I am going to skip ahead about a week. Time is going so fast and it seems that there is always something to see or do. I had anticipated that I would have tons of down time to write and read. That has not been the case. I am meeting so many people going in so many directions it is hard to choose writing and reading over an interesting conversation or a crazy experience. I apologize for my gap in writing but I do promise you I will update you in writings soon on what I have experienced.
First, here is a little map of where I have been lately.
Right, so Malaysia was not even on my radar for places to visit. However, after making plans with Mo and Jenny (my two new travel buddies) to go to Cambodia we were pressed on how to actually get there. Since we have been living the island dream life in Koh Phi Phi for a few days we forgot we were not in a major travel hub to get a cheap flight.
I sat down with wifi for a few minutes and came up with a plan. Flying was out of the question. None of us wanted to shell out the 170+ dollars for a flight. The other option was a bus or train for 14+ hours which was not so bad. We would go up through Bangkok and over to Siem Reap, Cambodia. The other two had already seen Bangkok and I did not want to go since I will be visiting the area with my mother. Luckily we noticed that there was a 40 dollar promo flight out of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Why not go to Malaysia? This has been the wonderful thing about being a solo backpacker through Southeast Asia.
There are no restraints.
There are no plans.
You do what feels right when it feels right.
It was the perfect journey down here. Although the bus ride was a long one it had a wonderful touch. We were no longer on an island that was existing only for tourism. We were now stopping in towns that real people lived their everyday lives in. The food got cheaper and the smiles got friendlier. It started to seem that we were no longer being milked for every penny we had.
One of the coolest bits of the journey was that during a 15 minute rest stop we bought a bunch of cakes. We had no idea what they were, what they were filled with, or what they would taste like since the baker could not speak English. We all bought a few to test out. They were not the greatest but not the worst. I chose to buy a box of these bright colored gum drop looking things in hopes that it would be super sugary. Let's just say I would rather eat candle wax! I offered them to the bus driver who smiled in delight when I gave them to him so I am happy I could brighten someone day with those nasty buggers.
Our one big stop on the way down was Hat Yai. Before arriving we thought it was going to just be a tiny little town. It was not. When we got off the bus we were swarmed by random smells, light up signs, dried fish, half sold chickens hanging from their necks, and so much more.
This was one of the quirkiest cities I have ever experienced and wish we had a bit more time to explore.
Exploring the shops was a blast. The things that we found in some of them I did not even know existed. I am still not really sure what half of it was but it was all sold in bulk.
Who knew that you could buy dried seahorse, squid, and piranha?
Down the main street life was going on in full swing. Tiny little trucks were transporting people while everyone was moving somewhere busy doing something. The number of street vendors selling odd meats straight off the bone were more than I can count. And in the middle of all this there would be random shops such as giant clock shop, a starbucks, a shop that I do not think sold anything, and just a number of other things I still can not wrap my head around. We did find a London telephone booth as well as a giant Chinese kitty!!!
The over night bus went without a hitch and I have one more stamp to add to my collection.
The bus arrived way early and we found ourselves dumped at 5:30 am in a shut city. There is nothing more daunting than being excited to explore a new place and arriving during an hour when the city is asleep. Everywhere we looked was dirty, closed, and depressing.
Although no one would admit it I know we were all thinking the same thing "why did we come here?"
We met a very lovely girl from NY who currently lives here and she took us to the local McDonalds so that we could get some stuff sorted out. Then we roamed the streets as daylight finally approached looking for a place to stay. Five hostels later we finally have what may be the coolest hostel and tour agency (Reggae Gouesthuse & Mansion) and a full day of touring ahead of us. Just as we were checking in the city has been coming alive. People make their way to the nearest Hindu temple adorned with flowers and street vendors are opening their carts. Can not wait for the day ahead of me!
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