Frankandnathan

Bangkok for a second time. We ditched the scabby backpackers and stayed in the hip, modern and classy area of Sukhumvit. After Cambodia all we wanted was public transport and clean, sharp lines. So we hit the city's shopping centre district-Central World, Gaylorn, Siam Square etc. One can catch a sky train and then walk along elevated skyways, no need to touch the ground. Fabulous. They say they're going to extend the skyway network all across the city. Brings a whole new meaning to "Up Town". Bangkok is an amzing place for shopping, especially if you're rich. Everything is designer, and all we wanted was something like a Thai Kmart or an up market Target. Didn't stop us though. We shopped till we dropped, ate great food and got stomach bugs from somewhere. We visited the ... read more

Bus travel in Cambodia is definitely less plush than in Malaysia, and it seems to be a mistake to let the hotel organise anything ever, since you end up with a crappy service at twice the price. Anyway, we bumped along the road south from Siem Reap to Phnom Penh in a minibus which was air conditioned for some of the time. Cambodian road manners are always interesting, the horn seems to mean "dont panic motorbike person, I am going to drive a bus past you and it would be tragic if you swerved"! Phnom Penh has had a tragic history. I don't know how I really feel about the sites of tragedy being turned into tourist attractions. It is strange to have tuk tuk drivers constantly shouting "killing fields" at you. I wonder how they ... read more

Bangkok airport is lovely, although lacking in good food in the arrivals area. However, after a sausage croissant our complacency was shattered by a trip down the freeway in a taxi at 120kph. The speed limit was 80. Also, we learned a couple of road tips - you can make your own fourth lane by driving down the left hand side of the left lane, and a good time to give lectures on road etiquette to motorbike drivers is when you are going past them in the fast lane, through an open window. Strangely, seat belts in the back seat of taxis seem to be widely regarded as undesirable additions which are best hidden away from passengers who might be offended by their presence. We made it to the backpacker haven of Khoa San road. Whiteys ... read more

So after Langkawi, we headed back to Georgetown for three nights. Staying in the same hotel made us feel as if we were coming home, seeing all the old stains and smelling all the familiar smells that make this part of Georgetown so very memorable. After disembarking from the thankfully seaworthy ferry, we hustled through the crowds to the roadside to get a cab, only to be told that the cab to our hotel would cost 30 MR! Seeing as we paid 12 MR to get the ferry terminal originally we decided to leg it instead. Up bright and early the next day, we headed out of Georgetown to a little tourist trap called the Spice Garden. This is a Garden of Spices. We saw all the spices, and tropical herbs you can think of, and ... read more

So we headed for Georgetown. Once the British took over Melaka, they wanted to develop Singapore and Georgetown instead, so Penang has a fair few colonial relics, but is also getting pretty developed these days. We had a short political lecture from the taxi driver on arrival, and he was kind enough to point out the Chief Minister's office 61 floors above the town. He is from the Malaysian opposition party. I should mention how amazing Malaysian coach travel is. It is like flying in first class, except at ground level. The only drawback is no toilets, we dare not drink too much liquids! Hotel room was giant and equipped with superfast internet, so spent some time enjoying that. However, we did venture out to see some sights, take in the loud Bollywood tunes in Little ... read more