Penang, Malaysia

PENANG

A skyline of the bustling metropolis, Penang; Malaysia, a tropical country with a strong technological and tourist economy, stands in stark countract to its nearby colonial sister, India.

Malaysia has a large and influential Chinese minority; the Chinatown in Penang is one of the largest in Southeast Asia

Malaysia's main religion is Islam, but freedom of religion is strictly observed; here is a famous mosque in downtown Penang

IN ROUTE TO THE CAMERON HIGHLANDS

A garden in Ipoh, a rather large city between Penang and Kuala Lampur

During our steep ascent to the Highlands, we stopped at this breathtaking waterfall

THE CAMERON HIGHLANDS: DAY 1

The Highlands landscape

One of the main traditional economies of Malaysia is tea, a relic of British colonialism. The climate of the Highlands is excellent for growing tea, and Malaysian tea is known as some of the best in the world

A view of the tea-field workers' homes, which stood in contrast to the popular Equatorial Hills resort where we stayed

We stopped at a village school, which is actually an old British military facility converted to classrooms; these children were very excited to see foreign strangers - most tourists in the Cameron Highlands are Malaysian as well

Visiting a native Orang Asli village (left), we were welcomed at a ceremony followed by a chance to demonstrate our blowgun proficiency (or lack thereof); I TRIED to use the blowgun as well (right)

During a jungle hike, we stopped at a scenic river and waterfall for lunch; The largest tree I've ever seen (right) grew near the base of the river - it towered over the rest of the forest

These children were more shy than the ones at the school, but they finally did warm up to us; they had handmade wheeled toys that they controlled like a scooter

One brave SASer! She stood still as we marvelled at the size of this enormous beetle

THE CAMERON HIGHLANDS: DAY 2

Offroading in the Cameron Highlands; the rainy season made these "roads" even more difficult to navigate

My roomates on the trip, Puneet, Herman, and Nick, goofing around in a tea-growing field

An ancient moss jungle covered the uppermost portions of the Highlands; some these species are found nowhere else on the planet, and many are evolutionarily ancient

DEVIL'S PEAK: 6,666 FEET ABOVE SEA LEVEL

One last view of the Cameron Highlands from Devil's Peak

Our group waving from the Devil's Peak watch-tower

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