Malaysia, ladyboys, streetfood and a link to Vietnam

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February 28th 2013

Published: February 28th 2013

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Manta

Intramuros, Manila

The sign says it all. The Philippines is a lot of fun

Last time we posted a trip report, we were in the fantastic rice terraces of Banaue. The bus ride back to Manila was rather interesting. The roads in this area are quite curved and we were pleased with the fact that they had built a one way traffic road to Manila. Well, we were happy until we found out that it wasn’t a one way street. Our driver reminded us of a clone of our driver (Mad Max) in Vietnam. It was rather impressive what he got away with. He was overtaking an uncountable number of vehicles by passing a full drawn line into a steep curve with absolutely no overview. When you add the darkness it was a miracle that we didn’t crash into something. Well, let’s conclude that we were happy to reach Manila in one piece after an 8 hour ride in the mountains.

Talking about survival, Inge (and Katrine) was happy that we survived our stay in Manila. We are divided in our opinion of Manila. Inge doesn’t like it at all. I think that it is ok, but not really very exciting compared to other big cities. It has a lot of contrasts. We stayed

Manila Bay sunset

A fantastic end to a fantastic time in the philippines

in a nice hotel near the center. On our last evening we decided to walk on a small side street to the major (normal) street just to add a little local flavor. The narrow street really had local flavor. It was close to slum. People were washing themselves (and dishes) in the street, the outdoor kitchens didn’t look nice at all, a fat rat made an appearance and finally a local man found it funny to jump out in front of us making some weird movements. I was very close in giving him a quick punch, but the better of me prevented it. Probably a good move, since nothing more happened. After dinner on our way back to the hotel we stuck to the big street.

Manila was the final stop after 2 great months on the Philippines. Now it was time to move on to Malaysia and Kuala Lumpur as our first destination.

Our first impression of Malaysia was really good. The bus ride from the airport to the city center was on surprisingly fine roads and we caught a few glimpses of the famous Petronas Twin Towers. It used to be the tallest buildings in the

Kuala Lumpur Center

The great view from the Kuala Lumpur tower

world, until they built one that was taller. Now it is the tallest twin tower in the world with a height of almost 400 meters. It is an impressive sight especially at nighttime. We quickly fell in love with Kuala Lumpur. It is a modern city where everything works well and you can buy western food. There is a nice blend with the more local Malaysia. You see it when walking in Chinatown and also we saw many Indian small businesses. The contrasts are the very big shopping malls where you can walk around for hours without having to go outside in the heat.
Our highlight in Kuala Lumpur was an evening in the good company of our friend Jenny Leong. She took us to the Skybar in the Traders Hotel. On the 33 rd floor we were in company with the young and hip people. It has an indoor swimming pool and a fantastic view to the Petronas Towers that are lit up until midnight. I am happy that the security guys didn’t look down and saw my shoes. There is a dress code and I am not sure that my shoes really would have made it. After

Here they are again

Harry and Lloyd on new adventures

a drink in the Skybar we went on to Marinis on 57. It was almost even more impressive. On the 57 th. floor right next to the towers you look down on most of the tall buildings in the area. It was almost magic. When you add a DJ who plays major hits from the 80’s and late 70’s you have a perfect cocktail. We thank you Jenny for an unforgettable evening that we rounded off with a meal in an Indian restaurant at 2 am. To our surprise, the restaurant was quite full at this time of night. It is very characteristic that we always can get a meal in the major cities at anytime. We had a Roti Canai, an Indian bread that we have become very fond of. It is something of a caloric bomb so our weight has bottomed out and is on the rise (again). As a NB we can mention that we succeeded in finding liquorices in a candy shop. It is American and tastes like heaven.

After two great days in Kuala Lumpur we went by bus to the Unesco protected city of Melaka. Melaka has historically been an important city for

Saved by the bell

This was good

trade. It has been on Portuguese, Dutch and English hands. There is a big Chinese population and the old houses woke up memories from Hoi An, Vietnam. The city is really nice, but doesn’t quite reach Hoi An in terms of atmosphere. We did try some of the famous dishes and we have to conclude that we prefer western cuisine. It was cozy to walk down Jonker Street and look at the many fine buildings. One of the clothing boutiques stood out with an outstanding architecture and Inge bought a couple of pieces of clothing and then she was happy too.
After 3 days in Melaka our trip took us to Cameron Highlands. Here we found a really comfortable climate. The days were like a really good Danish summer day and the nights a little cool. Fortunately we had a hot water shower which was really appreciated.
Our stay was very active with several jungle treks and sightseeing in the tea plantations. The area is named after Sir William Cameron. He was an English man who surveyed the area in 1885. It is something of an accomplishment since the area is very mountainous and there is a lot

A million dollar view

The Petronas Towers seen from the Traders Hotels Skybar

of jungle. You still feel the English influence with some beautiful old buildings in English style and the big tea plantations are still owned by the British. We started our stay by climbing a mountain summiting at 2000 meters after a steep 1½ hour trek in the jungle through knee deep mud in places. Of course the viewpoint was enrolled in clouds when we reached it. The trip down via another route was impressive with our first views of the beautiful tea plantations. It is difficult to comprehend the amount of work that have been put into cultivating the mountains. We saw the tea workers harvesting. It is a hard job on the steep mountain sides. Respect. The trip back was a bit longer than expected, so we were happy being offered a lift by 3 nice Muslim ladies that just had their pictures taken together with Inge. Inge’s hair really has an impact in Malaysia. I am jealous.
After having trekked through the jungle searching for the elusive monkeys we have to conclude that finding animals in the jungle is a difficult task. We saw a few birds, two snakes and a few insects and that was it.

Marinis 57

In good company with Jenny

In comparison diving is a totally different matter when you want to experience wildlife.
Our stay in the area was really nice and we enjoyed the Indian food on the Kumar restaurant. They make a really good Roti Canai and their roasted chicken is not bad at all.

Now it was time for a visit to Penang and Georgetown. Georgetown is also on the Unesco list of protected areas. The old city reminds us of Melaka and Hoi An in Vietnam. The city is an old trade station and history shows in the old buildings and temples. There is a good mix of Chinese, Indian and Malay people. They seem to live in peace with each other. You see Chinese temples side by side with Hindu temples and Mosques. Again we have the link to Vietnam since the Chinese temples have exactly the same design as the temples we saw in Vietnam. It is interesting walking in the streets taking in the atmosphere. The scent of Indian spices in “Little India” in unison with loud Indian local music from the many small stores is a highlight.
Penang ranks very high in international food rankings and the street

Roti Canai

The making of the wonderful bread

kitchens of Georgetown are voted as the 7 th. best in the world. We were lucky to meet another dive friend, Albert Kang, who took us to Red Garden. It is a street restaurant with many different kitchens offering their specialties. It was interesting to try. At the same time it was the final day of the Chinese New Year celebrations, so there were a lot of things going on in the city. Thank you to Albert for taking us out.
After the good massages in Dumaguete it was time to have the muscles loosened up. So we had to go Spa hunting. In the first center we were welcomed by a woman with a heavy make-up and a very masculine voice. No doubt she was a lady boy. We would like to stress the fact that we have nothing against lady boys at all, but actually having a massage by one. No thanks, not today anyway. The hunt went on and we found a hotel offering a one hour massage for MYR 48. We went in and the people in the reception laughed quite a bit. Ok, they were not lady boys but it turned out that they

Gangnam style

The cycles in Melaka had big stereos. Gangnam style is also popular here

only offered their services to male clients. Inge was not too happy with that and I wasn’t allowed to have a treatment either. What do you do? We went into a luxury hotel and asked if they had a Spa. They didn’t, but they did recommend the place with the lady boy. I braved up and went. I got my massage and it turned out that the lady boy (fortunately) only operated in the reception. The masseur was Chinese and didn’t speak a word of English, but he knew his trade. So the experience turned out to be pretty good.

We have seen pretty many lady boys in Malaysia and the Philippines. We wonder why? Is it some kind of fashion hit? In that case, will it hit Denmark? We’ll see, but since I am not into fashion I’ll let this one pass. We have to stress that the lady boys we have met have been very polite and nice people, it is just that their deep voices don’t really go well with the heavy make-up and nice dresses.

Our last experience in Penang was a great day out on Penang Hill. We took the train to an

Jonker Street

The night market

altitude of 700 meters where we had great views of Georgetown and the strait of Melaka. In the jungle we saw aggressive giant squirrels, wild monkeys and beautiful butterflies in psychedelic colors. We actually saw more animal life in 2 hours on the hill than we did on all of our treks in Cameron Highlands. And then we must not forget the friendly mosquitoes that had a party with our blood.

Tomorrow we are off to Kuala Lumpur and on March 3 rd. we will head off to Borneo with diving on Sipadan and jungle treks. After our experience on Penang Hill, our expectations are rather high. You will know in a few weeks from now.

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