Malaysia City skylines, beaches, rainforests and great food. It has it all !

Malaysia – City skylines, beaches, rainforests and great food, it has it all!

Our love affair with Malaysia got off to a rocky start. Arriving at Kuala Lumpur Airport, the Starhub sim purchased to cover Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand was a dud and left us buzzing around the airport trying to find a Wi-Fi connection so we could call Uber. We weren’t alone. We gave up and paid the more expensive airport taxi fees to deliver us to our accommodation situated right in the Golden triangle, the heart of Kuala Lumpur,

Feeling like pros, we ventured out into the city and it quickly became apparent this was not like Singapore. In fact, we were situated in the Indian Sector of the city centre, walking distance from the Petronas Towers, but what a distance 2 km can make!!

We were instantly struck with just how dirty, congested and noisy KL was in comparison to the somewhat structured congestion of Singapore. A dirty, broken city, under massive construction. The heat amplified by the traffic fumes mingled with the stench of the foul drains and rubbish over whelming. While there were police and security everywhere, there seemed little order and we risked out lives on numerous occasions trying to cross a road on the zebra crossing. It was easier just to wait until they had stopped jumping the red lights and just weave our way through the traffic with arms stretched out, saying a prayer!

One of our must see was Batu caves. Getting there however proved a mission and what should have been a half day trip, ended up a full day with a mix of bus, mono rail and an LRT, which did give us a good insight into the city behind the glistening sky line. Batu caves was an enjoyable trip. A 154-foot-tall golden statue of Lord Murugan greets visitors before you then ascend the 300 stairs up to the caves where we had our first interactions with the monkeys.  A revered temple site, it was disappointed to see just how neglected and dirty the caves and surrounding areas were. We paid extra to visit the dark caves, where Michael was thrilled to explore looking for spiders and bats with his hard hat and torch.

One of the highlights of Kuala lumpur was when we took Michael’s learning on a field trip to the Prestorian discovery centre. Situated under the twin towers this attraction was a fantastic day out for us all. From learning about space, speed, energy, physics and science in hands on interactive play and discovery. Michael was in his element.  Exhibits included how it feels on Jupiter in 160km winds, understanding gyros by riding one, pulling on the overalls and exploring an oil platform to learn about drilling.  This centre was exceptional value for money and would highly recommend to all to visit.

Kuala Lumpur evokes differing reactions in people we have spoken to. Some love the chaos of the big city, the towering, metallic back drops, the congestion and constant noise. However, we couldn’t wait to leave. The KLCC does offer the finest of restaurants, bars and attractions and the shopping malls in central KL is another must do. The Berjaya Times Square shopping centre was 8 floors of amazing shopping experience and housed an entire theme park, complete with rides and a full-scale rollercoaster. We would have explored them all, however Michael being Michael stepped into an elevator without us! Twenty minutes later he was found in a sobbing mess and learnt the lesson not to leave our side again. Poor Michael was miserable in the city and his fear of dying on this trip was exasperated when he became unwell complaining of headaches and started coughing, blaming the traffic pollution and complaining he wanted to go home before travelling killed him!

We did however react when his temperatures reached 39.9 and we rushed him to a local hospital, where he was put on a drip, given a suppository and tested for dengue and influenza. A terrifying few hours waiting for the results which confirmed Type B Influenza and we were relieved when he started to respond to the Tami flue treatment.

He was still very weak, and we were discharged to bed rest in our hotel for the next few days, where we watched the city explode in fireworks, starting the official Chinese New Year from our high-rise accommodation. Jason continued the rest of our trip to KL unaccompanied and brought us back a feast of photos of the celebrations happening around the city, including watching the Chinese Lion and dragon dance.

 Tip: If you don’t have travel insurance, then don’t travel. Medical insurance is a must have!

 IPOH

Relieved to be leaving KL, we took the bus to Ipoh where my heart soared to see the Kledang mountain range coming into view. Ipoh a pretty city with quaint colonial architecture set, with a back drop of 400 million years old limestone hills and caves. The air was clear, cooler and smelt much better and proudly claims to be one of the cleanest cities in Malaysia.

Fawlty towers best describes our hotel which was an elegant former 4-star hotel which has deteriorated with lack of investment in refurbishment. However, we loved it! We were upgraded to two suites after a mix up with our booking, where I languished in a deep bath of bubbles soothing my aging backpacker’s shoulders. We had a breath-taking view of the city and mountains from our room. I thought of home as I sat and watched the sunrise christen a new day. Then the air conditioning packed up and we found ourselves sweltering in 30-degree heat and camped out in the hotel reception with other guests in the middle of the night. It was the coldest place to be! I opened my room door to discover a water fall coming through the ceiling, suggesting the air conditioning was terminal so many guests moved out. However, through adversity you meet some amazing people and the staff were awesome. They did just about everything they could to help us and to abandon ship felt disloyal! We were rewarded by establishing some great camaraderie with the staff, had lots of laughs and we were treated with such kindness, we were both sorry to be moving on.

After such a difficult start to Malaysia, Michael took a huge step backwards and his anxiety towards trying new experiences reached a new high. Worried about germs, he refused to use public transport as was convinced that’s where he contracted flue. So instead we navigated Ipoh by taxi which was a cheap and efficient way to see the sites. It’s expected that you barter in Malaysia which included the taxi, but we haven’t quite got the hang of it yet. Instead paying whatever they ask, as it feels very impolite not too!

Our arrival in Ipoh coincided with The Chinese New Year 3-day public holiday and the perfect time to visit one of the many beautiful the temples in Ipoh.  Sam_Poh_Tong a Chinese Buddhist temple, built into the limestone cave was spectacular. Adorned with incense, lanterns and packed with Chinese and tourists visiting to make their blessings for the New year. It was simply put, ‘magical” and we felt privileged to be witness to this celebration unfold.

Exploring the amazing flea market in Ipoh was a real treat. So many treasures I would have loved to buy and ship home. Considered options for smuggling a baby sugar glider home to replace our pet rats. We dined at Ling som - world famous for its chicken and rice dish which was scrumptious, less so for Jas and Michael. 

We also visited the Lost world of Tambun to cheer Michael up. This was an expensive day out by local standards, but again worth every cent. A theme park, zoo and water park all in one, with an array of different animals set in a stunning location. So many highlights to mention but the petting zoo was wonderful.  From feeding birds, camels, giraffes and wallabies, Up close to a hippo underwater. Riding the flying chairs and Pirate ship and then cooling off in the water park, bombing down tubes, floating around the river rapids taking in the spectacular scenery all around us. A brilliant day and a definite MUST DO if visiting Malaysia. Video pics of our trip 

Penang

The three-hour bus journey to Penang became five due to traffic but again was a great opportunity to take in the ever-changing landscape. Our accommodation, Hupo Inn, was situated at Batu ferringhi, a tourist hotspot with beautiful sandy beaches, warm sea and idyllic night markets and food stalls. Booked through Airbnb it was fabulous. They are now on booking.com too Affordable, modern luxury, a pool and the most amazing host that couldn’t do enough for us. I totally recommend staying here. You won’t be disappointed. Remember if use our Booking.com link you also get a 10% discount.  https://www.booking.com/s/34_6/b8785ab8

George Town in Penang is beautiful. Famous as a world heritage site, it houses some of the oldest pre-war colonial and Asian architecture in SE Asia.  We really enjoyed ambling through the narrow street steeped in history and following a trail of artisan murals and wrought iron caricatures depicting life in the city. We stumbled across China House – The longest Café in Penang which stretches across two streets, where we enjoyed refreshments while doodling artwork, which if good enough, could also adorn the walls of the café’s loo!

One of the highlights of our stay in Penang was our trek through the Penang National park to Turtle beach a marine reserve where no swimming was allowed. It was spectacular. We were then picked up by water taxi to be taken to Monkey beach for a swim.  We followed an already eloquently written guide, so have just provided the link here.  It was a fantastic day, which even Michael conceded was pretty good. The beaches in the Park were just stunning, although once again, it was sad to see the level of rubbish that had amassed on Monkey beach.

Believe it or not travelling is actually hard work. Sourcing accommodation, flights, buses, currency, often without phone data, just Wi-Fi, made harder when you can’t understand the language. Personally, I find it frustrating and resent the time it takes away from us seeing things. Jason has become the whizz at sourcing the best accommodation, so I’ve happily relinquished the role to him.  Penang for us has been a holiday from travelling, where we have lazed around for a week topping up our tan, rested and planned our next phase of the adventure, Thailand. 

The one aspect we will take away from Malaysia, is the people. Malaysians are without doubt some of the most generous, caring and considerate people we have come across. They love to talk and will help in every way. 

An update on the hair – well I’m shocked! A month into my NO shampoo challenge my hair is soft manageable and feels great. Had a few dodgy days in Ipoh with the humidity but seems to have settled down again. Trust me this is doable!!!