Blogs from Malaysia, Asia - page 743

Well......little did we realise that the transfer onto mainland would be quite so torturous!!! First up, after much deliberation, and thanks largely to a brewing tropical storm....we decided to leave paradise on the 7.30am ferry! BIG mistake...the storm a-brewing meant that it was somewhat choppy on the open seas and ERROR of all errors we managed to sit ourselves directly beneath the AC outlet...bbbrrrrrrrrrrrrr!!!! We arrived on the mainland basically as blocks of ice and for once it was a huge relief to go outside into the humidity...... to a place called Kuantan, where we would have an overnight stop before heading into deepest darkest Jungle territory! Kuantan was good, not a great deal to see but enough for an overnight stop........ The morning dawned to a city full of closed shops.......Simon you know you mentioned ... read more

Yesterday was a pretty quiet day for a change. I fancied going to the Petrosains Science Centre but Glynn wasn't so interested so I left him to his own devices at the hostel and went out on my own. It was weird being without him for the first time in as long as I can remember and I was a bit nervous because my map reading and navigational skills are dreadful! I was also a little apprehensive about being out on my own in KL as many of the men here have a habit of quite blatantly staring at my chest and walking too close to me. As it transpired, I didn't have any problems. It only took me about 20 minutes to get to the Petronas Towers where the science centre is located but before ... read more

8hr bus Journey, 1 hr squashed taxi ride and a 1/2hr bumpby fast boat ride and we arrive at the Perentian Islands the place I have been dreaming of since we started planning this trip. So we get to Butterworth Bus station on the mainland after a quick ferry from Penang Island with plenty of time to kill as we want this trip to go ahead without too many trauma's like we've had in the past, especially with next bus being at 8.30 the next morning. MMM being early is one thing but being three hrs early is taking it to the extreme, not to worry we'll be able to grab a juice and read our books with this being a major bus station and all. Nope. Turns out Butterworth bus station is nothing but 12 ... read more

Kuala Lumpur, like many Asian cities, is cursed with something known locally as 'the Haze'. In many cities we've been to, particularly in China, the haze can be attributed directly to air pollution and on most days the skies carry a grey fog that blocks out the sun. In KL the haze seems to be a bit hit and miss so I don't know if it can be attribued soley to pollution - some days here have been crystal clear. I'm sure if I did some research, I'd get a definitive answer. Glynn's cold seemed to be abating so we were both glad to escape our room for a proper day out again. The reason I mention the haze is because today, spurred on by our night excursion to the Petronas Towers, we wondered if other ... read more

The amount I hated Kota Bharu is directly proportional to the amount I loved Langkawi. We arrived at noon after a terrifying ferry ride. It was a three hour tour. We should have all learned a very important lesson from Gilligan: any boat ride advertised as a three hour tour is destined for disaster. The word 'ferry' implies some sort of natural charm- a pleasant boat paddling through calm seas with a man in a striped shirt and brown loafers with tassels bringing me fresh fruit and champagne while I lounge on th sun deck waving to passing boats with a whit haired man we call Cappy is poised at the wheel steering us to paradise. He may even puff on his pipe, if the winds are calm enough. That is the image of a ferry ... read more