#1 - Trek through the Jungle

I'm wondering if we all have some instinct desire to trek through the jungle - seek out beauty, and "cheat" danger, if you will, on occasion - or if it's just me.. :)

My trip to Malaysia started with a full week of trekking through the concrete jungle of Kuala Lumpur. Interviewing for a consulting job in the city, drivers chauffeured me to and from the office from which one could marvel at the world's tallest twin towers, and look down upon perhaps one of the most culturally diverse cities in the world. Once I was able to finally get out of my hotel room (where I worked on assignments and fought jet lag all week!), it was amazing to see the juxtaposition of Malaysian women wearing head-coverings to others wearing miniskirts and heels so high even I couldn't pull them off. What should I wear? Hmm..

After the interviews finished (I'll hear back in April), my mother arrived for a bit of mother-daughter travel around the region. It's amazing how things work out sometimes.. she on sabbatical and I en route between interviews and the yoga course. Without sounding too cheesy, I'd like to affirm the once-in-a-lifetime nature of this particular trip!

After trekking a bit around the city and its environs, my mother and I hopped a plane over to Kota Kinabalu - the capital city of the region of Sabah in Malaysian Borneo. How could we resist? One of the world's largest biodiversity hotspots, the Lonely Planet guide said this "land of the wind"[...] "proves that there is a god." After getting a bit discombobulated in the the "lost world," we made it out (by car - yes I drove on the left) to Mt. Kinabalu for a bit of island hopping and true jungle trekking. Although we couldn't find the world's largest flower (said to take 15 months to germinate and only 1 week in bloom), we met creatures including bright centipedes, tropical mushrooms, and pretty little butterflies along the "trail".. i have to say, if you ever get the chance to visit borneo, do, and stay a long, long while! Oh.. and they drive on the left side over here...

Oops! One last stop before leaving the "jungles" of Malaysia - Penang! Penang is famous for its street food and UNESCO World Heritage site of Georgetown. Although I could probably write pages and pages about the FOOD and city, I just have to point out the incredible view... again the interesting juxtaposition of conservative and liberal dress (especially at the beach)... and the amazing religious sites - Malaysia is rich with Muslim, Buddhist, Hindu, and Christian heritage.. and, oh, yes we did get attacked by a family of monkeys..

.. and that's all I have to say about that.. we shall see if this is ta ta for now or arrivederci dear Malaysia!