Truly Asia

Okay, much better now. Just a short recap of my last few days in Malaysia.

Day 1 was spent almost entirely on the road. The coach went all the way from Singapore to Ipoh, the capital city of Perak, Malaysia. (which is closer to the northern end of peninsula Malaysia than the southern end where Singapore is) We stopped once for lunch and twice for highway breaks. The trip took about 6 to 8 hours, discounting the overhead time from managing 150 students. We visited a home for the mentally-disabled and the day ends there.

Day 2, we visited the Kuala Sepetang Mangrove Forest and the charcoal kilns nearby and after that the cave formations at Gua Tempurong. Many casualties and deaths, but we did learn about how stalagmite and stalactites are formed… Took about 4 hours to get back to Kuala Lumpur. Had sushi buffet with a friend (Kouta-kun for those who know him from Rizon) at a restuarant near our hotel…

Day 3, we went to FRIM (Forest Research Institute Malaysia) and, after looking at some presentations, took a walk around the forest… OF DOOM. We walked uphill for few hundred metres and took a walk on the canopy walkway, which is basically a bunch of rope bridges (the kind you see in movies, suspended between two cliffs and creaking with every step you take) running from the top of tree to tree. Many casualties and deaths again. Then we visited the Selangor Pewter Visitor Centre, where the world’s largest mug stands together with a plaque from Guiness Book of World Records. They have a souvenir shop selling pewter handicrafts ranging from the hundred-dollar to the thousand-dollar zone… After dinner, we took a boat ride to see a fireflies colony.

Day 4 was spent travelling again…

On another note, every single meal arranged by the school (except the hotel breakfasts) was Chinese style…