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Day 101
Today we left Singapore by bus and travelled north to Kuala Lumpur the capital of Malaysia. The bus only had 4 passengers including us and was very comfortable. We had to get our passports stamped at the Singapore border before travelling to the next checkpoint for entry into Malaysia. Here we had to remove all our bags off the coach and carry them into the customs building. Once inside we were greeted by several young officials who asked us where we were from and when we were leaving. We were then ushered to another building to have a health check. Two ladies checked that we were clear of Swine Flu and sent us on our way back to the previous building. The customs staff tried to be very intimidating and acted as if we had swine flu, great welcome into Malaysia!
The journey took about 5 hours, arriving into Kuala Lumpur at about 4pm, we had enjoyed the rest of sitting in one place for a few hours. The coach dropped us off in the city and we had no idea where we were and just knew we had to head to Chinatown. A friendly local helped
us plan our route at the monorail station as we didn't have a very good map. It took 10 minutes on the monorail to then change onto the LRT (the underground) which would take us straight to Chinatown.
It was very hot and humid in the city just like Singapore but not as clean, with busy and smelly streets. We were staying at the Reggae Hostel which turned out to be near the station. However there is 2 hostels on the same street and we managed to go to the wrong one as that is what the direction stated. By this point we were getting tired and very hot so we were glad to get to our room where it had great air-conditioning. The hostel was very modern and clean as it has only been open for a year and it is in a great location.
After a rest we went exploring the local area of Chinatown. Even though it was getting dark it was still very warm and the heat gets to you very quickly when walking down the market stall streets with touts shouting at you as you walk past. It felt good to be back
in a city with a different culture to what we are used to as it has been easy travelling in Australia and New Zealand.
The food stalls did not look inviting and we are expecting to be eating rice and noodles for the next month so we went to McDonalds for dinner! Not very cultural but we enjoyed it and it was very cheap (£2.00 each). Before going back to the hostel we went for a drink in the Raggae Bar (part of our accommodation) it is not cheap to drink here as it is a Muslim country.
8/5
Day 102
We got out early this morning and joined the many commuters travelling into the CBD on the underground. The transport is very cheap here but also very popular, the train was that busy we nearly didn't fit in the carriage, it was a bit of a squeeze! We got off the train at KLCC (Kuala Lumpur City Centre) and as we went up the escalator we saw the impressive Petronas Towers above us. Here we went to join the queue of people waiting for tickets to visit the towers. We queued for about 50 minutes
and managed to get a ticket for the first tour at 9am.
The Petronas Twin Towers took over 5 years to build and the 88 storey towers were opened for use by the oil companies staff in 1997. At 452 metres above street level the towers stand proud above the city and shine magnificently due to all the stainless steel.
It is free to visit the twin towers but only a limited number of people are allowed so we made sure we were one of them so not to miss out. We were taken in a high speed lift to the 41st floor where we could walk on the sky bridge that connects the two towers and is an escape route in case of an emergency. After visiting the exhibition centre we walked through the large shopping centre at the base of the towers and out into the gardens to take some photographs.
The next item on the agenda (we made a plan today to fit everything in!)was to visit the Batu Caves. These caves are located 11km north of the city so it involved us catching the train and a taxi. In 1881 an American explorer
discovered these caves and now they are an important place of worship for Hindus. After walking up the 272 steps we finally reached the mouth of the cave which is home to several temples inside. It was an interesting visit as the cave is an impressive 100 metres high and the monkeys keep you entertained by stealing peoples food and drinks. The Cave is also the location for a Hindu festival called Thaipusam. This festival involves thousands of devoted Hindus putting themselves into a trance like state, after which their bodies are pierced with hooks, needles and metal skewers.
We managed to catch a local bus back into the city which took approximately 45 minutes. It was an interesting journey through the city and cost us about 40 pence each. The heat of the midday sun was very hot so we relaxed for an hour or so in the hostel until the cooler evening.
In the evening we returned to the Petronas Towers shopping mall and enjoyed a meal at Nandos (more culture, not!) before taking some great photos of the towers during sunset.
9/5
Day 103 - Penang
Today we had booked a bus
to take us 5 hours north to the island of Penang. Following the 10 minute walk we arrived at the busy bus station ready to board our coach at 9.15am, as advised by the person that sold us the ticket yesterday. The bus station was similar to what we experienced in South America, busy, hot and full of fumes and with a similar system for purchasing tickets. Along either side of the bus station walls there are about 100 tiny kiosks selling bus tickets with touts ushering you in with pictures of different quality's of bus on offer. However the buses that turn up never look the same as the picture, there are also a myriad of food and beverage stalls for your journey
The bus was due to depart at 9.30am but as we waited with other passengers no bus turned up. Eventually a bus arrived at 10am, not the one we had booked but we were told to get on and luckily it did not look too bad. It was very frustrating as the bus did not leave until 10.50am as they seem to wait for it to be full of passengers before departing. And not forgetting
a visit by two dudes trying to sell card readings and religious books.
At the end of the 5 hour journey we were dropped off in Penang but no where near where we needed to be. We had hoped like all the other bus travellers to be dropped off in Georgetown where we had booked our hostel for the night. Instead we had to pay for a taxi to take us the 30 minute journey to Hutton Lodge an historic building close to Chinatown.
In the late afternoon we walked round the historic colonial buildings in the city and found somewhere to eat in the Chinatown area. The restaurant was full of locals having their Sunday dinner, we enjoyed picking starters off the trolley and our main meals were really tasty.
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Libby
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A complete world away from the Western culture of OZ and NZ! Hope you've found the travelling by bus comfortable and bit better than SA. Can't wait to here how you get on with the Jungle Club - I'm so jealous! xxx