Quick Bits - Melaka and Pulau Tioman

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Melaka was my first stop in Malaysia...it is a nice town with a colonial history, however, the best part of my brief time there was the travellers I met.

When arriving at the hostel I bumped into Jane Chen - we met at a hostel in Singapore and were both going to travel Malaysia, however, since she was on a tight schedule and left two days before me I didn't expect to see her again - so it was a happy surprise.

The hostel, Shirah's Guesthouse, was basic but very friendly and had a coffee table and sofas where everyone sat around each evening and socialised. The cultural mix of people staying there was much mor diverse than the European-Canadian predominance of travellers in NZ and Australia. The first night there were three English, one Dutch (Amir), one Chinese-American (Jane), one Korean-American (David), one Iraqi (Basim), one Japanese, and others who have left my memory...the conversation revolved around deep topics such as meditation, electrical energy from bodies...and I danced...it might sounds bizzare but it was a great evening!

Two days later, with amended travel plans, I set off for Pulau Tioman with Amir and Jane. The journey ther was my first taste of a different style of backpacking...as I boarded the local bus with my backpack early in the morning, the wind blowing in my hair as we drove, I felt alive and free.

The island was lovely and fun, the locals were friendly, the tropical forest looked beautiful (I never actually ventured into it!) and the water was warm, green-blue and clear. I spent several days re-learning how to relax after my hectic travels in Australia. One evening, having dinner with the extremely laid back Amir and Jane I realised just how incredibly uptight I was...I was stressed with absolutely no reason, I had tension in my head I wasn't aware of until I let it go...I realised I need to take a break, step back and learn to chill out travelling, which I am now doing! I made mistakes in Australia rushing my travels and now I intend to do the opposite when possible.

I also took the opportunity to complete my Advanced PADI SCUBA diving qualification whilst on the island....

And then it was off to Kuala Lumpur for Merdeka day - the 50th anniversary of Malaysian independence...!

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Photos

Melaka Chinatown night market
Trying a tapioca lolly

My second home on the island
I had to move to a cheaper chalet when the girl I was sharing with decided, at the last minute, to leave one morning! I was not impressed, since Jane, Amir and I had invited her to stay with us to be friendly...nevermind...this place was nice...far more so than my Rock Garden shack!