I'm on a Boat! Day 7&8 (5/26-27)

The ferry ride to Pangkor

Our time in Vietnam ended and we were off to Malaysia.  After getting stuck in a hole, it was nice to have a relaxing weekend at the Pangkor Island Beach Resort.  Once we arrived in Kuala Lumpar via plane, we bused and then took a ferry to the resort.

We arrived to the island late in the evening, but still had time to enjoy the scenery.  Some of us played beach volleyball and swam in the ocean.  I managed to prove how high-strung I am because I got startled three times while out in the water.  Twice it was because Daniel and Mathias brushed by me but, the other time was the strap of my own swimsuit startling me.

Daniel (in his fancy new shirt from our) tour, me, and Edward 

Our full day on the island was jammed packed with activities.  Most of the group went on an island boat tour and snorkeling trip.  We had the opportunity to see different parts of the island, check out some aquatic life and Daniel was able to buy more wild souvenirs.  

After our return, we split up to do different activities.  Margery and I went kayaking out in the bay.  Mathias kept trying to swim out to us, and Margery was determined that he was trying to tip us over.  When we finally let him get on the kayak, the man who we rented the boat from ran out onto the beach to yell at us.

Later Nellie, Edward, Mathias, Margery, and I decided to go hiking in the forest.  We had no idea what we were getting ourselves into.  The hike, turned out to be a trek.  The trail was very steep and not well kept.  Margery and Mathias thought nothing of it and hiked away.  Nellie, Edward and I weren't too keen on it, especially after Nellie fell off the steep trail and had to get leeches pulled off of her.  We turned back and were glad to make it out without more scratches and leeches than that...for the time being.  Margery found a fat and happy leech under her toes later that evening.

We wrapped up the day by doing a Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats (SWOT) analysis for Vietnam before dinner.  With this analysis, we were able to take the knowledge gained from our time there, and pin-point important factors for Vietnam's agricultural future.  These factors ranged from being a complementary market to the United States to a lack of organized governmental support for agriculture.  It would also be useful as comparison between the nations we visited during I-CAL.

Edward, Daniel, Mathias, and Karl singing
"Raindrops Falling on My Head" at karaoke

Dinner was at a Chinese karaoke restaurant.  Chinese is one of the three main ethnic groups in Malaysia (Indian and Malayan are the other two), so it was defiantly better than American Chinese food!  Like Vietnam, there were many varieties of juices along with the meal, but like in China the meal began with hot green tea.  The meal was great and the night got even better after we joined in on karaoke.  The songs we sang varied from Country Roads, to Let it Be.  Bethany O. and Shellen, from the U.S. Grains Council,  finished with Wind Beneath my Wings and blew us away with their great voices.

Our time at the resort was a great mid-point of our trip.  Although it was not very agricultural, it gave us a little insight to the culture we were about to be emerged into.  Also, since we were able to wrap up our time in Vietnam we could be ready for transitioning into Malaysian agriculture.