Well, we did exactly what the guidebooks told us not to do. The Lonely Planet and the Rough Guide to Southeast Asia both "strongly advised against" crossing the Malaysia-Thailand border through the East. However, we weren't able to catch a boat from the Perhentians until noon (due, mostly, to the fact that the earlier boat was at 8am and that seemed like a terrible effort to make). This meant we didn't arrive on the mainland until 1pm.

We strolled over to the bus station and found a bunch of other foreigners waiting for the bus. One person found in their guidebook that the bus to Kota Baru was due to come at 2pm. Another asked in a shop and was told 2:30pm, another person told us 1:30. So we took a taxi with another couple and ended up only paying about $1 more each than we would have taking the bus. Plus the couple we took the taxi with were super cool - they'd already done Thailand, Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam, so it was like having a talking guidebook with us all the way to Kota Baru.

Once we arrived in Kota Baru, we asked at the bus station when the bus to Kuala Perlis (the safest Malaysia-Thailand crossing point) left. They said there were no more that day (it was 2pm by this point). So, we asked if there was a bus to Butterworth? Penang? Lang Kawi? No, no and no. Damn. Ok. But there was a local bus about to leave that was going straight to the Thai border.

So now it was decision time: do we waste a day in this (kind of crappy) small city and take the safe route to Thailand tomorrow? Or do we go completely against our guidebooks' "strong" advice and just go for it? Feeling adventurous and slightly invincible, we picked the latter. We climbed up the bus and asked the man at the front in a robe with a long, pointy grey beard, if this was the bus to Thailand. He confirmed that it was.

"Are we being completely stupid?" Amy asked me.

"No! Not at all!" I said, doing my best to sound completely confident, though I wasn't sure of this at all.

About 45 minutes in, a small Filipina got on the bus and asked in a little voice if this was the bus to Thailand. For some reason, this made me feel relieved - at least we weren't the only foreigners stupid enough to take this route.

We got off the bus not long after and the three of us crossed the border on foot. The passport control staff were super friendly, and stamped all of our passports giving us two full months in Thailand (we'd gotten our visas beforehand in Kuala Lumpur).

There was absolutely no problem crossing the border on the eastern side. I guess the guidebooks must have good reason for their "strong" advice, but I am SO glad we didn't waste a full day and quite a bit more money trying to go the safer route. We were just fine. 

Then we walked quite a long walk to the bus station, and caught a bus to Trang. The Filipina's name is Wang, and she just started working at a resort on Koh Lanta, which just so happens to be the place we were headed to.

At 12am, we arrived in Trang, and soon found ourselves in the nicest $10 hotel I've seen in a while. Clean, private bath, and a nice big bed. The Filipina went to stay at her cousin's house and we forgot to get her contact info. Oh well.

This morning, we caught a minibus to Koh Lanta, which took three hours. We're now staying at a cute little resort on Prae Ae beach on the west coast of Koh Lanta. We really like it here already. Our resort's restaurant serves the best Pad Thai I've had in ages, and there's wifi at a Starbucks knockoff about three minutes' walk away.

We've already got a muay thai class booked for tomorrow, and we're hoping to rent bicycles and explore around.

We have to be on Koh Phagnan by next Wednesday, since you have to arrive two days before the full moon party to keep your hotel reservation. That gives us a week to explore the west coast.

I'm so happy to be in Thailand, I've got like a permanent grin on my face. It's like I've been reunited with a long-lost lover. Everything I've done here has made me so happy. Even just saying "thank you" - Korp kun kah. Even the rain this afternoon made me happy. I love Thailand.

So since we luuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuurve long-ass bus rides, we've decided to take another one. This time, though, the destination is fruitful - the so-called 'most beautiful islands in the world'. The Perhentian Islands. 

From what we hear, they're 'untouched', but there seems to be a pretty nice nightlife (maybe?), so I dunno how untouched they could really be. I will let you know. There's definitely no ATMs on the islands though, as we've been warned about 20 times.

So today Amy and I attempted to have some adventures, but it didn't work out since our jungle walk was undo-able (my Tevas were stolen in Kuta and I can't hike a jungle in my Aerosoles), and then we attempted to go to a tea plantation but we got there too late and there were no more tours, and all we could do was buy tea. 

On the way back, we broke another one of Amy's 'things I'll never do while I'm traveling' rules: we hitchhiked. Twice. It's so efficient! You get picked up right away, get to sit in comfy seats, and don't have to pay a thing!! What a concept! Sure, there's the possibility that you could get kidnapped and otherwise harmed but this place is pretty safe and we were confident our drivers were harmless.

Then, I made Amy try durian (if you don't know what it is, it's best to Google it, but it's a smelly-yet-delicious and spiky southeast asian treasure of a fruit). She didn't like it.

Also, I'm feeling 100,000,000 percent better. Can't wait to get my tan back. 

Feeling MUCH better today despite Amy's minor freak out yesterday on the bus to Cameron Highlands, when she felt my forehead and realized how crazy high my fever was. She said at one point I actually looked green and joked that she was going to take a picture of me. I told her later that I actually wish she had've! I would totally have posted it on here. How funny is that!?

Lucky for us, my fever broke on the bus, and there is a hospital here. Anyways, I immediately started feeling better when we got off the bus (being on a squeaky, windy bus for 5.5 hours is not ideal when you're sick), and I was even able to eat something (though it was just icecream). Got a good sleep last night and woke up feeling soooooo much better. I am so relieved. 

We're staying at a place called Father's Guesthouse. It's really cute. Lots of young people here - probably cuz it's a budget place and it's 'our pick' in the traveler's Bible (the Lonely Planet). We have communal showers (not as in we all shower together but as in we all share the same shower, at different times) and communal toilets (same thing) - the best part is - there is hot water in the showers and western toilets!! We feel so luxurious.

Cameron Highlands is probably the coldest place I've been to since I arrived in Southeast Asia (it's been almost four months now!!). The temperatures are in the low 20s!! I may have to buy a fleece. Haha. Seriously though.

I'm going to have to take it easy today, but I'm looking forward to my full health tomorrow so I can go on a jungle trek (sounds exciting!!).

Well take care friends and don't get swine flu.