Malaysia

There I stood poised in the likes of an Amazon tribesman with a spear elevated in my left hand staring eye-to-eye with a wild monkey.

Seconds ago, the hairy little thief pinched my bag of munchies as I sat stranded on an island off the west coast of Malaysia. After chucking sand and rocks and also stabbing a bamboo spear toward the monkey, he disappeared into the thick jungle with my grub.

Hours before the encounter, a charter boat dropped me off at one of the uninhabited islands near the tourist isle of Langkawi. I was supposed to spend six hours out there but the local boatmen picked me back up a few hours later due to inclement weather.

The early departure was a disappointment not only because I wanted to relax away from other pale tourists but I yearned for revenge against that quick, damn monkey. I thought he deserved to at least be pegged with a small stone or something.

I may have been slightly upset that day but I did thoroughly enjoy my week-long stay in Malaysia. My first stop was the bustling capital of Kuala Lumpur. I had the opportunity to party with locals and stand next to the picturesque Petronas Towers.

I then took an overnight train and ferry to Langkawi where I stayed at random beachside hotels, drank beer and swam in warm seawater. I also rented a moped and traveled across the island to check out remote beaches with rocky, lush green islands just off the coast.

It was surprisingly cheap everywhere on the popular island. A night at a seafront hotel can cost just $25 and a meal stood at about a dollar or two. A beer was less than $2, with cocktails at $5.

I highly recommend a trip to Langkawi since it's still not as touristy or built up as nearby Phuket in Thailand, which is my next stop. However, there are a few things or at least one thing that guys should know before coming out this way.

Though the beaches are beautiful, many of the beachgoers aren't what you'd expect. Malaysia is a Muslim country, so you'll likely see fully-clothed women in the water, even with their headdresses on. Also, there was an abundance of gay dudes, some in thongs and Speedos that were all too revealing.

I typically associate sandy beaches with nubile bikini-wearing girls. Unfortunately I could only find a few on the island. Though its eye-candy was bothersome, the price was right for traveling to Langkawi, and even for the rest of Malaysia.