Just Like a Dream...

If there is one memory that I will have with me for the rest of my life it will be about the one day I had at the Perhentian Islands. A group of us from Kuala Lumpur had re-grouped and we decided to all go on a small hike led by our new friend Holden. I met Holden in my dorm and he had come to the island to do his scuba certification. Having spent a little more time exploring the island, he had mentioned this place that he found that was absolutely amazing. So we set off on our adventure and for whatever reason we did so at the hottest time of the day but Holden assured us that there would be water to jump into once we arrived. Through the jungle, up to the top of the mountain, around and over from the wind turbine and there it was.  From the top of the mountain we looked down on the longest set of stairs leading to a huge concrete pier that had split in half. As we descended from the top, I couldn't help but wonder why on Earth they went through all the trouble to build such an impressive set of stairs and pier for it to be rusted over and abandoned.  Once we reached the bottom, although I didn't know of it's original purpose, I was well aware of its purposes now.  If you were brave enough (and chances are you were, considering the amount of sweat you had on you from the hike) the pier created the perfect jump off points into the most beautiful schools of fish.  Not only that, if you didn't have the guts to make the jump and swim there, you could climb down the rocks to lay on a small and untouched beach.  The cliffs made this beach completely private from anything else.  It was almost as if this beach was reserved just for us.  We soon realized that it was so private that there was no need for bathing suits...no food, no drinks, no clothes, just us and nature.  The whole entire day my traveling buddies and I had the beach, water, the schools of fish, and the pier all to ourselves.  I remember how I kept having a hard time believing that I was actually there because it was too perfect to be true.  I think about this day everyday since the moment I left. I have no photos to share, only the memory of being able to experience nature at its finest beauty and the complete state of happiness that I was in. 

Paradise

Absolute paradise. Close your eyes and imagine a tropical place that hasn't been ruined by commercialization, oversize all-inclusive resorts and cheesy tourist attractions. Ready? 1, 2, 3...that place is called the Perhentian Islands. Located off of the northeastern coast of Malaysia, they call this small group of islands the gem of the country. Jason (part of the KL crew) and I took the overnight bus from Kuala Lumpur and the first boat to spend some detox time in the most perfect place in the world.

The water is pristine and full of life, the sands are white, the snorkeling is amazing, the weather is perfect, the people are kind, I could go on and on. When I compare these islands to other typical vacation spots, I realize just how different it really is.

When you arrive, you are not presented with your typical tourist office or concierge filled with leaflets on all the different types of activities that they have come up with and overcharge you for. Sure they have snorkeling, banana boats and scuba diving but that's about it. In fact, if you google the Perhentian Islands, the amount of information/images are far less than any other get-a-way spot.

This is a place where every restaurant is family-owned and operated, most of the seating consists of plastic chairs or wooden furniture placed on the beach, and no matter which place you choose to eat, the menus are all the same...it's that small. The only type of bars they have on the island are located in Long Beach (the other side of the island, about 10-15 minute walk from Coral Bay). Here you will find two wooden stands that in the day time one might pass by and think nothing of. At night, they stock it up with alcohol, connect it to power, play music, set up mats, candle lights and small wooden tables in the sand, and voila...it's a bar. Why? Well, bars are illegal on the islands and if authority plans to make a surprise visit, all they have to do is burn it down. Easy enough. Oh yes, and the one alcohol they drink on the island is something the locals call "monkey juice" which to me is basically cheap rum.

Snorkel or lay out on the beach during the day, enjoy some monkey juice and fire shows at night and that's about it. Simple.

Life at Night -My Job

Every night, from 7pm-1am I was on duty. Duty meaning my social butterfly skills were in full effect whether I felt like it or not. Mingling, hosting roof top bar drinking games and of course, drinking.  The "big" boss showed up every night around 11pm to host the games and give away free drinks then it was smooth sailing from there.  The only down part of this job of mine is that I had to devote these hours to the Mansion every night and if my friends decided to go out and explore other areas, I wasn't able to go.  I know you're probably thinking, what friends?  Well, during my stay, there just so happened to be a group of us that were stationed in KL for just about the same amount of time and our little crew grew very close during this period.  These are the friends I am speaking of, not the strangers that came and left in 2 days time

Luckily for me there were two things that worked in my favor that kept everyone around until I at least got off at 1am. When it comes to the drinking and partying, the cheapest way is always to buy your own liquor and pre-drink at your home/hotel before you go out. Considering, we were all budget travelers, that is usually always the the first move. However, since my previous visit, the Mansion prohibited all outside alcohol (as it was taking away business from their bar). One would think that this would drive everyone away from the Mansion, but it didn't. The drinks served at the roof top bar were still cheaper then going to the bars. For the fact that Malaysia is primarily a Muslim country, alcohol is FAR from cheap. Not to mention, the alcohol bought from the liquor stores is not always the most trust worthy. It might be 4 bottles later until you feel a buzz or maybe a half before you find yourself in the looney bin. Sooo...while people sorted out their alcoholic missions to achieve their desired state of drunkenness, I was working on my own receiving free drinks and food from the Mansion. After, the mayhem began and then (IF we felt like leaving) we'd go out...usually to the bar down the street (a sister company of the mansion) to get more discounted drinks.

Every night for about 2 1/2 weeks, I did this and boy did it get old quick. As easy as it sounds, remember that this hostel gets shifts of travelers in everyday. Most of them heading into Kuala Lumpur for a visa run or just a quick stop over and with not much to offer, one only needs a short amount of time to explore. This means, the hunger to party is very strong among those that frequent this hostel. For me, I was there 24/7, meeting and greeting all the different shifts, partying with all the different loads of people from around the world, and I never had a down day. Just imagine the damage my body was under after only a short amount of time. I know I yearned for a small break from the moving around everywhere but I don't know if stationing in Kuala Lumpur was as beneficial for me as I thought it would be. Maybe my body and mind was able to recover from not having to hop from hostel to hostel, but my liver and tolerance took a turn for the worst in a short amount of time. After a few events that changed my opinion of the hostel, our group splitting up to head in our own direction, it was time to call it quits. Detox mode please!

Life During the Day in KL

I chose to bunk with the social ones, in the 24-person mixed dorm and it was perfect for meeting people. My days at the mansion would go 1 of 2 ways...a movie in our private theater to help overcome the painful hang over from the night before (bear in mind we played the Euro every night on the rooftop bar until 5am) OR spending a day on a tour with some more new friends. Either way, I was still living the good life. At times, it made me feel like I was back to my early college days without the college part...haha. I felt accomplished when I was actually able to make it on a tour and I did a couple of good ones that the mansion had to offer.

Oh Joe...

One was the Elephant Tour...For the fact that this was at an actual elephant conservation park made the experience seem less authentic. The elephant talent shows were good, the elephant ride was a full 2 minutes, but the part that made it all worth it was being able to swim with the baby elephants...absolutely amazing.

The Batu Caves...naturally impressive and the monkeys were far from shy. If you had flowers in your hair, anything that resembled a plastic bag or the slightest thing that would give them the idea that they could eat it, you could count on being approached by one or two. Not in a subtle way either, in just my visit I saw a couple of people get things ripped out of their hair or monkey climbing on their shoulders, taking things out of their hands, rumor is a girl got her camera stolen. So I went with nothing, oh wait except my iPhone for the pictures of course!

There's plenty to see in KL, but the truth is that you can see it all within a couple of days before you find yourself looking for things to do. Fast visits included places like the amazing Petronas Twin Towers, the Thean Hou Temple, the Jamek Mosque, the Menara KL Tower, Little India, Central Market in Chinatown and even the indoor theme park in the center of a shopping mall.

The 3 Month Mark

I think it was right about the time I arrived to Singapore when I stopped posting to my blog. It has been a while since my last post and it's a drastic decrease in entries from when I first started to travel. Thinking back on the time when I was in Japan, I remember how I couldn't wait to get home to blog. Always formulating and organizing in my head what to write about next. I've come to learn that when a traveler begins their journey, the energy to want to go explore is in full force at the beginning. Every tourist attraction, every non-tourist attraction, every type of event, every type of food is all worth the time, money and effort. However, for many (not for all), there comes a point where it all starts to blend into one another. Many take 3 months before they call it quits or a time to settle and work...others I have met can go for years. For me, the emotions I was experiencing were all very much the same and the only thing that made it different is that I was experiencing it in a different country. There's a skill and a method to traveling but everyone grows tired of living out of their suitcase, re-packing, and re-locating. I knew I needed a break, even if it was just for a little while. It just so happened to be that my previous visit to Kuala Lumpur presented me with an opportunity to work at a very nice hostel for free accommodation, free food, free drinks (non-alcoholic/alcoholic), and free tours...the place, Reggae Mansion. There was nothing reggae about it but for travelers that pass through KL (and many do) this hostel was luxury living at a good price. As a designer, the concept of this hostel for budget travelers is truly marvelous, they lack on the management side of things and the horrible name, but all-in-all a genius idea for the world of hostels. What was my job? Well, I wouldn't really call it a job...I had to mingle and party with the travelers and that's about it. The perfect place for me to settle and make a ton of friends.

Dorm Style Beds

Hostel Rooftop Bar

Fine City

If you are questioning it, there's a 99% chance that it is probably a fine and Singapore is a city that prides their self on just how many ridiculous fines exist. Allow me to list some for you:

Chewing gum = $1000
Not flushing the toilet = $150
Drugs = You will be shot
Bird Feeding = $1000
Urinating in lifts = $1000
Spitting = $1000

Even drinking water in the MRT is illegal! Personally, I don't know how they keep up with it. I felt like I was always doing something wrong. As for the city itself, it's impressive and just like the rest of Asia, booming with building sites. There is a lot of money in this city and it is a lot bigger than I imagined it to be. Impressive buildings and sites to see but to me, Singapore seemed like one big shopping mall and things are far from cheap. One week was too long and the only thing holding me back was waiting for my new iPhone but of course, Sing Post failed to locate my package. Instead of wasting my time and money there, I headed to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia to visit my friend Ho-Kid. It was here that I fell in love and decided to station myself. The people are extremely friendly, I swam with the elephants, made friends with the locals and it seemed like the perfect place for me to settle for a bit. So...I did!

very cool!

There's a China Town in every country

Manila Makeover

I was back to it, the city life that I know and love so much. Manila was a place I hadn't yet explored and I was excited to get my hostel hop back. I only had 3 days to do it but that was plenty of time since there really weren't many appealing tourist sites. In a country like the Philippines, the ways to experience the culture is through their typical every day lifestyles. Which I did plenty of with my family, so the time in the city was all for fun. Meet Tristan and Malo, oui, zey are French. Don't ask me what it is with French people and I, but lately I have been finding them every where and we just always happen to make the best of friends. Lucky for me, these boys had plenty of experience in the Philippines, so I just played follow the leader and enjoyed my time with Tristan, while Malo was spending time with his Filipino lover, haha. Being in the city doesn't mean the poverty vanishes but in certain areas like Makati Greenbelt Mall which is extremely impressive for the Philippines, you wouldn't even feel like you were in that country until you walked across the street. Straying away off the beaten path (something I am very fond of) one can expect to be bombarded by children. Poor, poor children. They want money of course, but if you see them run off for some strange reason, it most likely means that they spotted a guard with a stick in hand heading their way. In the Philippines, the guards/cops, have the right to shoot a beggar if it is for the purpose of protecting a foreigner....crazy! Lucky for me I don't have to deal with too many beggars, I FINALLY somewhat blend in here, but for Tristan he is the superstar of the Philippines. Every place we walk into, every bar, every store, every karaoke song dedicated to him, every anything, jaws drop...they love the white skin, blonde hair, blue eyed boys...but I think to them it really only means one thing $$money$$. Sure, he was good to look at but an easy target for a scam, so we had to watch our backs. Our hostel was all too comfortable, fresh fruit, toast, coffee in the morning, amazing surround sound common areas, AC in every room...I didn't want to leave! It was just what I needed to recoup. But to help the process a little more, pamper day with the boys! Haha, hair cuts, manicures, pedicures, massages. I was a new woman!

Does he look scared?

Tristan & Malo