Living as diplomats abroad is a weird mix of experiences. You attend cocktail parties and balls with ambassadors, you live next door to your coworkers, you go to doctor appointments at the embassy, your house is filled with government-provided furniture, your kids attend schools you would never be able to afford without State Department subsidies, you get a variety of wild driving experience, and the list goes on and on.
I am just really enjoying soaking all of these experiences up and observing it all in my own little corner. Life is such an interesting adventure, you know?
A couple weekends ago, we took our first overnight vacation here in Malaysia. We drove 3 hours to a place called the Cameron Highlands. Known for its cooler temperatures, high elevation, unique flora and fauna, tea farms, and strawberry fields, the Cameron Highlands is a popular tourist destination.
In places like this, hotels seem to be in one of two categories: 1) Cheap and dumpy, and 2) Expensive and nice. There doesn’t seem to be much in-between.
Not wanting to spend a fortune on lodging, we found the most expensive, best reviewed hotel in the cheap, #1 category, a place I’ve since named, “the Spider house.”
When we arrived to our home away from home, we made some interesting observations:
-We couldn’t drink the water unless we boiled it.
-The walls were covered in all sorts of interesting stains.
-The dishes that were provided didn’t appear to be clean.
-The bedding didn’t appear to be clean.
-It was cold
-There was no heater
-One ultra-thin blanket lay across each bed
-Ceiling corners were filled with tangles of large, winged bugs caught in cobwebs
-The house was filled with spiders, including one especially large mama in the living room, above the T.V. (The kids named her “Sneaker.” Thanks, Kids.)
I walked to the lobby and asked for more blankets. The woman at the desk said comforters weren’t provided, but that I could rent them for 50 rm per comforter per night. I returned to the room blanket-less.
A friend warned us about this– how the hotels up there were without frills and commodities. So, we took a deep breath, killed a few spiders, and dressed the kids in thick sweatpants for bed.
That night, after checking for bedbugs (no signs, thank goodness), I pulled the sheet back to climb into bed. Near my pillow, I discovered a wad of black hair.
I don’t know what else to say about that.
..
The next morning, we brought a few of our *grievances* to the manager, who responded apathetically but sent someone to spiff up our room a bit.
Meanwhile, we left to explore the Cameron Highlands! Our first stop was “The Mossy Forest,” an apparently beautiful hike up a mountain road. We had been warned that Said Mountain Road was slightly treacherous, but we decided give our gutless, 2-wheel drive Toyota Picnic the challenge anyway.
Boy, was that road a challenge. After about a mile, we hit a patch of potholes, gravel, and bumps that we thought would surely deflate our Mossy Forest dreams, if it didn’t deflate a tire first. On the ascent up this bouncy, air-popping section, we met a car coming down. Unfortunately the road was so narrow, we had to back down to the side of the road, stopping at a steep and gravely incline.
When the car passed us, Mike attempted to get the Toyota up the incline, but the wheels spun against the gravel. We couldn’t move forward. We had backed up in such a precarious way that behind us was now a deep gulch. We couldn’t move backward. We were stuck.
Mike told me to get the kids out of the car. We all gathered to the side of the road while the kids said, “I’m scared!” and “I’m going to say a prayer!”
“Yes, let’s say a prayer that Daddy can get the car back on the road.”
Then we watched as Daddy put the car in low gear and gunned it. Wheels spun, the engine roared, the car grunted and gripped at the gravel, and lurched itself up the hill to where asphalt waited. Thank goodness!
We hopped in the car and continued up the windy dindy mountain turns.
The Mossy Forest was beautiful. A wooded pathway led us through pitcher plants, a misty mountain lookout, a giant centipede, and lots of jungle. When we started the hike, the jungle was quiet and cool. By the end, it was warm and sunny, bringing the jungle to life with noisy cicadas and other insects.
On the much smoother ride down the mountain, we passed several wild dog packs hanging out on the side of the road. They looked so friendly, all tails wagging and trotting along. You could tell they were very used to human interaction, and I almost wanted to pet them, but knowing wild dogs can carry rabies here, we thought it best to leave them alone.
Next we visited a tea plantation. The tea plants lining the hillsides were beautiful. We ate lunch at the Boh Tea Center, bought some herbal tea, and came across the biggest millipede I’ve ever seen in my life. All of us were mesmerized.
Next, we stopped at a small carnival since the kids were begging, and enjoyed watching them have fun on the rides. We all rode the Ferris Wheel together – that thing seemed awfully old, rusty, creaky, and freaky, but we made it safely back to the ground and everyone was happy.
We ended the night going to our first night market in Malaysia. It was packed with street food that smelled delicious. After buying all sorts of fruit, goodies, and fried foods, we returned to our spider house, which we were pleased to discover looked a bit cleaner (and the sheets had been changed).
That night, we decided to take showers (we were too scared to the night before). The hot water lasted about 2 minutes, so we kept them pretty short.
Speaking of hotel room adventures, we kept discovering all sorts of interesting bugs in and near our room. It was so fascinating.
The next day, we attempted a hike through the jungle. We found the trail to what was supposed to be one of the “easiest” hikes in the area. It started off in a field of beautiful wild flowers buzzing with bird-sized bumble bees. It quickly turned into a tunnel of overgrown vines you had to climb through. We didn’t last long before kids were protesting, but we enjoyed the echoing call to prayer from a nearby mosque on the way back.
Other destinations in the Highlands included:
-The Lavender Garden, which had lavender ice cream and a giant castle
-The Bee Farm, filled with boxes of beehives and beautiful flowers
-Cactus Valley, filled with cactus and flowers
-A cool, Chinese Temple
-The morning Market, where we ate popcicles and rode on more rides
On our drive home from the Highlands, we stopped at a small rest area to prevent a repeat vomiting incident. There were some interesting wildlife hanging out (or up) nearby. What a fitting way to end our adventurous trip.
Another notable event from the past couple weeks was Mike and I attending our first Marine Ball. We got to dress up fancy and stay up past midnight – two very rare occurrences.
Next, we were served a three-course meal, followed by dancing for the rest of the evening.
What kind of music will there be at a black tie embassy event? I wondered this in the days leading up to the ball. Mike and I practice our fox trot, swing, and cha-cha, just to be prepared.
Well, there was one cha-cha song, which we had a nice time dancing to. The rest of the night was techno music, songs like “it’s getting hot in here,” and weirdly, a significant number of NSYNC hits. It was like traveling back into junior high, (but with drunk people).
I had a lot of fun dancing with my girlfriends in our own little corner while our husbands watched from afar. What a different, fun, glamorous experience – definitely something you don’t do every day – or even every 10 years.
It’s Christmas time here in Malaysia. The warmest Christmas we’ve ever experienced! I’ve heard of people cranking the AC up in their houses and dressing in warm clothes to feel more festive. I may try that. But with the Christmas tree up, stockings hung, lights gleaming through the window, pine scented candles, and Christmas music playing in the background, it’s pretty merry and bright around here.
It also helps that our home finally feels “complete.” The decorating is done. The pictures are hung. We feel cozy and comfortable in our Malaysia home.
