and then a big waterfall at the end. amazing place. then just around the island. overall just a very relazing place, that we easily could have stayed at longer, but the erge to move into thailand was too strong. so after four days, we were off, except for dean, who had to return to KL and then start his australia trip.

Our next stop was georgetown, on the island of panang. an ok place, but just another big city. we really didn’t do much here, as we all had our next destination in mind, Langkawi. We did go the a really cool temple, and then up panang hill, though we got there late, and didn’t have any time to explore it, and it did seem like a good place. But at least it makes anther place to go back to in malaysia, which is nice to have. but then it was time, to take a ferry over to Langkawi, and true tropical paridise.

SO then we got to the cameron highlands. A great place, and a wonderful guest house. here we met up with james, and a new member of our goup, vicky. we spent three nights here, and could have stayd for ages. there was a major bike race that had a stage ending in the next town, so we went and watched that, though it took way longer then anyone would have thought. we did a nic guided mosey forst walk, and just chilled a bit. had some good food, met up with even more people we had met in the Inn Crowd, and had a nice olde time.

So we made the bus. about four hours into the interior of the country. then we had a boat transfer up the river to the village by the park. what an amazing boat ride, even though they mad me change seats away from my friends and put me in the front, where halfway through a monsoon rain storm came a sioaked me though, still a great way to enter the park. once we got there, we found a place to stay (most were filled up, so we didn’t have much choice), and checked in. While we were checking in, we met an englich couple, who had stayed at the inn crown in singapore with us, and we all decided to do the night safari that night. after a little while we went down to dinner, where there were some rather interestin dishes served, mine being the only one that was good. (also the only one the didn’t have fried in the name) then off tio the night safari. we got in the back of these 4×4’s, an off we went. we had our guide sitting on the roof, with a spotlight, adn then we started heading down the road. at first we all though that we were going to be on the road the whole time, but then we turned off, and the rest of the time we were in a palm oil plantation. it was kinda cool just wondering around at night in the back of a 4×4, but we didn’t really see much. some eyes in the trees, which were supossedly some cat, and a sleeping snake, and soem birds. but it was fun, and whatever. and then not much more to this day. The next day as our big day for the park. so after breakfast so after breakfast we headed in. our first stop, the canopy walkway. and this was cool. kinda like the the one in sw Australia, only held togeather with latters an ropes, and much longer. really cool. after this we hike upto a lookout, the view was OK. then we were headed to a swiming hole, but first the path we were about to take had leaches. and we saw a few on the ground, and they can move rather fast. well, we made it though nad nobady got one, though we had seem a man earlier who had (bloody socks!). and the swimming hole was just a bend in the river, though it was refreshing. then we made out way back to the entrence to the park, where we thought we might find a beer (the town across that we were staying in was dry) and we did, only it was 18 ringet for a small (alittle steep) dean had one, and then we headed back. and that was preaty much tamen negara, nice, and I could have easily stayed longer, but that was enough for now. the next day we headed to the cameron highlands

So I went to Kaula Lampur. Claire and I had a really nice coach up to the city. Big reclining seats with foot rests. when we arrived, it didn’t look like a bus station. we had no idea where we were so we picked a direction and walked. we came to the station itself shortly and there was a hostel accross from it that was supposed to be OK, so we tried there. They were full. So we went down into chinatown where more hostels were, and one we had been told of that had a roof top bar. we found it and they had room, so we had a place to throw our bags, that was enough for now. starving, we went insearch of food, and found an ok place, but the food wasn’t great, but we did start to feel that we were finally in asia. didn’t really do much that night, just wondered a little bit, and tried to get in touch with some other people we were going to meet. the next morning after breakfast, we ran into both james and dean, who we were meeting in KL, and headed off to the batu caves. These are some large caves, that have hindu temples built inside. we aslo managed to go on a tour of “dark cave” which was a half hour tour into the cave system, where you can only go with a guide. on the way back we decided to goto the KL tower, the highest poit you can go up in KL (you can only go up to the skybridge in the petronas), and they had some great views of the city. then in our very indirect route back to our hostel, we went by the petronas (they don’t look as tall as they are), before getting back to chinatown for dinner. then we started making our plans for tamen negara, and getting there. we found that we needed to leave at 8 in the morning. well, the ber was cheap on the roof, and “just one more” happened a few too many times. Then my alarm didn’t go off, an dean and I both woke up a 8 the next morning, I guess we had another day in KL. James had to stay in KL anyway, and was going to have a few days, s he didn’t really want to get up, and claire was just totlally nackered, so dean and I set off to wonder the city alittle, since we where there. that was preatty much it, claire didn’t get out of bed to half 8 and we all went t bead be fore midnight, so just a nothing day. the next day we did get up.