Malaysia

Hmmm...where to begin. It seems odd because I am already on my way out and just catching up with this thing. I will try and be better in the future. 
I met Marilyn in Hong Kong and flew to kuala lumpur. We spent our first couple days in KL. Checked out Chinatown, the Petronas towers and the Batu Caves. It was way to hot in the city. The first place we stayed was really nice but the "massage" place one floor down was not so nice. We also bumped in to a Canadian couple I met in India.
We stayed 2 days and had to get away from the city heat. Off to Cameron Highlands for some fresh air. We spent 2 nights here. Went and visited the Boh Tea plantation with a couple Canadian guys. We wanted to do a few other things but it rained in the afternoons. 
Our next stop was Taman Negara...the jungle. In our min van we met yet more Canadians. A couple from Alberta. We managed to find a dorm for 10RM (3$). That night we went on a mission to find a "package" tour in the jungle. Not that we really wanted that, but it seemed the easiest way. We checked out a couple places and decided on one. Hans travel. Not a place I would  recommend as the guy was not nice to deal with. When we went we were 5. Three groups. He was going to give us a deal for 5 but the last girl decided she didn't want to do it so the price went up. He tried to make the girl feel guilty about not going. As the 4 of us were discussing whether or not we wanted to spend the extra cash he apparently called the guid,e whom we had already met, to cancel. He was so rude to us and about the entire thing. We left not knowing what we would do then. On our way back to the guesthouse we saw the guy who was going to be our guide. We talked to him and apologised. Not sure who brought it up but we came to the decision he would take us on his own. Jungle Trek with an over night in a cave. 
The next day the 4 of us ventured off with our bags. It was hot. We went to declare all of our belongings and headed up river by boat. An hour and a half later we started our 8 km trek through the leech infested jungle towards the cave. I have never sweat so much in my life. It was so hot and humid. This cave we stayed seconds as a shelter to the elephants during monsoon and sometimes to tigers. We set up camp and Badrul our trusty guide started a fire. We all chipped in to cook dinner, happy that it would eliminate some of the weight from our bags. Tom-yom soup, beef curry from a can and rice. Pretty good dinner I must say. Badrul lit candles all around the cave which made it look cool. Before bed we took a walk around the cave, saw bats and where the elephants had been. That night I slept like a baby. I did wake up at one point hearing voices talking about hearing sounds from differnt entrances/holes of the cave. I saw the fire wasn't really going though we were told as long as the fire was going the animals would stay away. The others did not get much sleep. They were all kept awake afraid of the sounds. The next morning we had breakfast, packed up and headed out. We stopped for lunch by the swimming hole where I would be able to jump in from the rope swing. Wait a minute...there wasn't much water to swim in let alone jump in to. After lunch we finished the rest of the sweaty 8km hike. 
The following morning we were in another mini van. This time to the Perenthian Islands. Ezra and Lisa(Canadians) decided to join Marilyn and I. We got to the jetty and made it to the small island quite late afternoon. We managed to find accomodation quite easily though a little more high class than we were used. Had to pay for it too. But we had a good deal as the 4 of us shared a chalet suite. Nice place to relax and enjoy the sun and beach for 5 days.  
After the island Mare and I rushed across the country on a night bus to Penang in order to catch a flight. We had one day in Penang and didn't see as much as we would have liked, but we did make it to a couple temples and didn't miss our flight. 
Next stop, Kota Kinabalu. Arriving late at night we called to book a room. We got there about midnight and I wasn't overly impressed. Probably because I was wY over tired and just wanted to sleep. We checked out the city and attempted to go north though we didn't make it. Too many complications in transport. We went out to one of the islands offshore. It was nice though fairly busy. Enjoyed the many markets and the night food stalls. 
May 2 we headed out to Mt. Kinabalu park. We had not planned to climb the mountain and stuck to it. It is actually really expensive to do. We did a 5 km hike up to where the climb to the top begins. It was good though the last portion was a bit challenging. We decided that the following day we would move on.
Breakfast and then to the side of the road to wait for a bus. In the mean time I made a sign for the next town. Within 5 minutes we were in a car on our way. A lovely businessman going to meet some clients. Talking to him about our plans he offered to drive us all the way to the Poring Hot Springs. Alright, works for us. Little did we realise it was about 18km further. It was really kind of him. They had a storage room and lockers for our stuff so we were able to enjoy without worrying. It was an interesting setup as the hot spring water is "too" hot. They have made a series of "open bath tubs" where you can fill it yourself adding cold water to make the temperature you like. Looked funny. 
Leaving the hot springs back to town seemed a little bit challenging but we found some really kind people from Singapore who had a couple extra seats in their mini bus and a nice driver who took us back into town and dropped us at the bus stop for our next destination. 
Orangutans here we come. One long bus ride and 10pm we make it to Sandakan. First hostel choice, closed. Second, good to go. The following morning we went to Sepilok, an orangutan rehabilitation centre. Saw them for the feeding in the morning. They are just so adorable. In the afternoon we got some food and tried to figure out out next adventure. 
The following day, after much waiting and uncertainty we went to Turtle Island. It's about an hour by boat and we were accompanied by a couple lovely oldermen (1 Swiss 1 Belgian). There are 3 Malaysian islands where the turtles nest and we got to see it. Was quite interesting, though the "program" as they called it was not as good as I would have hoped for. Saw the turtle lay, them remove and bury the eggs and the hatchlings be released into the sea. Cool!
The next day we were off yet again. This time we were making our way to Sukau, along the Kinabantang river. Everywhere sells packaged tours but we did it on our own. First, bus the the junction where the road goes off to Sukau. When we got there they wanted to charge us 20RM each to town. We thought this was a lot so tried our luck with a sign. First try, bingo! We climbed into the back of the pickup and we were off. They said they were going only halfway but next thing we knew we were outside the guesthouse we had booked and they were asking where we were going. Some more nice people. 
Afternoon and morning river cruises where we got to see proboscis monkeys. Google them! The morning cruise was my favourite. It reminded me of when I was a kid fishing with my dad early in the morning. 
We got a "taxi" out to the junction by a man who seemed to have paralysed legs. He used a stick to accelerate and brake. On to the luxury bus to Semporna. 
Here Marilyn was going to be diving. We stayed at a place offshore called Singamata. This gave me a place to swim and lay in the sun. 2 nights an then we moved into town. I was going to go snorkeling but decided to give diving a try. One dive.

Check back....time to board the plane to Thailand. Don't worry I will be careful in bangkok.