I know what bedbugs look like now. They are insects that are as small as pinpoints and can get as large as the heads of pins. The color is from pale pink to black. Some are even red if they have sucked from you. I found my first ones at the NKS Guesthouse as I was in my room on my bed leaning against the wall with a pillow behind me. After awhile of sitting, my back itched on occasion. I just thought it was some of the my hair falling and landing when I adjusted from time to time as I was reading. Looking more carefully I found the critters running around the bed, then looking behind the pillow I found loads more. I started killing them. Some made black stains and some let out crimson. I did quite a bit of squishing before it was time for me to catch the train. It was odd that the other beds didn't seem to have the same problem. I noticed after the fact, that the bedsheet that I had been on had several tiny black splotches. I was glad I did not sleep in that bed that night. The sleep I did get that night was almost non-existent on the train going south to Johor Bahru.

First of all, a sleeping lady had taken my seat and the one next to it. So when I got on the train, I just sat in another seat. Midway through the stop-and-go trip, the owner of the seat I was in, wanted it. Fortunately the slumbering lady in my seat was awake and in one, not both, of the seats. I just moved to the empty seat beside her. The ride was uneventful though I had awaken several times as the train stopped at stations or to let other trains pass by on this mostly single track rail. Also to keep me from sleeping was the temperature setting to this refrigerated passenger car. I found my towel useful that night.

At the Johor Bharu Airport in route to go to eastern Malaysia (crossing the South China Sea), I had been waiting since 11:30AM for a standby flight at 3:30PM. If that didn't work, I would have to wait until 9:00PM. For lunch, I ate at the worst place yet. The fried noodles – "mee goreng" and its other accessories were cold. I also experimented with this pink drink that resembles Pepto Bismol, but only wished it tasted as good. It was like drinking pure candy in milk. It's hard to describe all this costing RM 7.20 there under the airport (I now understood why it was under the airport)!

I was able to get on the flight at 3:30. The flight over was 1 hour and 20 minutes. The guy who sat next to me seemed like he could have thrown up at any time, but he didn't. (I wonder if it was because I smelled so bad :-). I found something odd about myself on this flight. I become very sleepy during takeoffs and landings. During this landing, I did not know we were on the ground until I heard all of the seat belt buckles snap and people reached for the luggage. However, the situation might have happened due to the lack of sleep I got the previous night. After getting off the plane, I waited for the bus. I was told the bus was not very reliable, but I sat there for about an hour, in which one should have come, but none did.

While waiting, a friendly Malaysian guy struck up a conversation with me. We talked for some time as we waited for the rain to die down in order for him to get to his car. After a little while longer, he told me that the bus stop was about 50 yards away! I was a bit surprised considering there was an obscure bus stop sign I could see where I was waiting. So I went to the correct place and waited. Here I also got to talk with a banker who just got off work and was waiting for the bus too. We had a pretty good conversation, then the first guy comes up in his car and offers both of us a ride. I was a little hesitant as I had heard of Malaysians befriending tourists, giving them something to eat, and the next thing the tourist knows is he is out on the street with nothing but a puzzled look on his face. Since he was taking both of us, I felt a little more comfortable. He dropped me off at my hotel and then proceeded to drop the other guy off. He was quite a nice man to offer and give such a gesture. (I had a remote idea that he was gay).

I'm staying at the Kuching Hotel in my own room but sharing toilet and shower facilities for RM 21. It's a room that's adjacent to the street. I tried to get it changed, but this was all they had. I went across the street for dinner and got pineapple fried rice. Later I got honeydew ice cream. It tasted exactly the same as honeydew! I was very impressed. And to make it even more unbelievable, when I burped, it still tasted a lot like honeydew! This one scoop cone for only RM1. Afterward I took a stroll along the Kuching Riverwalk under a cleared sky with the moon showing half of itself.