Malaysia

Another great easy border and we were rubber stamped back into the Muslim World. Malaysia is a well organised and clean country with friendly people and the most expensive booze on the planet, well not quite, but pricey after all the cheap countries we have been through. We start by heading for the mixing pot of George Town. Pulau Penang is a small island linked to the main land by a 13km bridge. Having been inhabited by the French, English, Chinese, Portuguese and of course Malay culture for hundreds of years it’s a fascinating town to wander. Crumbling colonial architecture suffers the back drop of sky scrapers and apartment blocks. We always seem to find ourselves here over Ramadan and the streets are littered with people and fire crackers.


Colonial Georgetown:

But a definite Chinese influence:

And French?  Or is it Portuguese?

The bridge from the mainland:

Georgetown skyline:

Our period style hotel hinted at the former grandeur of this once strategically important town. Just across the street is the best Chinese market we have seen on this trip and having spent over a month in China that says a lot. Most folks chose to eat here the first night as we had arrived in the early evening. The karaoke was in full swing and the food came with the full night market ambience. The next day Cheryl had copied some walking tour maps for everybody to explore the city and old fort. Most folks set off early to avoid the midday sun, choosing to catch up on movies and internet in the cool of the air-con rooms over the hottest time of the day. Nasi Lemak is a favourite local breakfast, dried anchovies fried with peanuts served with rice and curry, and it sets you up for day of exploring the Malay way, or from little India you could have a Roti Canai, flat breads with curry dipping sauce, not quite Kelloggs and milk but local and tasty. The mixture of food, as one would expect, is as vibrant as the mix in culture and architecture.

A lazy day and we were off again, this time driving down to a sleepy hollow called Kuala Besut, from here we catch the ferry to the Perhentian Islands. The moment you step onboard the ferry the fun starts. The 16-seater ferries with 400 horse power two-stroke motors on the back can get a corpse’s heart pounding as we blasted our way over to the crystal clear diving and swimming heaven of Pulau Besar. If diving is not your thing then try a snorkel over some of the most beautiful coral around, teeming with fish, no swim is ever the same, white sandy beaches are only a short walk away with a great array of restaurants to choose from.

The thriving metropolis of Kuala Besut... 

Speed boats to the Perhentian Islands: 

Beautiful beaches, and a great place to chill:

David and Alex who are keen divers, and Corrie who had recently completed her open water diving qualifications were booking dives left right and centre. Amy, Debbie, Denis, Louise and Robin all chose to have a taster dive and then truly hooked, advanced to the full open water qualifications, so their island break was a little more stressful than the others given the course work involved, but two dives every day made for great fun, if a little tiring.

Other folks pottered about snorkelling and sunbathing, walking the numerous treks on the island and eating in the different restaurants. Four nights saw us back on the boat zooming across the water and heading for Kuantan.


Camping on the coast again we were beginning to push the beach envelope a bit though it was nice to sit around a fire and chat after all the hotel hopping and nights out. With not many more nights of camping left on this trip we took the chance to prepare roast chickens in the magic pot, with spuds and veg drowned in gravy it was a winner of a meal.


Our last two nights of camping take us to the incredible Taman Negara Rainforest. They say Taman Negara is one of the oldest rainforests in the world as it was never affected by the ice age, up for debate and all that it, is a sight to behold. Swelteringly hot we headed across the river and into the park for a morning jungle trek. Much hype about blood thirsty leeches had everybody well prepared in hiking boots and woolly socks that did nothing to help with the stuffy heat but once we entered the jungle canopy we were lost in the world of giants.

Information boards en route make for interesting reading but our purpose was to get to the jungle canopy walk. Tiny rope bridges give you a bird’s eye view of the forest, slightly nerve wracking (especially when you have Denis behind you who had mistaken this all for a very elaborate bouncing castle), we wobbled from tree to tree. There were definitely a few sighs of relief as we made it to the end of the 300 metre canopy walk.

Everybody dripping in sweat, most of us chose to take the boat home while Tee and Le headed for another trek further into the jungle and Jen chose to have a wander back to get a few more photos.


For our last camp dinner we made a traditional South African chicken Potjie with rice, filling and honest it went down a treat. The next morning we had baked omelette and that was the end of the big black pot that fed us so well for so long. Packing up the camp for the last time we jumped in the truck and headed for Kuala Lumpur.

Farewell camping and truck food, and thanks for the memories...
 

Kuala Lumpur or KL as it known is a big crazy city, after spending time in rural Malaysia this is a breath of not so fresh air, here you can by all the big name brands from Gucci to Burberry, sitting in the stand-still traffic we were caught amongst massive designer shops, as Monica’s eyes began to glass over David wondered where to hide the credit cards, this is another town you can shop till you drop in or just wonder the vibrant streets. The Petronas Towers which dazzle the sky line (best viewed from the top of the KL Tower) put scope to this sprawling metropolis.

Shopping!

And the mighty Petronas Towers, once the tallest buildings in the world: 

Reading a brochure we discovered the Theme Park in the Time Square building, all adults of course we don’t normally find ourselves heading to that type of attraction...but what caught our eye was the Super Sonic Odyssey. Surely this is a sign that we must partake in these shenanigans?


Dubbed the longest indoor rollercoaster in South East Asia which left us wondering exactly how many indoor rollercoasters there were in South East Asia exactly, we purchased our adult pass all rides tickets and scrambled the four floors to the top of the main attraction. The Supersonic Odyssey (painted blue and all!) did not disappoint, screams from start to finish and maddened grins we ran from ride to ride until our churning stomachs could take no more.

Supersonic Odyssey:

KL has great night markets for a cheaper eat or world class restaurants so finding food is no fuss with the massive selection on offer. Sitting on the corner of a street with the hustle and bustle about you eating with the locals is part of the experience. For a meal with a view you can follow Robin and Alex’s example and dine at the very top of the KL TV tower stunning views surround the all-you-can-eat buffet which had Alex going for second’s third and fourth helpings.


The Muslim history is also worth a visit, Dave and Monica spent many hours wandering about. The night life is rampant if not a bit pricey but a few hangovers in the morning proved not every body had spent their travel budgets just yet. We were lucky enough to be in town for the Chinese Closing of the Gates of Hell Ceremony ( I hope they remembered to lock it once closed), dragon dancers in the streets with massive bands of drummers topped off with a spectacular fireworks display it was a lucky night to be in town. Three nights here and most folk’s pockets were getting a bit empty so we drove down to Melaka.


This would be our last drive in the truck as from Melaka we use private buses to get us to our final stop in Singapore. A sad day indeed as we say good bye to our faithful transport that never seriously let us down once.


Melaka is a large sprawling town, but we stay in the funky Chinatown bit, looking more Chinese than some parts of China, it’s a great place to explore… And do those last little bits of shopping before heading to Singapore.