Monkeying in Malaysia.... just what the doctor ordered

As I write this, exactly one month has passed since we left for what would prove to be the most wonderful trip of my life thus far.  But leaving had been the easy part, as the whole voyage had taken quite a bit of preparation.  The process started with booking the plane tickets which finalized in late November: We would start by flying to Malaysia, spend a few days in Singapore and end with a stay in Thailand.  Then came the reading and planning bit. The better part of December was spent researching about things to do in each country and how to get there as well as finding accommodations.  Buses, trains, ferries, hostels, excursions, scooters would all have to somehow fit into our two week getaway.  How would it be possible to do and see everything we wanted to in such a short time?  Indeed, much planning was required.  I found that Hostelworld.com, the Lonely planet guides and of course, the Internet were huge helps figuring out all the details.  By the time January rolled around, we just had a few last puzzle pieces left to put in place.  So after finishing up our two week winter camps at school, we were finally ready to embark on this amazing journey.