Quarter Century

Well, the last couple days in Singapore were great ones. One of the more unique experiences was working at Singapore's only craft brewery. I know what you thinking, but no, it was not a "hands-on brewery tour". Joe Timm passed my name along to his former boss who needed some help and Erin and I spent a couple hours cleaning and kegging beer. We were rewarded with some free cases which is a very handsome reward on the island. February 20th marked my 25th birthday, I've made it to a quarter century! For the occasion, Jesse brought us to a beach club on the resort island of Sentosa (just off of Singapore). I now understand the allure of being James Bond after I sat on a bed-side beach drinking from a coconut. That night we all met up with another Waconian for a bay-side birthday dinner. Afterwords, a few drinks turned into a few more. We hopped around town for a quick tour of the bar scene before retiring home to eat some more of the chocolate cake Erin surprised me with. Once again, Jesse, Jessi, Olive and Eleanor were unbelievable hosts. I don't know how Erin and I can repay them for their hospitality. Hopefully we will be able to return the favor to their daughters someday when they are living out of a backpack (and we will be living is Costa Rica).

The following day we hopped a bus into Malaysia. We got off in Malacca and found our charming guest house and headed to a huge night market just one block over. All the bars were tourist oriented and couldn't find a place we felt totally comfortable. After spending the last of our cash, we walked past a back alley watering hole that was definitely the ol' backpacker haunt. Everyone looked a bit scruffy and weathered and figured they were trying to stay away from amatures like me. I felt like a bit of an imposter but the following night we poked our heads in and found everyone there to be very welcoming. We had a long chat with a couple other travelers from the likes of Ireland, Norway and Hungary. Malacca is a great little town, but it is definitely a tourist hotspot on the weekends. Throughout the past, the port there has been controlled by the Dutch, the Portuguese and British. The rich European history along the river gives it the feel of old Amsterdam, and also makes it very alluring to Asian travelers. 

After 3 nights in Malacca, we headed to Kuala Lumpur. We stayed just on the border of the city center which also seemed to mark the line between order and chaos. Immediately to the west it felt like a crowded construction zone. But as soon as we went east, in the direction of the Petronas Towers, the city was organized, clean and modern. Our only goal was to see the Batu Caves. After a long train ride, walking past the guardian statue of Murugan the god of war and victory, then up a flight of 260 stairs we were inside a very large limestone cave. There were natural skylights and the far end opened up as well so it was not the dark dank cave you would typically imagine. 

Now, I am writing this entry on the patio of our beautiful guesthouse in Tanah Rata in the heart of Titiwangsa Mountains and tea region in central Malaysia. It's much quieter and cooler than our other stops. We just got here this afternoon and were planning on staying 3 nights, but that may quickly turn into 5...

We have been staying very busy and I have found it harder to update the blog than I anticipated. The posts thus far have been rather dry and informational. Stay tuned for some more insightful musings as the trip continues!