Firstly, apologies to anyone who got confused by the French post and thought they'd suddenly forgotten how to read English! Don't be alarmed, French posts will appear every now and again, just so my non English speaking friends can stay up to date as well!
So, Malaysia... as Kirsty already said, very big temperature change!! Took a few days to get used to...it was strange not having to take a jumper out, just in case it gets cold! Did still need to take an umbrella though, as every afternoon/evening there was a huuuuge thunderstorm. Okay, enough about the weather...
Mid week Naomi joined us and Team KLM became Team KLMN (if anyone is thinking of joining us on our travels, make sure your name follows on in the alphabet first...) for a few days. Wednesday night in KL turned out to be a good night to check out "Luna Bar" (the roof top bar of a posh hotel) as it was 'Ladies Night'', so not only did we get in for free, but also got free drinks, amazing! The views over the city were stunning, and the cake we bought wasn't bad either! We created our own poolside dance floor, much to the amusement of some Ozzie onlookers, who had bets going as to what nationality we were...(their guesses were all incorrect!) Sadly we weren't allowed to swim in the pool, the only disappointment of the evening...
The following day we did a bit of a whistle stop tour around KL and saw most of the main sights (as many as the heat would allow), before heading off to Melaka, an ancient port town on the south east coast. It was nice to be out of the city and we enjoyed being in a place with fewer people and small enough to get around on foot. The architecture in Melaka has Dutch, Portuguese and Chinese influence so it was really interesting to explore. We went on a boat ride and also had a tour in a trickshaw, both good fun! Whilst there we decided to sample a Chinese massage, and got a deal which included a foot&leg massage, herbal foot bath and neck and shoulder massage. In general it went down well, but I personally discovered that my feet are far too ticklish for that kind of thing!! I didn't find it particularly relaxing, and whilst it was a good experience, I'm not sure I'd go for it again! During the shoulder massage someone commented that I looked rather distressed...think that sums it up really!!
We also sampled the traditional "satay chicken" dish which was delicious, and a lot of fun to cook your own food of choice in the boiling pot of satay in the middle of the table. We stuck to just a few choices though, as were couldn't really identify what most of the food on offer was! Most likely parts of animals you really shouldn't eat...
On our last night in Melaka (and Malaysia) we went to a night market and enjoyed a spot of shopping, before watching some crazy Chinese guy pierce the shell of a coconut with his index finger!! Laura was given a bottle of his 'makes everything better' remedy stuff, because we'd read about his show in the guidebook...thanks Lonely Planet!
Like with Korea, it was great to be able to experience so many different places and get a feel for the country, rather than just seeing one place. I think the thing that struck me the most was the fascinating mix of cultures, and how everyone respects each other - a mix of cultures that works so well together.
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