Taman Negara: Great jungle trekking in Taman Negara. We took an amazing 2 hour boat ride in the hot sun to get to the beginning of the jungle hike. We did a 2 day hike for with ~ 8km hikes/day & an overnight stay in a cave where we got to see some wildlife & listen to the jungle sounds. Unfortunately we got soaked and attacked by leeches because of torrential rain & thunderstorm but had a great time anyways. Upon arrival to the the cave we were able to dry off all our clothes and sleeping bags over the fire and were fed by our great guide. This was probably the best backcountry hike I've ever done despite the rain, muddiness & huge amounts of leeches. The 2nd day was much nicer & drier until I fell butt-first into the water at a rope-guided river crossing, but was quickly pulled back out when the group of guys tightened the rope for me to make it a 2nd day of wet hiking. It just made the hike a bit easier b/c I didn't have to try & avoid all the water/mud like everyone else as I was already drenched. 2 of us were going to spend a 2nd night out in the jungle but decided against it so we could move on to the next city.

Perhentian Islands Amazing islands for some beach & sun. The beach here was amazing and I had a great time hanging out with some other Canadians as well as people I had previously met in Cameron Highlands. It's interesting how I keep meeting the same people in different cities. I joined a scuba diving course here & had an amazing time. I spent most of the time diving for my lessons (with a cute instructor which helps a lot) and I can say that I'm now addicted and already planning on hitting more dive sites on my trip! I was amazed by all the fish/coral & colors in the ocean but I am still waiting to see my first shark (even though we looked for all the sites they'd hopefully be around). I am currently in Kota Baru & will be making my way to Thailand, where I hope to get on time for the 'full moon party' which is supposed to be amazing. That's all I"ll write for now as this entry is already quite long and my bus will be leaving soon.