the genting highlands

hello again!

the rest of the bus ride was pretty uneventful, save for a rest stop. apparently, toilet paper is optional in malaysia -- who knew? i go into the washroom and realize that there's no toilet paper. now, it's not like they didn't fill the dispenser, one just doesn't exist. period. what is there instead? a black tube with a nozzle to shoot water.

now the lonely planet i've been using as my closest friend on this journey has told me many things, but it has NOT told me how to use a bidet. i'm quite worried that i'm going to be forced to use one at some point and do it horribly wrong. wish me luck on that fateful day.

so the bus took us all the way to genting highlands, after skirting KL. i got a good look at the petronas towers as we were passing by: what a sight! they appear to be about twice as tall as any other building near them, so they look a bit comical on the KL skyline, but it was very imposing nonetheless.

the ride up to the genting highlands was pretty intense; it was even worse than costa rica! the hills were quite steep, and whereas costa ricans did their best to make roads windy to reduce the grade, the malaysians could care less! it's still swervy, but really tight and steep too. thank goodness our driver knew what he was doing!

there was some (unfortunate) comic relief when the kid behind and across from me threw up all over himself. it was amusing because i didn't HEAR him do it, i just turned around at one point and there was vomit all over his shirt and on his hands. he had this look on his face like he didn't even know where it came from -- it had just shown up there and he was transfixed by it. the good news was that it didn't stink too much. the whole rest of the ride (about 20 more minutes) he just sat there trying to play it cool, looking completey at ease save for the chunky brown stuff covering his shirt.

i got dropped off at my hotel: the first world hotel. it's right at the very top of one of (if not the) highest peak in the genting highlands range. it's funny, because the view on the drive up was stunning until we started approaching the level of the clouds! as we got to the hotel, the view completely disappeared because we were inside the clouds. not the greatest place for taking pictures. luckily things cleared up in the morning and i got some nice panoramas.

the place itself was a bit lacklustre. it's sort of a high-altitude canada's wonderland. needless to say, canada's wonderland isn't quite the same when you're by yourself. i walked around the entire compound multiple times and watched umpteen children play video games against each other.

i'll offer you one story before my internet time runs out again: ian getting the sex offer. so i'm on the up-escalator. going upstairs for some reason. i hear a noise; a call, if you will. i look beside me to see a girl saying something to me and raising her eyebrows with this expectant look in her eyes. she looks a bit trashy, but i'm confused -- i give a "huh?" she repeats something, and i realize she's probably soliciting me. i shake my head "no" and continue. what you may have figured out at this point is that she's on the DOWN escalator. by the time i say "no", she's basically at the bottom, and i at the top. what did she expect?! me to jump over the railing onto her side? i think prostitutes need to get their acts together if they want some business. that woman lost a sale today -- it's sad, but true.

my internet time is officially ending and i have to check out of my hotel and into a hostel. there's much more to say, but i'm not sure when i'll get a chance to say it. i'll do my best!

bye for now.