Malaysia

When I arrived in Malaysia, I didn't really know what I was going to do. The first day I went to the botanical gardens with Mary Alice and Finley. It was so relaxing and peaceful... and it was just nice to walk around. Sometimes you feel so confined on the ship that simply having the freedom to walk around is fun. After the gardens we went to eat at a food stall. (not the best idea as we later found out). None of us felt good later that day. We then went to the Temple of 1,000 steps. For lack of a better word, it was simply stunning. It was under construction as they are adding on a new part. We all donated some money and we were able to get our names and semester at sea spring 2007 written on one of the roof tiles that will go on the new addition. The temple itself was stunning. It was situated high up on the hillside over looking the city. I took many pictures of course. We headed back to the ship for a bit since we were all feeling sick. Later, we went out for dinner at a chinese restaurant on the shore and then called it a night. The next day, I went with Alexis, Anna, and Lindsay to the Cameron Highlands. It was a 5-6 hour bus ride away and I slept most of the time. When we arrived, it was cool and sprinkling. I miss rain so much. We were all loving the weather. We found ourselves a cute little hostel and walking around the small town for the afternoon. We ate at a place called the T-Cafe. It was great food. They have a drink called Lassi and it was incredible. It was a yogurt/milk fruit smoothie type of drink. It was a relaxing day filled with pretty much nothing but exploring. Later that night I found out that I got in to the nursing program at Edgewood so we celebrated a bit and then went to sleep. The next day we had a full schedule. We went hiking in the cloud forest, visited a strawberry farm, honey farm, and tea plantation. The tea plantation was beautiful. Again, I took a ton of pictures. We then wandered along the mountain road, stopping at the little stands that were occassionally found in clusters. Our town was 8 km away so eventually the bus came by and picked us up before we made it back. We then ate dinner and headed back to the ship. Today we are at a mall and doing some shopping since there is not a lot to do on this island. I have to take advantage of the internet cafes since it is so expensive on the ship.

Next up is Vietnam. I am really looking forward to it. The first day we are getting custom made dresses for the Ambassadors Ball later in May. I am most looking forward to my service visit. I am visitng a school for the deaf and we are taking them to the zoo for the day. I am also going to see the Mekong Delta and the Cu Chi tunnels. It should go by quickly. Hope all is well at home! Less than 6 more weeks!
Much love, Laura