FFFRRRIIIIIDDDAAAAYYYYYYYYYY: Malaysia

Typical KL city shot

I wasn't particularly organised when I got to Malaysia. I hadn't checked visa requirements, asked for a landing card, found out what currency I should be using or what the exchange rate was, or found out anything at all about Kuala Lumpur or where I should stay. Furthermore, it turns out I had flown to the cargo airport where the only option I had for getting into town was an unlicensed cab.

So for anyone travelling to Malaysia - you don't need a visa, you don't need a landing card, £1 = 5 Ringgit, Reggae Mansion is where you want to stay and KL is just the right size to explore in a couple of days. And the airport you want is the Kuala Lumpur International Airport.

Reggae Mansion from the outside

Reggae Mansion
With no place to go I asked the driver to drop me off at Reggae Mansion, a hostel that had been recommended to me by several other travellers. All that needs to be said is that it has been voted as one of the top ten hostels in the world on TripAdvisor, and rightly so.

My bunk bed, about 3 metres above ground!

In my books, it's right up there with Banwa Art House in Puerto Princesa and Glur in Ao Nang. It's an old colonial building with high ceilings, an inner courtyard, a rooftop bar/club and the best privacy and security of all times. Each bunk bed had three walls and a curtain so you had your own space, and each dorm was behind two code-locked doors and 24 hour security so no outsiders could have possibly entered. Fantastic place to stay, highly recommend to anyone on a budget or not- they also have private rooms proper hotel style.

I had a great time in KL. In the beginning it was really weird to be in a big modern city after having lived the beach life for such a long time. It had been a while since I had been in a place where a sarong was not considered acceptable clothing. The highlight of my stay in Malaysia was of course meeting up with my parents who were on a little trip of their own with some friends in Burma and Malaysia.

The Petronas Towers

Together we did the sightseeing tour, the Petronas, the KL tower, and the walking around town. I have to say in my opinion KL is not a city where walking around exploring different neighborhoods is an enjoyable experience. Other than very few pretty and calm shopping streets right in the centre walking around can pretty much be summed up with intense, noisy four-lane traffic, high rise buildings, narrow pavements overshadowed by the monorail train running above your head. I usually enjoy exploring places on foot but not so much in KL.

Nightlife in KL is great! Again, it had been a while since I had been to a bar where the walls weren't made of bamboo and the floor covered in sand. And the best part was that all bars served free drinks all night every Thursday for all the ladies ;)

Hawkers market

A few days in KL was enough and so we moved on to Penang which I had been recommended simply because of the food. Penang is famous for its hawkers markets which are collections of street food stalls with seats in the middle. The idea is you go there with your friends and family and everyone can order from their chosen stall which is great because then you don't have to agree on any one type of food and everyone gets what they want! Arguably a little fast-foody but I loved this, for £1-5 you could eat your heart out of any cuisine in a fun and lively atmosphere. Why don't they have this concept in London?

Penang was nice but it wasn't remarkable in any particular way. I was hoping the night market we went to one evening that was a bit further away from Georgetown would have made a memorable story but seeing everyone recommended it and its kind of famous, but it was mostly fake Rolexes, Tiger beer tank tops and tshirts, and other cheap plastic crap. Not sure I'd recommend anyone to spend the whole hour it took us stuck in traffic to get there, if you really want to dress like white trash you can find these goods in any shop or market in Southeast Asia. Same same, and not so different.

The one thing I will say about Malaysia is how genuinely nice people are. They are truly interested in knowing where you are from, facts about your country, what you've seen and done in Malaysia; and what's more they want to make sure you enjoy your stay there and go home to tell everyone that its worth a visit. It makes a huge difference in the service you get in comparison to for example Thailand, where the motto is, like my friend Thess put it, "great food, crap service, OK music."

Sightseeing with mom :)

Buying my ticket home
I was meant to stay in Malaysia a lot longer and travel to many other places but unfortunately my time was running out. Not that I actually had a ticket home....I had checked the prices for flights to London about a million times but had failed to commit to pressing the send button. Somehow I just felt that as long as I don't have a ticket home it doesn't feel real that its all coming to an end. But I couldn't put it off any longer, the flights had gone up by £200, and I really really had to get back by the weekend - after all, I had organised a homecoming party and all. Would've been pretty funny if I didn't show up to it, and instead just kept travelling haha. Anyway, the time had come to stop the delaying. Even I couldn't procrastinate any longer, the flight would leave with or without me in four days time. So I did it. I bought the tickets. When I got the confirmation that my flights were booked and paid for I felt a little sting in my heart, like when you're doing something you know is the right thing to do but you don't want to do it.

Arrival time at Heathrow: 16:20, Thursday 4 April 2013