Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia 14-16 November 2008

Kuala Lumpur (KL) isn’t bad for a city we think – its not big enough to be difficult to get around and has a population small enough not to be over-run with people. Add the eclectic mix of buildings, the interesting and cheap food and it’s a great place to stay (as long as you find somewhere half decent). Not sure about living there as it gets so hot and humid but it was a pleasant time of year and the air was clear (thanks to frequent downpours) and warm without being uncomfortable.


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Below is where the Hash House Harriers first kicked off…



and nearby is the highest flagpole in the world (although we’re not sure how regularly this is tested)



and three very iconic buildings



The Petronas Towers are still as incredible as I thought they were when I visited 8 years ago and I’ve seen many more amazing buildings since then. Their sheer size and scale, plus the fact that there are two of them, have a real wow factor.



The XX Mosque is pretty but looks strangely out of place as nearby is a huge while marble-clad building, former home to Petronas, and then down the road is the mock Tudor-style buildings of the XX cricket ground.



Then, walking through another nearby side-street, we came across this Indian temple



With a bizarre ornamental frontage that just had to be seen to be believed



Beef noodles with lean beef – no offal; Petronas sky bridge being higher than it looks; eating at street stalls (again); seeing James Bond movie, doing normal stuff;

Food is a big thing here and there was a market where massive tubs of curry (with bunches of lemon grass the size of my hand floating in them)



the most moist, rich chocolate cakes being iced on the spot (we resisted)



huge plastic vats of weird drinks (one the below is fresh nutmeg and another is sour plum)



We headed through there on our way to see the new James Bond movie…. It was very strange to be doing something relatively normal and I was super excited (saddo that I am)!

These fruit are called Durian and while they might taste ok, they absolutely stink. They stink so much that airlines have banned them and even some hotels have signs in reception saying “No Durian in the rooms please”.



We got some of the last free tickets up to the sky bridge of the Petronas Towers for the day and headed up there. They bridge is higher than it looks and this is the view out one side



and this is the view out the other!



The Towers lit up at night are almost more impressive than in the day. Needless to say we’re over-run with photos of these buildings!







KL is one place where you’d want to pay a little bit more for accommodation and get somewhere half decent. There are some real dives around and we weren’t risking it. As a result we only stayed long enough to get a feel for the city but not long enough to break our budget. We headed off to Melaka, a coastal town about 2 ½ hours south of KL. We did notice that the further south we went, the hotter and hotter it was getting. Nice…. We loved it! Bring on the equator!

Georgetown, Penang Island, Malaysia 11-14 November 2008

We really enjoyed our three nights in Georgetown and got lucky with the accommodation, finding a newly opened, newly renovated building right in the heart of the old town. We met a great couple from Norway and had a great time with them having a few drinks, sharing stories and comparing home countries.


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Georgetown had a great atmosphere and a wonderful mix of Chinese, Indian and Malay people. The food was (again!) fantastic food and incredibly cheap – in our view, it even rivalled the food in northern Thailand for value and flavours. We ate from a wide variety of Hawker stands or street-side cafes that set up at night and they did a roaring trade with customers lining up for take away meals that were poured into small plastic bags.



Often we’d have something small at one stand, then move on to another just to be able to sample the different types of food on offer. Dishes rarely cost more than £0.70 and sometimes one dish would be a full meal. This lady was selling a dessert that consisted of a scoop of crushed ice, some coconut milk with jellies and a spoonful of sweet red beans. The lady sold it to me asked if I was sure I wanted it, then watched me eat it with an odd expression and said incredulously as I finished it “You like?? You like??!”



This duo served a long line of people that didn’t shorten for the time we were there. The dishes they served up had little variation – all noodles with stock and meat; all these stalls specialised in one to three types of dishes and everything was cooked in full view of the customer.



You could ‘eat in‘ sitting at picnic tables and on plastic stools or take away where the dish of food was poured into a small clear plastic bag, quickly sealed with a rubber band or piece of string and handed to the customer.



These places really were the best places to eat but I think many tourists shy away from them for hygiene reasons or based on experiences of street food in home countries. We ate there on the basis that we could see what they were cooking, how they were cooking and that there were loads of locals queuing up – some clearly regulars.

We visited the E&O Hotel, the staff at which were slightly more friendly than those at the Bangkok Oriental



and let us wander the foyer and in the grounds of the hotel.



We hired a scooter for a day and toured the island but found that there were relatively few attractions and those that there were, were terribly overpriced. We did stop for lunch at a corner stall that specialised in Laksa, a sweet sour thick noodle dish with fish made with either tamarind or with a coconut and lime base. Great value at about £0.30 and really tasty. Euan also had a nutmeg juice which made his face contort into all sorts of shapes! It had a really really strong flavour.

Surprisingly, I did enjoy having a look around what was left of Port Cornwallis and the great old British-inspired buildings that were in the area





The pavements were a nightmare and if you weren’t looking where you were going you’d be down a hole or run down by a car



There were a few temples



and one had the largest joss sticks I’ve ever seen





The clock tower was worth a look



as was the town hall



We were done with island hopping, we’d not run out of islands but more boat services between them so it was off to Kuala Lumpur on a bus.

Langkawi, Malaysia 8-11 November 2008

Langkawi was a really nice change from Thailand and Tamalang Harbour was really pretty. I didn’t put a map in as Langkawi is on the same map as Ko Lipe in the last posting.



We hadn’t booked anywhere to stay… again… (every time we do this I swear it’s the last time but it never is) and we ended up staying on Patang Beach. We weren’t sure if we could judge Malaysian food by that we ate here, but it was fantastic nonetheless and on a par with Thailand, on both price and taste.

Patang had a few OK beaches but jellyfish were hovering so we didn’t swim. I thought that the below were stationary flagpoles in the water, then realised they were moving.



The below is a chap swimming with two flags. He looked like he was struggling a bit so I didn’t ask him but we guess he must have had a dare or challenge or something. Can’t see anyone swimming with flags for a hobby!

Beer was super expensive so after Euan had the bright idea of buying some gin, we switched to the harder stuff. He had a less bright idea of letting me pour. It was lovely having a few G&Ts on the beach but the next morning was another story!

There were bars on the beach but most places were quiet as it’s the end of the rainy season but when it rains (which was often during the time we were there), it really rains.

We hired a scooter for a day and did about 100km around the island in between downpours but we don’t think Langkawi is the most picturesque island we’ve been on. To be fair though, we didn’t venture far off the roads as it really was wet.

Island hopping has to be the best way to travel! Next stop is Georgetown on Penang Island, 2 ½ hours from Langkawi.