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Published: August 20th 2007
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My 3rd visit to Thailand is just a transit crossing to Malaysia. I stop on the way for a couple of days on Ko Phangan to meet up with some Czech friends on holiday there, meet some fun Swedes as well, and then continue south to Ko Samui and over the border into Malaysia.
The bus into Malaysia arrives late and night and I miss my connection to Kota Baru. So I plump for a night on Penang, hailed as a backpackers favourite. What I find in Georgetown, however, are run-down, dirty, deserted streets with only filthy, overpriced accommodation available. I take the best room I can find, which is little more than a prison cell. Luckily I had made friends on the bus from Thailand, so at least I could share my suffering with them. If this is Malaysia, I'm not keen. With no desire to see any more of this squalid place, I leave early next morning, taking the ferry back to the mainland.
That evening I travel overnight by bus to Kuala Besut and next morning transfer by speedboat to Pulau Perhenthian Kecil. I take a hut on Long Beach and spend the next few days
hanging out with a group of international students from Universiti Sains Malaysia. I also happen to meet an old friend from Prague, Hywel, who now lives in Australia and who I've not seen for a couple of years. We had an idea we would both be in the area at the same time, but when we bump into each other in the middle of the ocean after 2 years, it's a bizarre and hilarious moment! I then spend the next few days with him and his girlfriend Cara snorkelling and enjoying the beaches. The Perhenthain Islands are beautiful and a perfect place to see fantastic coral and fish. We see black tip fin sharks, barracudas, and even a 70 year old turtle!
From the islands, I take the jungle train down to Kuala Lumpur and meet up again with Hywel, Cara now on her way to Sweden. We consider our options for the next few days: the jungle of Taman Negara, the town of Melaka or the Island Pulau Tioman. But we find out the weather on the East coast is bad, so we head west to the island of Pulau Pangkor. This is a tourist destination for the
locals but is a really pleasant location. More snorkelling, a trip round the island by motorbike, lots of roti canai (Indian bread with curry sauce) and a bottle of vodka keeps us busy for a few days before we head back to KL.
We arrive in KL on a Friday night at our friend Zsofi's flat, a Hungarian friend from Prague who now lives and works in KL. Zsofi takes us out to a club and I meet several Czechs and friends of friends from DHL, which I didn't expect at all!! The next day I go shopping with Hywel. He buys a laptop and I get an mp3 player, electronics are just so cheap here! KL is a really modern, futuristic city, with huge shopping malls and monorails and light railways systems. Yet it also has a strong organic cultural feel to it, with its mix of Malays, Chinese and Indians, bringing a fascinating blend of traditional to the modern. And it has outstandingly great and cheap food! I find it an appealing place to be.
On the Saturday night we go to Luna Bar, a rooftop bar with a stunning view of the KL Tower on
Kuala Lumpur skyline
View from the balcony of my friend's flat one side and the Petronas Twin Towers on the other and sofas surrounding a floodlit pool. We drink Chivas and talk till late and I chat to expats and locals about life in KL.
Sunday morning comes. Hywel heads back to Australia and Zsofi and I go to meet her friend Joel at the KL Hilton. Whilst waiting for Joel in his room we watch a documentary on the Discovery Channel about India. Watching India on TV from a room in the Hilton seems surreal and at that moment I feel a million miles from my travels. Joel treats us to Sunday Brunch at the Hilton and I find the selection of cheeses heavenly (good cheese is something I miss in Asia). Sunday afternoon is spent lazing by the hotel pool and I can definitely say I'm enjoying this!
On Monday I have a meeting with a company in KL about a possible job there. The meeting goes well, but they want me to also have a meeting in Singapore, so no decisions have been made as yet. But I decide I like KL and the company and would be interested to work there.
I spend my final few days in KL making the most of the home comforts I have in Zsofi's flat and sightseeing around the city, including going up the KL Tower, the 4th tallest tower in the world. On my last night in KL, Zsofi and I go for an Italian meal, and she treats me to a fantastic evening. Although we didn't know each other so well in Prague, we've had a great week together and I'm a little sorry to leave.
But my travel must continue. I feel on the verge of some more great experiences. Feeling revived, refreshed, relaxed, and revitalised, I take a bus from KL to Singapore and fly over to Bali to check out country number 9 on my Asian Adventure - Indonesia.
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