Days 39-50

Ahoy there! The captain and I have jointly created this blog entry about the latest stop on our journey - Kuala Lumpur. We stayed in the city for 12 nights and had an absolutely mint time! KL is one of the financial capitals of Asia and the capital city of Malaysia. It is still very much under development as a city too - we noticed that work is constantly being done to further improve the infrastructure of the place, and to make it even more accessible for tourists and the local people. 


The journey from Cameron Highlands was very straight forward. A really comfortable coach ride which got us to KL in around 3 hours. We were staying in Chow Kit in KL, and had already sussed out which sky train to get from where the coach dropped us off, to our hotel. During our time in the city we relied heavily on the public transport - its amazing, very cheap and efficient. There are 7 different train lines running all over the city, and we used them everyday. 

We had high expectations from our hotel which was called the Citrus Hotel. We'd paid around £30 a night (more than anywhere else so far) for a club floor room which had access to a club lounge with free drinks and snacks etc, and we were excited about being in one place for 12 nights so we could unpack or bags and settle in. Maybe it was because we'd built up the Citrus so much, or because we'd had a few boring damp days in Cameron Highlands, but when we got there we were thoroughly disappointed. The first room we got given was hanging. Proper dirty and snide. It had a well good view of the Petronas Twin Towers but that was about it. Neither the air-con or fridge worked properly either, and we felt extremely deflated by it all. We were absolutely starving too so we decided to get showered and changed and head out to find some food. During our first outing in KL we saw how mint the city was, and forgot all about our shit room for a few hours, but when we got back to the hotel we decided we didn't feel comfortable enough to let it slide, and told the hotel we weren't happy. Thankfully they moved us to a much bigger, brighter and cleaner room with Arctic air-con and a fridge that actually made things cold. Score. We really enjoyed the rest of our time at the Citrus and began to feel quite at home there by the end.



On our first full day in KL our top priority was to get the laptop fixed, so after sampling the Citrus buffet breakfast for the first time, we headed to Low Yat Plaza which is a mall that specialises in electrical goods, and managed to find a nice man who repaired our screen in around 30 mins for £60. Absolutely buzzin'. Afterwards, we stumbled across a brand new mall right near our hotel called the Quill, so we had a wander around there and treated ourselves to a Subway for lunch. One of the things that made us choose the Citrus was the outdoor pool which was the biggest and best we've had anywhere so far, so after we'd had enough of malls for the day we headed back and cooled down in the pool and had a swim. We felt a lot happier by the end of our first day, especially after finding an amazing Indian restaurant where we had one of the best curries we've ever had - we'd got the laptop back, got a mint hotel room and had some decent food. Sound. 

The next day (Friday) we took the train to the Batu caves which is basically a limestone hill that houses a series of caves and cave temples around 13km outside of the city centre. It takes its name from the Sungai Batu or Batu River, which flows past the hill. The cave is one of the most popular Hindu shrines outside India, and is dedicated to Lord Murugan. It is the focal point of Hindu festival of Thaipusam in Malaysia and was a truly amazing place to see. I got a henna tattoo done there too which I loved and thought I'd got a bargain seeing as it was only £5 for one hand, but typically when we walked a bit further back towards the train sation we saw another lady doing it for £1 a hand - wounded. That night we went to TGI's! We decided to make the most of the fact that KL has so many Western food restaurants (like TGI's, Nandos, Outback Steakhouse, Chilis etc) because we hadn't been able to even get close to such food for nearly 2 months. We said we'd alternate between Western food and local food each night and it worked out really well - we ate like kings!

Saturday we did nothing all day except chill by the pool, as we'd planned to go out that night for some drinks and to see what the night life in Kuala Lumpur had to offer. We were impressed. We took an Uber to Changkat in Bukit Bintang which is one of the liveliest streets in the city for bars and restaurants. We'd sunk nearly a whole bottle of Malibu before we even went out, so after buying drinks in a couple of bars we were leathered and hungry. Drinking in Malaysia isn't cheap either, and we'd already gone way over budget for the day so we went and got a kebab from an Arabic hawker stall (which was unreal) and then headed back to the hotel for more drinks and drunken Skpyes with family. Sunday was spent hungover, again not doing much but enjoying the pool, and we ordered a Malaysian Domino's - it didn't have shit on the English version, apart from that it was £8 for 2 pizzas, garlic bread and a 2ltr bottle of drink.

The next day we went to Mid Valley Megamall which is a gigantic shopping centre and Shaun got himself a shiney new pair of Nikes. That evening we'd organised to go on a Foodie Tour which we were very excited about, however didn't really know what to expect. We were so pleasantly surprised and it was by far my favourite night so far in Malaysia. We had a lovely tour guide called Farah, a Chinese lady who spoke perfect English. She taught us (in a group of 8) about the culture of Malaysian food and how its made up and influenced by the population, which is made up of a mixture of Malaysian, Indian and Chinese people. We went to each a Malaysian, Indian and Chinese restaurant where Farah ordered local food and drinks for everyone to sample. It's safe to say we were stuffed by the end, because everything was so good that we couldn't hold back at all! Our favourite dishes were a peppery mutton soup (in Malaysia mutton is goat rather than sheep) at the Malaysian restaurant, and a roti canai at the Indian restaurant. A roti is a kind of pancake, and roti canai is the pancake served with vegetable dhal as a condiment that you dip the pancake in - bloody well nice. We learnt that traditionally it is a breakfast dish, so decided we'd definitely try and have it again one morning, in true Malay/Indian style. 

We went up the Petronas Twin Towers the next day which was a really great experience - they are bloody massive! First we went to the Sky Bridge which was on the 40(something)th floor, and then further up to the Observation Deck which is on the 86th floor and from where you can obviously see for friggin' miles. We got loads of pictures - thankfully before the battery died on the camera about three quarters of the way through the tour! Ha - always good to come prepared! We went to the cinema that evening to see the new Disney film In To The Woods, for which the trailer looked pretty mint. We were expecting a slightly dark and gloomy but harmless Disney film that was applicable to people of all ages. It actually turned out to be a load of old tosh - definitely meant for 5 year olds - all singing all dancing shite. We left before the end, but only to get more popcorn because it was only about £2 for a large haha! Every cloud...


The next day went to Sunway Lagoon theme park which was a really fun day. It was pretty quiet too so we didn't have to queue to get on any rides and the water slides were great for cooling down in the 35 degree heat! We'd been in KL for over a week by this point, and had kind of done all the things we wanted to do, so for the next few days we mainly just chilled, mooched and ate great food. We had roti canai for breakfast just round the corner from our hotel which only cost £2 for the both of us, and also had a drunken night at the hotel where we got told off for going in the pool after closing time, and went back and forth to the shop about 6 times to get more beer. The day after our drunken night was our last day in KL, on which we were sufficiently hungover, so we just lazed around, packed up our stuff and prepared to leave. The highlight of my day was getting cornered by a middle aged Iranian couple by the pool who asked me if they could have a picture taken with me - highly embarrassing, but I obliged so as not to seem rude, or get battered. We spent our last night in Nandos which was absolutely lovely, and got a reasonably early night before our next travel day. We're headed for Malacca next which is further down south. We're not sure what to expect but are getting closer and closer to Bali and Australia now which is highly exciting!

Days 30-38

The Captain: First stop after Thailand brings us to the state of Penang in northern Malaysia. We've booked a hostel in George Town, the state capital and the journey from Krabi is approximately 11 hours drive. We were picked up at around 6am by a 16 seater mini bus, and the journey started. We made a few other stops picking up other travellers, and as it happens the bus was full. We were all crammed in, and without any boot space - the bags were balanced wherever they could fit. Space was an issue for my 6'3" frame. This was the most uncomfortable journey so far, but we arrived safely and couldn't wait to see what Penang was all about. 

That first night we went out for an Indian meal. Malaysia, we're told, is a very multicultural country much like home. We learned that the population roughly consists of one third Malaysian, Chinese and Indian people, and that Malaysia is a former commonwealth country so the culture is quite a mishmash of all different influences. Some of the architecture is very colonial and reminds me slightly of Key West (USA), and most of the street names are English too. We stayed on Jalan Queens. 

The next day we got on a free bus over to the nearest mall and had a browse before paying £4.80 for a double seat at the cinema to watch the latest Hobbit film. The cinema was freezing and we were sat there in shorts and vests shivering throughout! After the film we went for one of the nicest meals we've had so far on our travels at a great restaurant called Jawi not too far from our hostel. We found it on trip advisor and it didn't disappoint. The cost of drinking in Malaysia is a lot more like home than Thailand. Perhaps due to Islam being the main religion here.

We planned a few sights to see the following day, so left the hostel into the sunshine to explore the streets of George Town. We visited the main pier and harbour area, a memorial to Queen Victoria and Fort Cornwallis - the original fort built on the island back in the early 1800s. We strolled past a few small gallery's and saw some of the governmental buildings stopping off to refresh every once in a while. The heat was almost unbearable and we were both dripping with sweat after half an hour but it was a nice relaxing yet cultural way to spend the day. After a couple of days spending big on evening meals, and as we weren't really that hungry we opted for some Asian pot noodles for tea. They were snide, but another early night was on the cards as we were shattered from the days sight seeing. First mate Joey will report on our final few days in Penang.

First mate: So after a few days in Penang we love it. So many different cultures, different foods and traditions. On our third day we tested our puzzle solving and logic skills at the escape room in First Avenue Mall. Basically you get locked in a themed room for 45 mins with different clues and codes to crack in order to open the door and 'escape'. We chose The Mummy theme, which also happened to be the hardest level (which I didn't realise when picking the theme)! It was solid. We got quite close to the end but unfortunately ran out of time and were labelled 'losers'. We really enjoyed the experience though, and have heard there's a similar thing in Kuala Lumpur so we're hoping next time we will be able to break free in time!

As there isn't many bars or nightlife in Georgetown we've begun taking it easy and giving our livers a rest after the crazy month we had in Thailand! As SK said, beer is a lot more expensive here so our budget won't stretch to beer everyday/night anymore! So thankfully we're lucky enough to have an incredibly comfortable and modern, ikea furnished hostel that we can relax and watch TV in. Our hostel has also been very quiet whilst we've been here too, some nights being just SK and I in the whole place!

Thankfully one of the only bars (called B@92) recommended by Lonely Planet and Trip Advisor was at the end of our road, so we did pop in there a couple of nights where we met some fellow travellers and also got quite friendly with the owner and staff, who were extremely welcoming and fun! We spent Friday night in there, and ended up being extremely drunk - maybe not drinking much for a week lowered our tolerance, that or the huge measures they use! Good times though.

Day 4 we took the bus to Ferrenghi beach, which is the main/only beach area in Georgetown and on Google it looked like a beautiful holiday destination however on the cloudy and quiet Friday we visited, there wasn't much going on, and after seeing so many amazing beaches in Thailand we couldn't help comparing it to them. It's not a patch on some of the places we've been to, however was definitely worth a visit - especially because it had a maccies and we both devoured a cheeseburger each!

On our final day in Penang we'd seen and done all we really wanted to, so just got on the bus to Tesco. The Tesco's here are like department stores, selling everything you can imagine, and providing hours of entertainment for us, aisle by aisle browsing all the weird food they have here! We returned to the amazing restaurant we went to on our second night in Penang, Jawi. Unfortunately for some reason the food was no where near as nice as it had been earlier in the week, but still tasty and nice to try different Malaysian dishes. We then got an early night before our departure to Cameron Highlands. God knows what it's like there! I guess we're about to find out...

Cameron Highlands

Ok so this place is weird! Shaun's described it as the arsehole of Malaysia, however, ironically it is 1800m above sea level. Basically the area consists of a few towns all spread out over around 25km in the Malaysian highlands. The place was founded in the 1920s and has become more and more tourist orientated ever since, resulting in it appearing rather in down and dated in the present day.

When we first arrived we didn't know what to expect, we knew we probably weren't gonna be doing much during our time there, but the thought of just relaxing and saving our pennies before Kuala Lumpur was fine by us. Sadly when we arrived at our hotel in Tanah Ranta (the largest of the Highland towns) which smelt like mould and felt damp because of the cooler and moist air in the Highlands, we found that our laptop screen had broken during transit! Dreams of watching back to back episodes of Broadchurch were shattered.

Things just kept getting worse for us on our first evening in CH - we went for a pizza which tasted like metal, so had to complain and leave the restaurant still starving. Went elsewhere for a curry thinking 'you can't go wrong with a curry in Asia', however it was made with roast chicken and a jar of snide sauce. Bad food day. We had an early night in the hope that the next day would turn out better.

It did. Seeing as we had no expectations from our day and no plans, we just sat in Starbucks for 3 hours playing cards, drinking coffee and eating cake. Food that night was a lot better - Trip Advisor recommended an excellent little Japanese place where I had one of the best meals I've had since I came away.

The next day we had a day trip organised to see the most popular local attractions. We went to a Buddhist temple, then to a butterfly farm where they also had other critters that the guide kindly got out of their cages and placed them on our heads etc.

We then drove up to the highest peak in CH which is over 2000m above sea level where we got some amazing pictures, and went for a walk in the Mossy Forest.

After, we went to see where they grow strawberries, then to a market and to a museum about the history of CH! We had a great day and felt satisfied that we'd gotten to see all that CH has to offer and is famous for. We probably wouldn't go back there, but are glad that we can tick one more place off our list of places we've visited. KL next! BUZZIN.

Day 25, 26, 27, 28, 29

Mainland ahoy! This is the captain, and we will shortly be arriving at Krabi. It's New Year's Eve, and just like Christmas Eve - we've spent it travelling. Not as bad this time, just a quick hour and a half boat journey, and since our first experience of a boat journey here they've gotten smoother and smoother. 

We emailed our hotel before leaving Koh Phi Phi to ask if they could arrange a shuttle for us to pick us up at the port, but they never got back to us and the way this harbour is set up, you pay for taxis in an office before heading out to get one. So we decided to just bite the bullet and pay for 300 baht, or £6 to be delivered to our hotel. As we walked out to meet the taxi, there's a guy holding a 'Shaun Kelly' sign. Great. Oh well. We get to the hotel, and this ones nice. A lot nicer than we thought it would be. The plan for the next 5 nights is 3 here in Krabi Town and then moving onto Aonang Beach for the last 2. 

We decided to bring in the new year quietly, so went out for a nice Italian meal followed by a couple of drinks. But the bars were all a bit quiet in krabi town, so we went to a shop, bought plenty of booze and retired to our hotel for skypes home and our own little countdown. On the way, we noticed a Thai family having drinks and a party outside their shop/home so we thought we'd join them. We spent hours drinkiiiing and danciiiing with a whole family of people who we couldn't speak to coherently. It was excellent, and a real experience. Looks like those tattoos we got might be a bit more appropriate than we first thought!

The next day we pottered around, watched some films and had a meal. The hangovers after drinking Thai rum aren't getting any better, and we've spent another day doing very little. We did however book a tour for tomorrow. The 4 islands boat tour, for a bit more snorkelling and to see some secluded beaches. It was great fun, and the weather was much nicer for this one. Too nice actually. Not a shred of cloud to give this pale skin of mine any rest. One of the islands had a cave of fertility. Basically a cave full of dildos. The locals believe that by creating this image, it will increase their prosperity and fertility. After the tour, we decided to have a quiet night in, no alcohol and order a pizza. 

Moving on to Aonang Beach only took about 20 minutes in the taxi. This is the more popular and party like place in Krabi, and there's a lot to do. The place we were staying had an excellent pool, so we got straight in and spent the afternoon soaking up the sun and soaking in the pool. That night we met up with the couple we met previously for some food, drinks and to exchange tips on places we've been to. A few hours passed and we retired, ready for our last day in Thailand tomorrow. 

We had a nice lazy morning, and after breakfast Josephine headed for the pool. I on the other hand headed for the bathroom. It took a whole month, but the food finally got the better of me. Maybe the fact that my entire meal cost about £4 including alcohol the night before had some part to play. An hour or two later I was ready to practice my front flips again. Still can't do them. We stayed by the pool all day, breaking once or twice for a walk to the front for some food. 

Tomorrow we're setting off at 6am, driving to Penang in Malaysia. We've been forewarned that this isn't an easy leg of the journey, but we're ready for a new country now. Thailand is amazing. Anything can happen here, and most of it does. We've enjoyed ourselves so much. Drinking, dancing, swimming, exploring, sunbathing and eating! It's been the best month of our lives and whilst we're sad to say goodbye, we can't wait for the next step. See you tomorrow, Penang. 

Day 22, 23, 24

So we kinda feel like we could have had an extra day in Phuket, but it's time to move on - time for another one of the small islands, Koh Phi Phi Don, by First Mate Joey.

The journey there couldn't have been easier, we got picked up from our hostel (by a slightly erratic driver) and taken to the pier where we got on a ferry for an hour and a half until we arrived. As the island and surrounding small islands (which are idyllically dotted around throughout the ocean) came into view, we could see why this place is considered one of the most beautiful regions. 

As the boat docked it was obvious that the island was packed, as we had to climb over our fellow passengers to get our backpacks and   then worm our way through everyone to get off the pier. We had to pay 20bht (40p) tax to enter the island - the first time we've had to do that on any of them so far. We knew that our resort called Phi Phi Don Chukit wasn't far from the pier as one of the ferry staff had kindly come round and advised everyone on how to find where they were staying. 

So we set off walking in the right direction (for once) and although we were both sweating our backs out carrying 40kg of baggage between us, and with Shaun's sunburn from the day before raging, we could tell that this busy little island was going to make us very happy for a few days. We'd had horrible expectations of Don Chuckit after reading reviews of it being like a soviet leisure camp, and of there being ants in the beds, however when we got to our room we were pleasantly surprised! We've decided that the best way to describe it is 70's Soviet Butlins. Not changed a bit since it was built - except maybe for the damage still visible as consequence of the tsunami in 2004.

As we were in Phuket on Boxing Day it was the 10 year anniversary of the tsunami which hit Thailand and vastly affected some of the places we've visited. We watched a few videos on YouTube of Phuket and Phi Phi being swept up by the tsunami and the devastation it caused really is unbelievable. Patong Beach on Phuket is the biggest beach we've seen on our trip so far. It compares to beaches in Spain or even America, so to see it totally overflow and the hotels along the front become flooded really showed us how big the tsunami was and the amount of lives it affected. Phi Phi on the other hand is one of the smallest islands we've been to and it has coasts surrounding it. Its shaped kind of like a dumbbell with a long(ish) strip of land and two blobs of land at either end all surrounded by water, so when it was hit by the tsunami it was pretty much submerged. We've heard that before the tsunami you could see through the middle of the island, which was basically a sandbank, from one side to another, and see the ocean on the other side. Now it's mayhem! A maze of little paved streets made up of shops and bars - all for tourism. We loved it how it is but before 2004 it was probably unrecognisable and much more naturally beautiful. 

Our first night consisted of drinking loads of Chang, whilst watching United vs Spurs in an English style Indie bar, and then going for a curry - proper British. 

The company we booked our transport through Thailand and Malaysia with include a few day trips along the way, and in Phi Phi we had a boat trip organised called a Sunset Tour. Sunset my arse. It pissed it down ALL day! The moment the boat set off black clouds engulfed the sky and it started to rain. The rain gradually turned into a storm, so after trying to brave it up on top deck, hoping it was just a shower, eventually we all took shelter on the bottom deck and accepted that we were in for a wet day. 

The first stop was to a monkey beach however with the rain, the monkeys had all taken shelter so we skipped this stop. Next we sailed to a lagoon where we snorkelled and kayaked. It was ace, even with the weather - obviously we were gonna get wet here anyway, and the rain didn't scare the fish away so we got to see some amazing stuff underwater. Next stop was to Maya Bay where the beach was filmed, which has now become a massive tourist attraction. It is still beautiful. As part of the National Park it's looked after and groomed daily so as to preserve it. The rain had died down quite a bit by this point and were able to take in our surroundings. It was almost evening by this point so when we got back aboard the Sunset Express we had some food that had been prepared throughout the day onboard, and set off back to Ton Sai Bay at Phi Phi Don. We did actually catch a brief glimpse of the sunset, but after the fun we'd had all day it didn't matter that the weather prevented a full view of it - the sun sets everyday and is usually stunning whether on a boat or not. 

We'd met some people on the boat during the day and made loose arrangements to meet up for drinks that night. Shaun and I hadn't been over to the other side of the island at night until then, and we soon realised that we were definitely staying on the tame side, even tamer than Tameside - thank god. The opposite bay was absolutely manic, most of the bars were playing heavy trance kind of music and gave out free buckets to naked lads and topless girls! Maybe up our street 7 years ago, but not so much now. We did a good bit of people watching, had a beer, got offered weed by one of the waiters and looked around for our new pals. We waited a bit but seeing as we didn't arrange a specific time it was a bit hopeless, so SK and I decided to go somewhere a little quieter for a bucket or 5. One thing I've learnt about Thailand is that buckets make me CRAZY. All is very blurry from then on but we had loadsa fun - we got tattoos! Through our Sangsom goggles we decided to get matching Thai tattoos which will always remind us of this amazing adventure forever. Mint. 

One of the funniest (secretly best) things about Don Chukit is that we had a twin room with separate beds. So when we wake up the next morning cramped into my single bed we looked over to Shauns to see that it was damp. Something we've learnt about buckets is that they make you lose control of your bladder! Hangover day was a write off. We stumbled to the Indie bar (still bladdered) as we knew it did proper English bacon and had a butty, then pretty much just hid in our cell for most of the day! We managed to successfully meet the guys we'd met on the boat for dinner that night, but had an early night as it was travel day yet again the next day.

Phi Phi has a bit of everything - beautiful beaches, crazy nightlife, good food and great people, making it one of my favourite islands. It's definitely been raped by tourism - there's no denying it, but it's charming in its own busy, scruffy little way, and after having visited lots of different islands, each one seems to have its own personality and appeals to me in some way. Back to the mainland tomorrow for New Years Eve - watch out Krabi.