Today we had a four hour drive from Penang to Kuala Lumpur. On the way, we stopped at Kek Lok Cave and the Tg Tualang Tin Dredge. The Key Lok Cave is a cave that contains many statues and has a staircase to the top of the mountain. We were advised not to climb all of the stairs as we have a large stair climb tomorrow. However, some adventurous people in the group decided to hike to the top to look at the view. All of the statues inside the cave were gold and varied in size. While we were on the bus, our tour guide, Jeffrey, gave us some more interesting information. Instead of saying hello or good morning in Malaysia, they say, “have you eaten?” Instead of pointing with their index finger, they point with their thumb. In Malaysia and many other Asian cultures, it is impolite to eat with your left hand. I personally found this to be challenging as I am left handed. One of the main crops and source of income in Malaysia is palm oil trees. Farmers are able to get more profit than growing pineapple or rice fields. The main enemy to palm trees is rats because they eat the fruit. To solve this problem, farmers introduced cobras into the orchards to eat rats. However, there were so many snakes that it became unsafe for the workers. The farmers solved this problem by bringing owls to eat the rats.
The next stop we made was in Ipoh at the tin dredge. A dredge works by using high pressure water to loosen the tin and then the dredge sucks it up. A steel bucket goes to the bottom of the ocean and then dumps the sledge on the truck. In Malaysia, you are required to have a license in order to pan. The history of the tin dredge is that Chinese immigrated to Malaya with the hopes of finding gold. However, they found out that it was tin they were mining. Growing up in California, gold rush history was taught a lot though my education. Hearing about the promise of gold in Malaysia reminded me of the similar experience that happened in California in the 1800s. These immigrants had the choice to either work in tin mines or the harbor. Currently, there are 3,000 tin workers and 54 companies in Malaysia. In today’s market, tin prices are dropping. This specific dredge that we visited was established in 1938 and would collect soil from 10-30 meters down.
One of the unique experiences we had on this day was being able to take a road trip through Malaysia. Rest stops in Malaysia consist of not only restrooms, but food stalls, fruit, and hot meals. I have never seen so much food, or any food for that matter, at rest stops in the U.S. After a long day of travel, we arrived at Kuala Lumpur around 6:30 pm. Kuala Lumpur is the capital of Malaysia. Melissa, Fiona, Amber, and I needed to do laundry so we decided to walk to a nearby laundromat. On this trip, I have really enjoyed doing laundry. It’s always a fun adventure to go on, looking for the laundromat and hanging out while we wait for our clothes to get clean. After our laundry finished, we went to a Syrian restaurant for dinner. It was 9:30 pm by the time we were able to eat so we were very hungry. This Syrian and Mediterranean restaurant was one of the best meals I had on the trip.
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