I knew that Penang to Kho Tao was a long journey, but I never knew it would be this long! It all started with a 5 a.m. luxury minibus ride across the Thai border, and then I was rushed into another bus for the rest of the journey north. The driver clearly had some sort of death wish and had a habit of stopping every 10 minutes to try and pick up more passengers. This would have been fine, but what was scary about it was the fact he always overshot, and then reversed up the motorway to get to the perplexed bystanders while busses, vans and HGVs swerved to avoid us tooting their horn in the way that only 3rd world drivers can. We finally arrived at our 'destination' at 2... before realising it was ... read more

Templetastic I got a bus out of GT up to the Kek Lok Si Temple complex, a veritable tourist trap 30 minutes from the ferry terminal. It is a large and imposing complex, and it is clearly visible on the hillside from the village below. As you near the temple the street vendors get ever more touristy - practical goods like food and drink make way for the more profitable pocket sized buddahs and fake designer clothing. Eventually you break through to the actual temple which frankly I didnt rate. It was big, and complex and there were some nice features. But it clashed, the colours were often washed out and it seemed that statues had perhaps been randomly placed around. There were impressive views out across Penang Island though, and some parts were very impressive, ... read more

I awoke late, which I blame partly on beer and partly on the fact that my room has no windows and therefore is pitch black without the light on 24 hours a day. I spent the day again wandering around KL, this time heading out west where the Bird Park, Gardens, National monument and so on Lie. Scam? As I was walking back to the hotel I was approached by a young (25yr old?) Malaysian woman who started chatting to me "where are you from, how long you here" etc. She asked me if I wanted to have a drink with her, so I decided not to be overly paranoid and went. I asked for a can so I could make sure it wasn't drugged. I was sure I was being set up for a scam, ... read more

I didnt want to get up. I really didnt. But opening my eyes and facing the Kopi Susu was an inevitability. Richard, Junko, Anne, Marishka and myself all arranged to go for a trip around the island. Richard was as suprised to see me awake as I was him, with us having been the ones up til gone closing time at 04:30 last night. We hopped into the speedboat and then we were off to see some more of Tioman. First stop was snorkelling just north of Juara, before we stopped on Juara itself. Juara is the smallest and quietest town on Tioman, literally nothing more than a beach and a couple of shacks. It would be a great place to stay on a honeymoon, but perhaps a little quiet for the solo traveller. As we ... read more

Nasi Lemak makes a great breakfast. Coconut rice, chilli sauce and crunchy fish make an unlikely culinary delight, especially with the ubiquitous coffee (from a bag) with slug of condensed milk. After brekky it was time to head out for another days action packed diving. First stop was Fan canyon, and the second was around Soyah island. Two very good dives, but somewhat overshadowed by the night dive which was SPECTACULAR. It was the same site as yesterdays afternoon dive, but in the dark. The early part of the dive was nice, but pretty standard. The real greatness came tho when we headed across to the house reef, turned out lights out and started kicking around. A little like I experienced in Australia the water gave off bioluminescence when disturbed. Unlike in Australia this time I ... read more

Duck porridge and Durian Juice I finally managed to track down the elusive textbook, and after a ricecake breakfast I trekked back across town to pick it up praying it would be small and light... and thankfully it was (ish). For lunch I had an interesting (thanks for the tip Chloe) Duck porridge lunch (literally duck and porridge) which was delicious. Its strange that at home we never use porridge as a base for anything other than breakfast, and it actually works very well. It was washed down with durian juice, which while tasty at first soon became too much to stomach. To Malaysia I caught a bus across the causeway into Malaysia. The crossing necessetated alighting twice - once for the Singapore departure and once for the Malaysian arrival. I cant help but think that ... read more