Thai army checkpoint in southern Thailand.

...entering Thailand.

Leaving Malaysia...

The river dividing Thailand from Malaysia on the east coast.

Passport control -- leaving Malaysia for Thailand. Surprising there was no line, no armed guards, no barbed wire, no security guards. I guess Thailand isn't afraid of an influx of immigrants from Malaysia. This was only where passports were stamped for departing Malaysia.

Volleyball at Coral Bay.

Coral Bay at the Perhentians. It faces west, so it has no waves and the beach is thin, but it has nice sunsets.

This was the view from my bungalow.

I think this is a bird of prey. It was hanging around on the beach for a couple days.

Pretty spartan digs, but the mosquito net was vital to my sanity. There was a little fan to keep cool. It was cheap, but expensive in comparison to my other places in Malaysia at 35 Ringiits, which is about $8 a night.

This was my bungalow.

Matahari Chalet, where I spent a few nights.

Long Beach at Pulau Perhentian Kecil. It is pretty deserted.

Back in Paradise!

After many hours on the road, I made the trek from the northeast corner of Malaysia to the west coast of Thailand. I am now in Krabi. I was here back in 2001. It's good to be back.
From the Cameron Highlands, I took an overnight bus to Kota Bharu. A taxi ride and fast boat later, I arrived at Pulau Perhentian Kecil, or small Perhentian Island. There was not much at that place. It was covered with a jungle, a couple steep mountains, and some beautiful beaches. The sky was partly overcast for the three days I was there, and the surf was pretty big, so I didn't do any dives. I did watch the "lifeguards" rescue two girls (separate incidences) from the strong rip currents during my time there. It was fun bodysurfing in the waves, fighting the rips. It was definitely a pretty place to be.
It took me about 12 hours to get to Krabi from the Perhentians. Travelling is definitely easier now that I am out of Indonesia. I just tune out with my headphones and earplugs (earplugs to shut out the high pitched drone of the motor and the Thai/Malay music). Thailand is a lot more developed than I remembered four years ago. The roads and cars are new. In fact, I would guess that Toyota has built a new plant here recently as most of the cars are one or two year old Toyota pickup trucks and SUVs. In the south, where the Thai army continues its battle with Muslim rebels, we had to cross several checkpoints. An army dude just wanted to checkout the male occupants of the vehicle. That included me, but they quickly lost interest when I could speak English.
I think the second largest minority group in Thailand are the Swedish tourists. Holy cow, there are loads of young Swedes here. I think the most casualties of tourists in the tsunami were Swedes. It's baffling how the Swedes more than any other nationality come to Thailand.
Anyways, I am beat, so it's time for bed now.

This is how they bake naan bread. They plaster the dough in a brick pot which serves as an oven. The consistency is of thick, chewy pizza dough.

An Indian restaurant I went to everyday in Tanah Rata. This dude is making roti and naan bread.

View from Father's Guesthouse at Tanah Rata in the Cameron Highlands. The temperature was nice and cool up here. Father's Guesthouse is actually at the grounds of an old seminary. I was up here when the Pope died, which was kind of wierd.

Cool in the Cameron Highlands

I have been in the Cameron Highlands at a small town called Tanah Rata. It's in the middle of peninsular Malaysia, around 5000 ft in elevation, so I've been sleeping under a warm blanket and enjoyed a hot shower this morning. It's about 70 degrees F up here. This town is quite touristy, in that Asian sort of way. I'm surrounded by jungle-covered hills and tea and fruit plantations, but there are multi-storied apartment buildings or hotels in various states of construction...some look like they're on permanent standby. I'm not sure what makes this place one of the most touristed sights in Malaysia. I'm surprised at why I am even here, except that it is nice not sweating, and in a pretty quiet setting. I took a five-hour bus ride up here from KL. That was a big difference from travelling in Indonesia. The bus was air-conditioned and big. The roads were paved. We still passed reed and thatched huts on the way up here, I didn't get nauseated on the windy road either. That was a nice improvement.
I went on a hike through the jungle yesterday. It was hot, wet, and muddy. Good stuff. The jungle is pretty thick and wet from the morning and evening mists. It also rains a little everyday here. I had to hop over a lot of fallen tree trunks, but I didn't get any leeches on me. The floor of the jungle is springy from decomposing organic material. Wierd.
I've still been eating Indian food. It's fantastic, but strange to be eating lots of Indian food in Malaysia. Aside from a steaming bowl of laksa soup at a bus stop, I've only eaten Indian food since entering the country. I've found a place that I've been going to everyday while in Tanah Rata. Malaysia is a surprising mix of cultures much like Singapore was. The food and accommodations have been cheap and good. I've been spending about $10 a day here in all. The people are friendly, and I haven't been harassed. The few touts are quite polite and don't mob you when you get off a bus. How totally unexpected and pleasant after Indonesia. Also, most people speak English, as they did in Singapore, for the same reasons, but as it turns out, Malay is actually quite similar to Indonesian. Most backpacker travellers fly through Malaysia, which is a shame because it is easy to travel through, cheap, and safe. Tonight I'm taking an overnight bus to Kota Bharu, on the north part of the east coast, so I can catch a ferry to the Perhentian Islands. They're supposed to be some white-sanded, turquoise-colored water island paradise with some good diving. I'm hoping this overnight bus trip is not too bad. I've been forewarned to dress warmly as the bus drivers tend to keep the interiors frosty. I don't expect to have internet access there, and I'm not sure how long I will be there. If conditions are good, I will try to get my advanced open water diving certification.

The Petronas Towers in Kuala Lumpur

These are the twin 88-floor towers built by Japanese and Korean companies. They were formerly the tallest in the world. Inside is a huge multistory expensive mall with loads of pretty people and unaffordable goods.

Banana leaf vegetarian set meals in an Indian restaurant. The food just keeps coming and coming until you scream, "UNCLE!" When you're done, you fold the banana leaf to show you are stuffed. It costs about 80 cents.