Blogs from Malaysia, Asia - page 769

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

... but my mind was there. caught the game elsewhere but I saw it at least. Off we went the following day to the Perhentian islands and boy are they like heaven we had bad weather for a day but then as if by divine intervention the next day it cleared. We went diving and saw beautiful things like turtles and sting rays. I also read the Da Vinci code in 3 days. Speed reader I am. Here are some photos of the beach and Joel looking very scared on the speed boat out to the island... read more

It was unmistakable when it appeared out of the bus windows - the KL and Petronas towers indicating that I had reached my destination. The futuristic skyline also serves to remind that Malaysia, and KL in particular, is economically the most developed in South East Asia after Singapore. My hostel was a short walk from the bus station in the bustling fringes of chinatown. My room: just big enough to fit my rucksack in next to the bed, and no more. But thats all I really need. Having listened to the receptionists advice on how I should avoid going anywhere with groups of pretty girls who claim their parents are out of town I set off to find dinner, my heart being set on a famous banana leaf curry. But as is always the case... sometimes ... 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

The time had finally come! We had been counting the weeks and days until we were meeting with Nisha and David (from home). We caught the 8.15am ferry to Pulau Langkawi that got us in at 11am in the rain. We moved past all the taxi drivers Andy grabbed a bit of lunch and then we haggled for a taxi (they all seem to be fixed prices and there are no buses otherwise, naturally, that is what we would have got) to take us to the Berjaya Resort, apparently the poshest place on the island!! It was such a hardship that Nisha and David happened to be staying on a nice part of the island (which is a big holiday destination rather than a backpackers place) so we had to book into the same place as ... read more