Malaysia, Part Three... (Tuesday 30th Dec 2014)

Dear Sal,

Another day another journey. We made our way back to KK on a coach which was some kind of night club on wheels, with flashing neon lights and thumping music. They did eventually turned these things off after a few hours on the road, to allow some piece and quite. After sleeping rough in the jungle for the last few days, I can not begin to express the joy of the air conditioning the filled the coach. I differed off into a peaceful sleep.

Sleeping on a bumpy coach ride is something I had never been able to do before, but in Malaysia I found I could nap anywhere. A stone bench, a bus seat that only reclines about ten degrees and even a hundred year old shaky train that seems like it will fall apart at any moment. I feel myself getting older, but I don't mind.

Just off the coats of the city of KK, is a nature reserve spread over five islands, called Tunku Abdul Rahman National Park. These beautiful destinations are popular with tourists and local alike. Across the islands there are plenty of beaches, places to hike, eat and even some resorts on the largest island, Manukan. All these are a short boat ride across the waves away for the small fee of the boat ticket and a handling fee, oh and the island entry fee. There is almost nothing you can do here without having to pay. 

I was determined to spend my last day relaxing or at least doing something that didn't require much effort. After all I only have one week off work for a whole year and so far I have yet to spend a day winding down. My return flight was departing KK at one AM Sunday morning, giving us plenty of time for exploration and resting on these exotic islands.

Off the shore of these nature reserves are coral reefs, which are ideal for snorkeling and diving, for an additional fee. However the water isn't really that clear, being so close to a developing city and also I ran out of money. It was clear enough for me to look down and see a group of fish swimming in between me and Jason as we swam. I say swan, but most of the time we were just throwing rocks at each other and seeing who could hold their breath the longest. After a year of smoking in Korea I of course lost this battle.

Before I knew it we where back on the boat to the city and soon I was off to the airport, back to Korea and back to work. I hate saying goodbye to Jason, but I will see him again soon enough when February roles around and my first year comes to an end, but until then....

Love, Hugs and why can I have another week off? 

Samuel James.