Better late than never...

A friend just started a new blog which made me think "hmmmm I haven't posted in awhile." I didn't realize it has been almost a year since I posted here.

To say it has been a roller coaster year would be an understatement. It has been a year of good byes, hellos, adventures, fear, unknown, and more WOW moments than I have known what to do with.

I guess the best thing to do is go back to my last post and start from there...

After my school suddenly closed in Korea I spent a couple of weeks freaking out trying to figure out what to do, applied for jobs all over the world, filed an international lawsuit against my previous employer for back pay, and finally packed what I wanted to keep and gave the rest away and got a one way ticket back to the US to surprise my family. I didn't tell anyone that I was coming and managed to surprise everyone. I flew into Sacramento, rented a car and drove to Tahoe to surprise my parents, with a stop along the way to surprise a friend. Needless to say my parents were surprised, my friends were amazed and I was even able to surprise my grandparents and be there to celebrate their 60th wedding anniversary. When I flew in I didn't know how long I would be home, everything was a waiting game, though I didn't expect to be back on a plane less than 2 weeks later heading across the world again.

Though South Korea wasn't my destination this time, Malaysia was. Luckily, I had been to Malaysia on holiday the previous year so I had a little bit of an idea of what I was getting into. I was offered a job with a country that is contracted with the Ministry of Education here in Malaysia as a Teacher Trainer/Mentor. Basically, I work with primary school teachers, year 1, 2, and 3 to help improve the teachers ability to teach English. When I accepted the job I was told I would be living in "rural" Malaysia and asked if that was okay with me. Thinking of my "rural" hometown of Grass Valley, California I didn't think anything of it and said of course that "rural" life wasn't new to me. In retrospect I should have asked for the Malaysian definition of "rural." I live in a small village called Lenggong, which is located in Northern Perak (name of the state). Lenggong is the definition of a "blink and miss it" village. It has a gas station, a mini mart, a hardware stall, a few little food stalls, a post office, and an abundance of schools. I'm still a bit confused as to how there are so many schools because the village is so small, though it could be the fact that some of the schools (year 1 -6) have less than 100 students. Instead of having one school with a larger population they have many small schools because so many of the families have no mode of transportation so it is basically a school in ever little housing area. It's an interesting experience. Anyways...getting back to things. I work in 5 different schools with 15 different teachers. I help with lesson planning, materials development, classroom management, teaching styles, etc. I do team teaching, demo lessons, and observations and spend a lot of time working to improve my teachers skills and confidence in teaching English so that they can in turn improve their students skills.

It's been a experience. Living in a Muslim country was not something I had ever experienced before and though I think of myself as easily adaptable I will admit things like being covered from collar bone to ankle to wrist everyday when I leave the house was a bit of a challenge. Coming from the California girl who likes to tie on a sarong and a tank top and head out the door it's a different world. Living in the jungle and being the only foreign person within 60 miles is also a bit of a challenge. Living in a society that has a very different view on male/female dynamic has probably been the hardest thing. For example last week I was at a school and one of the male teachers was joking with me and I reached over and nudged him and told him to stop being a bully and he proceeded to step back and tell me that I was a "sin" because I had touched him. Men and women are not suppose to have any physical contact, which is very strange to me that even something as simple as shaking hands is a big no-no. I struggled through my first year with this because I work with male and female teachers and found that I had a lot of resistance because I am a woman and I'm younger than most of the teachers that work with me. It's taken a year to get them to understand that I am qualified to do what I do and that at the end of the day I'm a good teacher and I have a lot to offer them.

The school year here is from Jan to Nov, with an impressive 2 1/2 month holiday and more holidays throughout the year than I often no what to do with. Last year I went on the trip of a lifetime fulfilling a lifelong dream and spent 2 1/2 months traveling through Australia, Fiji and New Zealand. To say it was AMAZING would be an understatement. I went by myself, planned everything myself and did things that many people only dream of.

Australia: Melbourne, Tasmania, Cairns, Brisbane, Sydney....I drove the Great Ocean Road, saw kangaroos hopping along the road, took a helicopter over the 12 Apostiles, visited the Tasmanian Devil sanctuary, tour Hobart (Tasmania) on a double decker tour bus, spent 5 days diving on the Great Barrier Reef, went to the Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary and held Bentley (a 6 year old male Koala), stood in wonder of the Sydney Opera House, climbed the Sydney Harbor Bridge, took the ferry to Manley and spent the afternoon wandering the beaches in the rain, and made some amazing friends while I was at it.

Fiji: To put it simply, I fell in love with Fiji, heart, body, and soul! This wasn't really a surprise to me because for some reason all my life I have been drawn to Fiji, but it was a struggle to get back on the plane at the end of my time in Fiji. I spent a week with the FeeJee Experience and met Jerry and Suka (my tour guides) and fell in love...they are both amazing guys who made the trip for me. Maybe it's just cause I'm a talker and a people person, but we became fast friends, which was good since we were in a van together for the better part of a week. We laid on beaches, went sandboarding, jungle trekking, waterfall jumping, mud pool wrestling, Kava drinking, vodka shooting, village visiting, and orphanage loving. I fell in love at the orphanage with a little boy that one look in his eyes and I knew he would be with me forever. After a tough and tearful good-bye to the 7 people on the tour with me and Jerry and Suka I headed for a night in Nandi and then and early morning off to get on a boat and head 3 1/2 hours to Mantaray Island....where once again I fell in love, those this time with the natives. I met Dee and Tuks and was instantly "smitten" with them both. I spent the majority of 5 days on boats and under water doing some of the most amazing diving I have ever had the opportunity of seeing, with an amazing guide Tuks. Once again at the end of 5 days I was off for a tearful good-bye while I headed back to the main island and flew out a few days later.

New Zealand: Auckland, Hamilton, Rotorua, Wellington, Nelson, Greymouth, Fox Glacier, Queenstown, Christchurch....my time in New Zealand was shorter than I would have liked and I will at some point go back, rent a camper van and spend at least a month or so exploring, but I made the most of it while I could. Emma, a friend I made while in Fiji was on the same flight to Auckland so we spent our first night there wandering and exploring and I jumped on a bus first thing the next morning heading south, stopping in some very cute and quaint little towns along the way. Took the ferry from Wellington to Nelson, which reminded me so much of the Kitsap to Seattle ferry ride through some absolutely beautiful country. Fox Glacier was my time to prove myself to myself. I spent a day ice climbing on the glacier, ice axes, cramptons, climbing ropes and all...proving that I can do anything I set my mind on. The next day I was stuck in Fox because it was Christmas so Laurie, a Canadian girl that I had met on the bus and was sharing a hostel room with, and I decided to rent bikes and go for ride. Let me add here that I have ridden a bike twice in my life...and Laurie is a bike expert. We rode from Fox to Lake Matheson and then on to Gillespies Beach, a 52 KM round trip ride, which almost killed me...but was well worth it and once again I proved to myself that I can do anything. I then headed down to Queenstown where I spent a couple of awesome mellow days just soaking in the town and the scenery. I had planned (and paid) to bungee jump and chickened out, which I regret and someday may go back and do just to prove that I can, but for now I'm okay with that. I then took a quick flight to Christchurch where I spent 1 night, experiencing the shaking of the earth in New Zealand while after shocks still torture the area. Then it was time to head home to Malaysia.

I flew into Malaysia on New Years Day (Dec 31st) and finally made it home at 11:50 PM on the 31st. The first thing I did was set up Skype to call home and let my parents know that I had made it home and after about 15 minutes of trying to track down my parents was informed that my dad had had a major heart attack, gone into cardiac arrest and been life flighted, so I did what any normal terrified daughter would do...I turned around and withing 6 hours was back at the airport headed to America. I spent 3 weeks in the US, the majority of that time spent in the Cardiac Intensive Care Unit at Renown Hospital in Reno, Nevada and once I knew dad was okay headed back to Malaysia...again.

I've been back in Malaysia since the end of January, in which time a lot has happened. I've started an unexpected relationship that I don't know where it will go, I've been admitted into the hospital for the first time in more than 20 years, and spent the better part of the last week flat on my back dealing with the aftermath of having two slipped disks in my lower back.

My contract here in Malaysia is through September 2013 and I think as long as everything keeps going the way they are going that I will be staying because to put it simply my job has to many "perks" to walk away from. Though I will say that I miss having a classroom, I miss having my own students, I miss the connections and watching my kids grown and learn everyday.

I have gone back to school and am working on my Ph.D. in International Education and ESL and am enjoying the challenge and being back in school. Plus it gives me something to do while I am living in the jungle besides talking to the monkeys.

I've made a couple of good friends here in Malaysia, though I will say that I miss Korea more than I ever thought I would. I've adapted to the heat and humidity, but I miss having seasons, besides HOT and HOTTER. I'm not sure where I will head next, though I have applied for jobs in Fiji and would LOVE to make that my home, I've also had offers from countries all over the world and with my education and experience I keep making myself more marketable.

At the end of the day, home is wherever I am laying down my head that night and I love the ability to pack everything into two suitcases and hit the road. I know California will always be where I'm from...but it's not home anymore.

I'll try to write again before a year is up....but if not happy traveling and safe wandering.

The hardest thing....

The hardest thing about living overseas is the good-byes. You start out saying what you think are the hardest good-byes to your family and friends at “home” then you move to somewhere new and foreign and you make connections with people that you most likely would have never met and you know in the back of your head that you will have to say good-bye to them at some point, but you’ve made a new “home” so you don’t think about it.

Then that time comes, where one of you is leaving…and it’s time for more good-byes. The toughest part about these good-byes though is the fact that you don’t know when or if you will ever seen these people again. When I left home I knew that my family and my friends would all be there waiting when I got home, for the most part in pretty much the same place that I left them. However, when you say good-bye to people overseas, native or foreign you don’t know if you will ever lay eyes on them again. I mean sure you say that you will stay connected through Skype, Facebook and email but we all know how that goes, people get busy they get back into the “new” swing and routine of life and pretty soon all you are to each other is a memory of good times in a foreign land.

Don’t get me wrong I know that change is inevitable and I know that I would much rather have met these people and have had them impact my life than to have never known them, but watching them put their suitcases in the car as they head to the airport breaks a piece of something inside of you. I’ve always said that my heart is with the people I love so I guess it’s fitting that it feels like parts of me are broken because my heart now has more area to cover.

I’ve met a handful of people here in Korea that I can’t imagine the last year without. My Korean other halfs, Lina and Emily, saw me through home sickness, death and drama from home, translated and humored my obliviousness and loved me anyways. I don’t know if I could have made it through without the two of them. I reconnected with Stacy, a friend from the states that it took 10 years and Korea to bring us back together and remind me that some friendships truly know no time or distance. I met Allen and didn’t see what he would bring into my life coming. He was a truly unique and safe place for me in this country, a piece of home that I didn’t expect but that I will always be grateful for. My kids changed my life, some more than others and I expected that.

Now, I find myself 14 months later starting to say my good-byes and knowing that no matter where in the world I go or they go I will always be grateful for the impact, influence and love that these people have had on my life. No matter where I go next I’ll take a piece of them with me, just like they now have a piece of me with them.

Abrupt Changes

Well to say the last two weeks have been a roller coaster is a bit of an understatement. A week and a half ago my boss showed up, after being MIA for a week and said “Last day. Today. School’s closed.” Needless to say, it wasn’t a complete shock because we haven’t had the number needed to make money, but we were all expecting more notice than, TODAY.

I packed and moved out of my apartment the next day, since he hadn’t been paying my rent. All while being on crutches after a stupid klutz accident while walking.

Luckily, I have been blessed by some great friends in this country. I’ve had 3 amazing Korean co-teachers that have literally made every day in Korea easier, more fun, and overall more enjoyable. My new foreign teacher, who had only been here a whole 3 weeks helped pack and move all of my crap. Along with 2 AMAZING American friends, Stacy has been a friend for 10 years and luckily is close enough that I could move all of my stuff into her house for the time being while I figure things out and Allen, who was out of town when all of this happened so I just kinda moved in to his place for the last 2 weeks.

I’ve been reminded that you have two options, you can crumble under pressure or you can rise about your own expectations and keep going forward.

I’ll be the first to admit that I had a couple of hard core, pity party days, followed by a couple days of seriously scared day about “what the hell’s next….” but now I’ve reached the “BRING IT ON” phase.

I know that I am capable of anything. I know I’m stronger than even I sometimes give myself credit for. I’m 26 years old, living alone on the other side of the world. I can do this….

So as to what’s next….?? I’m not sure. I’ve got a couple of possibilities that I should know more about next week, but I know that no matter what comes at me I can do this.

Why are you so adventerous?

Someone asked me why I am such an adventurous person and the question caught me off guard because I don’t consider myself to be an adventurous person. Then I started thinking about it. I’m a 26 year old, divorced female living alone in a foreign country. I’ve spent the last year living on the other side of the world and I don’t plan to change that anytime soon. I’ve been in South Korea for almost a year to the day and have just extended my contract for an additional five months before going to the states for a quick visit and eventually heading to the Middle East. Kuwait to be exact where I have accepted a teaching position at eh American Academy for Girls.

So I guess there is so adventure in me…so to answer the question “why are you such an adventurous person?” I guess in lot of ways it’s a very basic answer. I am who I am because of the people that made, raise and continue to love me. Don’t get me wrong I will e the first person to tell you that family is not just biological but at the core of everyone, good or bad, I believe, is their parents or lack thereof. I’ve been blessed by a mother and father who have loved, supported and encouraged me to live bigger and dream bigger than I ever thought possible. They haven’t always understood or thought something was the best idea but at the end of the day they always been two of my biggest cheerleaders.

They raised me, not to be fearless, but to do it anyways, even when I was scared. When I decided to move to Korea I think everyone thought I was nuts, including my parents, but they quickly got on board and I think they realized part of it was a post-divorce melt down of me searching for a place to belong and a way to find myself again. A few days before I left the states I remember my dad saying “If you can make it through the first year, I don’t think you’ll come home.” I didn’t understand at the time, but he was right. The night before I left my mom held my hair while I puked and cried through one of many panic attacks and reminded me that “You chose this.” She was right too…it was all up to me. I had decided, jumped through all the hoops and at the end of the day I would be the one I had to answer to and depend on a world away. So I got on a plane.

I packed my world into two suitcases, cried my way to the airport, stood in line at security with my parents on each side of me, hugged them one last time and walked through. I knew that they were scared and worried and nervous but under it all I knew that they believed in me so what choice did I have but to believe in myself.

I’ve been blessed over the last year to be reminded of the connections and friendships that know no boundaries or distance and to reconnect with friends that I had lost touch with. I’ve also made some amazing friends and memories here in Korea that I will take with me when I leave. I’ve been blessed to be a person that loves big and loves often and that isn’t afraid to let people in, even though sometimes people are afraid to let me in. I’ve also been blessed by the fact that I always find my comfort and my balance though some may think of me as unbalanced. I know at the root of everything I am as blessed, strong and adventurous as I am because of the people who cheer me on.

Thank you!

Sunshine's birthday!!

Ruby has been the light of my light since my first day in Korea. I was scared and unsure and didn't know if I could do this...especially with the little one's cause I have never had the patience for young kids. Then along came Ruby...Ruby is the youngest at our school, she turned 6 today, which is 5 in American age and she is the reason that I get up and come to work everyday. I have called her Sunshine since my first week, because she literally brings so much light into everyone's life. Now, even the other kids here run around after her calling her sunshine. Every morning when she gets here, she takes off her shoes and puts on her school slippers and I walk out and drop down to my knees and she stumbles into my lap and kisses me and I say "Good morning Ruby" and she says "Good morning Teacher" and I say "How are you?" and she says "I am fine. Thank you" and then she kisses me again and says "Love you" and stumbles away. Ruby would be considered a "special needs" kid in the states and they don't have "special needs programs" in Korea, which scares me for her. I am terrified about her falling through the cracks of a system that is not made for kids like her. I know that she is a little girl and when I leave this country she will quickly forget me but she will be the most important, precious, loved memory that I take with me from my time in Korea.

Happy Birthday to the sweetest little girl, my sunshine!

6 MONTHS TODAY!

It’s hard to believe that I have been in Korea for 6 months already. It seems like yesterday that I was telling my mom and dad to turn around because I didn’t want to come. It also seems like so much has happened and so many things have changed that it could have been years since I left the states.

August was a tough month for me to be away from home, my two nieces, newest nephew, and sister all celebrated their birthdays in the last week of August and it made me feel further away than ever. Luckily, they all think I am the “coolest” Aunt ever because I send them cool stuff from other countries.

When I decided to leave the states I didn’t know if I could do it. I remember my dad first being skeptical about me coming and then telling me that if I could stick it out for a year that he didn’t know if I would come back. Even when he said it I think I knew that he was right.

So now, I’m deciding where I want to go next…it’s not a question of going back to the states, cause to put it simply there isn’t anything in the states worth me going back to. Now, it’s a question of where my next year adventure will be.

I used to think that the world was so small then I found out that it is actually much bigger than I thought, yet at the same time it really is very small. I know that sounds confusing, but in reality there is a lot more of the world than Grass Valley, California, even the United States, but with transportation, technology and communication no one is ever further away than a plane ride or a click of a button.

So my choices for where to head next…I could stay in Korea for another year, which I have thought about because I really do love this country and feel very much at home here. I have also been getting other job offers for all over the country, including Saudi Arabia, Dubai, UAE, Turkey, Japan, China, etc. All of them have their perks and many of them are being considered. So, my contract is up here the end of February after that I am looking into going to Thailand for a month to get my CELTA certification, which will make me more marketable. Then home for a month to see family and friends and take care of things, like selling my car and emptying out my storage unit, and then it will be off somewhere new.

I don’t know where the world is going to take me over the next few years but I have a feeling it won’t be back to the states for more than a visit for quite a long time. There is so much out in the world that I want to see and I’m glad that even though I was terrified I still got on the plane and started this part of my life.

Malaysia...

Well, better late than never.

Here are my journal entries from my trip to Malaysia.

7/24/10
I'm on the plane, on my way from Busan to Beijing then on to Kuala Lumpar. Megan came down last night and we got to the airport without a hitch. No delays, no lines, no waits. I'm excited to see how the week unfolds. I'm looking forward to the adventure and play time.

7/24/10
I'm having one of those "HOLY SHIT" moments. Not even holy shit I'm in Korea, though I do still have those pretty often but now I'm having a holy shit I'm somewhere over or between China and Malaysia. If someone had told me six months ago that I would be living in South Korea, on a plane to Malaysia contemplating where to go next I would have told them they were crazy. It's amazing to me just how much can change in six short months, and just how quickly six months can really go by.

I've been teaching in Korea for almost five months and I love it. I love my kids, yeah some make me crazy, but at the end of the day I really do love all of them. My Korean teachers are great and I have finally started to build a relationship with my boss.

I'm going to take my TESEL/TFEL next month which will make me even more marketable in this industry. I am going to start seriously applying and looking into other jobs in the next few months. I'm still considering staying in Korea for another year but am also looking into places like Dubai, Kuwait, Egypt, UAE, and Saudi. It's amazing how many things open up when you stop being afraid of letting go and moving on.

It's time for me to start living my life 110% on my terms. It's time to play, to explore, to dance, to laugh, to flirt, to smile, to stop settling. It's time to get my ass in gear. To treat myself like a princess. To put the effort and energy that I put into other people into myself. It's time to work out. It's time to reach my goals. It's time to grow. It's time to love. It's time to take all of my attention and put it back on myself.

"Live, Laugh, Love"

7/25/10
We made it! Heather, Megan and I are on the Perhentian Islands. We are on the small island, Kecil. We got into KL late last night slept for about 4 hours then got on another plane to Kota Barhu. We took an hour taxi ride from the airport to the catch the ferry to the islands. The taxi was yet another experience of a country with no road rules. They drive on the other side of the road and it's so strange to get in a car with the steering wheel on the right side of the car. Airport security was a joke, they didn't x-ray bags, make us take off our shoes or any other "American" security measures. I guess it's a quick reminder that we aren't in the US anymore.

We took a 30 minute ferry ride from the mainland on a speedboat to the islands. The boat ride was great, but then again I'm the girl that's always happiest when I'm on the water.

We got to Coral Bay, very accurately names since the beach is covered in coral. We got unloaded and after about 30 minutes of back and forth we decided where we were going to stay for the night. We checked in at the Butterfly House and paid 80 ringgits for the night, less that $30 USD per night for all three of us. Don't get me wrong it's not the Hilton, by any means, but it's sitting on the water and as I am writing this I am sitting on the deck with my feet up on the railing listening to the water crash under me, the raid hit the coconut leaves all while sweating like crazy and getting eaten by mosquitoes.

After getting into our room and putting down our bags we quickly changed out of sweat soaked clothes into our suits and headed to the beach. As we were walking down the beach we crossed paths with a Monitor lizard that proceeded to go for a swim. This "lizard" looked like a small alligator it was so big. We dropped out stuff and headed for the water. The water was amazingly warm, like a big bath tub, for how hot and sweaty I was it would have been much more refreshing to have been a lot cooler.

After a few minutes we decided to wander and find a place to eat. We found a little place called Mama's Kitchen and sat outside and proceeded to have the worst chicken sandwich ever, they use a sauce that is basically mayo and curry powder and it was gross, but looking out over a beach in Malaysia quickly made up for it.

After lunch we headed back for nap/reading/writing time.

Funny things:
"Don't be shy...check yourself in the keys are in the door" The whiteboard sign where we stayed...they are on the honor system.

Water $3 a bottle Soda $1

"Watch out for the leeches" a sentence you don't think you will ever get to say.

"Where are you from" - Islander
"California" - Me
"Welcome to the Hotel California...such a lovely place." - Islander
"Does the hotel really exist?" - Islander


7/27/10
We spent yesterday in the water snorkeling. For the girl that is freaked out by fish I think I handled everything like a champ. We snorkeled at five or six different places and it was amazing. The visibility was great and the fish were so colorful and there were so many of them it totally blew my mind.

Yesterday morning we met a woman on the beach, we thought she was traveling alone so I started talking to her, it turned out that her husband was diving but we ran into them yesterday afternoon and ended up all hanging out. We also ran into a girl that had been on the boat with us who was traveling alone and I asked her to join us. So we all hung out for the afternoon, had dinner together and then had drinks at the "Black Tip" which happens to be the most "happening" place on the island. We also picked up a solo guy. So by the end of the night there were the three of us girls from the states, a couple from England, a girl from Norway and a guy from Sweden. It was a great night.

Black Tip was a pretty nice little beach front bar with horrible early 90's music playing all night. We had literally BUCKETS (like the buckets you use to build sand castles) of "monkey juice" which is a local whiskey and red bull. For the girl that doesn't drink much it was HORRIBLE, we we shared 4 buckets of the stuff and it was pretty toxic. We did have a lot of fun thought. It was a great night. We did have one sudden and massive downpour where about 50-60 of us ran for cover in a tiny gazebo'ish hut, it was great.

Well...off to start my next day.


7/28/10
When we left the island this morning the weather was not ideal to say the least. By the time we got back to the mainland it was pouring and we were soaked from being in the front row of the boat the entire trip back. It was great...though I was glad to have other clothes to change in to.

We caught a bus in Kota Barhu to take us to Taman Negara. Taman Negara is the oldest rain forest in the world. It was a full day on the bus, about 7 hours.

Taman Negara is an interesting place, it is a National Park and you have to have a permit to enter and you have to take a boat across a river to access it. We got there late so decided to find a place to sleep and get some dinner. While we were at dinner we met another girl that was traveling alone and ended up asking her to join us.

We decided to spend the next day together and planned out our day that night with the help of an awesome Malaysian man who is also a tour guide. His name was Ruce Lee but he told us to remember him as "Bruce Lee" and he looked just like Morgan Freeman. He ended up being a great friend and asset during out few days in Taman Negara.

We met bright and early the next day and took a boat across the river to enter the park, literally about a 20 second boat ride, but it is a way for them to monitor how many people go in and out and also a way to make money for the people in the area. Each person is charges 1 ringgit each way, which is only about .30 cents USD.

We got our permit for the park and our camera permit and headed in to do the world famous canopy walk. The canopy is a 400 meter man-made bridge that is suspended 40 meters above the ground. It is the longest canopy walk of it's kind and is something that I highly recommend doing.

After the walk we ventured back down to hike up to a look out point. The hike almost killed me at some points and the steep terrain was kicking my butt and legs. At some points ropes had been put into the trail to help people climb/crawl up the hills. The lookout was not as impressive and I had expected and after a short few minutes break we headed back down taking a different trail to look us down to the river. The trail back seemed to be the "path less taken" and we worried a few times that we were heading in the wrong direction but eventually we found the river and stripped down to take a quick afternoon swim and cool off.

We made it back to our starting point around 3pm (7 hours after we had started) and had a quick lunch and then met with Ruce Lee to set up a boat ride to take us up to an aborigine village. Taman Negara is home to the Batek people, one of Malaysia's five aboriginal groups.

These people lead a nomadic lifestyle in the forest, hunting with blowpipes and darts. They have opened up their village for tours to come through and see how they live in exchange for a portion of the profit that the tour guides make on the tours. These tours help supplement their income and the young people of their tribe show how they make fire, how to use blowpipes, and give a short history lesson.

These people reminded me a lot of the Native American's in the US and live by a simple philosophy: "take little from nature that nature alone cannot heal." There were many women and children and this was probably one of the most memorable experiences of the entire trip for me.

After taking the boat back we went back to our chalet to shower and change and then met back for dinner and a night wildlife safari. We spent 2 1/2 hours riding around in a jeep looking at the night life of the area, monkeys, wild cats, wild pigs, etc.

We shoved a lot of stuff into one day and will be on our way to Kuala Lumpar tomorrow.

7/29/10 - 7/31/10
We got on a bus early this morning and headed for KL. It was a long day on the bus and by the time we got to KL we were ready to put our stuff down and get food...we weren't sure where we were going to stay though. So we started looking around for the places in my Lonely Planet, we quickly found that some of them were just point blank sketchy and scary looking. So we came across a foreign couple and asked them if they could recommend anywhere. They took us to the place that they were staying which turned out to be one of the highlights of the trip! It was a great new place called Explorers and it was clean, cozy, great condition, amazing staff, and really reasonably priced.

We checked in and then took off to wander through China Town and find some lunch. We ended up wandering for a few hours checking out the KL Towers, and a couple of different mosques at night.

The next day we started out headed to the Batu Caves. The caves are about 7 miles north of Kuala Lumpur. They are sacred caves for the Hundu's of Malaysia. There are three main caves and many other small ones. The caves are made out of limestone and are 400 meters long and 100 meters high.

To enter the caves you first have to climb 272 stairs to enter the caves. At first I was not excited about the caves or the stairs until I got there and found that the caves are almost over run by wild monkeys.

The Batu Caves are a tourist destination in this area and the monkeys literally feed of the tourists, stealing their food and drinks, tearing their bags out of their hands and climbing up trees and on top of buildings to rummage through tourists things. The monkeys were really cool to look at but I would not want to get on their bad side. We watched them steal bags out of people's hands, drink soda straight from the cans and chase people around. I even managed to have a monkey smack my pony tail because it was moving.

The monkeys were one of the highlights of my trip.

We also went to the National Mosque and were able to put on robes and tour the building. We went to the Orchid and Hibiscus Gardens along with a few other gardens in KL.

Our time in KL was quickly coming to an end so we headed back to get our luggage and head to the airport.

All in all it was a great trip!!