Whistle-stop western Malaysia
With 2 weeks until our friends arrive in Phuket, we had originally planned to travel across Java in Indonesia, but a cancelled flight gave us the opportunity to change our plans.
Malaysia is a place we were dying to see, so a plan formed to travel over land and sea from Kuala Lumpar to Phuket, but with only 2 weeks available, it meant that we would sadly only get a whistle stop tour of Malaysia.
The hustle and bustle of KL was first up. Weird to be thrown into such an enormous city after 2 weeks of quiet in Indonesia, but it didn’t stop us from pressing our noses against the glass of the bus to get a glimpse of some of the famous skyscrapers.
Our hostel was exceptionally minimalist and the bars and restaurants were filled with rowdy ex-pats, so it felt more like London than somewhere in the east. Never the less, we explored the local area and ended up heading to a dining-in-the-dark dinner.
What I wasn’t expecting was exactly how dark it would be. There is literally no light, so you can’t even make out your hand in front of your face. Our blind waiter showed us to the table by utilising a conga-line technique and explained the layout of our cutlery.
When the food starts to arrive, you have to feel around for the dishes. Each course had 3 or 4 dishes which you had to just throw in your mouth and hope for the best. I can’t be sure but I think most of my food ended up on the table after falling off my fork on the way to my mouth, but the food tasted good enough and we had a decent giggle in the process, so thumbs up all around.
Early the next morning we set off for the Cameron Highlands. The numerous hiking trails attracted us, but we weren’t prepared for the stunning tea plantations, so we ended up using our one day there to do a ‘see everything’ tour. Being British, we simply couldn’t pass up the opportunity to have some high tea at a plantation and work our way through some scones.
We then visited a strawberry farm and a horrendously maintained ‘zoo’, neither of which were highlights. Before heading to an Indian restaurant — the favourite cuisine in Malaysia — for a phenomenal tandoori chicken and naan.
In the afternoon, we got the chance to try out a blow-dart gun with a local and visit some of their villages. To be honest, it was a shame as local culture has clearly shifted to accommodate tourism and they now live on the sides of roads. We were hoping for a decent trek into the jungle to find them but their tarmac street wasn’t quite the vibe we were expecting.
Our last stop in Malaysia was Penang, which is known for its amazing food and friendly atmosphere. We originally intended to spend 3 nights here, but the ex-pat feel got the better of us again and we felt our limited time could be better spent in Thailand — a country we both love for its friendly locals and pristine beaches.
Our two days got us around most of the island though. We made sure we ate all the food at the craziest food market — bright lights, weird musical acts and any food you want at ridiculously cheap prices.
On our last day we felt like some proper exercise was in order, so visited the largest ‘go-ape’ style adventure park you’ve ever seen. The main attraction being a 3 storey rope assault course which took 5 hours to complete.
Malaysia was beautiful but unfortunately the places we went felt a bit touristy and fake. I’d like to go back and visit the orangutangs on the east side as we heard amazing stories, but I almost don’t feel the need to back to the western coast. Especially with the amazing Thailand just next door…
