Langkawi

We took the ferry over to Langkawi. The spot we wanted to stay at Cenang Beach was full but we found another spot just a bit further along the beach. We were right on the palm lined beach front - a really nice beach. I opted not to swim in the water though as there were lots of Jelly Fish washed up on the beach.



The island has Duty Free status so the beers were really cheap and there was an 'Irish' Bar just opposite where we were staying. There was basically one street with shops and bars lining both sides of the road giving us some restaurant choices. We also went to the Submarine Beach bar right on the beach although it was quiet later on, it was a nice spot to chill.

From Langkawi I booked my transport into Thailand. After 2 nights on Lankgawi I left the girls and travelled by ferry to Satun. Leaving Malaysia was easy and I need not have worried about not having an entry stamp. The border crossing at Satun was slow. From Langkawi I'd booked the Ferry to Satun and a bus to Krabi - I was to collect my ticket from the local agent who would take me to the bus station. Things didn't quite work out like that though as the Satun agent squashed me into a mini van with a driver who had a deathwish - "Better than bus. much faster!". We had a flat tyre on route (surprisingly only one!) which it took the driver an hour to change - Any time we'd have saved from catching the bus was lost. When we arrived at Krabi I was then acused of not having paid for the van even though I'd hung on to my voucher! - I was hot and bothered so went a bit nuts especially when one of the guys acusing me tried to offer me hotels whilst they were contacting the agent back in Satun!

Penang, George Town & Thaipusam

I met up with two girls from my hotel waiting at the bus station also taking the bus to Butterworth (- Hello Jen and Sarah if you are reading this).

From Butterworth we took a ferry over to George Town. I was half asleep from the bus when I was trying to get through the ferry barrier - I put my change in and stupidly span the barrier to see if it was working - the barrier span all the way around taking my money leaving me still on the wrong side!

We all stayed in Travellers Lodge 75 in a central spot in the middle of the city. The hostel was OK but the staff running the place were really helpful and friendly.

We went exploring but were all generally dissapointed - there were Indian and Chinese areas and a Colonial area (my favourite!) around Fort Cornwalis - a fort built by Captain Sir Francis Light after taking possession of the island from the Sultan of Kedah in 1786.

I'd wanted to do a day tour around the island but the next day was the Thaipusam festival and there was going to be a lot of traffic.

Next day we decided to find the festival route. We walked for a while before we saw our first worshippers. Once we picked up the route it was quite an amazing sight. Devotees walk the route (around 8km we were told) from Little India to the Waterfall Temple. They walk barefoot and seemed to fall into 4 different categories:

The first had altars on their heads which were like one man floats. They looked heavy but these guys would dance around in circles.

The second group had various items hooked into their skin - these ranged from milk containers to limes and even coconuts - ouch!





The third group probably the most impressive consisted of a team of two people almost like a horse and rider. The human horse would have a series of ropes hooked into the skin of their back and would try and walk forward whilst the rider would pull back on the ropes stretching the skin.



The last group would be carrying offering such as milk containers on their heads. Some women were in this group.

Men from each of the groups would also have tongue, lip and other facial piercings often with iron rods pushed right through their cheeks.

It was a hot day and we were all thirsty so I can't imagine what it must have been like for these guys - the pavement was red hot to walk on.

We followed the main route close to the Botanical Gardens. There were sponsored rest areas along both sides of the street with various representations of different gods infront along with huge sound systems blasting out music . There was even an elephant show and some snake charmers.

We took a break before joining the procession up the steps to the Waterfall Temple. We decided not to go inside though as it didn't seem appropriate. You could see on a TV screen (a view of inside) that when they got to the front of the queue the contents of the milk jugs would be tipped over a statue of one of the gods.



We then took a long walk back to the city centre. After some food (- we were all really hungry) we decided to check out the Komtar Tower to get a view over the city. This was so rubbish it was actually funny - most of the tower windows were dirty and it was really difficult to see out in some spots - a pre-requisite for a viewing tower! With our ticket we got a voucher for 1 Ringit 50 off food and drink - a coke normally cost just under 2 Ringits here they raised the price to 3. We also got a 'free' postcard but the quality of some of the cards was terrible.

We went out for a bite and a few beers to end the day with none of us sad to be leaving George Town. To be fair it would have been nice to see more of the island but as we were heading to the holiday island of Langkawi next we didn't mind that much. It had been a real eye opener being able to attend the festival - I like the fact that the people didn't pay any attention to the tourists and you could watch without feeling like you were intruding. It was definately not something I'll forget in a hurry.

Cameron Highlands

The Cameron Highlands were a welcome change after the heat and crowds of KL.

I'd booked on line and after a long bus ride up winding roads I got picked up from the bus station. I stayed at Father's Guest House on a hill above the small town of Tanah Rata. My room was basic but the grounds of the hotel and the views were nice.



The town was quite small but had a few good restaurants. I found a nice indian restaurant which made fresh naan bread and chicken tikka - it was really cheap.

The following day I decided to tackle some jungle trekking. I'd met a couple on the bus from KL (Hello Wendy and Dave - Dave was originally from Whitley Bay but unfortunately supports the wrong team!)and we decided to tackle the trek together. The Trails are numbered and we did a round trip using Trails 5,3 and 8. We set off from town and picked up the start of the first trail. The trail climbed steadily through the trees to a summit where we stopped for lunch.



The trail back down was far more challenging. At one point (and it would happen to be the point that I was leading!) we took a wrong turn and ended climbing down to a dead end. We decided to push on though the trees as the climb back would have been really difficult - we were all pleased when we managed to pick up the trail again. At one point I slipped and grabbed a branch popping my arm again (remember the whip injury from the Kroombit Cattle station in Australia?). I soldiered on and a steep trail led us down to a stream which we crossed and had an even steeper climb up the otherside, this time with ropes to help. The last trail ended at a waterfall where there was a path leading into town.

On my last day in the highlands I did a half day tour with Titiwangsa Tours! First stop was at a spot overlooking the tea plantations known as the “Giant Green Carpet of Malaysia”. Next we headed down to the BOH Tea Factory and had a look around at how the tea was processed. Although I don't normally drink tea I gave it a try - the tea shop was in a great spot overlooking more of the plantations.



From the Tea Factory we headed up to Gunung Brinchang - the highest peak that is accessible by road in Malaysia (2032 meters). The guide took us for a short walk into the Mossy forest and pointed out different plants and herbs including Pitcher Palms. The view from the top of the peak was in cloud so no one bothered climbing the observation tower. It was a good group though and we all got chatting when we had a break. There was a communications tower at the top with a lot of workers pulling ropes fastened to the tower - someone asked the guide if it was their job to hold the tower up!

We made two more stops - the first at Orang Asli Village - a village of indiginous population who have been re-settled by the government close to Tanah Rata. The second stop was at a forest camp by a stream. It was supposed to be good luck to wash your face in the stream. A lot of trees in the area had been planted by the British to change the landscape drying it up the mossy forest to make the area more suitable for growing Tea.

The Cameron Highlands had been a surprise for me just when I was beginning to think Malaysia didn't have much to offer and I was really glad I visited. Next I decided to head to Georgetown on the island of Penang.