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On the second day of the tour we got up early and got a bus to Melaka in Malaysia. This was my first border crossing since I started my trip and It was surprisingly easy. I was greeted in Malaysia immigration by giggling immigration officers who said I had nice eyes (still got it). We arrived in Melaka at midday and went for food In a ghastly shopping mall. I spent the best part of an hour trying to withdraw money only to find out that Lloyds had put a stop on my card despite telling them exactly where I was going prior to me leaving the UK. I'd like to say that I was pleasant with them when I called but unfortunately my call centre etiquette has left me since resigning from the call centre I used to work in. Having sorted it all out we went on a trishaw ride round the town and did some more walking. We rested before dinner and then headed out for food in Chinatown where we walked down a bustling street selling all sorts of street food. We finished the night with a drink at the bar attached to our hotel.
We left Melaka on the third day of the trip and arrived in Kuala Lumpur at midday. We were staying in KL for two nights so this meant we had a good chance to see the city. In the afternoon we took a tour in a private van stopping of at some places of interest including a Hindu temple inside a cave which involved climbing a lot of stairs which were ridden with savage angry monkeys but they didn't seem too angry with me for some reason. We then headed out for food in the evening, saw a traditional Malay dance and then four of us went and had some drinks (by some I mean too many) at a reggae bar which was very cheap and had a great atmosphere. I regrettably consumed two "Graveyard" cocktails which were made up of brandy,whiskey,vodka,gin,rum,tequila,Pernod and stout. Needless to say they were horrible but made financial sense given they were only 13 Ringgit which is about £2.30.
Our second day in KL was a free day with nothing planned so four of us went for a walk to the famous Petronas towers which are vast and impressive. In the
afternoon we went to a swimming pool and paddled in the kids area as I wasn't allowed to swim unless I had a particular type of swimming short on. We returned to the twin tower area later to visit a bar called sky bar which was at the top of a hotel and boasted amazing views of the towers. After this we strolled down KL's Chinatown and had some lovely food before returning to the reggae bar but I refrained from drinking graveyards and stuck to beer.
We left KL on day 5 and headed to Cameron Highlands which involved driving along a long windy road and arrived at our hotel at 6pm. We went out for food in the evening and then I attempted to get an early night in preparation for the next day where we going into the jungle for a trek. Unfortunately I didn't sleep very well thanks to some loud and flatulent Germans outside my room. I had to tell them to shut up and eventually I got to sleep.
Our second day in Cameron highlands started with a morning jungle trek which second to the Singapore scooter ride
was one of the most intense and exhausting things I've ever done in my life. It was, however, incredible and I will have fond memories of it for the rest of my life. The trek finished with a blow pipe demonstration by some local people and this was also a lot of fun and not as hard as it sounds. We spent the afternoon at a tea plantation and a strawberry farm. Cameron highlands are beautiful and the temperature was much cooler than the city humidity we had experienced so far. In the evening we went out to the town and sampled the local dish called "steamboat" which is essentially a pot of soup where you put a selection of meats and veg into the soup and cook, then eat. It was a bit messy but I'm glad to say I've had it.
Day 7 saw us leave Cameron highlands for Penang. We arrived in Penang at midday and had some lunch nearby followed by a long and arduous walk round the town. Frankly I haven't seen anything here to should about and contrary to what my book says I unfortunately do not think it is a
very nice city. We attempted to have a few drinks in the evening but didn't find anywhere of real interest and were put off by one bar owner beating a tramp who was asleep outside his bar.
Our second day in Penang was a gentle one as we didn't feel there was much to do. The hotel had a pool so we spent some time there and relaxed which was absolutely fine with me being a man of lethargy. In the evening we wandered the local food streets and ate in a very hot food hall before returning to the hotel for an early night. Penang was a bit of a let down but still an interesting city and I think we would have got more out of it had a our tour guide been more helpful. Lek is a nice lady but it almost seems like she doesn't know where to go and at times it is as if she's on holiday. We were leaving Malaysia for Thailand the next day.
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