500 Malaysian Cookies

Times Lost: You know what- let’s just call it even and say always. Let’s face it, when aren’t you lost in an unknown country?
*Items Lost: Zero
*I decided I might as well add another category, one that is probably long overdue.
*Overall amount my life was feared: Tentatively 7 (Brazil- 3, Africa- 1, India- 2, Malaysia- 1)

So as with the start of every country, the first 20 minutes is getting off the ship is reacquainting yourself with the area. Some places are harder than others. Brazil was on a street that smelled of potent pee a ten minute walk away from a very large square. Africa was in the heart of a very Westernized, amazing wharf full of shops, restaurants, bars, and anything you could dream up (100 rand ostrich lunch anyone?). Mauritius was a 25 minute walk of sketchy nothing or a 2 dollar water taxi away from a calmer waterfront. India was on a black street- black air entering your eyeballs, your nose, your precious lungs, black dirt all over your clothes, just black everywhere- a rickshaw ride away from most life. Malaysia. Oh Malaysia.

We had to use tenders to get into port. Every time we wanted to leave we’d have to take a lifeboat and go 15 minutes or so to shore. To come back we’d have to wait for the one to come back, sit while a handful at a time got their bags searched, swiped their cards, and finally get on the ship. Leave something behind? Tough love. An person from your group late? Oops. UGH.

So when we got off, we walked around. It’s a melting pot of India and China nearby. We got tired of walking around aimlessly and took a taxi to a chocolate boutique. Its a shop with 7 rooms, all full of chocolate. You get a tour guide who walks you through and gives you a sample of every chocolate. So what kind of chocolates could seriously take up 7 rooms? You’d be surprised. Chocolate with sesame, coconuts, passion fruit filling, mango, kiwi, chocolate covered potato chips, chilli choclate, white/dark chocolate tiramisu, wafers, blueberry, white chocolate with strawberry filling, and mint. Oh, and good ol’ regular chocolate ;).

So here we are- Ashly, Ali and I- all ready with our choices that took forever to decide, when she’s like, oh the coffee room! So she takes us into this room and gives us 6 or 7 samples of different types of white coffee. The coffee has no added sugar, it’s just pure coffee in individual packets. Vanilla, coconut, mocha, or different kinds of healthy ones. Gone goes all the chocolate. We couldn’t decide what we wanted. We’d decide on one box and couldn’t leave behind mocha- god forbid. We ended up with 12 boxes. Needless to say, everyone is welcome to try the world’s best coffee. Our taxi cab driver picked up his 11 year old daughter, and drove us back to the ship. I went back and packed for Kuala Lampur. My first big independent trip!