So I booked my flight to Malaysia. I arrived late in the afternoon so my first priority was going in search of a hostel. I'd looked at a few places online but hadn't booked anything. I ended up finding a really great place that was near the train station, but just far enough away to be in the heart of a local neighborhood. There was a Danish guy working the reception and he was beyond helpful. He's been working there for 4 months, but before that he backpacked through the mainland of Malaysia, as well as the eastern island where Borneo is. He pulled out a map of KL and told me everything to do, how long it took to get from A to B, where the best food stalls were etc. He also gave me a map of Malaysia and pointed out the same type of information. It was wonderful!
When traveling through Asia, hostels are the way to go. It's so easy to meet people and then you can trade information, stories and ideas on traveling. I know I've said it before, but I love traveling because of the people I meet.
I met some really awesome people in Malaysia. My first night in KL I met an Australian guy who had been traveling all over the world. He had some interesting stories to tell and a different perspective on life than that of the average person. I met an American girl named Rachael and we became instant friends when I offered her some goldfish. I found Goldfish and Cheeze Its at a supermarket in KL and was in heaven for some snack food! Rachael reminded me so much of my friend Bri that we really got along well. We ended up traveling together for a week before we had to head our separate ways. Most people traveling Asia are heading south, but I am heading north since I started essentially at the South Pole!
KL doesn`t have much to offer from any other big city. China town, twin towers, some mediocre caves and a few beautiful mosques. I got in and out pretty quick. I went south to Melaka, which is a small Dutch town that sits along a river. It's a really cool little place with lots of charm, colors and food. The coolest thing about being in Malaysia at this time was all of the festivities and decorations for Chinese New Year. Red lanterns hang along the streets creating a ceiling of lights, fireworks go off the wee hours of the morning and the town is alive with markets and food stalls.
From Melaka, Rachael and I made our way to Penang, which is and island off the west coast and close to the Thai border. Accommodation was scarce due to the CNY, but I found a workaway stint for us, working the night shift, 11pm-7am in a hostel. It was easy, yet boring, but gave me plenty of time to catch up on emails and uploading some pictures. We slept a few hours in the morning and then went off and enjoyed the afternoons.
Nan was a girl I worked with at Space 301. She left to go teach English in Taiwan. Since everywhere in Southeast Asia takes off for CNY she and her friend Rachel planned a trip to Penang. Our timing worked out perfectly to get to see them. It was nice to have a familiar face around and we shared lots of laughs and funny stories. Other than the ridiculous politics that were going on during my time at the CLA, I worked with some of the greatest people and as Nan and I reminisced I thought back to the uncontrollable laughter my friend Katy and I shared in the Saenger Box Office. I miss those days, but am so thankful to see the Saneger back up and thriving after the rocky couple of years it had.
Anyways, in Penang I went hiking in the National Park along Monkey Bay and up to a lighthouse. We ate fabulous street food. We found the coolest coffee shop, the Moustache Houze, that made me forget I was in Asia and reminded me of a true coffee shop like I would find at home or in NZ. The smell of espresso hit when I walked in the door and the quirky modern decor really sold me. Their best seller was frozen espresso cubes that you poor milk over. They give you straws with a little moustache on them. It was a trendy little place and we had a nice afternoon chatting over coffee. We got lucky as well and were able to see a Lion Dance for CNY. They come in and bless the building, running out all of the evil of the prior year. They have rituals where they have to eat oranges and jump for the lettuce that hangs above the entry way. I took some awesome video footage, but am having trouble with it on my ipad. Hopefully I can get that working soon enough to post it.
From there I made my way to Langkawi before venturing off to Thailand. I had to say goodbye to my new friend Rachael, as she was meeting a sail boat in Langkawi and sailing to Australia. Malaysia was beautiful and I wish I had more time to explore, but I finally made myself realize I couldn't do everything in every country, I must pick and choose.
Next stop: Thailand. Home of beautiful beaches, spicy food and cheap beer!
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