Who knew you could find internet in the rainforest?? I'm currently writing from a computer inside a villager's home, across the river from our hostel. The family has set up quite a nice internet business catering to tourists, like yours truly.

Taman Negara has been absolutely breathtaking. We arrived on Sunday after a very long day of travel. On the final leg of the trip - surprise, surprise - got caught in a massive rainstorm whilst in our boats! Rain in the rainforest is crazy! Luckily the men who operate the boat seemed unconcerned and provided us (well, some of us!) with ponchos so we were able to cover ourselves and our bags up. Still, all were quite drenched by the time we got settled in.

Yesterday was our first full day here, and it was incredible! We began with a morning hike to the canapy walkway. You climb up this watchtower and then walk along this rickety netted path across the tops of the trees! Poor Dan is afraid of heights so it was a bit difficult for him, but I had a blast. The walkway is basically metal ladders linked together with plywood planks nailed on top. Then there's netting and a rope handrailing on both sices. You drift back and forth quite a bit while you walk along so I could see how someone might get nervous. I, however, found it exhilerating.

After the canapy walk we did a 45 minute uphill hike to get to the best vista in our section of the park. By the end of the hike I was not only exhausted, but I also looked like I had just walked out of the shower, I was that drenched in sweat. There was an unbeatable view from the top, though! At some points on the hike, the path was so steep you had to pull yourself up by clinging to a rope. Very cool, but very exhausting! Once we got to the top we could see the river below and the green hills of tropical plants everywhere.

After making our way back to the camp, we went to a swimming hole/waterfall area about 45 minutes away by boat. I think the boat trip was my favorite part of the expedition (though I loved the swimming as well) because we got to see so much. The roots on the trees here look like giant octopuses. There are birds everywhere, and crazy looking plants dot the waterline. Once we arrived we went on a short hike to reach the waterfalls and dove in. It felt amazing after such a long morning!

After dinner, we all went on a night hike with a guide to see all the nocturnal animals and insects in the forest. It's a good thing we didn't do the walk the first night we were here because thoughts of those massive insects would have creeped me out during our hikes! The spiders here are at least the size of an adult hand. We saw a bat, some snakes, scorpians, stick insects, tons of massive grasshoppers, and some really cute birds who didn't seem to mind at all when we shined the flashlight in their faces. Our guide, Bogo, told us lots of interesting trivia about the jungle and identified some of the major sounds which was really cool. The level of noise is unbelievable. My favorite part was just ignoring the rest of the group and getting lost in the sounds of it all.

Today we are going to go visit the Orang Asli, or indigenous peoples of Malaysia. I'm prepared to be depressed about it though because their way of life is increasingly going the way of the dinosaur. They resettle in the jungle every year so Prof Heng isn't sure how long our boat ride will be or if we'll have to hike to get to them. In any case, it should be quite an adventure.

More when I get back to KL! Am still in awe of being online in the rainforest....

It's been a long week, but it's gone by fast!

This last week of class has been hectic, but wonderful. The highlights included speaking with a commissioner on the Human Rights commission, hearing from 2 human rights NGOs (totally incredible), and talking with a head honcho from UMNO (the majority and ruling party) and one from PAS (the Islamic party - very interesting).

Today we spent the day in Melacca, the major port city on the Straits of Melacca. Due to Prof Heng's connections we got to tour and have lunch in the home of Cheng Lock Tan, creater of the MCA (Malaysian Chinese Association) and partly responsible for Malaysian independence. The traditional Nonya food was delicious. The house itself is a historic relic, containing 3 courtyards and traditional chinese furniture.

Tomorrow we are getting on a bus for 4 hours, then a boat for 2.5 hrs to reach the rainforest or Taman Negara. We'll be back Wed, so hopefully I can update you all then. Sorry this last week has been so poorly reported! I'll try my best to be better and write a ton when I return to KL for good on Sunday. Then I'll have three days to see any remaining sites, buy gifts, and reflect upon my experiences.

Stay tuned!

Mosque in Putrajaya

Me at the Chinese Temple

The Batu Caves

One amazing weekend

This past weekend was amazing and crazy. I honestly can't remember what I did on Friday for some reason, so I'm just going to continue on before this internet connection I'm stealing from my neighbor dies.

Saturday, a van came to Villa Puteri and took us to all the big sites around KL. We began at the Pewter factory called Royal Selangor. Malaysia was the world's largest producer of tin until the 1970s. We toured the factory and learned that everything continues to be hand-made by artisans. There are no machines to do any of the work.

After Royal Selangor we went to my favorite place of the day, the Batu Caves, a giant Hindu shrine embedded in a mountain. You have to climb 270 very steep steps to get to the top and there is a huge golden Hindu god watching over it. There were also a plethora of monkeys everywhere which was really interesting. They seem like cute furry things, but are really satan's little helpers. I saw one attack this lady for her Coca Cola. I stayed clear and admired them from afar. While I was there I was also blessed by a Hindu priest and got the telltale red and white dots placed on my forehead. Very cool. That, plus the fact that I've been blessed by the Pope should cover me for awhile. Also, if you climb to the top, supposedly all your sins are forgiven. My soul is squeeky clean! :-)

After the Batu Caves we visited the biggest Chinese Temple in KL. There just so happened to be tons of married couples there waiting for registration so it was really cool to see them all dressed up. It's a very peaceful place with candles and incense everywhere. I donated 1 ringgit and got my fortune which was very good:
"Be cheerful, your fortune is changing for the better. From the 8th moon to the 12th moon all will gradually turn propitious to your advantage.
Financial pursuit: Very hopeful
Honor and Merit: Success within grasp
Matrimony: Will tie the knot
Change of Abode or Travel: Good

I thought that was all very promising!

We ended the day at Putrajaya, the government's administrative center about 30-40 minutes outside of KL. The Mosque there is unbelievably beautiful, but sincer none of us were muslim we couldn't enter. Just to walk around the outside we had to put on these pink choir robes with hoods. Very interesting.

That evening we met up with 2 young Malaysians, Kai and Kenny, for dinner and drinks afterwards. Despite being a developing country, Malaysia is very progressive and cosmopolitan. It was interesting to realize that Malaysian youth are just like American youth (well, the non-Muslim malaysians anyway). BTW: I saw a giant poster ad for Harry Potter 5 while we were out. Very cool.

Oh, I just remembered what we did on Friday - We met with Vince Leuson, president of AMCHAM the American Malaysian Chamber of Commerce and afterwards he took us to Outback Steakhouse for "American food and beer." It was very generous of him!

Today we went to see the Sisters in Islam NGO that fights for women's rights using the Koran and Islamic teachings. They are part of the reason I even did this course and the campaigns they fight are so important and amazing. More on them another time b/c this entry is getting very long and I'm very worried about this internet thing.

More soon (I hope). Much love to all.

P.S. Seem to be getting a head cold. Please send me all of your feel-good healthy karma so I can be ok before we head to the rainforest on Sunday!

The Islamic Museum of Art

A quick little re-cap of dinner at the Coliseum Cafe in the Colonial District with Prof Heng's friends:
We met three Malaysian men - Jack, Michael, and Bruno - and one Brit named Terry. The three young guys were members of Malaysian Young Professionals, an ethnically diverse club. They were all very nice and had lots of things to tell us about the NEP (New Economic Policy - basically allows intense affirmative action for Malays and against non-Malays) and the general thoughts and viewpoints of the younger Malaysian generation. All in all, it was an enjoyable experience.

The coolest thing for me was meeting Terry. We were sitting right next to each other so we fell into conversation. Turns out he is a professor from University of Leeds in England in the SE Asia Dept! What a small world, huh? We soon started talking about all the best pubs in the area (Brian and Brett - the Dry Dock remains in business!). It was hilarious. They've actually changed their logo (looks like the Parkinson Building) which is interesting. I have his card and he was adamant that if I ever found myself back in Leeds, I should give him a call. I know I was supposed to be consistently discussing Malaysian issues, but I managed to sneak in some conversations about Gordon Brown, immigration in England, and British sentiment concerning what to do in Iraq (at least with Terry). :-) What can I say? I'll always be an Anglophile!

Now on to yesterday's events:

Thursday was suprisingly chill in comparison to most of our days here which are usually jam-packed with events, dinners, and guest speakers. We had a normal class (10-1) mainly focusing on globalization and how it affects Malaysia. We also reviewed theoretical perspectives of globalization which was a little dull for me because I've done it before. Despite that, Prof Heng is an excellent lecturer.

After class, the guys and I met up with Kuljit and went to the Islamic Museum of Art, one of the most impressive museums in Malaysia. There was so many amazing collections from all over Asia focusing on everything from photographs to textiles to ancient calligraphy of the Quran. So cool. We were only there for about 2 hours, so I think that I'm going to have to go back and see some more stuff when I get a chance.

After the museum closed at 6, we took the light rail train to KL Sentral and just wandered around to find a restaurant for dinner. We ended up at the Hilton and ate at one of their buffet restaurants which was incredible. For about $30 you get a crazy appetizer buffet, a main course, and a dessert buffet. We ate ourselves silly. The theme of the buffet was "Asian fusion" so there was quite a variety.

I've decided that I like balancing street vendor and local restaurant food with nicer sit-down places to eat. The previous evening we had a meal at Restoran Putra by our condo which was also very good - lots of Malay dishes. I especially enjoyed the Mee noodles. When we are at HELP for class we mostly go to Ali Maju, Malaysia's version of fast food. My favorite thing there is the Roti Kaya which is basically a cross between a crepe and a tortilla fried up with coconut custard in the middle. Soooo good. The fruit juices here are also beyond description. American juice will never tempt me again. They literally fresh-squeeze everything right in front of you. I had no idea how much I liked watermelon juice!

I'm going to have to go to Starbucks to post on today and this weekend's activities, but stay tuned!

The Malaysia Parlimen (they really do spell it without the 't'))

June 27th, 5:50pm

Today we had the privilege of attending a session of Parliament which was a very interesting experience (and we had the VIP seats!). The Malaysian parliamentary system is the same as the UK’s in structure, but certainly not in practice. To give you a general idea of the political situation here: 199 seats are held by the UMNO-led “coalition” (called the BN) and only 19 seats are held by the opposition. Basically, UMNO (United Malays’ National Organisation) controls everything. Capital cronyism is huge here – basically, if you want to make money for yourself or your ethic group you join the BN and toe the party line.

Our seats were located behind the small opposition section which made the whole thing quite lively. Despite being such a small group of people, the opposition MPs do make a lot of noise! They aren’t listened to very often, but they continue to struggle against the government and raise issues that BN MPs cannot. Due to our VIP status, we were able to get simultaneous English translation through headsets (the proceedings are in Malay).

Today was the traditional question and answer session between the MPs and the various Ministers. When we arrived, we got the Order Paper which listed all the questions being asked. Although there are 71 questions listed, only about a dozen get answered and debated on the floor. Some questions were really interesting including one about the trafficking of women and another about the dangers of trans fatty acids in foods and the necessity of labeling for the public. However this question was definitely the most amusing (keep in mind that Islam is the official religion of Malaysia):

“MP Datuk Hasni to ask the Minister of Youth and Sports to state the Government’s stand regarding the presence of sexy models in the Super GT grand prix held annually in Malaysia.”

When this question came up, I literally had to focus on not laughing out loud. The man concerned about the models believed that the practice of using sexy models was exploitative and against the Muslim values of Malaysia. However, other MPs felt as though allowing such sights encouraged Western involvement and events and presented the world with a tolerant and moderate image of Malaysia. The deputy minister was adamant that they “weren’t wearing swimming suits” and instead were garbed in “hot pants” which is not as bad. Then another MP stood up and said that not all men wanted to see half-naked women which prompted another man to say “well, maybe men in X Region!” or something like that. Lots of insight into the mind of Malaysian men!

To better understand the work of the opposition, we met with Teresa Kok, a Chinese Malaysian MP from the DAP (Democratic Action Party). She told us some incredible stories about the inter-workings of the Malaysian legislature. One incident really illustrated the difficulties facing women MPs, particularly those in opposition parties.

The Parliament building was recently renovated costing taxpayers about 10 million ringgit. However, the workmanship was very shoddy (although you couldn’t really tell unless someone pointed it out to you. Lots of beautiful fountains and woodwork. Underneath is painted plywood and crappy roofing, according to Teresa). To make a long story short, due to the government handouts and affirmative action policies favoring Malays, most contract work is bad. Most of the contract money goes into pockets rather than into the hands of contract workers (which have to be 90% Malay or something) so only about 30% of the money allocated actually went into the renovation.

Anyway, the youngest MP, a woman from DAP, stood up in Parliament to protest the leaking roofs and point out that millions of ringgit had been put into the pockets of BN MPs and their rich constituents rather than into the renovation. Some BN MPs then stood up to say “Why do you care? You leak every month!”

Well, this horrifically sexist remark led to opposition parties organizing protests on Mother’s Day (a few days later) because the sexist MPs refused to apologize. The Women’s Ministry was hounded for days until finally the men issued a broad apology to “all women.” I’m happy to say that I met this woman who dared to raise the corruption question and fight against sexism. She and Teresa are so amazing. I hope I can put their stories and perspectives into my SRP.

Tonight we are going to have dinner with some of Prof Heng’s friends/colleagues so I’ve got to run!

PS. I’ll write more about the coursework tomorrow, Uncle Dan! One can only do so much!

Orientation and first class with Prof Heng

Our classes are located on HELP University's campus (Higher Education Learning Program) which is about 5 or so miles away from Villa Puteri. The day started out on the wrong foot - Hubert, Calli, Whitney and I were dropped off at the wrong location by the taxi. There are two different HELP campuses and we ended up at the wrong one. We did finally manage to make it there (about 40 minutes late!) after we sorted it all out. Prof Heng was very understanding and was frustrated because she had spoken to the taxi driver in Malay and he assured her that he knew where to go. Oh well. A bit of an adventure.

The facilities at HELP are very nice. I'm currently typing this blog from one of the three different computer labs available to students. There are several different sized lecture halls. Our room is a "Presentation Room" and houses us quite well. The college itself is underground along three different stretches of streets. It's really hard to explain, but the entrance to HELP is a lot like a subway entrance. Once you walk down a flight of stairs you are faced with a long long hallway which basically stretches a half kilometer down. The lecture halls all branch off that.

The class itself is going to be amazing. Prof Heng has so much planned for us and so many speakers arranged. Tomorrow we are headed to the Parliament to see the traditional Wed standoff b/w the prime minister and the MPs (Remember: Malaysia has adopted the British system of govt and law although they also have a sharia court - more on that in another entry) We are also talking to a high ranking member of the DAP party, one of the largest Chinese-based parties in the govt. We have something off-site with a speaker

After we finished class, the guys and I returned to Villa Puteri while Calli and Whitney went shopping (not really my style). After running a few errands, we met back up and made our way to the Colonial District of KL. We basically walked all around that area as well as Little India above it, finally ending up in Chinatown. We found a fabulous restaurant called Old China Cafe and gave our feet some much needed rest. The best part of the meal was the dessert - sticky rice covered with coconut milk and sugar cane syrup. Soooo good!

I feel as though I haven't had much of a chance to describe the sights in full detail. I'll try to do better in the future! I'll also add more pictures when I get a chance. I'm annoyed that I have to buy Starbucks products to get a good internet connection near my room. Let me just say - despite being in KL, the prices are no cheaper!!

Having tea with Sikhs is fun!

Well, today was a very looong but lovely day. Eric, Dan, Kuljit, Calli, Whitney and I met at 8 am to head over to the Petronas towers. They start giving out free tickets (1400 a day) at 8:30. When we got there was already a long line filled with a very eclectic crowd.

After getting tickets for 12:45, we wandered around the humongous KLCC (Kuala Lumpur Centre City) mall. I have to say that although the mall had some Asian stores, it was pretty much like any huge American mall so I was eager to see the view from the Skybridge on 41st floor (it's the steel connecting the two towers) and get out into town.

The engineering involved in building the Petronas Towers is rather incredible. They showed a short film about what materials and such they used and how they accounted for wind and dampening (or something like that). Very cool actually. I wished my fellow Techies were here so that it could be fully appreciated. They spent a lot of time talking about the type of concrete used which made me fondly recall Courtney's concrete class sophomore year.

After seeing the view the rest of the crew headed back to Villa Puteri while Kuljit and I took the LRT (or metro) downtown to try and find a traditional tea house. Unfortunately, Lonely Planet let us down - the tea house had closed awhile back which we only figured out after walking around for a good half and hour and asking a ton of people. They were all very friendly and clearly wanted to be helpful, but more often then not we got the response "go straight." Finally a market stall man told us that the teahouse had closed.

It was totally fine though because walking around in KL is such an experience in of itself. Firstly, you feel as though you are walking through wet cotton, it's that humid. The streets are a crazy conglomeration of new and old, so you see a local cafe next to a Seven Eleven. Very odd. To top it off, the food from the street vendor's shops fill the area with the smell of spices and grilled fish. And I have never seen such incredible fruit stands. The grapes seriously looked about 1 inch in diameter, they were that plump.

Instead of finding a teashop, we ran into the main market called Jalan Petaling located in Chinatown. Everything you could possibly imagine was for sale including socks (odd), watches, knock-off designer clothes and purses, food, fruit, jewelry, and more. As you walk down the street, vendors shout out at you to come look at their goods. The street is mostly covered with Chinese lanterns strong across the road. It's rather hectic, but really cool.

After the market, Kuljit and I embarked upon a intensely long walk all around Chinatown and beyond. We began at a Chinese temple, Chan See Shu Yuen which was very cool. I wish I knew more about Confucianism so I could better understand the meaning behind incense and candles. The people there were very friendly and provided us with an information sheet about the temple.

We then happened upon a Sikh temple. Since Kuljit is Punjabi and a Sikh she was able to talk to this really cool old man sitting in front of the temple. We covered our heads and went in, and afterwards, the old man invited us to have tea. Two men and a woman brought us to a small room beyond the temple and fixed us sweet black tea which seems to be a traditional Malay drink. They were so incredibly nice and friendly, and after walking around for so long, a nice tea break was such a treat. They understood some English and were interested in hearing where we were from and why we were visiting. It was a truly cool experience to sit and have tea with perfect strangers in a Sikh temple! It's those kinds of moments that make traveling so much fun.

After we were recharged we walked over to the Lake Garden area (officially Taman Tasik Perdana) which is a huge complex of museums and nature parks. Although we weren't able to get into the Islamic Art Museum, we did visit the KL Bird Park which was incredible. They had tons of different birds including birds local to SE Asia as well as endangered species. Supposedly, the aviary is the largest in the world. I was even able to take several pictures with a Hornbill on my arm and an owl on my shoulder! I loved every minute of it. Kuljit and I still have tons to see in that area - in addition to the museum, there are orchid and hibiscus gardens, a planetarium, the national monument, and more.

By this point we were pretty exhausted so we made our way back to the LRT and to Villa Puteri. I'm sure that my feet are going to feel so sore tomorrow and I can't even begin to describe how sweaty I am at this moment, but I'm very content. Being here is unlike any experience I've ever had.

Tomorrow, I'll have my first official class with Prof Heng. I'm excited to see what we discuss and what she has planned for the week.....although I have to admit that I still have to finish the reading tonight! Sightseeing was just too compelling - but don't worry Mom, I will do all the classwork!

Much love to you all.


P.S. Susan - I know that this Bird Park would just blow your mind! I can't wait to show you all of my bird pictures! I think toucans are my favorite birds....

I made it!

Well, it was a long trip, but I finally arrived this morning in KL around 10am. With the help of a nice Malaysian woman from New Hampshire and a Malaysia Airlines stewardess I was able to make my way to the KLIA Express Train to downtown KL. The stewardess even gave me some sen coins for the payphone! I then took a taxi from KL Sentral (yes, they spell it with an S!) to our condo/apartment complex Villa Puteri.

I was so relieved that I didn't have to take a taxi from the airport. I've heard that taxi drivers there love to rip off tourists and often drive around in circles just to increase the charge on the meter. I much prefer public transport! After my trek across Europe I really love trains. Also the taxi was only 10 ringgit (hereafter abbreviated as R). To put that in perspective: 3.5 R = $1. It's pretty amazing, especially considering that I just got back from Scotland!

Currently, I'm sitting the Starbucks (I know, I know, but they have free internet!) with some fellow students. Dan is an undergrad and Eric is taking a year off from the Coast Guard to get his Masters. Kuljit is also an SIS Masters student as is Calli. So far, so good. I have to admit that I'm missing Brett and Brian, though!

More tomorrow! I'm going to go up Petronas Towers and will be walking around downtown in Little India, Chinatown and Colonial Square.

Love to all!


P.S. The pic above is the view from my room!!!

Sudah makan?

Welcome! Bienvenidos! Selamat Detang!

I've decided to create this blog so that all my friends and relatives can keep up with my activites while I'm in Kuala Lumpur. I'm not promising to be particularly witty or exciting, but I do hope my musings amuse you or at least keep you from worrying about my well-being.

I think that all travels happen for a reason. Perhaps that's silly of me, but I have never taken a trip that hasn't affected my life. When this opportunity became a reality, I knew that there was something in Malaysia that I was meant to learn, and I can't wait until I can find out what it is.

Malay, or Behasa Melayu, is the language spoken in Malaysia. The Arabic alphabet for Malay is called Jawi. The writing above states Article one of my Bible, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights:

"All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood."

I thought it evoked the perfect spirit with which to being my writing. :-)

I have to admit that I thrive on responses, so please keep lurking to a minimum! I also want to know what you all are up to while I'm away so please email or comment as much as you can.

Love you all.


Little cultural tidbit:

"As Malaysians love to eat, food plays an integral part in the local culture. Thus it is not surprising that the phrase "Sudah makan? (Have you eaten?)" is used as a greeting in the same way you would say "Apa Khabar?" ("How are you?"). In general, if you hear someone asking if you have eaten, the person is looking into your well-being and wants to know if you are doing fine."
~ www.bahasa-melayu.com

Any place that holds food in such high esteem is bound to be a perfect match for me!