Malaysia

So we have been here for our allotted two weeks now. Doesn't seem that much. What have we found? A country of contrasts.

We ahve started and ended our travels here in KL. Which is a busy city but not on the scale of Singapore or Bangkok. Its a pretty cool place but doesn't seem to have a definate centre - with a little India, china town, colonial district and the Golden Triangel which is the business centre.

It is clean, dirty, smelly and in places quite an eye opener. The China town area reminds me of Turkey with tonnes of 'genuine' fakes and as muck gucci and luis vuitton as you can take. It isn't like other china towns that we have been to. Little India is full of Sari's and head scalves and not as much tat.

The rest of KL follows tis pattern and whist there are some different things to see, like most places it's pretty repetative. Worthcomming though.

Next was Malacca, Mallaca, Malaka however you like to spell it. This place was excellent and full of history from portugese buildings from the 14th century to danisha nd then British Colonial buildings. The Cina town here was really good with the oldest Chinese Temple in the country. Whilst really touristy at the weekend it was quite layed back in the week and good fun. We then went up the coast to Penang, promising to be the Phuket of Malaysia. We stayed in George Town which again had a china town and a little India- all good for the food. This time we went to a Chinese clan House which was brilliant- will post pics on FB and also a Buddhist temple- chinese- Which is the oldest and biggest in Malaysia. The temple was up on a hill and has a pagoda which was 30 metres high and also a bronze statue further up the hill, had to go up on a venicular lift, which was even taller.

After George town we took a min bus at 5am to the east coast. Now this was ment to be a 5hr drive to I thought yippie some sleep. When we got on the bus it was quite posh with leather seats etc and only three of us on it. Excellent- sleep. NO how wrong could I be, we put our lives in our hand here. The bus driver was a complete lunatic. He drove the moterways at bout 90mph which I can handle but the back roads were worse. It was so fast and bumpy that my stomach hurt so I lay down (partly so I couldn't see that I was on the wrong side of the road going around corners) and hit my head repetatively on the seat. The drive as I said was ment to be 5 hrs it took 3 and a half.

The drive wasn't in vain though, it took us to Kuala Besut where we caught a stomach thumping speed oat ride to paradise.

We went to the perhentian islands on off the east coat. Even though we had been to malacca and penang there were no nice beaches. Here there were hundreds of white sandy beaches backed with tropical rain forests. Heaven.

The resorts have only opened for the season about a week ago so it was really quiet with only a few huts open on the beach. The only downside was it was a backpacker haven so the food was all westenised, boooooo.

Anyway a bumpy boat ride back and an 8 hr bus ride back to KL and our time in Malaysia has come to an end. The is so much stuff that we have missed that I think I'll have to come back. Anyone fancy a holiday sometime???

Laos next.

See ya.