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We hit Malaysia in a bit of a slump - we were getting tired of travelling, bored of hotels and restaurants, and a little bit homesick. We flew into Kuala Lumpur late, arriving at around 9pm, and jumped in a taxi to the city. We didn't know the airport was 70 km away... took a while in the cab but only cost us 12 quid anyway. Driving into the city felt strange - in the dark it felt as though we could be heading into Manchester. Everything looked very new and very Western, plus we were on a motorway filled with cars (no motorbikes!) driving on the left.
Number Eight Guesthouse was basic but clean and characterful - lots of the other hotels looked a bit seedy - and we basically just crashed. Next morning we woke late but refreshed and ready to hit the city.
We expected Kuala Lumpur to be hot and humid... but on Day 1 we didn't experience that. We walked as far as the first shopping centre, and entered a glittering, airconditioned shiny world, with (OMG!) UK shops selling UK clothes in UK sizes. We have never been so excited to see a Debenhams.
We desperately needed new clothes and it's surprisinh how three communist countries in a row really bring out your inner materialist.
So after an exciting day of shopping, starbucks, shopping, eating in the mall, shopping, going to the cinema and then eating fish n chips in the aptly named Magnificent Fish and Chips Bar, we were ready to continue with our trip no longer homesick. (Note: why, in England, do we not combine the fish and chip shop and the pub? It's a fantastic combo.)
The next two day we proudly wore our new clothes and went to explore KL. We explored China Town and Little India, saw the Petronas Towers and KLCC park, and the Lake Gardens with KL Bird Park. We also went to the Islamic Arts Museum, which was good, and the National Art Gallery which was good but incomprehensible (modern art!). The food was great - cheap and varied. We had really good Indian, Chinese and Malay food, and it's really weird being somewhere where British food is also a local speciality and is done really well!
After four days in KL we dragged ourselves away (we totally blew our budget so needed
to leave) to the Cameron Highlands. This area is full of old British hill stations and tea plantations, and because it's in the highlands, it's really cool. Not just Malaysia cool, English cool. They have drizzle and everything. Weird. We are sat here typing with jumpers on. Jumpers!
The town (Tanah Rata) is a bit strange - just a little tourist town really. It's a bit like a down-at-heel English beach town, but with no beach and no slot machines. It's popular with Malay tourists and European hikers.
Not really being hikers, and having learned our lesson from kayaking, we opted for a tour of the area today, which took us to a tea plantation where we learned about tea and partook in elevenses (tea with jam and scones). When in Rome...
We then went to the highest point of the highlands, from which we could see miles of hills covered with tea plantations and forests, and mist slowly drifting through the valleys. Our tour guide also took us into the forest and told us a bit about different plants. All in all, it felt quite a lot like a school trip, and we returned thoroughly educated
and quite muddy.
Tomorrow we are heading to Georgetown on Penang island where we are looking forward to more good food and more sightseeing before we go to the beaches and islands on Malaysia's east coast and do nothing! Yay!
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