My previous blog about my first encounter in Malaysia seems like ages ago. I’ve done so much since that odd encounter. After Kuala Lumpur I headed to the Cameron Highlands for some hiking. I had no idea what to expect, especially since I am not a rugged outdoor lumberjack. My time in the highlands was filled with many different adventures. I went to the highest point in the Cameron Highlands, I met with the chief of the Oranosli, and hiked in the Mossy Forest. I met several interesting characters in my guesthouse dorm. I met a Englishman who quit his job on the railroad to travel for a year, a Canadian JET teacher (Japanese English Teacher), a Ukranian hitchhiker, and a plethora of other travelers. I hit it off with this Canadian JET teacher so we decided to head to Penang together. All of a sudden I had a travel buddy.

While in Penang we met up with her two JET companions from the US. The four of us had a nice little Penang adventure. It was Christmas and we hiked to Monkey beach and gazed at wild monkeys. I have a nice picture of two monkeys mating, which I will post in due time. Other than that, Penang wasn’t the most thrilling place. It had a nice beach and night market, but nothing spectacular. Pengang is renowned for its food, which I thought was alright, but not as good as advertised. However, Penang is good for a layover on your way to Langkawi Island, which is where my Canadian friend and I headed to next.

Langkawi is a beach resort area with white sandy beaches. It’s a beautiful island in the Andaman Sea. However, because of this beauty, it’s being developed at a rapid rate. Despite the new commercial interest, once you hit the beach all is forgotten, as you are entranced by the beauty of Langkawi. What more can I say? If you can, see it before it becomes another Cancun.

My New Year’s Eve was spent in Singapore, where I stayed for five days. Sinapore is a pleasant country and when I have more time, I will make a seperate post about my days there.

Tomorrow (Jan. 4 2008) I will head to Kota Kinabalu in Malaysia Borneo, east of the peninsular Malaysia. There I will attempt to climb Mt. Kinabalu, a 12,000 ft mountain. I have no climbing experience so this will be quite the adventure. I’ve been looking forward to it for sometime now. I am extremely nervous but am quite ready for the challenge. Hopefully I won’t die and I will be able to blog about my mountainous venture. Happy New Year everyone! I promise more travel stories will be coming shortly after my Kinabalu experience.