Malaysia Part One - Kirsty

Hi again everyone, I can't believe it's time to blog with another country down! So we were in Malaysia for about a week (to be honest I've now lost track of all reality - time/days/dates!). In terms of the first few days I think we were hit (quite literally) by the heat! The humidity there is quite intense and along with the heat we've seen some pretty impressive thunder and lightning. I've just realised that in a truly British style I have opened with news of the weather! Again we've sampled a range of foods - lots of local delicacies, which in Malaysia is generally spicy, whether its the Indian, Malay or Chinese food (some of which made Marie sweat by just looking at it!). We spent an evening in Kuala Lumpur inititally to get our bearings, we wandered around the golden triangle shopping area but unfortunately our budgets didnt allow us to splash out on a LV handbag! However, we did splash out (again excuse the pun) on some fish therapy. I say we, but actually it was just Laura and Marie who enetered into the KL craze of spending half an hour in a pond of fish allowing them to nibble the hard skin and grime off your feet. I took photos and looked after the bags (important job). On our second day we got the bus to the Cameron Highlands which are north of KL. We have got alot of buses so far, and aside from the local buses, they put National Express to shame! Great big arm chairs with a foot rest and air con seem to have the habit of sending me into a trance and to sleep within minutes of setting off (even to the extent of my fellow musketeers taking bets on how long until I drop off)!  Meanwhile the winding roads had a more unfortunate affect on the majority of other passengers on the coach (Rosie and Sarah D would NOT have coped!) We arrived in the Cameron Highlands just in time to join a local countryside tour from Tanah Rata. This was a slightly odd mix of a butterfly farm, bee farm, rose garden, strawberry farm and the main attraction for us.... a tea plantation. we went for a short tour of the factory then enjoyed the beautiful countryside over an afternoon cuppa. My particular favourite was the earl grey and tangerine tea.  That evening we acquired another fellow English traveller for dinner and went for the local 'steamboat' which is essentially a chicken stock soup that you put meat, veg, fish and noodles in to boil and cook. The next day brought a total change of scenery as we headed to Pulau Pangkor which is an island off the east coast of Malaysia.  The guesthouse we stayed in was lovely and welcoming and only a 2 minute walk from white sandy beaches.  The hosts of the guesthouse were very generous and insisted on offering us some food they were cooking...... corned beef hash! I can't believe I travelled to the other side of the world to be offered the Leigh delicacy of 'Lobby'! We ended up going to the seafront for a local dinner including fish (caught that day), so it turns out Marie and I now like chilli red snapper!  We had a whole 48 hours at the beach which allowed us a chance to properly relax and unwind. There wasn't much else to do apart from the beach, so we spent the whole day there. Both Laura and I managed to read an entire book in 2 days!  It was quite a change from marching around Seoul trying to decipher words and numbers from our guide book.  The sea was lovely and warm and we of course did our best to catch a bit of a tan (although by the end of the day I was sporting a rather good 'panda' look from reading with my sunglasses on...fortunately this has since faded).  We then headed back to KL where we were meeting Naomi. Unfortunately our arrival in KL on the bus coincided with another major downpour so we arrived at our hostel absolutely soaked!  I think for me the highlight of Malaysia was Melaka (Marie will fill you in) it had a real European feel with an Asian twist.  I personally  found the heat, humidity, traffic, pollution and general vibe of KL quite unpleasant and I'm not sure i'd hurry back.  The beach of course on the island was lovely, and we were fortunate to get a day there where it didn't thunderstorm until 5pm, otherwise it would have been pretty dull just sitting at the hostel.  Again the food was a highlight, the Satay chicken and fresh fruit most memorable.  In terms of culture I have found it fascinating finding out about the recent history in particular. The clear harmony between the different cultures (Malay, Chinese and Indian) is a real inspiration and the history of the country becoming independent was really interesting.  Of course it was again lovely to have Laura along for the journey with her trusty Lonely planet, puzzle book and geographic skills, and I feel sad that she has left us now to go back to London.  We have, however, gained Naomi and looking forward to a couple of weeks with her in Cambodia.  More to follow soon....Kirsty