Vacation < Post Vacation

We have lift-off!

Upon the completion of my business, I was Malaysia bound. Me and the folks I was traveling with hadn’t really done any research on Malaysia other than the cost to fly there. We had a place to stay when we arrived, but beyond that- there were no decisions about the shape our trip would take.

We spent about 3 days in Kuala Lumpur waiting for a friend from the States to join up with us (see her Malaysian blog post here). Upon her arrival, we hightailed it out of KL and on to greener and more scenic spots! We went to a place called Cameron Highlands, then to Georgetown, where our group broke off and S & I headed to Langkawi, and then back to China.

In China we ended up in Hangzhou. We stayed there for about 2 days then took a 300 km/h train to Shanghai, where we spent about 4 days, including Spring Festival.

Vacation was pretty incredible- but getting back to site meant serious realizations. Not only the awareness that vacation was over and work was about to begin again, but the cognizance that this is my last semester teaching and serving in the Peace Corps.

Upon our wanderings on our first day in KL, we came across the Needle.

The Petronas Towers all lit up.

Entrance to Batu Caves in KL.

Some of our group members opted to go on the “discovery tour,” I was not one of them, but here is a photo from a cave discoverer.

The entrance to Trail 9.

Upon exiting the rain forest, we were on the hillside of a farm.

Wandering through the highlands and ending up at a Bee Farm.

The Cameron Highlands Tea Plantation

Queen Victoria’s Diamond Jubilee Clock Tower in Georgetown.

The coastal line as seen from a swanky hotel that we were not staying at.

Westlake.

All bundled up at Westlake.

Grey, grey Westlake.

Yours truly, with a needle growing out of my head.

The Bund on a rainy night.

They tore down most of the World Expo, but China was still left.