Ko Phi Phi

Destination one in Thailand--Ko Phi Phi. An island known for it's beauty above and below the water



A fantastic place to be introduced to Thailand with days of lounging on the beach, eating delicious pad thai, and diving with colorful, playful fish 15m under the sea. Sadly because of our tight schedule, we were limited to three days on the island, and enjoyed every waking moment of them.

Our first meal in Thailand was on the island. We ordered fresh veggie spring rolls,



A colorful pad thai



And a spicy papaya salad, full of chilies, making a Chang beer obligatory




Even before I came to Asia I had enjoyed Thai food. Being here, Thai food has quickly risen to be among my favorite flavors and spices. The chilies in every dish are oddly refreshing-not sharp or harsh. I also discovered my new favorite condiment, a soy sauce lookalike, but so much better with the more delicate, less greasy Thai dishes.



May have to find some to bring back in the luggage....


Fully satisfied with the food on the island, we hit the open sea on a dive trip to see what underwater had in store for us. Clown fish, anemones, parrot fish, sea cucumbers galore, rays, and even sharks greeted us causally under the sea. The islands on top weren't too shabby to look at either



Island one, dive site one- Bidanok








And island two Phi Phi Lay home to the infamous Leonardo DiCaprio's movie, "The Beach"



Hordes of tourists and trash now sadly. But since we were on a dive trip, we got to eat lunch just across the bay in this pleasant cove



Much better. And much happier to go around the corner to dive site two, Palong North aka Shark Point. We saw some juvenile black tip reef sharks here, as well as a strong rainstorm, audible deep under the sea






We were sad to leave our Ko Phi Phi. Everyone was so kind and helpful, and the food was amazing, a very good sign for the rest of our Thailand trip.

Kuala Lumpur

After a miserably long day of traveling, I arrived in Kuala Lumpur, or KL as it is affectionately referred to as, exhausted and hungry. There is something about the endless hours on a bumpy bus to make you not want to eat at the often sweltering roadside bus stops with food screaming "stomach bug", making you really question how you will feel after a half hour down the road. I enjoy adventure and adventurous food, but not when faced with five hours spent driving through vast stretches of jungle, not a soul in sight.

Steps away from the bus station was vibrant Chinatown




Home to cheap food and accommodation, we found a spot to lay our heads for the night and sought out some food, settling on some simple fried brown noodles. Quick eat and then back to the hostel to sleep an uninterrupted-by- honking horn sleep.

Its hard to describe a city like KL. It is home to one of the tallest buildings in the world, The Patronas Towers, that scream of power and wealth,



yet at the same time, it has trash all over, and peeling paint on many of the buildings around the town.


I can say however that it is a bright city, screaming of a specific KL culture and life. You see a difference in the buildings, a mix of old and new



To the scooters, all over buzzing about town



To the endless supply of street food in any and all neighborhoods






Under the guidance of the ever handy 'Lonely Planet', we made our way just outside the city to the Batu Caves, a pilgrimage site for millions of Hindus in January and February. Outside caves you are greeted by three unusual things. One-- a 43 m tall statue of deity Muraga, standing bright in the summer sun




Two-- a set of 272 steps to the caves



And three-- local monkeys who can lead the way



All the way to the top



At the top was an impressive view of the city



With very cool 400 million year old limestone cave walls






After the decent down, we made our way back to the city to discover the national mosque,




A modern building, and one of the biggest mosques in Malaysia.










It was a long day of trekking about, and we just barely squeezed in a quick last meal in Chinatown with some friends. While Jackie and I played it safe with a noodle and rice dish each to share



Our friend ordered the pricey and controversial shark fin soup



He let me have a bite and it was alright, but a bit goopy for my liking. Interesting to try, but I'm pretty sure I won't be forking out the cash to at a whole bowl myself. With that and a night trip to the towers....






We headed back to the bus station to take us on a night journey to a new destination-THAILAND

Pulau Tioman

After a couple of days in the big city, we decided to head to the beach, more specifically the island Pulau Tioman, off the East coast of Malaysia.









If you had asked me one year ago, when I was just finishing up my last classes at University in Santa Barbara, if I thought I was going to be on an island off the coast of Malaysia I may have laughed in your face. This place was something I could have only dreamed of. Breathtakingly gorgeous, and unlike any place I had ever been it was incredible enough just to sit on the beach and soak it all in.


Besides the incredible views, the island has a thriving monkey colony,





Lots of Lizards that casually swim by



Island cats that just sit and gaze at the view with you



And even some rare fish I have never seen before












Okay okay, maybe I have seen those before, but never in water that looked up at this


And down at this






Or where warm raindrops danced across the water







We took the chance to jump in and do some scuba


Where we did actually see some fish I hadn't seen-a few real life Nemo, runner fish, beaked coral fish and a pufferfish that was nearly the size of me. Also on the dive were three shipwrecks of purposely sunk illegal Thailand fishing boats, and cleaner shrimp that when close enough, would start to clean you as you swam by. Sadly no pictures, but an awesome dive in some gorgeous Malaysian waters. We worked up an appetite and headed to one of the small little restaurants along the beach. We ordered veggie curry, sweet and sour vegetables and this guy a pataya



A thin layer of egg that was delicately wrapped around fried rice. It was so good I ordered it twice and I would say it has been the best thing I have eaten so far on this trip. Plus it was filling and cost about $1.75 . Loving Malaysia.