Cameron Highlands... still in Malaysia!

As I stand on the peaks of so many mountains, up in the mist and the clouds, I reflect. My mind runs through all of these incredible experiences, and I still can't believe how much beauty my young eyes have seen in the past seven months. Beauty from every aspect. I look back on every moment, and it feels so good to say that I wouldn't change any part of this trip. I am over the top satisfied about who I've met, what I've done, what I've seen, what I've felt, and the wisdom I've gained from this! I'm stoked on life! I've been hanging out here in the Highlands for a couple of days now, and I'm glad I found this place. Its peaceful and climbing up mountains using my hands to pull my body up, slipping on the red dirt, tripping over roots, and being so exhausted at the end of the day is the best form of meditation for me right now. I love it here. The air is fresh, crisp and smells like pine trees and rich dirt. The town is cute and the food is extremely cheap. I'm staying in a dorm meeting the people who come and go in 3 day time periods. I'm rarely sweaty and there are about 20 trails right out my door step. I feel healthy here. I'm going to stay here for another 6 days and then I'm off to cross the border into Thailand!! Wahoooo!

Saying goodbye to mom and Perhentian Islands

Hey everyone, it looks like I need to put a new post.... so much has happened, I feel a bit overwhelmed as I sit here searching for the right words and where to begin. I guess I'll do a brief run over of my amazing trip with MOM. First off, I'd like to tell you all that I have the coolest mom on Earth! She is such a great travel buddy. As many of you know our first destination was was Sandakan, a small fisherman's town in Borneo. We soon discovered that this town was no place to vacation, we stayed long enough to see the orangutans, and the very next day we were determined to find a nice beach with crystal clear water. We got on a bus to semporna, and then a boat to Mabul Island. This Island was quite special, you had to book all your accomodation and meals ahead of time, mom and I agreed that the atmosphere reminded us of going to summer camp as a child, what a great feeling. All the houses are on stilts, and there was no lack of true Malysian culture here. We saw it all. On this island, we snorkeled all day... and thats pretty much it! The snorkeling was incredible, a few times we were taken by a speed boat to a shelf where we swam with multiple sea turtles and saw huge schools of colorful fish joining together like confetti. It was truly magical. Then we went to Kota Kinabalu, where we stayed at a place called Poring hot springs. We loved this place, hot springs, waterfalls, gardens, butterfly sanctuaries, nice places to run, and a canopy walk. We stayed in a nice little guesthouse overlooking rolling mountains covered in Jungle.. it was quite a view. I found mom stretching and watching the sun rise over the mountains just about every morning. Our last destination was Sepilok. We went on a 3 day 2 night jungle safari. Here we went on boat rides and treks to spot wildlife. We saw wild orangutans, probiscis monkeys, crocodiles, toads, flying foxes, and lots of colorful birds. It was a great experience. On the last night mom and I sang to the guitar with all the guides and drank strong rice wine. Then we caught a plane back to KL and prepared to say goodbye. We were shocked by how quickley, the future becomes the present and the present becomes the past. BAM! just like that and our time together was over. We spent the last few ours together crying and saying "Lets not talk about it." The final moment came and mom and I were hugging each other so tight wishing we never had to say bye. I woke up the next morning with swollen eyes and emptyness in the pit of my stomach. The first few days after saying goodbye are always hard, when you're walking down the street and normally the silence is filled, but then it was quiet. I was in a funk for a short while until I met up with Mathieu, a couch surfer who just about saved me from falling into a rut. He invited me to come to the Perhentian Islands with a group of couch surfers! So we got on a night bus and began the journey to a beautiful Island. I spent the last week there and as you can see in the pictures it is very nice. I am now back in KL and plan to be here until the 10th of April, then I am going back into the jungle to the Cameron Highlands, and then back to Phuket where I will spend the last month of my solo trip before I get on a plane and meet Charlie and Tom in BALI!!!! I can't wait.