Malaysia : )

I NEEDED one more adventure... or did I?  I admire my enthusiasm until it gets me taking a four hour flight, followed by sitting in a bus station for 10 hours overnight in a country that I don't know, followed by a 5 hour bus ride, followed by a two hour boat ride all just for a day and a half at the beach... WHAT WAS I THINKING???  I guess I was thinking that I've never been to Malaysia and that I may not have the opportunity to get there anytime soon... I was also thinking that I'm pretty tired and that I need a rest (forgetting that being up for 24 hours isn't a rest).  All I have to say is that this better be a really nice beach.  

My day today started with it's normal chaos... Yesturday I ran over to the rehab clinic to say good-bye only to find that they have a new staff member who wants to be their new speech therapist.  This is a young lady who I met and did a one day training with last year but who has just recently reappeared....I'VE BEEN HERE FOR EIGHT MONTHS AND THIS IS HAPPENING NOW???  I wanted to cry... Ive worked with this site a lot but one of the problems was that we didnt have anyone long term and it is really encouraging that they have soneone now but really frustrating that the timing is terrible.  This women is sooooo motivated and I'm excited that she is taking on this new role, I just wish that I had more time to train her but I found out yesturday and my flight was already booked : (   Soooo this morning I ran over to rehab to give her a crash course in speech pathology and also give her the resources that I made and answer any questions that she had.  After that I headed to the airport... let me go back... when I woke up I tried to call Bill and book a bus ticket for Malaysia but the internet was turned off in a couple of neighborhoods around us so I couldn't do either (remember the bus situation as i blame china and their internet for my current plight).  Then I headed to the bus station to take the bus to the airport.  I was literally just walking up to the station when the bus started pulling away, I tried to chase him but he wouldn't stop : (   Soooo I had to wait for half an hour.  While I was waiting I decided to get a drink from a place across the street that has smoothy type drinks.  They were out of coffee flavored and chocolate and those are the only two words that I can say and the menu is in Chinese so I couldn't get a drink.  Really really ready to go home!  Finally I got on the bus and headed to the airport.  Kunming China.... please have those kiosk check-ins at the airport likeevery other place in the world so that all million of us aren't standing in line behind the family that is over their luggage limit and is repacking in the aisle.  Finally I made it through the line and security and to my gate.  While I was waiting I thought that it would be a good idea to take a picture of my gnome and my boarding pass (I know its weird but I get bored sometimes).  I guess I dropped my boarding pass or left it on the seat or something because after I moved to a different seat I heard the only message over the loud speaker that was in English requesting Rebecca Fullmer to proceeed to the desk to get her boarding pass.  SO thankful for the kind soul who found it and turned it in!  

The flight went smoothly... I had the whole row to myself because there are not a lot of people flying from China to Malaysia right now.  Now the sad story starts, although Im realizing that this day was doomed to begin with.   I was going to have an "Amazing Race" adventure.... My plan was to run from the airport to the trasit train that goes to the long distance bus station and then catch an overnight bus to the ferry station and then a ferry to my island.  Let me just add here... Bill told me that this was a bad idea and wondered why I wouldn't just stay in a hotel for the night... I told him that that wasn't as fun....  BUT I will tell you Bill that I am currently typing on the wireless keyboard that you insisted that I would never use so that's one point for each of us ; )  

My Amazing Race moment went well in the beginning.... I FLEW off of the plane almost knocking everyone out of my way as I tried to beat the whole plane to the immigration line (which I did).... little plug here for Malaysia as I like to give credit where credit is due... they don't make you fill out an arrival card!  Genius!  Someone finally sees how much of a waist of paper and life those cards are... just scan the passport... it knows where I was.  Way to be leaders in ending stupidity at the airport Mayalsian Customs!!!  After making it through customs, I did well with finding an ATM and making it onto the correct train.  The bus station is where I was U-Turned....the bus was full : (   I landed here at 9:30pm and was hoping to catch the 11:30pm night bus but now I have to take the 9am bus... Im pretty sad about this because I'm really tired and don't want to stay awake all night, nor do I want to fall asleep and get robbed.   All I can think is that if someone takes my passport I'll miss my flght to that States on Sunday and that would be tragic!  More than that, I'm disappointed with how much of my day tomorrow will be waisted sitting on a bus and a boat : (  Oh well, nothing to be done.  The good news is that my time over here is almost done and I think the entire region is rising up to give me sign after sign that it's time for me to go home... for that I thank them.... I will miss a lot of things but I won't miss sitting on this cold hard floor for 10 hours.

Southeast Asia scores another point.... Southeast Asia 985   Becca 0    

On a more positive note and to update you all on the bathroom situation... there is a squatty potty- it does flush, it also has what one of the hostels in Cambodia referred to as "a bum gun" (I'm actually not sure what you really call them) but here is the big news... it has a sanitary way to dispose of feminine hygiene products!  Yay for taking that grossness out of the bathroom scene : ) 

One another happy note... There is a Dunkin Donuts at this station that was closed when I got here but I'll probably be their first customer tomorrow morning!!!  I need a happy thought to hold onto for the next seven hours and a half hours... I still have SEVEN AND A HALF HOURS.... I'm crying inside... never again... my ridiculous adventuring days are over to be replaced with travel plans that make sense and are pre-booked and don't require this level of awakeness during the middle of the night : ) 

Two updates.... Police came around at about 330 am and started yelling, it scared me because I didn't understand what they were saying so I just sat there... It worked they took two people away but left the rest of us.   Also, I was the first person at dunkin donuts, I started creeping on them around 5am but the didn't open til 8.  It was a long wait but soooo worth it!  Also, hostels in kl cost $8-$10 a night.... Why did I sit in the bus station for 10 hours?  I don't know.