So it appears that it is becoming increasingly harder to keep up to date with this little bloggity blog, but never fear, there are not many left to come as my trip is slowly coming to an end. I'm currently back in Singapore, where I have, as luck would have it, met up with Fin once again. He is probably not so thrilled.
Where did I leave off? Ohhhh yes yes, we had waved goodbye to Kuala Lumpur. Well, I'm going to really condense this because the bulk of the Malaysia trip was spent eating many, many fried things and curries, and I'm certain that no one is too interested in hearing about how many naan breads and rotis I've chomped through (it's an embarrassingly large number). We left KL for the Cameron Highlands on an incredibly luxurious coach and had a painful and windy four hour trip up into the mountains. We saw a lot of durians growing along the sides of the road but thank heavens that our couch was well protected from the perennial stink of SE Asia; there's a reason they're banned in so many hotels and public places. We reached the little town of Tanah Rata where we found our "guesthouse" lurking behind a derelict construction site. I used speech marks there because it more resembled a toilet block in a prison or mental institution than a place where paying customers come to while away a few nice days in the mountains. Needless to say, we dumped our stuff and got out of there pretty sharpish, on the hunt for dinner. Our couple of days in Highlands were predominantly spent planning how to avoid going back to the cell: we visited a delightful tea plantation, had a good old laugh with some Indian waiters, found a statue of some giant vegetables, spent several hours buying as little as possible in Starbucks, and had numerous photos taken with a Malaysian baby and his grandfather. All in a day's work.
The next stop on our Malaysian adventure was the glorious and beautiful town of Georgetown on Penang island. It is an absolute cracker, I tell you. All colonial cuteness and charm, and packed to the gills with incredible food and cafes. It boasts, in my scientific opinion, the densest population of Chinese temples in any town ever in life. They are all quite spectacular, so if you are lucky enough to witness my photo slideshow when I get back, prepare yourself for an entire section of Chinese temples. Maybe I'll provide some dim sum to help you get out the other side alive. Georgetown also has a wonderful funicular railway. It is quite well hidden, especially if you wait for 45 minutes at the wrong bus stop, but once you eventually make it, it is all worth it. We were lucky enough to have a lunatic for a bus driver on the way back, who zipped around the roads like he was on a Formula One track, and also not thinking twice about stopping off for a little snack on the way down, leaving a full bus of people waiting for him. I was annoyed until I realised he was eating Indian food, and then I commended him on his excellent choice of cuisine. In a nutshell, Georgetown is one of the most wonderful and delicious places I've ever been, so you should go there now!
Next stop: Langkawi island, a tropical paradise hiding unparalleled levels of bad service. The beach was stunning, so no bad words there, but we were staying in the 'Easy Hotel' (false advertising) which was anything but easy. We made a little complaint about the world's worst breakfast and from then on, fully expected to find some kind of dead animal lurking under the kid's duvets which graced our beds every night, so vicious were the stares we were being given by the staff. But what the heck, we spent a few beautiful days on the beach, swimming in the clear blue sea and hanging around in a French cafe, the owner of which seemed to think that everyone was just speaking in French, even when he was spoken to in English. He saw our looks of blatant confusion and gallantly ignored them, ploughing on in French until we just smiled and said 'oui' to whatever he said. We spent our last night there on the beach with a banana split and watching the sun go down. Clichéd? I couldn't care less!
Back in KL for one day, we did what all good tourists do and went to Ikea and Tesco. Our paths then parted ways: Sarah headed back to the Bodge and I went down to Melaka for a day. Melaka is another great little town, full of mad little shops and durian treats in all their glory. The hostel I stayed in was an absolute treat, the owner being a keen cyclist, and so I found myself back on a bike and cycling to a local night market, where me and my fellow hostel friends proceeded to eat almost everything we could get our hands on, including chicken on a stick. It was a classy affair.
Finally, I reached Singapore where I was met by Fin and a friend, Rosie, who was kind enough to let us crash on her floor. We've spent the last couple of days looking at the city from various heights (including the highest al fresco bar in the world), marvelling at the madness of Chinese New Year and weeping at the price of various commodities. It is bonkers.
Tomorrow I'm off to my last proper destination of Bali, where I will cleanse my chakra, do the downward facing dog and eat raw vegetables masquerading as delicious treats. Or maybe not.
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