Every country means something new to me, and Malaysia was by far the biggest surprise. I went in not know what to expect, and came away with some of the greatest and most treasured memories of my life. The country itself was tropical, beautiful, relaxed, and filled with Malaysian spirit. There were flags hanging everywhere, smiling families waved as we walked by, and small welcoming shops lined the streets as we walked through the towns. Even though we were only there for 3 days, I had some of the adventures of a lifetime.
Day 1: It’s my 21ST Birthday! For the first time in my life I woke up on my birthday and actually felt older. The best birthday present I could have gotten was to wake up on my birthday morning to see the beautiful panoramic view of Malaysia, knowing that I was about to have the greatest day in such a magnificent country. And oh boy was I right! As soon as I walked out of my room and up to the dining room for breakfast, my friends were all there and started singing ‘Happy Birthday’! When I first thought about spending my birthday on this voyage, I was a bit unsure because I am used to being around my family and loved ones, but once it was actually here I realize that this trip is no different. My wolfpack of 12 here has really become my family, and I am so lucky to have such a great group of friends that I feel like I have known and loved for years. Its voyages like this that make me realize what family actually means. Don’t worry Mom and Dad, I still love you the most!
So about half of my friends had SAS class trips they had to do during the day, so about 8 of us headed out and began exploring Penang one (possibly slightly wobbly) step at a time! The first order of business was to find a hostel for the night, and we found a great one! It was located right in the heart of Georgetown, which is the downtown district of Penang (the port we docked at in Malaysia). So we check in, drop off our stuff, and then proceed to celebrate my birthday properly with a nice lunch and just maybe a drink or two. The day is spent with my closest friends here walking around, shopping, sightseeing, and having the time of our lives. Around 5pm we head back to the ship to meet up with the other 4 people who were getting back from SAS trips. Then we head back out to take on Penang! I celebrated my 21st in the best way possible- with my family in Malaysia on the trip of a lifetime.
And to my family in Berkeley, just know that you would be proud of the ‘L’ in CHOLA.
Mom and Dad, just know that I am still your responsible daughter, am completely safe, didn’t end up in a foreign jail, and when I woke up there was no tiger in the bathroom.
Day 2: We wake up bright and early at 6am to catch a 7:30am flight to an island off the coast of Malaysia called Langkawi. To the people who are unfamiliar with the geographical makeup of Malaysia (I myself was included before this trip), it is a series of islands in South East Asia, right by Singapore and Indonesia. Dad, Borneo is one of the islands that is a part of Malaysia and that is the season of Survivor that Rupert was on! The hotel called us a van to drive us to the airport and we were off. After a very short plane ride to Langkawi, we had arrived in one of the most beautiful places I had ever seen. Immediately out of the airport, our vision was engulfed by a luscious green, tropical landscape. We stopped to ask some locals what hostel they would recommend for students, and they told us about the Gecko Hostel. So we hopped in a taxi and went straight there and booked two rooms. We put our stuff down, and then set out to see just how amazing the island was. In a very laid back, backpacker type of town, there were some taxi drivers chilling on the corner right by our hostel and offered their advice for what our best options are for the day. After some group decisions, we decided to do a 4 hour tour of caves and waterfalls. This was bound to be an amazing day!
Our tour gide for the day took the 7 of us (me, Ken, Tim, Jared, Wendy, Anna, and Maya) to the spot where the cave tours started. The drive there was about an hour to the other side of the island and consisted of some of the most gorgeous scenery I have ever seen. Langkawi looked like something straight off of a postcard! I have never seen any place filled with such natural beauty in my entire life! Malaysia is an island nation, and so we had to hop out of the van and into a boat to start the most epic cave tour ever! As we made our way towards our destination, our boat driver stopped for us to watch an Eagle colony feeding on fish right out of the water. I never realized how majestic eagles are before as they would swoop on down mid-flight and snatch fish right out of the water. It was sure a sight to see! After about 15 minutes of epic eagle watching, we headed to our first cave that is wide enough our boat was able to drive right on through. Next we went to the Bat Cave! We got out of the boat, picked up a flashlight, and were warned to be very quite so as to not disturb the massive bat colony that lived inside the cave. This was my first time seeing bats up close and personal so as soon as we flashed a light on the wall, I was startled to see hundreds of bats sleeping up on the walls. We winded around the bat filled coves and were all in awe of what we were witnessing. Batman and Robin must have been off on a mission at the time, but we were completely satisfied seeing the thousands of bats that lived on such a remote island in this majestic and fascinating island.
We hopped back on the boat and were off to our last cave. This one was epic. Not because of the cave, but because it was located just off the edge of the bay in the Indian Ocean. The cave is called the Cave of Legends and at first glance, we wondered what was so legendary about it. It was significantly smaller than the Bat Cave, but once we entered and looked out at the ocean we saw just how fitting the name truly is. Ocean stretched out across the horizon for miles and just beyond the cave we saw the coast of Thailand! If only we could have swam there! Instead, we jumped off the dock on the coast of the cave into the Indian Ocean! The water was so clear and so warm; it was one of the greatest swims of my life!
We hopped back into the boat and headed back towards our van. After thanking our tour guide for an amazing couple hours, we headed to see some waterfalls! At the base, we stopped and got some coconuts and some ice cream. Immediately, we realized that this was a mistake. Ken got a coconut and started hiking up with the rest of us to the base of the waterfall, but failed to see the gang of monkeys that had been eying what was in his hand. As soon as we got close enough, the monkeys attacked. They started howling (or whatever sound they were making to signify their eagerness of getting the coconut out of his hand) and jumping up and down to knock the treat out of his hand. Out of fear and panic, he immediately dropped the coconut and the monkeys went to town! They grabbed their prize off the ground and as he ran away, so did they. Monkeys: 1, Ken: 0. I don’t know why he didn’t find it nearly as amusing as we did but we hiked the two- mile trail up to the waterfall in pains of laughter. I think after that he developed resentment and possibly a fear of monkeys. We arrived at the waterfall and all monkey attacks were immediately washed away by the beauty and majesty of the view. There have been many moments on this trip that words just cannot do justice to and this is yet another. Looking out over the waterfall, I can positively say that this is the most beautiful think I have ever seen in my entire life. At the base of the fall, a natural waterslide had formed from the water erosion so as soon as we found this out, off we went! Sliding down the rocks with some of my best friends was one of the moments that I will take with me from this trip that will stick with me for life. As soon as I thought life couldn’t get any better, a torrential downpour rained down on us. Warm tropical rain covered us but we kept on sliding down and swimming in the waterfall. Dad, this was something straight out of Survivor! After one of the best hours of my life, the our tour time was almost up so we ran back down the hill soaking wet and smiling the whole way down. We were all loving life on Cloud 9, and knew that this day was and will always be one of the greatest in our entire lives.
Day 3: We wake up and get ready to check out of our hostel in order to catch our 12:00pm flight back to Penang. Our ship is leaving today, but our hearts are still in Malaysia and we can’t leave without going to the beach just one more time. Maya, Anna, and Wendy caught an early flight back to play it safe, so it was the boys and me today. We check out of our hostel, grab some breakfast, and go to the beach that is literally steps from our hostel. We spend about an hour and a half just sitting in the water, talking, reminiscing, and taking in our most magnificent port. Despite how much we wanted to freeze time and stay in that water forever, our time came and we had to say adios to Langkawi. We caught a cab back to the airport, flew to the mainland, and headed back towards the ship.
With surprises around every twist and turn of Malaysia, I spent some of the greatest days of my life here. This was the best port I could have asked for to spend my birthday, and I am so lucky to have found such amazing people on the ship that I could spend it with. My wolf pack really has become my family here. Malaysia will always have a very special place in my heart and I can’t wait till the next time I can come back to this tropical paradise.
