M-whY

"Thanks for the company," he said.

"Thanks for the drinks," I returned.

He gave me a couple Papillon Guesthouse pamphlets, which I heartily agreed to pass on. Any future travellers, take note. Papillon Guesthouse in the Cameron Highlands. Best guesthouse you'll ever stay at, guaranteed.

In addition to making my stay agreeable, they also helped me plan the next stage of my trip. They booked my transportation to the Perhentian Islands for me, and even put me in touch with one of their friends who ran a resort there. "Just ask for JuJu, she'll know you're coming. She'll take good care of you. Tell her James and Yvonne said hi."

Getting to the Perhentian Islands would take most of the day. Along the way, I took in some beautiful views. Mountains of jungles, acres of tea plantations, dozens of vegetable farms. Even more interesting were the pockets of indigenous Orang Asli villages. Basic wooden huts, standing on wooden stilts. Young children helping out like miniature adults. It's too bad I've given up on taking pictures out of moving vehicles.

As we descended in altitude though, the ruinous effects of man on nature became more and more apparent. Logging is a huge industry in Malaysia. It'd be easy to sit on a high chair and criticize the ecological disaster, but then again, realize that Malaysia is still a developing country, and for hundreds of thousands of people, it's how they put food on the table. It's a fine line to tread, between earning a living and preserving the environment. The sights I saw were truly devastating. Entire mountain ranges stripped bare of vegetation, like someone had taken a huge razor and shaved the land. Maybe it's a good thing I didn't take any pictures...

We made a stop for lunch, and a transfer to a different shuttle. Our driver made a couple random stops, seemingly for just a smoke break. Not that there was a huge rush. We still arrived at the jetty an hour before departure.

When I saw the boat we'd be taking to the Perhentian Islands, I began to worry. Anyone who's followed the blog knows I'm a wimp when it comes to traveling on water. We were outfitted with life jackets, and began our 45-minute ride out to the islands.

The Perhentians are composed of several islands, with two of them serving as the main tourist draws. Officially known as Pulau Perhentian Besar and Pulau Perhentian Kecil (Pulau meaning island), they are more often referred to as Big Island and Small Island. Most people head to Kecil (the small island), for cheaper accomodation and wilder nightlife.

"Where is everyone going?" asked the operator.

One by one, everyone answered, "Long Beach," on Pulau Kecil. I was the only one who responded, "Flora Bay," on Pulau Besar.

The waters were calm enough so that I felt fine the whole way out. We stopped about a hundred yards out from Flora Bay beach, where an even smaller boat came out to take me the rest of the way in.

Someone from the Flora Bay Resort staff came out to meet me on the beach.

"Is JuJu around?" I asked.

"She's out on a diving course. (Juju happened to be the resort's scuba diving instructor.) Are you a friend of hers?"

"A friend of a friend."

They got me settled in. Juju came around later to say hi.

"So how long are you staying for?"

"Probably just a couple nights."

"That's all?"

"Yeah, I usually don't stay very long in one place."

We continued chatting for a couple minutes, before Juju excused herself.

"I'm pretty busy with the diving course these days, but I'll probably see you around."

I had my dinner on the beach after dark. The moon was full, and the light reflected off the water brilliantly.

I sure picked a good time to visit.

Thanks to everyone for their support and comments! Knowing people are reading keeps me motivated to continue the updates!