KL,Melaka, Penang and the Perhentians.
Malaysia is a country of two halves, split in two by the South China Sea. Peninsular Malaysia to the west, Sabah and Sarawak to the east. It is a hugely diverse nation, kuala Lumpur being one of the most modern cities in Asia, alongside some of the best islands on the planet with the remote jungle areas in Borneo ( Sabah). I had been to both Peninsular Malaysia and Sabah before but was happy to return.
Malaysians come from a number of different ethnic groups. Indigenous Malays, Chinese and Indians being the main ones. The Malays naturally dominate the government but the economy is run by the Chinese. Malays are almost all Muslims and Islam is the state religion. However, religious freedom is guaranteed here with a mix of Buddhism, Taoism, Christianity and Hinduism co- existing due to its mixed population.
I arrived in KL on a flight from Guangzhou in southern China and when the pilot said it was 25 degrees at 5am, I knew I was in for a bit if a shock. No leg warmers or ear muffs would be required going forward!
I soon found my hostel in the Chow Kit area ( a traditional Muslim quarter a couple of kilometres outside the main sights of the city) and showered before heading out. I certainly needed it after a 28 hour train journey, followed closely by a 4 hour flight.
KL is easy to navigate as its so compact, the main sights within walking distance. Lunch was calling and what better place after noodles for the last few weeks than Masjid India or 'Little India'. I literally stumbled upon a fantastic chapatti house which was full of locals queuing for lunch ( always a good sign) and got a thali of a chapatti, some dahl, chana and brindjal and bagged an outside table from where to soak up the streetlife. Along with an extra chapatti and lassi it came to 5 ringgits ( about one pound) and taking to a couple of locals on their lunch break, they said they had come along after it was featured in the local Timeout!
I headed to the main Medeka Square from where Malaysian Independence was proclaimed in 1957. It is surrounded by colonial architecture and from where you get a great view of Masjid Negara, one of Asia's largest mosques. Here I stumbled upon some filming for what looked like a Bollywood movie. I asked one of the technicians who the star was ( his assistant was holding an umbrella to keep the sun off him between shoots) so I could google him later. I found out in was P Rana - model, former Mr India and now Bollywood star.
The following day I decided to do a day trip Melaka. A great place to wander around and take in the sights and easy to fit into one day. The Portuguese influence is evident in both the buildings and the food They came Melaka in the 16th century, follows by the Dutch in the 17th and finally the British at the end of the 18th. The Chinese also settled here so the population is very mixed.
Penang is one of the great Asian
Islands.it is the oldest of the British settlements, predating both Singapore and Melaka. It had a strategic location between Asia and the markets of the Middle East and Europe. A product of this is it's mixed population, dominated by the Chinese.
The main hub is Georgetown where its backstreets provide the sounds and smells of street food stalls a plenty. I love this part of the culture and never tire of sitting on the side of a street on a wobbly stool eating noodles or rice as I did on my first night. Penang is famous for its food but more about that in my upcoming food blog.
On my first day I went to the largest Buddhist Temple in Malaysia, the Kel Lok Si Temple. It stands on the hilltop at Air Itam and had a seven-tier, 30m pagoda and even bigger bronze statue of the goddess of mercy. There are many temples in Penang, both Chinese and Buddhist. One of my favourites was the Burma Buddhist temple where I was invited to join in with tea and cake with a group of locals ( see picture) .
I once again stayed in a great place, the Red Inn on one of the best streets in Penang, Love Lane.More like a boutique hotel than hostel, it oozed chic from the dark wooden floors and bean bags to the contemporary furnishings. And the power shower was a definite winner!
You can find out more at www.redinn.ml *
Whilst Penang is not renown for its beaches ( like Langkawi and the east coast of Malaysia) it does have some lovely coastline. The best is at Batu Ferringi where I spent many days relaxing. The nice thing about spending longer in one place is you get into a temporary routine. After a leisurely breakfast and bit of sightseeing in the morning I would catch the local bus to the beach in the afternoon. All the locals soon come to recognise you and even though I had no intention of paragliding or renting a jet ski, they like to share in a bit of banter!
I also managed a trip to the National Park on the island and did a hike to a lovely secluded beach with a bunch on people from the hostel. There's nothing like a dip in the ocean when you have built up a sweat walking in the heat. Perfecto.
After Penang I took an overnight bus to the east coast of Malaysia to spend a week or so on the beautiful Perhentian islands. I opted for the smaller and less commercial of the two, Perhentian Kecil. Getting the fast boat early in the morning was particularly special as the scenery as the island comes into view is absolutely breathtaking as the pictures show.
I ended up spending 8 idyllic days here, on Coral beach, made even better by the fact that people I had met in Penang came to join me. Sharing a room with Linda at the Shari La resort was an added bonus, and along with Tamara and Tina who arrived a couple of days later, we had a great time. The resort had its own private beach, or a series of bays , where we spent most of our days chilling out or snorkelling , and a couple of evenings out on Long Beach on the other side of the island. It was a very memorable time and the images I've included here show just why it's such a special spot. As I told Rudi, the manager of the resort, I will be back, one day!
Malaysia is a country of two halves, split in two by the South China Sea. Peninsular Malaysia to the west, Sabah and Sarawak to the east. It is a hugely diverse nation, kuala Lumpur being one of the most modern cities in Asia, alongside some of the best islands on the planet with the remote jungle areas in Borneo ( Sabah). I had been to both Peninsular Malaysia and Sabah before but was happy to return.
Malaysians come from a number of different ethnic groups. Indigenous Malays, Chinese and Indians being the main ones. The Malays naturally dominate the government but the economy is run by the Chinese. Malays are almost all Muslims and Islam is the state religion. However, religious freedom is guaranteed here with a mix of Buddhism, Taoism, Christianity and Hinduism co- existing due to its mixed population.
I arrived in KL on a flight from Guangzhou in southern China and when the pilot said it was 25 degrees at 5am, I knew I was in for a bit if a shock. No leg warmers or ear muffs would be required going forward!
I soon found my hostel in the Chow Kit area ( a traditional Muslim quarter a couple of kilometres outside the main sights of the city) and showered before heading out. I certainly needed it after a 28 hour train journey, followed closely by a 4 hour flight.
KL is easy to navigate as its so compact, the main sights within walking distance. Lunch was calling and what better place after noodles for the last few weeks than Masjid India or 'Little India'. I literally stumbled upon a fantastic chapatti house which was full of locals queuing for lunch ( always a good sign) and got a thali of a chapatti, some dahl, chana and brindjal and bagged an outside table from where to soak up the streetlife. Along with an extra chapatti and lassi it came to 5 ringgits ( about one pound) and taking to a couple of locals on their lunch break, they said they had come along after it was featured in the local Timeout!
I headed to the main Medeka Square from where Malaysian Independence was proclaimed in 1957. It is surrounded by colonial architecture and from where you get a great view of Masjid Negara, one of Asia's largest mosques. Here I stumbled upon some filming for what looked like a Bollywood movie. I asked one of the technicians who the star was ( his assistant was holding an umbrella to keep the sun off him between shoots) so I could google him later. I found out in was P Rana - model, former Mr India and now Bollywood star.
The following day I decided to do a day trip Melaka. A great place to wander around and take in the sights and easy to fit into one day. The Portuguese influence is evident in both the buildings and the food They came Melaka in the 16th century, follows by the Dutch in the 17th and finally the British at the end of the 18th. The Chinese also settled here so the population is very mixed.
Penang is one of the great Asian
Islands.it is the oldest of the British settlements, predating both Singapore and Melaka. It had a strategic location between Asia and the markets of the Middle East and Europe. A product of this is it's mixed population, dominated by the Chinese.
The main hub is Georgetown where its backstreets provide the sounds and smells of street food stalls a plenty. I love this part of the culture and never tire of sitting on the side of a street on a wobbly stool eating noodles or rice as I did on my first night. Penang is famous for its food but more about that in my upcoming food blog.
On my first day I went to the largest Buddhist Temple in Malaysia, the Kel Lok Si Temple. It stands on the hilltop at Air Itam and had a seven-tier, 30m pagoda and even bigger bronze statue of the goddess of mercy. There are many temples in Penang, both Chinese and Buddhist. One of my favourites was the Burma Buddhist temple where I was invited to join in with tea and cake with a group of locals ( see picture) .
I once again stayed in a great place, the Red Inn on one of the best streets in Penang, Love Lane.More like a boutique hotel than hostel, it oozed chic from the dark wooden floors and bean bags to the contemporary furnishings. And the power shower was a definite winner!
You can find out more at www.redinn.ml *
Whilst Penang is not renown for its beaches ( like Langkawi and the east coast of Malaysia) it does have some lovely coastline. The best is at Batu Ferringi where I spent many days relaxing. The nice thing about spending longer in one place is you get into a temporary routine. After a leisurely breakfast and bit of sightseeing in the morning I would catch the local bus to the beach in the afternoon. All the locals soon come to recognise you and even though I had no intention of paragliding or renting a jet ski, they like to share in a bit of banter!
I also managed a trip to the National Park on the island and did a hike to a lovely secluded beach with a bunch on people from the hostel. There's nothing like a dip in the ocean when you have built up a sweat walking in the heat. Perfecto.
After Penang I took an overnight bus to the east coast of Malaysia to spend a week or so on the beautiful Perhentian islands. I opted for the smaller and less commercial of the two, Perhentian Kecil. Getting the fast boat early in the morning was particularly special as the scenery as the island comes into view is absolutely breathtaking as the pictures show.
I ended up spending 8 idyllic days here, on Coral beach, made even better by the fact that people I had met in Penang came to join me. Sharing a room with Linda at the Shari La resort was an added bonus, and along with Tamara and Tina who arrived a couple of days later, we had a great time. The resort had its own private beach, or a series of bays , where we spent most of our days chilling out or snorkelling , and a couple of evenings out on Long Beach on the other side of the island. It was a very memorable time and the images I've included here show just why it's such a special spot. As I told Rudi, the manager of the resort, I will be back, one day!
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