After a 16-hour overnight train ride to the Malaysia/Thailand border and then an 8-hour bus ride from the border, I arrived in Kuala Lumpur on Friday evening. The train ride was my first sleeper-car adventure, and was more fun than I expected. After a great dinner at my seat, I went to the bar car where I met two Malay guys who bought me Heinekens and kept me entertained until the porters came around and made up the sleepers. Then it was off to bed for some reading and finally some minor contorting to fit onto the rather abbreviated mattress. Random note: the toilets on Thai trains are no more than holes that open up underneath the train. I don't recommend taking a stroll along the railroad tracks. :)

On one of the rest stops during the bus trip, I located some durien, Southeast Asia's most infamous fruit. Now, let me just say that everything about this fruit's biological makeup screams "DON'T EAT ME!" First of all, it's covered with dangerous looking spikes all over the outside. Then, when you cut it open, it reveals the most horrendous funk you've ever smelled, particularly when you're talking about something you're supposed to be putting in your mouth. I had heard if you can get past the smell the taste is quite nice, but I couldn't get past it nor the unexpected creamy texture of the fruit and nearly hurled it onto the sidewalk. The nice ladies at the fruit stand opted not to charge me for my ordeal.

Saturday morning, my ear infection seemed to be getting only worse and I went to a nearby clinic to get it checked out. The doctor offered me an antibiotic shot, which he swore would allow me to heal up much more quickly. I got to have my first-ever shot in the butt. Yay. Afterwards, I checked out of the quaint-but-nice guesthouse I'd stayed at Friday night and went over to meet Jon at the Pondok Lodge, a better guesthouse in a nicer part of town where we'd agreed to meet. Reception told me he'd gone to check email and directed me toward the internet cafe. I found Jon buying fruit from a street stall and gave him a big hug... so happy to see him.

We spent Sunday exploring KL, and while the KL Tower, National Mosque, Islamic Arts Museum and the Butterfly Garden were nice, I don't think a big city atmosphere was what either of us were looking for. We did have a nice time last night on a Firefly Tour, which consisted of a 1/2 hour boat ride along a river whose banks are utterly infested with fireflies. They lit up nearly every tree like strands of Christmas lights and were quite beautiful.

We left KL this afternoon after waiting for our very-late bus and made our way to Penang, an island off the west coast of Malaysia relatively close to the Thai border where we are now. Jon has been here before and while it seems to have its charms, I think we are both yearning for beaches and a slightly different atmosphere. I think we will leave tomorrow and head to Krabi in Southern Thailand.