Blogs from Perhentian Kecil, Terengganu, Malaysia, Asia

I got into Kuala Lumpur around 5 in the afternoon and hopped on the efficient KLIA Express train to KL Central station, where I changed onto the Kelana Jaya Line two stops to Masjid Jamek station. From there it was a nice short walk to my home for the next 5 nights - Back Home Hostel. It wasn't the cheapest hostel in town, in fact it was one of the pricier places I stayed on my whole trip - a whopping 13 USD a night - but it was a very cool hostel and very comfortable despite the ever-so-slight mould problem in the room! This was my second time in Kuala Lumpur so I'm not going to write much about it this time! I reminisced and revisited a handful a places including the Old Market Square ... read more

When doing our research on Malaysia one gem we had been looking forward to visiting the most was the Perhentian islands; Sat at my office desk with my attention drifting from work, my mind would take me to what I believed it would be like; perfect blue waters, soft sandy beaches, an amazing underwater world and great sea food. Add in a BBQ and a mango shake, then that would be my paradise. As our pending trip got closer more and more I would idle over days that we could spend relaxing on the beach, reading books, listening to music or exploring the island and cooling down with a shake, beer or just some refreshing cold drink. It wasn't hard to look forward to this place and forget about any work projects in hand. Oh how ... read more

I was debating about whether whether I would include a Malaysia chapter for this blog or simply omit it. I hesitate not because Malaysia was unimportant, uninteresting or unexciting but rather I really enjoyed my stay here even if it is not the most glamorous of countries. Also, I should mention that in this case I am referring to Penninsular Malaysia as opposed to Borneo which I have already written about and rightfully deserved its own space. Malaysia is probably the most overlooked of the SEA countries. It lacks the parties and hedonism of Thailand to the north and the exoticism of Indonesia to the south. In many ways Malaysia seems to act as a buffer between these to hotspots. For Canadians anyway. As for Germans, well, I might as well have learned German to prepare ... read more

Finally arriving in the Perhentians at 7am after a long, uncomfortable mini bus journey and a speed boat, Justin and I trailed the stretch of sand to find accommodation. Getting frustrated, as we were looking for a specific price range, Justin walked up through the wooded area to try and find the original place we opted for (only saying this because a local man said he had never heard of it before). He strolled back over to me after 15 minutes of being gone, saying, yes...it was there and for a double room it was 20 ringett per person. Perfect. In the meantime, I had been chatting to Shanae (English) and Jerry (Taiwan) who were also waiting for the owners of another place to appear, but they thought, our option sounded good so decided to join ... read more

Wir fliegen nach Kota Bharu und machen uns auf zu den Perhentian Islands...in den paar Tagen hier werden einige Tauchgänge unternommen. Die Unterwasserwelt hier ist der Hammer...so viele Fische und Korallen...zu den Highlights zählen mit Sicherheit die riesen Schildkröte, die aus dem Nichts auftaucht und völlig uninteressiert an uns vorbeigleitet...Wir haben Glück und sehen abends nochmal ein Monsterexemplar am Strand...locker über einen Meter lang robbt das Teil über den Strand um seine Eier abzulegen...wir sitzen gespannt im Sand und verfolgen, wie sich das Riesentier langsam wieder Richtung Wasser begibt... Jetzt seid ihr wieder auf dem laufenenden. Auch wenn ich nicht wirklich viel geschrieben hab in den letzten Berichten, schaut euch die Bilder an, denn die erzählen ja auch einiges...es geht weiter nach Borneo, nach Kota Kinabalu um genau zu sein und von dort weiter nach Sandakan ... read more