So a quick run-through of some interesting things that happened... I went to a Hindu festival called Thaipusam at a place called the Batu Caves. Basically the Hindu's remember the sacrifices their God made by piercing their skin with hooks, often attached by ropes to heavy idols, which they then pull about. Others carry heavy idols on their shoulders - they're like giant photo-frames with images of the gods in. It's all about recognising the burdens the gods carried for the good of mankind. It was pretty hard to see actually, but an amazing experience.
Then there was Chinese New Year, loads of cool dragon and lion dances going on, and people giving each other mandarin oranges left, right and centre. I got about 50 oranges at school!!
Chinese New Year holidays bought the arrival of one Kenneth A Legg, my next visitor from the UK! I took him to Langkawi too (just too good to miss), but not before a quick trip to Melaka where I introduced him to The Most Amazing Tandoori Chicken Restaurant Ever. He liked it. Funnily enough, when Kenny arrived it rained for 3 days solid...and it NEVER does that here. It's all about relief rain - it gets so humid that it all builds up and has to just rain at about 4 p.m. However, not this time! Lucky Ken. Langkawi was great, lots of sunburn and relaxing, as well as a little bit of sightseeing and a go on the cable car up the mountain. It was labelled something like THE Biggest Cable Car in Malaysia, or THE Steepest Cable Car This Side of Langkawi Island or THE longest Cable Car Track In This Immediate Vicinity or something as un-awe-inspiring, but it was amazing! SOME of us got scared but not I!
Back down this neck of the woods we headed to a nearby Elephant sanctuary (pretty smelly, but cute) then down to a place called Kuala Selangor, which is a little river town famous for it's fireflies. You go on this little boat ride at night time and there are all these little fairy lights in the bushes. I literally thought they were fairy lights, and that someone was having us on, but then they started to move and they actually were fireflies!! It was crazy. It rained by the way.
Think Kenny enjoyed himself - it was great to see him and I was sad to see him go, but once again I had to get back to work for the longest term of my life (sorry to all you non-teachers but to the teachers out there we worked for like 9 weeks solid!!).
March
As there are 5 of us out here with birthdays in the same month and for a break from the world's longest term we decided to go on a girly weekend away to The Genting Highlands, which is like Malaysia's attempt (and I use the word loosely) at Vegas. It was great fun, an entire city which is essentially a giant theme park (and not a very good one) up in the mountains - excellent for the cheeseyness of the whole thing and we all laughed a LOT! It was pretty rainy and even cold up there! Nice to be cold for a change though!
Nearly caught up to the present day!
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