Awkward in Malaysia

Somehow, we always manage to turn onto dead end streets or into barricades. More times than not, we feel as if we missed the ‘memo’, and end up on minivans alone or alone in a guesthouse/ hostel. Where is everybody? Can’t seem to play it ‘cool’ with the food. While eating dinner at an Indian restaurant in Georgetown, Penang, I stupidly put my garlic naan on the chip bowl, as I had no plate. The server then came up to the table and informed me that the bamboo mat, which was already placed in front of me, is the plate itself. Just dump your food on the bamboo mat, which looks like a placemat. While in Kuching, I ordered a bowl of noodles, which came fairly dry. On the side was a bowl of broth. I thought maybe I should dump the broth into the noodles bowl, which is exactly what I did. No, stupid. It’s soup, as the cafeteria woman corrected me. We found ourselves standing awkwardly in street restaurants in Kuala Lumpur unable to order food, just not knowing how or what, being shoved from one end to the other. And then of course, there was the awkward family day outing with Ruby and her dad in the Cameron Highlands. Oh yes, and who can forget our awkward attempt in the Perhentians to get drunk. And yet, we failed. Who does that? Then, there’s my awkward sunburn which resulted in a triangular-shaped discoloration on my forehead, and constant peeling, even a week or so later. Or my snorkeling mask in the Perhentians which was too tight, so the suction mark stuck for hours after the snorkeling trip, indenting my forehead on top of my raccoon eyes. Bumping into people, walking in circles, walking to wrong airport terminals on the other end of the airport, never knowing what day it is – I suppose, it’s all a part of traveling.

However, we are going to have to pull ourselves together for Borneo, for Mulu. So we keep telling ourselves. We can’t be awkward trekking through the rainforests, or we’ll be finished before we ever even make it to Indonesia.