So here we are now onto exploring Thailand already and I have written zero for Malaysia! This is in part due to the fact that any time I go into a common area to write, instead, we make 5 new friends and get on rolling conversations that last forever. 😂 Not complaining, because I love meeting new people and making friends! It’s just so hard to get anything done! Even sometimes when I try to retire to my bunk to write, I will meet the people sleeping in the bunk next to me and get nothing done. So here I am, in a hostel in Thailand, in a bunk bed with the curtains drawn closed hiding away from everyone because this is the only way to get things done 😂moving on…
The first city we hit in Malaysia was the capital, Kuala Lumpur, or as the locals and many backpackers call it, KL. The first night we just spent exploring the streets and wandering around until we found our way to a good view-point from the park of the famous Twin Petronas Towers, which are currently the tallest twin towers in the world. We would have liked to take the tour up the towers to see the sunset from the sky bridge but the price was astronomical so we passed.
The next day was consumed by a waterfall hike. 😍 We took our time getting up and wandering around in the morning and then grabbed a cab to Templer park to do some waterfall hiking. When we arrived at the park there were a ton of wild monkeys everywhere, like every other place in Asia. We made sure we tied our bags up and had nothing valuable out before we started our hike. As we hiked though the park we were able to explore the Waterfall all the way up the mountain which was awesome. The first stop we came too was overrun with locals bathing and having fun and as we hiked further up we ran into the same stream of water gushing down over the rocks making many different falls all the way up.
Even though some of the rocks we were hiking over were quite slippery, it was gorgeous. After we hit a spot in our hike that was overgrown and swarming with more mosquitoes than we cared to battle, we decided to head back down the mountain and back to the hostel. After getting cleaned up a bit we headed back out to explore. We first ended up in the Time Square Mall which was just across the road from us. I was overwhelmed with joy walking in the mall and seeing all of the Christmas decorations. Although there is no snow here, this was the first signs of Christmas I had seen and it was wonderful.
When we were through with the mall we made our way to Jalan Alor which was a well-known street for street food and stalls in KL. Once we arrived the street was alive with music and culture! There were so many good choices, and street cars and interesting smells! We wandered around for a bit taking everything in before deciding to try some dragon puffs which were cookies that had been dipped in liquid nitrogen. In doing this process when you bite down on the “cookie” it would creative smoke that would come out of your noise and mouth. The cookies weren’t half bad, but it was even more fun watching each other eat them
After our dragon puff experience, we settled on a small food stall at the end of the street further away from all of the hustle and bustle. Although Ron ordered a burger and fries, I opted for a few of the different things on the menu including a “curry puff” which was almost exactly like an empanada but with chicken curry inside, and a mixed vegetable plate. Both were absolutely delicious!!
While we were finishing eating, the owner came out and explained that he and his family had come over to KL last year from Indian and just started this business a year ago and it had taken off. It was nice chatting with him and interesting to learn that KL and Malaysia are a mixtures of different cultures from the locals, to also a lot of Indian and Chinese influences. (That makes sense since there was such good Indian food throughout Malaysia!)
Th next morning we awoke early because we had saved our last day in KL for a trip to the Batu Caves! We had read online that it is very cheap to get to the caves by train and that we should leave early in the morning to avoid the sun. Following the online advise, we set our alarms for 6:00 am and we were out of the hostel by 6:30 am. After the train timetable changing back and forth and after us missing one train, we finally arrived at Batu Caves much later than expected; around 9:30 am.
I always find it amazing when we arrive at a new tourist spot because all of the pictures I had seen of Batu caves had me believe it was in the middle of a mountain. I had painted a picture in my head of it being surround by lush green forests when in reality it is just on the outskirts of a town with a ton of small tourists set ups on the way walking up to the base of the caves.
However, the limestone mountains were gorgeous. Thankfully, we were still early enough to avoid the huge crowds and still have the stairs be in the shade as we were climbing to the top. As we reached the top and entered the cave, there were more booths set up selling goods and peanuts to feed the monkeys.
1. It made me a bit sad that they had made this beautiful cave location into a tourist trap at the top, building booths and temples inside the cave. To me, a natural formation as beautiful as this should just be left to its original creation rather than building man-made items and ruining the natural beauty. But I guess that is just my opinion.
2. Secondly, such a bad, bad idea, to feed the monkeys. We saw a few tourists feeding some monkeys but all that did was attract more monkeys that were angry that they were not getting fed as well. As more monkeys would approach a peanut bag or person holding a peanut bag, fights would break out amongst the monkeys. If you have ever seen a monkey’s incredibly sharp fangs when he is growling and angry at you, you should want to stay away from provoking them; but again just my opinion!
We were still able to enjoy the colors and natural scenery inside the cave. A short walk back down the stairs we also decided to take the Dark Cave Tour in a different part of the cave.
Like the name implies, this cave is completely dark and some parks inside are completely untouched by natural light. The dark cave is among one of the most researched tropical caves in the world; and with good reason. The cave is said to be over millions of years old and the ecosystem inside the cave thrives on guano, otherwise known as bat poop. Although I tried to push the thought out of my mind while walking in the cave, the dark cave is also home to the rarest spider in the world, the trapdoor spider.
The tour was very educational and informative and as we were led through the cave by flashlight with our guide we learned of the many different eco systems that existed in the cave as well as all of the cave formations. I also really enjoyed sometimes just walking through the dark and hearing all of the bats communicating and talking to each other above us. Strangely enough since bats are not favorite, the sounds of them in the dark really were lovely.
After we had our fill of caves, we headed back to the main city to do some more exploring. We only walked around a bit and ended up retiring early back to the hostel. This however gave us some time to work on our Christmas stockings! Ron had cut out a pattern and we were able to sew together two make shift Christmas stockings to be able to hang from our bags. We had to decorate and get in the Christmas spirit somehow right??
The next morning we headed out to catch our 4 hour bus ride to Cameron Highlands, which is known for their beautiful rolling hills and tea plantations. The bus ride was pretty smooth at first until we got up into the mountains. There was absolutely no straight patch of road anywhere and every turn and curve was so sharp with the bus driver whipping around the corners that everyone felt a little nauseous by the time we arrived. Thankfully our hostel was only a few steps from the bus stop.
As soon as we walked into the hostel, I felt right at home. Everything was decorated in a whimsical greenery and travel theme and everyone at the front desk was so incredibly nice. There was also a sign at check in saying that it was game night at 8:30 pm; count me in!
After settling in for a bit and meeting some new faces, I headed upstairs for game night while Ron continued to work on a few things. There were only a few of us to start but with more and more people arriving it turned into a great game night, laughing and enjoying each other’s company.
The next morning we had signed up to do an all day tour of the surrounding area. Two other couples along with ourselves, stuffed into the back of a jeep and we headed up the mountain to our first stop at the Mossy forest. The forest was gorgeous and filled with life. Our guide even took us off the beaten path and we got to tramp through the mud.
Our second stop was a tea plantation. The rolling hills of all of the tea were just gorgeous. We learned to tea making process and I found out that all teas come from the same plant. The base teas such as black, green, white, and oolong are all derived from the same plant. It is actually the oxidation process of the leaves that makes the different teas. Any other tea after that is just added ingredients or flavors after the tea leaves have been processed. Who knew?! Of course no trip to a tea plantation would be complete with trying some of the tea and strawberry cake to go along with it!
The rest of the trip included a stop to a butterfly farm, strawberry patch, time museum and lunch of course. We had a great day learning and soaking in the history and getting to know the two couples that were on the tour with us.
I woke up late the next morning feeling groggy but without itchy legs! Ron and I decided to do one of the great jungle hikes around Cameron highlands for the day! So I strapped on my hiking boots and we were off into the jungle! The jungle was absolutely beautiful with greenery and roots bobbing and weaving all over the ground creating very intricate and beautiful patterns. Unfortunately after about 2 miles in, all of the climbing high and over all of the roots started to take a toll on my ankle. We stopped for a few minutes and assessed the situation and I really wanted to go further but finishing the trail Meant hiking on for another 4-5 miles or so and then another 3 ish mile walk back into town. I just couldn’t do it. Accepting defeat, we turned around the same way we came and headed back.
I was so sad and disappointed but Ron kept reminding me that as much as I want to do these things, if I push my ankle too far my tendons could very well tear completely and that would just be the end of pretty much walking in general. So I accepted defeat, and we headed back to grab some food and just hung out close to our hostel for the remainder of the day so I wouldn’t have to walk too far. I will have to say that one benefit of hanging out at the hostel was the amazing tea. Everyday, I had multiple cups of honey lemon tea and it was delicious.
After we wrapped up our time in Cameron Highlands it was onto the island of Penang.
We arrived the next day in th afternoon at our hostel after a long bus ride and it was so nice to just chill out and relax after a long travel day. I will keep the updates of Penang short and sweet because in all reality, we didn’t do very much.
We took one day and explored all of the street art and the town but my ankle was still bothering me a bit so the majority of the time we spent at the hostel making plans for Thailand and planning our stay on one of the islands for the full moon party on December 22nd!
To be completely honest however, I was so happy just hanging out at the hostel because in the common room there was a decent sized tv and movies running all throughout the day everyday. While traveling you don’t really get a chance to watch much tv so this was a huge treat to just lounge, veg out and meet people.
For our last night in Penang we did however go out with a bang and went on a bar crawl with some friends in the hostel. We had a fantastic night wobbling around the town, dancing with new friends, and for me at least, having very drunken conversations about religious views and religions around the world. (Which may I add by the way were all very pleasant and informative conversations). But our night out in Penang was great and we paid for it the next day. Thankfully we had time to lounge around the hostel during the day still hanging out with our friends and watching movies since our flight into Phuket, Thailand did not leave until night. In short, I’m sorry Penang that we did not give you the love and attention that you deserved, but we met some great people, made some good onward travel and Christmas plans, and enjoyed some relaxing tv time.
Now it was off to Thailand !