Blogs from Batu Ferringhi, Penang, Malaysia, Asia

1st April ’12 Ko Samui to Penang, Malaysia The epic 15 hour, 1 car, 1 ferry, 3 buses, customs out of Thailand and immigration into Malaysia started early! 6.30am and we were up and ready to head to the port. We had to use a taxi from the hotel as none of the travel agencies would come out this far to pick us up. When we reached the port we got a lovely surprise, there sitting on a bench was Fon our young Thai bar girl friend! When she spotted me she leapt up with a cry and came running across to us, I jumped up to meet her and she wouldn’t stop hugging me. It was really sweet, she kept saying I am so happy I didn’t think I would see you again, this is ... read more

Batu Feringghi is a popular summer vacation destination for Australians, Chinese and Malaysians. The locals live just behind the line of hotels lining the beach at the base of a jungle. I stayed at Annie’s Homestay in the neighborhood of locals just a short walk past a public park, which was filled with the same soccer players every evening at dusk. Annie and her family are the kind of people who always remember everyone’s name and will invite you to have drinks with them or go on a trek to the beach as if you’ve been friends for years. Annie mapped out an itinerary for me complete with bus stops and suggested stop overs. When I wanted to stay in to read my book she encouraged me to go out, like a Spanish mom. Before ... read more

As a little girl raised in a Chinese household she believed in the centuries-old beliefs of her parents and parents' parents and so on. During certain holidays her mother dolled her up in fine red silk dresses. She especially loved to celebrate the moon festivals in which offerings of food, drink, and fortune are made to the gods which lived on the moon. As she recalls these childhood memories she tucks graying hair behind an ear. It was so long ago that she abandoned the red silk dresses. The best part of the Autumnal moon festival was watching her father light the incense, she explains that the rising smoke helped to carry the spiritual offerings of her father's best rice wine and mother's doughy moon cakes up to the pale moon which she remembers being in ... read more

Hi Guys, Last stop Penang in Malaysia to stay at Annie's Guest House for the second time. We knew it would be the perfect place to wind down before the long flight home as Annie, Raj and their family are truly wonderful people. Our last night they arranged a BBQ for us and the rest of the guests. Annie made an awesome Indian Chicken Curry, ( Paddy was the assistant and now has the secret recipe ) the girls were on salad duty and the boys were on BBQ duty. It was a brilliant night, we made two great friends in Laura and Chris and look forward to seeing them after their time travelling and we are not JEALOUS in the slightest that they are at the beginning of their journey. GURRRRR!! Tears upon leaving the ... read more

After an ok nights sleep (air-con always makes the throat and mouth dry as hell) I headed downstairs for breakfast with my slightly less club like foot. Breakfast as ever was toast, toast, toast or noodles so toast it was! Aruna had suggested hiring scooters for the day rather than getting the bus to the closest beach at Batu Ferringhi, a forty-five minute ride away. So we spoke to the guy that hired out twist-and-go scooters at the front of the guest house and he agreed to do us a deal for two scooters. He looked a bit like Jackie Chan, with long hair so I found it hard not to laugh as he was going through the operation of the scooter with me. I had to grab fuel before we went anywhere as mine, unlike ... read more

Once again, it was our winter break and we headed for warmer climates. This year it was off to Malaysia and Indonesia after recuperating for the first week of our holiday at home, getting over a cold ( I thought!!). As we flew into KL, the only thing visible from the plane were miles and miles of palm oil plantations. It is the largest agricultural product in the country. The airport is located 60-70 km from the city but only an 8 MYR (about $3) bus ride away. After landing, we hopped on the LCCT-KL Sentral bus and headed for the city. Once again, mile after mile of palm plantations greeted us out of both sides of the bus. From the bus station, we walked to the nearest monorail station and took the short trip to ... read more

First of all, sorry for showing our geeky sci-finess by doing a Star Trek title for the blog, we just couldn’t resist it! It was only a short (air conned!) bus ride to Batu Ferringhi, a beach resort town on the north coast of Penang. Because of the heat Neil had insisted that his Cadbury’s chocolate be packed very carefully into our backpacks, to provide the most protection from melting in the heat! We managed to find the right place to get off the bus and walked away from the big resort hotels down a side street which lead to the beach and the budget accommodation; although the word ‘budget’ to describe the rooms is definitely not the one we would use! Cue a hot and sweaty hour or so walking around the few guesthouses asking ... read more