Exiting Malaysia, headed 9hrs north to southern Thailand.

Which meant traveling thru the dangerous border area... where 3,000 people have died thanks to Muslim insurgents. They've never target tourists... so wasn't really scared... but still decided to take a minivan instead of the train because they've blown one up before. And sure enough another train blew up & 6 people were shot 2 days after I was there!

Most places you're told not to go to aren't really dangerous. I wouldn't go to Bagdad myself but met someone who has - on vacation!! However, I might consider northern Iraq. (Don't worry Mom, I'm not going... yet :)

I think the key to dangerous travel is knowing as much as possible about the situation. I start with the news - not US news... BBC's acceptable. Then check the US, British & Canadian government travel websites. Ok, these are both just starting points. The best advice comes from asking people who've actually been there & more importantly, those that live there.

Any place that's considered dangerous has people living there... which means it's not entirely dangerous.

(And folks, thanks for all your concern about the Middle East but I'm going to Jordan, not Lebanon. It's totally, completely safe there.)

Cameron Highlands tea plantation

Kuala Lumpur is a clean, efficient big city.

Next, Cameron Highlands... pristine colonial tea plantations... fantastic tea & scones. Hiked thru an ancient fern jungle overrun with spongy moss & pretty pink orchids darting up here & there. Truly spectacular...

Then went to Georgetown expecting a quaint colonial town... got an ugly hooker filled city. Left the next day.

Overall, Malaysia just didn't impress me. Very wealthy country... really enjoyed the lack of corruption & efficient services... but won't head back anytime soon.

Men! They rule the world & all that crap. Hate it, but accept it. (In a quiet, revolutionary sorta way.)

As long as they respect me. They don't need to walk into me to show they rule. Respect my right to use a sidewalk. Or queue. And definitely, don't touch! They think it looks accidental... no one's fooled. Muslims are the worst. Been grabbed in Nepal, India, Turkey & Indonesia.

Oh... that last island in Indonesia... the electricity goes out & a guy with a flashlight walks me home... & totally grabs me! Had to physically push him away! AND only a few days before, my worst fear came true... woke up at 2am to find a guy working at my hotel using their key to try to enter my room! He said he thought I was at a party & wanted to close my windows... liar!

Anyway, I'm scared about the Middle East... not so much the danger of being assaulted... (or Al-Qaeda!...) but that'll get fed up with the harassment. With my super blonde hair & pale skin, I'm a glowing beacon, visable miles away... giving them plenty of time to think up a stupid approach.

Once demanded a salon in Kathmandu dye my hair black... they refused.

Been walking around Asia under an umbrella to protect from the sun... also makes me harder to spot... & in the right position, can't see their stares.

Maybe I'll get a burkha in the Middle East...

burkhas

Hiked 2hrs to the Egyptian embassy... all residential, no cabs... got lost... big blister... asked how to go back & the guys behind me - from Iraq - drove me home. They knew I was American, coulda ended bad... but they were great!

Today, lost, again... stupidly let a random guy drive me. He then took the day off, watered & fed me, drove me to sights & ran my errands. Yeah, hit on me in the end, but in an easy to handle, Western guy sorta way.

Yes, it was also easier 'cause he's one of the rare 2% of Indian men that are handsome. It's the gross guys that make it so much worse... do they really think've a chance? Yeah, been kinda gross & sweaty myself... but not like them!

Oh, did I mention had to let my eyebrows grow in some? Why? ..to keep the sweat outta my eyes!

Anyway... thinkin' 'bout a burkha.

2nd tallest building in the world

Plus, fantastic vibe here... never seen so many people from so many places... saw a westernized Chinese woman & black man, their beautiful kids & a woman with a full burka on all get out of the back of a Benz driven by an Indian guy with a turban!

It's been wonderful... except for that constant stress regarding where next.

Started to apply for a Burmese visa again... but the embassy's phones are disconnected. Want to go to Mongolia for the big July festival... but that's via Vietnam & China. I've zero interest in Vietnam & traveling China's still a moral issue for me. (Free Tibet! Love all the protest going on!) Besides, could see China denying me a visa too...

Then it hit me... all Muslim countries close this September for Ramadan... that's why I didn't start the trip in Africa. Looked at some flights... $100 less than last time I looked... heard the gods loud & clear! Or should I say Allah?

Those flights... to Jordan, Egypt, Syria or Iran... too hard to get a visa for Iran, although love to go & it's actually supposed to be very safe. The Syrian embassy here told me to go back to America to get a visa... idiotic bureaucracy! So last night... bought a ticket to Jordan... 12 days & counting!! :)

1. Make the world a little better for 10,000 people
   (do something nice for 3 people/wk x 52 wks x 60 yrs)
2. Dance with Gypsies
   (yes, I've heard it before... they're dirty, liars & cheats & I really wouldn't want to if I ever met any)
3. With robes flying, cross the Khyber Pass on horseback
   (but I'll wait 'till its a little safer in Afghanistan & Pakistan)
4. Live in Manhattan (for just a year or two)
5. Fill up a passport
   (think I'm forgetting another thing...)

I can't believe it... I can actually check off the last one. Had to have the US Embassy put in (with tape... what's that about?) more pages! Yeah! Filled a passport!!

But that wasn't pleasant... I've heard many horror stories about US Embassies, but all my experiences have been good... 'till now.... they almost didn't let me in because I didn't have any ID other than a passport. Which is the best form of ID in the world! The lady at the gate needed to keep ID but the people inside the embassy needed my passport... asinine system! Plus... once you get in you take a number & there are 12 counters to help people... but ONLY ONE COUNTER to help US Citizens!!! Excuse me, but what the f*ck!?!

Throughout my trip I've made a point to relax. It's actually one of the things I hope to learn how to do really well. Not there yet, but gotta lot of practice last week.

Was on Gili Air... an incredibly relaxed, ridiculously tiny, little island... no vehicles... a few horse-drawn carts... 500 residents & 50 tourists...

Like everyone, hung out almost entirely in a hammock... read, listened to music, napped, watched 2 cows in the coconut grove eat grass (a little like paint drying) & got into a staring contest with a giant gecko. Utter relaxation. Would also swim & walk around the island (in less than an hour).

And those walks... along the beach with mounds of seashells & corals, some bright red... or along the only road, a sand footpath overrun with flowering vines & herds of dragonflies. Actually caught myself skipping at one point!

Indonesia has 2 amazing, endangered animals... the orangutan, which I saw last month & the huge Komodo dragon. (Remember, the thing that ate Sharon Stone's ex?) Of course, had to see them too. With time running out on my visa, flew east to Flores, the island next to Komodo.

First day found 2 Irish girls who'd chartered a boat & joined them for a day of island hoping & snorkeling. Brightly colored fishes, electric blue starfish & tons of coral. Wonderful!

Next day got on a boat for a 3 day cruise back. Not exactly a cruise boat, pretty small... & it was just myself & 3 Dutch couples. Unfortunately, conversations quickly slipped out of English & into Dutch... so I mostly hung with the crew... who were all too eager to entertain the single girl. Got to drive the boat, sit on the mast, hourly neck massages & nightly serenades.

But what I really enjoyed, was just sitting on the bow, watching the flying fish & a million different islands pass by. That whole area of Indonesia is amazing... bright green islands, both big & small, with rolling hills, the occasional volcano & everywhere, turquoise blue water... a true tropical paradise. But what struck me the most, it was all uninhabited... hundreds & hundreds of miles of nothing but nature.

The boat took us snorkeling everyday & we got to play Tarzan over a waterfall, but, by far, the highlight was a trip to Rinca, the island next to Komodo & home to a slightly larger dragon than those found on Komodo island. And these guys were big! They're around 10ft long & weigh about 300lbs! We saw 5 just sunning themselves & another 3 while trekking around the island. Nothing terribly exciting... no wild chases or big kills but still, way cool!!