Malaysia is home now, so yes I was heading home from Cambodia. After hammering the partying and some bad experiences in Sihanoukville I decided that a couple of months detox in a safe comfortable place was in order so back to Cameron goes I...
Island time first though to top up the rather amazing and deep tan I had got before a couple of months of clouds and rain. The only island that I haven't done that would be open is Pulau Pangkor so that's where I headed without a clue where to go or what beaches to hit... Chinese New Year complicated matters, the queue for the boat was nuts, kids were fainting and everything and it took well over an hour to get on a ferry. Worth it. The island is the right side of developed, in the fact that it has roads and basic infrastructure but not too resorty and Western, it's mainly locals who go there so there isn't much catering to the white man's needs which I like.
Finding somewhere to stay was horrendous due to Chinese New Year but I struck gold with Nipah Guesthouse. The guys who run it are amazing, they have such pride in the place and want everyone to have a good time. Whilst I was there they got an email from Trip Adviser to say they had won an award for the top 25 places to stay in Malaysia and they were so happy. This place and the guys I met there really made my stay and it really helped start to restore my faith in travellers again.
There is something retorative yet tiring about hanging about on the beach. I love it, the sea breeze, jumping in the water when it gets too hot, trying sooo hard not to get sand on your beach towel and failing spectacularly, the strange mix of salt and sun lotion taste when you lick your lips, the sound of jet skis in the distance... I love all of it because it's so chilled, as much as I love doing stuff, I really love not doing stuff in the sun! I will go to some lengths for a good beach, not too much effort but enough! The dude at the guesthouse told us about a really quiet beach on the south of the island so me and seven guys I was hanging out with set out with a warning of a ten minute jungle trek to get there. As an regular readers will know, I hate the jungle and all that comes with it but to get to a beach I faced me fears! It was more like half an hour in the jungle, but this may have been because of my constant declarations of imminent death and irrational fear of any noise I didn't recognise, which is most of them...
The beach was stunning. There was a camp set up but no one there and we had the beach to ourselves. Jungle behind, left and right, sand at our feet and the ocean out in front, we all said how much it felt like the film 'The Beach', it really was paradise. We messed about in the sea with a Smurfs ball I had bought and made the Dutch dude carry, we lazed in the sun, lazed in the shade, lazed in the water, lazed on the beach some more then head back through the jungle after a good few hours of lazing. An absloute stunner of a beach and we kept saying how amazed we were that it was so undiscovered.
I feel this way about Malaysia in general, there is so much to see and do in this country. Beautiful islands, jungle if you're into that type of thing, the food is out of this world, yet people have never heard of it. Every knows the names of at least some of the Thai islands but I challenge anyone to name Malaysian islands, which I think are better because they are so unspoilt. Working in the tourism industry I tend to have this conversation quite a bit and the majority of people I speak to are really blown away with how great this country is, how easy it is to travel and stuff. I kind of want it to stay a little undiscovered, then I can be all expert on Malaysia when most people don't know what I'm on about!
After four, maybe five days on Pangkor (I love losing track of how long I've been places, sign I've had a good time) I headed back to the Highlands a few days earlier than planned when an opportunity to get back for free came up through the company I had worked for. A quick email to the boss and I had my job back and a minivan picking me up in the morning! It felt amazing to come up the mountain, kind of like the feeling you get on the motorway on the way back from the airport back home, kind of sad that it's back to the real world but happy to be home where things are normal. It does feel quite strange talking about Tanah Rata like this but I do love this place and feel so happy here, I really missed it when I was away.
So I get back to town and Karen hadn't told anyone I was coming so everyone at the Lodge was so shocked! Jue ran over to me to hug me, everyone wanted to know how long I was back for, where I had been, why I was here? Walking into town to see Bella and Deera I was stupidly excited, I needed a massive hug, the type only these girls can give me! It felt amazing, they were shocked at the colour of my skin because I was now darker than them, albeit in a different shade, they were shocked at how mch weight I had lost, the colour of my sun kissed hair, but they were so happy to see me which I really appreciated. I went back to see them in the evening and to get my make up done because I hadn't worn a scrap since I had last seen them and to generally hang out.
Then I saw my friend who I was hanging out with on Xmas day (see previous blogs), who has taken to wearing a cowboy hat which I can't quite decide if I like, and he started off by ignoring me. After such a raptuous reception I was not being ignored by such a good friend so I took him to task and by 1am I was in his catching up and hanging out. Next morning I needed some painkillers and he gave me some well strong ones and I went to get into bed with Deera for a few hours. Crazy dreams ensued for which he was duly thanked! The next night when I went round to watch a film he told me he was going to hide the painkillers, think he's got the measure of me by now! Hanging about town and at the Lodge was brilliant, so theraputic and relaxing and I was told I didn't have to start work until 1st Feb which gave me plenty of chill time.
I did, however, find out one thing that kind of annoyed me. I really want to go and see the Rafflesia again since I have it tattoo'd and all, but the trek is really long now because the off road trail is so screwed it has to be walked up instead. I'm not ready to put myself through that quite yet so I've decided to do some walking evey day so no one can take the piss at my fitness on the trek, only the falling over will provide the entertainment! Third night in town I went to see my friend again but by the time I showed up he was fast alseep so I took advantage of the chance to get a good night's kip, he looked rather confused when we woke up in the morning but I had been invited, honest! Sleepy boy strikes again!
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