People partying on Pulau Pangkor.

I made it to Malaysia! One overnight bus trip later, I found myself in Teluk Intan ready for the next part of my adventure. I haven’t seen my Malaysian relatives in years so I was excited to get reacquainted with them.

When I waited at the bus stop that morning at 5am, I was a little worried that I might not recognize the relatives who would pick me up. Except for the two cousins in Malaysia, with whom I keep some contact with on Facebook, I have not seen the rest of the relatives in years!

Let’s just say, the first thing that struck me when I met the relatives, was the idea that “people in Malaysia don’t age!” The older cousins, aunts and uncles looked almost the same as I remembered them as a tiny child.

One of the first places I went to was for Roti Canai. I was eager to try Malaysian food, having had my taste buds primed in Singapore. I was ready for the spiciness of the Malaysian foods!

Went to shoot some pictures too at a camp for the mentally disabled that my uncle works at. It was great to see these people well taken care of. Bethany House apparently is pretty renown for the services it provides these less fortunate people.

Bethany Home.

Bethany Home.

Bethany Home.

The next day, we made it to Pulau Pangkor. It was one half tourist resort, and one half a place where fishermen lived. The cousins really complement each other well as one likes photography while the other likes to model.

Cousins Jon and Jo doing an impromptu shoot on the ferry to Pangkor Island.

On the ride back, the passengers on the ferry were treated to a pretty spectacular sunset.

Sunset on the way back to the main land from Pangkor Island.

My relatives also took me out to Gua Tempurung where I went caving for the first time. The ancient caves were filled with little tunnels and I had an awesome time crawling through tight holes with my chest partly submerged in water while on my knees and elbows.

Caving in Gua Tempurung.

Caving in Gua Tempurung. Jonathan drops down a hole.

Caving in Gua Tempurung. Jo crawls into a mysterious tunnel.

Caving in Gua Tempurung.

Caving in Gua Tempurung.

Caving in Gua Tempurung.

I also followed my family to church, going to Sunday school (or bible study) for the first time since I left UW. I love the fellowship of the churches really. Maybe I should drop by church more often.

Uncle Walter gets a blessing from the pastor for father's day.

First time at Sunday school / bible study in years.

And I spent most of Monday with the cousins for dim sum with my uncle, then building boats to float in the rain with my younger cousin. Origami is fun. I think I’ll start it up again. I really never knew what I missed in Canada as I progressed through life. One thing leads to another there an when you have a chance to reflect back on a skill that you learnt but never got to use, you realize how much you can miss it.

Boat building with cousin Josh.

Floating boats in a flooded driveway. It rains pretty hard!

Looking forward to the rest of the trip!

Heavy rains flooding the driveway of my aunt's house.