Monkeys, monks, massages and mayhem

Monkeys, monks, massages and mayhem!!!

Seemed like the right name for the blog this week. What a ride!!!

It all started with my idea to rent a car to drive to Johor Bahru for work last week. I knew it would be a quite a long drive but figured I could capitalise on the opportunity and have a car for some weekend exploring.

The nearly four hour drive to JB was actually very easy. The freeways in MY are excellent and they should be as there as lots of tolls along the way. Not too far out of KL there are lots of winding hills and soon you are among a mixture of rainforest and palm plantations.

Getting to the hospital on Thursday was not quite as easy as it was the week before when I took a taxi (teksi in Bahasa). Luckily I didn't go too far out of the way before realising something was not right. I took a very interesting detour through suburbia in MY. I finally made it to my destination and had a good day although left a bit later than I had planned.

I had a reservation in Melaka at a little boutique hotel I read about in one of my books. So hear I am imagining Melaka as some sleepy little port town. Well...not so much. Due to my leaving JB a bit late it was quite dark when I reached Melaka. It is quite a big town and all streets are one way. I saw a whole area of British looking pubs, another area I read about but I was not in a mood for a pub and just wanted to find my hotel. A very nice concierge at the Holiday Inn was kind enough to let me follow him to my hotel in Jonker Walk area. This is the VERY old part of Melaka and is full of history.

When I went outside in the morning, I almost felt like I was in China. Lots and lots of Chinese culture and history in this area. I spent hours looking through the shops including lots of antique shops with amazing old furniture, dishes, chandeliers, and about everything else you can imagine.

Lunch at a typical rice ball shop included delicious sliced BBQ'd pork with glutinous rice balls, broth, and a pile of green sauteed veggies. A small bowl of chilies and garlic is served on the side. YUM!!! Cheapest beer I've had in MY so far. After lunch I went to the history museum and art museum. This area of the world has tons of history with the Dutch, Portuguese, British, and Chinese all playing a role and wanting control of the Straits of Malacca (named by the Portuguese...I think).

It was VERY hot and the history museum was huge and not air conditioned so I decided to head back towards my hotel. I found a lovely little pub on the river and decided to sit outside and have a beer. While sitting there enjoying my beer, I thought I was looking at scene that I could have seen in many places...but wait...not quite. Here comes a river cruise boat and it is filled with monks...all in their bright orange robes. One of the monks waves and give me a big smile. A few minutes later a see a large brown thing in the river. I thought perhaps it was trash but on closer observation, it is a HUGE lizard of some sort. It was easily 3 or 4 feet long and he was just cruising around checking things out. OK, I am DEFINITELY in a different part of the world.

Saturday morning I set off for Port Dickson, a beach town about an hour and a half from KL. I decided to take the back way...yes, I know what some of you are thinking...I survived with only a few more grey hairs. Some of the little roads I was on were just as you would imagine. Nothing for miles but forest and twisty, turning craziness. Every once in awhile I would take another little side road find a gorgeous bungalow tucked away in the forest. At times I know I was quite close to the ocean as well. It was somewhere around this time that I realised the air conditioner had stopped working and it was VERY hot. So there I was rambling along the countryside with the windows all the wayt down and suddenly I see something moving on the side of road. Monkeys!!! Not just one, a whole dang family and they wanted to cross the road and the Mom was literally screaming at me. It was as if she just dropped out of the trees right along the road in front of me. I stopped and watched while Mom and four baby monkeys crossed the road. OMG!!! How cool is that?

Decided to spend Sunday and Monday in the highlands. I didn't have the energy for lots more driving so ended up in the Genting Highlands which are only about an hour from KL. The hotel was a bit odd as it was a French themed thing that seemed was in need of updates. The amazing thing was there is this Japanese themed botanical garden and spa that are absolutely lovely. I booked this special internet deal to get a suite, dinner, breakfast, and massage package for about 150 GBP ($300). The area is up in the rainforest and the cool air felt great. My massage package started with a lovely foot bath and scrub, followed by onsen shower, and finally a wonderful massage. One of the best massages I have ever had and my skin was so smooth from the onsen shower. My adorable therapist starting crying when I gave her a tip. Just check out the pics...

I also stumbled upon a lovely little village full of yummy Chinese restaurants where I had some great Kway teow which is rice noodles which in this case were stir fried with veggies, pork, and prawns, then mixed in with eggs and broth. Kind of like a big yummy bowl of soupy pad thai...YUM!! Again, served with bowls of chilies and garlic on the side. A huge bowl kway teow, a side of green veggies, and some iced jasmine tea set me back 8 ringgit.

The mayhem stems from some of crazy driving experiences throughout the weekend. No air conditioning, trying to read a map and drive, wrong exits, going around in circles, and few other things. None the worse for wear, I have learned lots and had a fantastic time doing it. As I sit here looking up at the KL Tower with the glow of the full moon just beside it, I know I am very lucky indeed.

Happy Wesak Day!


Pics for the week:

http://picasaweb.google.com/hellokittyinlondon/GentingHighlands_MY08

http://picasaweb.google.com/hellokittyinlondon/MY_Melaka