From KL to Penang

After nine days in Kuala Lumpur, I took a five hour bus to Penang in Northern Malaysia. And my time here has been fantastic. KL is a not so big, big city - it feels to me that the city developed quickly in the past twenty years, but has yet to really catch up; the city is ripe with stunning skyscrapers, pubic transportation, local music, food, people and cultures, yet the taste of poverty found in developing nations is quite real. In other words, the city appears to be on the same level as any major city in the so-called ''Western World'', but you can buy a hearty dinner (including non-alcoholic drinks) for about one or two dollars. Nevertheless, I met a bunch of great people, local and foreign, via couchsurfing and again, I had a fantastic time.

The highlight of my time in Malaysia, however, would have to be a day excursion to an elephant sanctuary. I could write several pages about my experience, but instead, you should just find time and come here to experience it yourself. In a nutshell, I was introduced to the world of elephants. I met about fifteen elephants aging from about 6 months to 80 years. I played with most of them, prepared their food, washed a few, rode one, and had the opportunity to swim with an injured baby to help him exercise. It was an amazing experience. And did you know that elephants are the only other animal on earth that bury their dead!

And now I am in Northern Malaysia in a small island city called Penang. It's nice here - nicer than KL for me because it's much more relaxed around here. And the culture of Malaysia is much more noticeable here. Basically, Malaysia is a Muslim state, but the people here come from all over Asia due to the history of the area. As for the history, just think about Silk Road traders from Egypt to Indonesia mixed with all the native people, and then throw in a couple hundred years of colonialism starting with the Portuguese and ending with the British East Indies Company. And after all of that, imagine Islam conquering the minds of most of the people including the government or kings of old (save the significant amounts of Buddhists, Hindus and Christians who are tolerated without question) and then catalyzing the development of the society most specifically in economic and educational ways. After all of that, you'll have a fairly rough idea of what Malaysia is all about. It's a beautiful country covered in ancient rain forests, full of people from around the world at about 1/4 or less of the price it costs to live in the U.S.

In general, I'm already thinking of returning, if only to take up a friend on his offer of taking me into the jungle for a survival course to learn how to do things like starting fires in the rain, recognizing sounds, getting lost, finding your way again, pulling off leeches, avoiding tigers, elephants and snakes, and really just having a priceless experience. What I am really trying to say is, if you have the time and money, get off your butt and make your way to Malaysia.

Salaam!