Malaysia: Tales from Penang and the "City of Lights"

So...I noticed the other day that I never published this entry online. Althought it is late, here are stories from my travels in Malaysia!

Hello everyone, I hope all is well back in the states. Happy Halloween by the way! I keep forgetting that it is that time of the year but I hope you all are getting excited for one of my favorite US holidays. We are back on the boat after spending time in Malaysia! I had a wonderful time there and am excited to tell you all about it.
Our journey in Malaysia started a bit differently than our normal ports because in Malaysia we used tenders to get to shore. The MV Explorer could not pull directly up to the dock so instead the gangway was located on the 2nd deck and we basically walked right off the boat into the middle of the ocean. Then we jumped on the life boats that are usually suspended atop the MV, the boats were rocky and I felt like the waves were going to overtake us. However the crew worked so hard on all the trips from the boat to shore and back. They basically manually get out of the tender when we get close to the ship and throw a rope to the gangway so that we can link ourselves to the mighty MV. Then they all help us off the boat and hold our bags for us. The process proved to be somewhat of a hassle because there was only one tender leaving the boat an hour so you had to make sure to get to that tender in time and before it became full. However, I still thought it was kind of interesting and fun to just walk off the MV and jump into a another boat. By the last day, we were all missing the gangways we had become accustomed to that were located on land. While waiting for one tender we hung out with the crew on the dock and they told us they were tired of tendering, but luckily Malaysia was our only tender port.
The first day in Malaysia, Sarah and I went on an FDP (field trip) for our Asian Art class. It was a walking tour of the city but it was pouring down rain, which we were not prepared for. However, the tour proved to be a pleasant surprise. We got to see some really amazing mosques and had the best tri-shaw driver called Loo! He pedaled on his bike and pushed Sarah and I around on the tour. One of the highlights of the tour was seeing the Blue Mansion which was the home of a Malaysian king. The mansion is bright blue and is painted with natural indigo so when you touch the walls your fingers turn blue. It is also a hotel. There is a gorgeous courtyard in the mansion and there are tons of different architectural influences all in the mansion because the king wanted the best things from all over the world. After our tour, Sarah and I made a quick trip to the mall to grab some lunch and to shop around a little bit. In the evening we headed back to the boat to catch a tender. Once returning to the boat we packed our bags for a night out, since the last tender is at 1am we decided to get a hotel room in Penang. That night we took time to enjoy our hotel room and then went out on the town. It was really cool because when we went out there would be live Asian bands singing all these American songs, but their voices sounded exactly like the American singers. At our hotel bar, there were these girls singing Celine Dion and we thought it was a CD before realizing it was live music.
The next morning Amber and I woke up early because we had a SAS trip to catch. After enjoying some Starbucks (which we both missed greatly), we got on the bus to head to Kuala Lumpur with a SAS trip. Unfortunately the bus ride was 8 hours long so that day was basically spent getting to the city, but once arriving it was well worth it. When entering the city I immediately took notice to the great architecture that surrounds the city, the huge variety of amazing stores, and the streets jam-packed with traffic. It reminded me of New York City. We checked into our hotel that day, the amazing Swiss Garden, and then headed to a traditional Malaysian dinner complete with a show in which dancers performed a variety of traditional dances. That night we met up with Sarah, Allison, and Darcy who happened to travel to KL independently and stayed at our same hotel. That night, we hit the town of KL. Our first stop was a bar called Luna that had the most amazing view of the famous KL Tower that was lit up in purple and pink lights. Then to the other side we had a magnificent view of the Patroneas Towers (my favorite part of KL!). These towers are huge and at night they look like there are mirrors on them because the tower lights up so brightly. After seeing this amazing view it was easy to understand why KL is known as the “City of Lights.”
The next morning we got up early to start a tour all around KL. First we went to the King’s Palace, we felt like we were at Buckingham Palace in London because there were guards standing tall and proud or sitting on horses. We tried to make the guards laugh but they would not budge. We also saw the National Mosque but could not go inside since we were not Muslim. We went to a museum that chronicled the history of Malaysia, this museum proved to be interesting because it gave us a visual overview of Malaysia. After touring the city a bit Amber and I ventured off from the group to discover KL on our own. On the way back to our hotel, Amber spotted our friends Allison, Sarah, and Darcy in the middle of the streets so we rolled down the window and yelled for them. We quickly got out of the cab and headed into the city. After enjoying some McDonalds for lunch, which was a must needed taste of American food, we went shopping. The mall was amazing, it had stores like Topshop, Mango, Marc by Marc Jacobs, Forever 21, and much more. Then we shopped along the streets, Amber and I got Asian stuffed animals which proved to be a big hit among many travelers. That night Amber and I opted out of taking a 4 hour bus ride to another area of KL and decided to enjoy ourselves in the city. That night we all meet up with other SAS students and went out for a little before calling it a night and heading back to the wonderful Swiss Garden.
The last day we woke up and headed back on the streets of KL for to soak up some last minute times in the wonderful city. I let my feather go right outside our hotel in the middle of the busy street, with the KL Tower in the background. We got on the bus and took another long drive back to Penang. Along the way we stopped for a bathroom break at a wonderful fruit market and were able to enjoy the best watermelon ever. Once returning to the boat we all prepared to get on a tender late that night. We decided to get a hotel once again because we did not think we would be back to the boat by one. We did not have one booked which was kind of exciting to just walk into a hotel and find a room quickly that fit our budget. We enjoyed a night on the town before returning to our hotel room that had a wonderful view of both the MV Explorer and the city of Penang.
The last day we decided to venture onto the streets of Little India in Penang. It was a great relief that morning because the previous night I had left a bag on the bus, in the morning they said they had checked but could not find it. I was sure I left it on the bus so I asked someone if they could call one more time and before I knew it a man in a motorcycle zoomed up to the pier with my bag in his possession. It was a great relief and I felt very lucky to get my bag back. At Little India we stocked up on more staples of the Indian culture such as pictures and statues of Ganesha and “ohm” symbols. I also picked up a statue of a Laughing Buddha. After enjoying one last McDonalds kick, a couple of us headed back to the pier to meet for an FDP to the St. Joseph Orphanage. As always the kids were adorable, one little boy came up to me and we were blowing bubbles then all of a sudden he became obsessed with my camera. He would take the camera in one hand and mine in the other and we would walk all around the orphanage taking pictures of everyone. However there were lots of SASsers on the FDP and not a lot of children which proved to be a bit difficult but we still had fun coloring pictures and occasionally talking to the kids. After I headed back to the boat for some much needed rest.
My wonderful time in Malaysia ended with the most perfect sunset that I viewed back on the boat. The sun set through a series of fluffy clouds. As we laid out on the 7th deck, the sky looked like it was on fire setting over the Penang mountains, oceans, and skyline. Malaysia was a great place; it is some place that I defiantly want to go back to because I did not feel like I saw everything that the country had to offer. I loved the city of Kuala Lumpar and would encourage anyone to go there if they had the chance.