Hanging in the "Islamic City"

I'm presently in Kota Bahru, which calls itself the "Islamic City." Well I will tell you this much: outside Yemen, I have never seen so many women in hijab. Yes, I saw more women w/out head-coverings in Egypt, Jordan, syria, Morroco, etc than here in Northeastern Malaysia. I can in fact tell you how many Malay women I have seen w/out hijab: one. Yes, just one. And she was a teenager with her boyfriend- I think. Ah yes.. Already sick of seeing hijab. And where will I be going in a couple weeks? To another Muslim country. smart move bowman.

Besides that, I have no complaints. I am really happy at how easy it is to communicate here. Lot more English speakers. Hostel I'm staying is quite chill and the owner is nice. Zeck's traveler's Inn I believe is the name.

Bought a SIM card this evening as well. i now have had 3 phone #s in less than a week (my t-mobile #, my thai #, and now a Malaysian one). How much did it cost me to get a # here in Malaysia? about 3 bucks. Thailand? about 6 bucks. That includes about $1.50 in credit to use my phone for both countries. Question: why the hell is it so much more expensive and dificult to do this in the states? I got my SIM card and # from a freaking 7-11 in Thailand, and just a random cellphone kiosk here in Malaysia. Did I have to register? No. sign a contract? Ha ha, you're kidding right? Ok that's my rant for the day.

Anyway, my 22 hr train ride went all right. I was the only foreigner I saw on the train. I was in a train car with about 50 other people. It was amazingly silent during the night. Not one person snored; I was impressed.

For the last 1/4 of the trip we had soldiers with machine guns on board, and every station we went through had 4-5 soldiers with the same type of weapon. If it weren't for them, I wouldn't have known we were going through a "hot spot." After the train, did about a mile walk crossing the border, then going to the bus station to catch a bus to kota bahru.

Tomorrow off to the Perhentian Islands. Don't think I'll be online at all there, supposed to be quite pricey. Adios for now.