Guys -
Terribly sorry about not checking in. We have literally been in the jungle for the past 3 days. We have not been anywhere close to anything resembling internet, but it’s been a thrilling few days.
We played with elephants, drove down roads lined with cattle and goats (and occational random monkey’s darting across the street!) - we released sea turtles to conquer the deep blue, painted cloth to remember our trip by (google: batik) and discovered a hidden cave, 400 million years in the making in the middle of the jungle that also houses a reclining buddah! Truley amazing.
We have just arrived back in KL. It’s a beautiful day here, but terribly hot! We have sweat so much today that it’s as if we just walked out of a shower with clothes on. I imagine we smell bad. We are waiting for a few more hours before we hump it out to the train station and take our overnight train to Singapore. Our trip is coming to a close.
We’ve learned much on this trip and my only complaint is we haven’t been able to keep in touch with you all as much as we’d have liked. We MUST get some sort of small, handheld laptop/internet thingy…
This trip has been exactly what I (and maybe Tiff) was looking for. To throw me off balance. To make me check in with reality. To get me out of a comfort zone and on my toes. It has done that and more. It has opened my eyes. We have met SO many people from so many different backgrounds and cultures and all have received us with open arms (and sometimes plates of food - wait until you hear the story of the “kuala gandah” village in the middle of nowhere and the school children we met there…completely unplanned…completely amazing.
We have come across a few traveling Australians and British (they stand out…with the kakhi pants and zippered vests looking much like they’re still trying to conquer the East for Queen Victoria’s future rule ;) but otherwise, we have honestly not come across another set of Americans since leaving Hong Kong. To me, I’m proud of that. This is such a wonderful place, but obviously Americans that travel to the ”east” either end up in Beijing, or Hong Kong or Sydney or Fiji. They just don’t come to Malaysia…and it was obvious with most folks we met (especially the out of city ones…) Everybody was just very warm and friendly. Smiles and waves abound. It’s very interesting to see many of the different faiths interacting and working together. The middle east could learn much from this place.
Tiffany was a hit with many of the Muslim women. While she typically dressed conservatively during our visit, they still made comments about her eyes and hair. Very cool. We tried to act as the “romans do” and I think we pulled it off. No problem what so ever.
Driving here is crazy at times. On way back from Kauntaun to KL a huge rain storm came out of nowhere. I had to battle that car to keep control while others flew past me at top speeds. The rain honestly lasted no more than 7 minutes and we witnessed 3 wrecks. Slow the hell down folks!! It was a monsoon-like downpoor and these people were smashing their cars into each other and the walls. Unbelievable. Otherwise the country roads are very empty and it’s a breeze. Last year driving in the UK was a bit of a challenge as my mind was screwy with the idea of driving on wrong side of the road, but this time it felt very natural. I think I’m becoming “worldy” haha. But yeah - no problem. Jumped right in car and drove off - no adjusting time like last year.
While being here, you can’t help but feel “upside down.” It’s very strange feeling looking out at the ocean and knowing you’re pretty much flipped from how you normally see it. Might not make sense until you try it yourself 
One thing for sure, I think Australia may be our next venture. This is a whole different ball-game over here. Speaking of which, the Cubs have gone on a tear since I’ve been gone and are now in 1st place!! Whoo hoo!
One last note: It’s fairly cheap here. When we would go to restarans (as they’re called here) or any place where you might tip someone, if we had good service, we could easily leave a 10-15 $ tip as that is only $3 or so for us. Their faces light up so much it’s just worth it. We did that at one place and the lady literallysheeply said “too much” but we insisted…later that night we ran in to her at the hotel and she greeted us with a “tropical” free drink (non alcohol as this is a muslim-dominated country) and a free breakfast at the hotel the next morning. Apparently after we had left, she had convinced hotel management to give us a better “welcome” that’s offered to the “high paying” guests who may stay at the “president suite” type rooms. Just really fantastic.
We have some great footage and pictures …I mean really really great- our two 8 hr batteries did well and we shot over 5 hours of footage in 8 days. Last year we were gone for 17 days and because of only a 1 hr battery, we shot 1.5 hours. Gonna be a good “adventure travel show” when it’s done - I hope to begin editing as soon as I get home!! We also burned through maybe 200 digital shots and 5 rolls of film so we should be loaded with paper memories for years to come.
Ok gang - thanks for hanging in there (amy!!) - I will try to check in before boarding plane in Singapore on Monday and/or possibly from hotel Sunday. We have a lay-over in Tokyo….so who knows what may happen in between!!