Penang and Cameron Highlands

It took a few days of culture shock, but I am starting to really like Malaysia. It is a wild mixture of Chinese, Indian, and Malay with a dash of British colonialism thrown in for good measure. Everyone is gearing up for the "holiday season" -- a double whammy of Deepavali for the Hindus (11/1) and Hari Raya Aidilfitri (11/3-4) for the Muslims.

While KL seemed quite conservative, Penang and an area called Cameron Highlands are very relaxed. Penang is filled with backpackers on their way to and from the beaches of southern Thailand. I met some great people with whom I am traveling, and hope to meet up with later in the trip.

The food in Penang is great, the locals are more friendly than the big-city dwellers, and there are colorful walking tours of the colonial, Chinatown, and Little India neighborhoods. While my heart was set on the Perhentian Islands next, it turns out that the monsoon on the east coast has started early this year. Instead I headed up to the Cameron Highlands with Lucy (British), Bjorn and Marjolein (both Dutch). We are relaxing here where it is cool and rainy as three of us gear up for the trip to Taman Negara tomorrow. After that I plan to fly from KL over to Malaysian Borneo.