Blogs from Batu Ferringhi, Penang, Malaysia, Asia - page 3

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

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

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

Good afternoon everyone this is your Captain speaking, we will shortly be descending on the land of all things western, many things fake, lots that’s cultural and where the temperature is a sweaty 32 degrees C with 80% humidity and all this some distance away from a tuk tuk driver or a local washing his prize cow! Welcome to Kuala Lumpur Malaysia. A brisk walk alongside the tarmac, a speedy customs check and forex change and we were out of the door and on a bus headed for the city. It’s difficult not to notice the marks of a truly capitalist nation when the first things you see are the Mc Donalds and Starbucks illuminated insignia jutting out of every second building! This aside we were decidedly excited at what Malaysia had to hold and not ... read more