Malaysia 2006: Day 5
Waking up in an air-conditioned room was a first on this trip, and not a bad way to start. Breakfast at the Westin was rather interesting, a mix of European, American, and Asian tastes, with beef bacon, eggs, toast, porridge, soba, custards, and lots of other things.
Back to the rooms to clean up, then off to the Forest Research Institute of Malaysia (FRIM) to experience a bit of the forest, stopping at a bakery on the way for lunch. Sadly, the elevated jungle walkway was closed, but we got a pretty good taste of the forest-- there weren't too many tourists, and we walked for over a kilometer. Surprisingly, bugs weren't too bad either. We didn't see anything spectacular, but the environment was very different from what we're used to in the USA, particularly in the desert in Southern California. FRIM is touristy enough that it was mostly devoid of animals, although we did see a few monkeys along the inner roads.
Back to Kuala Lumpur afterwards, where Kean and Jianhui gathered up the families and we tried to go see the fireflies at Kampong Kuantan. We stopped by Jianhui's favorite bao place, where the purchase included huge steamed baos almost the size of Sophia's lap!
We were foiled by too much rain as we approached-- it was an hour drive-- and had to abort. =( We went straight to dinner instead, at De Foodland Seafood restaurant, where they served crab prepared 32 different ways. Food continued as we went to a night market afterwards, much to Sophia's delight. =) More tasty goodies, fish balls, grass jelly drinks, fresh coconuts, and a zillion things that I couldn't name if I tried.