McKenna's Map

  I was pumped for my 18 hour layover in Fiji but after looking into transit from the airport, I found that the taxis were very expensive and scammy. After my recent travel days in Malaysia I decided I really didn’t want to deal with that, and local buses seemed way too unreliable and difficult to figure out (after being there, can confirm I never would have figured them out)…so I ended up deciding not to withdraw any cash and to just walk to the closest beach…which ended up being on a private island where season 5 of Love Island USA was filmed. Security tried to kick me off the island but I made up a really elaborate lie and they let me stay but the beach was not very nice and I mostly just laid in the sand and read to pass the time (was also being watched by a camera the entire time). The hour long walk from the airport (and back) was kinda cool tho, bc I got to walk through a local neighborhood and had pretty views during the morning golden hour

  Notes from the journal: 8/14 Woke up very late (in Johor Bahru) and went across the street to eat, then walked to the bus stop to catch a bus to the very confusing central terminal Went thru immigrations and waited awhile for a bus across the causeway to Singapore, had to get off to go thru customs there, and then wait for another bus to the metro station Took the metro into the city using my screenshotted directions because I didn’t have data Went to the Gardens by the Bay and took a pleasant walk to the Supertree Grove (not that impressive during the day) Saw a great view of the skyline at the marina and continued onto the Singapore City Gallery, which has a detailed 3D replica of the entire country and some information about it (old maps, etc.) Went next door to eat at the Maxwell Food Center, which I found better and easier to navigate than the Hawker Center Got a smoothie and Bibimbap from a Korean stall Walked to Haji Lane/Arab Street (very touristy) and went to Zam Sam res...

  This is a tough one. I’ll start with some brief demographic info on Malaysia that may set the scene, especially if you aren’t super familiar with it (I wasn’t before this summer). There are three major racial/ethnic groups that make up Malaysia’s population. Here is the breakdown: One interesting thing to note is that the government considers Malay to equal islamic, on govt forms and such. The way that these groups coexist, especially religiously, is very interesting. It was common to be able to stand in one spot and see a mosque, Confucious temple, Hindu temple, and even Buddhist temple all at once First, what I loved about Malaysia: The views, landscapes, and beaches were stunning and very accessible. The food was to die for - I had no idea how much I loved Malay food and I really enjoyed the mixture of Malay, Chinese, and Indian food. It was really neat to experience the combination of religions, cultures, etc. that all coexist there. I met so many amazing women there and had ...

  Notes from the journal: 8/9 The water was a gorgeous blue color and the ferry dropped us off right at our hostel on Perhentian Besar The hostel was nice in the sense that it was right on the beach with open doors, but not secure at all (no lockers and constantly open doors) and we didn’t get the best sleep Went for a swim right in front of the hostel and ate dinner at Abdul’s Chalet, which was yummy and decently priced for the island Took a nap and then went for our evening swim/snorkel 8/10-8/12 Each day was basically the same: woke up at sunrise to go for a morning swim/snorkel, relaxed and read during the day in the shade, went for another swim/snorkel in the evening Saw some black tipped reef sharks and stingrays, ate one meal per day at Abdul’s Chalet, Sophia left on 8/11 (said goodbye for good in Asia) 8/13 Waited for my ferry at the end of the pier. It arrived late and my data wasn’t working when I got back to the mainland, which kickstarted my horrible travel day.   ...

  Notes from the journal: 8/6 Landed in Kuala Terengganu and walked to the bus stop but while I was waiting I realized I really had to use the bathroom so I used a little bit of Malay and hand motions to ask a shop employee where I could use a bathroom and a family let me use theirs at their restaurant next door Caught a bus to a terminal, where I had to wait for awhile and a Malay man came up to hit on me in front of his wife and daughter, which was a very uncomfy situation Took the last bus to my hotel at the Merang Jetty and the mosque next door was all lit up It was really nice to be in a hotel instead of a hostel 8/7 Met Sophia in the lobby of my hotel, where she had arrived after taking a night bus and was sitting with the staff, talking and eating Nasi Lemak Went to jetty to buy ferry ticket and pay fees Arrived to the island on a busy beach because there was a school group there, couldn’t check into hotel so sat in the dining/patio area for awhile to wait out the heat and p...

  Notes from the journal: 8/4 Started to feel really sick on the bus to Penang and had a weird spell where my chest hurt and I felt like I was going to pass out so I sat at the bus station for awhile and waited for Sophia. I felt better by the time she arrived and we took a city bus into Georgetown Dropped our stuff at our hostel and walked thru Penang Art Street to Chew Jetty food stalls, which were overpriced   Tried to find food on the way back but were unsuccessful so we eventually stopped at a mediocre Chinese place bc we were hangry, then went to an Indian restaurant (Hameediyah) to split a chicken murtabah Went back to the hostel and I put on my hijab so we could visit the mosque during visiting hours but it was closed so we just looked from outside Found some food stalls where Sophia shared a bite of durian with some tourists and we went to a fancy dessert restaurant to split a mango dish Went back to the Indian restaurant for a nighttime snacky snack Went back to the ...