I Wasn't Expecting That

Malaysian Summary
In truth, I probably should have stayed in Malaysia longer. I could have spent at least another two days in Kuala Lumpur, and probably another three or four in Penang, but I felt like I had to keep moving, otherwise I was never going to get through everywhere I wanted to go. But I don't want to feel like I rushed through everywhere, that I missed things, that I should have lingered. So I have pretty much decided to cut Vietnam out of this trip. To spend a week and a half in each Thailand and Cambodia. Or a week in Thailand and two weeks in Cambodia. We'll see how it works out. But I'm not rushing anywhere.

Thailand
Well Bangkok is not what I expected. When I think of Bangkok, I think of the nights, the partying westerners, the shows, and the scamming and pick pocketing that is rife in the country. And that is pretty much what you get. At night*. But during the day, wow. The city is full of culture, tradition, noise, fun - even the message coming from the Grand Palace telling you to not believe people who say it is closed (a typical Thai scam) starts with a tuneful melody, instead of just your average "bing bong". And then in amongst the tourist chaos, there are these serene little oases (is that the plural of oasis?!) of green parks, calm, shady, quiet. Even inside the most touristic places (yes that's a word, my phone spelt it for me!) there are spaces of calm, to sit and watch the world go by. And then there's the river, full of boat taxis transporting people along, tourists and locals alike, past the Bangkok skyline. And the skyline (the underground, but in the air) with its air con trains that run on time, smoothly transporting you without hassle through the sky.

I wasn't expecting to like Bangkok. But I really do.

*Not that I've really been out at night, but I could guess from the noise coming from outside my first hostel!

It's my holiday.

After yesterday's adventures, I slept for probably too long. I was packed and having breakfast by 10, which isn't too bad, but I had to be at the airport by 5 at the latest, which gave me less than 6 hours to do something (yes I can count - it's an hours bus journey to the airport). Now I have this habit of forgetting that hours are quite long, especially when I have something planned for later on. "oh I have to be somewhere at 2 so I can't possibly start that half an hour thing at 11am because I definitely won't have enough time" I'm terrible with it, and I know it. But. Filled with grand ideas of adventure, and not wanting to waste the day away, I quickly Googled some plans. After dismissing Monkey Beach due to the potential of a two hour walk each way, and an hour bus journey each way, adding up to an approximate 6 hours, and a tight turn around, I Googled a temple that I wanted to go to. Half an hour walk away. Much more feasible. So inevitably, I headed to Monkey Beach.

I had partly been spurred on by becoming friends with Ramona, and seeing her pictures of fabulous beaches and exotic locations, and feeling like my experiences just weren't up to scratch. And partly because there were monkeys there.

So an hour and a bit later, I found myself at the entrance to the national park, heading out in the slight drizzle to the beach. The drizzle soon cleared out and just left humidity. Dripping with sweat is an understatement. As I walked along the path, aware of my short time frame, I was getting frustrated with other walkers - I'd forgotten it was the weekend, and a long weekend for Malaysians at that. But on the plus side, the national park "map" (photocopied paper - black and white) said it was an hour and 15 minutes walk, which added some breathing room.

Eventually I got to a beach. It was not the beach in Ramona's pictures. Either she had a really good camera that could photoshop out lots of litter, or I wasn't in the right place. It was the second option. I carried on down the beach, past lots of Malaysian girls making sandcastles (school trip?!), and found another sign to Monkey Beach. I also found that the way to continue down this path was through the sea - it was high tide. The waves were crashing in, the water was so dirty, and there was a sewage pipe leading into the sea at the crossing point. I watched a few others take their shoes off, walk across and disappear into the bush on the other side, and decided I didn't want to go to this beach enough. There is still plenty of time for beaches, and monkeys for that matter. A combination of time, tourists and dirty water made my decision to head back the way I had come, but at a significantly slower pace.

As I got back into Georgetown, I realised it had been a good decision - it was already gone 3pm, and I had to get back to the hostel and get a bus by 4pm latest. But I was pleased that I had tried. I was pleased that for once I was in control of the situation, and it was me that made the decision to change plans, and that it had worked out for the best. And I was pleased that I'd managed to have a wander through the national park. A quick flick through my camera photos also reminded me that while my photos may not be full of beaches and exotic monkeys like Ramona's, they were full of my experiences, of my holiday. And that's the important thing.

Next up... Thailand.

The One Where I Did Climb A Hill

"I was thinking of doing that too, do you want to go together?" The words tumbled out of my mouth before I realised what I was doing. Moments earlier, I had been checking into my hostel with no real plans for the day, as a German girl (Ramona, I found out later) asked how to get to the Botanic Gardens to climb Penang Hill. A few minutes later, I was heading out the door ready to repeat yesterday, this time with company.

It turns out the walk up to Penang Hill involves a whole lot of steps, steep sections of road and some slippery paths (if you take the "longer, more risky route" as it was described to us by some locals). If I had been alone, I don't know how far I would have got before I gave up. I certainly wouldn't have enjoyed it as much. All three of us agreed on that point.
"Wait" I hear you cry "three of you?!". Yes three of us. Half way up the first lot of steps, we met Braidon, an American, who tagged along with us. Together, fighting against the heat and the slopes, we chatted about travelling, about politics, about the differences in our cultures, particularly our school systems.

After getting to the top (the views were worth it), we headed back down on the train and bus to Georgetown. We grabbed food (we introduced Braidon to samosas, his mind was blown), and an hour later, I was in a Buddhist temple, learning about meditation - the obvious way to end the day. Ramona had read about the lesson online and wanted to go. After the success of the day, I was more than happy to continue the adventure with my new friends, so all three of us went. (I'll leave my thoughts on Buddhism for now, this blog is about new friends, not religious debates!)

I have no idea what I would have ended up doing with my day had I not said those words at the start of the day, but I can say with 100% certainty that I would not have laughed as much, learnt as much or been as happy as I was with my two companions.

I need to start saying these words more often.

The One Where I Didn't Climb A Hill

If there's one thing I wanted to do in Penang, it was go to the top of Penang Hill. It's a hill. I like being at the top of hills. So. I Googled it. I Googled the walk path ("there is a fork in the path. The left path goes to a hut guarded by fierce dogs. Take the right path"), I Googled where it started from (the moongate), I Googled how to get there (number 10 bus), I Googled where the bus stops were. I had everything. I even found a bus stop that was closer to where I lived than the start of the route.

So I started to walk. It was a nice day, and I was enjoying wandering through new parts of Penang (turns out Penang is like really nice when you get out of the tourist bits). I saw a number 10 bus heading in the opposite direction - a good start! About 143 steps later, I realised that I was walking down a one way road. The bus would only be heading in the opposite direction. I'd walked too far for the bus stop I was aiming for... Not to be deterred, I had a quick look at my phone (I didn't have Internet access but I'd left everything open so I could still see it - I was organised.) which showed me that if I kept walking a little bit, I'd get to a bus stop, so I kept walking. And I found the bus stop! It even said number 10 on it, which was pretty impressive considering most of the ones I'd seen before had no signs at all. The Internet had said they came every half an hour. The sign said every 45 mins. No drama. So I sat and waited.

And I waited.

Another woman turned up.

And we waited.

She asked me how long I'd been waiting for. I said 30 mins  - it felt longer. It probably was longer. She told me Malaysian buses are lousy and I should go to Singapore. I'd get a bus in 5 minutes in Singapore. (I can only assume she was from Singapore, hence the bias). She asked me where I was going. I told her. She said this bus doesn't go that way from this stop. I was pretty sure she was wrong - it was a one way street (again!) and I was pretty convinced the bus went down it whichever destination it was heading to.

A bus turned up!

She asked the driver about the botanic gardens for me (the start of the route). He said it was this way (I knew she was wrong), but the next bus. Another 30 minutes. By this point I had been at the bus stop for over an hour. I was hungry and it had got to early afternoon and getting hot. I didn't wait for the next bus.

Instead I wandered round the centre, I found a cafe, I ate, I cooled down, I found a hostel for tomorrow night. I chatted to my friends (yknow, on the Internet because the hostel I'm staying in at the minute is not conducive to making friends). I went for a wander along the seafront at dusk (the sun sets in the wrong direction...), and I headed to the Danish Indian restaurant I've been eyeing up. Mostly because it claims to be Danish and Indian which confuses me. I've just finished eating (more food than I've eaten all week) and I still don't understand. It's a great spot for people watching though :-)

It's been a good day despite the lack of hill. Perhaps I will try tomorrow. It is a public holiday tomorrow though so I don't hold out much hope for the buses. Perhaps I should go to Singapore. I'd get a bus in no time there!

On a separate note - Mum, I used the words deterred AND conducive in this blog! Check me out!

Cameron Highlands

I'll be honest, my first night in the Cameron Highlands was not my best. When I went to book the bus in KL, I had planned on getting the 1130 bus. Turns out this one was full, as was the next. So I had to get a bus at 345pm, and I'd arrived at the bus station at 10.15am. Now in hindsight, I really should have gone back into the city, had a wander, found somewhere to sit and watch the crowds. But in my head, my day was to be spent travelling, so I spent a long and dull 6 hours at the bus station. I did a little people watching, I read my book, I bought that meal I was talking about before, I bought new flip flops, and some shampoo. It was ok. As was the shorter than expected bus journey. And then I found my hostel without a map - something that I am apparently getting good at. But it wasn't the day I had planned in my head, and it threw me off and left me feeling very out of sorts, for want of a better description. I lay in my bed hating it. The people weren't friendly (in truth I hadn't given them a chance) and the bed had bed bugs (it definitely didn't, and the rational part of my brain knew that!) and I was never going to sleep. I had two nights here and then I was getting out as soon as I could because I was definitely going to hate it here.

I woke up at 6.15am (having slept) to a street light in my eyes and the sound of roadworks. Not the best wake up, but regardless I was feeling a little more positive than the night before. After a chat with the hostel staff, I picked a route through the forest trails and headed off for a short hike. Unsurprisingly this made me feel much better and I found I actually really liked the Cameron Highlands. Its cool climate, nice trails and noisy insects make for some good walking. My route ended up at a local market which I also wandered through, before relaxing in a cafe and watching the world go by.

That evening was much more fun, uno and cooking with the people in my hostel (almost all Germans!) and eating yummy food! I also booked onto a tour of the local area for the next morning, which was great! The guide was so good, pointing out flowers that we never would have seen, or even if we had, we'd never have known the details - that if you crush this leaf, it smells like tiger balm, but it's not what they use to make tiger balm, and this berry comes before the flower, not after, and it's good for sore throat (but tastes like my herbal toothpaste!). We went to a tea plantation, and a strawberry farm, and generally had a very informative and educational morning!

I'm glad I got over my determination to dislike the Cameron Highlands, because it's a beautiful place! On to Penang next...

Kuala Lumpur

The past few days in Kuala Lumpur have been great. In my three days here, I have had dinner with Gwen (a Malaysian friend who I met in India), watched a fountain, watched people, been to several markets, a football match, a temple and a cave and had a few meals with Sophie, a friend who I used to work with, and her sister and sister's boyfriend. It's been great to catch up with friends, gossip, trade travel stories and explore in the comfort of familiar faces.

It's hard to describe Kuala Lumpur, but I think Gwen put it best. It's the melting pot of Asia. It's everything in one place. Chinese, Indian, Thai, Vietnamese, Malaysian - you want it, it's here. I couldn't tell you what is traditional Malaysian from my time here, but I can tell you that KL was the best place to start my journey, even if I didn't have friends here. I would have stayed longer, but the public holidays in Malaysia this week (Monday AND Friday!) meant hostels were booking up quickly in the places I wanted to go to, so I made a decision and I'm off.

And I'm ready to go it alone now. I've had some local food (top tip from Gwen - in Malaysia, the more red it is, the more spicy it is!), I've been on a train, I bought a bus ticket (being British, I enjoyed standing in the queue for almost an hour!) and I'm off to the Cameron Highlands today ready for the next adventure :-)

What Am I Doing?

If I had a Ringgit for every time I'd asked myself that question today - What Am I Doing? - Well, I'd still not be very rich, because 1 Ringgit is only about 20p, but I'd have more money than I did at the start of the day anyway. I reckon I've spent roughly one minute of every 10 wondering what on earth possessed me to push myself so far out of my comfort zone, and whether I could just go to India right now and forget the next four weeks of vague travel plans.

But one minute out of every 10 means there's 9 minutes of a different kind of wonder. The kind where I stare in awe at the skyscrapers and almost bump into someone. The kind where I realise how much I've missed being hot (there is a limit though Asia!). The kind where I am amazed that my brain has remembered how to, and is still not phased by crossing roads full of motorbikes, buses, cars, that just do whatever they like. Or where I realise that I made my way from the airport to the hostel looking at a map once, and just vaguely aiming in that direction. 9 minutes of knowing that I'll be ok in the end.

That one out of 10 has meant that I bailed on my plan to "only eat local food" and I'm in Starbucks. I did justify this by ordering a croissant which is something I would never normally order - it might not be Asian, but it's still not my regular - that's something right?! I'm going out for dinner with Gwen, my Malaysian friend, tonight, and hanging out with Sophie, who's been living over here for a month or so now tomorrow and Saturday, so I'll be braver when I'm with them, and hopefully that will set me up for the rest of the trip!

I'm sure today isn't the last time I ask myself that question, but I'm also sure I'll ask it less as the month goes on. Perhaps after 30 days, I'll be down to just once a day?!