Can't Beat that with a Bat

There’s nothing like a good shower to start your day, actually there’s nothing like standing in the shower, eyes closed for five or ten minutes, to start your day. Fact. There’s nothing like a morning dip in the clearest, bluest ocean to start your day. BETTER FACT. A couple days ago, I rolled out of bed and was about to turn the cold-water nozzle when it dawned on me, “You're taking a shower, when the ocean is right there! Right there!” Think flashing neon signs and a monkey pointing towards the water going ape shit. Doh! The shower got the axe and I said hello to the saltiness of the South China Sea.

Can’t beat that with a bat. Uh-uhhhhh.

* finger snap *

Long Beach, Pulau Perhentian Kecil

I’m in Malaysia by the way. Yeah, it was a last minute trip and by last minute I mean I literally received the itinerary in my inbox a few days before I left.  Oh the beauty of cheap Air Asian flights and…

dare I share my secret with you?

I dare. 

Here’s why I’m in Malaysia:

Because I can be.

Post Philippines, I had no plans to venture off into the bordering countries…none at all, which is something I still don’t understand. For my last month abroad, I thought I’d explore the Andaman Sea islands of Thailand and hang with a friends in Chiang Mai. I was teetering on the brink of Thai Townieism AGAIN. We’ve talked about this before; it’s easy to get stuck in Comfortland. Thailand is easy and friends are comfortable. An all out Malaysian rendezvous was needed to get me out of that funk. And that it did.

Yep. So I’m in Malaysia. 

Here's a little of what I've done...I’ve been rained on in KL’s Bird Park, which, by the way, is the largest walk-in aviary in the world. I’ve petted a peacock…ON ITS BEAK (if you know my dislike, more like fear, of birds, you’ll know this is a HUGE step), swam my hardest to catch up to a huge surfacing sea turtle, and spotted and followed three full grown blacktip sharks while snorkeling. Oh, and I went off trail in the Taman Negara jungle for about an hour or so following a so called EcoTourism PhD having, neurotic, bug-hating, woman who insisted she could guide us to the Orang Asli Village for free. She lied and had absolutely no idea where she was going. OHHH, and leeches. How one made its way up my right leg, onto my thigh, and had a feast, I will never know.

oh the stories...