Some trips just don't go well. I'm going to cut this one short and head "home" to Saigon in a few days instead of attempting to continue on a comprehensive tour of peninsular Malaysia.
It's hard to put my finger on the problem, especially since I was so gung ho for this a couple weeks ago, but it's fair to say I'm not feeling like the benefit is worth the costs. The loneliness and inconveniences and discomforts are no worse than my other extended trip, but I'm having trouble getting below the surface and feeling like I'm learning or experiencing anything. So much walking around looking at things without understanding and not connecting holds less attraction -- this week anyway.
There is one discomfort that is greater here: I'm further south than I've ever been except Singapore last week (when we took cabs everywhere), and the sun is really oppressive. From about 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. it takes all my will to step out of a shadow.
What I've seen of Malaysia so far I really do like, though. The few people I've talked to have been sincere and friendly. I'm in Melaka (a.k.a. Malacca), which is an interesting place historically. It was a Portuguese colony almost as far back as Columbus went west. Arab and Chinese traders were leaving their mark before that. The Dutch kicked out the Portuguese, and the English kicked them out, and Indian and Sri Lankan immigrants have been arriving all along. You can see the marks of all this history in the oldest parts of town. There are European buildings here older than any structure in North America, including a church where St. Francis Xavier was interred for awhile. It was strange to stumble across that and find Malay Muslims posing for pictures in front of it.
I'm disappointed in myself for not forcing myself further down the trail to see if the spirit returns in another location. But I feel like I've had enough. I'm moving on to Kuala Lumpur tomorrow for three nights and have a flight booked for Friday.
-Robert
