lizards, sea turtles, and sharks, oh my!

Cultural tidbit: Another similarity between China and Malaysia.

In both countries, it is normal to exchange money, receipts, or papers using both hands. I learned about this in my International Business class during my first year of college; however, my professor understood it to be only business cards that required a respectful handoff. In reality, it's just about everything. I've become totally accustomed to it now, to the point where I shift my luggage and handbags to make sure I can hand my boarding pass with both hands at the airport gate, and would never consider flippantly sliding a credit card across the counter for payment.

Supposedly it shows that you are "giving all of yourself." I like it simply because it feels like a more real and purposeful connection - you must fully acknowledge your interaction and momentarily square your shoulders and put all your energy into passing something from your life into another.

And back to the journey.
I'm in the same internet cafe I used for my last posting and am having a hard time believing only two days have passed.

The last two nights, I have slept in a hut raised on stilts above the ocean, and have fallen asleep to the gentle slap of the waves against my floorboards. I have used less shampoo and soap in the shower than ever before, as the water drains directly through the floor slats into the ocean.

More remarkably, I have seen so many animals that I only previously witnessed in nature documentaries. With nothing but a snorkel, mask, and flippers, I came face to face with a herd of 8 enormous sea turtles, and saw a total of 5 white-tipped sharks. I always thought seeing sharks in nature would be an overwhelming and frightening experience. In reality, the whole experience was cast so far from my "real life" that I could hardly make the connection that those sharks... right below me... were real. (Especially as I heard David Attenborough's voice narrating dramatically "WHITE TIPPED SHARKS" as I swam by. Anyone watch Planet Earth?)

Another highlight was a monsoon-light rainstorm that flooded our small island for several hours. I took advantage of the torrential downpour to play on the muddy paths, splash in the puddles, and "shower" in the runoff from the giant palm trees. I even got temporarily incorporated into a game of dodgeball with some young local boys.

Time to catch a night bus back to the mountain. Pictures will be provided when I find a computer that supports my memory card... (Aka, when I get home.)