up, up, and away.

We went from hot and stick to cold and rainy, but you'll hear no complaints.

Singapore was, well... in the 23 hours we were there, it immediately struck me as clean, easy, organized, accessible. English speaking. Diverse. Transit-friendly. But where were all the people? Scott and I wandered first to a museum and then through a cricket field before tripping upon the answer-- in air conditioned malls. The mall we stopped in was PACKED. I guess when it's hot, which is always, people just stick to the AC. We then wandered over to the Raffles Hotel and paid an astounding s$22 each for Singapore Slings in the lovely colonial style schmancy pants hotel.

The one thing Singapore really has going for it, though, is food- lots of cheap, diverse, tastiness. We had Indian curry for dinner, Thai curry for lunch, and Indian curry for dinner again. So much deliciousness.

We hopped the 9 hour overnight bus to the Cameron Highlands. I had visions of Chefchaouen or Dharamsala in my head as we boarded. Naturally, around 4am, having no idea where on Malaysia's dark highways we were, I had that panic. I'm far... far, far, far from home- what if the place I'm going sucks? What if something goes wrong? There's a certain flexibility to long-distance late-night bus travel that's unsettling. I was glad Scott was with me and wondering if I'm losing my sense of adventure. Then I remembered that this happens at the beginning of every trip.

Dawn came over the Malaysian hills as the bus wound its way into the highlands. The hills were covered in thick jungle, the valleys were dotted with thatched huts on pilings. Feral dogs running along the road. Rusted out Pepsi signs. The clouds/fog rising over the hills. One turn and we hit our first tea plantation, neat rows of short bushes climbing up the hills. And rain, lots of it.

Tanah Rata is indeed the Chefchaoen or Dharamsala of Malaysia- cold and rainy, small and laid back, dotted with hiking trails. I wish we had a fireplace. We've been warned that the rain is rendering the trails nearly impassible, and I really should have packed my proper boots. But we'll go for a few walks, down a few pints, read, nap, and just unwind.

No USB or card reader here, but photos as soon as I can get them, I swear.