Reminiscing about Malaysia, I made nasi lemak. It was so good! The vegan boiled eggs - made from potato, soy milk and agar, primarily, with kala namak - were weird but, you know, filled a need.
Leaving Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia at 10:20am (+08:00) on Tuesday the 28th of February 2017 and arriving in Denpasar, Bali, Indonesia at 1:25pm (+08:00) on Tuesday the 28th of February 2017
Leaving Ipoh, Malaysia at 1:00am (+08:00) on Tuesday the 28th of February 2017 and arriving in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia at 4:30am (+08:00) on Tuesday the 28th of February 2017
at a cost of 45myr
I decided to spend a day getting back to KL for my flight to Bali, instead of taking a direct route. Fairly haphazardly, I booked a late-night bus from Ipoh directly to KL Airport, and figured I'd let the Penang to Ipoh part of the journey take care of itself. It did: someone (K) posted on the CS Penang facebook group that he's driving to Ipoh this weekend, and he rearranged his time to Sunday evening so that I could join him. Dani tagged along, and he also offered us to stay in his Mum's house in Ipoh.
So K picked us both up on Sunday evening, and off we went. Ipoh should only be about a 1.5 hour drive... Unless you get a flat tire on the highway. We did. The car had a spare, but no jack. The highway rescue people showed up fairly promptly though, pulled a screw out of the spare tire and patched it up, and set us on our way. All part of the adventure.
We slept well in K's lovely family home, and the next day he showed us around his hometown. Three Hindu temples:
We stopped at Andersonians for tasty banana leaf, and really good chai.
A walk down Concubine Lane, which is a bustling little street full of cute shops and cafes. It houses the most famous Tau Fu Fah at Ding Feng. I tried ginger flavour, for just 1.60 MYR. It was delicious. Dani found durian cendol, her fave. (Anything with durian is Dani's fave). There were also some cool abandoned buildings, and a film crew of some famous travel vlogger seemed to show up wherever we were. There's lots of really nice street art, too.
We lounged around with coffee in Burps and Giggles, having super interesting in-depth discussions about diet and philosophy (actually this was all day). Burps and Giggles was a good place to chill for a couple of hours.
We took off and managed to get to Kek Look Tong with an hour before closing. This is a cave temple, with some nice gardens. The cave was pretty spectacular, with great rock formations. I was sad about the stalegmites that would never form because of the concrete on the ground, onto which stalegtites were dripping ferociously; we debated whether humans are interfering with nature, or just a different part of it. I suppose it wasn't really a debate because none of us are sure; just a discussion. There were lots of small intricate statues around as well.
K took Dani and I to Amanjaya bus station, which is inconveniently far from the city center. We ate curry at the food court, and Dani took a bus back to Penang. I've been sitting around for three hours, and have another two to go before my bus to KLIA. Until half an hour ago, the wifi was surprisingly functional and fast. But now it's gone. Alas. There's power here, too, and vegetarian curry and rice (and a samosa) was about 3 MYR.
Leaving George Town, Penang, Malaysia at 7:30pm (+08:00) on Sunday the 26th of February 2017 and arriving in Ipoh, Malaysia at 10:00pm (+08:00) on Sunday the 26th of February 2017
Today bengo and I inadvertently hiked the Penang Hill Forest Challenge ('the longest trail in Penang'). I had pieced together two other hiking trails and filled a gap in the middle, but it turns out that if you do this from the other end, it has an official name. Here is the GPS trace.
Anyway, we started from home, and walked to the Botanical Gardens (about an hour). We took the 1500 steps route up Penang Hill, using Path A to reach the top (about 2.5 hours) where we relaxed with fruit and fruit juice for a while.
We walked along Summit Road to Western Hill. There's a trail on the left going down, after about 20 minutes. We first missed it and continued down the road, which quickly became signposted as private property. We backtracked; the actual trial is pretty well signposted.
From there there was lots of climbing - up and down - supported by a rope most of the way. Lots. Of. Climbing. And another hill. Then some more climbing. Oh look another hill. And a vertical slope. And some scrambling. And another hill. And so on. We encountered only 3 other groups of hikers on the way. There were a few points for nice views, but mostly trees. And hills. And another hill. But just because I was cursing every step doesn't mean I wasn't having fun.
4 hours later, the beautiful sight of local families splashing in pools nearby the Teluk Bahang Dam welcomed us. We dived in and sat in small waterfalls until our legs came back. The pools are in a nice park, which also houses the Forestry Museum. It was very peaceful.
Once we'd recovered, we walked up the road to see the Dam and reservoir. Then we backed up and followed the road to Teluk Bahang village. We stuck our thumbs out but nobody stopped.
We forged ahead to the beach, and immediately encountered Cat Beach - a cat shelter on a small, beautiful, secluded beach. Run by volunteers, in exchange for housing. I paddled, and hung out with the cats for a while. I think I see... my future.
We stopped for vegetable fried rice at a small stall, then caught the 101 bus home.
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I stepped out today and thought it's pleasantly cool. It's 30°C.
I have acclimatised.
Those who knew me in the UK might recall I I struggled with a British summer and thought 18°C was more than plenty hot enough for anyone, thank you very much.
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So much for recovering from Langkawi, it's the peak of festival season across the various different cultures and communities in Penang.
After the ferry from Langkawi returned me to George Town, Malaysian Mum picked me up from the jetty without my asking, because she's nice like that, and delightedly exclaimed that my skin is now darker than hers.
It wasn't long after I got home before I was heading out again. GJ had made it to George Town too, Ira was staying in a room in my apartment, and GJ had met H, another aspiring vegan, on his ferry. When I meet aspiring vegans I feel obligated to share my knowledge and food discoveries, especially when they're as excited about food as I am.
So I took GJ to Ee Beng first, and we ate quite a lot. Then we met H on Love Lane, and walked through town to Little India. IN NR Thali Sweets they ate curries and I bought some of all of the vegan sweets to share. We stuck around until Ira could join us. We walked to the jetty and picked up a free shuttle to the Polo field, where a balloon festival was happening. There were loads of food options here too. We walked around then chilled on the grass and waited for the hot air balloon and fireworks show to start.
We took the bus back to Chew Jetty then watched the Chinese New Year dancers, fireworks, and wandered around. Bumped into some others from the Penang CouchSurfing community.
Walking back after midnight, in every direction were fireworks and on every street sudden firecrackers. Lots of people, lots of scared stray dogs. I've had a quite enough of the Chinese fixation with fire and loud noises. Pulau Penang is the best place in Malaysia to watch CNY celebrations, anyway, because of its about 70% Hokkien Chinese population.
Photos of balloon festival and CNY celebrations.
Ira and I got back to the apartment around 1, and jumped in the pool. My feet and legs were still on fire from mosquitoes and ants, plus the jellyfish stings from almost two weeks ago started scarring and itching.
The next afternoon I met them again at Wholey Wonder. After lunch and yoga, we headed to Air Itam to see the Temple of the Jade Emperor and Kek Lok Si. There wasn't much going on at the former; the Jade Emperor's birthday was the night before, when it had been very crowded. We waited around at Kek Lok Si until it was dusk, when all of the lights came on.
Photos of Jade Emperor Temple and Kek Lok Si.
This morning I met up with some people from the Penang CouchSurfing group at Times Square. The Thaipusam chariot is being hauled from Little India to the Waterfall Temple, about 15km, today. As it goes, very slowly, people smash coconuts into the ground in front of it. The coconuts are hastily cleared up by small diggers and men with large brushes, to allow the chariot to proceed. There is free vegetarian Indian food everywhere, which is awesome. And a general party atmosphere. Lots of bright colours and music. While we waited for the chariot and coconuts, we also wandered around a couple of the nearby temples.
I threw a coconut but I'm pathetic so it bounced instead of smashed. My wish isn't coming true. I did get pretty well covered in water and bits from other peoples' coconuts though.
In the evening I walked along Jalan Utama, the road which leads to the Botanical Gardens. It was lined on both sides with stalls, refreshment stands, and people handing out free vegetarian food. People were dancing, sitting around, and the atmosphere was incredible. I stuffed my face with chapati and dahl and followed the road. Lots of people were heading towards the Gardens, and turning off to climb the steps to the Waterfall Temple. I followed the crowd; it's 500-and-something steps up. Lots of people were carrying pots of offerings.
As we neared the top, I started to feel conspicuous; I was pretty much the only non-Indian (there were one or two Chinese people by this point, but most Western tourists had remained at the bottom) and was starting to worry that there was some ritual happening inside the Temple I'd have no idea how to take part in. The line became single file, and segregated into three sections. One was obvious: the people with pots hanging from hooks in their skin. I'm not sure what the difference between the other two were. I was also a little worried as my shoulders and knees weren't completely covered. But it didn't matter. Aside from having to leave my shoes (which I'd been carrying) outside, I made it into the Temple and simply wandered through. The people with pots had them emptied into.. I dunno, a bigger pot, on the way in. The pots contained some kind of white milky substance.
I wandered around the Temple a bit. Behind it was more free food and seating. People were milling around everywhere, just hanging out. The views of George Town from the top and the way up/down are amazing. My shoes went AWOL, but then I found them again, and headed back down.
On my return along Jalan Utama I picked up a stack of food to take home. Most of the stalls giving out refreshments were interestingly by electronics companies. Pretty much everyone I know in Penang was there, but I didn't find anyone because the crowd was so huge.
Photos of the evening of Thaipusam.
I got up early and went to the stadium to watch men having dozens of hooks with things hanging from them poked into their skin. Some men had little swords through their lips, and some have big hooks in their backs from which they will pull chariots later.
In other words... aaarrghhh whhyyy lahh
Photos of Thaipusam piercings.
This evening on the way back from the Penang CS meetup I got caught in a torrential downpour (as usual). But when I made it to my road, I was handed a carton of soya milk. A bit further down, some noodles. Voila! Thaipusam is outside my front door tonight! So from my balcony I watched more coconut smashing, and eventually the golden chariot was pulled past. Pretty neat.
More pictures from the balcony.
So I am still somewhat in Langkawi vacation mode thanks to festivities and new friends... and there are still things going on until at least the weekend. But, I will get back to work.
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Ferry Langkawi to Penang
70myr (€14.72 / $15.81 / £12.66)
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Leaving Langkawi, Malaysia at 10:30am (+08:00) on Saturday the 4th of February 2017 and arriving in George Town, Penang, Malaysia at 2:30pm (+08:00) on Saturday the 4th of February 2017
I spent the afternoon at Pasir Panjang, and now I'm spending the night. It was hard to get here, but worth it in the end. Partly due to me assuming locals knew what they were talking about and not triple checking the instructions sent by the accommodation. There are (at least) two jettyes from which boats leave for Pulau Tuba, but from one of them - Paken Rabu - they don't or won't stop at Pasir Panjang. This was the one I ended up at first, just north of Chopm Park. I asked after boats and was told to wait around (by a lady selling snacks and cakes). I got the same information from a random guy with a van. The only authoritative place I found was a tour desk in side a desolate mall-like building, and the guy there essentially told me to go ask random people outside. So having been given time estimates of between one and two hours, I wandered back through Chopm Park to see the Langkawi Legends statues (photos).
I had never been anticipating getting on a boat immediately; just went to find out times. I needed to find an ATM and pick up some supplies. I did this in the main Kuah Jetty, which took a while due to crowds and queues, and then I walked back to Paken Rabu. I was told to wait some more... then as the boat arrived, they told me they couldn't drop me at Pasir Panjang after all. And pointed vaguely back to the main jetty. It would have been nice if they'd told me that two hours prior. I wandered around the main jetty asking after boats to Pulau Tuba for ages, with people pointing vaguely in different directions... all seemed pretty confident there were boats, just not very specific with information about where to find them. I eventually went far enough around the side to find an opening which looked like it led to boats. Some teenagers led me through a gate to a cafe attached to a small jetty, where they confirmed I could go to Pasir Panjang. This is Marble Beach jetty; and if I'd continued along the road I would been able to enter through a gate with a sign that said as much. I had to wait until there were more people unless I wanted to charter a boat for 50rm. I bought some juice and waited. Just as I was starting to think about giving up, about 50 minutes later, I was summoned to join a couple, an old man, and a young boy with a cake box. I paid 10rm for the 10 minute journey, and they dropped me on the beach at Pasir Panjang.
This is an 800m beach accessible only by boat or a crawl through the jungle around the edge of a cliff to the next beach (which is connected by road to the rest of the island). It's owned by scrawny, beardy, 72 year old Gus; the cabins were built by workaway volunteers. Everything is palm trees, coconuts, natural wood and corrugated steel. There's everything you need, but nothing more. Koi from Thailand runs the kitchen, cooking up local and Thai dishes for far more than they cost on the main island; but that's okay, there's no shop or supplies on Tuba, so stock has to come by boat. The food is delicious though, and taking (off-menu) veggie options reduces the price considerably.
I'm writing this in dimming light as I sit around the table with Koi, Gus, and other guests. Everyone comes here looking to get away. We just ate dinner (kangkong and rice for me) and now we are variously nibbling at chocolate, coconut, beer, wine. As they drink more and relax, the conversation gets political and strongly opinionated and the rest of the world starts to feel closer again.
This afternoon I made the aforementioned crawl through the jungle to the next beach, then started following the road that leads to the homestay there. After a few minutes walking, I met Won, who took me on the back of his scooter to see the brdige across to the next island (or is it still Tuba?), a small waterfall, and a couple of villages before dropping me back where he found me. Pulau Tuba is the only other inhabited island of Langkawi's 99, beside the main one. Won was visiting Langkawi from KL, and took a day to see Tuba. This was a stroke of good luck, as I wasn't expecting to see much beyond Pasir Panjang. We were out for about two hours, and covered about half of the roads on the island.
Back, I swam in the sea and set up my hammock. Finally! I've been carrying this thing around for years and this is the first time I've actually managed to string it up between palm trees.
Most of the other guests were leaving the next day, and whilst I didn't want to have to charter my own boat to return to the main island if I didn't have to, I also didn't want to depart before noon. I decided to stay longer, meaning I'd ask for my own boat in the evening, but Gus and Koi took this to mean I'd stay an extra night. So... what the hell. I stay.
The accommodation options are private cabins, one of two double rooms in a shared cabin, or a bed in the dorm. I chose the latter of course. The dorm is open to the world, and beds are thin mattresses under mosquito nets. There's no wifi here, but the dorm has one power outlet. I'm the only person sleeping in the dorm.
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J and I met Ira in Cenang, then we drove to the base of the Cable Car. J had been up before and the cheapest ticket is 55rm, so he went off to do his own thing while Ira and I touristed.
We were there before ten and it was bustling. Though we were able to buy our tickets after queuing for about ten minutes and get into a cable car straight away. This is the steepest cable car in the world, and leads to not the highest point in Langkawi. At the top, you can walk to the SkyBridge down (and up again) steep winding steps for 5rm, or take a small tram for 15. Ira and I walked. The bridge felt pretty full but not packed; I'm glad I didn't go at peak times. We spent about 2 hours up there, ambling around and taking in the views. Looking out across 150 million year old mountain formations lent a moment of perspective.
The tram is called the SkyGlider, the cable car is the SkyCab, and everything else in the vicinity is prefixed with Sky as well. I was disappointed they didn't have a wifi network called SkyFi. Really missing a trick there.
We took the cable cars down again, and stopped for a snack in one of the terrible overpriced cafes in the complex. We didn't realise there's better, slightly cheaper, food as you get further from the ticket counters. When we got back down, the lines for tickets stretched to the carpark and they were giving out times rather than sending people straight to the cable cars. Glad we went early. The ticket (we got the basic package) included a subset of random shit in the complex at the bottom, so we went to check that out as well. The 3D art museum was silly, and I entertained myself as usual by taking pictures of other people posing with the displays from the wrong perspectives. There were many examples of irresponsible parenting.
We saw the SkyDome, which is a screen covering one half of the inside of a sphere which you sit beneath; they played a series of short films, including an underwater scene and a space rollarcoaster. We skipped the SkyRex (I think it's some kind of animatronic dinosaur ride?) and sat with bunnies until J was back to pick us up.
Photos of the SkyBridge and associated nonesense.
We went to Tomato Nasi Kandar in Pantai Cenang for lunch. Lots of veggie options on the buffet, as well as the usual a la carte menu. I just dived into the buffet because I'm more convinced by food immediately in front of me than words on a page. I can understand why lots of people prefer to order from the menu in nasi kandar places. This buffet food had been sitting around in what is basically open air all day. But whatever. I loaded the plate up with tomato rice, cabbage, dahl and tempeh, and drank watermelon juice. I also tried a yam jelly. I don't know exactly how much this cost but Ira and I split the bill for three people between the two of us and it was 26rm in total.
Our next stop was Gunung Raya, the highest point in Langkawi. We drove up, parked, and paid 10rm to climb the tower. Views were good, and at the top of the tower was seating and free cardamom tea. We spent longer than expected at the top as it was very peaceful. We heard and then saw a hornbill.
Next J took us to a craft center. This was a huge complex with everything from batik teextiles to glass blowing. It was an enormous shop with different sections, plus workshop areas where if you go at the right times (we didn't) you can see things being made. I bought a postcard from Gram and a shell turtle for my hair.
Next stop was Tanjung Rhu beach to watch the sunset. This is widely agreed to be the best beach on Langkawi. Nearby are only expensive resorts. It was pretty much deserted while we were there. Its shape is such that you can see both sunrise and sunset from the same place. It's kind of a large spit.
Photos of Gunang Raya, Tanjung Rhu and Air Terjung Temerun waterfall.
We at dinner at a Thai place (I had vegetable fried rice) and went home to crash.
The following morning J took me to the jeti and even bought my roti canai and coffee for breakfast. I'm grateful for generous people in the world with the sharing, caring, couchsurfing spirit. I try to pay it forward wherever I can.
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I was picked up just after 9 from the hostel and joined a mixed group of tourists on a boat for an 'island hopping' tour. I had no idea what this involved , and our boat captain was particularly uncommunicative.
We were first dropped for an hour at Beras Basak Island beach. Everyone dived into the same bit of ocean. I went for a wander and a paddle and chatted to some of the other passengers. Next we stopped in a bay between islands to watch eagles soaring and diving to catch fish from the water.
After that we went to Dayang Bunting Marble geoforest park. 6rm entry and a five minute walk down winding steps to the lake of the pregnant maiden, so called because of the shape of the surrounding hills. The lake is packed with people swimming (in a small roped area) or pedal boats. Life jackets are required for swimming and can be rented for 5rm. We had an hour here. I dangled my feet over the edge and enjoyed feeling them being bumped by catfish.
There's an overpriced touristic food court by the entrance, and the return of boats (numbered) are announced over a tannoy. There are groups from dozens of boats, so the place is always busy.
The boat returned us to a jetty different from Pantai Tengah where we departed from; a minibus was there to meet us. The whole thing took about 3.5 hours.
Since it's cheap I'd say it's worth doing to get a feel for the nearby islands, but hundreds of other people are also doing it via dozens of tour operators, and the boats follow the same route at roughly the same times of day; so it's crowded.
I got lunch on my way back to the hostel, then read for a bit in a hammock before heading to Cenang to meet my CS host for the next two nights.
My host, J, picked me and another, Ira, up from the same spot. He drove us to his place in Kampung Yoi and we hung out while he prayed and waited for his wife to get home from work. J and his wife are Malay, and have lived on Langkawi for four years, having moved for work reasons. They like it.
The four of us drove to Seven Wells waterfalls, and swam in the pools at the midpoint. We didn't have time to hike to the very top before dark, but did get in plenty of scrambling over rocks. There were a few people there, but it wasn't super crowded.
Next we went to a lesser known point to watch the sunset, with a lighthouse. Then, the night market. I ate everything I laid eyes one: laici juice, peanut and corn pancakes, vegetables and rice. J dropped Ira back at her hotel in Cenang and we went back to his place.
Photos of Seven Wells and night market.
The power was out from when we got in until just after midnight. Good time to chat. They live in a small, two storey concrete house with two bedrooms upstairs and a kitchen/dining room and bathroom downstairs. Kampung Yoi is small and near the center of the island, not far from the airport where J works as an engineer.
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First impressions: much more chill than Penang.
After a totally boring three hour ferry ride in a tiny little boat where I couldn't even see out of the windows, I arrived in Kuah. It was immediately more welcoming than the jetty in George Town. I wandered around Eagle Square which I spotted from the jetty exit, and then towards the town center. Most of this walk was through a seafront park, with a little beach and lots of places to relax. It was very tranquil, and the temperature was pleasantly cooler than I have got used to.
I stopped for some juice and tofu, before getting a taxi to Pantai Tengah, just south of Pantai Cenang. There's no public transport on Langkawi. It was 30 minutes and 30 ringgitts (5 less than if I'd got it directly from the jetty). I booked a hostel last minute; my CS host went AWOL before arranging to meet, and though I had others I could call on I realised I need some alone time.
The hostel is super chill as well, complete with Bob Marley posters and hammocks. It's a five minute walk from the beach, where I went just as the sun was setting. I walked the length of Tengah beach in the lap of the waves, and then along the road to Cenang. This feels like a place people come on holiday, whereas George Town feels like a real place where people live. There are pros and cons for both, but right now the vibe here is exactly what I have been looking for.
The road to Cenang is lined with market stalls and cafes, and bustling with people in sarongs and swimsuits; yet still relaxed. I picked up a coconut, and walked back to Tengah along Cenang beach itself. This, more touristy, beach is lined with little beach bars (coffee, cocktails, shisha), and people in huddles around candles or guitars.
This morning I chilled out in hostel hammocks for a little while before heading to the closest beach. I brought my laptop, but used my backpack to rest my head, and alternated napping and feeling rubbish about the state of the world. I sat in the sea a bit before heading back to the road. I found a cafe, but I think I'll go look for somewhere with a beach view now, then try to do something useful.
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Leaving George Town, Penang, Malaysia at 2:00pm (+08:00) on Saturday the 28th of January 2017 and arriving in Langkawi, Malaysia at 5:00pm (+08:00) on Saturday the 28th of January 2017
at a cost of 70myr
I found out why my apartment number in Malaysia is 3A not 4! It's because 4 is unlucky for Chinese. Obvs.
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