Blogs from Malaysia, Asia - page 766

Just a quick update, I saw my first wild monkeys of the trip. Brilliant, monkeys are great, one girl even got a photo of a monkey having a sly wank. But then, I was tricked by the monkeys, who sat and posed for photos, while one of their mates walked up the tree, got in position, and pissed on my head. Little bastards.... read more

Just a quick note before we run out of Malaysian Ringitts for the internet. We spent two night in Kuala Lampur and head out tomorrow morning for Myanmar. We've gotten prepared by getting $100 US bills which we've heard get the best black market exchange rate in Yangon...should be interesting. Unfortunately it doesn't seem like we'll have internet or email while we're there so check back after 6/26 when we get to Bangkok for a post on our adventures in Myanmar. The highlight of KL was going up to the sky bridge in the Petronas Towers...the 2nd tallest buidlings in the world - and Mike's favorites. We were initially disappointed when we arrived to find out that all the tickets for the day had been given out already. We dejectedly talked to the head usher and ... read more

We had some time in the morning for a little more sightseeing before our flight left in the afternoon. We walked to the Cheong Fatt Tze Mansion, which wasn’t open yet, so we wandered around the Eastern & Oriental Hotel and then walked though The Garage, a restored old building which is now a mall. Headed back to the Cheong Fatt Tze Mansion for the tour. We highly recommend a visit to the Cheong Fatt Tze Mansion website, since visitors are asked not to take photos inside the mansion. The tour was one of the best guided tours we’ve been on, largely because the guide was one of the architects responsible for the restoration of the mansion, and she was incredibly enthusiastic and knowledgeable. The rooms of one wing of the mansion are used as guest ... read more

I flew into Singapore after a fairly boring few days in Brisbane. Once you've visited the 30,000 museums and galleries, theres not a lot else you can do for free, I have memorised the Brisbane city layout now though, so if I come back with a work visa, I can always go for a job as a cab driver. Singapore! I arrived at about 9pm, and my airport pickup didn't come to pick me up, which was fine though, as it gave me the chance to use the Singapore public transport system, which is pretty damn good. The trains arrive on time, and they are spotless, in 4 days of using trains every day, only 1 smelt like urine. So I jumped on the train and headed to Little India. I wasn't able to get ... read more

Arrived in Georgetown, capital of Penang, Malaysia, around 10AM, and took a taxi to the Traders Hotel. Walked around Georgetown all day. Visited the Penang Islamic Museum, the Goddess of Mercy Temple, and several of the kongsis, or traditional clan-houses, including Cheah Kongsi, Yap Kongsi, and Khoo Kongsi. The clan-houses are family-specific and serve as gathering places and places of worship for generations of families. We also got a tour of the Kapitan Kling Mosque, which was quite interesting, and the first time either of us had been to a mosque. We had to go to the education center to get a guide, who shared with us many different aspects of Islam. Walked down Lebuh Pantai, a street lined with old colonial buildings, which begins near the water. Across the water we could see the Malaysian ... read more