And the day has come – last day in KK. We had laska once again at yet another restaurant with yet another variation on this Malaysia dish. This time, there was no shrimp, but it had more shredded chicken. We then headed to Suria and its surroundings to do some last minute souvenir shopping and we even managed to catch up with one of Aaron’s uncles and chilled at the Hyatt for a bit. After saying our goodbyes to those who cannot make it to the airport, we head off to fight the KK traffic one more time. At the airport, we must have our obligatory Mcdonald’s snack and group photoshoot. After many hugs and waves, we enter the security area to begin on journey back to Canada. On the plane, I watched “The Intern” just as I end my vacation to remind me of the joys and the importance of doing purposeful work and providing for the society.
And i’ll end with my obligatory trip summary/reflections:
Culture
This has been covered in the previous Malaysia trip so I won’t write too much about it here. I am very impressed with how respectful the children are of their elders here. It’s really heartwarming to see. In terms of Bali, the service is definitely extremely good there and the staff are all very courteous. People are very religious (mostly Hindu) there with temples throughout and offerings on the ground everywhere so watch your step. The temples have really strict rules indicating specifically that women who are menstruating are prohibited from entering. I guess many religions find menstruation to be impure or unclean.
Weather
Same as last time. Less rain this time around. There was a pretty heavy rain storm the last night we were there but it ended by the time the sun rose, so it didn’t interfere with our plans.
Language
I picked up more Malay this time but mainly single words, so fluency is still far from reach.
Top food picks
1. Coconut pudding and burned coconut at road side store
2. Coconut coffee at Luwak Coffee plantation
3. Everything at Sarong, Bali
4. Fried chicken made by Aaron’s aunty
5. Cendol made by another one of Aaron’s aunty
Most amazing sights
1. Proboscis monkeys in Sandakan
2. Sunset at Potato Head Beach Club, Bali
3. Tanah Lot, Bali
Firsts
1. First time in Bali
2. First time flying Cathay Pacific
3. First time booking such a last minute trip (Bali – booked within a week of leaving)
4. First time seeing monkeys up close
5. First time getting a massage on a beach
6. First time using such a small currency (gets so confusing)
7. First time seeing so many exotic birds
8. First time drinking cat-poo coffee
9. First time drinking/eating so much coconut
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